day : 01/03/2016 11 results

Thieves and scammers to tell you about tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch:

GROCERY THIEF ON VIDEO: John in High Point, near Lanham and Graham, sent this video:

He says that person took two items off his porch including a bag of groceries that had been delivered, and appeared to join an accomplice on the sidewalk, pushing a shopping cart away. If you have any leads on the thief’s identity, HP’s Community Police Team Officer Kevin McDaniel is on the case; his contact info is here.

SIGN THIEVES/VANDALS: Jane in Delridge shares the photo and report:

Well, this is pretty sad. One would think that in a racially diverse neighborhood like Delridge, this wouldn’t occur. But, I put up a “Black Lives Matter” sign in my front yard, and after about a week, my neighbor found it in his trash. It made him mad, so I put up another one and we got him one too. Every couple of days, one or the other would get knocked over or stolen and we’d just replace it. A third neighbor also got into the act so the signs were on three houses in a row. Finally, after having about six or seven signs stolen, I put up the signs you see in the photo. Two days up and so far, so good. I haven’t been home today — the sign may have gotten blown away in the wind. But I have a bunch more. It’s hard to think of who might have done this, but I hope at some point he or she finds some peace in their own life.

WALLET THIEF: Lindsey wants to remind you to “watch your pockets.” She says a pickpocket stole her man’s wallet and keys while they were at a Junction bar recently, and he apparently wasn’t the only one targeted.

PHONE SCAM: David at Moondrop Coffee e-mailed today to say they’d been targeted by the relentless “City Light” scammers – and wanted to remind their fellow businesspeople, in particular, to be vigilant. We’ve reported many times on these scammers – who call and insist a bill is overdue and that shutoff is imminent unless money is provided. As the utility reiterates here, they don’t work that way.

Share This

Looking for cookies? Girl Scouts’ sales start Friday

March 1, 2016 8:45 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

It’s the annual question – when do Girl Scout Cookies go on sale? This year’s answer: Friday (March 4th). You can find the nearest location via the cookie finder here. Looks like West Seattle sales start outside Husky Deli at 3 pm, and more locations join in starting at 4. The locations closest to zip code 98106 are here; 98116, here; 98126, here; 98136, here; 98146, here. See the seven varieties available this year by going here.

Share This

TOMORROW: WSHS African American Family Night Dinner and Resource Fair

March 1, 2016 7:07 pm

| Comments Off on TOMORROW: WSHS African American Family Night Dinner and Resource Fair

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Big event at West Seattle High School tomorrow night! We were asked to help with one last round of getting the word out:

When: Wednesday, March 2, 2016 from 6:00-8:00 p.m.

Where: The Library

Who: African American families and students

What: This night is an opportunity to access the resources that were requested at the Fall African American Family Night and build relationships. It will also be a night to provide the school with further feedback.

Resource Fair:
College Resources
School Resources
Community Resources

Dinner:
Enjoy a meal with WSHS staff and African American students and families in order to build relationships

Opportunity for Feedback:
What could WSHS be doing to make school great for your student and family

Why:
We want to partner with our African American students and families on how to better serve you. You asked for access to more resources.

Questions: Please contact Rebecka McKinney at 206-252-8833 or ramckinney@seattleschools.org if you have any questions about this event.

Thank you! We’re excited to see you on March 2nd.

Share This

West Seattle weather: Storm brings power outages, tree/wire woes, hail, rainbows, and … a starfish

March 1, 2016 3:19 pm

| 29 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(SCROLL DOWN for the newest weather/power-outage updates and photos)

The wind. Loudly rustling evergreens now and then, but not sustained pic.twitter.com/d99V0P43mx

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 1, 2016

3:19 PM: We have word of two outages so far – the Seattle City Light map shows 100+ customers out in the Seola/south Arbor Heights area:

And we just received a call from someone in Gatewood – right about the time our power flickered (but stayed on) here, south of Gatewood. It’s been about an hour and a half since the wind started kicking up – some gusts, but not a lot of sustained strong wind, so far.

