West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
Thanks to David Hutchinson for the photo (and to Terry Burns for sending one too) – wildfire smoke from the Olympic Peninsula was clearly visible at sunset. While looking at tonight’s sunset, noticed what appears to be smoke from a fire in Olympic NP. David sent this link, where an update from yesterday says, “There are currently four small, lightning-caused fires burning in the Olympic National Park wilderness. Although there is no threat to visitor safety or facilities at this time, smoke may be visible. ‘Red flag’ conditions are expected for the next several days.” The Peninsula Daily News has a story from this afternoon with a few more details. The southernmost of those four fires is the Ignar Creek Fire, which looks like it might be in the right spot to generate what was seen here.
Four weeks after SDOT went public with its final decision on changes for SW Admiral Way west of California, tomorrow’s the day for its two announced “Walk and Talks.” The announcement on the project webpage says the main goal of the walking tours is to talk about more possible “pedestrian improvements” for the street. The first one starts at 10 am Saturday on the south side of Admiral at 49th SW (map); the second one, 11:15 am Saturday, is set to start at the entrance to Schmitz Park at Admiral/Stevens (map). Last month’s announcement was more than a year after SDOT’s original plan was met with a multitude of concerns.
As promised, we’re working our way through a lineup of followups on all the new food and/or beverage places in the works for West Seattle. Today, we checked in on Raccolto, which West Seattle-residing Chef Brian Clevenger is building out in the floor-level space at the Blueprint building on the north edge of The Junction (4147 California SW).
(WSB photo, March 2016)
“We’re in serious build mode,” Clevenger told WSB in a phone conversation this afternoon, also sounding a refrain consistent with other restaurateurs/new-business proprietors we’ve talked with lately – city permits taking longer than expected. More than five months, in the case of Raccolto: “It was tough.”
But now, opening night is in view: “We’re aiming for next month.”
In case you missed our previous coverage back in March – Clevenger, who runs Vendemmia and East Anchor Seafood in Madrona, plans to focus on pasta, seafood, and vegetables. (Some menu items are listed online.) “I like to cook the kind of food I like to eat,” he explained. “It may sound a little strange (but … some) chefs cook food they think other chefs would like to eat. It’s easy to fall into a fad. We are the furthest away from a fad that’s possible. Something that never goes out of style – good food at approachable prices. That’s what we pride ourselves on.” Someplace, he says, that people can afford to go to weekly, not just a monthly, quarterly, annual splurge.
But if you’re looking for something really out of the box, Clevenger adds that Raccolto will have the “Chef’s Counter” experience that is offered now at Vendemmia: A nightly “kitchen counter” seating for up to five people, at 6 pm, to be reserved up to 48 hours in advance, where (after you specify aversions and allergies in your reservation) “we create something that’s a surprise … a first course of five or six items, followed by pasta, protein, dessert.”
Raccolto, with seating for about 50, also has a mezzanine for private parties, looking into the kitchen on one side and the main dining area on the other. The restaurant will be open 5-10 pm nightly and will have a full bar – “craft cocktails, local beers, wine pairing with the food.” Clevenger says he can’t wait to be able to work in the same community where he lives.
4:28 PM: Thanks for the tips. One lane is still blocked on southbound Highway 99 near Atlantic, and that’s making the sluggish-at-best homeward commute worse than usual right now. A police car is behind the blocking vehicle, no tow truck in sight so far. If you have a desktop/laptop/landscape-view tablet and want to check before you go, the city’s Travelers Info Map has live video if you choose downtown and then Alaskan Way/Atlantic.
4:58 PM: Still no tow truck, and that area is still down to one lane as a result.
5:03 PM: Good news – the live video feed shows the tow truck just arrived.
5:20 PM: The tow truck has JUST left with the car, and the highway is back to 2 lanes at that spot.
(WSB photo: The open 2nd floor at Summit Sierra in the International District)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
As the charter organization Summit Public Schools starts the second year of classes at its first two Western Washington campuses, it says the third is on track to open in West Seattle one year from now.
We’ve been tracking Summit’s plans for the former church/supermarket building at 35th and Roxbury since discovering an early-stage proposal in city files at the start of 2015. The court fight over charter-school funding led to the California-based organization deciding at the end of last year to push back the West Seattle opening until fall 2017. Last spring, a new charter-funding plan became law (although it now is being challenged).
