day : 27/05/2015 13 results

What was dispatched to California/Hill as a “multiple casualty incident,” initially with a big response so far hasn’t turned out to be anything, per scanner – apparently some kind of false report. Just mentioning it because so many people heard the sirens and have been texting us to ask. The call’s now closed.

West Seattle 4th of July Parade is on! 2 ways for you to help

May 27, 2015 7:21 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo from 2012 4th of July Parade)
West Seattle’s 4th of July Kids’ Parade – one of the few 4th of July parades in the region – is on. At least – the basics are locked in, and that’s no small feat; the most recent update from organizer Jackie Clough (proprietor of WSB sponsor Alki Party Treasures) is that “The event proof of insurance came through today so we are absolutely ready!” That means it’s on to the permit phase. Here’s where you come in: The insurance, which used to be picked up by a sponsor, now needs donated dollars, as do other costs such as the aforementioned permits, so a crowdfunding campaign has been launched – go here to chip in. And then there’s the volunteer power. Some aspects of the big day are already handled – the Admiral Neighborhood Association is selling concessions (Popsicles, baked treats) and Leilani Nitkey, who rocked the national anthem last year, will do it again this year. Here’s the list of volunteer needs:

*Volunteers needed day of:

—-9:00-9:30 am to help coordinate our start
—-10:30-noon at Hamilton Viewpoint Park for games and cleanup

*West Seattle businesses and organizations who are interested in having a craft table at the park, please contact Jackie at Jackie@alkipartytreasures.com

(That’s the same address at which you can contact Jackie to volunteer, too.) The parade will travel the same route as past years, starting at 10 am at 44th/Sunset – just show up and you’re part of it.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Stolen car, stolen scooter found in Morgan Junction

May 27, 2015 5:50 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tips about a heavy police presence in Morgan Junction.

When we arrived, we discovered it was actually related to two incidents – both involving stolen vehicles. One, a car stolen from Federal Way, was found in the southeast end of the West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) parking lot, off 42nd SW south of SW Morgan; police told us they were investigating the possibility it had been linked to mail-theft incidents.

Not even half a block south on 42nd, a stolen motor scooter was found, and one person was taken into custody. Both discoveries came from tips, we were told.

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UPDATE: 2 taken to hospital after crash at 35th/Juneau

May 27, 2015 4:47 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| High Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

4:47 PM: A crash at 35th and Juneau is reported to be blocking the northbound side of the road. No word yet on injuries; police and fire are arriving. We’re en route to check.

(Added: WSB photo)
5:19 PM: Two people have been taken to the hospital, neither with serious injuries. Another person is being cut out of his car because the door won’t open, but we are told he’s OK. 35th is open both ways but Juneau is blocked at 35th on the east side.

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West Seattle development: Tower crane removal; 4 project updates

May 27, 2015 4:46 pm

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| Development | West Seattle news

Five notes today:

CRANE COMING DOWN: Thanks to Eddie for the tip and an early photo – the crane at 135-apartment Broadstone Sky (40th/Edmunds) is coming down today, nine months after it went up. (That leaves two cranes in West Seattle – one at The Whittaker, one at the Trinsic project at 4435 35th SW.) Also coming down:

3829 CALIFORNIA SW DEMOLITION: Teardown started yesterday afternoon and continued this morning for this future site of a 29-unit, 29-offstreet-parking-space apartment building. While this project appeared to have stalled after Design Review approval in 2013, we reported back in March that it appeared to be back in play. It’s in the redevelopment-aplenty block of California, just steps south of the demolished-last-Friday Charlestown Court fourplex, and across the street from the much-vandalized, awaiting-demolition ex-Charlestown Café.

Also demolished this week for redevelopment:

(Photo courtesy Rob Jacobs)
4107 SW OREGON: On this site just east of the north end of the Oregon 42 apartment building, two buildings, each with two townhouses, will be built.

Also in The Junction:

PERMIT APPLICATION FOR 44TH SW MICROHOUSING: The 58-unit microhousing (aka Small Efficiency Dwelling Units) building at 4528 44th SW has officially applied for its master-use permit, and the notice will be in tomorrow’s Land Use Information Bulletin, according to the city website. The project passed Early Design Guidance in March (WSB coverage here).

5431 CALIFORNIA SW: New proposal for this mostly vacant lot between Alaska and Morgan Junctions: Three live-work units fronting California, a two-unit townhouse behind them, and two single-family houses behind that.

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West Seattle scene: Sunshine finally catches up with spraypark

May 27, 2015 4:09 pm

| Comments Off on West Seattle scene: Sunshine finally catches up with spraypark

| Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Thanks to Alicia for the photo – finally, sunny, warm weather, on the sixth day of the 2015 season at Highland Park Spraypark, open 11 am-8 pm daily at 1100 SW Cloverdale until summer’s end.

