West Seattle, Washington

23 Tuesday

45℉

month : 06/2016 311 results

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday watch; bridge closures continue
June 7, 2016 6:30 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

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

6:30 AM: Good morning – no incidents in West Seattle or on the major outbound routes so far.

The west end of the West Seattle Bridge will be closed again tonight, 9 pm-5 am, as crews continue re-replacing Fauntleroy Expressway earthquake-safety cushions. Remember that on surface Spokane Street beneath the bridge, you might encounter daytime lane closures too, as setup work is done during the daytime.

6:59 AM: Still quiet. Another reminder: Tonight, 5-8:30 pm, is the first of two public hearings on the draft environmental-impact statement for the Port of Seattle’s proposed Terminal 5 project, at the Georgetown campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor).

8:48 AM: We’re on the bridge right now (publishing from the passenger seat, of course) on the way downtown for a court hearing, so a quick traffic report: Slowdown starts just before the crest. We’re headed for the 4th Avenue S. exit, our preferred way to get into downtown.

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Appeals court to hear arguments Tuesday in Morgan Junction shooting case
June 6, 2016 10:05 pm
|    Comments Off on Appeals court to hear arguments Tuesday in Morgan Junction shooting case
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

After two years, it’s down to 20 minutes.

That’s the total amount of time allotted for both sides to make their respective cases tomorrow when they argue for and against the appeal of Lovett Chambers, the Gatewood man convicted two years ago of manslaughter for the Morgan Junction shooting death of Travis Hood.

Though the verdict itself was a charge reduced from the one with which Chambers, now 71, had been charged – second-degree murder – his appeal challenges it and six other points. The written arguments by Chambers’ lawyers say jurors shouldn’t have been instructed that manslaughter was an option, because there was no “factual basis for that charge.” They also argue that the search of Chambers’ home the night of the shooting was illegal.

Chambers has never denied killing Hood, who was 36, but contended that it was self-defense. He was sentenced to 11 1/2 years and has been behind bars now for 4 1/2 years, since the night of the shooting in January 2012. Tuesday’s oral arguments are on the morning docket for a three-judge panel of the State Court of Appeals meeting in Seattle.

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What’ll be done to ease traffic, and when? West Seattle Bridge Corridor progress report out
June 6, 2016 7:50 pm
|      36 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

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(WSB photo)

The 80 “zone” signs installed on the West Seattle Bridge this past weekend comprise one of four projects SDOT has added to the action list for the West Seattle Bridge-Duwamish Waterway Corridor, a list originally shepherded by WS-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen during his final year in office, following the WS Transportation Coalition‘s 2014 list of priorities.. As our area’s first-ever elected-by-district Councilmember, Lisa Herbold has picked up the ball and run with it, and has just announced the release of the newest document in the project, a progress report (technically, the SDOT response to the council’s Statement of Legislative Intent).

When Councilmember Herbold announced on Friday that the progress report was out, it wasn’t available yet in digital format, but now it is – see the full progress report here – and the link’s been added to her online post about it. In that post, her overview of the progress report includes:

The report lists work completed so far, estimated costs for the 27 projects mentioned in the Whitepaper; implementation status, though some are listed as TBD (to be determined); which agency has primary and implementation responsibility for each project; resources directed so far, and timetables.

Here’s the table listing those 27 projects, in case you can’t remember them all:

Councilmember Herbold’s overview continues:

Of the 27 projects mentioned in the Whitepaper, SDOT proposes to focus on the 15 projects in the Primary West Seattle Bridge/Spokane Street Viaduct corridor (See map). In addition, SDOT added four projects from after the publication of the whitepaper in 2015, including installing additional locational markers on the bridge.

The report provides data for corridor traffic trends. Of note is that the West Seattle Bridge carried an average of 107,300 vehicles per weekday, and 29,300 transit riders. In 2015, there were 56 collisions on the bridge and the Spokane Street Viaduct, and 117 “incidents”, which averaged 47 minutes in duration.

The report notes the $500,000 approved by the Council in 2015 for Intelligent Transportation Systems improvements will mostly be finished by 2016, with the rest scheduled for 2017.

