day : 18/07/2014 9 results

West Seattle Grand Parade 2014 previews: Hours away!

On the eve of the West Seattle Grand Parade (Saturday morning from California/Lander south to California/Edmunds, 10:30 am motorcycle drill teams’ start, 11 am full parade, preceded by the Float Dodger 5K at 9:30):

A NIGHT FOR PARADE PREPS: Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) shared the photo above as they worked on their entry in tomorrow’s parade. Potter is a parade sponsor, as are we (though we’ll be on the sidelines covering it).

ORVILLE RUMMEL WINNER FILL-IN: The parade-presenting Rotary Club of West Seattle says that Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Community Service winner Earl Cruzen is too sick to ride in the parade, so his wife Adah Cruzen will be filling in, riding in a 1957 Cadillac convertible that’ll be the second car in the parade. Earl will be honored one more way – a proclamation from King County Executive Dow Constantine that Saturday will be Earl Cruzen Day in the county (click image to see full-size PDF):


As the proclamation notes, Earl Cruzen received a similar city honor in 2008.

TRAFFIC NOTES: We are asked every year, how early will the Float Dodger 5K/Parade route be closed on California? The true answer is, it varies, but don’t push it. Parade co-coordinator Jim Edwards says the Admiral to Hanford section of California closes when the first float shows up – could be as early as 7:30. From Hanford south to Edmunds, that closes when SPD enforcement assistance shows up, likely around 9 am. Side-street parking on 42nd, 44th, and 45th will have restrictions starting early in the morning. And as Jim warns, “Stay away from Walnut and Lander” because not only is it close to the parade staging zone, that side of Hiawatha Community Center will have loading under way for the Mediterranean Fantasy Festival.

PARADE OVERVIEW: More than 75 entries, with hundreds of people when you count the drill teams, community/school/church groups, etc. They include Seattle summertime-parade season’s most popular and award-winning entries such as the Chinese Community Girls’ Drill Team, All-City Band, and Seafair Pirates, as well as floats including West Seattle Hi-Yu and Marysville Strawberry Festival. New entries we haven’t mentioned yet include the Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby, which is still recruiting for its debut season.

(2013 WSB photo)
And late additions include Tracy Dart and her cancer-fighting Team Tracy (above), sponsored by Alki Party Treasures (WSB sponsor).

Go stake out a spot and have fun – and remember, the Kiddie Parade welcomes all kids, gathering at California/Genesee around 10:30 and heading south from there at 11, ahead of the rest of the parade. We’ll have traffic/bus-reroute reminders in our first morning preview, and parade coverage as it happens.

Delridge Grocery’s first Friday Farmstand – a hit!

Sarah, Susan, Constance, and Ariana posed with leafy greens at the first Delridge Grocery Friday Farmstand because that’s all they had left by the time we got there at 7 pm. Ariana reports the stand had a line for the first two hours as buyers scooped up all the fruit. We mentioned the produce offerings in this morning’s daily preview; next Friday, they’re likely to have more raspberries and blueberries, cherries, peaches, greens, tomatoes, summer squash, and green onions, among other offerings. The farmstand is a sort of appetizer for the future Delridge Grocery, the cooperative store that volunteers are working to open in the commercial space of DESC’s Cottage Grove Commons. To add to the festive flavor of today’s stand, live music was provided by Thaddeus Spae.

Look for the farmstand’s second edition just south of Delridge Branch Library (5423 Delridge Way SW) next Friday (July 25th), 4:30-7:30 pm.

Update: House-fire call in 7900 block Delridge Way ‘food on stove’

6:33 PM: Big Seattle Fire response right now to a possible house fire in the 7900 block of Delridge Way SW. More to come.

6:44 PM UPDATE: It was a case of “food on the stove” – lots of smoke, being aired out now.

Interim Seattle Public Schools superintendent: Dr. Larry Nyland

With two-year superintendent José Banda officially getting the Sacramento job this week, the Seattle Public Schools Board did not waste any time announcing an interim superintendent to succeed him. They’ve just chosen Dr. Larry Nyland, much-acclaimed in his nine years as Marysville superintendent, which ended with his retirement last year, during which time he was chosen as state Superintendent of the Year and was a finalist for the corresponding national honor. His long career also includes leadership of the Pasco School District, interim leadership of Shoreline schools, and six years as Chief Academic Officer/Human Resources Director in Highline Public Schools south of Seattle. His Seattle roots run deep; he is a 1966 graduate of Roosevelt High School. He’s expected to start work August 1st, and the board promises information soon on how it will search for a permanent superintendent.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Another ‘flasher’ incident

1:42 PM: For the second time this week, a case of lewd behavior/indecent exposure – reported as a comment on our story about the first incident (Tuesday in Admiral):

I actually experienced a very similar situation yesterday at the corner of SW Myrtle and 36th around 4:30 pm. I was walking my dog around the park and was approaching 36th when a man in a silver SUV opened his car door with no pants on and masturbated in front of me – laughing and waving. Disgusting.

