West Seattle, Washington
11 Wednesday
4:07 PM: A two-vehicle crash at 30th SW/SW Genesee involves a school bus, but no one is hurt, per scanner – not the students, nor their driver, nor the other vehicle’s driver. We’re headed that way to see if we can find out more.
4:25 PM: SFD has left. The bus and police are on 30th just north of Genesee.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Tonight the city’s Technology Matching Fund celebrates its 20th anniversary with a 5:30 pm gathering at El Centro de la Raza (2524 16th Ave. S.). While the party’s not in West Seattle, the latest round of recipients included two local nonprofits – and this story takes a closer look at what the money means for one of them.
(City of Seattle photo from gathering of matching-fund grant recipients)
By Marika Lee
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
For some, tasks such as uploading a resume or printing important documents seem simple. But not when everything is in an unfamiliar language and computers are not yet an everyday part of your life.
“A lot of things get lost in translation and having someone who speaks your language when you are trying to navigate a new email account, for example, is much easier,” said Ahmed Rodol of the East African West Seattleites he helps.
Rodol is the development director for South Delridge-headquartered Education for All, one of the most-recent grantees for the city’s Technology Matching Fund.
“(Education for All) was intended to be a bridge between immigrants that are here and the resources that are available. Also, to help them compete in the work environment and help them be confident enough to seek the American dream and be self-sufficient,” Rodol said.
(Click for larger view in PDF)
Last Sunday, we published a reminder about a city survey asking your thoughts on 36 possible “design elements” for the new West Seattle Junction park (4700 block of 40th SW). Commenters noted that the graphic showing those options remained difficult to read, and we promised to ask Seattle Parks for a larger, clearer version (since none existed on the Parks website at the time, either). Since then, they’ve provided a high-resolution version, and also added it to the project website – if you click the image above, you’ll go directly to the largest-available PDF version. In addition, the survey, which was supposed to close back on Monday, remains open. So here’s one more chance for your thoughts – the survey asks you to choose 10 of the 36 elements that you most would want to see in the park, which will be designed next year and developed in 2019.
Now that it’s Thursday afternoon, it’s time to look ahead at some of the weekend highlights, in case you haven’t already seen them in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar. We start with the Lantern Festival and Competition in the Galleria at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle), featuring a chance to win prizes for handmade lanterns, and performances including a lion dance. The Van Lang Vietnamese Cultural and Language School is presenting the free event and hoping you’ll be there, 4:30-8:30 pm – all ages welcome! (Check our West Seattle Saturday lineup that morning for schedule specifics; it’ll wrap up with a lantern handout and night walk with lanterns starting at 8 pm).
Toplines from last night’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting:
ROUNDABOUT UPDATE: $500,000 of funding is in place so far for the proposed roundabout at the top of the Highland Park Way hill – the $200,000 announced at the Find It Fix It Walk in May, and another $300,000 from the Move Seattle levy. They’re now awaiting word on a state grant of more than $1 million, with hundreds of community members expressing support as well as city, county, and state elected officials plus U.S. Rep Pramila Jayapal. HPAC co-chair Michele Witzki says they hope to find out in November whether that grant will happen – it would virtually finish the funding for the roundabout. “This is exciting!” resounded around the room. Co-chair Gunner Scott noted that it’s far from the area’s only transportation need, though (as also discussed during the FIFI Walk). Witzki said that they’re awaiting a city report that will show the status of some of those other projects.
CRIME UPDATES: Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith told HPAC that car prowls in Highland Park are down 49 percent from this time last year but “crimes against persons” – anything from domestic-violence assault to lewdness incidents like indecent exposure – are up five percent.
