West Seattle, Washington
19 Tuesday
6:38 PM: Our Election Night headquarters this year is Admiral Bird, which took reservations for its cozy space and is filling up.
Results have been on the big screen here for almost an hour and a half. “If anything is certain about tonight, it’s uncertainty,” said one of the CBS anchors just now. A moment later, CBS called Connecticut for Democrat Hillary Clinton, and a cheer erupted – first one of the night. We’ll have updates from here and from the West Seattle ballot dropbox, where WSB photojournalist Leda Costa is stationed as the 8 pm voting deadline approaches. (added) Jon sent this photo of daughter Sydney “helping me vote!”
6:50 PM: If you’re looking for somewhere to watch – we just checked a couple nearby spots; nobody at the West Seattle Library (2306 42nd SW), which has results on until 7:45, and not many at Parliament Tavern (4210 SW Admiral Way).
7:02 PM: “White-knuckles kind of night,” declares another CBS anchor, suggesting people are drinking. Yes, here at Admiral Bird, where wine and beer are offered as well as coffee, and it’s a pro-Clinton crowd, they are. Meantime, LOTS of voting. Leda sends this photo of an overflow bag, brought in after the dropbox has already had to be emptied twice today:
7:50 PM: A few minutes ago, the 15-minute warning was sounded at the dropbox:
As for the race, Trump has retained the electoral edge. The pro-Clinton crowd here has cheered when there was a reason to, such as the recent call of Colorado in her corner:
Colorado called for Clinton. Crowd here holding onto a bright spot. #ElectionNight pic.twitter.com/TzEWhU0iV7
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) November 9, 2016
Minutes left to get your ballot in. And we’ll get local results – which we’ll publish separately – within half an hour or so.
8:02 PM: More cheers as projections came in with the West Coast poll closings.
8:22 PM: King County’s results release has been delayed. Meantime, here’s the countdown from the West Seattle dropbox at the top of the hour:
Here at Admiral Bird, the big screen remains on CBS and the current estimated electoral-vote count is 197 Clinton, 193 Trump, with some major states as-yet-uncalled.
8:29 PM: Local TV has put up some early numbers in the statewide races but with conversation continuing to buzz, few realize that those numbers include no King County results yet. Meantime, CBS has called Florida for Trump, who is back in the electoral lead, 222-197. “This night has gone much differently than anyone has predicted,” says an anchor. Meanwhile, a TV photographer has showed up here.
8:40 PM: “I don’t understand how it’s this close,” says one of the 25-plus people here. Meantime, the one person in the room who seems oblivious to what’s unfolding on screen is many years away from voting:
On screen now, Trump 227 electoral votes, Clinton 197.
9:02 PM: The King County votes are finally tallied in a readable way – so we’re tracking the local and statewide races/measures here.
9:16 PM: The presidential race hasn’t yet been called; Trump 244, Clinton 209, is the current count. The CBS anchors also have shown a number suggesting the financial markets are not happy about it. “Holy s–t!” is the exclamation here, in reaction to that. Some have gone home.
9:30 PM: Two rounds of cheering, but not related to the presidential race – they cheered reports that Pramila Jayapal has won the 7th Congressional District seat, and that Sound Transit 3, set to bring light rail to West Seattle in 2030, is winning. Meantime, the electoral tally is 244 Trump, 215 Clinton.
10:02 PM: The electoral #’s haven’t changed (if you’ve lost track, 270 is required to win). A local TV cut-in brought a brief glimpse of Governor Inslee, who’s winning re-election tonight, and that sparked a cheer among the remaining partygoers here at Admiral Bird.
10:21 PM: Another couple comes up to the bar at the Bird, where we’ve been sitting. Going home, they say. “Going to sleep?” they’re asked. “Probably not” is the reply.
10:40 PM: Someone just walked in, saying she didn’t want to be sad by herself. The CBS people on the TV keep pointing out how late it is, Eastern time, and wondering what’s holding things up – “absentee ballots?” asks one.
10:46 PM: Next to us at the Bird bar, a woman talks of a friend or relative whose 6-year-old half-Latino child is worried, saying that “Trump hates Mexicans, and I’m half Mexican.” The sadness is palpably mixed with fear.
11:40 PM: After six hours, the laptop died and we headed back to HQ, right after a Clinton campaign official told her supporters to go home, that she wouldn’t have anything to say tonight. Donald Trump, meantime, is expected to speak sometime soon. We’re watching NBC, which says Clinton has called Trump to concede.
