West Seattle, Washington
09 Tuesday
(Added 8:11 pm: WSB photo)
7:44 PM: We were headed toward South Delridge to check out reports of a large gathering, possibly a vigil, when we started getting texts about Guardian One in the same area. They’ve just tweeted that they “assisted Seattle PD with a large crowd disturbance north of White Center.” That’s all we know so far – trying to find out more.
ADDED 7:46 PM: We’ve found the gathering, at 17th/Henderson. It’s a vigil for someone who died – not in West Seattle – within the past few days; apparently his family lives in the area.
8:11 PM: Still can’t find more information about the subject of the vigil, but we did reach Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams to ask why police were there. He said that they had a report of a large crowd with a fight breaking out, but: “When officers arrived they found no disturbance and no one in the crowd reported that there had been one.”
(Photo courtesy Tibbetts UMC)
With a week and a half until the Super Bowl, Seattle vs. New England team-spirit contests abound. Here’s one you can join while not only showing your love for the Seahawks, but also your love for your down-and-out neighbors. From Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor), here’s how you can get involved in a Seattle vs. New England food drive!
Since the Seahawks are repeating a trip to the Super Bowl, the Seattle-area United Methodist Churches are repeating a challenge to a food drive contest – this year to New England. Tibbetts UMC is a drop-off site and food will go to the West Seattle and White Center Food Banks.
Whoever has the highest number of donations of dry goods or money at midnight on Super Bowl Sunday will be declared the winner. In this contest, EVERYONE wins, since our spirited competition supports local people in need. All food & money will be donated to local food banks. For details on how/where to donate, go here.
You can also donate online at unitedinblue.org (where you’ll also find out about participating churches in other areas). Once again we expect that many churches in Washington will participate since our Seahawks have such a huge fan base! Monetary donations made online will count towards the contest, with donations going to Northwest Harvest. We’ll beat New England in football AND in generosity!
P.S. Food items that are needed most: Whole-grain cereal; fruit in water or juice; meat (canned in water when possible); vegetables, low or no sodium; beans (dry or canned); 100% fruit juice; powdered or shelf-stable milk; pasta sauce; peanut butter; soup; canned meals; Mac & Cheese & other boxed meals; whole-wheat pasta, rice, or other whole grains.
Tibbetts UMC is at 3940 41st SW.
While we’re covering the street-robberies investigation separately (newest update here), we have reader reports on several other crimes you should know about:
OFFICE BREAK-IN: Between 7 pm last night and 10 am today, a health-care office in the 5400 block of California SW was broken into. Laptops and a filing cabinet were taken; the latter had some checks and cash, as well as client files.
CAR THEFT: Kristine in North Delridge hopes you’ll help look for her 1998 dark green Honda Civic LX (license plate AMR5059): “It was parked on the street in front of my house (2800 block of SW Nevada St.) and taken sometime between 11 pm and 7:30 am.” Call 911 if you see it.
CAR BREAK-INS: Both happened Wednesday evening. From Charise: “My black Lexus was broken into … in the rear lot behind the West Seattle YMCA on Alaska. My daughter’s backpack is all that was stolen. It’s pretty obvious people are canvassing the area for cars with bags left in them.” Not far away, this reader report: “Between 4:00 and 5:30 pm (Wednesday), someone smashed the rear passenger window of my car while parked in the back parking lot near Oregon Street and 44th Avenue SW. They grabbed (stole) my light green backpack. A brazen theft in daylight hours in a popular area.” Any information, please contact police.
REMINDER – NEXT CRIMEFIGHTING MEETINGS: Two chances to talk with police as well as your West Seattle neighbors – 6:30 pm Tuesday (January 27), the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network; 6:30 pm Tuesday, February 3rd, a community conversation with SPD Chief Kathleen O’Toole. Both at the SW Precinct (Delridge/Webster), both open to all.
SIDE NOTE – CRIME STATS: SPD has gone public with the full 2014 stats. Here’s the overview.
