West Seattle, Washington
14 Wednesday
Time for some happy news before this night is over. Sheri, who has lived in West Seattle for 18 years and raised her teenage daughter here, has a story to tell about a very happy homecoming:
In 2008, a friend of mine who worked at a vet clinic in Burien called me and said they found a tiny black kitten on the side of the road. She wondered if I was interested in adopting him, and of course I said yes. Mio became a part of our family in June of that year.
Within the first few months of having Mio, I took him to our vet at the West Seattle Animal Hospital, where I had him microchipped and neutered. Mio was always an outdoor cat, an avid hunter, and truly affectionate. He loved his dog brother Tony the most, and I’d often go into the back yard to see the two of them playing together. Keeping track of Mio wasn’t exactly easy. Like I said, he was a hunter, so he’d often go out for a few nights in a row, then camp out in the basement. He’d always eventually turn up, so it never really worried me. In the fall of 2010 I noticed Mio hadn’t been home for a while. I kept an eye out, but didn’t really worry, considering his independent nature. He never turned up.
As Tony and I would walk the neighborhood, I’d look every black cat in the eye. I’d often wonder if Mio just divorced us and decided to move in with another set of humans. When Mio disappeared I figured he would turn up, a vet clinic would scan him, then I’d get a call. As the years past, my phone never rang with that call.
Fast forward to Tuesday:
(Photos by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
9:21 PM: Final score’s in from Southwest Athletic Complex – Nathan Hale 55, West Seattle High School 0. But Homecoming Night isn’t just about football. Adding photos later tonight.
12:55 AM: Photos and toplines added – including homecoming royalty:
So far, there is no evidence of an actual abduction related to the reported sighting near Gatewood Elementary today (here’s our earlier coverage; [added] here’s an SPD Blotter update) BUT police have a request for you tonight, in hopes it will help them figure out what DID happen, if anything:
Southwest Precinct Sgt. Joe Bauer, asks that, if your home or business is within a square mile or so of the school (which fronts on both Myrtle and Frontenac just west of California; map) and you have a video-camera system – or happened to be rolling video in the area for any other reason – please check it, particularly for the time period between about 12:30 pm and 1 pm today. If you see anything at all that might be of interest to police related to this investigation, please e-mail Sgt. Bauer at joseph.bauer@seattle.gov.
Early heads-up – this week’s edition of the SDOT/WSDOT “construction lookahead” is out, and it includes first word of the next planned closure for Highway 99 between the West Seattle Bridge and Battery Street Tunnel: 10 pm Friday, Nov. 8th, to 5 am Monday, Nov. 11.
P.S. If you’re driving north of downtown this Saturday, do note the lookahead also says the two right lanes of northbound SR99 over the Aurora Bridge will be closed 7:30 am-11 am Saturday (October 26th) for bridge inspection.
Another group of West Seattle neighbors is formally challenging a development plan.
This time, it’s the neighbors on 55th SW in Alki who are concerned about the effects of an 11-unit “rowhouse” development. This is the group who petitioned for a city hearing, and got that hearing in July; earlier this month, they learned the development would be approved (here’s our Oct. 17th report), and at the time, they did not believe they would be able to muster the resources required for an appeal.
Today, neighbor Marie McKinsey tells WSB they put one together after all:
Today, Alki Neighborhoods for Sensible Growth, a new association comprised of neighbors affected by the Alki 11 rowhouse project MUP 3014675, filed an appeal challenging the DPD’s decision to approve this development. … I am attaching the two documents filed today (here and here)
There’s a lot to review here, but among other interesting findings is this one: the city apparently violated its own rules by approving LBAs (lot boundary adjustments) prior to doing the SEPA review. The procedure is supposed to be SEPA review first and then LBAs are decided afterward or concurrently with the SEPA analysis. I believe the LBAs were approved August 27th. The SEPA decision was published October 10.
It is impressive that our neighborhood has been able to come together to form an association, raise money and mount an appeal in the few days we have had available to us. The city notified us on October 15th of the decision and gave us only until October 24th to appeal.
McKinsey has been chronicling the situation on her website here. She says the association will be represented by land-use lawyer Cynthia Kennedy, who also represented the Benchview neighborhood in its recent case. No hearing date(s) set yet.
(SCROLL DOWN for newest information)
12:55 PM: We need to say for starters that this is ***NOT yet verified*** BUT we don’t want to wait any longer before putting something out in case it is.
This is all according to scanner information. SPD has just tweeted something we will add in a moment.
Police got a call that a man was seen “duct taping” and putting a child in a pickup truck near Gatewood Elementary School. The truck was described as silver, no canopy. The man was described as wearing a black robe and blue jeans.
Every officer in the area is on the lookout, while the school is doing a head count to make sure no one was missing.
We have a crew on the way to the school to see if this has been verified. If we hear anything more about the description of the POSSIBLE truck, we will let you know.
12:58 PM UPDATE: All SPD has tweeted is “Officers investigating possible student abduction in West Seattle. Still working to confirm. More details to come.”
Our crew is now in the Gatewood Elementary area, but there’s no additional information available there so far.
A bit of added description information: The possible suspect is a white male, in his 30s/40s. The possible victim was described as wearing a pink top, 6 to 12 years old, long black hair.
The description being broadcast citywide says the report comes from a 6-year-old who reported seeing this happen at a “nearby house.” That house is reported to be on the Frontenac side (north side) of the school. That street is currently closed off.
Police are continuing to put out information via Twitter, all details we have published already. Still no word of anyone being CONFIRMED missing.
