West Seattle, Washington
03 Tuesday
Once again this year, the city has trees in search of homes – maybe even your neighborhood. From Katie Gibbons:
Could your yard use a beautiful new tree? You’re in luck! Through the City of Seattle’s Trees for Neighborhoods project, Seattle residents can apply for up to 4 free trees for their yard or planting strip. Participants receive free trees, water bags, mulch, and planting and care instruction.
While many of this year’s small ornamentals have sold out, you can still apply for 1 of 5 gorgeous conifers that will add beauty and grace to your yard. If you have the space, consider planting one of three native conifers we’re offering this year: the grand fir, the western hemlock, or the western red cedar. For small, narrow spaces, plant the graceful Serbian spruce. Consider the deciduous bald cypress and enjoy its changing color and soft beautiful foliage. Bald cypresses are excellent urban trees because of their adaptability, even winning the Society of Municipal Arborists’ Tree of the Year award!
To learn more about this year’s species, space requirement, and to apply, go here.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:30 AM: Good morning! No road-work alerts today. One transportation-news note to start with:
TUNNEL MACHINE’S FRONT END TO CONTINUE ITS DESCENT: According to WSDOT‘s online updates, contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners spent most of Monday slowly lifting and rotating the repaired front end of the Highway 99 tunneling machine, then starting the process of lowering it into the access pit. That process will continue this morning.
There’s also an early transit alert:
Transit Alert – Route 116 northbound to Seattle due to leave the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal at 6:40 AM has been canceled.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 25, 2015
6:36 AM: Now, a Water Taxi alert – The county says the 6:15 am departure was missed because the Spirit of Kingston is having “mechanical issues,” so backup boat Melissa Ann is taking over the West Seattle-Downtown route starting with the 6:45 run from Seacrest.
1:39 PM: A brief power outage that closed the Fauntleroy ferry terminal is now over, according to WSF, and operations are returning to normal.
3:37 PM: Water Taxi trouble again – a “fueling delay” has canceled the 3:45 pm trip from Pier 50; King County DOT says service will resume with the 4 pm trip from Seacrest.
Seattle Public Schools and its teachers union, the Seattle Education Association, resume contract talks tomorrow. The union has set a deadline for voting on either a contract or a strike: September 3rd, which is less than a week before the new school year starts on September 9th. The vote date was set at a union membership meeting downtown tonight. A union news release says that after 20+ negotiating sessions:
… The two sides remain far apart on:
Professional pay
Guaranteed student recess
Fair teacher evaluations
Reasonable testing
Student equity around discipline and the opportunity gap
The district’s proposal to make teachers work more for free
The district’s most-recent update was a news release on Friday, addressing some of those points. Excerpts:
Higher Standards
…The district is proposing to add thirty (30) minutes of instructional time to the school day for students, to support higher standards and state mandates. …
Equity and the Achievement Gap
Both the district and SEA care deeply about these issues. I am confident we will find common ground to address equity issues to close the achievement gap. …
Salary
…SEA has proposed a salary increase of 21% over a three year contract period. SPS has countered with a salary increase of 7% over the same three year contract period.
See the full district release here. The teachers’ current contract expires on August 31st.
(WSB photo from Friday night)
Bail is set at $500,000 for the man accused of shooting his brother in their Junction apartment just before midnight Friday night. The 19-year-old suspect appeared in court this afternoon for the first time since his arrest shortly after the shooting at the San Juan Apartments. According to probable-cause documents we obtained from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office after today’s hearing, the victim was found by a neighbor, who called for help and did what he could to try to stop the bleeding. The neighbor told police that the victim had said his brother shot him and that they were the only two people in the apartment when it happened. He also is reported to have told that to officers as well. They say the suspect, arrested when he emerged from the apartment, later confessed to shooting his brother with a .25-caliber pistol. There’s no mention of a motive nor of what preceded the shooting, but police describe the shooting as having happened “at point-blank range.” We asked Harborview Medical Center today about the victim’s condition; the hospital says no information will be released about him, as he and/or his family has requested, citing privacy laws.
(WSB file photo)
This Thursday night, you have a chance to find out all about Youngstown Cultural Arts Center in the historic Frank B. Cooper School building, courtesy of the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce‘s monthly “After-Hours” event, which this month is open to everyone, not just Chamber members. The announcement:
Typically, After Hours is a members-and-their-guests-only event. However, in August, the event is open to non-members interested in learning more about the WSCC. Join us for drinks and appetizers and find out what all the buzz is about at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.
