month : 08/2015 304 results

Volleyball player in the house? Visiting pros’ free clinic for youth

(Texted photo: NVL truck at Alki Beach)

The professional beach-volleyball players coming to Alki for the National Volleyball League‘s Seattle Championships the next three days have a gift for local youth – a free clinic Sunday afternoon. It’s open to young players 6-18 years old; just register here, and then check in at the tournament-info tent at 12:45 pm Sunday for the 1-2:30 pm clinic.

As for the tournament – it’s the 7th of 8 stops on the pro tour this year, and the Alki schedule is here.

West Seattle Thursday: Summer Concerts at Hiawatha finale with Caspar Babypants; WS Transportation Coalition; WS Chamber @ Youngstown; more

August 27, 2015 11:13 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Thursday: Summer Concerts at Hiawatha finale with Caspar Babypants; WS Transportation Coalition; WS Chamber @ Youngstown; more
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Lynn Hall)

Looking ahead to the rest of today/tonight around West Seattle:

DELRIDGE GROCERY FARM STAND: 4-7 pm, this week’s chance to support the Delridge Grocery Cooperative (WSB sponsor) and get farm-fresh produce. Ask about membership when you’re there, to help DGC get closer to opening its storefront. (5455 Delridge Way SW)

‘AFTER HOURS’ AT YOUNGSTOWN CULTURAL ARTS CENTER: 5:30-7:30 pm, join the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce for this month’s “After Hours” event at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – this time, as previewed here earlier this week, open to non-members, too. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA FINALE: Family fave Caspar Babypants is on stage for the final Summer Concerts at Hiawatha event tonight, 6:30 pm on the east lawn at Hiawatha Community Center. Bring your own chair/blanket/picnic/etc. Show’s free, courtesy of the Admiral Neighborhood Association and series sponsors, including us. (Walnut SW & SW Lander)

WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, WSTC brings in SPD and SDOT reps to talk about the city’s new emphasis on Traffic Incident Management, as previewed here. Plus, hear from the transit-advocacy group Seattle Subway. All welcome. (6400 Sylvan Way)

WASHINGTON STATE ANIMAL RESPONSE TEAM BENEFIT: Starting at 7 pm at Beveridge Place Pub – great brews for a great cause, Engine House #9 Brewer’s Night to benefit an organization whose work includes helping companion animals displaced because of the Eastern Washington fires. Details here. (6413 California SW)

BIG SLATE AT THE SKYLARK: Six bands on the schedule for International Pop Overthrow Day at The Skylark, starting at 7:30 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

BROWSE THE CALENDAR to see what else is up today/tonight/beyond!

West Seattle Crime Watch: North Admiral search; Seaview car prowl

In West Seattle Crime Watch this morning:

NORTH ADMIRAL SEARCH: Thanks for the tips about a police search in North Admiral early this morning. We’ve just obtained some preliminary information from Officer Lauren Lovanhill in SPD’s media unit; it started in the 1600 block of California SW (map), when a resident reported a group of youths pointed a gun at him. She says he believed it was a carjacking attempt, but he managed to get away. One possible suspect was found and taken to the precinct for questioning, according to Officer Lovanhill, but the search ended without officers finding anyone else.

Side note: This is just two blocks south of Hamilton Viewpoint Park, which has been a trouble spot lately – in a comment on our report about charges in last week’s robbery/shooting case, David Whiting of the Admiral Neighborhood Association says SPD and Seattle Parks will be at ANA’s next meeting to hear and talk about it, 7 pm September 8th at The Sanctuary at Admiral (42nd/Lander).

SEAVIEW CAR PROWL: Tiffany says this happened Tuesday night:

My car was broken into last night in the Seaview neighborhood sometime after midnight, on the 5600 block of 45th Ave SW. They broke the back window and took a file tote that was in the back seat. Nothing else was taken as far as I know. I would love to get the bag back, or at least know that it was dumped someplace, as the files contained sensitive information. It looks like a purse, is beige linen on the outside, and has my business card and contact info in the front pocket. Thanks!