6:05 PM: Thanks to Marco for the tip and photo – SFD and SPD are responding to a crash at 35th and Graham. So far, no major medical response is included, but if you’re heading to the ballot dropbox at High Point Library, it’s just a block south of the crash scene, so be careful in the area.
6:29 PM: Seattle Fire has cleared the scene. Since no medic unit was ever summoned, that means no serious injuries.
4:04 PM: Starting our pm rounds … including the inbox:
Thanks to Barry J. White for the photos: “Here’s some shots of fifth graders from Gatewood Elementary who were encouraging turnout this afternoon. Pramila Jayapal walked over from her office nearby to meet the kids, a really wonderful scene.”
Jayapal, the state senator running for Congress, has had a field office for some months in the former West Seattle Kids Salon storefront about half a block from the school. More to come. Again, the voting reminders:
King County Elections dropboxes, until 8 pm. Local ones are here:
-High Point Library (SW Raymond just east of 35th)
-White Center Library (1409 SW 107th)
-South Park Library (8604 8th Ave. S.)
Post Office – get there early – your ballot needs to be postmarked by tonight
If you can’t find your ballot, you can print a replacement (the KCE helpers at the High Point dropbox told us they have extra envelopes)
5:23 PM: We’re at Admiral Bird, a cozy space that took reservations for tables and will be standing-room-only. Here in the early going, they’ve been decorating:
Decorating @AdmiralbirdWs for #ElectionNight party – 'putting up a ton of tinsel right now' says patron pic.twitter.com/vGndtIyIzI
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) November 9, 2016
We’ll have coverage from here as the presidential results come in over the next few hours -the bigscreen is already on a national results broadcast. And at 8:15-ish pm, when King County’s one and only results release of the night comes out, we’ll have the local/regional/state numbers for key races – since this is a statewide/presidential year, not many mega-local races, but Sound Transit 3 is the marquee measure.
We start West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon with a business burglary caught on video:
Those are the two clearest short clips of what happened at The Guenther Group‘s HQ overnight. From proprietor Kelly Guenther:
Guenther Group was broken into at 10:44 last night — someone lobbed a paving stone through a huge plate glass window. If anyone heard or saw anything, it would be great to know.
Address is 3444 California Ave. SW. Break-in occurred at 10:44 last night and was fully recorded by security camera footage. Only the doors are armed to the alarm system, so the alarm apparently did not go off. But the thief was brazen. He returned to steal even more stuff a 2nd time and then was on the scene again a minute before police arrived at 12:12 am. Thief was in a hoodie — still determining if he wore gloves.
Given the earlier time of the break-in and the Seahawks win last night — and my proximity to apartments and live-work townhomes, I”m amazed no one heard this or called the police earlier. You can actually see people walking by during this. Some good Samaritans finally called it in about midnight.
If anyone has any information, it would be great to know about. I’d like to catch this guy if possible and witnesses will be key to this. He kept returning to the scene — and was pretty obvious with a hoodie parka pulled over his head on a warmer night.
Also today, two car-prowl reports:
CAR PROWLER(S) STEAL DIAPER BAG: From Darci: “Last night my car was broken into in the High Point neighborhood and all they took was my diaper bag. There’s nothing of value in it so I’m hoping they just ditch it. If they do ditch it I would love for someone to be able to get it back to me.” It’s a black Fawn Design-brand diaper bag.
FAUNTLEROY CAR PROWL: From 45th SW/SW Director, Matt reports, “I had managed to avoid it for my six years of living here, but am sad to announce that I have now joined the not-so-exclusive car prowl club. Our Prius was accessed and the center console was rummaged through sometime between 1AM – 7AM today (Election Day). It doesn’t appear that anything beyond spare change was taken, and no damage was done to the car, so that’s some silver lining. This happened in our open carport that is equipped with motion sensing lights (which hopefully were part of the reason not more was taken).”
(Saturday photo, courtesy Owen)
We’ve just received the first West Seattle deer-sighting report since Saturday – Marsha e-mailed to say it was an “incredible sight” to spot the deer on Wickstrom Place SW in the Alki area this morning.
Nine days after first word of the deer (nicknamed “Westley” by WSB commenters) surfacing in West Seattle, we know at least one other person has seen him today – while we haven’t heard from them directly, we know about the sighting because of a call from Tracy Bahrakis, acting field-services manager for the Seattle Animal Shelter. She mentioned a report this morning and wanted us to let you know that while SAS is continuing to talk with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, the animal authorities continue to contend that unless the deer is badly injured or in distress, trying to capture it would do more harm than good – so please just let it be.