Also included are cost estimates and grant application status for the South Lander Street Grade Separation and RR Safety Project.

SDOT proposes to exclude some projects from future whitepaper reports, including 4th Ave Transit Ramp to Spokane Viaduct, Delridge Way Rapid Ride Transit, and Sound Transit expansion (which is subject to a public vote). This may be worth additional discussion.

Primarily, SDOT writes in the progress report, the items it suggests leaving out of future reports are items that are in other agencies’ jurisdictions, and/or outside the main bridge corridor. Here’s that list:

(It doesn’t mean they’re being shelved – just that SDOT wants to concentrate its tracking on the others.) Back to the list of four added projects we mentioned at the start of this update: Besides the “zone” signs on the bridge, the list includes repair and painting projects for the “low bridge” (South Spokane Street Swing Bridge), plus the Fauntleroy Expressway earthquake-cushion re-replacement work that is already under way.

What happens next? In addition to SDOT proceeding with the project list, it’s asking for the release of $100,000 – a pre-planned amount – for more traffic studies. Its revised timeline grid, on the last page of the project report, stretches as far out as 2022 (for studying another railroad crossover beyond Lander) and TBD (for “freight-only lanes on Lower Spokane,” “bicycle connection on W. Marginal,” and “Terminal 5 overpass to Alki Trail”). As pointed out in our previous reports on the project list, it’s mostly incremental; the only real big-ticket item is the Lander Street Bridge (which, reminder, has an open house event this Wednesday in SODO) – no ramp widening from the bridge to 99, for example.

P.S. Pages 9 and 10 of the report are where you’ll find the full data table that Councilmember Herbold mentions, with key numbers about local commuting, freight, and more.

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@ CITY HALL: Council passes renter-protection ordinance
June 6, 2016 5:14 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

At City Hall this afternoon, councilmembers voted unanimously to pass an ordinance that “prohibits rent increases on properties with unsafe housing-code violations,” as described by the announcement from the bill’s sponsor, Councilmember Kshama Sawant, who proposed it last year with then-Councilmember Nick Licata. All the documents related to the ordinance are here. From the slide deck, here’s how it works:

• Landlord provides written notice of a rent increase

• Tenant must respond in writing within ten days and describe defective conditions

• Landlord can cure the problem any time before rent increase is set to take effect.

• Tenant or Landlord may call SDCI to request inspection any time before effective date of rent increase

• If SDCI inspects and finds RRIO checklist failures, then rent increase delayed until defective condition is remedied

It will take effect 30 days after Mayor Murray signs it.

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West Seattle schools: Taproot students’ study picks up where others … didn’t pick up
June 6, 2016 2:59 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Fauntleroy | Pets | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Michelle Taylor: Taproot students attend to a bag dispenser in Fauntleroy Park)

What Fauntleroy Creek/Watershed volunteers did in 2004 and 2008, students from Taproot School are doing now, according to watershed/creek steward Judy Pickens:

Continuing concern about pet waste left in Fauntleroy Park prompted students at Taproot School to take on the 2016 Poop Study.

The study documents the number and location of pet waste along a segment of trail in Fauntleroy Park that’s popular with dog walkers. After a baseline count earlier this spring, the students are reaching out to dog owners with information about why picking up after their pet is important and making compliance easy with free bags.

Located in the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse Community Center, Taproot School makes almost daily use of the park as an extension of classroom learning for its 27 (K-5) students. Run in 2004 and again in 2008, the study initiated by the Fauntleroy Watershed Council aims to reduce the level of fecal coliform bacteria that Fauntleroy Creek conveys into Puget Sound.