TONIGHT: How community can be key, in case of catastrophe

August 27, 2015 9:02 am
|    Comments Off on TONIGHT: How community can be key, in case of catastrophe
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | Preparedness | West Seattle news

Know where your nearest Emergency Communication Hub is? Know WHAT your Emergency Communication Hub is? West Seattle has long been a citywide leader in this aspect of preparedness, via West Seattle Be Prepared. And they’re sharing news of a presentation downtown tonight that might interest you. Usually we can only promote on-peninsula events, but preparedness has been a signature issue for us for a long time, and at the heart of this presentation is the reminder that community can be key in case of catastrophe:

Join the Seattle Emergency Communications Hubs and Seattle Fire Dept. Battalion Chief Tom Richardson, one of the Urban Search and Rescue Team Leaders (USAR) at the SR 530 slide, who will share his experience during the response and recovery stages and his thoughts on how communities are key in disasters.

Program
6:30 pm – (Optional) Overview of the Seattle Emergency Hubs
7:00 pm – Program start
8:00 pm – Q & A and discussion

Location: City of Seattle Emergency Operations Center, 105 5th Ave S. (Corner of 5th Ave S and S Washington St)

Please RSVP at snap@seattle.gov, or 206-233-5076

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday updates; road-closure reminder

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
So far, no incidents in or from West Seattle.

ROAD-CLOSURE REMINDER: As reported here on Wednesday, SW Myrtle is closed from 17th SW to 21st SW for repaving, as the official start of work on the Delridge-Highland Park Greenway. The closure is expected to last through tomorrow.

SUNDAY FERRY ALERT: An annual motorcycle rally on Vashon this Sunday (August 30th) brings an alert from Washington State Ferries:

Drivers should anticipate heavier than normal motorcycle traffic on Vashon Island this Sunday, Aug. 30 from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. To expedite processing through the tollbooth, riders are encouraged to pre-purchase their ferry tickets online or at a kiosk at any terminal. Due to construction at the Vashon terminal, extra caution is advised when driving through the construction zone.

8:20 AM: Texter reports a stall on NB 99 – trying to find out more.

Services Thursday morning for Gary L. Emmick, 1948-2015

August 26, 2015 9:30 pm
|    Comments Off on Services Thursday morning for Gary L. Emmick, 1948-2015
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Services are planned tomorrow morning at Tahoma National Cemetery for U.S. Army veteran Gary L. Emmick. His family shares this remembrance:

Gary L. Emmick was born on September 11th, 1948 at St. Luke’s Hospital (later became Group Health) in Seattle. He passed away on Thursday, August 20th, 2015, at Highline Hospital in Burien after a lengthy illness.

Gary was a lifetime resident of the Burien/White Center area. He was a Sergeant in the Army who served in Germany from 1967 until 1971.

Son to Phyllis & Franklin Emmick, older brother to Craig Emmick, sister-in-law Gayle. Sons – Brian, Terry, Robert & Floyd. Nephews – Matthew & Michael. Grandson of the Late Floyd & Edith Roush. Nephew to Wayne Roush and Jim Roush. Predeceased by his father Frank in 2010.

Funeral services for Gary will be at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent on Thursday, August 27, 2015, at 11:30 am. Remembrances may be made to the Disabled Veterans of America or a charity of your preference.

Funeral arrangements entrusted to Emmick Family Funeral Home of West Seattle. Please share your memories of Gary on our online guestbook @ www.emmickfunerals.com.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

FOLLOWUP: Suspect arrested, charged in Hamilton Viewpoint Park robbery / North Delridge shooting

(August 18th WSB photo: Detectives examine robbery/shooting victim’s car)

After Seattle Police announced today that they’ve arrested a suspect in last week’s robbery/shooting incident that began in North Admiral and ended in North Delridge, we learned the suspect not only is in jail, he’s already charged – in this case and in an earlier robbery on Capitol Hill. 23-year-old Mau Joseph Satele-Tafia of North Burien is charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of second-degree assault. In both robberies, court documents say, he was after Gucci belts worn by the victims.

