Just published on SPD Blotter:

Detectives are asking for your help finding a man who attacked a girl late Wednesday night.

A 15-year-old female was walking along 14 Ave. SW approaching SW Cambridge St. at 11:15 p.m. Wednesday when a Hispanic male in his mid 40s grabbed her from behind, tried to cover her mouth, and began pulling her toward a parked SUV.

The girl screamed, alerting two witnesses who stopped to help. The suspect fled to his waiting blue SUV, possibly a newer Jeep, with a plate beginning in “A,” and sped off, leaving the girl behind.

Detectives are now requesting your assistance in finding the suspect. Witnesses said the suspect is heavyset, five foot eleven, and was wearing blue jeans and a blue shirt. If you have any information in this case, please call (206)625-5011 and speak with officers.

You can help! Seal Sitters volunteer-training session ahead – as is the peak of pupping season

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| How to help | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
If you’ve thought about volunteering with Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network – here’s your chance – a training session two weeks from today:

SEAL SITTERS NEW VOLUNTEER TRAINING AUGUST 2015 SESSION
When: Saturday, August 15, 2015
Time: 10 am – 12:30 pm
Training starts promptly at 10 am (please arrive early: doors open for registration and paperwork at 9:30)

Help protect wildlife! Volunteer with Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network. On Saturday morning, August 15th, we will be holding a special training for those wanting to protect marine mammals along the shoreline of West Seattle and the Duwamish River. Unlike most marine mammal stranding networks, we encourage children to participate in Seal Sitters – supervised at all times, of course, by a parent or guardian. We are so proud of our amazing and dedicated volunteers who are on duty rain or shine – we hope you will join us!

A multi-media presentation will illustrate Seal Sitters MMSN’s educational work in the community and the unique challenges of protecting seals and other marine mammals in an urban environment. Included in the training is an overview of NOAA’s Western Region Marine Mammal Stranding Network and biology and behavior of seals and other common pinnipeds.

FOR MORE DETAILS ABOUT LOCATION AND TO RSVP, visit Seal Sitters’ event page.
*RSVP is required to assure seating.

Seal Sitters MMSN averages 200 responses each year to reports of marine mammals (large or small species, dead or alive) on the beach. 90% of those responses are to vulnerable harbor seal pups during our busiest time of year – late summer and fall. Pupping season is now underway in South Puget Sound and Seal Sitters has responded to 4 newborn pups since the end of May. We are happy to say that one of those pups, Little Dipper (abandoned and rescued from Lincoln Park) is doing well in rehab at PAWS Wildlife Center. Visit www.blubberblog.org to learn more about Little Dipper and Seal Sitters’ recent activities.

Please join us on August 15th and help ensure that seal pups and other marine mammals can rest safely on our beaches. Due to time constraints of volunteers during the height of pupping season in West Seattle (usually August – October), this will be our final training for this season until later in the Fall. We hope you can attend!

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Also happening today: Seattle Grind canoe races, from Alki

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Thanks to Kathryn Schledwitz for sharing photos from Alki with news that the Seattle Grind canoe races are under way this morning. The women/mixed long-course racers are paddling from Alki to Blake Island and back right now.

The Lake Union-based Seattle Outrigger Canoe Club organizes the races. This year they’re running a short course too, 4 miles along Alki, scheduled for a 2:30 pm run, after the 12:30 pm long-course men’s race.

P.S. A different group of paddlers will be racing from Alki later this month – the Great Cross-Sound Race on August 22nd.

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West Seattle Saturday: Ballot vans, Blue Angels, beach naturalists, Kite Festival, WS Outdoor Movies, music, dance, more…

August 1, 2015 8:14 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Saturday: Ballot vans, Blue Angels, beach naturalists, Kite Festival, WS Outdoor Movies, music, dance, more…

| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

(Great Blue Heron and friend at White Center Bog – photographed last weekend by Gill; click image for larger view)

Welcome to August! Here are the West Seattle highlights for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

VOTE! If you mail your ballot, it needs a stamp. If you drop it off at a King County ballot van, it doesn’t – today, 10 am-5 pm, you’ll find the vans on the West Seattle Stadium driveway and outside the Greenbridge Library – addresses/maps here, as well as Monday/Tuesday hours. Remember, this is your historic first-ever chance to vote in the Seattle City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) race; if you’re still deciding among the nine candidates, see our “Last Look” series of reports (including video conversations), one for each candidate:
Arturo Robles
Brianna Thomas
Chas Redmond
Jody Rushmer
Karl Wirsing
Lisa Herbold
Pavel Goberman
Phillip Tavel
Shannon Braddock

The top two vote-getters will advance to the November 3rd general election.