Founded by the Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA) in 2006, the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center is an inclusive, contemporary multi-arts space that incubates and inspires new arts participants, art-makers and organizations from our multicultural, intergenerational communities to engage in civic dialogue and meaningful community transformation.
Youngstown is home to groundbreaking arts education and is a hub of cultural vibrancy in Delridge. Youngstown provides office space for seven outstanding nonprofit organizations (Arts Corps, Nature Consortium, the Service Board, Reel Grrls, Totem Star, Twelfth Night Productions, and the West Seattle Tool Library) as well as a second-chance alternative public high school serving some of Seattle’s highest-need students. DNDA partners with Youngstown tenant organizations and others to drive forward collaborative programming for local youth and adults.
Rentable spaces at Youngstown include the Theater, Movement Studio, Kitchen, Recording Studio, and Classroom spaces, perfect for corporate events, weddings, performances, workshops and meetings. Rentals directly support programming. 36 affordable housing lofts for artists occupy the facility’s top three floors. The building is in the national register of historic spaces and hosts more than 30,000 participants annually.
The event is 5:30-7:30 pm on Thursday (August 27th); Youngstown is at 4408 Delridge Way SW.
Monetti Landscape Design and Construction, LLC, is reopening in West Seattle, and has rejoined the WSB sponsor team. Here’s how they’re sharing the news:
As some of you know, Mitch Monetti, owner of long-time West Seattle Blog sponsor Monetti Landscape Design and Construction, LLC, moved to Vermont two years ago with his family. While they all agree that it was an interesting adventure, Mitch says West Seattle is home and he is thrilled to be back with his family. Two cross-country moves (in two years) is enough for a lifetime, and he is ready to focus on helping West Seattleites transform their yards into outdoor living spaces.
If you dream of a water feature, a planting bed, a fire pit, a deck, a wall, a fence or a patio, we can do it all. With 15 years of experience, you have likely seen some of our projects in your neighborhood. Please don’t hesitate to give us a call at 206-938-5400 to discuss your landscaping needs.
The photo and report are from Tami:
My car was prowled last night in Seaview neighborhood in alley parking space off 46th Ave SW between Juneau and Findlay (5600 block). Nothing taken, but glove and other cubbies opened and rifled through. Reported for statistics to police.
This case isn’t on the map yet, but here are six that were reported in West Seattle over the preceding six days, going back to August 18th:
(There were none shown for the WS areas north or south of what’s on that screengrab from the SPD police-reports map.)
That’s the trailer for “Girl Rising,” an acclaimed documentary you’re invited to watch at either of two screenings planned this week at Fauntleroy UCC Church, with teenage advocate Alina Guyon hosting. The announcement:
“Girl Rising” is a groundbreaking documentary about the power of girls to change the world. The film journeys around the globe to witness the strength of the human spirit and the power of education to eliminate extreme poverty.
It tells nine short but powerful stories of nine ordinary girls from different countries. They overcome nearly impossible odds to pursue their dream of education and a better life.
Why educate girls? Educating girls can break the cycle of poverty in just one generation. In the poorest countries, education has a tremendous impact. It has been shown that for every extra year a girl is educated, she earns an additional 10-20 percent as an adult. An educated girl is less likely to be married as a child; she is healthier and less like to fall prey to human trafficking. She will value education for her children and create a better standard of living for the generations after her.
Around the world, millions of girls face barriers to education that boys do not. Removing these obstacles not only creates a better life for girls, it also creates a safer more prosperous world for all.
Alina Guyon will give a short talk about the film and her work with the United Nations Foundation’s Girl Up. 100% of all profits will benefit adolescent girls through Girl Up.
DATES: August 26th (Wednesday) AND August 28th (Friday) 6:30 – 8:30 pm
WHERE: Fauntleroy UCC Church, 9140 California Ave SW
ADMISSION: $ 2.50
RESERVE TICKETS:
AUG 26th: brownpapertickets.com/event/2143134
AUG 28th: brownpapertickets.com/event/2143778RATING: PG-13 A parent is suggested to attend for girls under this age.
P.S. Movie snacks will be available.