First – outside the Rancho Bravo restaurant on Capitol Hill on August 15th, Satele-Tafia is accused of holding up a man and stealing his Gucci belt; three nights later, in West Seattle’s Hamilton Viewpoint Park on August 18th, police say he held up another man for his backpack and then demanded the victim’s Gucci belt. The victim told police he refused to hand over the belt, walked away, and was fired at. Then, he said, he left the park and tried to make his way to the bridge but that the robber pursued him and as the victim tried to lose his pursuer along back roads, they all eventually winding up in North Delridge. That’s where Satele-Tafia allegedly fired shots at the victim’s car, one hitting him in the leg. Shell casings were found at 25th and Puget; from there, the victim drove a few more blocks south to Delridge and Findlay, where they stopped to call 911. The next day, police heard from someone who had surveillance video of the shooting. And they heard from a witness who said they had found the shooter on Twitter, under an alias similar to one he used on Facebook that was a factor in identification in the Capitol Hill case.

Police say they are investigating Satele-Tafia in other robberies; in the meantime, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says his bail was set at $750,000 and he remains in jail pending arraignment on September 3rd. His history, according to court documents, includes robbery and car-theft-related charges.

TRAFFIC ALERT: Crash on westbound West Seattle Bridge

6:21 PM: Thanks to the texter who tipped us to this: SFD and SPD are responding to a crash reported on the westbound bridge near the Highway 99 overpass.

6:27 PM: Two left lanes are blocked. Here’s the view from SDOT via Twitter:

Looks like this will be a problem if you’re getting on the westbound bridge from I-5 but not if you’re getting on it from 99.

8:05 PM: All clear as of about half an hour ago (sorry for the delayed update).

ROAD-CLOSURE ALERT: SW Myrtle closed for repaving as part of Delridge-Highland Park Greenway construction

Thanks to Lesley for the tip about SW Myrtle being closed from 17th SW to 21st SW, near Sanislo Elementary. We’ve subsequently confirmed that the crumbling road is being repaved as work gets under way on the Delridge-Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway project. First, here’s the flyer about the Myrtle repaving, which is expected to continue through Friday:

That means it will be done in plenty of time for the start of school, which is two weeks from today. Meantime, here’s the flyer that has the “big picture” view of the project, which will be under construction for the next four months or so:

If you want to just cut to the heart of what this is about, here’s the explanation on the official webpage:

The greenway will run north-south, connecting White Center to the West Seattle Bridge trail. The greenway route will run generally along 17th Avenue SW in the south and 21st Avenue SW in the north. … Some of the changes will include:

*Crossing improvements at arterial intersections including striped crosswalks, curb extensions and flashing beacons
*Repaving SW Myrtle Street between 17th and 21st Avenue SW
*Speed humps and all-way stops where need, generally about one per block
*Way-finding signage and pavement markings throughout
*Spot pavement repairs to improve roadway user safety
*The greenway route was selected based on various factors, including evaluating streets for low car volumes, speeds and collisions, road grade (or steepness), and input we heard from the community.

SDOT is working with Seattle Public Utilities to design curb extensions with natural drainage systems along 17th Avenue SW, between SW Henderson Street and SW Kenyon Street.

Next phase of the project, after the SW Myrtle repaving, will be sidewalk and crossing improvements on SW Andover between 21st and 22nd; that’s scheduled to start September 1st.

FOLLOWUP: Specially trained K9 helps police find guns in Puget Ridge case; suspect remains in juvenile detention

3:31 PM: New information today on the arrest we reported Tuesday in connection with two Puget Ridge domestic-violence assaults, including the one that brought the Guardian One helicopter to the area on Friday. Just published online by SPD’s Jonah Spangenthal-Lee:

A specially trained ATF K9 helped officers track down three pistols hidden by a 17-year-old suspect after he attacked his girlfriend Tuesday afternoon in West Seattle.

The victim, who is also a juvenile, called police around 1:50 PM and said her boyfriend had just choked her into unconsciousness at her home and fled. She also told a 911 dispatcher the suspect had left the house carrying three handguns. Earlier in the week, he had threatened to shoot the victim and, on Tuesday, had reportedly pointed a gun at her as he fled through a wooded area near her home.

