2014 Election results: Local ballot measures – transit, monorail, preschool, more
The election-night vote count for King County is in, and here’s how the local ballot measures are going:
TRANSPORTATION BENEFIT DISTRICT PROPOSITION #1 – results here
59 percent yes, 41 percent no
*Added 9:13 pm: Mayor Murray issued a statement saying in part, “Great cities need great mass transit – and Seattle is a great city. Seattle voters understand that, and today’s passage of Prop 1 is the next step to getting the transit system that Seattle wants and that Seattle needs. With today’s vote, we are now able to do something that has eluded elected leaders of this City for decades, and that’s significantly add to existing transit service in Seattle.”
*Added 11:52 pm: Murray, County Executive Dow Constantine, City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and others will meet the media downtown Wednesday morning to talk about what’s next now that Prop 1, which includes a car-tab fee and sales-tax increase, has passed. We’ll be there.
PROPOSED TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY, CITIZENS’ PETITION (MONORAIL) – results here
80 percent no, 20 percent yes
SEATTLE PRESCHOOL MEASURES – This is a two-part set of results – here (“should either measure become law?” and here (which is preferred, 1A or 1B)
Should one become law? 65 percent yes, 35 percent no
Which one? 67 percent for 1B, 33 percent for 1A
HIGHLINE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BOND MEASURE: Results here
57 percent yes, 43 percent no (note: 60 percent approval is required for passage)
MORE RESULTS: Other county results are here.
Election 2014: Statewide ballot measures I-594, I-591, I-1351; Legislature, Congress races
In this story, we’re tracking the big statewide measures for starters, and will add other regional results, including Legislature and Congress races. The initiative numbers, you should note, will change often, since results are coming in from counties all over the state, and some will be counting all night long (unlike here in King County, where there won’t be a second count until tomorrow). We’ll update the initiative results, with time notations, as often as we can, in the hours ahead.
I-594 (FIREARMS) – results here
9:09 pm – 59.72% yes, 40.28% no
I-591 (FIREARMS) – results here
9:09 pm – 45.44% yes, 54.56% no
I-1351 (CLASS SIZE) – results here
9:09 pm update – 49.43% yes, 50.57% no
STATEWIDE ADVISORY VOTES – results linked here
U.S. HOUSE, DISTRICT 7 – results here
Jim McDermott, 80%
Craig Keller, 20%
STATE SENATE, 34TH DISTRICT – results here
Sharon Nelson, 98% (unopposed)
STATE HOUSE POSITION 1, 34TH DISTRICT
Eileen Cody, 98% (unopposed) – results here
STATE HOUSE POSITION 2, 34TH DISTRICT – results here
Joe Fitzgibbon, 81%
Brendan Kolding , 18%
West Seattle Crime Watch: Search for armed robbers in Highland Park, with helicopter, after break-in
6:41 PM: Thanks to everyone texting us about Guardian One, the law-enforcement helicopter – it’s over Highland Park because of a search for burglary suspects. We don’t know yet exactly where the break-in was, but we’re seeing some police vehicles along the 9000 block of 8th SW near Westcrest Park.
7:23 PM: Police describe the break-in that led to the search as “an armed burglary.” We don’t yet know if anyone was home or not; there were no medical calls in the area, so no indication that anyone was hurt. A K-9 team also was used in the search.
9:23 PM: According to Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, early reports indicate “two male suspects armed with handguns entered a residence in the 9000 block of 8th SW) around 6 pm. They “encountered residents inside the house and fled on foot shortly thereafter.” Despite an extensive search, no arrests yet; no one was hurt.
ADDED 1:52 PM WEDNESDAY: SPD Blotter has just published details of how police were told this unfolded:
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West Seattle traffic alerts: Avalon trouble today; Battery St. Tunnel closure next weekend
Two traffic notes, one this evening, one this weekend:
AVALON BACKUP THIS EVENING: If you wondered what was backing up SW Avalon, probably this:
Kevin tweeted that photo of a stalled school bus. Haven’t heard how conditions are now, but thought we’d mention this in case you got caught in it and never saw what was happening. Meantime, also via Twitter, we’re hearing traffic is steady headed to the West Seattle Stadium ballot dropoff (35th just south of Avalon) – you have until 8 pm to get your ballot (no stamps required) dropped off there.
BATTERY STREET TUNNEL CLOSURE NEXT WEEKEND: Just announced by SDOT:
The Seattle Department of Transportation will close the Battery Street Tunnel (SR 99) to both directions of traffic from 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 until 8 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 9. During the closure, SDOT crews will test the fire suppression system.
Northbound traffic on the Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99) will be routed off the viaduct at Western Avenue, then directed to Broad Street, then to Second Avenue, and on to Battery Street to return to northbound Aurora Avenue North (SR 99).
