Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes with warnings about theft:

WESTCREST PARK: Via scanner this afternoon, a report of car prowlers on the loose again – someone broke a car window, grabbed a purse, took off in a car with no plates. (That’s all the description we heard.)

LINCOLN PARK: Greg sent this report about what he saw last Sunday, thinking it might help you understand how car prowlers work. We missed it until a mailbox review today, but still enlightening:

When I was driving down Fauntleroy from the ferry dock direction toward Morgan Junction, I saw a woman breaking into a car in the first parking lot directly after the dock.

This woman was mid-40s? or slightly older but it was difficult to tell her age because she looked like a longtime drug addict/meth head. She had very bright burgundy red dyed hair and was dressed like a jogger, with maroon stretch pants and a white sleeveless stretch top. She drives a white Scion xb, the box like looking car a 2004-2007 model (the front ends are different), and the car was clean and would not stand out in any way.

As I was stuck driving behind a bus we were waiting on Fauntleroy and out of the corner of my eye I noticed this woman get out of the passenger side of her vehicle and then suddenly push her body against the car parked next to her and start jerking her hands up and down, it took me a moment to realize that she was using a slim jim and trying to pop the lock on the car, while she looked around making sure nobody was watching. What surprised me is that there were a ton of people getting in and out of cars, but no one was paying this woman any attention as she was dressed like any other park goer and was parked close enough to the other car to attend to her business without being seen.

I wound down my window to get a better look and this is when the woman turned and saw me staring right at her, so she then proceeded to do a bunch of exaggerated stretching like she was going for a run while I was staring at her. This part was comical as this woman although dressed like the average park going runner, looked like she had never exercised a day in her life and the haggard look of her face screamed drug abuse and I could clearly see the slim jim in her hand the entire time she was pantomiming being a jogger getting ready for her run.

I was on the way to drop off my 3 year old daughter or I would have jumped out of my car and at least gotten some pictures, but I dialed 911 and informed them what I was witnessing and then went and dropped off my kid about 5 minutes away.

On the way back to Arbor Heights, the parking lots of Lincoln park had at least two cop cars in each lot, way to go WS Police for the quick reaction, so I parked and spoke to one of the officers and pointed out that although the woman was not currently in sight her car was still in the lot. When I left they were leaving an officer stationed down the road to wait for the woman to return to her car.

Did they find her? We don’t know but will be looking for an incident number so we can try to find out.

WARNING FOR SALE HOSTS: From Kristi:

My tenant (in Upper Alki) was having a moving sale and her purse with her house and car keys, money, and credit cards was stolen from an off-limits bathroom whose door was closed and it was in the middle of the house, not in a back corner. The police were called and we changed all the locks.

P.S. Both the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council and Block Watch Captains Network are on meeting hiatus for the next two months but there’s another opportunity to talk about neighborhood crime/safety – the focus groups that researcher Jennifer Burbridge is hosting – check this recent WSB story for the list.

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COUNTDOWN: Alki Art Fair 2016, three weeks away

July 2, 2016 1:37 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

Lots of countdowns now that the biggest month of West Seattle summer fun has arrived, with big events including this one:

3 weeks from today, it’s day 1 of the two-day Alki Art Fair (with this year’s sponsors including WSB). AAF spokesperson Diane Venti says the lineup so far includes almost 90 artists, 30 musicians, and eight food vendors. And YOU can be part of it all if you can spare a little time to volunteer … e-mail volunteers@alkiartfair.org – thanks, and we’ll see you at the beach!

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TOMORROW: Low-low tide with sign-language interpretation at Constellation Park

July 2, 2016 12:06 pm

| Comments Off on TOMORROW: Low-low tide with sign-language interpretation at Constellation Park

| West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

The Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists are out again this weekend, with the return of low-low tides; we took this photo overlooking Constellation Park, where tomorrow, there’s a special addition, mentioned on the program’s home page: Sign-language interpretation will be available 10 am-1 pm on the beach here, south of Alki Point. (Tomorrow’s tide bottoms out at 10:38 am, -2.7 feet.)