Medics treated the victim at her home as police began searching for the suspect. Officers found the 17-year-old near 18th SW and SW Juneau St and took him into custody. Police discovered he was no longer carrying the handguns, and began searching the neighborhood to try to find where he’d stashed them.

Officers were able to call in the assistance of an ATF K9, Allegra, trained to search for guns and shell casings. The dog tracked down the suspect’s three guns in a wooded area. One of the guns had been reported stolen.

Police booked the suspect into the Youth Service Center for investigation of felony domestic violence.

Previously, we had reported the recovery of one gun. Meantime, we’ve been following up on the suspect’s status via the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office; he was due in court this afternoon for a detention review and probable-cause hearing. We’ll update this story when we get the results of that hearing.

4:09 PM: We’ve just received that information. The KCPAO says a judge found probable cause in the case and ordered that the suspect remain in detention; prosecutors have until Friday to file charges. The probable-cause document says the suspect had returned to his 17-year-old girlfriend’s house yesterday to get his belongings when they started to argue; she told police later that she was trying to call 911 when he slapped the phone out of her hand and choked her until she lost consciousness.

Toddler taken to hospital after falling from 3rd-floor window

(Texted reader photo of emergency crews at today’s incident)

For the second time in less than a week, a child has been hurt in a fall from a third-floor window in West Seattle. A 22-month-old boy has just been rushed to Harborview Medical Center after an incident near 44th SW and SW Genesee. He was described as conscious, alert, and not believed to have life-threatening injuries. Six days ago, two boys ages 1 and 2 fell from a third-floor window near 34th and Holly. They were in the ICU at Harborview at last report (we are checking for an update on their conditions); a neighbor shared information in this WSB comment about a donation drive for the family.

SAFETY INFORMATION: The group Safe Kids Worldwide says, “Unintentional falls are the number-one cause of non-fatal injury for children,” and offers safety advice here.

Using less water? City says voluntary goal’s being met, so far

Two weeks after asking people to cut water use by 10 percent, Seattle Public Utilities and its counterparts in Tacoma and Everett say the goal has been reached – and they hope that will continue TFN. They’ll be providing regional updates every two weeks. Their major advice remains:

* Let lawns go dormant and limit plant watering to twice a week.
* Water plants before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m.
* Reduce showering time.
* Check for and fix leaks.
* Wash only full loads of laundry and dishes.

This is all still voluntary, in hopes of avoiding mandatory reductions.

Second Gear Sports: Welcoming a new West Seattle Blog sponsor

Today we’re welcoming Second Gear Sports as a new WSB sponsor! Here’s what they would like you to know about their business:

Second Gear Sports is dedicated to providing the community with high-quality, discounted sports and recreational gear, and offering customers an outlet to reduce, reuse, and recycle their gently used sporting goods.

“We offer everything from apparel and outerwear to footwear, bikes, water sports to winter sports, and more,” owner Mark Bremen says. “Our selection changes as the seasons change, and we add items based on customer requests. In fact, our inventory has expanded to include new items, such as soccer gear from Franklin sports, Diamondback bicycles, the popular FiveLo ArmSox, Strideline socks, and Seahawks fan-wear!”

Mark opened Second Gear Sports in September 2013 after enduring two mass layoffs in five years from the medical-device industry. “The actual idea of opening a sports consignment store came to us from a dear friend whose son kept outgrowing his soccer cleats and they wanted to save without buying new,” Mark said.

Mark and his wife Ellen and their two children believe that a small business is the soul of a neighborhood, and are proud that their store is located in Morgan Junction, just minutes from their family’s home. The Bremens believe in serving the community and local schools; Second Gear Sports regularly donates to school auctions and area organizations.

This young business has received impressive attention, including:

*2014 Westside Emerging Business of the Year – West Seattle Chamber of Commerce
*2015 Top 10 Best Sporting Goods Store – KING 5 Best of Western Washington
*2015 Finalist for a Golden Teddy Award for Shopping & Services – Parent Map Magazine
*2015 Finalist for Drive Your Business Forward Contest – Fast Company Magazine & Mercedes-Benz

“Opening Second Gear Sports is a passion for our whole family,” Mark says. “We love working with this community!”