In the meantime, the principal originally announced for the Arbor Heights school, Greg Ponikvar, has since been reassigned to Summit’s Tacoma campus; he is a longtime Summit star, and they didn’t want to underutilize him, Summit’s regional director Jen Wickens told WSB. But the West Seattle middle/high school, to be called Summit Atlas, has a new leader in place already: Katie Bubalo, who we met during a media open house Wednesday at the Summit school in the International District, which we attended to find out the latest on the plans here. Read More
We have had a request out to Seattle Police all morning for information on possible gunfire in the Alki area early this morning. It just arrived via SPD Blotter, including word that while no one was reported injured at the scene, two victims showed up at the hospital later:
Gang Unit detectives are investigating after two people were shot in West Seattle early Friday morning.
Witnesses called 911 at 2:15 am when a group of 40 people began fighting near 59 Ave. SW and Alki Ave. SW.
Another caller said that two or three people now had guns and shots were being fired.
Officers arrived shortly after the shots but were unable to locate any victims. One caller found what he believed to be bullet damage to his home, but it was later determined to have been caused by a rock.
Two men drove up Harborview Medical Center at 2:30 am and checked themselves in for gunshot wounds. One suffered a gunshot wound to the lower back, while the other was shot in the arm. Gang Unit detectives spoke with both men and determined they were shot during the fight along Alki. Detectives do not believe this was a random shooting and that the victims may have known their attackers. Detectives continue to investigate and will provide updates when available.
If you have any information in this case please call the violent crime tip line at (206)233-5000.
This is the first case of anyone being injured by gunfire in the Alki area since last April, when gunfire in the same vicinity left one man with a hand injury.
(Young osprey with its catch – photographed by Mark Wangerin)
We start again today with some reminders meant to be helpful as temperatures rise. One reader asked us today about an updated list of all types of local, open-to-public businesses with air conditioning – we haven’t had the bandwidth to update that list in a while but if you have suggestions (especially, our reader suggested, for happy hour!), please comment, and we’ll add them below. Meantime, the city’s suggestions:
WEST SEATTLE LIBRARY WITH AIR CONDITIONING
High Point Library – 11 am-6 pm (35th SW/SW Raymond)
WEST SEATTLE CITY-RUN OUTDOOR AQUATIC FACILITIES OPEN TODAY
Highland Park Spray Park – 11 am-8 pm (1100 SW Cloverdale)
Lincoln Park Wading Pool – 11 am-8 pm (8600 Fauntleroy Way SW)
Hiawatha Wading Pool – Noon-6:30 pm (Walnut/Lander)
EC Hughes Wading Pool – Noon-7 pm (2805 SW Holden)
Colman Pool – Noon-7 pm (on the shore at Lincoln Park; schedule and fees here)
The city’s “master list” of ways/places to stay cool is here.
OTHER SUGGESTIONS FOR AIR-CONDITIONED SPOTS:
Adding your suggestions, but first, we’ll start:
Junction True Value (44th/Edmunds) – really! We were in on Thursday and enjoyed the chill. Plus, they’re selling misters (we Instagrammed one).
Suggested in a discussion on Twitter:
OutWest Bar (5401 California SW)
Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW)
West 5 (4539 California SW)
Whisky West (6451 California SW)
From comments:
Admiral Safeway (2622 California SW)
On to our spotlight listings from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
JAZZ AT SALTY’S: Stay cool on the waterfront! 5-8 pm, New Orleans jazz with the Dave Holo Trio. No cover/minimum. (1936 Harbor SW)
MOVIE AT HPIC: The Highland Park Improvement Club invites you to Movie Night! 6 pm doors open, 6:15 pm children’s short, 7 pm main feature, free. Details on the HPIC website. (12th SW/SW Holden)
MUSIC AT THE MOUNT: The 85th Street Big Band swings on the south side of the Providence Mount St. Vincent campus for tonight’s free concert. 6 pm music – bring your own chair/blanket – and if you’re interested, dinner/drinks are on sale starting at 5:30; see our listing for tonight’s menu. (4831 35th SW)
SEAN MCCONNELL @ EASY STREET: Free, all-ages in-store show by Sean McConnell at Easy Street Records in The Junction tonight, 6:30 pm. His music is described as ““Lyric-Driven Roots Rock with Soul.” (California SW/SW Alaska)
MUSICAL THEATER #1: Twelfth Night Productions presents “Hairspray” for the second and final weekend at the West Seattle High School Theater, 7:30 pm; ticket info here. (3000 California SW)
MUSICAL THEATER #2: ArtsWest‘s student production “Merrily We Roll Along” continues this weekend with a 7:30 pm performance tonight; ticket info here. (4711 California SW)
WHERE TO SEE IT ALL: Our full calendar has the entire lineup for today, tonight, beyond!