If you’ve been southbound on the Alaskan Way Viaduct recently, you’ve probably seen the Highway 99 tunneling machine’s repaired/reassembled front end sitting by the “access pit,” as WSDOT’s contractor Seattle Tunnel Partners prepared it to be lowered into the pit for reattachment. This morning, WSDOT says STP has started the process, which could last at least 14 hours:
Contractor crews will use the super crane next to the Alaskan Way Viaduct to:
-Lift Bertha’s repaired cutterhead and cutter drive unit from its surface-level platform
-Move the entire piece horizontally over the access pit
-Rotate it into a vertical position
-Slowly lower the cutterhead and drive unit on to a platform inside the access pit
“Lifting more than 2,000 tons is a long, slow process,” notes WSDOT in its announcement. If you want to check in from time to time, here’s the link to the webcams, whose images update frequently. It’s been five months since the machine’s front end was brought out of the pit to be fixed.
That was part of the courtyard-filling crowd at this year’s last West Seattle Outdoor Movies event this past Saturday night, featuring the classic “Rocky Horror Picture Show,” replete with costumes, talkbacks, tossed birdseed (standing in for rice), and more. Here’s our preshow Instagram, featuring the gartered guest host:
Now that the six-show series is a wrap for 2015, movie-team leader Lora Swift from Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor) has shared the scoop on how fundraising efforts went each year. While the movies are free to watch, if you bring a bit of cash, you can help local nonprofits by buying concessions and/or raffle tickets, with different organizations benefiting each week. The tally:
We raised a total of $1,990 through raffle and concession sales for many of our neighborhood non-profits including: WestSide Baby, White Center and West Seattle Food Banks, West Seattle Helpline, Furry Faces Foundation, Log House Museum/ Southwest Seattle Historical Society [concessions], Rainier Roller Girls, and the Northwest Center.
The West Seattle businesses and organizations that signed on as sponsors (see the list on the right sidebar of the official WS Outdoor Movies website) also get a hearty round of thanks. (WSB was proud to be on the sponsor team again this year, too.) So now the projector and the popcorn machine and the rest of the setup goes into storage until next year – watch for the traditional call for suggestions, sponsors, and charities in spring 2016, and thanks again to everyone who spent one or more of their Saturday nights in the courtyard – from the preshow entertainment to the applause as the credits roll, the audience is a big part of the fun.
WSB’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies coverage is archived here, newest to oldest.
(Tern, with catch, photographed by Trileigh Tucker)
The air’s clearer, the week’s brand new, the month’s almost over. Here’s what’s up for your Monday, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE: 1-7 pm, mobile blood drive at Our Lady of Guadalupe, walk-ups welcome. Closed 3-4 pm for break. (35th SW & SW Myrtle)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 6:30 pm – bring your kids of all ages to the High Point Library for Family Story Time. (35th SW & SW Raymond)
TWIN SHADOW, LIVE AT EASY STREET: 7 pm, free in-store concert at Easy Street Records, with Twin Shadow. All ages. (California SW & SW Alaska)
PUB QUIZ AT SHADOWLAND: Show what you know. 8 pm at Shadowland. (California SW & SW Oregon)
SEE WHAT’S UP TOMORROW, NEXT WEEK, NEXT MONTH … by browsing our full calendar.
SIDE NOTE: For those who track local government – no City Council meetings this week or next, full council or committees. They’re on hiatus until Tuesday, September 8th, the day after Labor Day.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Uneventful commute so far, both in West Seattle and on the major outbound routes.
FERRY CHANGES: From Washington State Ferries:
Starting (today), customers are advised to prepare for at least a week of longer-than-usual wait times due to a temporary vessel downsizing on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route. The temporary downsizing is needed to maintain a full, system-wide sailing schedule while the Tokitae and Elwha are out of service for necessary repairs and maintenance. The F/V/S route will be served by the 124-car Issaquah, 87-car Tillikum and 87-car Evergreen State.
4:52 PM: Thanks for the messages about some kind of bus delay downtown. Apparently a bus was stalled at 2nd and Columbia. SDOT says it’s cleared.