Second Gear Sports is located in Morgan Junction across from Thriftway at 6529 California Ave SW. Hours are Monday – Saturday 10 am -6 pm and Sunday 11 am – 5 pm. You can find them on Facebook, or e-mail info@secondgearsports.com, or call 206-935-3552.

We thank Second Gear Sports for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Restaurateurs’ truck stolen; car prowl; purse found…

We start this West Seattle Crime Watch roundup with a business-vehicle theft from just south of WS:

BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR CRAWFISH HOUSE PROPRIETORS’ TRUCK: We’ve reported this on partner site White Center Now but since the restaurant is just blocks south of West Seattle, the truck could turn up here too. The proprietors of Crawfish House at 9826 16th SW reported via Facebook that their truck was stolen from the alley behind their restaurant late last night:

It’s a 2005 TOYOTA TUNDRA ACCESS CAB SR5. The license plate is B90959S. It’s a dark blue but a little lighter than navy blue truck. It’s our only transportation for the restaurant.

If you see it, call 911.

ANOTHER ADMIRAL CAR PROWL: From Callie:

My can was broken into around 3 am this morning. I was woken up to a noise and then the sound of a car speeding off. As far as I can tell, all that was taken was my gym bag. … My car was parked on 39th between Forest and Lander.

We’re checking with Callie for a description of the bag; (added) here it is- “It was a light blue/grey lulu lemon gym bag with a rose gold zipper. It had a pair of shoes, a white blouse, and navy women’s work pants in it. It looks very similar to this bag, but a different color they no longer carry.” (back to original report) If you see one discarded somewhere, do report it – as did the next reader:

RECOGNIZE THIS? From Pam:

Saw this purse this morning on Lander behind Admiral Mail building in alley. Someone may be looking for it.

We always recommend that if you find something like this (or an abandoned bicycle, etc.), contact police as well as us – it might be evidence of a crime; if SPD picks it up, people can still get it back by contacting them (or they might contact you if it was reported as stolen in the first place and is traceable).

West Seattle Wednesday: 7 ideas for your next 11 hours

Thanks to Flint Hayes for sharing the time-lapse video of this morning’s sunrise, looking toward the downtown skyline from West Seattle’s northeastern shore. On with the highlights for the rest of today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

DREAM DINNERS FREEZER SALE: 10 am-12 pm, second and final chance to stop by Dream Dinners-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) to buy pre-assembled, ready-to-freeze-or-cook dinners, sides, breads, desserts, “at budget-friendly prices.” (4701 41st SW)

BABY STORY TIME: Today’s spotlighted story time is a chance to bring your birth-to-12-months infant(s) to the High Point Library for stories and songs. (35th SW & SW Raymond)

MEET YOUR FELLOW SOLOPRENEURS, AT-HOME WORKERS, AND … Noon-1:15 pm, it’s the weekly drop-in brown-bag-lunch meetup at Office Junction (WSB sponsor) for solopreneurs, other entrepreneurs, at-home or at-coffee-shop workers, EVERYONE interested in networking and meeting others on similar tracks. RSVP if you can, but just showing up is OK too! (6030 California SW)

HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: 4-7 pm, see what’s fresh produce at the weekly farm stand next to the urban mini-farm where most of it’s grown – more info in our calendar listing. (32nd SW & SW Juneau)

‘GIRL RISING’: 6:30 pm, be inspired and informed by watching this film in a special screening at Fauntleroy UCC Church, hosted by local Girl Up teen adviser Alina Guyoninfo in our preview. (9140 California SW)

FREE ‘YOGA FUSION’ CLASS: One time only! 7 pm, a free Ahnu YogaSport class at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) – explained here. (2743 California SW)

POEMS AND STORIES, AND YOU: Poetrybridge‘s monthly event at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm, features poet Michael Paul, and of course the open-microphone opportunity for you to share your creations. (5612 California SW)

MORE OF WHAT’S UP TODAY/TONIGHT – find it here.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday updates & alerts

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:06 AM: Good morning. No incidents on routes in our area so far.

TRANSIT ALERT: Second cancellation this morning for this route:

The 5:40 am run also was canceled.