The trajectory of today’s coverage kept us from our usual preview of various events, so as we arrive at mid-afternoon, here are two more to mention, both happening in The Junction:
BENEFIT FOR JASMIN: In November and December, we mentioned benefits for Jasmin Egan, who grew up in West Seattle and is fighting leukemia. Friends at Brunette Mix (longtime WSB sponsor) in The Junction are organizing another benefit tonight, 5-8 pm, just around the corner at Lika Love Fashion Boutique (4447 California SW) – a sip-and-shop event, with a percentage of tonight’s sales proceeds going to help Jasmin and her family with mounting medical bills. You can even stop in while on your way to …
OPENING NIGHT FOR ‘4000 MILES’: Be among the first to see the new production at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor), the Northwest premiere of “4000 Miles“:
(ArtsWest photo by Michael Brunk; cast, L-R, Adria LaMorticella, Adam Standley, Susan Corzatte, Sara Porkalob)
Amy Herzog was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for writing “4000 Miles,” a dramatic comedy telling the story of a 91-year-old grandmother and her 21-year-old grandson, and who really needs who and why. ArtsWest’s artistic director Mathew Wright directs. Curtain time tonight is 7:30 pm; tickets are available online here. “4000 Miles” will run through February 15th.
(Wednesday night WSB photo by Christopher Boffoli)
As we work to follow up on the five street-robbery incidents in West Seattle we’ve covered in the past week, there’s new information from the Southwest Precinct. This update from precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske has just been sent to community groups:
I wanted to update everyone on a series of incidents we have had occur here in the last week, as I have had a lot of folks express concerns, as well as the desire to keep everyone up on significant events.
We have had a total of 5 theft/strong arm robberies since January 15th, most targeting younger victims that range in age from @14 to 18. The items taken are personal electronics, either laptops, pads or cell phones. The two most recent happened along California Ave SW, with the others in the areas of 6500 42nd SW, 36th SW and Myrtle, and 26th SW and Thistle.
Based on what we currently know about the incidents, there may be a connection between two of the cases. Several of the others appear to be stand-alone incidents that have not been repeated in the area.
We have distributed what info we have to the patrol officers so they can be aware of the incidents and suspect descriptions, and they are spending the time they can in the areas most commonly used by students as they travel to and from school. The precinct detectives are working the cases, and they will have access to any and all resources of the precinct, and we will draw in more department resources if they need them.
I will update you as things progress, but wanted you to know that we are aware of this and working on it as a priority. I have cc’ed Mark Solomon on this email, and he will also be sending out some safety information.
Mark Solomon is the SW and South Precincts’ Crime Prevention Coordinator, and his forward of this note included that safety information. We’ll attach it shortly, along with other information we’ve been working on today. First – here are our links to WSB coverage of the incidents mentioned in Capt. Wilske’s note, newest-to-oldest:
*Wednesday evening robbery in North Admiral, with coverage including info about Tuesday incident
*West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting coverage, including discussion of incidents
*Followup report on Saturday morning Morgan Junction robbery
*Same-day coverage of Saturday morning Morgan Junction robbery/carjack attempt
*Coverage of Friday robbery in Westwood
*Coverage of Thursday robbery in Gatewood
ADDED 12:49 PM: Here’s the safety information mentioned above:
(If you can’t see the embed – we hear it’s glitching for some – here’s the PDF.)
ADDED 1:57 PM: The West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network has just announced that Capt. Wilske will be at the WSBWCN meeting next Tuesday (January 27) to talk about this, 6:30 pm at the precinct, all welcome.
Meantime, from the police report on the Tuesday incident, how it unfolded: The victim was at Admiral Safeway with friends at about 2:50 pm and about to leave to head home when the two would-be robbers came up to him. One asked if he could use the victim’s phone, and said he didn’t need to hold it, but just asked the victim to hold up the phone and dial a certain number. The number didn’t connect. The victim left the store and crossed the street; the two confronted him on the northwest corner of California/Lander (by Lafayette Elementary). The report says one stood behind the victim while the other “grabbed his belt loop and tried to reach into his pocket where (he) had put his phone.” That’s when other teens, described as West Seattle HS students, “pulled (the would-be robbers) off” the victim, who they told to go home, which he did. The victim’s father told us that kids should specifically be warned to NEVER let anyone they don’t know use their phone – he says these two were apparently approaching others in the Safeway area first, and then, when his son left the store alone, went after him.