I first saw him in a silver SUV parked halfway in someone’s driveway and then saw him re-park in another driveway – I assumed he was lost. The incident happened about 5 minutes later when I walked around the block (at which point he re-parked again), which leads me to think he was following me. I didn’t have a phone on me, but thankfully I caught up with someone in the park who did, and we called 911 immediately. The police responded quickly and took the report – but by that time he had left. Unfortunately, I was so disturbed/unsettled that I didn’t get a good description (I ran towards 35th so as to be in a more public place). He was a bigger framed guy in a silver SUV. The police had mentioned that something very similar happened earlier in the week (I’m assuming it’s the same incident posted above). I hope they catch this guy – it’s very disturbing.

We are following up with police right now, asking questions including whether this case and the 38th/Stevens case are believed to be related, and if there’s any other information to report. We’ll add to this story when we hear back.

4:17 PM: Obtained the report on this second incident – which ends with an acknowledgment of the similarities to the Tuesday incident in Admiral. No other information besides what the victim points out above; she was not close enough to get the plate but would likely recognize the vehicle if she saw it again, she told police.

ONGOING COVERAGE: Protest in Morgan Junction as veteran, family evicted by deputies – then go back inside

(SCROLL DOWN FOR THE LATEST: Evicted couple back inside as of late afternoon)

9:26 AM: Numerous texts are coming in asking about what sounds like a protest somewhere in Morgan Junction. It’s an eviction protest at a Morgan/lower Gatewood home where local activists are hoping to stop sheriff’s deputies from forcing a disabled veteran, his wife, and children to leave. Public records indicate their house had been sold to a developer in April after being foreclosed on. The advocacy group had advised us and other news media of a 10 am protest and 10:30 am news conference today; apparently it has started early, and we’re on the way over. Updates to come.

9:56 AM: Our crew at the scene says deputies are there evicting the family from the house in the 6500 block of 41st SW. An ambulance is there, apparently to transport 63-year-old Byron Barton, but protesters are trying to stop the ambulance from moving – including by lying under it:

We’re adding Instagram video clips (the service limits to :15 but is the fastest way to get video out) as well as photos. The eviction action was postponed from last month, according to citywide-media reports including this one from KING.

10:05 AM: Our crew reports that sheriffs say everyone in the house is out.

Jean Barton made a brief statement that her husband does not want to go to the VA hospital but has nowhere else to go.

Seattle Police have arrived.

10:26 AM: So has City Councilmember Kshama Sawant.

The original announcement received yesterday had said she would participate in the 10:30 am briefing, which the group SAFE (Standing Against Foreclosure and Eviction) has said they still expect to hold.

11:05 AM: No briefing after all – Byron Barton was removed from the ambulance, and it has left, our crew at the scene reports. The family remains out of the house and there’s no word yet where they will go. A commenter asked if any help was needed; Jean Barton says Byron’s clothes are all in the house so that’s the kind of thing they need – she can be reached directly at 206-355-8300. She works, by the way, at Mary’s Place – an agency that helps homeless women. We’ve been looking into court files; the Bartons filed a lawsuit in May alleging various improprieties in the foreclosure process, which documents indicate has been ongoing since at least 2012. Trustee Quality Loan Service is listed as the firm that sold the house to Triangle Property Development LLC in April.

11:44 AM: Family and activists still there, our crew reports, and just gave a briefing, at which Councilmember Sawant spoke as well, but deputies and most of the police (and most of the rest of the media) are gone.

12:35 PM: Adding the briefing video as soon as it’s uploaded. We’ve been continuing to review court documents and other public records related to all this. The property’s owner as of the April foreclosure auction, Triangle Development, filed the “unlawful detainer” (eviction) suit against the Bartons in May, around the same time they filed the suit alleging the foreclosure was illegal. There is no development proposal for the site yet, by the way, but we note that county records show the house is on a double lot – 9,000 square feet and legally two lots, which likely means two homes could be built on it.

3:33 PM: We went by about an hour ago (en route to something else) and nobody was out on the street – two TV vehicles in evidence, though. One commenter says KIRO is reporting the family got back into the house. We asked KCSO spokesperson Sgt. DB Gates if they plan to go back. Not at the moment, she said, and offered more background, since KCSO is the enforcement agency for evictions anywhere in King County. According to Sgt. Gates, since an earlier incident in which a detective declined to serve the eviction papers, they have met with the Bartons multiple times and warned them that what happened today was going to happen – but the Bartons decided to stay anyway. Gates also says that the family is “not destitute,” and that they are getting “almost six figures” from the auction price, even though they did not initiate the auction, because the winning bid was so much more than what was owed on the house.