If you’ve missed our previous coverage, this is the first deer spotted in West Seattle in years. First word came in a photo tweeted by Peter, October 30th on Pigeon Point; the next day, it was seen to the west, near West Seattle Health Club; the day after that, we learned it also had wandered onto the spawling site of Nucor, which reported it to WDFW but was told to leave it alone. On Friday, a series of sightings and photos showed it on the move from Fairmount to Beach Drive. On Saturday, it was seen in North Admiral.
Bahrakis says the person who called her this morning from West Seattle was concerned that the deer seemed to be limping; this has been an on-and-off description over the past week, but she says “they hurt their legs all the time” and do best healing on their own. (Reader video clips we’ve published show it quite mobile and running quite ably.) Bahrakis says that a past deer-relocation attempt – by shooting it with a tranquilizing dart, capturing, and moving it – left it dead the next day from stress.
So she says their request remains: Leave it alone. Keep your distance. Don’t put out food for it or otherwise entice it to stay. Just let it be. And if you still have questions or concerns, she said, WDFW invites you to talk with them directly – the main number is 360-902-2200.
From last night’s West Seattle Hi-Yu meeting at the library in Admiral:
The Hi-Yu board continues to view what they’ve been doing for the past few months as reorganizing, not shutting down. 
New president Chris Henggeler says he believes that with improved outreach and more volunteers, Hi-Yu could create “a better and more inclusive product” that the community and its other organizations can rally around. Youth participation is at the heart of it, and he’s hopeful that some form of Hi-Yu will be around for years so those opportunities will continue to be available.
But in the meantime, Hi-Yu, with its 80+-year history, remains in a state of flux. The board has suspended its bylaws about member participation so that feedback can be more open to the wider community. And the need for more community participation remains. Right now, what form Hi-Yu will take in 2017 has yet to be decided. Whether they’ll even have a float for local and regional parades is not yet settled. But by year’s end, the board will finalize a message for community groups and organizations, and will be reaching out to them as well – service clubs, PTSAs, neighborhood councils, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, the Junction Association, etc. They’re also working on updating their online presence, which has mostly languished in recent months.
Hi-Yu also hopes to achieve more flexibility in fundraising by changing from a 501(c)(4) nonprofit to a 501(c)(3), but that could take at least six months.
Board members are meeting in executive session between the monthly public meetings, so the discussions and plans are evolving almost continuously. The time for the December 5th meeting is not yet set.
Thanks to Michael Taylor-Judd for sharing the photo from this morning, looking across Elliott Bay at our beautiful peninsula. Here’s a quick look at a few things you should know for the hours ahead:
ELECTION RESULTS VIEWING PARTIES: Not a big list, but here are the ones we found in West Seattle.
DINNER TO HELP WSHS ATHLETICS: Support West Seattle High School sports via the West Seattle Booster Club by getting dinner from Chipotle in The Junction tonight, 5-9 pm. Tell the cashier that you are supporting WSHS Athletics and half the proceeds will go to the cause. (4730 California SW)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION IS OFF: The regular monthly ANA meeting has been postponed to a TBA date because of Election Night, per president Larry Wymer. (We’ll publish an announcement when there’s a new date.)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION IS ON: 7 pm at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, the FCA board IS going ahead with its regular meeting, according to president Mike Dey. (9131 California SW)
ELECTION NIGHT KARAOKE: By 9 pm, if you feel like singing, The Skylark is the place to be, for Baby Ketten Karaoke. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE … via our complete calendar page.
In case you’re still feeling dispirited about this year’s campaign and want to do something life-affirming this Election Day … here’s one option. Coach Sonia Sillan from Elite Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu of Seattle (WSB sponsor) in North Delridge and her students are reaching out across the miles to help one student’s sister, who in mid-pregnancy learned she had cancer.
Michelle Bonilla is an amazing human who is going through a difficult time right now, and we are asking for your help. As she entered her second trimester of pregnancy, the doctors finally figured out why she was experiencing sickness and pain – she was diagnosed with stage III lung cancer. The doctors believe that she had ovarian cancer, which metastasized to her lungs and throat. The diagnosis quickly evolved to stage IV. Michelle is currently in her third cycle of chemotherapy, and is making trips to the hospital four times a week. The doctors at some point will have to induce childbirth, and Michelle’s daughter will be introduced to the world prematurely to increase the intensity of her treatment. Unfortunately, because of her pregnancy and cancer, she is unable to work, the endless bills are piling up.
