West Seattle, Washington

26 Thursday

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month : 02/2017 285 results

YOU CAN HELP: Donate blankets for children at Mary’s Place
February 28, 2017 10:01 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Gatewood | How to help | West Seattle news

Just found out about this tonight at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), where organizer Sierra Shea was handing out flyers: For the next three days, you can drop off new or gently used blankets at Gatewood Elementary School to help the children of Mary’s Place. The organization helps homeless families around Seattle (and will be operating a family shelter soon in White Center). Blanket dropoffs are welcome Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, March 1-3, 7:30 am-3:30 pm, at the school, 4320 SW Myrtle. If you have questions, text or call Shea at 206-265-2362.

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Seen off West Seattle: USS Turner Joy during trip back to Bremerton
February 28, 2017 8:52 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Thanks to Gary Jones for the photo! As previewed here last night, the naval-museum ship USS Turner Joy was towed back to Bremerton today after almost a month in drydock on Lake Union (the Kitsap Sun explained last month what was planned). It’s expected to reopen for tours this weekend.

P.S. Historian Jean Sherrard published photos of its passage through the Ballard Locks.

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FOLLOWUP: Urban Homestead Foundation building momentum; three events ahead
February 28, 2017 7:03 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Genesee Hill | How to help | West Seattle news


(Sketch of vision for potential “Dakota Homestead”)

Major milestone for the Urban Homestead Foundation, community volunteers pursuing a dream for the former City Light substation on Genesee Hill. And you have three chances in the next eight days to stop by, find out more, and have fun, starting tomorrow morning.

First, the milestone: Katie Stemp from the UHF says the organization has finally been granted 501(c)(3) nonprofit status “after a year of working on the application and waiting to hear from the IRS! Now we are qualified to apply for several more grants than before! It’s a big step and we are very excited!”

Now, the backstory, since we haven’t mentioned the UHF in a while (here’s what we wrote about it last year) – it’s a community effort that first needs to raise money to buy the vacant city-owned land across from Genesee Hill Elementary, a former Seattle City Light substation, to turn it “into a valuable community asset for West Seattle and beyond.”

Next, the events

Tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and March 7th, you’ll see a coffee cart at the site, where you’re invited to enjoy a cup of coffee (donated by Admiral Bird tomorrow, C & P Coffee Company [WSB sponsor] on March 7th) and find out more about getting involved with the project, including “a sneak peek at the future and hopeful home of the Dakota Homestead – a place for the community to gather, learn, play and grow together!” Look for the canopy at the corner of SW Dakota and 50th SW. Coffee’s free; donations will be accepted.

And next Sunday – March 5th – the Urban Homestead Foundation is hosting a Block Party on SW Dakota between 49th and 50th SW, 2-3:30 pm, “bringing neighbors together to celebrate the potential of what this vacant piece of land could be for our community. All are welcome! We’ve gotten a street permit along Dakota and we’re working on getting donated food and beer.”

Aside from events, the UHF team is working not only to seek grants but also to “connect with people from the area who are interested in helping fund or connect funders to the project, who are excited about positively impacting thousands of students through workshops that teach life skills (kitchen skills, growing food, finance, etiquette, etc.) and the opportunity to create a model, organic food garden for the community that all can enjoy. When we, as a community of invested adults, are able to influence youth in a positive way that builds self-confidence and resiliency, it changes the path their lives take and impacts the people they come into contact with. The ripple effect of helping youth is exponential and we want to bring that positive guidance into their lives.”

If you can’t make it to any of the events, connect with the UHF via its website.

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Question/comment for your city councilmember? Lisa Herbold at WWRHAH Community Council next Tuesday
February 28, 2017 5:31 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | Westwood

As announced at this month’s Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Council meeting (WSB coverage here), West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold will be the guest at March’s meeting, the just-released agenda confirms. All are welcome at the meeting, which is one week from tonight – Tuesday, March 7th, 6:15 pm at Southwest Library (35th SW/SW Henderson).

