day : 27/01/2015 8 results

7:52 PM: Thanks to the Chief Sealth International High School parents who have sent us this message received tonight by families – first we have heard of it:

Yesterday, while walking home from school, a student was approached by a man in a newer model, gray minivan. A man drove up to the student, pulled off to the side, opened his door and exposed himself to her. This student ran away and reported this incident when she got home and then reported to the school today. Police were notified, took a report and description, and are now investigating. We do not have a license plate, but the description was a white male in his mid 30s, brown hair, wearing a white t-shirt and worn-out jeans, and driving a newer model gray mini-van. Our student did everything right, immediately getting away from the stranger, meeting up with a nearby familiar individual and reporting the incident to her parent, to the school, and then to the police.

The safety of our students is our top priority for Chief Sealth International. You can help your children stay safe by talking to them about personal safety. Tips to discuss are walking in pairs or groups and being aware of their surroundings at all times, as well as not talking to strangers or getting into their vehicles. Having these conversations, especially with younger children, can be difficult. We encourage you to be sensitive to your child. More tips and information can be found on the Seattle Police Department website.

While it hasn’t been mentioned here so far, we received this while covering the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting and are pursuing more information from police; we’ll add anything more we find out.

8:14 PM: One additional detail that was not in the school e-mail – the police report says the student wasn’t certain exactly where it happened, but it was “near” Delridge/Thistle, which is a few blocks east of the school. This is the first incident of this type that has surfaced in our area since last September.

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Can the man who saved the Shoremont save the Alki Homestead?

January 27, 2015 5:28 pm

| 25 COMMENTS

| Alki Homestead | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“It’s fixable, in my opinion.”

So says Dennis Schilling of the historic West Seattle landmark he’s considering buying and repairing, the Alki Homestead (originally Fir Lodge), vacant since the fire that charred its interior six years ago this month.

This Friday, Schilling takes a new repair/restoration/renovation plan to the city Landmarks Preservation Board‘s Architectural Review Committee. The meeting agenda is the first public document pointing to his involvement with the Homestead; after finding the damaged landmark on the ARC agenda for the first time in 3 1/2 years, we looked up the Department of Planning and Development files for the site and found Schilling involved.

If you can’t place his name, Schilling is the Mercer Island man who saved the Shoremont Apartments, blocks east of the Homestead, as first reported here in 2011. That classic brick building was at one point proposed for demolition and replacement with an ultramodern-style building. He bought it instead, fixed it up, and says everything’s “been great” since then.

One day while visiting Alki to go to the Shoremont, Schilling told us in an interview outside the Homestead today, he noticed the big “for sale” sign that’s been up for months. (He explains that every time he goes somewhere, he tries to “not drive home the same way twice.”) The rest was history.

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Return of the pilfered pig! Endolyne Joe’s gets Danny back – one year later

January 27, 2015 3:15 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Adrian and co-workers at Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) in Fauntleroy are thrilled to have Danny the Pig back – more than a year after the two-foot-tall decorative swine was stolen. Rich at Joe’s e-mailed us to say that someone had suddenly showed up with Danny, having found the pig and known it was stolen because of the story we published in January of last year. We stopped by for a photo and talked with Adrian, who said the man who brought Danny in said only that he was a construction worker and found the popular pig near where he’s been working. He didn’t want to say where that was, nor did he want to accept a reward (not even the case of bacon originally offered). So if you’ve missed Danny, go say hi! And note that he is now secured.

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Super Bowl countdown: More signs of West Seattle Seahawks spirit, before & on gameday

January 27, 2015 12:56 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Five days until The Big Huge Massive Super Game. We are collecting uniquely West Seattle notes for what’s up before and during the game. Here are a few for starters:

BLUE FRIDAY (January 30th)

*South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) is taking an all-campus photo at 11:15 am Friday, outside the library, by the statue. If you have any involvement with the college, be there, in gear (or at least in blue and/or green)!

*West Coast Entertainment in The Admiral District continues giving away Skittles to West Seattle Segway tour-takers this week, and on Friday you can stop by WCE HQ (2705 California SW) 9 am-5 pm for “your FREE Seahawks airbrush tattoos. There will even be FREE popcorn while you wait!”

*HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) has more of these Seahawks-themed piggy banks to give away:

Stop by 4022 SW Alaska during business hours (9 am-6 pm) on Friday in Seahawks gear and/or with a recent game-ticket stub to show, and you can get one, while supplies last!

GAME DAY ON SUNDAY

Having a party? Think you’ll have room? Let us know.

*Highland Park Improvement Club: All-ages potluck tailgating; doors open 2 pm. (12th/Holden)

*Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor): Click through to their website to see both versions of their Seahawks/Super Bowl poster, including the one NOT involving the colors blue and/or green. Open 11:30 am on Sundays, Super Bowl and otherwise.

*Admiral Bird: First coffee shop we’ve heard to be hosting a Super Bowl party. (California/Admiral)

*Trinity West Seattle: First church we’ve heard to be hosting a Super Bowl party, per the announcement sent to us, “… with three huge HD screens and a pretty epic sound system. Last year we had a great turnout from our neighborhood and wanted to open it up for folks that might not have a party to attend or place to watch the big game. We’ll have food and drinks around 2:30 and kickoff is at 3:30 this Sunday.” (35th/Ida)

AND BEFORE ALL THAT …

*Remember the food drives! Tibbetts United Methodist Church (3940 41st SW; WSB sponsor) is part of “United In Blue” – details here; Peace Lutheran Church (39th/Thistle) has one going, too. You can drop off all week to make sure your Seahawks spirit goes toward a good cause beyond “Go, Hawks!”

*Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) is giving away West Seattle-customized “I’M IN” signs while they last. (4410 California SW)

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West Seattle Crime Watch: 3 reader reports, including not exactly the kind of loot a burglar can run with

January 27, 2015 11:29 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this morning:

GARAGE BREAK-IN: From Kathy:

My garage was broken into over the weekend and a Lincoln Electric welder and cart were stolen.

Seems like a brazen thing to steal as it’s very heavy and the garage is on an alley that is pretty visible (between California and 42nd near Brandon). I reported it to police and just want this incident out there in case anyone has information.

MOTORCYCLE DAMAGED IN HIT-RUN: From Aaron:

My brand-new Ducati Monster 696 (with only 120 miles on it!) was hit (Monday morning) on California Ave SW, and the driver fled the scene. Three witnesses watched the driver hit my bike, but none were able to get the license plate.

The driver was a white woman in her mid-to-late 30s with shoulder-length or shorter blonde hair. Her vehicle is a silver Honda Pilot. She backed into my parked motorcycle, knocking it over its kickstand and onto its left side. The impact snapped off a mirror, bent the handlebars, and caused engine damage. And then she just drove away. This happened at approximately 9:15 a.m. on January 26, near 5440 California Ave SW, on the east side of the street just north of the Rapid Ride stop.

If you have any info for police, the incident number is 15-28651.

CARS VANDALIZED: John reports this happened Monday morning:

I woke up to an unpleasant sight … somebody had grabbed some large rocks from my neighbor’s front yard and completely shattered my driver-side windows of my ’04 Subaru wagon. They got both of the neighbors’ cars as well – both older Subarus. 6700 block of 39th Ave SW.

REMINDER FOR TONIGHT: As previewed earlier, Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske is expected to be at tonight’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network meeting – all welcome for crime/safety updates and networking to make neighborhoods safer, 6:30 pm at the precinct (Webster/Delridge).

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VIDEO: Missed the Asteroid 2004 BL₈₆ flyby? See it here!

January 27, 2015 9:45 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Skies Over West Seattle | West Seattle news

(Video: Copyright 2015, Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen)
Couldn’t find Asteroid 2004 BL₈₆ last night, even with the info in Alice Enevoldsen‘s special edition of “Skies Over West Seattle“? No worries. We have video to share, courtesy of Jason Ayres Gift Enevoldsen, via backyard scope: “I took one 6s-long image once a minute for 103 minutes to capture it moving across the Beehive Cluster (M44) in the SE portion of the sky. It appears at the bottom middle of the frame and moves up and left.” You might have to watch a time or two to spot it. Note that it is NOT going to look to you like a Hollywood asteroid – it’s a spot on the screen like all the other spots. We found it cool just the same. (If you prefer Vimeo, watch it there.)

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West Seattle Tuesday: What you can catch today/tonight

January 27, 2015 9:03 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Matt Olson – red-necked grebe dining on a prawn off Duwamish Head last weekend)
You’ll find today’s full menu on our calendar, but as usual, we’re offering a sampler:

BABY STORY TIMES: 10:30 am at both the Southwest Branch (35th/Henderson) and West Seattle (Admiral) Branch (2306 42nd SW) Libraries this morning, free and fun.

CAPTAIN & CAPTAINS: The West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network is expecting to hear tonight from Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske, with updates including the recent series of robberies (most-recent WSB update here). You don’t have to be a captain or even part of a Block Watch to be there – all welcome. Meeting’s at 6:30 pm at the precinct. (Webster/Delridge)

PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING FORUM: Not in West Seattle, but of interest – how to have more of a say in how your money’s spent: The City Neighborhood Council and Councilmember Nick Licata are co-hosting a forum about “Participatory Budgeting“ and how it works in other cities, with an eye toward whether it could work here. 6-8 pm in the Bertha Knight Landes Room at City Hall downtown. (5th/Cherry)

NOT USING SOCIAL MEDIA YET? 6 pm event at High Point Library might help you figure out how to change that. Info here, including how to sign up. (35th/Raymond)

BLUES TO DO: 8 pm at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), this week’s blues extravaganza is themed “Ladies Sing the Blues.” (6451 California SW)

KARAOKE … at Skylark in North Delridge and Yen Wor Village in The Admiral District, both 9 pm starts, both detailed on our calendar.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday updates; bridge collision

January 27, 2015 7:00 am

| 31 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:00 AM: Routine morning so far on the routes through/from West Seattle. This week’s only traffic alert remains for Highway 99 north of downtown, late-night/early-early-morning lane closures all week. Also, it’s a short week for Seattle Public Schools – no classes on Friday for “the day between semesters.”

7:08 AM: Just getting word of a car/motorcycle crash on the eastbound bridge, Spokane St. Viaduct section, (update) between 1st and 4th Ave. exits. Someone who just went past the scene says the rider was sitting up.

(Added: Image from SDOT Twitter feed)
7:15 AM: From the scanner – left lane(s) are blocked at the scene; the rider is believed to have an ankle injury and will be taken to the hospital by private ambulance.

7:36 AM: One left lane still blocked but most of the emergency response is wrapped up so probably not for much longer.

8:06 AM: Tow crew on scene now, per SDOT.

8:12 AM: Now cleared.

EVENING COMMUTE NOTE: Several have mentioned slowness during the evening southbound commute. Metro summarized it this way around 6:21 pm: “Transit service to West Seattle is experiencing significant delays due to various traffic issues in downtown Seattle and on the West Seattle bridge. Some buses are traveling via 1st Av S instead of the Viaduct. No stops are being missed.”

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