day : 16/09/2015 12 results

Thanks to Lynda B for texting the photo this evening – first we’ve heard that Seattle Parks is planning to remove the “love locks” that have turned up on the fence at Duwamish Head. They’re a tradition in some spots around the world – even other spots in the city – but we’ve only noticed them here relatively recently. The sign says they’ll be removed on Friday, so if you have one you’d like to retrieve (and you didn’t throw away the key!), better go get it. We’ll check with Parks tomorrow to find out why they’ve decided to remove the love locks.

Crime stats, community concerns, & self-defense discussion @ West Seattle Crime Prevention Council

September 16, 2015 8:48 pm

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| Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Crime trends and self-protection were on the agenda as the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council returned from summer break.

Last night’s meeting started with Southwest Precinct Captain Pierre Davis briefing those in attendance. “The summer was … the summer. In West Seattle, it’s typical for us to have a riproaring summer, but it wasn’t out of control.” He talked about the importance of the recently developed “microcommunity” policing plans, and the importance of feedback on them.

It’s been five months since Capt. Davis returned to West Seattle as precinct commander; he noted that some categories of crime were spiking back then, but they’ve been “strateg(izing)” how to fight them, and have had success. For one, he said, they’ve put together what is in effect “a posse to go out and hunt our bad guys … (those responsible) for auto thefts, burglaries, other crimes that have plagued neighborhoods.”

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West Seattle scene: Seal pup ‘Cariad’ rests at Lincoln Park

September 16, 2015 7:02 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(WSB photo, taken from behind the protection-zone tape)

Walking on the Lincoln Park shore this afternoon, on our way to meet an interview subject, we happened onto an unexpected sight – this harbor-seal pup on the beach. Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network‘s first responder Lynn Shimamoto was already there and marking off an area to keep it safe from people and other animals. On our way back from our (unrelated) interview, we stopped to talk with Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey, who said it’s continued to be a slow season for pup sightings otherwise, as noted on their Blubberblog website (where you’ll likely see a post later about today’s visit, which came four days after a brief sighting nearby). Most likely, Robin said, today’s pup was already weaned, as most pups are born in July or August and now past the time they stay with their moms. One telltale sign: Like this one, the weaned pups aren’t very plump, as they are learning how to hunt for themselves. This means it’s even more important they get space to rest, because if they’re spooked, they’ll burn more of what little stored fat they have as they scoot back into the water to find safety. If you see a seal or other marine mammal on a local store, call Seal Sitters’ hotline at 206-905-SEAL.

P.S. For tracking purposes, pups protected by Seal Sitters often are given names. Lynn told us passersby from Wales suggested “Cariad,” which means “sweetheart” in Welsh.

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Here’s how Metro bus service will change on September 26th

September 16, 2015 5:12 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

Metro has just announced details of its next “service change,” scheduled to take effect on September 26th (one week from Saturday). You can see all the changes here; here are the area routes we see listed (please let us know if we’re missing one), plus a big change for holiday service, with several local routes involved:

ROUTE 21

Route 21 daytime and evening service frequency will also improve to every 15 minutes on Sunday as all southbound Route 5 trips will be connected to Route 21 operating to Westwood Village and all northbound Route 21 trips with be connected to Route 5 operating to Shoreline CC.

ROUTE 113

Route 113 to Shorewood will start from the bus stop on 2nd Ave just south of Bell St. It will no longer serve the bus stop eastbound on Blanchard St just east of 1st Ave.

CHANGE IN HOLIDAY SERVICE

Beginning Saturday, Sept 26, reduced weekday schedules will be eliminated on the following routes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29, 33, 36, 40, 41, 43, 44, 50, 56, 60, 64, 70, 76, 77, 124, 131 and 132. These routes will operate regular weekday service on holidays.

If you’d rather scroll through a text list of all the changes around the region, find it here.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Avoid 4th Avenue S near stadiums; also, crash on SB 35th near Trenton

September 16, 2015 3:52 pm

| 14 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

3:52 PM: With peak pm drive time approaching, you might need to know this: Northbound 4th Avenue S. is closed in the stadium zone because of a crash at Edgar Martinez Way. This is also affecting buses – Route 21, for example, is routed off 4th in the area. The crash involved a motorcyclist who has “significant injuries,” says SPD, after the rider hit a pole; all are advised to avoid 4th TFN.

4:18 PM: Another crash, this one on SB 35th just south of Trenton. A damaged pickup truck is blocking the southbound lane – no emergency vehicles on scene; drivers are using the center turn lane to get around it.

4:31 PM: We’re just back from the 35th crash scene and now hearing via the scanner that police have arrived and are calling for a tow.