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West Seattle Saturday: Wine, swimming, and song …

July 2, 2016 9:10 am

| Comments Off on West Seattle Saturday: Wine, swimming, and song …

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Staycationing this holiday weekend? Enjoy what’s happening right here on the peninsula! Highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

COLMAN POOL: Noon-7 pm, you can swim at West Seattle’s only city-run outdoor pool – here’s the schedule. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Noon-4 pm, learn about West Seattle and vicinity at our only local museum, run by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society. (61st SW/SW Stevens)

TOUR THE LIGHTHOUSE: The Alki Point Lighthouse is open for free tours courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, 1-4 pm, arrive no later than 3:40 pm. (Alki SW/Beach Drive SW)

WINE RELEASE, DAY 2: Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) is celebrating the release of these three new wines – a 2015 Viognier, a 2015 Rosé, and the new 2012 Red Wine Blend:

The Viscon Cellars tasting room is open 2-7 pm today. (5910 California SW)

SKATING POLLY @ EASY STREET: 7 pm at Easy Street Records, live, free, all-ages in-store show by Oklahoma sister duo Skating Polly. (California SW/SW Alaska)

DIFFERENT DRUMMER AT KENYON HALL: 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall, come see and hear the “multi-genre chamber ensemble” Different Drummer. (7904 35th SW)

3 ACTS AT THE SKYLARK: 9 pm, live music at The Skylark – details in our listing. $7 cover, 21+. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

4 ACTS AT PARLIAMENT TAVERN: 9 pm, live music at Parliament Tavern – details in our listing. No cover, 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

If you’re still planning your 4th of July … remember the special WSB one-page guide!

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Why fire and beaches don’t mix: Driftwood damage at Lowman

July 2, 2016 7:58 am

| 25 COMMENTS

| West Seattle beaches | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

Thanks to the texter who sent that photo from Lowman Beach, where what they describe as “upsetting” damage has just been done to its longstanding driftwood stack, upon which many a sunset viewer has sat, many a child has climbed. The Seattle Fire 911 log shows a one-engine “illegal burn” callout around quarter to 6 this morning (and just as we were about to publish this, an investigation callback minutes ago). For obvious reasons – all underscored by this photo – fires are only allowed in approved fire pits on Seattle beaches, and in West Seattle, Alki Beach is the only place you’ll find those (some still flout the rules, and “illegal burn” calls on the 911 log are not uncommon).

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VIDEO: 360 degrees, undersea, with Diver Laura

July 1, 2016 10:57 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Wildlife

A new way to see undersea! “Diver Laura” James is shooting with 360-degree video equipment and shares two clips with us. You can benefit from the full-surround perspective by putting your cursor in the video and clicking/dragging it around, to look up, down, all around. Above, she was off Constellation Park with jellyfish; below – in the Alki Pipeline shallows with perch:

If you have any trouble with fully exploring the clips via the embedded versions above, their YouTube pages are here (jellyfish) and here (perch).

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MONDAY! West Seattle 4th of July Kids’ Parade 2016 schedule

July 1, 2016 7:39 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Holidays | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo)

Are you ready? Monday morning, the 22nd annual West Seattle 4th of July Kids’ Parade walks and rolls through North Admiral. New coordinator Emily Williams shares the route, reminders, and schedule for how it’ll all unfold. First, please don’t park along the parade route, shown below – from 44th and Sunset, it goes southwest on Sunset to SW Atlantic, east on Atlantic to SW Ferry and back north to Hamilton Viewpoint Park:

If you’re not planning to participate or watch, do note that the parade crosses California SW at Atlantic, and SPD will stop traffic while that happens. Metro Route 128 will be re-routed, too.

Here’s the schedule:

10 am at 44th and Sunset, before the parade gets going, gather to hear from the West Seattle Hi-Yu Junior Court and scheduled guest speakers Mayor Ed Murray and King County Executive Dow Constantine, plus 12-year-old Aine Molloy singing the national anthem.

Then – parade time! All non-motorized, except for the SPD escorts at the start and finish, plus a Seattle Fire engine and the “neighborhood blue truck” at the start. Decorate your scooter, wagon, stroller, bike, hat, etc.!

10:50 am: Hamilton Viewpoint Park games – highlighted by the gunny-sack races – start after the parade arrives. SPD and SFD vehicles usually stay so you can get a closer look. This is also where to drop off your diaper donations for the WestSide Baby drive! And bring a few $ for concessions sold by the Admiral Neighborhood Association. Speaking of $ – the crowdfunding campaign to cover parade costs needs just a bit more to make the goal. Help if you can! And – we’ll see you in Admiral on Monday!

P.S. For even more of what’s happening in West Seattle on the 4th, see our guide.