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Shell @ Terminal 5: County says it can’t access the sewer system on-site for wastewater; city appeal-hearing date set

May 27, 2015 12:46 pm

| 36 COMMENTS

| Environment | Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

(UPDATED 2:16 PM with additional new information regarding appeal of city ‘interpretation’ re: Polar Pioneer mooring)

(May 15th photo of Polar Pioneer at T-5, by Long Bach Nguyen)

ORIGINAL 12:46 PM REPORT: Just in from the King County Wastewater Treatment Division:

King County’s Industrial Waste Program today denied a permit application for discharge of wastewater from the Alaska Venture Shell Facility at Terminal 5 into the County’s regional sewer system.

“Everyone has to follow the rules, even multinational corporations,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine.

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METRO: How West Seattle service will change starting June 6th

May 27, 2015 12:19 pm

| 51 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

With a week and a half until Metro‘s next “service change” – June 6th – a news release just circulated brings the reminder that service changes funded by voter-approved Seattle Prop 1 are starting to kick in. We went into the webpage listing the changes to pull out the following descriptions of what’s in store for West Seattle routes:

Service added, restored, or revised

RapidRide C Line
On weekdays, service frequency will improve in both directions to about every 8 minutes during the morning and afternoon peak periods. Midday service frequency will also improve to about every 12 minutes, and evening 15-minute service frequency will be extended until about 11:30 pm seven days per week. All Night Owl service will be maintained and scheduled so the times are the same every day.

On Saturday, service frequency will improve to about every 12 minutes in both directions.

Route 21
On Saturday evening, three northbound trips to downtown Seattle leaving Westwood Village at 6:07, 8:09 and 8:39 pm will be added.

Route 55
Three morning peak-period trips to downtown Seattle and three afternoon peak-period trips to the Admiral District will be added.

Route 60
On weekdays, four morning peak-period trips to Broadway and four southbound peak-period trips to Westwood Village will be added.

On Saturday and Sunday, one morning and eight evening northbound trips, and 10 evening southbound trips will be added.

Service frequency will improve to every 30-minutes and the span of service will be extended.

Route 120
On weekdays, three morning peak-period trips leaving from 15th Ave SW & SW Roxbury St in White Center to downtown Seattle will be added.

Route 125
On weekends, service frequency will improve to every 30 minutes between about 6:30 am and 6:30 pm.

City of Seattle funding will also help improve on-time reliability for the following routes (including, West Seattle-related): 21E, 37, 55, 56, 57, and the RapidRide C & D lines

Citywide, 110,000 hours of additional bus service are starting June 6th, while 113,000 more hours are scheduled to take effect at Metro’s next “service change” in September. As for the funding specified by Prop 1, the one-tenth-of-one-percent sales-tax increase is already in effect, and the $60 car-license fees take effect with registrations/renewals starting next month.

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HELICOPTERS: Why Guardian One was (briefly) over Gatewood/Sunrise Heights; why a TV helicopter is over Admiral

May 27, 2015 11:46 am

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| Helicopter | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

11:46 AM: Our area’s only law-enforcement helicopter unit, King County Air Support (Guardian One), spent a few minutes over Gatewood/Sunrise Heights a short time ago, and now we know why. They tweeted that they happened to be in the area, so jumped in to help Seattle Police with a response to a situation described as a “fight” in the 3700 block of SW Webster. According to a neighbor, also via Twitter, police are still there, but they’ve said the situation is under control. When a Guardian One pilot/tactical flight officer spoke to the West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network last month (WSB coverage here), they mentioned that they do monitor emergency radio while they’re in flight, and if they happen to be in the area of an emergency call, they might turn up even without having been requested, so that’s what happened here.

11:51 AM: Unrelated but also involving a helicopter over West Seattle, and also bringing in texted questions – the KING/KOMO-shared TV helicopter is in the Admiral area right now because the governor of Alaska is visiting the Polar Pioneer oil rig at Terminal 5.

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Four possibilities for the rest of your West Seattle Wednesday

May 27, 2015 10:39 am

| Comments Off on Four possibilities for the rest of your West Seattle Wednesday

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Lincoln’s sparrow, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

TAKE A LUNCH BREAK … from the home/coffee-shop office, and meet others working nontraditionally in West Seattle, noon-1 pm, during the free weekly meetup at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor), our area’s only coworking center. (6040 California SW)

CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 1 CANDIDATES’ FORUM: This is the first one in South Park, and will feature 7 candidates, according to organizer Jeff Hayes: In first-name alphabetical order, those expected to participate are Brianna Thomas, Chas Redmond, Jody Rushmer, Karl Wirsing, Lisa Herbold, Phillip Tavel, Shannon Braddock. Also: Free food and kids’ activities. 7 pm, South Park Neighborhood Center. (8201 10th Ave. S.)

HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: 6:30 pm potluck, 7 pm meeting with an unusual format, for HPAC‘s last meeting before September:

Seattle University graduate research assistants will be holding a focus group for tonight’s meeting. This focus group will be centered around Highland Park’s crime concerns, our perceptions of our Micro-Community Policing Plan developed by the SW precinct of the Seattle Police Department and our perceptions of how the police are doing at addressing our specific crime concerns. This will be a time to be honest and have a great discussion about Highland Park’s Micro-Community Policing Plan including its development, progress, and evolution. Your attendance, concerns and feelings would be much appreciated- while this is being run by Seattle University and not the Seattle Police, the results/concerns can be shared with the police if the community wants that to happen – please join the discussion! It should only last about an hour.

