day : 05/03/2013 9 results

34th District Democrats to co-present mayoral candidates’ forum

March 5, 2013 9:27 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Just announced by the 34th District Democrats: They’re co-sponsoring the “Super South Seattle Mayor’s Forum” with their counterparts in the 11th and 37th Legislative Districts – a chance to hear from candidates in the Seattle mayor’s race, which has eight candidates at last count (all listed and linked on the right side of the city-elections page). Details to come, they promise, but for now, mark your calendar – and/or RSVP via the Facebook event page – for 6 pm Monday, April 29th, at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor).

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Live/work in Westwood, Roxhill, or Arbor Heights? New community council’s 2nd meeting tomorrow

March 5, 2013 7:57 pm

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| Arbor Heights | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | Westwood

Though the usual meeting night will be first Tuesdays, this month only, the new Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights community council is meeting on the first Wednesday – and that’s tomorrow night. 6:30 pm, upstairs meeting room at the Southwest Library (35th/Henderson). Guest speaker is our area’s Seattle Police Crime Prevention Coordinator, Mark Solomon, to talk about community crime-prevention tactics including Block Watches, and to answer your questions. Also tomorrow night, council facilitator Mat McBride will help shepherd attendees through some organizational/leadership decisions. If you’re there, as he said last time (here’s our report on the first meeting), you’re a founding member! P.S. The council has a Facebook group here, and there’s a FB event page for the meeting here.

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West Seattle Crime Watch followup: Is this your safe?

March 5, 2013 5:05 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

That photo is a followup to our report last week on the storage-facility-burglary arrests that Southwest Precinct police think might have solved multiple burglaries. Police are trying to find its owner:

Most of the stolen property inside the storage unit has been returned to the appropriate owner. However, we have been unable to locate the owner of this Sentry Safe. If any WSB reader can identify this safe please have them contact Officer Eshom at 206.233.1547.

If someone believes this is their safe, they must be able to provide a combination and/or serial number when calling.

Meantime, we checked on the two people who were arrested. The female suspect got out of jail one day after her arrest; online records show more than 40 previous cases involving her, misdemeanors and felonies, over the past 21 years (though records do not include details on the nature of the allegations/charges). The male suspect was not booked; he was already facing charges in connection with a Southeast King County burglary weeks earlier. Records show no charges in this case yet, but we’re continuing to follow up.

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Update: Deputies searching for escapee in Shorewood; schools take precautions; suspect’s West Seattle record

March 5, 2013 12:02 pm

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| Crime | Helicopter | Shorewood | West Seattle news

(SCROLL DOWN for updates)

12:02 PM: We started this coverage as part of our earlier story about helicopter sightings – but it’s ongoing, so we’ve moved it here. Here’s the man deputies are looking for in the Shorewood Market vicinity (map) – escapee Alan Polevia:

He had been arrested on theft warrants last week and was being taken to Harborview Medical Center after apparent drug ingestion, when he bolted – still in handcuffs. (Read more about the case in this Monday update from CapitolHillSeattle.com.) KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says Polevia’s head is now shaven, since that photo. He is described as 5’8″ and about 170 pounds. ADDED: Here’s what Sgt. West told us a few minutes ago:

12:26 PM: Just checked back in the search zone – deputies still staked out. Will check back again shortly.

12:52 PM: Still searching. We’ll update if and when he’s found. If you see him – call 911.

1:41 PM: See comments for some reports of schools that took precautions, though there is no report at this point that he was seen anywhere near a school. We’ve got an inquiry out to the district for a topline report on public schools’ status. Meantime, we looked up Polevia’s background. In November 2006, he was found guilty of third-degree assault for an incident involving him and his father getting kicked out of Poggie’s in The Junction, then going across the street and attacking a man outside Talarico’s with a beer bottle and a tire iron.

1:51 PM: Two more updates. First, from Teresa Wippel at Seattle Public Schools: “Sanislo, Roxhill, Arbor Heights, Sealth/Denny, Boren STEM, Highland Park, West Seattle Elementary” were under “shelter in place” at least for a while – she’s checking on who still is. Second, we are reminded by the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network leadership that Polevia has one more West Seattle tie: He is the suspect arrested – but apparently to date not charged – in connection with the theft case related to the 36th/Morgan nuisance house in September.

2:12 PM UPDATE: Wippel says no one (in Seattle Public Schools, anyway) is in shelter-in-place – they’re all allowed to end their days as usual.

3:06 PM UPDATE: From Sgt. West at KCSO – an updated photo of Alan Polevia:

4:23 PM UPDATE: Just checked in with Sgt. West again; he’s still on the loose, no new updates. She is researching a case that put him in jail for a short stay in December – we saw that on the King County Jail Register, a four-day stay for investigation of burglary and for a “failure to appear” case involving theft, for which he had spent a day and a half in jail a week and a half before that. The jail register also shows his two-day stay in the 36th/Morgan related case, for investigation of stolen-property possession.

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Update: Guardian One helicopter over West Seattle: #1, training; #2, search for escapee

March 5, 2013 10:59 am

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| Helicopter | West Seattle news

10:59 AM: Thanks to everyone who’s reported a helicopter over Harbor Avenue – we’re still working to figure out what it’s up to; King County Sheriff’s Office says Guardian One is on a search miles away.