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UPDATE: Diesel spills into Duwamish River’s West Waterway after tug hits barge
February 28, 2017 3:50 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news


(U.S. Coast Guard photo)

3:50 PM: That’s the scene at Island Tug and Barge in West Seattle, where the U.S. Coast Guard and state Ecology Department say a diesel spill of up to 1,200 gallons is being cleaned up. Ecology says it happened “at 3456 West Marginal Way SW on the West Waterway of the Duwamish River after a tug struck a barge, causing a breach in the hull of the tug that damaged one of its diesel fuel tanks. Island Tug and Barge and its response contractor Global Diving and Salvage contained the spill with double layers of containment boom, absorbent boom and absorbent pads. The response continues under Coast Guard and Ecology oversight. The tank’s capacity is 9,000 gallons; however, the reporting source stated it contained approximately 1,200 gallons at the time of the incident. The initial approach assumed that the entire amount could have been released.”


(Department of Ecology photo)

The USCG update quotes Lt. j.g. Madeline Ede, federal on-scene coordinator representative, as saying, “The Coast Guard and Ecology are working together to monitor the situation to ensure any further environmental threats are mitigated.”

4:04 PM UPDATE: Ecology spokesperson Larry Altose tells WSB, “The response is winding down, with the rate of recovery now very slow. ITB and their contractor got boom around the scene very quickly. That’s a critical move as soon as a spill occurs. The boom and absorbent setup will remain in place, which will catch whatever is swept from the dock pilings as the tides come and go over the next, say, couple of days.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Visitors’ car stolen in Fauntleroy
February 28, 2017 2:23 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Visitors’ car stolen in Fauntleroy
 |   Crime | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

Kristin is asking you to be on the lookout for a car stolen from family members who were already in tough-enough circumstances:

My mother-in-law has been staying with us for the past week while father-in-law is in hospital recovering from surgery. Their 1998 red Honda CRV, plate AVX4234, was stolen from in front of our house near 46th and Trenton [map] sometime Monday night. If anyone sees it parked/abandoned in their neighborhood, we sure would appreciate being notified. Incident #17-72308. My daughter’s car door was also jimmied and gone through, but nothing of value to take.

Here’s a stock photo resembling the stolen vehicle. If you see it, after you call 911, you can notify the family at 206-327-2071 or 206-595-6434.

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FOLLOWUP: West Seattle Water Taxi more than tripled ridership during tanker-truck-trouble traffic
February 28, 2017 1:23 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news

(Monday afternoon photo by Anand Rajaratnam, before sold-out 4:45 run)

If you took – or tried to take – the Water Taxi home to West Seattle during Monday’s tanker-crash freeway shutdown, you know it was a hot ticket. How hot? We just checked with King County Department of Transportation’s Brent Champaco, who confirms that, as readers told us, the 4:45 and 5:15 runs sold out, and that overall: “The Water Taxi carried 1,200 riders on the evening West Seattle routes. For reference, the typical ridership number for an evening commute in February is 366.” Champaco says that by evening’s end, though, nobody was left behind: “Our crews were able to get everyone who was waiting for a trip to West Seattle onboard by the final scheduled run at 6:45 p.m. Big kudos to our crews.” Might not have worked out that way before January 2016, when the M/V Doc Maynard became West Seattle’s Water Taxi vessel, with capacity of 271, more than double its predecessor, the Spirit of Kingston (which the county has kept as a backup boat).

P.S. If you’re interested in the comparison, here’s our story with the early Water Taxi stats from last year’s tunneling-related Viaduct closure. (Of course, people had advance warning for that.)

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WEST SEATTLE BEER: The Best of Hands Barrelhouse’s plan for ex-Corner Deli space
February 28, 2017 11:41 am
|      56 COMMENTS
 |   Sunrise Heights | West Seattle news | WS beverages


(WSB photo)

One month after John’s Corner Deli closed in Sunrise Heights, we know more about The Best of Hands Barrelhouse, which is taking over the space at 7500 35th Avenue SW. When we first contacted co-proprietor
Nicholas Marianetti last month, after we found an early-stage site plan in city permit files, he said he’d be happy to comment once they finished negotiating a lease. Now, he tells WSB that’s happened, and they’re signing this week, so here’s what’s planned:

The Best of Hands Barrelhouse is a startup specialty brewery with a target launch date of late fall/early winter 2017.