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Also happening : Lincoln Park food truck; Beer Junction turns 6; music students at Skylark

July 1, 2016 4:29 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

This morning’s “West Seattle Friday” preview was shorter than usual, because of everything else going on. Here are three more things:

FOOD TRUCK AT LINCOLN PARK: John e-mailed to share the news that “a new food truck has a permit to sell on the beach walk in Lincoln Park Thursdays-Sundays”:

“Lil J’s Super Dawgs is selling Bavarian Meats fresh-grilled dogs, brats, and sausages, with a variety of toppings, along with fries, nachos, and chili. First time food available in Lincoln Park, cold beverages too!” Hours are 3-7 pm Thursdays-Fridays, 11 am-7 pm Saturdays-Sundays. (See the menu here.)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, BEER JUNCTION! The 6th-anniversary celebration at The Beer Junction (4511 California SW) is under way. Proprietor Morgan Herzog tells WSB, “A local Seattle brewery – Cloudburst Brewing – brewed our 6th Anniversary beer called Brontosaurus Supernova IPA, which will be released today. We also have lots of rare beers on tap.” More info here.

MUSIC STUDENTS AT SKYLARK: Thanks to Mia for the heads-up that West Side Music Academy‘s summer campers are performing at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), free, 5-8 tonight. She’s been coaching them on drums and sent this photo:

Skylark has a comprehensive event calendar on its website – peek at all of July by going here.

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Junction flags for the 4th: Can you help?

July 1, 2016 3:09 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, Memorial Day 2016)

Decorating the West Seattle Junction for Independence Day is dependent on volunteers … can you spare a little time to help place and/or remove the flags? Neighborhood volunteer Tom Bucy is leading the effort on Monday but needs helpers – for an hour in the morning and/or an hour in the afternoon. You’ll meet on the northeastern corner of California/Alaska (by Cupcake Royale) – 9 am, to bring flags up from the basement storage under CR and install them; 5 pm, to take them down and return them to storage. If you can help, please call Tom at 206-351-1048 to let him know.

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One more pre-4th plea: Hands off the fireworks

July 1, 2016 1:35 pm

| 19 COMMENTS

| Safety | West Seattle news

Fireworks danger was the main topic of the Harborview Medical Center media briefing we attended after finding out it would include an update about this morning’s deadly incident by the bridge. So here are the fireworks-related toplines, from hospital, SPD, and SFD officials. Assistant Chief Charles Cordova, newly promoted and appointed Seattle Fire Marshal, spoke for SFD. Some numbers:

*Statewide, 481 fireworks-related injuries and/or fires reported last year, 11 percent more than 2014

*At Harborview, 54 people were treated for fireworks injuries last year, ranging from “finger amputations to fractures to burns to faces and hands,” says SFD, with 11 so far this year

*If there’s a fireworks-related fire or injury on the 4th, *do* call 911. For other fireworks violations, you’re asked to call 206-625-5011

SPD’s advisory is here; SFD’s advisory is here. And as we mentioned earlier this week, it’s not just about safety … it’s about the mess, the damage, and the noise, especially its effect on pets.

P.S. Nationally, fireworks were blamed for at least 11 deaths last year.

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UPDATE: 1 worker dies after truck driver hits lift by West Seattle Bridge, sending 2 falling

July 1, 2016 9:35 am

| 41 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

9:35 AM: Continuing the coverage we began just after 8 am in our morning traffic watch:

Two workers were rushed to Harborview Medical Center after a truck driver hit the lift they were in, working by the west end of the West Seattle Bridge.

One worker, described as a 40-year-old man, has life-threatening injuries, and that’s why the Seattle Police Traffic Collision Investigation Squad was called out.

This happened alongside the bridge, on the exit from surface Spokane Street headed up to Admiral Way, and that area is blocked off right now. This is where the Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-cushion work has been under way but we haven’t yet verified with SDOT that the crew was associated with that project. We will update this report with any further information about the investigation, the victims, and the road closure, which we’re hearing may expand to block off more of the Spokane/Manning/Admiral intersection.

10:08 AM: The turn from Avalon to cut under the bridge toward Admiral is also blocked off.

