West Seattle, Washington
27 Friday
Got a strong sentiment about what you do, or don’t, want the city to do with your money? Tomorrow is a big night to step up and speak your mind, as the City Council‘s first budget hearing happens Wednesday night. It’s at City Hall downtown, but traditionally, people come from all over Seattle for a moment in the spotlight as they voice their thoughts about the budget.
One issue of particular interest to community advocates: The resolution that would formalize what Mayor Murray announced in July – his hopes of cutting off city support for neighborhood-district councils (of which West Seattle has two), moving much of it to a new citywide Community Involvement Commission. Below, you can read the resolution that spells out how that group would be formed, among other things – one member from each of the seven City Council districts, seven more members to be appointed by the mayor, and two to be chosen by the commission, with mayoral and council approval required:
This is one of many budget topics the council is likely to hear about Wednesday night. The entire 841-page proposed-budget document is here; what the council wants to hear most at this stage, as explained by our area’s Councilmember Lisa Herbold (read her budget-process explainer/timeline here), is what you would like them to change, or NOT change, in the mayor’s proposal. We featured a few other toplines the day it was made public.
HEARING INFO: The hearing starts at 5:30 Wednesday at City Hall downtown (600 4th Ave.). Child care will be available – scroll down this page to see where to go and when.
(UPDATED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON with message to Denny/Sealth families)
ORIGINAL TUESDAY NIGHT REPORT: Seattle Public Schools says it’s working with police to investigate social-media posts related to a nationwide wave of school threats that accompany photos of clowns. The district sent this message late today (thanks to the parents who forwarded it to us):
The Seattle School District has been contacted by a number of individuals concerned about an ongoing national social media trend related to “Scary Clowns.” There have been a few local news stories related to this and some of our students have received pictures of clowns. We are communicating to families to remind you and your student that if they see suspicious individuals while at school, please have them inform their teacher or principal immediately. We also ask you to report any threatening social media activity that involves Seattle Public Schools or our students to your school or the district’s Safety and Security Office at (206) 252-0707. This office is open 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.
We take safety seriously, and the security of our students is a top priority. We are working closely with Seattle Police Department to investigate all concerns related to this social media trend.
West Seattle High School is among the schools dealing with this – its families got this message from principal Ruth Medsker:
Hello families-
You may be hearing from your students and or the media about threats to West Seattle High School involving “creepy clowns.” This is part of a national social media trend that has impacted schools and districts nationwide. Within the last 48 hours it has come to the Pacific Northwest. Many schools, including West Seattle, are named in various Instagram and Facebook posts. It was brought to our attention this morning by district security and our students.
West Seattle High School administration notified police and currently there is an open investigation. Police have increased patrols in the community.
Please talk with your student about media safety and encourage them to report anything that makes them feel unsafe.
On the national level, this all goes back at least a month, according to one East Coast news publication.
ADDED 2:34 PM WEDNESDAY: The district message above has been sent today to Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School families, according to Denny principal Jeff Clark, and prefaced with this:
Good Afternoon Denny and Sealth Scholars and Families,
Below is a message that was sent out to all families in Seattle Public Schools last night to address the concern of “Scary Clowns” that is happening across the country through social media. Here at Denny and Sealth, we have also been checking into these social media rumors about clowns. To ease any anxiety, we wanted to let you know that we are not aware of any threatening posts related to either of our schools at this time.
Sincerely,
Jeff Clark, Principal
Denny International Middle SchoolAida Fraser-Hammer, Principal
Chief Sealth International High School
(Young helpers during last spring’s Duwamish Alive!)
Recent events have reminded us how intensely people feel about greenspaces. Twice a year, Duwamish Alive! offers a chance for you to show you care with a few hours of hands-on effort in forests and other greenspaces in the Duwamish River’s watershed, as well as on the river itself. With the fall edition coming up on Saturday, October 22nd, here’s a semi-early alert so you can sign up to spend a few hours at the site where you would like to make a difference. Follow the link above to the DA website, where you will find the location list.
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo of a car that flipped on the eastbound side of Roxbury near 5th. They say traffic is backed up “to about 12th” – so avoid the area for a while. As you can see from the responding agencies, this is on the county side. Since a private ambulance is responding, it appears no one suffered life-threatening injuries. Metro says Routes 60 and 113 are rerouted on the eastbound side as a result:
Transit Alert – Rts 60 & 113 are rerouted EB off SW Roxbury St between 8 Av SW & 4 Av SW; use stops west of 8 Av SW & east of 4 Av SW.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) October 4, 2016
4:54 PM: Metro says the buses are back to their regular routing.
Kid(s) in your family waiting for the renovated north Lincoln Park play area to reopen? Won’t be long, according to an update today from Seattle Parks. In a post on the blog-format Parkways website, focusing on Park District-funded play-area projects around the city, there’s a detailed update concluding with: “We are thrilled to report that we are still on target to open at the end of October!” Work on the $600,000 project began two months ago.