The Barrelhouse will specialize in barrel-aged and barrel-fermented beers as well as wild ales that utilize different souring methods and multiple strains of Brettanomyces. While these sour and/or funky beers will be the brewery’s main focus, we will also produce “clean beers” fermented exclusively by Saccharomyces (brewer’s yeast) that have a proven following here in the Pacific Northwest. We aim to yield styles such as IPAs, barrel-aged stouts, farmhouse ales (such as saisons), and beers crafted in various traditional brewing methods from around the world.

The brewery and taproom will be managed and directed by co-owners Nicholas Marianetti, Gregory Marlor, and Chris Richardson. All three are longtime West Seattleites and veterans of the food and beverage industry. Nicholas and Gregory are Certified Cicerones®, and award winning homebrewers. Chris is a small business owner with 20 years experience in small business operations.

The team is excited to bring their brews and vision to the West Seattle community later this year!

As part of the permit process, the city has to grant a permit for changing the building’s use from retail to “drinking establishment”; Monday’s Land Use Information Bulletin included notice of that application, opening a comment period until March 13th.

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What’s ahead for your West Seattle Tuesday
February 28, 2017 10:12 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous


(Photo by Trileigh Tucker – who says she did remove the snow from the feeder post-photo so this Anna’s Hummingbird could get her access back!)

Too warm for more snow, so you shouldn’t have trouble getting to anything on the list for today/tonight:

LAST DAY FOR YUMMY TERIYAKI: As reported here last week, Yummy Teriyaki is closing in The Junction after a decade-plus, and told us that today is its last day. (If you missed our Sunday story, Falafel Salam is taking over the space.) 11 am-9 pm. (4746 California SW)

EARLY DAYS PARENTING SUPPORT GROUP: Parents of babies are invited to the Early Days drop-in support group – twice weekly in West Seattle, including 1 pm Tuesdays at Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor), as explained in our listing. NE has moved across the street, by the way! (4727 44th SW)

EDUCATED WINE TASTING … is what you’ll learn in Dieter Schafer‘s three-week class starting 6 pm tonight at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor). Details in our calendar listing – call ASAP to see if there’s still space. (6000 16th SW)

WEST SEATTLE BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK: You don’t have to be in a Block Watch to come to the Southwest Precinct and talk with local police and West Seattle neighbors during tonight’s 6:30 pm meeting. Here’s the preview on the WSBWCN site. (2300 SW Webster)

‘TAME THE TEARS – PARENTING POSITIVELY’: 7 pm tonight at South Seattle College’s Brockey Center on Puget Ridge, West Seattle Cooperative Preschools and Parent Map present author/professor/parenting adviser Dr. Laura Kastner. Discounted tickets are still available online until mid-afternoon – go here, or buy at the door. (6000 16th SW)

FREE COMMUNITY MEDITATION GATHERING: 7 pm Tuesdays at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center: “Based on Tibetan Buddhist practice, non-denominational, free and open to all. Meditation instruction offered at the start of each evening, with tea and open discussion following group meditation for any who wish to participate.” More info in our calendar listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

EDENJONELL: “Love songs and stuff” at Parliament Tavern, 8 pm-11 pm. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

Wishing you an excellent Tuesday.

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Free self-defense workshop at Chief Sealth IHS, not just for students
February 28, 2017 9:27 am
|    Comments Off on Free self-defense workshop at Chief Sealth IHS, not just for students
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just announced – a March 14th self-defense workshop at Chief Sealth International High School, open to everyone, not just students:

Come Discover Your Power!

The WAVE Foundation and Fight the Fear will be leading a FREE workshop at Chief Sealth International High School on Tuesday, March 14th from 3:30-6pm in Room 222 (The Confucius Room). The School-based Health Center sponsored by Neighborcare Health will be hosting and providing snacks!

With sexual assault dominating media headlines, this workshop is more important than ever. This workshop with the WAVE Foundation is designed to give students real tools to protect themselves including intuition honing, de-escalation, boundary setting, assertive communication, and self-defense and fighting techniques, as well as access to resources for survivors of violence or abuse. Because the vast majority of those directly impacted by sexual assault are women, be sure to come with the understanding that the workshop’s target audience is girls and young women; however, ALL students, friends, parents and community members of all genders are welcome to attend!

Please mark your calendars! For more information, contact the Neighborcare Health School-based Health Center at Chief Sealth at 206-938-1360.