Tonight’s the first meeting of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition on its new night – to reduce conflicts with the standing neighborhood-council meetings on second Tuesdays, it’s now meeting on fourth Thursdays. Same start time – 6:30 pm – and location, Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW). Tonight’s agenda:
6:45-7:30: Proposed By-Law Changes:
· Create a Legislative Agenda Committee. The committee’s function will be to develop the WSTC’s “Legislative Agenda” as a policy and lobbying actions guide. This Committee will also maintain changes to the Agenda as goals are achieved and broadened.
· Review and amend function and by-law language of standing Committees.
Existing Committees and Language:
a) Outreach Committee: Engagement with businesses, community groups, special interest groups and individuals for recruiting into the coalition, education, and to collect feedback for the coalition to act upon.
b) Communications Committee: Manages the WSTC’s online presences; conducting annual/bi-annual Issues Surveys; writing press releases; managing and facilitating communications between other advocacy groups.
c) Research & Solutions Committee: Develops and adjusts the West Seattle Peninsula Transportation Master Plan by receiving and disseminating research info from Outreach, Communications & Meetings. Works directly with various governmental and private agencies for research on technical, planning, and transportation solutions.
d) Action Committee: Meets with officials (elected and otherwise); agencies; goes to and holds rallies; engages directly with whomever is required for the West Seattle Peninsula to get commitments for solutions.
7:30-8:30: Review City of Seattle responses to our September 2014 “Five items” list; Discuss potential ST 3; Discuss Seats on the West Seattle Transportation Corridor and Seattle Transit Oversight Committee; Discuss end of Viaduct mitigation money as of June 2015.
Some of the “five items” responses were included in this WSB report last week.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 10:10 AM THURSDAY: As relatively brief as this morning’s Fauntleroy/Arbor Heights/vicinity power outage was, it still had environmental effects, the county just disclosed:
King County sewer utility crews quickly stopped an overflow at the Murray Pump Station that was caused by an early-morning power failure in West Seattle.
The overflow lasted about 3-5 minutes, spilling an estimated 19,000 gallons of wastewater into Puget Sound near Lowman Beach Park. Crews engaged a mobile generator currently staged at the site and quickly restored normal operation.
King County notified health and regulatory agencies about the overflow, took water quality samples, and posted signs warning people to avoid contact with the water.
King County is currently investing $26 million to upgrade Murray Pump Station as part of a long-term project to control overflows of stormwater and sewage that occur during heavy rains. Improvements include the installation of a permanent back-up electrical system to provide power during outages and other emergencies.
The aforementioned project is separate from, but being done in conjunction with, the Murray Combined Sewer Overflow Control Project million-gallon-tank construction across the street.
UPDATE, 5:27 PM FRIDAY: From King County spokesperson Annie Kolb-Nelson:
I just want to offer some updated information about the Murray overflow we reported yesterday. After additional investigation, our operations staff concluded that we did NOT experience an overflow from the pump station.
The operations crews first took data from a sensor that initially indicated that water level in the pump station overflowed the weir, but a sensor further down the system in an outfall pipe and visual inspections indicated that no wastewater left the pump station.
(Denny IMS Senior Band)
Thanks to Denny International Middle School principal Jeff Clark for sharing photos from last night’s concert by bands from his school and Chief Sealth International High School next door:
Congratulations to all of the Denny and Sealth band and jazz band musicians on an outstanding concert last night! Thank you to our terrific teachers, Mr. Pimpleton and Ms. Chutich, for all of their amazing efforts with our scholars. Thank you also to the Denny Sealth Performing Arts volunteers and to all of our families for supporting great music in our pathway! Go Dolphins and Seahawks!