Meeting’s at Highland Park Improvement Club. (12th/Holden)

POEMS AND STORIES: Monthly poets/storytellers’ gathering with Poetrybridge at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm, featuring Dobbie Reese Norris and Christopher J. Jarmick. (5612 California SW)

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‘If These Walls Could Talk’: Southwest Seattle Historical Society invites you to tour home built by Ye Olde Curiosity Shop’s founder

May 27, 2015 9:22 am

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| West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Once again this summer, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society offers you a chance to look inside a local home with history. This time, you’re invited to a June 28th tour of the North Admiral home built by the founder of Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, the legendary shop that reopens on the downtown waterfront a few days later after the latest round of seawall work. From SWSHS:

A century ago, the home at 1750 Palm Avenue SW probably was the most gawked-at, talked-about residence in West Seattle.

“Everybody wanted to see it,” says 90-year-old Joe James (in the short invitation clip below), whose grandfather – Ye Olde Curiosity Shop founder Joseph Edward “Daddy” Standley – built the house in 1906.

“Sightseeing buses used to stop there on their tours and let people out to look at the yard. He had everything in there you could think of, from whale jawbones to whale vertebrae to totem poles to shell mounds.”

Often, visitors were allowed to venture inside.

“He had a lot of curios in the house, things that he had collected,” James says. “He had a miniature collection and an ivory collection and all of that. People would come up to the fence, and he’d invite them into the house and show them what else he had. My mother never knew who was going to come into the house. He was very friendly to these people and very proud to show them his collection.”

On Sunday, June 28, 2015, the home will be the site of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s third annual “If These Walls Could Talk” home tour, to run from 3 to 5 p.m. Tickets, available at the door, are $10 for members, $15 for non-members.

Attendees will have an opportunity to tour the residence (now owned by Katy and Erik Walum), view historical photographs of the house and property and learn about the remarkable life of Standley.

In addition, they will see a selection of curios and family keepsakes on loan from the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop, including a variety of Indian baskets, a 3-foot totem that greeted shop visitors in the early 1900s, and an antique cradle that has rocked five generations of Standley children.

They also will be able to meet Joe James, his son Andy and other members of the Standley clan, who for 116 years have welcomed curiosity-seekers at their iconic Seattle waterfront store.

Those who would like an invitation-only VIP experience earlier in the day, including presentations by Joe James and King County Archives’ Greg Lange, plus hors d’oeuvres and wine, please call 206-938-5293 or e-mail clay.eals@loghousemuseum.info.

Find out even more at loghousemuseum.info.

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Celebration of life Saturday for Peggy McCormack, 1930-2015

May 27, 2015 9:00 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Obituaries | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

A celebration-of-life memorial service is planned this Saturday (May 30th) for Peggy McCormack, who you might have known as a preschool teacher, or a church organist – just two of the many aspects of her life, detailed by her family in this remembrance:

Margaret Anne (“Peggy”) Kemp McCormack, 84, passed away peacefully at home on April 11, 2015. Peggy was the elder of two girls born to Charles William & Irene Carrick Kemp. Her early years were spent in both Spirit Lake, ID, and in Clarkston, and her adolescence on the west coast in Washington. After college graduation, she married Clarence (“Larry”) McCormack in 1952 and spent a happy life with him in West Seattle, where he taught science at Madison Junior High School and ultimately predeceased her in 2007.

Peggy was a gifted musician. She and her sister were singing on their grandfather’s radio show in Lewiston, Idaho, by the time they were not quite two and three years old. At that age, they had no idea that they were “performing”, but soon they had mastered a number of instruments, and continued to perform throughout their school years whenever and wherever they were asked. Peggy played piano, French horn and clarinet, but usually accompanied her sister, a flautist. Both girls entered and won contests regularly throughout the Pacific Northwest. They came from a very musical family, and Peggy always shrugged and said, ‘That’s just how it was. We didn’t think anything about it.’

However, by the time she went to college, Peggy was studying the organ. She had played her first church service at the age of 8 when her mother, the regular church pianist, was too ill to get to church, and apparently Peggy had a grand time that day. By the time she graduated from college, she was playing concerts or recitals almost every week. As soon as she and Larry settled in Seattle, she began playing for a number of different churches.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch

May 27, 2015 6:52 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:52 AM: Good morning! Quiet so far in/from West Seattle and vicinity.

6:58 AM: From the scanner: ‘Large piece of wood in middle lane’ somewhere on the westbound West Seattle Bridge. Police will be looking for it.

7:06 AM: They found and removed it.

7:55 AM: Texter says an SPD motorcycle officer is busting bus-lane violators this morning. (We appreciate tips, so long as you can text/call safely & legally – while a passenger, or after you get where you’re going – 206-293-6302 is our 24/7 hotline!)

8:03 AM: After we mentioned that on Twitter, Amy replied that she saw a traffic-enforcement officer on West Marginal this morning, too.

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