The school is at 2600 SW Thistle.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Tuesday watch
February 28, 2017 6:34 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | West Seattle weather

(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: Good morning. While it’s just a few degrees above freezing, our area didn’t get any significant snow overnight that we have seen/heard, and everything’s open/running on time so far. The National Weather Service has a Special Weather Statement out warning of potential slickness, though.

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TUESDAY MORNING: USS Turner Joy heading back to Bremerton
February 27, 2017 10:53 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Back on February 2nd, we showed you the museum ship USS Turner Joy, photographed by Gary Jones as it was towed past West Seattle, on the way from Bremerton to Lake Union for maintenance. Just heard KING 5 mention it’s heading back through the Ballard Locks and cross-sound to Bremerton tomorrow (Tuesday) morning, and found this confirmation:

So if you notice a Navy destroyer passing at mid-morning, this is the one.

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WEST SEATTLE SNOW: Overnight alert, plus photos
February 27, 2017 9:09 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

As shown in that photo texted to us from the Sealth/Denny campus after school let out, the snow this afternoon had its fun side, too. Tonight we are showing a few more photos from this afternoon, along with a weather update: The National Weather Service has extended its Winter Weather Advisory alert until 4 am, saying there’s a chance of more snow showers like the ones we saw this morning and afternoon.

Thanks to Ann Anderson for that photo from Admiral. Here’s how it looked on approach from Burien’s Seahurst Park, photographed by Amanda Kay:

We will of course be watching overnight for the possible snow encore, and in the early morning for any possible school (etc.) changes. We also appreciate your updates – texting or calling 206-293-6302 is always the fastest way to get us.

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UPDATES: I-5 reopens after 7 1/2-hour closure, including a burst of snow
February 27, 2017 2:38 pm
|      86 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | West Seattle weather

(SCROLL DOWN for latest – as of 6:15 pm, most of the closed freeway stretches have reopened)

(WSDOT traffic cam closest to the truck wreck – refresh page for newest view)

2:38 PM: I-5 is still shut down both ways north of the West Seattle Bridge, four hours after a tanker truck went sideways on the southbound side near I-90 (see our earlier coverage here). This is affecting vehicle traffic just about everywhere. But the process of offloading the wrecked tanker’s cargo to another truck is getting going, so we’re launching this afternoon report and will keep you updated here.

2:50 PM: As tweeted by SDOT, here’s the current closure list:

Meantime…

3:43 PM: Complicating things, the snow’s back, after thunder/lightning. There’s an alert for wintry showers until mid-evening. And it’s covering the street FAST.

Definitely heavier than the snow showers we covered just at morning light, 9+ hours ago.

4:18 PM: The snow’s finally easing, here and elsewhere in the city. Meantime, the tanker-truck offloading continues. We’re adding traffic cameras here by request shortly, to help (if that’s even possible) with the pm attempts to get home. But first:

That’s a 4:15 pm look at the Water Taxi line at Pier 50 – thanks to Christian Buhagiar for the photo. Here’s the WT schedule.

4:39 PM: State Patrol says what’s now described as propane (earlier, they said butane) is still being offloaded. And that’s just the prelude to pulling up the truck, and likely some cleanup and other followups after that, so don’t expect I-5 to reopen any time soon.

5:06 PM: To check the cameras on potential alternate routes, see our traffic-info page. Meantime, commenters say the 4:45 pm Water Taxi to West Seattle left at capacity and there’s a big line for 5:15 pm. We’re getting bus-delay reports too. No easy way to get back home today.

5:33 PM: Water taxi’s 5:15 pm run is reported to have been at capacity too:

5:43 PM: And as for the wreck itself:

5:59 PM: Thanks to ACG for pointing out that South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) has announced both its campuses are closed tonight because of the weather.

6:12 PM: The reopenings have begun …

And a moment later, WSP tweeted that southbound AND northbound I-5 are reopening – only the collector-distributor lanes (where the crash happened) will remain closed for now.

8:30 PM: Everything is open again, including the collector-distributor lanes.

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West Seattle development: Upton Flats tower crane going up; 3 rowhouse projects
February 27, 2017 2:23 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

West Seattle’s first tower crane of the year starts off this roundup of development notes:


(WSB photos from 2 pm today)

UPTON FLATS CRANE GOING UP: Despite the ubiquity of tower cranes in some other parts of the city, West Seattle has been without one since the second removal at The Whittaker (WSB sponsor) almost five months ago. But that’s changing today with the first tower-crane arrival of 2017, at Upton Flats (6058 35th SW in High Point), first mentioned in our morning traffic coverage.