Michelle’s sister Harly, an Elite BJJ student, is crowdfunding coast to coast to help her sister – here’s the link. She says, “Mikki is one of the most easy-going, gentle, and noble people that I know. She is also the best Tía (aunt) to my eight-year-old daughter. She had been wanting to be a mother for a long time, and we were all excited when life granted her that wish and she became pregnant. Our world was turned upside down as we progressed through different stages of her illness.”
By the time we got to 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy around 8:30 am to look for morning sign-wavers, this was the last person left, standing at the SB RapidRide stop:
But we have photos from earlier, thanks to readers who were up on the pedestrian overpass over the Fauntleroy entrance to the bridge. Chris Porter sent these two (that’s him at left in the first one, with fellow West Seattleite Liliana Eagan):
From left in this photo, West Seattleites Lisa Wolters, Sawyer Wolters. Pat Bowen:
(Thanks to Lisa Cipollone for also sending a photo of those three, and the IDs!)
And Cause Haun sent this photo:
(Anyone else out this morning? editor@westseattleblog.com – also, if you’re planning to be out sign-waving this afternoon, tell us where and when.) Quick voting reminders:
King County Elections dropboxes, until 8 pm. Local ones are here:
-High Point Library (SW Raymond just east of 35th)
-White Center Library (1409 SW 107th)
-South Park Library (8604 8th Ave. S.)
Post Office – get there early – your ballot needs to be postmarked by tonight
If you can’t find your ballot, you can print a replacement (the KCE helpers at the High Point dropbox told us they have extra envelopes)
And here’s our list of local viewing parties (can still add others if you’ve heard of any).
(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)
7:02 AM: Good morning and welcome to Election Day 2016. Right now, no incidents in/from/near West Seattle.
While we have the chance, here’s a look ahead to the holiday that will end this week:
VETERANS DAY ON FRIDAY: Schools will be closed … Metro will be running “reduced weekday” service … No West Seattle Water Taxi service.
8:24 AM: Thanks to everyone who’s sending sign-waving photos! We’ll have an Election Day Morning update in a bit. editor@westseattleblog.com is our preferred way to get pix but you can also text to 206-293-6302 – thank you!
We also have a traffic advisory for tonight, sent this morning by WSDOT:
One lane of northbound State Route 99 will be closed overnight to allow crews to transport large bridge girders into a work zone near Seattle’s stadiums.
Crews working for the Washington State Department of Transportation will close the left lane of northbound SR 99 between South Holgate Street and Railroad Way South from
9 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 8 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9. Crews may close additional northbound lanes for short periods of time, if needed, to maneuver the bridge girders into the work zone.The girders are part of a new bridge that will serve as the off-ramp from northbound SR 99 to South Dearborn Street after the new SR 99 tunnel opens to traffic.
Three reader reports to share – but first, a followup:
ROBBERY SUSPECT OUT OF JAIL: A week and a half after his arrest, 19-year-old robbery suspect Ayub M. Rage is out of jail. He was the lone adult arrested after a chase and crash two and a half weeks ago, and then was charged with robbing the Admiral 7-11 and trying to rob the 41st/Admiral Chevron. He got out of jail Monday night, hours after pleading not guilty to the charges, and being granted his request for bail reduction. Rage had been held in lieu of $75,000 bail; a judge allowed his release on condition he participate in the CCAP program, described online as a program that “holds participants accountable to a weekly itinerary directed at involving the participant in a continuum of structured programs and classes.” His next court appearance is set for November 17th.
BALLOT THEFT: Luke messaged us via Twitter on Monday night: “Ballot got stolen from mailbox at Holden/35th between 6 pm and 8 pm while I was home!” We’ve heard secondhand of at least one other case of ballot theft. With mail thieves still on the loose, our advice is to use the free dropbox or take your ballot directly to a Post Office. If you do lose yours, you can print a replacement.
PACKAGE THIEF: The video and report are from Abraham in Highland Park:
Just wanted to get the word out on this guy … he stole packages from my doorstep Thursday, November 3, at 2:52 pm. He got a light gray ski jacket from me …. might be wearing it now.
The unusual thing is that after pinching the packages, the thief sat on the steps to check them out, as you’ll see on the video. It’s been reported to police.