7:54 AM: Still no incidents, but one more note – day home game for the Mariners today, so the stadium zone will be busy at midday and mid-afternoon. The M’s play the Oakland A’s at 12:40 pm.

8:29 AM: “Happy Wed” says in comments that there’s a stalled vehicle in the right lane on the bridge just east of 35th. The 35th/Fauntleroy SDOT camera is down; nearest one is this one by Walking on Logs, not showing the stall.

6:24 PM: Covering separately – a crash reported on the westbound bridge at the Highway 99 overpass. Thanks for the tip!

FOLLOWUP: Generous West Seattleites help kindhearted local students assist animal advocates

For the third year in a row, generous West Seattleites helped those two local students do a good deed for animals via their annual Seattle Humane-benefiting bake sale and donation drive. We photographed Muriel and Gwen on Sunday; David and Carey sent the followup tonight:

The girls raised over $300 and got nearly a full barrel of dog and cat food! West Seattle is awesome :)

THURSDAY: Caspar Babypants closes out this year’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha

August 25, 2015 7:43 pm
|    Comments Off on THURSDAY: Caspar Babypants closes out this year’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(WSB photo, July 2014)

Usually, you can wander onto Hiawatha Community Center‘s east lawn relatively close to showtime and still get a spot for a Summer Concerts at Hiawatha show. This Thursday, though, if you’re planning to go see and hear Caspar Babypants, you’ll want to get there a little earlier than you would otherwise – the kiddie-rock star’s concerts are usually the most popular ones of the series. On July 31st last year (WSB coverage here), the series-presenting Admiral Neighborhood Association estimated well over a thousand attendees. (Of course, when the heart of the fan base can count their ages on one hand, that means 1,000+ people take up less room than other circumstances.) If you’re new around here and not familiar with Caspar Babypants – it’s the alter-ego of West Seattle-residing rocker Chris Ballew, who originally came to fame for his work with The Presidents of the United States of America. His show at 6:30 pm Thursday closes out this year’s series (with co-sponsors including WSB); no admission charge, so just bring a chair or blanket, picnic dinner if you want, and have a great time Thursday night!

West Seattle Crime Watch: Puget Ridge arrest; Admiral car prowl

Two West Seattle Crime Watch cases to report:

PUGET RIDGE ARREST: Thanks to the texter who sent the photo of police in the 18th/Juneau vicinity this afternoon. That’s where they arrested a suspect in what was described as a felony domestic-violence assault; it appears to be the same suspect sought in a similar case last Friday (WSB coverage here). We will be following up with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office tomorrow. After arresting the suspect, police were searching for a gun he might have cast aside; they subsequently reported finding a gun along a staircase in the area. The victim was checked out by SFD medics.

NORTH ADMIRAL CAR PROWL: This is a reader report from James:

This happened on the corner of Atlantic Street and California in the North Admiral District at the Park Hamilton apartments. Between the hours of 12:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. on August 25th. my car had both passenger side windows blown out and a laptop and iPod was stolen. Neither were clearly visible and the car was parked in a parking space and not on the street. Estimated damage including theft was around $2,200.

Unfortunately, parking lots and garages are no more immune to car prowlers than the street – while we haven’t received a reader report, and it’s not on the official log yet, we also heard a dispatch very early this morning for a car break-in inside a parking garage at one of the Junction’s newer buildings.

FOLLOWUP: Operation complete – Highway 99 tunnel machine’s front end fully lowered into pit

(The webcam view 24 hours ago, when part of the repaired front end was still visible above the pit’s rim)

Just in from WSDOT:

Seattle Tunnel Partners and crane crews from Mammoet have successfully lowered the 2,000-ton front end of the SR 99 tunneling machine to a platform at the bottom of the access pit.

Crews will now use the crane to fine-tune the position of the piece. When that process is complete, they will begin reconnecting the piece to the portion of the machine that remains in the ground.

The effort to return the tunneling machine’s front end to the 120-foot-deep access pit began early Monday morning. Crews started by vertically lifting the piece, which includes the machine’s cutterhead, motors and the new main bearing assembly. The crane then moved horizontally on its rails to the north. When the piece was above the pit, crews rotated it to a semi-vertical position and lowered it partway into the pit before breaking for the evening. Work resumed early Tuesday morning, with the piece reaching the bottom of the pit Tuesday afternoon.