UF is a two-building, 4-story, mixed-use project with 100+ apartments and ground-floor retail over 100+ underground parking spaces; here’s our report from its final Southwest Design Review Board meeting last April.

And from today’s edition of the city’s twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin, three rowhouse projects:

3914 SW BRANDON: A three-story, six-unit rowhouse with six offstreet-parking spaces is proposed for this corner lot across from Fairmount Park, to replace a 64-year-old house. Today’s notice opens a comment period until March 13th; here’s how to comment.

5015 FAUNTLEROY WAY & 5017 FAUNTLEROY WAY: Both are also in today’s LUIB and are being considered together, the city says, for “shared access”: Here’s the notice for 5015 Fauntleroy, a 3-story, 4-unit rowhouse with 4 offstreet-parking spaces; here’s how to comment (deadline March 13th). Here’s the notice for 5017 Fauntleroy, three 3-story houses with two offstreet-parking spaces. County records say the site currently holds a 68-year-old house. Here’s how to comment (also by March 13th).

3850 21ST SW: This notice is for the decision approving a land-use permit for a two-unit rowhouse with two offstreet-parking spaces. It opens an appeal period until March 13th; here’s how to appeal.

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FERRY ALERT UPDATE: Fauntleroy dock open again, after repairs
February 27, 2017 12:16 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WSF dock cam – refresh page for newest view)

12:16 PM: As if regional transportation could not get more snarled – the Fauntleroy ferry dock is out of service until further notice “due to (a) mechanical issue with (the) transfer span connecting boat to land,” per Washington State Ferries, which adds:

Terminal maintenance crews are assessing the situation, and initial estimated time of repair is a minimum of two hours. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available. Service between Southworth and Vashon will continue. For travel to and from Vashon, the Point Defiance/Tahlequah and Southworth/Vashon routes are advised as alternatives at this time.

We’re headed down the hill to the dock for a closer look.

12:42 PM: Just confirmed at the dock what WSF has announced – the repairs are done and the dock is open again.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: I-5, I-90 closed north of West Seattle Bridge after tanker-truck crash
February 27, 2017 10:50 am
|      32 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WSDOT traffic cam closest to the truck wreck – refresh page for newest view)

10:50 AM: We’ve been covering this in morning-traffic watch, but it’s a bigger problem now and so we’re breaking it out here: I-5 is CLOSED in both directions north of the West Seattle Bridge because of a tanker-truck crash in the collector-distributor lanes near I-90. The truck went on its side, trapping its driver for a while; he is out now and does not have major injuries, but the truck is reported to have some kind of a leak, and that’s why the shutdown is happening. So avoid I-5 TFN, whether you’re headed southbound or northbound. This is backing up the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct, too.

(SDOT traffic cam looking east over east end of WS Bridge – refresh page for newest view)
Updates to come.

11:06 AM: This is also affecting I-90, both the eastbound access and westbound exiting in the stadium zones, so if you’re headed here from the eastside, be aware of that too. WSDOT says the tanker truck is full of butane.

11:25 AM: The photo above is from the Washington State Patrol. Per scanner, whether there’s a leak or not is now in question, but they do need to offload the cargo before the truck can be righted, and SFD says that could take a few hours. Also note, apparently I-5 northbound traffic from south of here is being diverted onto the West Seattle Bridge, so you could see some confused people trying to figure out how to get to where they’re going.

11:41 AM: Handy summary from WSDOT:

12:17 PM: No major change in this situation so far – both directions of I-5 are still closed. But there’s a new problem we’re covering separately – a mechanical problem on the dock has Washington State Ferries out of service to and from Fauntleroy TFN.

12:45 PM: Good news – the Fauntleroy terminal is back in service. Still no estimate on how much longer the I-5 closure will last.

12:53 PM: Add to the closures because of the tanker crash – “Northbound Airport Way S now closed at S Lander St. due to the incident on I-5,” per SDOT. The offloading truck, meantime, is reported to be on its way.