BURGLARY REPORT: It’s a few weeks delayed but thank you to the Arbor Heights resident who thought we should alert people about this:
I wanted to share with you a recent burglary that took place in our Arbor Heights neighborhood. During the last crazy windstorm in October, our neighbor whose wife is quite ill had to call for help and the Fire department and an Aid Car came and took her to the hospital. While they were gone the home was broken into and (burglarized). This recap is from our other neighbor so its secondhand but the point being is that these criminals are organized and listening to the scanner for when families are called away on an emergency and taking an opportunity to strike.
We promised a list by night’s end. Here’s what we have:
WEST SEATTLE (ADMIRAL) LIBRARY: Planning to watch early returns, from 5:30 pm-7:45 pm – library closes at 8. (2306 42nd SW)
SOUND & FOG: 5-9 pm. “An election party with sparkling wine to celebrate the end of this election cycle,” says proprietor Justin Krebs. (4735 40th SW)
ADMIRAL BIRD: 6-10 pm, asking for RSVPs via this Facebook event page. (California/Admiral)
PARLIAMENT TAVERN: Watching returns with Happy Hour starting at 4 pm “and extends until winners are declared.” 21+. $4 micropints, $4 well drinks, and a specialty cocktail menu including “The Bad Hombre, La Presidente No. 1, Peppermint Patty, The Light Rail, and the Peaceful Transfer of Power.” (4210 SW Admiral Way)
CIRCA: 5-10 pm party. “Special food & drink menu (regular menu too) and free celebration goodies when the results are announced.” (2605 California SW)
Any place else? editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302, text or voice – thank you!
If you haven’t already taken a close look at the four maps below, now is the time. The city has yet to make a wide announcement about them, but this is the window for comments and questions. They are the West Seattle “draft maps” as part of the city’s plan to upzone properties for a component of the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda called Mandatory Housing Affordability – focused on the areas known as “urban villages”; beneath the maps, a special event at which your neighbors are offering to help you find out more about “what’s going on”:
(Direct link to West Seattle Junction map)
(Direct link to Morgan Junction map)
(Direct link to Westwood-Highland Park map)
We first published those maps when they were released by the city, virtually unannounced, almost three weeks ago. Comments are being taken right now at this city website; an official city open house in West Seattle is planned December 7th, but before then, two community advocates with deep knowledge of land-use issues are leading a West Seattle/South Park meeting to help you understand the maps and the process. They have just formally announced it:
The Morgan Community Association (MoCA) will host an informational session to help you understand Seattle’s Mandatory Housing Affordability rezones proposed for the five District 1 Urban Villages, in advance of a December city-sponsored Open House. This learning session will enable you to go the Open House knowing what is proposed and prepared to give input or ask questions of City staff.
For the past year, the City of Seattle has been developing plans to fund affordable housing. One of the proposals is the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) concept. Under MHA, new development in Seattle will contribute directly to affordable housing by either building affordable homes on site or making a payment to the City to fund affordable housing throughout Seattle. To put MHA requirements into effect, the City must make zoning changes that will allow more development within Urban Villages and other areas zoned for multifamily and commercial development. Proposed areas of rezoning are depicted in newly released maps, and City staff will want input on proposed District 1 rezones at their December 7 Open House.
It is a complicated issue, with lots of ‘moving parts.’ To help you figure out what is going on, we’re setting up a user-friendly informational session with goals of:
° To give enough background information so people understand the MHA proposed program;
° To understand how to read the proposed rezone maps;
° To remind people of their Urban Village Neighborhood Plan Goals and Policies and relationship to MHA principles;
° To give people tools so that they enter the City’s Open House able to give informed input and/or ask questions to get the information they need.Please join us –
Rezoning for Affordability in District 1: The City Wants Your Input – Do You Know What’s Going On?
Tuesday, November 29, 2016, from 6:30 – 8:30pm
Highland Park Improvement Club
1116 SW Holden Streeto Street parking is available nearby
o Metro Routes 125 and 128 stop at 16th Ave. SW at Holden; walk east on Holden to 12th Street
o Light refreshments will be available
o There will be a coloring corner for kids.
Again, though MoCA is sponsoring it, it’s for everyone in West Seattle and South Park (whose “urban village” is to be upzoned as well).
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“It is unfortunate what took place …”
That’s what a Kent Police Department commander tells WSB in response to our inquiries about what happened after that agency found a vehicle stolen in West Seattle and turned over to its owner.