One week after the 3-alarm fire at the Lam-Bow Apartments on Delridge, we’ve just received word of a benefit event next week, on October 14th, when classes are out for Seattle Public Schools and the independent schools that follow its calendar. Just out of the WSB inbox:
Watts Basketball is passionate about helping the community making a difference in kids and families lives. As some of you know, there was a fire in West Seattle last week that affected the lives of many families in our community. To help those families in need, we are having a school’s-out clinic at Delridge Community Center on Friday, October 14th from 9 am-3 pm for grades 3rd-8th. There is a $65 registration/donation fee and the profits will be donated to the “Lam-Bow Fire Relief Fund”. Here are ways that you can donate:
· Register for the school’s-out camp: Go here
· Come in person and make a donation “Check payable to the Lam Bow Fire Relief”We would also appreciate any high-school kids coming in and volunteering to help out with the camp as well.
Let’s make a difference in our community!
The fire on September 27th did $3.3 million damage to more than 20 apartments in the Seattle Housing Authority-owned building and the belongings of the 44 people who lived in those apartments. SHA’s website has a page with donation information, where checks can be sent to the aforementioned fund; the community groups that have been collecting material donations say that volunteer sorting help is what they still need most (check in with Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).
Deron Woods
Watts Basketball
901 Occidental Ave S. Suite 206, Seattle, WA 98101
Personal 425-606-1665 | Office 206-467-1383
Fall’s here and flu season looms. If you haven’t had a flu shot yet, you might be eligible for these clinics – thanks to Chief Sealth International High School nurse Alison Enochs for the info:
2 WEST SEATTLE FLU SHOT CLINICS OFFERED BY THE VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION
Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle)
Monday, October 10, 3:00 to 5:30West Seattle High School (3000 California Ave SW)
Tuesday October 11, 3:00 to 6:00Flu Shots are available to all SPS employees, students and their families (children four years of age and older).
PARENTAL CONSENT NEEDED FOR ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18.
PLEASE HELP US KEEP OUR SCHOOLS, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITY HEALTHY*ALL PARTICIPANTS NEED TO SHOW AN INSURANCE CARD.
*VISITING NURSE ASSOCIATION WILL BILL INSURANCE (not able to accept Cigna or Kaiser)
*STUDENTS UNDER AGE 18 WITHOUT INSURANCE WILL RECEIVE A FREE VACCINATION
*COST FOR ADULTS WITHOUT INSURANCE IS $30
By Patrick Sand and Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
Reorganize, regroup, reinvent.
That’s what’s next for West Seattle Hi-Yu, after a meeting last night at which it was made clear that the people involved with the community organization are not ready to just let it die after more than 80 years. Read More
(Downy woodpecker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
MATH BUDDIES: Drop-in program at West Seattle (Admiral) Library for kids in grades K-5, 4-5 pm – play math games with teen volunteers. (2306 42nd DW)
FREE CHINESE-LANGUAGE CLASSES: Eight weeks, 4:30-6 pm, starting today, at Seattle Chinese Garden on Puget Ridge – info (including how to check if there’s still room) is in our calendar listing. (6000 16th SW)
JUSTIN KAUSAL-HAYES: Live acoustic music at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), 5-8 pm. (1936 Harbor SW)
VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE-WATCHING: 6 pm, it’s the one and only scheduled debate between the major-party vice presidential candidates Tim Kaine (D) and Mike Pence (R). OutWest is watching (California SW/SW Brandon) – anyone else?
‘DRINKING LIBERALLY’: Monthly meetup at Pizzeria 22 in The Admiral District, 6-7:30 pm – details in our calendar listing. (4213 SW College)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 7 pm at Delridge Library, for kids 1-5 and their families. Free. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
SIGGIE THE VINTAGE MAN: Live music at Whisky West in Morgan Junction, 7-9 pm, with Siggie the Vintage Man (photo above) – more about Siggie, here. (6451 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE SONGWRITER SHOWCASE: 8-11 pm at Parliament Tavern, “a night of original music and stories with Jared Mitchell, Ian Jones, and October’s guest, Trevor Ridge.” 21+, no cover. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
(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)
6:34 AM: Welcome to a rainy Tuesday. Trouble right now on southbound I-5 just south of the West Seattle Bridge – a crash blocking two lanes and partly blocking the ramp from the bridge to 5 – so if you use that route, you might want to wait a while before leaving.
Meantime, alerts and reminders:
WEEKEND VIADUCT CLOSURE REMINDER: We’re mentioning this daily so no one’s taken by surprise. The Alaskan Way Viaduct – really, Highway 99 between the West Seattle Bridge and Battery Street Tunnel – is scheduled for closure Saturday and Sunday (October 8-9), 6 am-6 pm each day, for its twice-yearly inspection. These often end early; we’ll be updating all weekend. ALSO: The Highway 520 floating bridge will be closed all weekend too. Here’s what WSDOT says about both closures.
ROAD-WORK ALERTS: Here’s what you need to know:
–Beach Drive SW, south of 61st SW: Today is the second of three scheduled days for repaving between Orleans and Charlestown.
–On Thursday and Friday, paving crews will move on to 39th SW between SW Oregon and Fauntleroy Way.
–The Spokane St. paving project east of the low bridge continues; here’s what’s being done now.
FERRY NOTE: The Kitsap is back on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run today, so capacity is back to normal.
7:20 AM: SPD/SFD are responding to a crash reported at 16th SW/SW Cambridge. Meantime, the SB I-5 crash has cleared.
7:54 AM: If you’re heading this way instead of outbound: Crash reported on westbound West Seattle Bridge @ Delridge.
8:36 AM: The SFD response to that incident has closed.
8:45 AM: And the crash has cleared, per SDOT.
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