6:07 PM: We went through 35th/Trenton about half an hour ago and the scene there was clear.

6:40 PM: SDOT says 4th Avenue South is now open again.

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Are you ready? Get your spot at this earthquake-prep presentation

September 16, 2015 3:27 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Preparedness | West Seattle news

Though November might seem far away, the city’s earthquake-preparedness presentations tend to fill up fast, so we’re sharing word of this one in case you want to sign up:

Are you prepared for the next big earthquake and other disasters Seattle could face? Attend a presentation at one of the below library branches to hear from local emergency management experts about what you can do to get prepared. Learn about the City’s new emergency alert and notification system – AlertSeattle – and bring questions to ask the City’s hazard specialist during an open Q&A session.

Wed. November 4, 2015
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Southwest Library Branch

Register for a class by emailing your name and the presentation you plan to attend to snap@seattle.gov

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West Seattleite Bill Schrier joins SPD as interim Chief Info Officer

September 16, 2015 2:24 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Just announced via SPD Blotter – Bill Schrier, the West Seattleite who served as the city’s Chief Technology Officer until 2012, is back with the city, at least temporarily, as interim Chief Information Officer for Seattle Police. From the announcement:

As CIO, Schrier will lead the department’s efforts to bolster SPD’s information technology programs and services. He will be a part of the leadership team that will continue to fulfill Mayor Ed Murray and Chief Kathleen O’Toole’s vision that the SPD should be “second to none” when it comes to how the Department uses technology to support its officers and provides for the safety and security of the Seattle community.

As we noted when Schrier left his previous city role, much of the information we report here comes from government data – so these types of roles in particular are vital to increased transparency. We have long asked in particular for more police-report narratives to be made available, and more often – right now, only a tiny percentage of them get published online, and only in a few crime categories, because they generally have to be redacted by hand first, and that is labor-intensive. They’ve been working on ways to automate that process (as well as the much-more-publicized process of making body-cam video available), so we’re hopeful of a breakthrough. Back to today’s announcement: Schrier succeeds Greg Russell, a former Amazon exec, who left the CIO job after less than a year.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Superintendent at Sealth, Concord tomorrow

September 16, 2015 12:51 pm

| Comments Off on BACK TO SCHOOL: Superintendent at Sealth, Concord tomorrow

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Every year as far as we can remember, the superintendent of Seattle Public Schools visits a few local campuses on the first day of school. SPS announced today that Dr. Larry Nyland will visit two schools here in the district’s Southwest Region tomorrow – Chief Sealth International High School students as their day begins around 8:40 am, and Concord International (Elementary) School students as their day begins around 9:30 am. (This might bring morning-TV-newscast crews to Sealth ahead of the superintendent’s visit, so if you see TV trucks/cameras there first thing tomorrow, you’ll know why.)

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West Seattle Wednesday: WSHS-Sealth volleyball; WordsWest; ‘participatory budgeting’ @ DNDC; more…

September 16, 2015 11:38 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Wednesday: WSHS-Sealth volleyball; WordsWest; ‘participatory budgeting’ @ DNDC; more…

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

What’s up this afternoon/evening:

MEETUP AT OFFICE JUNCTION: Noon-1:15 pm – get out of your home office, away from the coffee-shop table, go meet other at-home workers, entrepreneurs, etc., at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor) – bring your lunch and be ready for inspiration and/or good conversation. (6030 California SW)

HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: 4-7 pm – third-to-last week – info here! (32nd SW & SW Juneau)

VOLLEYBALL RIVALRY: 7 pm at West Seattle High School, the WSHS Wildcats volleyball team (photo above is courtesy of head coach Staci Stringer) host the Chief Sealth IHS Seahawks, and everyone’s invited! (3000 California SW)

WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: The second year of the series begins tonight at >C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), whose co-proprietor Peter Moores reads tonight’s “favorite poem” as part of a slate that includes local authors Nicole Hardy and Jourdan Imani Keith, 7 pm – details in our calendar listing. (5612 California SW)

DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: 7 pm tonight at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. All welcome. Especially local youth – who are invited to be part of the City Council budgeting process this year, which City Councilmember Nick Licata will discuss, as noted in agenda highlights below as shared by neighborhood district coordinator Kerry Wade:

7:05 p.m. Welcome & Introductions – All

7:15 p.m. Update on Delridge Action Plan – David W. Goldberg (DPD)

7:35 p.m. Participatory Budgeting Discussion – Councilmember Nick Licata

8:25 p.m. DNDC Member Additional Updates & Announcements – All

(4408 Delridge Way SW)