We first reported two Fridays ago about that vehicle, stolen from local restaurateur Dan Austin (owner of WSB sponsor Peel & Press). Then last Thursday, Austin let us know that his car had been found by Kent Police (outside the Des Moines Goodwill, which is in Kent city limits) – but, as he put it in the report we published Thursday night, “Here is the weird thing, I have stolen mail and property in the car but the police wouldn’t take it. They said it was mine to deal with. I find this insane!!! I have a stolen bike and several pairs of glasses, electronics, stolen mail from all over and gym bags. What am I going to do with these??? I refuse to toss them because, as someone who just had my car stolen, I want to help people get their things back!”
Trying to deal with those things added insult to the injury of his car theft, which left him with a damaged vehicle and trashed interior that reeked of a variety of substances.
The items he most hoped to get back – the car seats for his young children – were gone. And there he was, stuck with piles of stuff, from the personal documents shown in the top photo – belonging to a variety of people including one person who, that paperwork said, had recently gotten out of jail after an arrest for suspected forgery – to mail, to eyeglasses:
At one point after Austin talked with the Southwest Precinct, Seattle Police were going to take possession of the items – an officer was there when we stopped by Austin’s house on Friday afternoon to take the photos you see in the story; we rushed over because at the time he thought they were about to be taken away.
Kent Police, however, were still in the loop, and according to the SPD officer, were arguing about what to do, so the Seattle officer left. And there was Austin, still in possession of other people’s stuff. Finally, he told us, a Kent officer was sent on Saturday and the items were taken away. “The whole situation still seems really messed up, and I wonder how many people never get their items returned because cops don’t want to take the time to inventory or retrieve it.”
We tried calling Kent PD on Friday afternoon, but were unable to reach spokesperson Commander Jarod Kasner. Today, we e-mailed him to ask about the situation, and he replied, calling it “unfortunate circumstances … Mr. Austin should not have beared the responsibility of re-contacting us in this situation; however, once we were re-contacted a Kent Officer responded to his location and collected the items that Mr. Austin had in his possession. We are reaching out to other police agencies in an attempt to locate the identified owners of the property that was collected.”
Commander Kasner also addressed Austin’s concern about being told that the two people found in his car wouldn’t face prosecution: “In this type of case we have to establish ‘knowledge’ that the vehicle was stolen. Arresting the suspect on his confirmed warrant allows us to investigate further and establish the required ‘knowledge/ aspect of the crime. The case was referred to the Detective Unit and it is anticipated that criminal charges surrounding the stolen vehicle will be filed.”
Overall, Kasner said, “It is unfortunate what took place and although I have not had an opportunity to obtain all the information, it appears that in this incident we did not provide the service that is expected or normally given. I would like to express that we take all crimes serious and we will be investigating why the situation was handled in the fashion in which it was. The information that will be obtained from our investigation, good or bad, will allow us to correct and change what is needed to maintain a high level of service, which is expected.”
Meantime, Austin tells WSB, “I am glad to hear that they acknowledge that this was not the way it should have happened. I am relieved to have the items under the control of the proper authorities. I would still like to know why the call was made to leave this stolen property with me … I still have a lot of respect for law enforcement but right now I have a lot of questions as well.”
SIDE NOTE: The oddest item we noticed, from everything Austin found in the car, next to somebody’s empty pill container:
Election Eve sights:
AT THE BALLOT DROPBOX: We went by West Seattle’s semi-new permanent ballot dropbox outside High Point Library and found a team of four helpers from King County Elections. They told us they’re there until 5 pm today and again 9:30 am-8 pm tomorrow to manage traffic among other things – to keep it from backing up onto 35th, in particular. You can even give them your ballot without getting out of your car, and they’ll pop it in the dropbox while you watch. If you need a pen, or an envelope, they have those supplies too. A steady stream of voters were coming by, in cars and on foot, while we were there around 1:30 pm. SW Raymond, just east of 35th SW. (No van at WS Stadium – the permanent box at HP Library replaces it.) Nearby boxes are also at the White Center Library (1409 SW 107th) and South Park Library (8604 8th Ave. S.) – full countywide list here. (Or, use a stamp and postal-mail your ballot – be sure it’ll be postmarked no later than tomorrow.) If it’s been a few days since you dropped off or mailed your ballot, use the online Ballot Tracker to be sure it’s been received and verified.