Students will do a second count in July and a third in September, then compile their report, with an emphasis on what more they recommend doing to get dog walkers to scoop.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Art theft; missing math homework; package prowlers
June 6, 2016 1:04 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

In West Seattle Crime Watch today:

ART THEFT: Artist Rebecca Woodhouse is asking you to be on the lookout for her stolen artwork. It’s an unusual theft case: She shipped 4 boxes containing 6 linocut-paintings to Ventura, California, for an art show and included the return shipping labels. The gallery didn’t tell her the work had been shipped back, and when it arrived at a mailing center here, it had someone else’s name on the labels. She says the center called that person, who then picked up the items and signed for them. She has been trying to reach that person for more than a week and since the messages have not been returned, it’s now being treated as a theft. “I was trying to give the guy the benefit of the doubt; he didn’t know what they were, took them home, works a lot, and didn’t prioritize calling the mailing center or the people who sent the boxes, but enough time went by, and with all the phone calls, it’s crossed the line to theft. The officer said it himself.” She says her name is on all of the art. We couldn’t post all the photos here so she has collected them on this page of her website as a gallery of stolen art. Let her and SPD know if you have information.

SEEN THIS MATH HOMEWORK? From another Rebecca, a car break-in report, with missing math homework:

Sometime between 5 pm Sunday and 6:45 this morning our car was broken into, and a blanket and 2 backpacks were taken from the back. One had school books, one had basic medical supplies in it (icy-hot spray and bandages for sports injuries). I am sure we left a back window open too far (it was hot!! we were tired). How they didn’t set off an alarm interests me, but so it goes.

Learning lesson, but also wishing there was a collection point for “oops, we stole some stuff that is of no use to us, so we can drop it here judgment free, since a semester of math homework probably means more to somone else than it sells for on the street.”

A police report is on file.

PACKAGE PROWLERS: The photo and report are from Patrick:

This is a photo of a package prowler I saw entering my neighbor’s yard as I was returning from work on Friday around 5:30 PM. This was on 34th between Webster and Holden in the Sunrise Heights neighborhood. The neighbor had packages and my wife had seen them driving slowly, stopping, and reversing back to the house. African American female driver, white tank top, African American male companion. Both late twenties to early forties. Car was a ’90s Chrysler or Dodge. Suspension completely blown, loud distinct rattle. Trunk appeared unlatched. Moments after posting this photo to the neighborhood FB page, another neighbor reported seeing the same car attempting to take a package before being confronted. It should be noted these people were doing this at 530, when most people are returning from work, with witnesses outside. Very brazen and most likely desperate. … Call 911 if you see suspicious behavior.

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ARE YOU READY? Simple way to help with big regional earthquake drill
June 6, 2016 11:12 am
|    Comments Off on ARE YOU READY? Simple way to help with big regional earthquake drill
 |   How to help | Preparedness | West Seattle news

You might have heard about the big regional earthquake-preparedness drill that’s under way in a variety of places all week. Here’s how you can help: Join your West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs volunteers this Saturday! Above is the map of all “hubs” – explained here – in West Seattle, but just one needs volunteer help – read on!

Come see what your community is doing to be prepared in the event of a major disaster. Join us in a simulated earthquake neighborhood response drill of the Seattle Emergency Communications Hubs.
We would love for you to stop by as a “put me to work” volunteer or as a Citizen Actor (to give us tasks to perform, you will draw a short script from our bowl of misfortunes). This will help test how we accomplish our mission and to help you learn how you can be ready to help in the event of a disaster!

Participating Hub drill location in West Seattle:

Neighborhood House High Point Center
6400 Sylvan Way SW
9:30 am – 11:30 am

Also on Saturday, separate from the simulation, but ready to meet neighbors and talk preparedness:

New Hub location holding an open-house booth:

Hope Lutheran Church
4456 42nd Ave SW
9:00 am – noon
New Hub! Info table only

For more information about how to be prepared and what the hubs do, visit us at West Seattle Be Prepared.

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FOLLOWUP: What sparked Sunday morning fire
June 6, 2016 10:10 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

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Sunday morning’s garage fire behind a house just south of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (WSB coverage here) burned big – as that photo from a neighbor showed – and briefly. We checked with Seattle Fire this morning to see what its investigator found out about the cause; SFD spokesperson Corey Orvold tells WSB that the fire was ruled accidental, sparked by “improperly discarded charcoal briquets.” No one was hurt, but the fire also burned a tree and damaged a car.