(Photo courtesy South Seattle College)
Welcome Week continues at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), and an event today starts our list of highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SSC RESOURCE AND INVOLVEMENT FAIR: South Seattle College students are invited to Clock Tower Plaza 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. to “meet other students, discover campus clubs and resources, register to vote and win PRIZES! Join us for fun, snacks and selfies!” (6000 16th SW)
ART SHOW SUBMISSIONS: First of three days to bring your visual-art piece(s) for display at the Southwest Library‘s annual Community Art Showcase, which starts Sunday. Details here. Open 10 am-8 pm today. (9010 35th SW)
WEST SEATTLE DEMOCRATIC WOMEN: Lunch meeting 11:15 am-1:15 pm at West Seattle Golf Course with local leader of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense – details/contact info in our calendar listing. (4600 35th SW)
HURRICANE HELP FOR PUERTO RICO: Second drop-off event at Hiawatha Playfield, 3-7 pm, with local coach Rey Delgado collecting donations before his trip to hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico next week – details here, and check the comments for an update. (2700 California SW)
WESTSIDE NEIGHBORS’ NETWORK WINE TASTING: 5:30-7:30 pm at Ephesus Restaurant, enjoy a wine tasting and appetizers, free, and find out more about the Westside Neighbors’ Network. (5245 California SW)
RECYCLED PAPER COLLAGE WORKSHOP: 6-8 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) with artist Linda McClamrock. Our calendar listing includes registration info. (5612 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION WINE WALK: The first-ever Junction Wine Walk is sold out! We’re mentioning it just in case you (if you’re not among the lucky ticketholders) are in the area and wonder what’s going on. 6-9 pm.
WEST SEATTLE TRANSPORTATION COALITION: 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House/High Point, with guests from SDOT, talking and taking questions about West Seattle projects, as previewed here. All welcome. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
PLAY ‘GOATFISH’ WITH ITS CREATORS: 6:30-9 pm at Meeples Games, West Seattle father and daughter Chad and Lillian Gray will introduce you to the card game they’ve created and are crowdfunding for, Goatfish, as previewed here. (3727 California SW)
AT PARLIAMENT TAVERN: 7-10 pm, Jamie Nova SKY, Late September Dogs (acoustic), Annie O’Neill: “A night of soulful acoustic rock bands that feature powerful female vocalists.” No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:06 AM: Good morning. So far, no incidents reported in/from West Seattle.
ADMIRAL DISTRICT REPAVING: The repaving work between College and Hill on California SW is scheduled to continue today.
The repeat offender arrested after Saturday night’s Riverview burglary and Puget Ridge car crash is now charged, and back in jail.
32-year-old Jason L. Bramblett got out of jail on bond after a judge set his bail at $5,000; tonight, he’s back in, with bail set at 10 times that amount, after prosecutors charged him with residential burglary, attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, and DUI.
Charging papers note that Bramblett has four other burglary convictions, including the 2012 Pigeon Point case for which he recently served time in state prison (we obtained the mugshot at right from the state Corrections Department). His record is detailed in the charging document as going back into his teens:
As of September 27, 2017, the defendant’s criminal history includes: Burglary 1 (2012), Attempt Theft (2012), Theft (2010), Residential Burglary (2008), Assault 4 (2007), Taking Motor Vehicle 2 (2007), Obstructing (2006), Property Destruction –DV (2005), Theft 1 (2005), Burglary 2 (2005), Assault (2004), Assault/Harassment/MIP (2003), VUCSA (2003), Residential Burglary/Trespass 1/Theft 3 (2002-Juvenile), Taking Motor Vehicle 2 (2000-Juvenile), Malicious Mischief 1/Theft 2 (2000-Juvenile), Theft 3 (1998-Juvenile).
Today’s documents otherwise tell the same story outlined in our report on Monday – a neighbor near the burglarized house in the 7200 block of 12th SW saw an unfamiliar vehicle pull up, with a man getting out, climbing over the fence, and trying to kick in a door. The neighbor called 911 and said he was fairly certain his neighbor wasn’t home. Police arrived and saw the man carrying out a TV set, trying but failing to get it over the fence; they then found him and his green Ford sedan (registered to Bramblett) on SW Orchard. He headed westbound, and when police tried to pull him over, he briefly complied but then took off again. He then was found near 16th and Dawson after crashing his car into a parked vehicle; officers reported he seemed drunk. His car had been left running, in “drive,” with, according to the documents, “a large can of Four Loko malt liquor seen on the driver-side floorboard.”
Bramblett was taken into custody. His car was impounded and the report accompanying the charging papers say that items found inside it included a TV, a PS2 game system, two phones, and a tool kit. A name found with the tools led police to a Shoreline man who, when contacted, told police that he and his roommates had been burglarized earlier that same day. (He and his roommates have since been to the Southwest Precinct and identified some of the items, but some of what was found in Bramblett’s car, the police document says, remains a mystery.)