BACK-TO-SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE: Starts today, at the Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) and Fauntleroy UCC. If you’re shopping, pick up something extra and drop it off for the drive! Details in our calendar listing. (9140 California SW)

HELP LONGFELLOW CREEK AND ITS FOREST: 10 am-2 pm today, work party with EarthCorps – go here to find out where to go and what to bring.

LOW-LOW TIDE, WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: Low-low tide is out to -2.1 feet at 12:09 pm; Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists are out to answer questions at Constellation and Lincoln Parks, 10:45 am-1:45 pm.

BENEFIT BARBECUE: Another West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) benefit barbecue lunch – all proceeds this time go to the Humane Society of Seattle-King County. Get your burgers outside the store starting at 11 am. (California/Fauntleroy/Morgan)

BLUE ANGELS TODAY, WITH BRIDGE CLOSURE: First of two “official” days for the Seafair airshow over Lake Washington, with most if not all of its participants taking off from Boeing Field, including the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, who go up around 1:30 pm. The I-90 bridge across the lake will be closed 11:50 am-2:40 pm. Full Seafair info (including fleet tours) here.

NO ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS THIS WEEKEND: The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is busy with Seafair duties – but check back next weekend!

KITE FESTIVAL: Go fly a kite – or more than one! – at the Seattle Chinese Garden, on the north end of the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus on Puget Ridge, this afternoon/evening, 2-6 pm. Here’s our preview from earlier this week. (6000 16th SW)

WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES: You know that by the time evening arrives on a hot summer day, it’s cooler outside a non-air-conditioned apartment/house than inside. One of the most fun places to be outside tonight: The courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor), home to West Seattle Outdoor Movies, showing “Raising Arizona” (1987). Movie’s free – bring $ for charity-benefiting concessions and raffle if you can. Gates open 6:30 pm; movie’s at dusk, probably not long after 9 this time around. (4410 California SW)

SALSA ON ALKI: Lessons at 5:30 pm, dancing at 6:30 pm, continues until 10 pm. To see what it’s like, check out this video shared (and produced) by Raphael:

For cover-charge info and other details, see this Facebook event page.

LIVE MUSIC &/OR DANCE TONIGHT: Shows tonight at C & P Coffee (WSB sponsor), at Kenyon Hall, and at Feedback Lounge (click each link to see the calendar listing).

SEE THE REST OF OUR SATURDAY LISTINGS … here.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Close-up ‘flasher’ at Westwood Village

August 1, 2015 12:08 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

Just found out about this via a late-night note from the victim, who is an 18-year-old employee at a Westwood Village business. She says this happened outside the WWV Starbucks:

While I was on a 10-minute break, having a cigarette, a man who was also smoking slowly approached me and sat down on the bench I was sitting on. He made small talk, i.e. how are you, “it’s smoke:30 huh?”. I responded politely and then looked away from him and paid attention to my phone. I was sitting there for about 5 minutes when he leaned down, put out his cigarette, turned to me and said, “Have a nice day.” I turned to respond to him and immediately saw that he was holding his completely exposed penis in his hand. He then got up and walked away immediately while adjusting himself. I went inside and the incident was reported to both Westwood security and the SPD.

The man was probably in his 30s, a white male with short brown hair of average height and build – probably around 5’9″ or so. He had been wearing a yellow button-up shirt and shorts; his eyes were covered by dark sunglasses. I had never seen him before and am obviously in the area often. I assume he had planned this out due to his clothing and sunglasses.

I just want to get the word out because there are many young people who spend time in Westwood Village and I don’t doubt that this man would do this again.

She didn’t say what time this happened so we’re following up to ask, and will add that information when we have it. SPD’s Tweets by Beat (which you can browse on our Crime Watch page) show a lewd-conduct report in the area, time-stamped 10:45 pm, but that might only indicate the time the report was processed.

7:27 AM UPDATE: It happened around 7:30 pm Friday.

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