(Photo by Jim Clark)
That might have been the last red sunset for now. From the National Weather Service tonight (caps are theirs): “GOOD NEWS. DEVELOPING LOW LEVEL ONSHORE FLOW THIS EVENING HAS BEEN FLUSHING OUT THE SMOKE IN MUCH OF WESTERN WA WITH FRESHER PACIFIC OCEAN AIR. VISIBILITIES AND AIR QUALITY HAVE BEEN IMPROVING THIS EVENING.”
(Photo by Tiff Rivera)
Unfortunately, of course, while the air clears here, the fires rage on – almost 800,000 acres involved in “active” fires on the InciWeb list.
8:29 PM: Emergency response is heading to the 6000 block of Beach Drive for a water rescue call, but even as they’re arriving, they’re being told everything’s OK – two people in the water were picked up by a rowboat.
8:36 PM: Just talked to SFD crews who were about to leave and they verify everyone’s OK, no rescuing needed.
Most West Seattle community groups skip meetings in August, but not the one dealing directly with what many consider the peninsula’s biggest challenge. Next Thursday (August 27th), the West Seattle Transportation Coalition will hear from SDOT and SPD about the city’s new plan for traffic-incident management, detailed in a downtown briefing on August 3rd (WSB coverage here) and a City Council committee briefing August 13th (WSB coverage here). Also on the WSTC agenda, reps from the advocacy group Seattle Subway. The meeting’s at 6:30 pm Thursday at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way SW).
(WSB video of all runners and walkers as they left from the starting line)
Yes, it was a race, but the biggest winners in today’s Alki Beach 5K are the cancer patients helped by the organization that presents and benefits from the annual run/walk, Northwest Hope and Healing, whose unique work supporting breast-cancer patients is explained here. This year, 1,040 people were signed up by race time, according to NWHH executive director Shari Sewell.
At right, above, with Shari is Kristi Stone, who was today’s official race-starter. She’s undergoing breast-cancer treatment after being diagnosed late last year. Shari told us that in addition to all the usual fundraising from race participants, one person walked up with a check for $5,000!
(Updated) Full results are here. Below, the top runners, each shown in the photo under her/his name.
TOP THREE FEMALE FINISHERS
1. Kelly Lakeman, 30, 19:25:
2. Margaret Lang, 45, 21:18:
3. Emily Ehlers, 30, 21:20:
TOP THREE MALE FINISHERS
1. Kelly Spady, 28, 16:23:
(Our archives show Spady was also first finisher at the Alki Beach 5K in 2012.)
2. Travis Gradjian, 17, 16:47:
3. Michael Drogalis, 24, 17:02:
Other Alki Beach 5K sights – first, Team Saxby:
As always, it was an all-ages event:
This might just have been the tiniest participant:
Along with runners, walkers, pledgers, donors, and volunteers, major contributors to the Alki Beach 5K’s success include its sponsors – including West Seattle Runner (also a WSB sponsor), whose Lori McConnell and Tim McConnell were there as always:
See the full sponsor team here (it features two other WSB sponsors, Fauntleroy Chiropractic and Salty’s on Alki). This is one of three major fundraisers Northwest Hope and Healing holds annually, along with the “Style” fashion show in the spring, and Women Winemakers of the Pacific Northwest in the fall, coming up November 18th in Georgetown – go here to find out more. You can also donate to the organization any time by going here.
Big day for running! Just in from California – that photo and an update on young half-marathoner Miles Trius:
Miles Trius of West Seattle runs with dad again – at Santa Rosa (CA) 1/2 marathon this morning. He ran at 2:10:37. Running with his dad, Navy Chief Ernesto Trius, has become bonding time for father and son. Miles will start 5th grade at Our Lady of Guadalupe School.
Last December, as shown here, they ran the Seattle Marathon half.
Thanks to West Seattle Bee Garden founder Lauren Englund for sharing photos from one of this weekend’s big events – the first Puget Sound Beekeepers Association Kids’ Day at the WSBG.
Lauren reports, “It was jam-packed with learning and fun – kids were engaged in all of the activities (bee anatomy game, flower/pollination worksheets, pollination simulation, waggle dance, scavenger hunt, and especially the bee demonstration).”
She adds, “Good times and great people – I was very impressed by everyone’s eagerness to learn. Many thanks to the Puget Sound Beekeepers Association!” You can visit the Bee Garden any time on the north side of High Point Commons Park at 31st and Graham.