3:40 PM: Gatewood’s still not on the map (California/Orchard was the area mentioned by the caller), but that historically outage-plagued area doesn’t always show. None of the lights on California in that area were out when we went by a few minutes ago.

3:51 PM: Now we have an explanation for the Gatewood outage – Cynthia and Scott have sent photos of a tree down on Gatewood Road:

4:05 PM: Thanks to Cathy for this report: “At Genesee and 49th, a tree has pulled down a wire, which is dangling into the middle of the street. Cars are swerving around it. Tried to call 911 but got put on hold for 15 minutes. May want to give folks a heads up.”

4:16 PM: Just got to that area – all clear now, and a City Light vehicle was just leaving.

4:27 PM: We’re now in Gatewood, where a variety of wires are down on Glenridge (same area as tree photo above). Neighbors have put out cones and have called it in but haven’t seen SCL yet.

4:44 PM: And an oddity that might just be coincidental to the wind, or not – Gay sent this photo of a “flying starfish,” explaining that a “neighbor kid and his chaperone” found it – about a third of a mile inland!

Gay says they’re speculating an eagle dropped it.

5:08 PM: Per comments, new trouble on Genesee – tree/wires at 48th.

5:21 PM: We’ve also had, for the third day in a row, rainbow reports! Thanks for the photos – this is from Al:

And right before the rainbow, Deb photographed hail in North Admiral:

Whitecaps on the water this afternoon, as this photo from Alki by W.T. Vandermark shows:

5:44 PM: Back to Gatewood, where Scott says City Light hasn’t arrived yet, though SDOT has helped block off the affected area:

The wind advisory remains in effect until 9 tonight.

6:30 PM: According to the City Light map, the number of customers still out in Seola/south Arbor Heights is down to 51.

6:44 PM: New tree trouble, tweeted by Mike Jensen:

Big tree down at 44th and Juneau in West Seattle @westseattleblog #warain pic.twitter.com/XWPXzft6sl

— Mike Jensen (@mjtwit) March 2, 2016

9 PM: Gatewood is back on, per Zephyr in comments. But the SCL map still has 51 out in Seola/south AH.

9:18 PM: Make that “some” in Gatewood – Scott says City Light is there but isn’t working yet, and his neighborhood remains without electricity.

Share This

Preschooler in the house? Application time for city program

March 1, 2016 2:02 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

The city-funded Seattle Preschool Program is open to 3- and 4-year-olds from families of all incomes, and it’s accepting applications right now. Two of its locations are in West Seattle. Here’s the announcement:

We have added even more classrooms, and it’s time for families to apply.

The preschool application period is now open for children 3 or 4 years old who live in Seattle. Our first selection process will take place Friday, March 11.

Families can apply one of three ways:

*Online at seattle.gov/education. The application is available in English, Spanish, Somali, Amharic, Chinese, and Vietnamese.

*In-person at Seattle libraries, Seattle Community Centers, or Seattle Preschool Program sites.

*Over the phone by calling 206-386-1050

Visit our website for information about our preschool sites and where sites are located.

The West Seattle locations are in North Delridge and Highland Park. Questions? preschool@seattle.gov or that same phone number mentioned above – 206-386-1050.

Share This

Mystery smell: Not natural gas, says PSE. So what is it?

March 1, 2016 11:45 am

| 33 COMMENTS

| Safety | West Seattle news

We’re at that point in trying to solve a mystery where it’s time to go wide – maybe *you* know something?

Last night, Mike tweeted about a strong natural-gas-type odor in a RapidRide bus as they traveled past Harbor Island – enough of a concern, he says, that the bus driver stopped to call it in. We checked the Seattle Fire log from yesterday – as SFD often responds to “natural gas odor” calls – and found 6 of them around the city, no obvious confluence, but two were in SODO.

First thing this morning, we checked with the major local natural-gas utility Puget Sound Energy, whose spokesperson Ray Lane replied, “We investigated the incident, and our team determined it was NOT natural gas. It could be some odor coming from the Port. We understand the odor was being detected again this morning.” Mike confirmed that – under the bridge, this time. We’ve also checked with the port, whose spokesperson Peter McGraw told us, “Our folks have been smelling the same thing around East Marginal and Spokane, and was reported in, but it was not likely from port operations.” We’re not at a total dead end yet, but thought we’d ask you. If you don’t want to comment openly, editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!