11:14 AM: We are just back from the briefing at Harborview, but as commenters point out, SPD Blotter was updated in the meantime. They confirmed to us at Harborview (where SFD had a fireworks-safety briefing pre-scheduled, and we then found out SPD and SDOT would be answering questions about this incident, so we headed there) that the crew was working on the Fauntleroy Expressway project, and that the truck we had photographed on Admiral Way (above) was the one involved. SDOT spokesperson Rick Sheridan told us at the briefing that it’s too soon to say if this will delay the completion of the bridge work, which has been under way since May. More to come, including video of the briefing.

12:10 PM: Harborview spokesperson Susan Gregg confirms what a commenter had reported earlier – that the man who fell the furthest has died.

1:18 PM: We’re just back from checking on what’s still closed off. TCIS was clearing the Avalon/Harbor intersection while we were there, but the scene itself, westbound lower Spokane to Admiral, was still closed. We’ll check back at midafternoon.

2:52 PM: Per both scanner and Twitter, the scene has fully cleared.

UPDATE: Incident on SW Spokane St at SW Admiral Way has cleared. All lanes open.

— seattledot (@seattledot) July 1, 2016

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4 for your West Seattle Friday

July 1, 2016 9:31 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Four highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for the rest of today/tonight:

FIND IT ON FRIDAYS: Starting today, the High Point (35th/Raymond) and South Park (8604 8th S.) branches of the Seattle Public Library are now open again on Fridays, 11 am-6 pm, and SPL is celebrating with “Find It On Fridays” – explained here.

VISCON CELLARS WINE RELEASE: Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) is releasing three new wines today and tomorrow. From Ben Viscon: “We are releasing a 2015 Viognier called “Perseverance.” Artwork on this label is from Jesse Link. Also a 2015 Rosé of Syrah, and our new 2012 Red Wine Blend.” The tasting room is open 5-9 pm tonight and 2-7 pm Saturday. (5910 California SW)

CORNER BAR: Highland Park Improvement Club‘s monthly Corner Bar is tonight, starting at 6 pm. Live music by Squirrel Butter. More info in our calendar listing. (12th SW/SW Holden)

KOTO JAZZ: Chris Kenji and Koto Jazz, live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) tonight, 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

LOTS MORE … on our complete calendar.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Pre-holiday Friday; truck hits lift under bridge

July 1, 2016 6:57 am

| 10 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)

6:57 AM: Good morning and happy Friday. No incidents in or from West Seattle, so far. Here’s what you need to know as the holiday weekend arrives:

NEXT BRIDGE CLOSURE, TUESDAY NIGHT: The Fauntleroy Expressway seismic-safety work is done for the week, and because of Monday’s holiday, the next overnight closure of the west end of the West Seattle Bridge isn’t scheduled until Tuesday night-Wednesday morning.

HOLIDAY TRANSIT CHANGES: They’re in our one-page West Seattle 4th of July guide.

MONDAY PARADE: Later this morning, we’re publishing an update on Monday’s 4th of July Kids’ Parade in North Admiral. If you’re not participating or watching, main thing to remember in terms of traffic is that the parade crosses California SW at Atlantic while en route to the endpoint at Hamilton Viewpoint Park, and police stop traffic at that point. Metro Route 128 will be rerouted, too.

CITYWIDE ALERTS: Here’s the SDOT roundup for the holiday weekend, including the M’s schedule at Safeco.

8:01 AM: We’re hearing a dispatch for an emergency response on or near the West Seattle Bridge – the medical response is being sent to the Nucor vicinity, possibly a construction worker falling from a lift; we haven’t yet heard what they’ve found, but if you’re seeing a response in the area, that’s what’s going on.

8:09 AM: According to the scanner, a construction worker fell at least 30 feet from a lift and is being rushed to the hospital – there is reported to be a second victim on the ramp to Admiral from lower Spokane St. We’re still not clear on how this happened nor how it is affecting traffic but are headed to the scene to try to find out.

8:13 AM: Per scanner, a truck hit the lift, causing the fall. The victim is reported to be 40 years old and has multiple injuries. We will likely break this out to a separate report shortly but for now it appears westbound lower Spokane to Admiral is where the traffic effects are. Police are investigating.

8:49 AM: SFD has clarified that the two people who were hurt and taken to the hospital are both workers. One has life-threatening injuries. The other is seriously hurt, per SFD. The major incident-investigation squad TCIS has responded so the ramp to Admiral – again, this is the ramp from surface Spokane, not from the bridge itself – will likely be closed for hours.

9:35 AM: We’re continuing our coverage of the lift/truck incident in this just-published story.

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