Good morning! A quick look at today’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ALKI BEACH 5K: Run or walk to help Northwest Hope and Healing help breast-cancer patients. If you’re not already registered, you can do it before the 9 am 5K – show up at the registration booth by the Alki Bathhouse, which is close to the start/finish line. If you’re not participating – remember that Alki/Harbor Avenues will be closed for a few hours. (61st SW & Alki)
BAKE SALE TO HELP ANIMALS: As previewed here last night, sixth-graders Muriel and Gwen are having their third annual bake sale to help the Seattle Humane Society – you can also drop off pet food/item donations, or cash/check. 10 am-3 pm. (36th SW & Dakota)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, shop for fresh local food and drink in the street! (California SW between Oregon and Alaska)
ARTS IN NATURE FESTIVAL: Day 2 of the Nature Consortium‘s festival filling the grounds of Camp Long with art, music, poetry, playfulness, and more, 11 am-6 pm. Here’s our coverage from Day 1. Today’s schedule is here. (5200 35th SW)
FINAL DAY FOR DELRIDGE WADING POOL: Noon-6:30 pm, last day of the season for the wading pool in the park north of Delridge Community Center. (Delridge & Genesee)
CITYDOG MAGAZINE’S COVER DOG SEARCH: As previewed here earlier this week, today’s the day to bring your dog to West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), noon-2 pm, and have her/him photographed for CityDog’s Cover Dog search. $10 donation, benefiting Doney Memorial Pet Clinic. (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan)
ESHTA’S EMERALD CITY ESCAPADE: Belly-dancing to watch, and costumes/practice wear available for purchase, 7 pm, all agesm at The Skylark. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
(WSB photo by Tracy Record)
2:56 AM: If you’re hearing the sirens in southeast West Seattle – Seattle Fire and Police are headed to a crash involving an overturned vehicle on the Highland Park Way hill. No word yet on injuries.
3:06 AM: The SFD response has been canceled, generally an indication of no serious injuries.
3:55 AM: The crash was midway on the hill, south/west-bound side. Trying to determine that, we were stopped for a short time as the tow truck brought the vehicle upright and temporarily blocked all lanes (that’s over now). We weren’t able to talk with police to get information but will follow up when we can.
(UPDATED 11:16 AM with new information from police)
(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)
12:05 AM: Police and fire are rushing to the 4800 block of California SW for a report of a man with a gunshot wound in an apartment building. More to come.
12:14 AM UPDATE: From the scanner, the victim is a man around 35 years old, with a gunshot wound to the upper torso. An SFD medic unit is taking him to Harborview Medical Center. No suspect in custody yet.
12:24 AM UPDATE: Our crew now at the scene reports police have someone in handcuffs – that doesn’t always mean an arrest, though, so we’ll be working to verify at the scene. Scanner traffic indicates police believe it’s the person they were looking for.
12:32 AM UPDATE: Police say they’re not looking for any other suspects; they also confirm the suspect and victim are believed to be known to each other. This is the second shooting in West Seattle in five nights, after the Tuesday night incident that began with a robbery in Admiral and ended with the victim shot in the leg while in a car in North Delridge.
ADDED 11:16 AM: New information from police – they say this is a case of domestic violence, as the 19-year-old man in custody is the shooting victim’s brother. They also say they recovered a loaded handgun and shell casing when searching the apartment. No information about the victim’s condition, though.
Thanks to Ann Anderson for the view (from Seattle & Sunset in North Admiral) of tonight’s smoky sunset. People are still finding it hard to believe, but it’s true – what you see and smell is all smoke from the wildfires raging around the state, mostly to the east. We featured moonset and sunrise views this morning along with Cliff Mass‘s explanation and the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency‘s forecast for the wind to “reverse” tomorrow”; the National Weather Service says tonight that changing flows might not clear it out until late Sunday. More photos to add later!
Goodies for a good cause, tomorrow – the photo and preview are from Carey:
Gwen and Muriel, Madison 6th graders, are putting their love for animals to work again through their third annual Humane Society bake sale! Delicious cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and more! They’ll be back at the corner of 36th and Dakota this Sunday, August 23rd, from 10 am-3 pm. The girls are also sponsoring a barrel from the Humane Society to collect cat or dog food (wet or dry), animal toys, or new scratching posts. Cash and check donations are very welcome; all proceeds go to Seattle Humane Society.
Here’s a map.
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