(Chief Sealth IHS Symphonic Band)
P.S. If your school – public or private, anywhere on the age spectrum from pre through college – has a concert/performance/other public event coming up, please let us know in advance, both so we can include it in our calendar, and so we can consider it in our coverage plans – thanks! editor@westseattleblog.com any time …
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far, no trouble on the routes through/from West Seattle. Ice shouldn’t be a problem anywhere this morning, with temperatures 10 degrees above freezing.
6:24 AM: We’ll be asking Seattle City Light this morning about the hourlong early-morning power outage that affected about 4,700 customers in southwest West Seattle. Our apologies for missing it in real time; looks unofficially like it started sometime after 3 am, and ended by 4:20 am, and it appears to have been in what was the primary area of the windstorm outage last weekend (see the screengrab in this tweet from @kjkjal). Whatever we learn from SCL, we’ll add here.
8:44 AM: Though the power was back relatively quickly, SCL’s Scott Thomsen tells WSB, crews are still working on it: “The first thing they did was to isolate the area where they believe the problem exists and re-route power from other circuits. That put all our customers back in service. The crews are still patrolling the line to find out what caused the outage and make repairs.”
5:16 PM: We checked back with Thomsen to see what the crews had found. He replied: “Crews determined that the outage was caused by an underground cable failure. This underground cable is near the substation and feeds the overhead lines in the area that experienced the outage. The damaged area has been isolated and power continues to be routed into the area from an alternate path until permanent repairs can be made.”
From transportation to tax returns, briefings, updates, and announcements spanned two busy hours at tonight’s Delridge Neighborhoods District Council meeting:
DELRIDGE MULTIMODAL CORRIDOR: SDOT‘s Sara Zora provided the briefing on this, which traces to an idea that Delridge neighborhood advocates have been discussing for a while. The concept of viewing a road as a “multimodal corridor” is at a “very conceptual level,” Zora said. Delridge is one of 10 corridors SDOT will be looking at in 2015, all “major arterials” to be reviewed through the “complete streets” prism.
6:09 PM: Northbound Delridge at Oregon, near Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, is blocked by a 2-vehicle crash. Avoid the area. More to come.
6:22 PM: Police confirm at the scene, no major injuries. Two people were being transported by private ambulance. No TCI callout, so it will not be a long closure.
6:39 PM: Added a photo taken from the footbridge by Youngstown, looking south over the northbound lanes. We’ll be checking back on the scene before the top of the hour.
6:44 PM: Police just announced via scanner that Delridge is open both ways again.
(WSB photos by Christopher Boffoli. Above, police near the robbery scene)
5:18 PM: Police are combing North Admiral neighborhoods right now for two street-robbery suspects. More to come.
5:27 PM: They have found a possible suspect. We don’t have full details of the incident yet but police had been seeking two people, one reported to have a knife, another who reportedly told the victims he had a gun. They either stole or tried to steal a phone.
(44th/Atlantic, where police checked a home whose resident reported an intruder alarm)
5:45 PM UPDATE: No word of any arrests yet. An active search continues, with K-9; the actual robbery happened north of Admiral/California.
(Tonight’s search went all the way to the water – above, Don Armeni Boat Ramp park)
Just before this, we had learned of a robbery attempt near there yesterday afternoon; police say they don’t know yet if that’s related. In that one, two people tried to steal a 13-year-old’s phone, but older youth in the area chased them away. It apparently was not reported to police until today. (Added: That attempt happened near Lafayette Elementary around 3 pm Tuesday, according to the victim’s family.)
6:26 PM: Search continuing, and it’s very wide-ranging.
