day : 01/12/2014 12 results

The person who e-mailed us this report asked to remain anonymous; it was reported to police, and we see an incident number logged. Though we won’t be able to follow up with them until tomorrow, here’s the reader report, just so you know:

I went up Thistle about 5:45ish and turned right onto 30th; there stood a white guy with his pants pulled down to expose his “nether region,” standing by a newish gray Ram 4×4 with license plate B83…didn’t catch the rest.

My kids screamed, “he’s got his pants down!” so I did a U-Turn when I saw him pull up his pants AFTER I drove by and yank them down again when another car behind me went by. I turned around to get the license # etc. After he did this AGAIN, I turned around again to call 911; then he got in and drove away. I was headed to Target so I was behind him anyway and told them where he drove. He turned right on Trenton.

Doubleheader meeting: Seattle Public Schools’ interim superintendent in West Seattle, as board delays permanent-job vote; Marty McLaren’s community chat

December 1, 2014 6:11 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
6:11 PM: We’re at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, where Seattle Public Schools‘ interim superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland is about to start a “coffee hour” chat with community members. The district has just announced a one-week delay in the board’s vote on whether to offer him the permanent job – a sudden move that turned up in the agenda for Wednesday night’s board meeting. Under the new plan, the proposal will be introduced on Wednesday, then voted on during a separate special meeting one week later, 4:30 pm December 10th; details are on the district’s home page. (Comments? e-mail schoolboard@seattleschools.org )

Meantime, we’re covering tonight’s meeting (which will be followed at 7 pm by a community-conversation meeting with local school-board rep Marty McLaren, who is in the audience right now), and will add toplines as it goes.

6:31 PM: About 15 minutes into the Q/A, nothing about the superintendent’s job, but the first bit of news emerges:

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Update: Police/fire response on 17th SW in Puget Ridge

December 1, 2014 5:21 pm

| 37 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle police

5:21 PM: We’re at the scene of what was dispatched as an “assault with weapons” call in the 6000 block of 17th SW in Puget Ridge. Early word from police is that they suspect it’s a self-inflicted gunshot wound, but they are still investigating.

5:41 PM: One public-safety official tells us the victim did not survive.

(As always when mentioning suicide, we want to point out a local resource for those considering self-harm or otherwise in crisis: The Crisis Clinic has a 24-hour hotline, 206-461-3222.)

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‘We won!’ exults Seattle NERD after Hearing Examiner’s decision on 3078 Avalon appeal

December 1, 2014 3:28 pm

| 57 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

(Photo by Long Bach Nguyen – densifying Avalon Way SW is at center)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Appeals of city development decisions aren’t uncommon.

Rulings in favor of the appellants are.

(Keep in mind, the Hearing Examiner has to give more weight to the city’s original decisions, meaning challengers have steep hills to climb.)

Today, the West Seattle-based group Seattle NERD (Neighbors Encouraging Reasonable Development) is celebrating one of those rare rulings – reversing the city’s Design Review and Determination of (environmental) Non-Significance (DNS) decisions regarding a ~100-apartment building proposed for 3078 SW Avalon Way.

As Paul Haury exulted via e-mail, “We won! 2+ years and tens of thousands later. We won! A neighborhood that pulled together prevailed.”

We covered the three major days of testimony and presentation in the appeal hearing earlier this fall (here, here, and here).

A key point of contention regarding the DNS was one of West Seattle’s most-contentious current issues, parking impacts; this building is proposed with about 60 spaces, and is within a block of one built and two planned “microhousing” projects totaling about 200 living units with no planned offstreet parking.

You can see Hearing Examiner Sue Tanner‘s full ruling here as a PDF, or below:

We are still reading it and will add more to this story shortly.

ADDED 4:36 PM: First, note that this is not a ruling against development on the site. It is a ruling in favor of the challenges to specific decisions made during the process, and sending them back for reconsideration. We have asked DPD for comment on the decision and information on what happens next.

Reading the entirety of the 16-page ruling, key points from the Hearing Examiner’s conclusions, which start on page 11:

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Have you seen Aidan’s sketchbook?