1:09 PM: New update from WSDOT:

2:06 PM: Per scanner, they’re getting close to starting the offloading of the tanker that went onto its side. Once that happens, we’ll launch a separate afternoon update.

2:45 PM: And the transfer has begun; so has our afternoon report, here.

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4 options for your West Seattle Monday
February 27, 2017 9:31 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous


(Black turnstone in flight – photographed by Steve Director)

Happy Monday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, four highlights for the rest of today/tonight:

FREE TAX HELP: You’ll find it today at Delridge Library – just drop in between 2 pm and 7 pm. Details in our calendar listing. (5423 Delridge Way SW)

TRIANGLE IMPROVEMENT TASK FORCE: 4:30 pm at the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall, it’s the third meeting of the citizens’ advisory group working on ideas to fix problems related to Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth, aka Triangle, route. See the agenda here. All welcome. (9140 California SW)

SUSTAINABLE WEST SEATTLE’S ANNUAL MEETING: 7 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle, you’re invited as Sustainable West Seattle sets its 2017 goals and elects new officers. All welcome. (4217 SW Oregon)

ALL-AGES QUIZ NIGHT: 7:30 pm at The Skylark – all ages are welcome for Monday Quiz Night. Prizes! (3803 Delridge Way SW)

LOOK AHEAD TO THE REST OF THE WEEK … on our complete-calendar page.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Back-to-school Monday edition
February 27, 2017 6:30 am
|      13 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! It’s been busy already. First, as reported here, 2,000+ homes/businesses from Puget Ridge to White Center lost power for at least an hour starting around 4:30. Right now, the last remaining pocket is in the Greenbridge area of WC, southwest of 8th/Roxbury. Weather also is a factor this morning – some of the higher areas have seen snow/sleet/mix showers, though nothing major is expected.

Reminders: Seattle Public Schools are back in session today after the weeklong mid-winter break … The Alaskan Way Viaduct has inspection closures next weekend (March 4-5).

Otherwise – no incidents reported currently, in or from West Seattle.

6:47 AM: We went out to make sure the 8th/Roxbury light is working (it IS) and encountered a serious snow shower.

In Greenbridge, some’s on the road and sidewalks. Be extra-careful!

7:11 AM: We’ve just been through Arbor Heights and Sunrise Heights. Bit of snow on the ground in spots but roads are just damp.

7:19 AM Some traffic disruption on 35th at Graham – tower crane is arriving at Upton Flats. More on that later.

7:33 AM Now in South Admiral. Slush on sidewalks, some on streets.

8 AM: Alki sea level – nothing. But as commenters point out, suburbs have been hit too. So allow yourself extra time if you have yet to head out.

8:30 AM: Another shower is moving through – slushy rain back at HQ, where we’re about 300 feet up, east of Lincoln Park. No snow on the ground here. The National Weather Service promises this won’t be an all-day thing:

10:23 AM: If you are headed back this way from downtown or points north, avoid SB I-5. There’s a rescue response right now involving a tanker truck that’s reported to be on its side in the I-5/I-90 area. The driver, a 60-year-old man, is reported to be OK, but trapped in the truck, so they’re working to get him out.

10:44 AM: Authorities were seeking to close I-5 both ways because of this, after detecting a leak, but we have not seen formal confirmation of that yet from WSDOT. Nonetheless, we’d advise avoiding I-5 through downtown, either way, TFN. The driver, meantime, is reported to have been rescued from the truck.

11:48 AM: We’re covering the aforementioned situation separately here. Meantime, a crash is causing some trouble at Admiral/Spokane beneath the bridge:

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UPDATE: Early-morning power outage peaks at 2,000+ customers in Puget Ridge, Highland Park, Riverview, South Park, more
February 27, 2017 4:37 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

4:37 AM: Thanks for the texts – power is out for what Seattle City Light‘s outage map says are 2,000+ homes/businesses from Highland Park southward. More to come.

4:49 AM: Also parts of Puget Ridge, Riverview, South Park, White Center – we’ve added a screengrab from the outage map. No word yet on the cause. The SCL map has a restoration-time estimate of 11 am but as we always remind you during power outages, that is just a guess, could be much earlier, could be much later. And please remember if you are driving before the power’s back on – any signalized intersection where the signal’s out or flashing means it’s an all-ways stop.