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West Seattle Monday: WWRHAH; low-low tide; more!
June 6, 2016 9:00 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Monday: WWRHAH; low-low tide; more!
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

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(Crab photographed during weekend low tide by Jamie Kinney)

Good morning! Highlights for this first Monday in June, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

LOW-LOW TIDE, WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: The tide’s out as far today as it was on Sunday – today at 12:24 pm, it’ll again be out to -3.2 feet. So you’ll find Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists out again at Constellation Park and Lincoln Park, 9:30 am-1:30 pm.

WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 6:15 pm at Southwest Library, drop by to see and hear what your community council is up to. As previewed here last night, scheduled topics include improvements for the SW Barton crossing at the RapidRide stop and the upcoming Find It, Fix It Walk in the Roxhill area. Everybody’s welcome. (35th SW/SW Henderson)

WEST SEATTLE HI-YU: 7 pm at Admiral Congregational Church, Hi-Yu members and supporters meet as summer’s busy season approaches. (California SW/SW Hill)

QUIZ NIGHT: 7:30 pm at The Skylark, free, all ages. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

SONGWRITER SHOWCASE: 8 pm, no cover, at Parliament Tavern. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

EVENT TO SHARE VIA THE WSB CALENDAR? Go there to see how!

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday watch; bridge closures continue
June 6, 2016 6:30 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

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

6:30 AM: Good morning – one incident in the area so far; if you are headed to southbound I-5 from the West Seattle Bridge, you will face a backup from a crash that’s blocking two SB I-5 lanes at Albro.

BRIDGE CLOSURES CONTINUE: Again tonight, 9 pm-5 am, the west end of the West Seattle Bridge is scheduled to be closed as the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-cushion-re-replacement work continues.

6:46 AM: One of the two lanes on southbound I-5 has reopened; the HOV lane remains blocked, per WSDOT.

7:04 AM: And southbound I-5 is now all clear.

9:15 AM: Heads-up if you’re still heading out and you use 4th:

9:58 AM: A reader texted to report a striping-truck sighting heading west on Admiral Way. So you might encounter striping – which is often refreshed this time of year – if you’re out and about. (Let us know of any sightings – we’ll be watching while making our rounds, too.)

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MONDAY: Barton improvements, Find It/Fix It Walk on WWRHAH agenda
June 5, 2016 11:19 pm
|    Comments Off on MONDAY: Barton improvements, Find It/Fix It Walk on WWRHAH agenda
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from October 3, 2015)

Remember that scene in Delridge last October, when Mayor Murray brought an army of city department heads for the first-ever Find It Fix It Community Walk in West Seattle? The next one, in the Roxhill area, is approaching, and it’ll be one of the major topics at Monday night’s meeting of the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council. Specifically, according to the WWRHAH agenda, a city rep will be on hand to “discuss how (community members) can be partners and stakeholders” for the July 25th event. Another major topic: Improvements planned for the SW Barton crossing between the Longfellow Creek Trail/RapidRide stop and Westwood Village across the street. And some discussion time is set aside for the “future of neighborhood districts” report (same one at the heart of this WSB report published a few hours ago). WWRHAH meets at the Southwest Library (35th SW/SW Henderson), upstairs meeting room, 6:15 pm, all welcome.

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‘Just another budget cut’? Local advocates take aim at city’s review of neighborhood-district system
June 5, 2016 8:41 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge District Council | Neighborhoods | Southwest District Council | West Seattle news

(Left, map of 13 Seattle “neighborhood districts”; right, map of 7 Seattle City Council districts. Both from seattle.gov)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

When the city Department of Neighborhoods cut its staff of neighborhood-district coordinators 5+ years ago, neighborhood advocates were upset, to say the least.

Before the cuts, the city had one coordinator for each of the 13 neighborhood districts, including the two that comprise West Seattle – Delridge and Southwest.

It would be OK, city leaders assured local community leaders – while cutting three of those 13 jobs, they were restructuring the remaining coordinators into teams by region, with this area part of the South Region, to be served by three.

But in the years since – without any further announcements – it’s dropped to 8 coordinators for the 13 districts, and the regional structure has eroded, like a bluff falling into the sea as it’s battered by waves.