8:37 PM NOTE: Still a mystery. We also checked with Corey Orvold, spokesperson for SFD, to ask if any of the crews investigating those six calls on Monday found anything. The smell was very real, she said, having been in one area where it was reported – but firefighters’ tests didn’t identify it, either.

Share This

West Seattle Tuesday: Yarn, speeches, bikes, music, more…

March 1, 2016 11:06 am

| 13 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Townsend’s Warbler in Fauntleroy Park, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

First and foremost – remember that a wind advisory is up for this afternoon/evening, so we’ll be tracking the weather if it really does kick up. In the meantime, looking ahead to the rest of today/tonight, including listings from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BIKE-SHARE BAILOUT? 2 pm at City Hall, the City Council’s Sustainability and Transportation Committee takes up the issue of whether the city will bail out/take over the Pronto bike-share system. Though it has no stations in West Seattle, this is of local interest because District 1 City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is proposing an amendment that would reject the proposal to bail it out and take it over. She explains that she supports bike share, but that a private firm is best to operate it. The meeting will also be live on Seattle Channel, online or cable 21. (600 4th Ave.)

WEST SEATTLE TOASTMASTERS: Their invitation for you:

Come join us at our semi-annual club speech competition on March 1! This meeting is our “International Speech” and “Evaluations”
competition. See our members compete in delivering inspirational speeches or in speech evaluations, applying their best skills to try to advance to the next level of the competition. This event allows guests to see Toastmasters in a broader light than just speech practice. We compete and win! 5:30 for early setup, 6:00 for briefing, 6:30 to 8:00 for the meeting, including the speeches.

(4611 35th SW)

PECOS PIT RESTAURANT SAFETY CONCERNS: 6:30 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle, members of the Junction Neighborhood Organization and neighbors will meet with reps of the under-construction Pecos Pit restaurant at 35th and Genesee to talk about neighborhood safety concerns including the drive-through that’s being added to the building. Among other goals, they hope to “identify possible solutions for enhancing safety for pedestrians and cyclists around the site and especially at the drive-through egress.” JuNO’s René Commons says any interested community members are welcome to attend. (California SW/SW Oregon)

WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: 6:30 pm at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction – here’s what’s on the WSBC agenda this month. All welcome. (41st SW/SW Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE CROCHET & KNIT SOCIAL CIRCLE: 7-9 pm at Uptown Espresso in The Junction, all welcome, beginner to expert. (California/Edmunds/Erskine)

LIVE MUSIC: Tuesday night means time for Billy Joe and The RCs, 7:30 pm at Parliament Tavern (4210 SW Admiral Way), and the Starlight showcase at 9 pm at Shadowland. (California SW/SW Oregon).

MORE OF WHAT’S UP today/tonight/beyond, on our complete calendar.

Share This

West Seattle scene: CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin sails away

March 1, 2016 9:54 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle scene: CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin sails away

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

9:54 AM: Thanks to Lynn Hall for the photo of the megaship CMA CGM Benjamin Franklin in the murky distance, as seen from Alki as it sailed out of Elliott Bay about an hour ago, after its daylong visit to Harbor Island, biggest cargo ship ever to visit here (or any other U.S. port). According to the posted itinerary, it’s headed for Xiamen, China. When will – or will – it return here? Too soon to say.

Our coverage of Monday’s visit is here, with additions including a Puget Sound Pilot‘s time-lapse video from the bridge as it entered Elliott Bay.

P.S. As discussed in Monday comments and explained here – CMA CGM stands for Compagnie Maritime d’Affrètement, the name with which the company was founded in 1978, and Compagnie Générale Maritime, with which it merged in 1996.