Three pieces of the machine’s shield that remain at the surface will be lowered and reinstalled in the coming days, according to STP’s latest schedule. After the machine has been reassembled, STP and manufacturer Hitachi Zosen will conduct a series of tests will follow reassembly to ensure the machine is ready to resume mining.

STP has said it hopes to do that in November, by which time it will be almost two years since the machine overheated and was stopped – longer than the tunnel-boring itself is supposed to take.

FERRY ALERT UPDATE: Fauntleroy terminal outage over, service back to normal

August 25, 2015 1:45 pm
|    Comments Off on FERRY ALERT UPDATE: Fauntleroy terminal outage over, service back to normal
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

1:45 PM: A relatively brief power outage that closed Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy terminal is over, according to WSF, but it’ll take a while for service to get back to the normal three-boat schedule – one run had to be routed to downtown because of “an emergency medical transport.” That run was with the route’s biggest vessel, M/V Issaquah, so WSF says that until Issaquah’s back, “the Evergreen State and the Tillikum will provide non-schedule service.” (The “live” online VesselWatch map shows Issaquah now at Vashon, so that might not take too long.)

2:53 PM: WSF says that 3-boat service has been restored, as of the “2:15 pm departure from Fauntleroy, 2:20 pm from Vashon, and a late 2:45 pm departure from Southworth.”

Timetable for arterial streetlight switchover to LEDs: Still a few years away for most of West Seattle


After switching residential streetlights to LEDs – which cast light in a dramatically different way from their predecessors – Seattle City Light is working on arterials, as first announced two years ago. But West Seattle arterials aren’t scheduled for the change any sooner than 2017, according to the utility’s recent update. SCL says the new lights use up to two-thirds less energy and last up to four times longer, among other attributes. Our area’s busiest city road got them almost two years ago.

What’s up for the rest of your West Seattle Tuesday

(West Seattle photographer/pilot Long B. Nguyen shares that view of the smoky Cascades, from 10,000 feet)

BABY STORY TIME: 10:30 am, bring your newborn-to-1-year-old(s) to Baby Story Time at Southwest Library. (35th SW & SW Henderson)

BIKEMOBILE: 1:30-4 pm, you’ll find it right behind Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, offering sliding-scale repairs, as explained here. (6400 Sylvan Way)

DREAM DINNERS FREEZER SALE: 4:30-7 pm, stop by Dream Dinners-West Seattle (WSB sponsor) to buy pre-assembled, ready-to-freeze-or-cook dinners, sides, breads, desserts, “at budget-friendly prices,” first-come, first-served. If you miss tonight, the sale continues 10 am-12:30 pm tomorrow, but better not to wait, in case there’s an early sell-out. (4701 41st SW)

50-STATE KARATE JOURNEY: West Seattle Karate Academy hosts Gretchen Carlson, who is on a journey to visit karate schools in all 50 states. She’ll be teaching tonight and tomorrow at 5 pm. In honor of her visit, students are filling backpacks for kids served by the West Seattle Food Bank. (35th SW & SW Roxbury)

FREE TRACK WORKOUT: Meet at 6:15 pm at WSB sponsor West Seattle Runner. (2749 California SW)

PARKS SUPERINTENDENT AT DELRIDGE CC: Have you been to any of the stops on new Seattle Parks Superintendent Jesús Aguirre‘s “listening tour” yet? Tonight at 6:30 pm, Delridge Community Center is his fourth West Seattle stop (here’s our coverage of his Alki CC event last week), and last one until late October. If there’s something to fix, something to add, or something to praise at your local Parks facilities, this is the time to take it directly to the new boss. (4501 Delridge Way SW)

OLD-FASHIONED VAUDEVILLE REVUE: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, mentalist Scotty Walsh headlines a vaudeville revue that also will feature Bob White accompanying a silent comedy on the hall’s Mighty Wurlitzer. Ticket details here. (7904 35th SW)

MORE! Find it all on our calendar.