In addition to being held on the new charges, Bramblett is also being held for alleged violation of his probation (“community custody”). And today’s charging documents attempt to explain something that wasn’t available for our report on Monday – noting that prosecutors had asked that day for Bramblett’s bail to be set at $50,000, but the judge set it at $5,000, possibly – wrote prosecutors – lacking full details of the eluding attempt (in which, they say, he nearly ran down the officer who had walked up to the suspect’s car), and lacking full details of the 2012 burglary case, in which Bramblett assaulted a resident after kicking in a door.
As frequently reported here, SDOT has myriad projects in play on the peninsula – and some are overdue for promised updates. So what’s going on? You can hear – and ask – at tomorrow’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting. The preview from WSTC:
Fall is officially here and the West Seattle Transportation Coalition resumes meeting this month. Our September meeting will be Thursday, September 28, at 6:30 p.m. We meet at Neighborhood House High Point Center.
This month, representatives from Seattle Department Of Transportation will join us for a general discussion about projects around and affecting West Seattle. Want to learn more about the Highland Park roundabout? What your Move Seattle levy money is doing? 35th Ave SW rechannelization? West Seattle Bridge mobility? Local repaving work? Lander Street overpass? Rapid Ride on Delridge? Fauntleroy Boulevard project? That pothole in front of your house? Come and join us and get the latest word from SDOT.
Neighborhood House HP is at 6400 Sylvan Way SW.
We took that photo in the parking lot on the southwest corner of 17th and Roxbury at midday today after tips about a big law-enforcement presence – primarily Seattle PD, though the lot is south of the city/county line. Police at the scene told us they were arresting at least one suspect for whom they had a warrant. Now, the details are in via SPD Blotter:
Seattle Police and King County Sheriff’s deputies arrested two men at a gang member’s funeral in White Center on Wednesday as part of an ongoing anti-violence emphasis effort in the Southwest Precinct.
Police and deputies were on hand at the funeral Wednesday following a shooting one night earlier outside a home on 12th Avenue and Donovan Street in South Park.
On Tuesday, associates of the deceased gang member had gathered at a home near 12th Avenue and Donovan Street for a viewing.
During the event, several attendees were targeted in a shooting outside the home, leaving a 20-year-old man with serious gunshot injuries.
In an effort to prevent any further violence, SPD officers and King County Sheriff’s Deputies maintained a presence outside the funeral in White Center on Wednesday. Following the services, officers recognized one man, who had a warrant for unlawful possession of a firearm and a department of corrections violation.
Deputies also arrested a second man, a convicted felon, who was found in possession of a pistol.
Detectives continue to investigate Tuesday’s shooting, and patrol officers are conducting emphasis patrols in the area.
(2017 West Seattle Bee Festival photo by Karen Berge)
The photo is from last May’s West Seattle Bee Festival, with Cindi Barker teaching kids about preparedness via the “Wheel of Misfortune.” Cindi’s been volunteering for many years to organize and teach fellow West Seattleites how to be ready for disasters and other emergencies – and to share that knowledge with others outside this area – and we just received this announcement that she’s won a national award!
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that Cindi Barker has been selected as one of the 11 Individual and Community Preparedness Award recipients from around the country.
Cindi Barker was chosen to receive the 2017 Community Preparedness Champions Award for her development of Emergency Communication hubs and the creation of the “Hub-in-a-Box” program for Seattle, Washington residents. Earthquakes are a high risk for Seattle residents due to multiple fault lines in the area. To help residents prepare for disaster, Ms. Barker started developing Emergency Communication hubs. These hubs are agreed-upon meeting places where people can gather, organize, and strategize to help one another in the event of a major earthquake. Recently, she concentrated her efforts in predominantly lower socioeconomic areas to facilitate their preparedness efforts. This resulted in the creation of the “Hub-in-a-Box” Program, an effort to help communities easily prepare hubs. Seattle has roughly 135 Emergency Communication hubs spread throughout the city.
“FEMA is proud to recognize the great efforts of individuals and organizations who are helping to create a national culture of preparedness,” said Sharon Loper, Acting Administrator FEMA Region 10. “When we work together in our communities, we are stronger, and more resilient.”
Cindi Barker was recognized by Sharon Loper on Wednesday, September 27 to congratulate her on her efforts. Additionally, Cindi and all award recipients will be recognized in a webinar hosted by FEMA’s Individual and Community Preparedness Division. Awardees will be invited to share their experiences, success stories, and lessons learned with fellow emergency management leaders.