(Sunset/Seattle, atop the North Admiral bluff)
7:23 PM: Police have been searching as far north as Harbor Avenue. Counting the attempted robbery yesterday that we just learned about today, this is the fifth street robbery or attempt in West Seattle in the past seven days, starting last Thursday (January 15th) when two people knocked down and stole the backpack of a middle-schooler walking by Myrtle Reservoir in Gatewood; on Friday, a robber stole a phone from a high-school student walking in a Westwood neighborhood; on Saturday, a man parking near his workplace in Morgan Junction was accosted by robbers who tried to steal his car.
8:14 PM: We’re adding photos from the search. Meantime, we just checked with Lt. Alan Williams, who confirms, no arrests yet, and that the person detained at 45th/Walker was not identified by the victims, so he was released. The robbery itself, Lt. Williams says, happened in the 2300 block of 44th SW. He has no description information at this point aside from “two black males … estimated to be 15-17 years of age.”
Here’s what’s new and interesting in the development files:
LENNAR’S SECOND WEST SEATTLE PROJECT – 2501 HARBOR: Seven months ago, we mentioned this one-acre parcel with three industrial/storage buildings was listed for sale. Among the possibilities touted in the listing: “Excellent potential for apartment, office or mixed-use redevelopment.” The latter is what’s on the drawing board now. According to an early site plan in the city’s online files, Lennar Multi-Family (residential developer for The Whittaker in The Junction) is proposing a 142-unit, 117-parking-space mixed-use building with 4,500 square feet of commercial space, to replace the three existing buildings. The zoning is C1-40 but the site plan proposes a building rising 48′ above grade. Parking would be entered from SW Florida, on the west side of the site. This will require Design Review; no date set yet. We’ll be following up on questions such as timeline and the future of the businesses currently on site.
YMCA EXPANSION GETS KEY APPROVALS: This week’s first Land Use Information Bulletin from the city includes the notice of key land-use approvals for the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) expansion/remodel. The approval notice includes a link to information on how to appeal. The expansion plan was announced last September.
2646 SW HOLDEN, 1 HOUSE GOING, 18 COMING: A demolition permit is now being sought for the one old, vacant house on this site stretching between Holden and Webster:
One land-use permit has been issued for the 18-house subdivision planned here, and another one is being sought for other aspects of the planned development.
OTHER DEMOLITION-PERMIT FILINGS: 10037 39th SW in Arbor Heights, except for the foundation; 3402 SW Morgan in High Point, to be replaced by two duplex townhouses; 3031 59th SW in Alki, to be replaced by two single-family houses and a two-unit townhouse.
320O BLOCK OF CALIFORNIA SIDE NOTE: We mentioned earlier this month that two addresses here are going to Streamlined Design Review with a mix of townhouses and live-works. What we didn’t notice, until some neighbors pointed it out, is that the sites were part of the location proposed for a 60-unit building at 3211 California SW. So it appears that project – which had made its Design Review debut last spring – is apparently no longer in the works.
More signs of Seahawks spirit, with The Biggest Game now just 11 days away:
From Amy Daly-Donovan – who says it’s part of a Super Bowl-related commercial being filmed by CenturyLink Field today, and she and her husband are both involved. (In case you missed it last Sunday, Amy shared a photo of Finnegan, The 12th Dog.)
Other spirited scenes/notes shared with us so far this week:
Chuck Jacobs says he put together those kerosene lanterns just in time for last Sunday’s game and will have them going for the Super Bowl as well.
And next week, West Coast Entertainment in Admiral is offering a free bag of Skittles for everyone who takes a West Seattle Segway tour next Monday-Friday. On the final pre-game Blue Friday, January 30th, you’re also invited to stop by the WCE office at 2705 California SW between 9 and 5 for a free Seahawks airbrush tattoo (and free popcorn if/while you wait).
Thanks to Southwest District Council co-chair David Whiting (president of the Admiral Neighborhood Association) for sharing the city’s announcement confirming which Neighborhood Park & Street Fund projects are funded for this year. See the full list of projects citywide here; below, see the excerpts showing West Seattle projects (the city considers WS to be two neighborhood districts, Southwest and Delridge):
The citywide total for all projects funded this year is almost $2 million. In some cases, the grant money is applied to a larger project – for example, this will be the case with the Boren crosswalks, a project confirmed earlier this month. We don’t have full details on all the projects but they will certainly be topics at the respective district council meetings, including Delridge, 7 pm tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (as previewed in our daily highlights list).