5:34 AM: Getting texts (thank you!) saying power’s back on. Waiting to see via the map if it’s back for everyone.

5:38 AM: Map has updated. Down to 500+ customers, in White Center (mostly Greenbridge vicinity):

6:07 AM: And it’s halved to 240 customers, north Greenbridge. “Equipment failure” is now listed as the cause.

8:44 AM: SCL says the equipment that failed is a switch, and it’s being replaced. They hope to have everybody back up and running by 1 pm.

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CONGRATULATIONS! Player of the Year award for West Seattle HS star Nate Pryor
February 26, 2017 11:16 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports


(WSB photo: Nate Pryor in 31-point game vs. Nathan Hale on February 16th)

One day after the West Seattle High School boys’ basketball team won big in regionals, on the way to their Thursday night game at state, their top player has won a statewide award: The Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association has named WSHS #1 Nate Pryor the 3A Player of the Year. Pryor, who’s signed to play college ball for Seattle University, also was chosen for the Metro All-League first team.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Car prowl; vandalism; arrest followup
February 26, 2017 8:56 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Here’s the latest news in West Seattle Crime Watch:

CAR PROWL: From Brittany in Seaview:

Our car was broken into last night, around 3:30 am we think (the car alarm woke myself and some neighbors but no one saw anything when we looked outside) we’re on 45th Ave between Graham and Raymond. Broken back window on our vehicle and a stolen chop saw. It was a quick smash and go from the looks of it. The cops let us know that this has been happening pretty frequently so I thought I would help spread the word to keep an eye out if anyone seems suspicious to call it in!

SIGN VANDALISM, AGAIN: Mark Ahlness from the Seattle Nature Alliance says this sign (shown below, pre-vandalism) has been the target of vandals for the second time in three months:

“The ‘Forest Floor’ educational sign near the north parking lot has been defaced, with the words ‘Please keep pets on leash’ deeply scratched. The sign was pulled up and left on the ground in November, but this is permanent damage,” he reports. SNA paid for the sign, which was installed a year ad a half ago with the help of Seattle Parks and Friends of Lincoln Park. FLP forest steward Sharon Baker wrote about the vandalism, with photos, here.

REPEAT-OFFENDER FOLLOWUP: Last weekend, we reported on four repeat offenders, including convicted burglar Jessica Detrick, who was wanted on a warrant for not complying with reporting requirements after three months in treatment as part of the Drug Offender Sentencing Alternative (DOSA). We then noted that police had arrested and booked her last Sunday in connection with the warrant. King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Dan Donohoe tells WSB a hearing was held Friday, and Superior Court Judge Susan Craighead ordered Detrick back to residential treatment. She’ll remain in jail until a bed opens at the treatment facility; she’s still on the register there tonight.

Thanks to everyone sharing information for Crime Watch, so your neighbors all around the peninsula will know. If something (sizable police response, etc.) is happening RIGHT NOW, best way to let us know – once you’ve called 911! – is via text or voice, 206-293-6302.

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FOLLOWUP: What’s ahead as Metropolitan Market Admiral remodel resumes
February 26, 2017 7:40 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news


(WSB photo: Store director Paul Marth, CEO Todd Korman, COO Ron Megahan at left in background with attendees)

As the Admiral Metropolitan Market (41st/42nd/Admiral Way; WSB sponsor) gets ready to resume and complete its remodeling project, we published its open letter to the community last weekend, with an invitation to a gathering at the store. We covered that event on Thursday night; here are the toplines:

CEO Todd Korman told the 20+ who gathered that the made-to-order salads and pasta will be brought back – they’ve received a lot of comments about that. They’ve also heard from customers about the bread section; it was moved to address pre-remodel concerns, but the current location has drawn concerns too, so they’re looking into it.

In April, they’ll overhaul the meat and fish area, where the cases are more than 20 years old. Larger new ones will enable a larger selection. Air-flow concerns will be addressed – the west-side doors have been getting activated by people standing in the relocated coffee area’s line, and that’ll be fixed. The floral area on the east side of the store, also set for work in April, will be enclosed. And there’s still work to come in the upstairs housewares area, to enable more seating for people who want to linger with coffee and/or food.

The work is expected to be complete by June. If you have specific questions in the meantime, you’re encouraged to talk with the staff at the store, or call 206-937-0551.

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