34TH DISTRICT REPUBLICANS: 7 pm monthly meeting at the American Legion Hall in The Triangle. Agenda (see it here) includes endorsement discussion and new voter-identification software. (37th SW & SW Alaska)

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You can help! Volunteer for salmon survey in West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek

September 16, 2015 10:57 am

| Comments Off on You can help! Volunteer for salmon survey in West Seattle’s Longfellow Creek

| Delridge | Environment | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(WSB photo from November 2014)

Last November, we reported on Puget Soundkeeper Alliance‘s project to track what happens to salmon in Longfellow Creek – which has much more of a toxic-runoff problem than West Seattle’s other urban salmon creek in Fauntleroy. This year, we have advance word that they’re looking for volunteer help, with an orientation event coming up in two weeks, so this is your chance to get involved:

Join Soundkeeper as we investigate the health of our local salmon runs at Longfellow Creek this fall! Volunteers will assess the effects of urban runoff on wildlife by conducting a pre-spawn mortality survey of Coho salmon. Volunteers needed for weekly surveys from October to early December.

Volunteer Orientation in West Seattle:
Thursday, October 1, 2015
6 pm-7:30 pm
Chaco Canyon Café
3770 SW Alaska St.

RSVP to michelle@pugetsoundkeeper.org

As Soundkeeper noted in this update last year, federal scientists have discovered a pre-spawn death rate of up to 80 percent in urban creeks – compared to one percent in rural creeks. The results of this work, including what you can do as a volunteer, will help support more cleanups, education, and enforcement to help clear the waters and save salmon.

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First-ever West Seattle Gear Grab this Saturday in The Junction

September 16, 2015 9:00 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

This Saturday, three independent local businesses are teaming up for the first-ever West Seattle Gear Grab. Reid Curry, manager of Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor), calls it “a GIANT year-end clearance sale on outdoor gear,” featuring EWA as well as West Seattle Cyclery and Mountain to Sound Outfitters. Curry adds, “While this is in essence a giant parking lot sale, it is also an unprecedented partnership between three of the premier outdoor retailers in West Seattle…establishing West Seattle as an up and coming destination for a variety of specialty outdoor stores and representing the strong and ever growing community of outdoor enthusiasts in West Seattle.” It’s happening on Saturday (September 19th) from 10 am to 4 pm at the north end of The Junction’s parking lot along 42nd SW south of SW Oregon, right across from EWA’s shop. From the announcement:

If your thing is catching sea run cutthroats off Lincoln Park, cycle commuting to get your workout in as you slog through the work week, or SUPing and kayaking with resident harbor seals off Duwamish Head, or heading up to ski and snowboard in the Cascades, this is an event not to miss. … We will be clearing out our storage spaces, back shops, and selling demo gear to get ready for the upcoming winter season and keep the retail wheels rolling. … Deals will be had, and this event will occur rain or shine. So come out and celebrate the amazing area we live in, and support your local specialty shops which call the Junction and Triangle neighborhoods of West Seattle home. Then cruise on down to check out the amazing grub and suds right in The Junction; what a cool way to spend the afternoon in one of the best neighborhoods in Seattle.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday notes, including road work

September 16, 2015 7:47 am

| 8 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Another no-incident morning commute so far in this area.

SCHOOLS & SCHOOL ZONES: As a result of developments yesterday, Seattle Public Schools will open tomorrow (Thursday, September 17th). So that’s when to expect school buses, families dropping off kids, people walking and biking, etc. And as noted here last night, West Seattle will have a fourth speed-enforcement camera, on Delridge Way by Louisa Boren K-8 STEM/interim Arbor Heights Elementary.

RECHANNELIZATION REMINDER: Work continued last night on Roxbury (which is being rechannelized between 35th and 17th) and 35th (between Roxbury and Willow). Other changes are planned on both in addition to the restriping.

48TH & 49TH SW: The Seattle Public Utilities sewer-repair projects are under way or getting under way – the work on 48th at Edmunds is expected to last all week; work on 49th SW in Seaview could start as soon as today.

ADDED 8:10 AM – NEW WATER TAXI, CLOSER LOOK: As we’ve mentioned, the new West Seattle Water Taxi, M/V Doc Maynard, has arrived in Seattle and is on test runs, prior to its dedication Friday, though it won’t be on the WS run for another month or so (it’ll be filling in on the Vashon run while its twin M/V Sally Fox goes in for maintenance). Thanks to those who’ve sent more photos – starting with this one from Mike. We hadn’t seen the skyline detail before:

Here’s a full-length look, also at Seacrest, from Lise Thivierge:

The Friday dedication is on the downtown waterfront but you can ride the current Water Taxi to and from the event as space permits, per King County’s announcement (starting with the Seacrest departure at 10:45 am).

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