GET OUT THE VOTE: Victoria at VAIN (WSB sponsor) in The Junction sent us the photo:
She says VAIN has posters they would like to offer to anyone interested in displaying/holding them up to encourage people to vote. (They’re at 4513 California SW, open until 8 tonight.)
P.S. If you’re out campaigning/getting out the vote, we’d love a photo – editor@westseattleblog.com
P.P.S. Last call to let us know about any election-night results-viewing parties in the area … later tonight we’ll publish the list, though it’s still not very long – same address, editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!
You’ve probably heard about City Councilmember Kshama Sawant‘s campaign to get the city to build affordable housing with the money it might otherwise spend on a new nine-digit police precinct in North Seattle. Today, she is one of six councilmembers – along with West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold – proposing a new plan:
Six Councilmembers introduced a new proposal today intended to create up to 500 new units of affordable housing for Seattle residents. The housing production would be funded by newly utilizing the City’s existing bonding capacity and paid off over a 30-year term. Councilmembers Bagshaw, González, Herbold, Johnson, O’Brien, and Sawant have signed on to the proposal, which will allow it to be reviewed and discussed at this Wednesday’s 9:30 a.m. Budget Committee meeting.
Councilmembers Bagshaw, González, Herbold, Johnson, and O’Brien said, “In this time of crisis, we thank the advocates in encouraging us to join together in support of a new use of the City’s bonding authority, namely, affordable housing production. There are several details yet to work through, but, with this proposal, we are signaling our common desire to create solutions in this year’s budget deliberations. This proposal does not pit Seattle’s housing needs against other citywide priorities, such as public safety needs.”
The proposal is a measured approach that adds bond funding for housing which, if leveraged with other resources, could result in development support for up to an additional 500 units of affordable housing in 2017. The $29 million is in addition to the Housing Levy’s anticipated 2017 $54 million allocation.
The following memo is illustrative of the opportunities this funding could support. The details and direction of the proposal will be further refined through the Council’s budget deliberations.
Those deliberations are approaching their final stages, with budget adoption due before Thanksgiving.
Tonight is the deadline to get your ticket for Neighbors Helping Neighbors, this year’s West Seattle Helpline benefit. Worried about homelessness? Helpline is the kind of agency that helps out BEFORE it happens to people … when they need a little urgent help with rent, for example, or some other kind of short-term assistance. The reminder is from WSH executive director Chris Langeler:
NHN Ticket Registration Ends at 11:59 pm TONIGHT!
This Friday (11/11), we’ll come together for one of our favorite nights of the year — the Neighbors Helping Neighbors Dinner & Auction. We’ll be celebrating and strengthening our wonderful West Seattle community. We’d LOVE to have a room FULL of our wonderful West Seattle neighbors!
Click here to register before midnight tonight!
What better way to unwind after a stressful election season that a night out with your friends and neighbors? See you there!
The Friday event is 6-9 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW).
Thanks to the texter who sent that photo a short time ago! Yes, that was a submarine passing Alki Point. Though they aren’t often seen from here, 14 are based at Naval Base Kitsap.
(WSB photo from 2014 dinner)
This Friday is Veterans Day, and West Seattle’s American Legion Post 160 has two invitations: All are welcome to join them in placing The Junction’s flags in the morning; then in the evening, veterans, active-duty servicemembers, reserve, guard members, and families are invited to a free dinner:
Veterans Day, the annual time for remembering the end of World War I and the brave Americans who served in the “war to end all wars,” also draws from the news headlines of the day.
“What we now call ‘Veterans Day’ began as ‘Armistice Day.’ It is historically significant that this day continue to be observed on the month, day and hour that the guns fell silent in World War I at 11a.m., Nov. 11, 1918,” Keith Hughes, commander of West Seattle American Legion Post 160, said.
While the day has strong historical roots, current events continue to add meaning to the day.
“Today, thousands of Americans are serving in uniform. They sacrifice in the war on terror and in hundreds of locations around the globe so we may remain free. They, too, are veterans,” Hughes said.
To mark Veterans Day in West Seattle, American Legion Post 160 invites all currently serving; active, reserve and guard members and those who served in the past, along with their families, to join us for our complimentary Annual Italian Dinner. The dinner will be held on November 11, 2016, from 5:30 pm to 7:00 pm. The West Seattle Post is located at 3618 SW Alaska St.
Volunteers, coordinated by American Legion Post 160 members, will also line the Alaska Junction with United States flags starting at 9:00 am. If you would like to participate, show up at the northeast corner of Alaska and California five minutes prior. The flags will be taken down at 4:00 pm. All ages are encouraged to participate.