(Photo by Robin Lindsey)
Volunteer work … on the beach. Doesn’t get much better than that. Especially when it involves helping marine mammals and helping people learn about them. So here’s your chance! From Robin Lindsey @ Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network, which deals with more than seals:
We still have some spaces left for our Saturday, August 27th, Seal Sitters new volunteer training, held from 10 am-12:30 pm – see the details here.
Anyone interested must RSVP at the link above to ensure a seat. We welcome new volunteers and do encourage children to join the group, since they can learn to be environmental stewards and be empowered with protecting marine life.
We are definitely in the throes of harbor-seal pupping season now and it has certainly been an interesting season thus far with numerous seal pups, as well as the sad stranding of the humpback whale. Just (Wednesday) we had a report of a pup on the beach steps at Alki, but the pup didn’t linger long and left right before our responder arrived.
As always, if anyone sees a seal pup – or other marine mammal – on the beach or in trouble offshore, please call Seal Sitters hotline @ 206-905-SEAL (7325). Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network is a partner in NOAA’s West Coast MMSN and responds to reports of all marine mammals, dead or alive.
P.S. Here’s one of the seals guarded by SSMMSN recently – Robert Spears sent the photo from last week:
He says SSMMSN was there not only keeping the perimeter but also educating passersby.
Family and friends are remembering Delorise Pauline Reeves, who died this week at age 87. Here’s the tribute they are sharing with the community:
Delorise Reeves (Dee/Grandma D), age 87, entered eternal life on August 15, 2016. She was born on February 26, 1929, to parents Lester and Sarah Burton. Dee was the youngest of eight children. In 1945 she married Joe Bates. They had three children; in 1964 the marriage ended. Dee met Harry Reeves at Boeing and they married in 1967.
Always inclusive, Dee joyously welcomed anyone into her home and family. Everyone who spent time with her was bound to feel loved and accepted without judgement. She often went out of her way to take family members to classes, appointments, interviews and anything else that was needed. She never said no.
Her spirit is carried on by three children, seven grandchildren, eleven great-grandchildren, and two great-great-grandchildren. Son Larry Bates (Cris), grandchildren Erik, Kerry, and James. Son David Bates, grandchildren Andrea and Pauline; and daughter LeeAnn Tiede (Tom Jr.), grandchildren Matthew and Kirstin; as well as many nieces, nephews, friends, and family too numerous to list but not forgotten.
We were blessed to learn many valuable lessons from Dee, among them: Rats cannot survive after being struck by a rock catapulting from a slingshot. Also: shining a flashlight in family members’ eyes never ceases to be a great source of entertainment. Never say no to pet sitting, but while in your care feed them as many table scraps as possible. You could expect your dogs to be pleasantly plump upon your return. Stay young at heart and flirt with as many cuties as possible. No conversation is off limits. If your phone call goes unanswered, continue to call until they answer. Persistence is key. Never let a day go by where you don’t laugh. Be active,
play tennis, go camping and bowl with ferocity. Maintain lasting friendships. Never say no to a board game with your family. Thermostats have a mind of their own, they cannot be trusted. Give to every charity that asks. Swear that you haven’t donated to any, and act confused as to why they are sending you calendars. Attend church at least once a week and help out with whatever is needed.
Dee was everyone’s biggest supporter and will be missed fiercely. She is reunited with her husband Harry, her sisters, and many loved ones.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(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)
6:59 AM: Happy Friday! No incidents in West Seattle, or outbound from here, so far today.
WEEKEND NOTES: None of this weekend’s West Seattle events is likely to affect traffic/transportation. But as for the rest of the city, here’s SDOT’s roundup – Hempfest today through Sunday includes a road closure toward the north end of the downtown waterfront; the Mariners are home, which means games at Safeco Field tonight, Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon.
7:06 AM: This Metro cancellation just came through with no warning:
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave the Alaska Junction at 7:06 AM has been canceled this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 19, 2016
7:09 AM: And immediately following that:
Transit Alert – Route 56 to downtown Seattle due to leave 61st Ave SW & Alki Ave SW at 7:23 AM has been canceled this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) August 19, 2016
Metro also canceled one 56 and one 57 in the 7 am hour yesterday, as reported in our Thursday traffic/transit watch. We had asked their media liaisons for information on what’s going on, and are expecting that information today – depending on when it comes in, we’ll either update this report or publish something separate. These aren’t their only announced cancellations so far this morning system-wide – if you scroll through @kcmetrobus (the official Twitter feed), you’ll see eight cancellations for non-West Seattle routes so far.
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