P.S. A similar amount, about $2 million, is set aside for this year’s NPSF – and the application deadline is approaching.
The latest reminder that the West Seattle Food Bank provides recycled books to its clients – and needs your donations to keep the books flowing!
The West Seattle Food Bank’s Bookcase Program was so successful with our clients during the holidays that we have run out of many books, especially children’s books. Young children enjoy the picture books while waiting with their parents in our lobby and are excited about being able to take them home. Cookbooks, history books and Adult fiction and non-fiction are extremely popular with our adult clients. Our Bookcase Program distributed more than 5,500 recycled books last year donated by local book stores and individuals in our community. Donations are accepted during our office hours of Monday – Friday 9 am – 3 pm. The West Seattle Food Bank is located at 3419 SW Morgan St. at the corner of 35th & Morgan.
First, if you happen to have been at Westwood Village and noticed police this past hour:
SHOPLIFTING/ROBBERY: What was described over the air as shoplifting-turned-robbery at the Westwood Village Radio Shack drew a big police response. Our crew was told the employee wasn’t hurt; they’re still trying to determine what was taken. Police were searching for two possible suspects, described early on as Hispanic women 18-22, both 5’3″ to 5’4″, one thin, one medium-to-heavy, one dressed all in black, one in a gray jacket. We’re hearing of one possible arrest in a residential area several blocks north and will be checking to verify.
(12:35 PM UPDATE: SPD confirms a 15-year-old girl is in custody. Apparently the other possible suspect was not involved in the crime.)
(back to original report) A few other Crime Watch notes from the past few days:
RECOGNIZE THIS CAR? Shay says it’s been parked in her neighborhood for a few weeks and neighbors thought it belonged to someone working nearby, but now realize it’s abandoned.
Police will be contacted if they haven’t been already, but Shay got a stolen car back via this kind of WSB report a few years ago and so wanted to get the word out this way too.
CAR PROWLS: Last Friday night, according to a reader report, three cars, all Hondas, were broken into near 49th/Juneau in Seaview; someone “with a flashlight was spotted at 6 am and fled upon being observed.” No signs of forced entry, so neighbors are wondering if the prowler(s) have “a keyless entry.”
NEXT CRIMEFIGHTING MEETINGS: The West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meets at 6:30 pm next Tuesday (January 27th) at the Southwest Precinct – you don’t have to be a captain, or even in a block watch (yet!), to attend. And if you missed the announcement published here Tuesday morning, Seattle Police Chief Kathleen O’Toole is coming to West Seattle for her first “community conversation” here, 6:30 pm Tuesday, February 3rd, also at the precinct (which is at Webster/Delridge).
P.S. The chief’s latest quarterly report to the City Council will be presented this afternoon – read it here.
(Today’s sunrise at Seacrest – photo by Lise Thivierge)
Thanks to our community contributors for views of this morning’s sunrise! Scroll all the way through to see all three views. And, of course, to see the highlights of what’s up today/tonight – maybe your first community meeting of the new year? From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
STORY TIMES: Four library story times on the calendar today – preschoolers at West Seattle and toddlers at Southwest, both at 10:30 am; babies at High Point, 11:30 am; Somali story time at High Point, 5 pm. Each has its own listing, with more info and even a map, on our calendar.
DUWAMISH RIVER CLEANUP PLAN: 5:30-7:30 pm tonight in South Park, the Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition offers your next chance to find out more about the plan, in three languages:
Tonight at Concord International School is your opportunity to learn about EPA’s “Record of Decision,” its final cleanup plan for the Duwamish River. It is a step in the right direction – but there is still more to do! To keep working for an even healthier cleanup, we need YOU! Join DRCC/TAG and your neighbors tonight as EPA and South Park community members provide some highlights from the plan and talk about what is next. Presentations will be available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Light dinner and child care will be available!