11:13 AM UPDATE: Mystery solved. Seattle Police Det. Renée Witt tells WSB that SPD was “conducting a training exercise with Harbor Patrol and Guardian One.”

11:21 AM UPDATE: Now we hear the aforementioned search has brought the helicopter to the Arbor Heights vicinity. More on that as we get it.

11:28 AM UPDATE: According to KCSO’s Sgt. Cindi West, the search is related to an escape reported in regional media last week – a handcuffed man wanted on theft warrants, who escaped February 25th while being taken to Harborview Medical Center post-arrest because he was believed to have ingested drugs.

11:39 AM UPDATE: Multiple KCSO units (including SeaTac and Burien Police, both of which are part of the Sheriff’s Office) on the ground in and beyond the Shorewood Market vicinity. Traffic is still getting through.

11:59 AM: We’re going to break this story out in a minute since the search is ongoing and we have photos and video to add. NEW ONGOING STORY – GO HERE.

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Seattle Police surveillance cameras: No ‘public vetting’ events announced yet; councilmembers consider new oversight rules tomorrow

March 5, 2013 10:53 am

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| Seattle Police surveillance cameras | West Seattle news

(Camera and “wireless mesh” array at 63rd/Beach Drive, silhouetted at dusk Monday)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

So far, the “thorough public vetting” of the Seattle Police-managed, Homeland Security-funded surveillance cameras awaiting activation in Alki and elsewhere has consisted of two events: A briefing at the City Council’s Public Safety, Civil Rights, and Technology Committee meeting two weeks ago (WSB coverage here), and one at the Alki Community Council‘s board meeting in West Seattle the next night (WSB coverage here).

It’s been three weeks since the mayor made the “thorough public vetting” promise here (repeated days later to other media).

At both of the briefings two weeks ago, SPD reps mentioned a plan in the works for public forums; we asked about the dates then, again a week ago, and again this week – still no dates or other details. SPD Public Affairs told WSB this morning they haven’t heard yet either.

A related topic will get some sunlight tomorrow, when the Public Safety (etc.) Committee meets again, to discuss Councilmembers Nick Licata and Bruce Harrell‘s proposal for vetting future use/purchase of surveillance equipment, with at least one clause that appears to apply even to what’s already in the works:

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West Seattle Tuesday: Babies; dogs; musicians; bicyclists…

March 5, 2013 9:19 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Click image for larger view)
They appear to be the most popular photo subjects in West Seattle right now, judging by the number of photos we’ve received both via e-mail and in the WSB Flickr group – the baby Canada geese of Harbor Avenue. Thanks to Machel Spence for today’s photo. And speaking of babies, the human variety is involved in the lead item from today’s list of calendar highlights:

BABY STORY TIME: 11:30 am-noon, bring the little one(s) to Southwest Library (35th/Henderson) for stories, songs, rhymes with the children’s librarian.

SCHOOL TOUR: One more tour of West Seattle High School for prospective families who’ve missed the others – 10 am (3000 California SW).

YOGA WITH YOUR DOG: Barking Buddha Doga starts weekly sessions tonight at Alki Community Center (5817 SW Stevens), 6:30 pm. Make sure there’s still room – registration info here.

WEST SEATTLE COMMUNITY ORCHESTRAS’ CONCERT: The first of WSCO’s next round of concerts is tonight, with the Debut and Intermediate musicians presenting an Evening of Pops – 6:30 pm at the Chief Sealth International High School Auditorium (2600 SW Thistle), no admission charge (but they appreciate donations); program highlights in our calendar listing.

WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: The group’s meeting with an SDOT rep tonight to talk about areas of concern including 35th/36th/Avalon and Chelan/Spokane/Delridge/W. Marginal; all welcome, 7 pm at Uptown Espresso (California/Edmunds/Erskine) in The Junction.

CAVE SINGERS AT EASY STREET: Another in-store concert at Easy Street Records in The Junction – this time, The Cave Singers, also celebrating a new release, 7 pm, free!

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‘Does Seattle still want fireworks?’ Annual donation drive launches

March 5, 2013 8:15 am

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| Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

(7/4/12 photo by Jamie Kinney)
Again this year, half a million dollars worth of sponsorships/donations are being sought for the Family 4th fireworks show at Lake Union – the city’s only big Independence Day display since 4th of Jul-Ivar’s called it quits after the 2008 show (this’ll be the fifth year without Elliott Bay fireworks). The official announcement – and how to donate, if you’re inclined – is ahead:

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday notes, updates

March 5, 2013 6:52 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. Sun’s gone, clouds and rain back. Transit note: If you ride the West Seattle Water Taxi, note that you’ll be on Melissa Ann this morning, per last night’s announcement. And two reminders from yesterday that both should still apply today: SDOT said “bicyclists using the trail under the low-level Spokane Street Bridge will be rerouted to the north side of Southwest Spokane Place” 7 am-3:30 pm daily this week for landscaping work; under the west end of the high bridge, aka the Fauntleroy Expressway, intermittent work is expected all week.

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