December 1, 2014 2:55 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

After a car break-in over the weekend, Aidan is just hoping to get one thing back:

Saturday night (last night) our mini cooper was broken into in the Skylark Cafe/Bar parking lot. … They took my messenger bag and my coat, which had a number of things in it – a Surface tablet, my iPod, cash, etc. I’d just been picked up from the airport for Thanksgiving & went immediately to our friend’s band’s show at Skylark. … I’m messaging you because there was a black journal/sketchbook in the bag that is incredibly important to me. It’s a yearly book and I’ve had one per year since I was sixteen (aka over ten years). I will pay to have it returned. The inside of the book has my name and contact number/email all over it.

My boyfriend and I returned there (Sunday) morning to pick around the area to see if whoever broke into our car threw it to the ground or the dumpsters nearby, or anything like that, but we didn’t see it. The messenger bag was very important to me as well. Neither of these are worth any money to anyone except for me – the bag was made for me by a very good friend – and I’m more than willing to pay for them back!!!

We followed up with Aidan to ask for any further descriptive information:
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Seen from West Seattle shores: Carrier USS John C. Stennis

December 1, 2014 1:19 pm

| Comments Off on Seen from West Seattle shores: Carrier USS John C. Stennis

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)
1:19 PM: Thanks to Joseph for the tip – he just asked about an aircraft carrier seen heading out from Bremerton; according to our friends at the Kitsap Sun, it’s the USS John C. Stennis, headed out for training after 16 months and $240 million of maintenance work at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.

2:07 PM: Thanks also to those who’ve sent photos! First one added (top photo) is ours – it was still in view from Alki, looking north, by the time we headed downhill, but moving fast. Others got even better views:

(Photo by James Bratsanos)
Adding a few more. The Kitsap Sun reports the Stennis will be back before Christmas.

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Biznote: Zippy’s Giant Burgers opens Georgetown location during unplanned White Center closure

December 1, 2014 1:10 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Three months ago, we brought you the news that Zippy’s Giant Burgers planned to open a second location in Georgetown. Today, it’s open, weeks earlier than expected, a good thing for Zippy’s fans because the unplanned closure of their White Center location continues – they’re still working on repairs for a key piece of equipment that broke down last week. The Georgetown location is at 5633 Airport Way South (map).

ADDED: Zippy’s expects to reopen White Center on Thursday (December 4) morning.

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Beach Drive apartment-fire followups: Family’s request; firefighter’s condition

December 1, 2014 11:56 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Saturday photo courtesy of Michelle)
We’re following up today on the big fire that gutted a unit at a waterfront apartment building in the 3800 block of Beach Drive this past Saturday (WSB coverage here):

FIRE’S CAUSE: Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore tells WSB that investigators still have not determined how it started.

FIREFIGHTER’S CONDITION: As reported on Saturday, a firefighter had to go to the hospital Saturday for treatment of unspecified injuries. Moore says he was treated and released the same day.

FAMILY’S REQUEST: Kindhearted community members asked in comments here (and in the neighborhood) if they could do anything to help the family whose apartment was gutted. Patricia, who lived there with daughter Amanda, says there is ONE thing they do need help with:

Thank you so much for everyone’s concern and offers of help. We are truly blessed at the response of both friends and strangers to this disaster. We are doing well and have temporary housing, and mom has a permanent place coming up, but what is really needed right now is long-term housing for my 27-year-old daughter who was staying with me at the time of the fire and also lost absolutely everything. She works in West Seattle and needs a long-term, affordable place to live. If anybody has any ideas, that would be greatly appreciated! Thank you again for the outpouring of support… It means everything at a time like this! I can be reached at raisen@chico.com

The Red Cross was called in to help the family right after the fire; here’s an explanation of how that works.

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West Seattle Monday: What’s up for December’s first day/night

December 1, 2014 9:09 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Junco, photographed by Trileigh Tucker)
Our featured photos today were shared over the weekend after our brief snowfall – but also serve as a reminder to check your bird bath(s) and feeder(s) on behalf of our winged friends, since temperatures have been (mostly) freezing/subfreezing for going on two days now. Meantime, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and Holiday Guide:

TRASH/RECYCLING/ETC. RATES: Today’s 2 pm City Council meeting at City Hall downtown includes a final vote on rate increases for trash/recycling/yard waste and other solid-waste services – see the tables in the legislation. (600 Fourth Ave.)