Emergency management is most effective when the whole community is engaged and involved. Faith-based organizations, service agencies, businesses and associations, tribal organizations, youth and older Americans, and people with disabilities and others with access and functional needs, can make a real difference in their communities before, during, and after disasters. Each year, FEMA honors individuals and organizations who excel at inspiring the public to be ready if a tornado, hurricane, wildfire, or other disaster were to strike their community.
You can read more about the hubs here – and be sure to make note of the one nearest your residence!
P.S. Cindi is active with West Seattle Be Prepared, whose other leaders Karen Berge and Deb Greer talked about the hubs and other preparedness issues at last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting (WSB coverage here).
The report and photos are by Jenny Mandt (thank you!):
Olivia Lundstrom (left) and Ava Geary, members of Girl Scout Troop #40890, recently installed a Little Free Library geared to young readers outside Fauntleroy Church.
It was their troop’s Silver Award project – the highest award a cadette (6th-8th grade) can earn – and the design mirrored the church’s iconic sanctuary window. The troop partnered with the church to encourage the love of books in young readers and invites everyone to take or leave a book, especially titles for pre-school through middle-school readers.
SIDE NOTE: Just two and a half weeks until the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, at the church (9140 California SW) and at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse across the street – 2-5 pm Sunday, October 15th!
The newly resurfaced track at West Seattle Stadium (4432 35th SW), closed since mid-summer, is ready to reopen. That’s what we found out from project manager Jay Rood, after calling him to check on its status. The million-dollar project was supposed to be done earlier this month but Rood says the recent rain delayed painting of stripes and other markings – its start had been delayed too, and that was attributed to the bidding process. Now the track and fencing are finished and he says they hope to have it reopened to the public by day’s end. The stadium, which is a Seattle Parks and Recreation Department facility, hasn’t been completely closed in recent weeks – some high-school football games have been played, but covering was in place over the track.
(WSB photo)
Thanks to everybody who texted/e-mailed to let us know about that film/video crew at 46th SW & SW Stevens in the Admiral District. We went over to find out what they’re working on. It’s a TV commercial, according to the production-company manager who spoke to our photographer, and that’s all he said he could tell us, along with noting that they’re only expecting to be there through mid-to-late afternoon today.
(Morning haze, photographed from Don Armeni Boat Ramp by Don Brubeck)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BABY STORY TIME: One or more newborn-to-12-month-olds in your care? High Point Library welcomes you for story time, 11:30 am-noon. Free, as always. (3411 SW Raymond)
FARM STAND FINALE: Last scheduled day of the season for the High Point Market Garden Farm Stand, 4-7 pm, selling produce grown at the mini-farm on the site. (32nd SW/SW Juneau)
HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: First meeting of fall! See agenda highlights here – you’re needed to help make a difference in your neighborhood. 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club. (1116 SW Holden)
MADISON MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSA: All Madison Middle School parents/guardians are invited to tonight’s meeting in the school library, first general meeting of the school year. 7-7:45 pm will be a panel discussion “Getting to Know Madison”; after that, it’s the business meeting, including an update from principal Dr. Robert Gary. Also: “We’re looking for volunteers to fill PTSA roles, including a Vice President – Programs, which is a board position.” Get involved! Find out more at madisonptsa.com. (45th SW/SW Spokane)
(Sunset from Alki, photographed by Travis Ruff)
POETRYBRIDGE: This month’s readers are Sherri Levine and Helen Puciloski – read about them here. 7 pm, poems and stories at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) with Poetrybridge. (5612 California SW)
AT PARLIAMENT TAVERN: 8-11 pm, Joe Ross & The Bird Watchers: “Rousing New Orleans roadhouse and honky-tonk jazz featuring West Seattle’s own Joe Ross and Seattle jazz legend Ronnie Pierce.” No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
BENEFIT TRIVIA: 8:30 pm trivia at Talarico’s with Phil Tavel. This week, it’s a fundraiser for Jazz Night School, $3 instead of $2, with all proceeds going to JNS. Raffle prizes too! (4718 California SW)
The West Seattle family that’s collecting donations to help hurricane survivors in Puerto Rico will do it again tomorrow (Thursday). In case you missed Jessica Delgado‘s update in this comment on one of our previous reports, here’s the announcement:
Thank you to everyone who came out and supported the donation event on Monday. It was a huge success thanks to the generous community of West Seattle!
We have gotten a lot of interest and will be having one more donation pick-up event this Thursday from 3-7 pm, again at Hiawatha Playfield.