Now a potential tsunami is on the way – a formal review, stemming from City Council marching orders last year, looking at whether the 13-neighborhood-district system should realign with the new 7-district City Council map – and whether the district coordinators’ work as community-to-city liaisons should change.
Read More

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West Seattle weekend scene: Low-low tide @ Fauntleroy ferry dock
June 5, 2016 7:33 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle weekend scene: Low-low tide @ Fauntleroy ferry dock
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

pilings

Thanks to Joel Schoenberg for the photo from today’s low-low tide:

This is the Fauntleroy Ferry Dock right at the lowest point of today’s low tide. The pilings are completely out of the water. The other side of the dock where the ferries meet the dock was much deeper, of course. The ferry employees said that the biggest problem is actually that there isn’t enough water for the propellers to provide enough thrust, especially the reverse thrust needed while docking. So slowing down while docking becomes difficult and they risk slamming into the pilings instead of gently docking. Luckily our ferry fleet can float in just 12 feet of water.

If you can get outside at midday, it’ll be -3.2 feet – same as today – again tomorrow, at 12:24 pm.

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Celebration of life June 18th for Mark E. Moore
June 5, 2016 6:24 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends will gather on June 18th to celebrate the life of Mark Moore, 62. Here’s the remembrance that’s being shared with the community:

Mark Edward Moore, 62, of Seattle, passed away on Tuesday, February 23rd, 2016 with his loving wife, daughter, and son at his side.

Mark was born on August 3, 1953, to Elna and Dean Moore. He was the youngest of the couple’s four children.

He was a graduate of West Seattle High School and in 1979 married his wife, Susan Geary. Mark and Susan had two children: daughter Danielle, who was born in 1980, and son Kelsey, who followed in 1982.

For over 2 decades, Mark worked for Kings Command Food Inc., where he held multiple positions. Mark was a sports enthusiast. He was a die-hard Seattle sports fan and loved to watch the Seahawks, Mariners, and Sonics play. And on sunny weekends, you could often find him playing 18 holes at Foster Golf Course.

He was preceded in death by his father Dean and his sister Susan.

He is survived by his wife Susan Moore, daughter Danielle Ellis, son Kelsey Moore, mother Elna Brown, brother Douglas Moore, sister Cheryl O’Brien, and granddaughter Holly Ellis. Mark was a loving husband, father, son, and friend, and will be greatly missed.

Please join us to celebrate Mark’s life on Saturday, June 18th, between 1 pm and 4 pm at the White Center Eagles, located at 10452 15th Ave SW.

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

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West Seattle weekend scene: KEXP Hood-to-Hood encore
June 5, 2016 5:35 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle weekend scene: KEXP Hood-to-Hood encore
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

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In our photo, broadcasting live this afternoon from the Youngstown Cultural Arts Center parking lot, are KEXP’s Becky (at laptop), Evie, and DJ Quilty 3000. It’s the second year in a row that West Seattle has been home to KEXP’s Hood to Hood victory party – the prize for the neighborhood whose residents raise the most money during a special fundraising drive for the radio station. The afternoon included live performances, food trucks, a beer garden, and vendors, but though the Youngstown party wraps at 6 pm, the Hood to Hood revelry isn’t over – a live-music showcase starts at The Skylark at 6:30 pm, hosted by West Seattle-residing KEXP DJ Troy Nelson, who then moves to Shadowland in The Junction for a DJ set during the Hood to Hood afterparty at 9.

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PHOTOS: Baby Orca Birthday Bash @ Alki Bathhouse
June 5, 2016 3:49 pm
|    Comments Off on PHOTOS: Baby Orca Birthday Bash @ Alki Bathhouse
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news | Wildlife

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3:49 PM: The orca baby boom of the past year and a half is getting a proper celebration right now at Alki Bathhouse – with birthday cakes! Ella’s Cakes has just been announced as first-place winner, followed by Hot Cakes and BAKED. The Baby Orca Birthday Bash is on until 5 – get down here for more fun including Orca Bingo with The Whale Trail! June is Orca Awareness Month, so you can keep celebrating beyond today – and learning, too, which is a big part of what this event is about:

That’s just one educational point – without salmon, the Southern Resident Killer Whales won’t survive.