Southbound traffic on Aurora Avenue North (SR 99) will be detoured from Aurora Avenue at Denny Way, then directed to Wall Street and then to Elliott Avenue to return to southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct (SR 99).
West Seattle Crime Watch: Marijuana-raid followup, plus – stolen car; found car; found bike; car prowl…
Lots of info in West Seattle Crime Watch today, including three new reader reports and two followups:
CAN YOU FIND THIS STOLEN CAR? WSB readers have spotted three stolen vehicles in recent days. Maybe this will be the fourth. Jena shared the photo and explains, “My boyfriend’s 1991 Honda Accord Coupe was stolen from out front of our house last night sometime after 12:30 am in Arbor Heights.” Call 911 if you see it.
STOLEN, THEN FOUND: The most recent of the aforementioned three stolen cars spotted by readers was Matt‘s gold Nissan Maxima, reported here Sunday, found in Arbor Heights this morning.
RECOGNIZE THIS BICYCLE? It turned up in an alley west of The Junction.
Let us know if you recognize it. (Looks a lot like this one, but that one had been taken in for safekeeping last we heard.)
CAR PROWL: From Sage K:
Just wanted to let you know that sometime between 11:45 pm on Sunday Nov. 2nd and 8 pm Monday Nov. 3rd, my car was broken into while parked in the parking lot for the Longfellow Creek Apts on Delridge where I live (the gate which is supposed to be closed from 6 pm-6 am has been open for about a week as someone broke it, which means parking lot not as controlled). They punched the lock on the driver’s side door.
While I’m lucky that the few things they took: gate opener (which leads me to believe it was a resident or someone that knows one), blu tooth, phone charger, blue mid size Maglite, cloth Trader Joe’s bag (wt heck?) sliver car shade, and a box in the trunk that had some oil, funnels and other car maintenance misc items. Have a relatively low replacement cost and they left most of the things I actually care about. Replacing door locks even with insurance is a pain and costly.
AHEAD – as promised, a followup on the marijuana-investigation raids at two Gatewood homes last Saturday (here’s our original story):
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West Seattle Election Day: Gatewood students’ letter to you
Have you voted yet? These Gatewood Elementary kids hope so! Teacher Darren Radu explains:
Our kids got fired up about voter turnout the past couple of days; we’ll be heading over to Morgan Junction … to remind people to send in their ballots.
Not only did they make signs – they wrote you this letter (click the image for a larger view):
You have until 8 pm to get your ballot to a drop van or dropbox, as explained in our daily calendar highlights; if you’re mailing it, you need stamps and you need to make sure it’ll be postmarked with today’s date.
West Seattle Runner moving to new, larger space in Admiral
When someone asked recently about that “LEASED” sign on the years-empty ground floor space at the Orion Building at 2743 California SW, adjacent to PCC (WSB sponsor), we didn’t have an answer – but today, we do. Broker Blake Taylor from West Coast Commercial Realty e-mailed to announce that West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) is moving into the space, and we have confirmed it with proprietors Lori and Tim McConnell.
WS Runner has been located on the second floor of Charlestown Center since opening in spring 2010; now they’ll be at street level, with more room – ~2,200 square feet, about a third bigger than their current shop. Tim told us this morning that the layout also will be an upgrade – one big rectangular space, instead of one with a few too many corners. The McConnells hope to move into the new space, about two-thirds of a mile north, in January. (The back of the space will be leased, broker Taylor says – synergistically! – for an expansion location of Elite Sports and Spine.)
P.S. West Seattle Runner will continue offering a slate of in-store events and clinics, according to the McConnells, and have some coming up in their current space: $10 discount on registration for the Seattle Half/Full Marathon during an info/signup event 6-8 pm next Tuesday, November 11th; Goretex waterproof running-shoe tryout during the 6:30 pm November 19th group run (walkers welcome too); Team In Training-hosted Turkey Trot group run/walk on Alki on Thanksgiving morning (meet by Tully’s at 8 am), November 27th, free (food donation requested).
West Seattle Tuesday: Election Day; mapmaking; Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights guidance; ‘Interstellar’ premiere; more…
(Bald eagle in Lincoln Park – carrying nesting material? – photographed by Trileigh Tucker)
Election Day is here. In honor of that most patriotic of days, we feature two bald-eagle photos in our daily preview from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
VOTE! Until 8 pm, the ballot-dropoff vans are in West Seattle and White Center, or you can check the county’s list of fixed dropboxes, OR you can mail your ballot (which, unlike dropoffs, requires postage), as long as you’re sure it’ll be postmarked with today’s date. Still deciding? Lots of info on the KC Elections website. The first results are expected around 8:15 pm, and you’ll see them here on WSB as soon as they’re published.