HOLIDAY COOKIE DECORATING: Check to see if there’s room left in this 6 pm workshop at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) – details including contact info for reservations are in our calendar listing. (1936 Harbor SW)

(Hummingbird, photographed by Karen Richter)

INTERIM SUPERINTENDENT ‘COFFEE CHAT’: As previewed here earlier this morning, interim Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland, now suddenly up for the permanent job, will be at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, 6-7 pm, for a community “coffee chat,” scheduled before the new development regarding his status. (6400 Sylvan Way)

SCHOOL BOARD REP’S COMMUNITY CONVERSATION: In addition to joining Dr. Nyland during his “chat,” West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren will have one of her periodic community-conversation meetings immediately afterward, 7 pm, also at High Point Center. (6400 Sylvan Way)

WEST SEATTLE HI-YU: The summer festival’s work is never done, and they’d love to have your help and participation. Just stop by tonight’s monthly meeting, 7 pm at Admiral Congregational Church. (California/Hill)

(Hummingbird, photographed by Debbie Runke)
NIGHTLIFE: Trivia, pub quiz, karaoke … see the individual venues/listings on our calendar.

HOLIDAY GUIDE: Tonight – see the lights now that the major displays are all on! They’re part of what you’ll find in our guide, along with tree-lot locations, upcoming holiday parties/tree lightings/open houses/Santa photos/concerts, and more … we’re updating it at least once daily as events and schedules continue to be added.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Post-holiday-weekend Monday updates

December 1, 2014 6:57 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Post-holiday-weekend Monday updates

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:57 AM: Good morning. It’s a cold post-Thanksgiving-weekend Monday morning – below freezing, so be careful of icy spots that might be lingering from the weekend, including sidewalks and planting strips as well as some roadsides that have been in the shade. (If you were out of town – in review, we had an inch-plus of rain Friday, followed by a temperature drop and about half an inch of snow Saturday morning, though the north-wind-fueled Alki surf eclipsed it visually.) No major problems in or from West Seattle, so far.

7:56 AM: Of note, the “low bridge” has opened for vessel traffic twice in the past 40 minutes, as logged via @SDOTbridges.

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Interim school superintendent in West Seattle tonight, two nights before sudden board vote on making him permanent

December 1, 2014 2:16 am

| 7 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

What was originally billed as a “coffee chat” tonight in West Seattle with Seattle Public Schools‘ interim superintendent Dr. Larry Nyland is suddenly being seen through a different prism: The School Board has decided to vote Wednesday on offering him the permanent job, rather than conducting a search to find candidates. The district didn’t even make an announcement – instead, the planned vote simply turned up on the meeting agenda published just before the long holiday weekend; it was first spotted and reported by Melissa Westbrook via her Seattle Schools Community Forum website.

West Seattle’s board member Marty McLaren has offered her explanation of why she supports giving Nyland the permanent job; if you didn’t see it via her mailing list, you can read it on her website. McLaren writes of Nyland, a former Marysville superintendent, that “in his 16 weeks in his job, he has demonstrated strong leadership, integrity, vast competence in his role, and deep awareness of the importance of relationships, among other vital skills.” If you want to ask her about this, or other current issues – such as the boundary-change concerns – she will be having a community-conversation meeting right after the superintendent’s “chat,” same location, which is Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way) – his meeting is 6-7 pm, hers starts at 7.

And if you’re interested in signing up to speak at Wednesday’s School Board meeting, signups start at 8 this morning, as explained on the right side of this document.

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Congratulations, Miles! 9-year-old runs Seattle Half-Marathon

December 1, 2014 1:20 am

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people | WS & Sports

When 9-year-old Miles Trius returns to school at Our Lady of Guadalupe after Thanksgiving break, he has something big to talk about: His second half-marathon. The Seattle Marathon half-marathon on Sunday was the second half-marathon Miles has run with his dad, Navy Chief Ernesto Trius, who says they have run together for the past year and a half. Miles “looks forward to a marathon in his future when he is able to compete (age 12).” He runs cross-country/track for OLG in CYO Athletics. According to the Seattle Marathon online results, Miles finished in 2:17:39.

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