9:45 PM: A few more photos – first, our West Seattle-based orca advocates, Donna Sandstrom from The Whale Trail:

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And Jeff Hogan from Killer Whale Tales:

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Outside the bathhouse, Mike the inflatable orca, aka J29:

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For more on Orca Awareness Month – go here.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: Car fire at 1st/Olson
June 5, 2016 3:04 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

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Thanks to Kylee Schmuck for sending that photo of the car that caught fire at the east end of the Roxbury corridor a little while ago – 1st and Olson (map), according to the Seattle Fire dispatch. No word of any injuries but Seattle Police have been dispatched to handle traffic in the aftermath of the fire, so avoid the area for a while if you can.

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YOU CAN HELP: Why one West Seattle woman is running today
June 5, 2016 12:34 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

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(Kate, mom Denise, and son Alex, an Alki Elementary student, atop the Columbia Tower last winter)

One local woman out running today is on a quest – you may already have seen Kate Calamatta out along the Alki Trail if she kept to her original plan:

I’m a West Seattle resident originally from the UK. In March this year my Mum had a very serious road traffic accident in the South of England. I was running along Alki when I got the news. 24 hours later I was by her bedside at Southampton Neuro ICU in the UK. She was in a bad way and it was touch and go for the first few week. After nearly two weeks she began to awake from her coma and begin her long journey of rehabilitation. Now she’s in a specialist unit for traumatic brain injury. Progress is being made but it is a slow and hard fight. There’s no doubting she will be impaired for life.

After the accident my Mum was airlifted by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance to Southampton. Had this service not been available there’s no way she would have survived. The Air Ambulance is a charity and not funded by the UK govt.

I have been running for only 8 months and after Mum’s accident I decided to do something substantial to raise money for the people who saved her life. So, (today) I will be running a half marathon that will begin at Queen Anne and end at my home in West Seattle.

So, if anyone sees (or saw) me, a hunkered down, slow, exhausted looking runner, jogging along Alki, please give me a cheer and some positive vibes! I’ll be easily recognizable by my slow pace, red face, black leggings, grey vest and a black headband! Also, if anyone is moved to do so, please look at my fundraising page:
I know this is a foreign charity for most of the people in WS but it is a very worthwhile cause that makes a real difference.

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Highland Park Spraypark: Working today!
June 5, 2016 11:47 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Just in case you were wondering – after a breakdown yesterday, the Highland Park Spraypark is back up and running today, in time for what’s expected to be an even hotter afternoon/evening than yesterday. We just went over to check firsthand, and that’s what we found. (We won’t be able to find out from Seattle Parks what caused yesterday’s problem until tomorrow.)

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West Seattle Sunday: Low-low tide, Hood-to-Hood, Baby Orca Bash, much more…
June 5, 2016 7:29 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

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(Low-tide photos by Jamie Kinney)

Good morning – here’s what you need to know for your West Seattle Sunday:

TRAFFIC ALERTS: This morning, SDOT is scheduled to continue installing the new “zone” signs to help emergency crews know where to find incidents on the West Seattle Bridge, and warns that could cause “rolling slowdowns.” Then tonight, the next closure of the west end of the bridge is scheduled, 9 pm-5 am, for the ongoing Fauntleroy Expressway earthquake-safety cushion re-replacement project.

Now, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

LOW-LOW TIDE, WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: 10 am-2 pm, Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists are out again at Constellation Park and Lincoln Park.

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Go explore the shore – carefully! – during this low-low tide, all the way out to -3.2 feet at 11:39 am.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. Special feature today – 11 am-12:30 am, demonstration by Britt’s Pickles on making pickles and Moroccan carrots. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon)

FURRY FACES FOUNDATION PLANT SALE: 11 am-4 pm, it’s the second day of a fabulous plant sale to help Furry Faces‘ animal-advocacy work – details in our calendar listing. (3809 46th SW)

TATTOOS TO BENEFIT BULLDOGS: Alaska Street Tattoo Parlour in The Junction is raising money today for Bulldog Haven NW – sign up for a spot starting at 11 am – cash only. (4310 SW Alaska)

CARE FOR KIDS DONATION DRIVE: As previewed here on Saturday, noon-6 pm, you can drop off donations of personal-care products to launch Care for Kids, helping local schoolkids whose families might have a tough time affording them. (1701 SW Austin)