VOLUNTEER MAPMAKING: Help Ebola first responders across the globe without ever leaving your home. As previewed here on Tuesday, bring your laptop to the West Seattle (Admiral) Branch Library at 6 pm tonight to find out how. (2306 42nd SW)
WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 6:15 pm monthly meeting at Southwest Branch Library. The announcement from WWRHAH leadership has a question for everyone in the neighborhoods this group serves:
… Our big topic is Steering. We’ve gotten stuff done and in motion:
The Roxbury road safety project;
More police presence in Roxhill Park;
We’ve gotten Metro & SDOT to fix some road issues around Westwood;
We’ve got the Arbor Heights storm drains project slowly advancing;
We have grant money for more Roxhill Park improvements;
We helped make sure the city didn’t rush through the every-other-week trash pickup;
We got Metro to move peak hour Route #21 layovers from Westwood to 35th & Roxbury;
We’ve got the city and county studying and researching restoring the bog closer to its original state.
The Southwest District Council helped us get Arbor Heights more money for sidewalks on 35th;
The Delridge District Council and SDOT helped us do that on the south side of Roxbury by the school with the county.
Most of these are in different stages — underway or done — and that’s just over our first solid year.
So, now what? You tell us: What are the biggest outstanding issues for Westwood, Roxhill, and Arbor Heights? Come tell us at the meeting … or online, or over e-mail at contact@wwrhah.org.
(35th/Henderson)
(Photo by Terri – bald eagles atop tower crane in The Junction last weekend)
WEST SEATTLE SHAMBHALA MEDITATION GROUP: 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – details here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
‘INTERSTELLAR’ PREMIERE: As previewed here last night, 8 pm is the special sneak-peek showing of this 35mm-film first-run movie at the Admiral Theater. (2343 California SW)
OTHER NIGHTLIFE: Tuesday night is one of the busiest nights on our calendar – see why, here.
West Seattle Health Club open, after 12-day ownership-change closure
After a 12-day closure, the fitness-center building at 2629 SW Andover did indeed open this morning as the West Seattle Health Club (thanks to the commenters who provided first word). If you’ve missed our ongoing coverage, this is the building previously long known as Allstar Fitness, then for about a year and a half as the West Seattle (Athletic) Club.
The owner of the latter, Sam Adams, facing an October 24th court-ordered deadline to pay $1.1 million (mostly back rent), closed it as of October 23rd (though signage only mentioned a two-day closure); documents in his personal Chapter 11 bankruptcy case indicate that he technically “rejected” continuing the lease as of October 27th. On Saturday, October 25th, it was announced that property owner John Pietromonaco had taken it over and would reopen it as a new club with a new name. The new club’s operations VP Dan Lehr told WSB last night that there would be a “skeleton class schedule” for starters, that child care would be available, and that the pool will remain closed for repair/renovations “for about two weeks.” For more backstory, our ongoing coverage is archived here, newest to oldest (we have just merged the archives of coverage so it traces all the way back to our first report on the Allstar bankruptcy two years ago).
ADDED 4 PM: The opening exercise schedule. (Please refer to the club’s website for further updates.)
West Seattle new-parent support group Early Days crowdfunding for facilitator training
Parenthood can be joyful. It can also be harrowing. Especially those early days and weeks when you realize a brand-new life is entirely in your hands … and no matter how well you prepared, you’re not sure you’re doing the right thing. The nonprofit West Seattle support group Early Days is for families with babies, and it’s expanding to a second weekly session. That means three of its volunteer leaders need training, and they are crowdfunding to help with part of the cost. One of the new facilitators, Jessica, mom of Oliver (photo above), tells her story:
After Oliver was born, [dad] Daniel stayed home with us for 3 weeks. The first week he was back at work was hard on me. I don’t know what I expected, but it wasn’t crippling anxiety and isolation. Oliver had a lot of gas and grunted a lot, and while this was normal, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something could go terribly wrong at any time.
Sleep deprived and scared, I remember bringing him into the pediatrician, only to be told that what he was doing was very normal. That day, I told the ped that I was thinking about attending a support group at Nurturing Expressions called Early Days and she encouraged me to do so. The next day I threw some diapers in a bag, put clothes on and trekked down to the West Seattle Junction. And I am forever grateful that I did.
During that meeting parents at different places in the first year of their baby’s life talked openly about their struggles. I talked openly about mine, cried and was offered a reflection by one of the facilitators that I was not alone, that many parents had been through much of the same things I was going through. And I felt less anxious, less isolated. It was a major turning point for me.
When I decided to see my midwife about my postpartum mood disorder and start medication, I did it partly because I knew others had done the same, and that I wasn’t weak and this was something that would help me.
The days with a baby are super long and the friends I have made have made them bearable. If I ever need someone, they are there for me.
Early Days is invaluable. For me, becoming a facilitator is an honor and a calling to give back to someone what was given to me. I hope that I can help new parents the way that I was helped. Please consider donating so that we can make this happen. Parents are missing “the village” and we are trying to bring it back. We need each other.
The GoFundMe page, specifically for this training, is here. Early Days, meantime, can be found online here.
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