Rey is leaving on Monday 10/2 and will be documenting his trip on his Facebook page so please stay tuned to see the neighborhoods he visits and the people our West Seattle community will be able to directly help in this great time of need. When he arrives in PR he will be working with a local group to go into elderly communities and low-income neighborhoods to hand out all of the donations we have collected. Any cash donations received will be used to buy water for distribution, people are standing in line for hours to buy 2 bags of ice in the hot sun!
Thank you again to everyone who has reached out and helped,
Jessica Jaksich Delgado & Rey Delgado
You can reach Rey directly on his email reydelgadobaseball@gmail.com or text him at 206-380-2710
Here is Rey’s Facebook page where he will be documenting his trip.
As announced before the family’s Monday collection event, they’re requesting batteries, flashlights, manual/crank chargers, small-denomination gift cards for Home Depot, Walgreens, and Walmart, and water-purification tablets.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
7:02 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported so far in/from West Seattle.
ADMIRAL DISTRICT REPAVING: We checked yesterday afternoon and the repaving work between College and Hill on California SW has indeed begun; that’ll continue today.
STADIUM ZONE TONIGHT: Sounders FC vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC, 7:30 pm at CenturyLink.
7:32 AM SFD is responding to a car fire reported in the 900 block of SW Austin.
From the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network‘s first meeting of fall 2017:
As everybody went around the room introducing themselves, WSBWCN co-founders Karen Berge and Deb Greer invited them to share what was happening in their neighborhoods. “We’re under siege,” declared one man from a street over Beach Drive, with concerns including car prowls. A resident of Beach Drive itself said that somebody opened his car hatch and another in his neighborhood last night – all cars with a keyless entry system, so he wondered if devices that hijack those systems might have been involved, and several attendees shared stories. Another man mentioned living in the Arbor Heights neighborhood where police had been searching for a burglar on Monday; another woman from south of Admiral said the burglar is lucky the woman whose house he tried to break into – a friend of hers – didn’t catch him.
Those were just a few of the stories. On to the rest of the meeting, starting with the SPD briefing:
9:50 PM: We’ve received a few questions about all the sirens audible to the east a short time ago (we heard them from here, too). Per scanner, a man has been shot in South Park (in the 1000 block of S. Donovan), which as you probably know, is part of the Southwest Precinct too, so many officers rushed to SP from West Seattle. We don’t know anything more about the circumstances or the victim – who’s being taken to Harborview – but police are looking for suspects, possibly in a black car.
ADDED WEDNESDAY MORNING: SPD reports that the 20-year-old victim is recovering, and has a few details in this post just published on SPD Blotter.
If you don’t already have tickets for Friday night’s “Grand Affair“ cocktails-and-games party to help the West Seattle Food Bank – you still have time!
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Food Bank)
TIckets are available online through Thursday night – just go here. Or, if you can’t commit until the last minute, they’ll be available at the door, too. The party’s at Westland Distillery in SODO (2931 1st Ave. S.). Your $75 ticket gets you hosted wine and beer and “heavy hors d’oeuvres,” and casino-style gaming with prizes; you’ll also find a photo booth, whiskey tasting, themed cocktails, and a live auction (preview the items here and decide what you might bid on!). It all starts at 6 pm Friday (September 29th) – a cool way to begin your weekend.
The photos are from Keith, who spotted “what appears to be a dumped CD portfolio” while walking his dog in Gatewood: “Further inspection shows the CD carrier has been repurposed to house technical information. This was likely stolen from a truck and discarded. I bet the owner would love to get it back.”
If you recognize these, let us know and we’ll connect you.
That was the scene at 12th and Henderson in Highland Park about quarter past 5, after those two vehicles collided. Both drivers were hurt, our photographer was told, and taken to the hospital by private ambulance to be checked out.
From Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Burbridge:
The Seattle Police Department and Starbucks are collaborating for National Coffee With A Cop Day – Wednesday, October 4th (10-4). The SW Precinct National Coffee With A Cop Day Event will be held at the Alki Starbucks (2742 Alki Ave SW) from 2 pm- 4 pm.
Coffee With A Cop brings together police officers and the community members they serve – over coffee – to discuss issues and learn more about each other. To learn more about Coffee With A Cop and/or about National Coffee With A Cop Day, please visit coffeewithacop.com
Come on out on 10-4 to visit with your local precinct officers!
Last local Coffee With A Cop event was in The Junction last May.
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