1:17 PM: Police have reiterated via Twitter that there is no verification of anyone missing yet but say they “do not believe a child was taken from a school.” Commenter Steph, who is a Gatewood parent, says she has spoken with the school office and they said ALL students there are accounted for.
1:38 PM: We’re monitoring all info channels, but there is nothing new.
1:59 PM: If you saw police with a silver truck on 48th SW a short time ago – it was checked out but determined NOT to be related. Meantime, Seattle Public Schools public affairs says that while Gatewood’s doors are locked as a precaution, they are not technically in lockdown or shelter-in-place status, and are still working out dismissal details, though expecting it to be at the regular time.
2:21 PM: Police are still keeping an eye out for any potential vehicles but otherwise standing down a bit. No word of an actual missing child anywhere, but nor has the sighting been explained. If anything new emerges, we’ll add it here.
2:26 PM: There’s been conflicting info about Gatewood’s status between what parents were told and what the district told us. We just got a call from the school directly, and here’s the CURRENT information: The school is not currently sheltering-in-place. Dismissal and after-school activities will be normal.
5:52 PM – A REQUEST FROM POLICE: Southwest Precinct Sgt. Joe Bauer asked us to publish this request: If your home or business is within a square mile or so of Gatewood Elementary (which fronts on both Myrtle and Frontenac just west of California) and you have a video-camera system – or happened to be rolling video in the area for any other reason – please check it, particularly for the time period between about 12:30 pm and 1 pm today. If you see anything at all that might be of interest to police related to this investigation, please e-mail him at joseph.bauer@seattle.gov. (We are also mentioning this in comments and will post it separately.)
7:46 PM: SPD Blotter has just summarized what police have learned so far, but the bottom line remains: “At this point, officers have not found any evidence that a crime occurred.”
(WSB photo: The trophy awaiting the winner)
The lineup is finalized for this Sunday’s chili competition in the West Seattle Junction, a new addition to the Harvest Festival, benefiting the West Seattle Food Bank.
The eight competitors are:
The Bridge
Beer Junction
Easy Street Café
Elliott Bay Brewery
Feedback Lounge
Husky Deli
Terra Cole Butchery
West 5
There will be about 100 “flights” available for a donation ($ amount not finalized) outside KeyBank in The Junction at 11 am straight up Sunday – get there early and vote for your favorite – winner gets the trophy, WS Food Bank gets the proceeds.
The first Halloween event in our guide at westseattleblog.com/halloween is TONIGHT: Fall Festival and Haunted House at High Point Community Center, 6-7:30 pm, costumes encouraged! The center is at 6920 34th SW. (Anything we’re missing tonight, that’s open to the public? Please comment, if so!)
Meantime, we’ve had two suggestions to feature photos of West Seattle’s most spookily decorated homes/businesses/etc. We’re up for it! Photos/location suggestions welcome at editor@westseattleblog.com. Even if you’re not going quite as far as “Nightmare on 44th,” where they’re documenting the progress via Twitter (this is the most recent tweet, from last Sunday):
Wreath lights added today -11 days to go pic.twitter.com/3WH9P68J5O
— NightmareOn44th (@NightmareOn44th) October 21, 2013
We’ll feature decorated houses in the Halloween Guide, too, as well as showcases here on the main page.
Last night’s varsity-volleyball match at West Seattle High School was special for two major reasons: First, it was senior night, honoring the WSHS players in our photo above – from left, Eastyn Baleto, Makenzie Harrison, Lisa Khuu, and Elena Solot. Second, it was a rematch with Chief Sealth International High School.
Both teams have had winning seasons; division-leading WSHS took this match, three games to one.
Game 1 went to the Wildcats, 25-14, as did games 2 (25-22) and 4 (25-14); the Seahawks took game 3, 25-14. The fourth and final game was close, with the lead seesawing, but WSHS pulled ahead by holding the serve and finishing the match. The Metro League tournament starts on Tuesday.
P.S. It’s WSHS Homecoming tonight – varsity football vs. Nathan Hale, 7 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2713 in The Triangle is sharing news of an essay contest – multiple topics for multiple grade levels. Entries are due at the end of next week, though, so get word to your favorite young writer(s) fast! Here’s the document with details:
Kyle Geraghty from Post 2713 adds, “The entrants do not have to have an affiliation with the VFW to enter. All entries must be delivered to the West Seattle VFW Post, located at 3601 SW Alaska St., no later than November 1, 2013. If no one is there, just put it in the mail slot. The top three winners at the local level will receive prizes and have the opportunity to compete at higher levels for even bigger prizes and recognition.”
(East-facing camera on the West Seattle Bridge; see other cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:36 AM: We start this morning with an alert about the West Seattle Water Taxi – this morning, the fog is causing delays. Not major so far – the e-mail version of this alert says “5 to 8 minutes.” By the way, the WSWT’s weekdays-only winter schedule starts next Monday (October 28th); preview it via an expandable link here.
9:09 AM: Washington State Ferries has had some fog delays too. Nothing else to report this morning, with the a.m. commute now winding down, but we did just get this great photo from Susan Cameron showing the Water Taxi with yesterday’s fog bank:
We published one mini-gallery of fog photos late last night and it looks like we’ll probably have another one later today – we appreciate photos any time, from beauty shots to breaking news, preferably via e-mail at editor@westseattleblog.com. Thanks!
4:07 PM: There’s word of a crash at East Marginal under the West Seattle Bridge, southbound.
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