2:15 PM: Thanks to Don Brubeck for a closer view of the Benjamin Franklin’s departure:

The BF is currently west of Port Angeles and approaching the entrance/exit of the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Share This

BASEBALL TIME! WSHS team’s season-starting announcements

March 1, 2016 9:13 am

| Comments Off on BASEBALL TIME! WSHS team’s season-starting announcements

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

That’s the West Seattle High School baseball team on the day they played in the annual HS Baseball Classic at Safeco Field last year. Caryn Johnson shared it in honor of the team getting ready for the 2016 season – with updates including their annual sales of tickets to an M’s game:

Bring on BASEBALL!! The West Seattle High School Wildcats took to Hiawatha Monday afternoon for their first practice of the season. It is a great turnout of boys and they all, including the longtime coaching staff, can’t wait for the season to begin. A jamboree is scheduled for Saturday, March 12th at Liberty High School and the first game is the following Wednesday, March 15th, vs Highline at Moshier Field.

We would also like to pass along some information on the team as well as our annual fundraisers. The team has a new website – www.westseattlehsbaseball.org It is still “a work in progress”, but we hope to get more information about the team uploaded soon. On the website you will find information about our big Mariners Ticket fundraiser. Selling Mariners tickets not only raises funds for the team, it also qualifies them to play in the annual High School Baseball Classic at Safeco Field. We are always so excited to see our boys play at this spectacular venue. You can find information on the new site about how to purchase tickets to support the team as well as when to come out to Safeco to watch this FREE game. Any inquiries about M’s tickets can also be sent to westseattlemarinerstickets@gmail.com.

The other fundraiser is our annual silent auction/spaghetti dinner hosted by the baseball team on Saturday, April 9th, at West Side Presbyterian Church from 5:00 – 9:00 PM. Again, we’ll be posting information about this fun event on our website as it becomes available. Here’s to a great season. Thank you for your support.

Share This

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: March’s stormy start

March 1, 2016 6:03 am

| 12 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:03 AM: Welcome to March! The National Weather Service has a wind advisory out for later today, noon-9 pm. Here’s what else you should know as the day begins:

–Water Taxi fares increase today – see the new prices here
–Advance alert of bus-lane enforcement on the bridge tomorrow morning
-Remember the Alaskan Way Viaduct is closing for its twice-yearly inspection this weekend
-The megaship that arrived at Harbor Island yesterday is due to head back out this morning around 8 am.

7:39 AM: Thanks to Living In The Wild West for the comment tip – we’ve just confirmef the signals at Avalon/Harbor/Spokane are flashing. Not a major backup factor so far as we can tell.

8:26 AM: A vehicle fire at California/Fauntleroy has led to a call for police to help direct traffic. We’re headed over to find out more.

8:32 AM: Not a major fire – the vehicle is blocking a northbound lane on California just south of Fauntleroy; SFD has already left but SPD is with it.

8:37 AM: We had a question earlier about a backup on the Fauntleroy approach to the bridge. In comments, CandrewB says there is (or was) a crash by Nucor. Neither SDOT – which is checking now that we mentioned it – nor any of the other dozen-plus sources we monitor had any word of it, so we didn’t either.

10:30 AM: Crash reported on the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct, blocking the two left lanes at Seneca.

10:31 AM: Also sounds from the scanner like there’s a problem on Fairmount Avenue in the ravine and there’ll be traffic control added at Harbor to keep people from heading partway up and having to turn around.

Share This

UPDATE: Gunfire investigation in North Delridge

March 1, 2016 4:45 am

| 16 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

4:45 AM: Police are reported to be investigating gunfire in North Delridge. We heard from one person who heard something that sounded like shots around quarter till 4, and now a second person who says police found shell casings near Cottage Place and SW Edmunds [map]. No reports of injuries. We’re checking and will add anything more we find out.

5:22 AM: Police were gone by the time we arrived; we stopped by the precinct and confirmed that the original dispatch did come in with word of damage to vehicles in that area, as our second tipster mentioned, but we’ll have to get the official report later for further details.

12:47 PM: Just obtained the report from SPD. It says damage was done to three “party buses” (photo below) and a window at their owners’ residence, and “several” shell casings were found.

The owners told police they didn’t know of anyone who would target them but they did hear two males arguing out back before it happened. A nearby resident had told dispatchers of hearing three shots and seeing a red Cadillac SUV leaving the area. Police obtained surveillance video that might have recorded it.

Share This