(723 S. Concord)
NEIGHBORHOOD GREEN MEETING: Talk about climate change with the Green Party of Seattle and Sustainable West Seattle. 6:30 pm at Admiral Bird. (2600 California SW)
(Today’s sunrise, Olympics view – photo by James Bratsanos)
DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Agenda toplines:
7:10 p.m. Friends of Art on Pier 86, the Silos & Grain Elevator – David Levinson
7:17 p.m. UWKC Free Tax Campaign – Thomas Gardner
7:25 p.m. Multimodal Corridor Program, Delridge Way Project – Sara Zora (SDOT)
7:45 p.m. Update from CM Rasmussen – Tom Rasmussen
8:15 p.m. DNDC Business/Events/Discussions – All
-District 1 Candidates Forum
-2015 Grant Opportunities
-Joint DC Meeting with SWDC
-Annual DNDC Membership Meeting/Elections
-West Seattle Working Waterfront Tour
8:35 p.m. Neighborhood/Community Announcements – All
This time, DNDC meets in the Youngstown theater. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), it’s MoCA’s quarterly meeting. Agenda toplines:
* Special Guest – James Bush, Department of Neighborhoods
* Murray CSO
* Morgan SDOT update
* Morgan Park Little Library update
* Donation to Morgan Neighbors
* New Bike Racks for Morgan Junction
* 2015 Neighborhood Streets and Parks Funds – Morgan applications
* 2015 Morgan Festival
* Election of Officers, slate presentation for April meeting and vote
Find MoCA in The Kenney’s lower-level meeting rooms. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: As previewed here Monday night, WordsWest takes on New Year’s resolutions in the 7 pm writers’ showcase at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), featuring Jennie Shortridge and Frances McCue. (5612 California SW)
COMEDY! 8 pm at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), hosted by Mona Concepcion, it’s the next “Just Laugh It Off” showcase – check the lineup here. (6451 California SW)
MORE COMEDY: Tonight’s also the night West Seattle native Adam Cozens, visiting from L.A., stars at Comedy Underground in Pioneer Square, 8 pm, as mentioned in our recent followup story on how his showbiz career is going. (109 S. Washington)
(More of the Olympics, from Alki – photo by Don Brubeck)
EVEN MORE … daytime activities AND nightlife, on our calendar!
Two new reports of the scam phone callers who claim to be from Seattle City Light, alleging you owe money and are at risk of imminent shutoff if you don’t pay them. This came in last night from Dan at Peel and Press in Morgan Junction:
My employees at Peel and Press just got a call from someone claiming to be Seattle City Light stating that they were going to shut off our power in one hour and that they needed to confirm our billing info. My employees took down the name and number and then called me. I called back “Mr. Allan Grey” and he went on about how my last two payments weren’t cleared and they would be shutting off my power in the next few minutes. He wanted me to confirm my card number and exp date. I asked him to reference the last 4 numbers of my SCL account because something didn’t seem right and I had a feeling this was a scam. He assured me I could wait for my power to get shut off so I would know it was real. I again asked for the last 4 digits and he hung up. I called Seattle City Light and just as I expected my power bill was up to date and no issues with my service. Claimed to be Allan Grey – Ph. 1-800-237-3081
At least one local residence also just got this kind of call – see this post in the WSB Forums. And as noted here a month ago, utility-bill scammers are showing up in person, too.
WHAT YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT: City Light has scam-protection advice for you here.
(WS high/low bridges and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:05 AM: With the temperature at/around freezing, after a mostly clear night, watch for icy spots this morning. First transportation-related tweet of the day is from Kevin, who says his girlfriend hit a spot of black ice while on her bicycle passing the bottom of the SW Yancy hill in North Delridge.