HOOD-TO-HOOD VICTORY CELEBRATION: West Seattle fans of KEXP won the neighborhood-vs.-neighborhood fundraising competition again last year, and today’s the promised celebration, starting with a live noon-6 pm broadcast from Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, and then afterparties at other venues – see the lineup in our calendar listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Noon-4 pm, visit the home of West Seattle’s history. (61st SW/SW Stevens)

COLMAN POOL: Three swim sessions between noon and 7 pm on this second and final day of the second pre-season weekend for the pool on the shore at Lincoln Park – see the schedule here. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)

ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: 1-4 pm, the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary invites you to come tour the historic lighthouse at Alki Point – be there by 3:40 pm to get access for the final tour of the day. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)

BABY ORCA BIRTHDAY BASH: 2-5 pm at the Alki Bathhouse, it’s a celebration of the calves born to the Southern Resident Killer Whales, with fun and education for all ages – free! Details in our preview. (61st SW/Alki SW)

SEATTLE METROPOLITAN SINGERS: Catch them in concert at 3 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church. (3050 California SW)

BRIAN BUTLER: “Modern and original songs” plus “classic blues” at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 3-5 pm. (5612 California SW)

MORE! on our complete calendar.

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UPDATE: Fire behind house on 35th SW south of Myrtle
June 5, 2016 4:09 am
|      16 COMMENTS
 |   Sunrise Heights | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

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(Added 4:59 am: Photo sent by neighbor)

FIRST REPORT, 4:09 AM: A full Seattle Fire Department response is starting to arrive at an address near 35th and Myrtle, and reporting that they see flames. They’re blocking all lanes of 35th at the scene.

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(WSB photo)

4:16 AM: The fire is described as tapped/”knocked down” but there’s some concern about wires.

4:27 AM: Our crew is on scene and reports that while the address on the 911 log is that of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this fire was in a shed detached structure behind the house on 35th immediately *south* of the church. SFD’s investigator is on the way to try to find out what caused it. No injuries reported.

4:53 AM: SFD is still on scene mopping up. We’ll check back at the scene when it’s more fully light out.

4:59 AM: Top photo added, showing the burned structure engulfed in flames, taken by nearby resident who says, “Very thankful to neighbor who woke us up.”

5:35 AM: We just checked back at the scene. 35th SW is open again. SFD has a crew still on scene protecting against flareups, including putting more foam on a tree to which the flames were spreading before the fire was out.

foam1

In our photo, you can see the charred remains of the burned structure behind the chain-link fence. Neighbors say a car was damaged, too.

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COUNTDOWN: Morgan Junction Community Festival 2016 in two weeks
June 4, 2016 9:16 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Now that June’s here, the big events are rolling in like the tide.

Two weeks from today – on Saturday, June 18th – we are proud to again be co-sponsoring the Morgan Junction Community Festival, in and around Morgan Junction Park, 10 am-5 pm. It’ll bring the first West Seattle summertime sighting of The Bubbleman, at 11:30 am; the Bark of Morgan Pooch Parade is back too, welcoming you and your canine companion(s) at 1:30 pm; and throughout the day, you’ll enjoy live music, food trucks, kids’ activities, and a treat for reading fans – a chance to meet and hear from more than a dozen local authors. We’ll be there to cover the festival live all day – hope to see you there!

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YOU CAN HELP! Local woman launching ‘Care for Kids’
June 4, 2016 6:25 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Want to do a good deed before the weekend’s out? Be part of the first donation drive for a new community group called Care for Kids. Organizer Nicole Jackson explains that the goal is to make sure that kids have access to the hygiene items they need even if their families can’t afford them. Noon-6 pm tomorrow, she’s hoping for donations of the following items:

Please feel free to drop off fresh: toothpaste, deodorant, dental floss, hair care and styling products, cocoa butter lotion, Gold Bond powder, small hand sanitizers (backpack convenient) and anything else you wonderful, generous folks feel like donating.

She says the first goal is to make kits for students at Sanislo Elementary. The dropoff spot is in West Seattle, 1701 SW Austin, noon-6 pm tomorrow (Sunday).

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