The American Legion is the nation’s largest wartime veterans’ organization. Founded early in 1919, the delegates to the first National Convention in Minneapolis broke from business sessions to parade down a main street in a heavy snowstorm at 11 a.m. Nov. 11 to mark the anniversary of the armistice.
(Northern Flicker, photographed by Jamie Kinney in the Fauntlee Hills area)
Welcome to a new week! Some happenings you should know about for today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you will see even more options):
SW NEIGHBORHOOD SERVICE CENTER & TLC CLOSURE: It’s the third week of the Southwest Pool maintenance closure and this week, Seattle Parks says, the Neighborhood Service Center and Teen Life Center in the same building will be closed too, along with child-care programs, to finish the work. (2801 SW Thistle)
GOOD FOOD FOR A GOOD CAUSE: Until 10 tonight, Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) is donating 25 percent of today’s food sales to the Learning Garden at Gatewood Elementary School. (9261 45th SW)
TINKERLAB: 6 pm at Delridge Library, free, drop-in, no-registration-required STEM activities – tonight, the theme is “animation shorts.” (5423 Delridge Way SW)
WWRHAH: 6:15 pm at Southwest Library, the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council‘s November meeting includes an update on the action plan resulting from July’s Find It, Fix It Walk. Full agenda is in our calendar listing. (35th SW/SW Henderson)
TILDEN SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6:30-8 pm, prospective families are invited to visit independent K-5 Tilden School (WSB sponsor) for a casual event during which you can visit classrooms, talk with faculty, and ask questions. (4105 California SW)
HI-YU: 7 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library, Hi-Yu meets to talk more about the organization’s future. Full agenda is in our calendar listing. (2306 42nd SW)
CRACKER FACTORY: 8 pm at West Seattle Brewing in The Triangle, live music. 21+. (4415 Fauntleroy Way SW)
DADS’ BOOK CLUB DEBUTS: 8:30 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club. See our calendar listing for details. (12th SW/SW Holden)
(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)
7:06 AM: Good morning. Right now the biggest incident in the area is a crash blocking all lanes of East Marginal near Diagonal [map] – backing up 99/509 for people heading toward downtown from south of there.
Otherwise, today’s biggest alert is a reminder that the Seahawks play Monday Night Football tonight, so the stadium zone will be busy during the evening commute.
7:36 AM The E. Marginal crash, reportedly involving a semitruck and pole, will be blocking for “a while.”
11:16 PM Thanks to AMD for pointing out that 99 has reopened.
Traffic flow at the Fauntleroy ferry dock emerged as the top issue for people who participated in Washington State Ferries’ three recent meetings about what’s called the “triangle route.” We covered the start of the Fauntleroy meeting a week and a half ago; now we have the document WSF put together with all the comments it received at all three meetings, which it says were “the starting point for a community process to develop solutions by summer 2017.” Read the 400 comments from 120 people in this document:
(If you can’t see the embedded Scribd version, here’s the PDF version.) No time to go through the document? WSF’s summary:
… We received a diverse range of ideas, opinions and questions. Many of the themes we heard varied by community. For example, many comments from Vashon Island asked about a bypass lane on the Fauntleroy dock and revised ticketing procedures. Many comments from Southworth asked about specific schedule changes. And a large portion of Fauntleroy’s comments dealt with neighborhood parking.
Importantly, there was one area of broad agreement between routes: Improving traffic control, safety, and the flow in and around the Fauntleroy terminal. The feedback includes many different ideas on how to achieve these improvements.
Over the next two months, WSF will assemble a public task force to review these comments and available data, with the goal of identifying “quick wins” to improve service by next summer and exploring strategies for longer-term solutions. The task force’s meetings will be open to the public, and one of the first things they will consider is the feedback gathered at WSF’s listening sessions.
If you would like to be notified about updates, please sign up for notifications at WSFComms@wsdot.wa.gov.
Problems on the route came to a boiling point over the summer when vehicles headed for the Fauntleroy dock backed up past Morgan Junction, and when it was noted that ferries were leaving without full loads to try to stay on schedule.
Maybe everyone’s planning to watch election results at home Tuesday night … we’ve been asked for a list of West Seattle viewing parties/events/gatherings, and so far, it’s a very short list. If your establishment/organization is having an event that’s open to the public, in West Seattle or White Center, please let us know – comment, or e-mail editor@westseattleblog.com, or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
| 16 COMMENTS