7:44 AM: Junction traffic note from SDOT:
A medical response has blocked the WB lane of SW Alaska St just east of California Ave SW. pic.twitter.com/Hj9PUTxdkt
— seattledot (@seattledot) January 21, 2015
ROADSIDE-WORK REMINDER: Today is scheduled to be the second and final day of SDOT work on the medians near Admiral Way Viewpoint, 8 am-3 pm, with inside lanes closed on both sides.
99 OVERNIGHT WORK NORTH OF DOWNTOWN: Again tonight, 8 pm-6 am, there’s work on 99 north of downtown – here’s the WSDOT alert.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
No new information about Saturday’s Morgan Junction holdup, when it was brought up during tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting.
What did dominate the evening was a wide-ranging discussion on various neighborhoods’ problems and what can, can’t, and – in some neighbors’ view – should be done about them.
First, the crime-trend update:
LOCAL CRIME TRENDS: Auto theft has remained the same – a high level, but “we’re starting to make some arrests.” Car prowls are “down drastically.” So said precinct operations Lt. Ron Smith, representing precinct leadership at the meeting – he said car prowls are down to 11 in the past week, compared to 18. A new way of handling the data is being implemented soon, he said, so that could make a change. Nonresidential burglaries are down; residential burglary is down 40 percent from an average week, 6 compared to the average of 10. “We’ve made a couple arrests, and that might have made a difference – names known to the community.” Strong-arm robberies, usually 1 a week, this past week we’ve had two (both reported here).
Asked about the strong-arm robbery, Lt. Smith mentioned – without specifying the location – the Sealth student who was walking to school when her phone was stolen. They don’t know yet for sure whether the robber is a student or not, though “similar age group” to the victim. Sometimes the response time is hampered by the fact the robbery isn’t reported until they tell their parents hours later. He says this type of robbery has now been dubbed “Apple-picking.”
Asked about shoplifting, aggravated assault, drug-dealing arrests, Lt. Smith said he doesn’t have numbers on those categories but can get them. He says the Anti-Crime Team is going after drug crime right now, though, and that drug dealing is being addressed “through other methods” – CPTED, such as lighting, removing phone booths, cutting back shrubbery, and talking to businesses to let them know it’s their responsibility to keep watch on what’s happening on their property.
NUISANCE HOUSES: A question is asked about a South Delridge block and a particular house on 17th SW. Lt. Smith says they’re aware of several trouble houses. Precinct liaison Matthew York from the City Attorney’s Office, seated next to Lt. Smith (photo at right), gives his card to the asker. Another man says there’s a similar problem in his neighborhood – stolen cars dumped, an unregistered sex offender who they say had a teenage girl in his house, someone else who was wanted on warrants and “had a sawed-off shotgun.” The house in question had “constant turnover,” troublemakers in the back yard – they would report the problems, police would show up, and be deterred by a locked gate and people going into hiding. “With (houses like this) you can look at the 911 calls – 197 on that block – (people have) called constantly.” Someone else says “it’s kind of like we’re at war” but it has quieted down a bit with the involvement of the Community Police Team.
(All photos in this story are by Mark Wangerin. Above, rhinoceros auklet)
A glimmer of good news about the health of Puget Sound and some of its wildlife. This news release arrived via NOAA, but much of the work was done by volunteers:
A new analysis of seven years of bird sightings by volunteer birdwatchers from the Seattle Audubon Society has found positive trends in several Puget Sound seabird species that had been in historic decline.
(Common loon)
The study tracked the occurrence of 18 seabird species at 62 sites around Puget Sound and found increased presence of 14 species, including cormorants, loons, rhinoceros auklets, and harlequin ducks. It also documented local hotspots for certain species, which may reflect especially important habitat or prey the birds depend on.(Harlequin duck)
“This means that all other things being equal, if someone goes out now they’re more likely to see these birds than they would have been seven years ago,” said Eric Ward, an ecologist at NOAA Fisheries’ Northwest Fisheries Science Center in Seattle and lead author of the research.Many seabird species are thought to have declined around Puget Sound since the 1960s and 1970s but the new results suggest the trends have turned up for many species.
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