5:26 PM: We came back to the neighborhood to see what was going on and discovered that the Bartons are indeed back inside, in the basement, where Jean says Byron is chained to a bed:

That’s longtime friend Cheryl with them. Seattle Police are out on the street but won’t say what their plan is – they say a public-information officer is coming to speak to media (two TV crews are here doing live reports).

6 PM: SPD Captain Dave Proudfoot (South Precinct captain) is here to supervise – he says their first priority is checking Byron Barton’s health/medical status. Jean Barton says he’ll be OK at least until later tonight.

6:15 PM: New precinct liaison from the city attorney’s office Matthew York has been here since before we re-arrived. He is talking with a lawyer for the Bartons. Three of the SPD units that were here have left.

6:24 PM: It appears nothing more will happen here tonight, or so the police indicate. Meantime, the home’s new owner has commented on this story, saying she does not intend to tear down the house.

From Fun Fest to Farmstand: Highlights for your West Seattle Friday

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

HIAWATHA FUN FEST: Noon-3 pm, carnival games, bouncy toys, West Seattle Hi-Yu Junior Court royalty (added: they plan to dance between noon and 12:30 pm, and also will have tiara/sash for other kids to try on), and more at Hiawatha Community Center. (2700 California SW, but the events are usually on the east lawn, alongside Walnut)

DELRIDGE GROCERY’S FIRST FRIDAY FARMSTAND: The group working toward a co-op grocery store in North Delridge debuts its weekly farmstand today. From an e-mail preview, here’s some of what they expect to offer:

From Okanogan Producers Marketing Association – awesome organic producer coop in Okanogan:
– peaches
– apricots
– cherries
– blueberries
– raspberries

From Seattle Tilth Farm Works – amazing incubator farm in Auburn:
– Romaine lettuce
– cabbage
– collard greens
– kale

From City Grown Seattle <> – hyper-local urban farm in South Park and Ballard:
– green onions
– Swiss chard

Live music, too. 4:30-7:30 pm. (5400 block of Delridge Way, south of library)

HPIC FREE MOVIE: Doors open at Highland Park Improvement Club, 6:30 pm – details in our calendar listing. (12th/Kenyon)

NIGHTLIFE! From live music at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) starting at 5:30 pm, through comedy, music, and deejaying at other venues, see all the listings on our calendar.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Friday watch; weekend warnings

(WS bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Friday! As we keep watch on today’s traffic, there’s a LOT to remind you about:

THAT I-90 LANE CLOSURE: Starting at 9:30 tonight and continuing for up to six days, WSDOT is doing expansion-joint work on westbound I-90 between Bellevue and Mercer Island, which will be reduced to one westbound lane as a result – full details here. If you have to come back from the Eastside, besides Highway 520, another option is to take 405 to Renton, where it heads west and joins up with Highway 518, which you can take westbound to northbound Highway 509, which connects you with east West Seattle.

FLOAT DODGER 5K & PARADE CLOSURES TOMORROW: From fairly early Saturday morning into early Saturday afternoon, California SW closes between north of SW Lander, the West Seattle Grand Parade starting point, to SW Edmunds, end of the route. The Float Dodger 5K starts from California/Charlestown at about 9:30; its course is here. More parade details in our countdown reports, but for road closures, that’s what you need to know, and do heed the no-parking signs on California and side streets where parade participants are staged. (Later Saturday afternoon, about a mile of 16th SW in White Center is closed for the Jubilee Days Parade, between SW 112th and SW 100th, and 17th SW is closed from Roxbury to 100th all day for the WCJD Street Fair.) Bus reroutes for all of the above, too – check your route here).

PRESIDENTIAL VISIT NEXT TUESDAY: Specifics are still lacking, but President Obama visits Seattle briefly for a fundraiser next Tuesday; SDOT has noon-8 pm set aside as the time period. No word yet exactly where he’ll be, nor even which airport Air Force One will use, but just know that at some point during the day, there’ll be traffic stops for the motorcade somewhere.

Transportation news:

SEATTLE VOTE AHEAD FOR METRO MONEY: The sales tax/car tab combo is going to the November ballot.

SOUND TRANSIT @ WS CHAMBER: If you want West Seattle to be in Sound Transit‘s updated long-range plan, speak up now, the WS Chamber of Commerce was told.

West Seattle Little League 11-12 All-Stars finish #4 in state

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
After a string of victories in must-win games, the West Seattle Little League‘s 11-12 All-Stars’ state-tournament run finally ended Thursday night.

Pacific, from Edmonds, beat the WSLL team, 14-4, at Bar-S on Alki Point. Three teams remain in the WSLL-hosted tournament, which continues through Saturday.