day : 12/10/2017 12 results

From last night’s 34th District Democrats meeting, last one for our area’s largest political organization before the November election:

CHAIR ANNOUNCES COMPLAINTS: 34th DDs chair David Ginsberg warned the group that his monthly report would be different this time around. He used it to announce that the group had become the subject of complaints filed by Glen Morgan, who Ginsberg described as a lawyer trying to “bankrupt progressive causes” via legal action.

Police investigating possible gunfire

October 12, 2017 9:11 pm

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| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

So far no word if any evidence has been found, but we’ve heard from multiple people (thank you!) about possible gunfire heard in the Delridge area, between the 8000 block and SW Thistle (8400 block). Those who have contacted us say yes, they’ve reported it to 911, and we’ve heard a dispatch for officers to check it out.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Packages taken; stolen car found; prowler seen

October 12, 2017 8:49 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

Four more West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

PACKAGES TAKEN: The video is from Zuned, who says this happened at 62nd SW/SW Admiral Way at 1:38 pm today, recorded by his security camera:

PACKAGE THIEF STEALS PRESENT: From Rick:

We had a package theft (Wednesday) from the front porch of our apt. building across from Shell/McDonald’s in Gatewood between 9-4. It was a Rock’n Ride Blue Castle Grow with me Pony Ride on Rocker, Bouncer convertible to spring horse. It was for the Grandson’s first birthday. Honest. I have my own.

STOLEN CAR FOUND IN GARAGE: A vacant house near 31st SW/SW Roxbury that was sold less than a week ago had something unexpected in the garage on Wednesday – a stolen car. We obtained the report on this incident after a neighbor’s tip today. Police found the car when another neighbor called them to report seeing an unfamiliar red ’90s Honda Civic in the house’s garage. It turned out to have been stolen from Renton, and for reasons not specified in the report, police here were already on the lookout for it. It was in the process of being taken apart, and it was impounded in multiple pieces.

PROWLER IN ADMIRAL: Ryan reports seeing a prowler targeting cars in the 50th/Prince area and then going into a house or yard at 51st/Grayson around 10 am today: “He was wearing a blue jacket, black pants, appeared to be Asian and about 45-50 years old.” Ryan says he called police three times but did not see officers respond; a report was eventually logged for “suspicious circumstances.” If your car or house was broken into in that area today, be sure to file a police report (and if you have, please let us know too).

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CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Admiral stabbing suspect charged, bail quadrupled

October 12, 2017 5:29 pm

| 141 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

(Monday photo by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)

We have new details of Monday’s Admiral stabbing from the documents that charge 26-year-old Kierra M. Ward with one count of first-degree assault and another of second-degree assault. In addition, her bail has been quadrupled from what was set at her first hearing, to $400,000. The documents say that the victim, who was pushing her infant son in his stroller, was attacked from behind on 41st SW:

Officers obtained a statement from (the victim) at the hospital. (She) stated that she was walking on the sidewalk with her infant son in a stroller when she heard footsteps behind her. She noticed the footsteps increasing in speed so she moved to the side to allow the person to pass her. At that time she was attacked by an unknown woman with a knife. She was stabbed/slashed several times in the face and head. She tried to protect herself by covering her head with her arms and hands.

(The victim) was afraid for her son’s safety so she pushed his stroller away from her and screamed for help. Residents in the neighborhood heard her screaming and came outside. (Her) son was taken inside by the residents of (a nearby house) for protection. Another resident of the neighborhood came out and attempted to keep Ward from further assaulting (the victim), allowing her to get away.

The victim collapsed in the front yard of the house whose residents had taken her son for protection, the documents say, adding that police interviewed the man who stepped between attacker and victim. He told officers Ward had pointed the knife at him and threatened to stab him. She then ran away, he said, as officers arrived. As we reported that day, a relatively short standoff ensued, and Ward was arrested.

The charging papers also say that Ward told police she was homeless (as commenters had said, recognizing her as someone who had long slept outside at Hiawatha Playfield) and that, as we had reported, she has no known criminal history – but, prosecutors wrote in arguing for raising her bail, “her willingness to brutally attack a mother and a neighbor in broad daylight raises severe concerns about the public’s safety if she were to be released into the community.” She is scheduled to be arraigned in two weeks.

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WEST SEATTLE REPAVING: 40th SW & SW Edmunds, next two weekends

October 12, 2017 5:09 pm

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

Just in from SDOT – a particularly bumpy and busy intersection on the east side of The Junction is about to be repaved:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers that crews will be repaving 40th Avenue SW and SW Edmunds street the weekends of Saturday, October 14 to Sunday, October 15 and Saturday, October 21 to Sunday, October 22.

On both weekends, from 9 a.m. Saturday to 5 p.m. Sunday, travelers can expect:

·SW Edmunds Street will be closed to all traffic between 40th Ave SW and Fauntleroy Way SW

o Street will be detoured

o Uniformed Police Officers will direct traffic at the intersection

·No parking on 40th Ave SW and SW Edmunds St in the work zone

o “No Parking” signs will be placed 72 hours prior to start of work

·Driveway access will be limited, with waits up to 15 minutes for equipment to clear

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Driver hits service-station sign in Fauntleroy/Alaska collision

October 12, 2017 4:52 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| Triangle | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Checking the West Seattle traffic cameras a short time ago, we noticed this:

(SDOT camera framegrab)

That’s the Shell-station sign at Fauntleroy/Alaska. No injuries, apparently, because no Seattle Fire dispatch was logged, and no SDOT traffic alert. Then we received this ground-level photo from Brian Presser of TouchTech Systems:

Brian says a semitruck was involved in the collision too. As of right now, the live webcam shows the car is still there on the corner – so pedestrians beware, and north/east-bound drivers too, as eventually a tow truck will have to come take it away.

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VIDEO: Underground peat fire closes part of Roxhill Park

October 12, 2017 2:28 pm

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| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks | Westwood

(WSB photos added)

FIRST REPORT, 2:28 PM: A “brush fire” call that’s been open since late morning in the Roxhill Park area is actually an underground peat fire, according to Seattle Parks, which says it’s under control but has claimed a few trees. Parks also says part of the park will be closed TFN because of the fire. We’ll be heading over to find out more. The peat bog in the park was restored years ago but has gone dry because of a variety of problems that the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Community Coalition has long been trying to get the city to address. More to come.

3:04 PM UPDATE: We are at the park now. SFD and Parks are working together to dig into the peat to try to get to a not-burned area so they can cut off the fire. They have had to tear out some trees to get to it.

(And yes, that’s a TV helicopter.) What looks like smoke in our photos, we are told, is ash. Peat fires can burn for days, weeks, even months, so SFD is hoping this hasn’t extended too far. It’s at the southeast corner of the park.

3:56 PM UPDATE: Back at HQ now, and adding more images.

Since the fire isn’t out, SFD can’t say for sure how it started, but Deputy Chief Gene Zimmerman told us firefighters have been out a few times in recent days to extinguish “small warming fires” in that area of the park. We will check back in early evening but right now, this is NOT affecting the play area on the west side of the park, except that an SFD line is running to the fire area from a hydrant on 29th SW on the southwest side of the park. (added) This view of digging to fight the fire …

…is reminiscent of a view from the Seattle Municipal Archives, dated 1961, of peat being dug up in the area during road work (we’ve published this photo before):

FRIDAY NOTE: SFD closed out the call late Thursday night. We haven’t received a response yet to our question for them, whether the fire’s considered extinguished, but we went over at 5:30 pm for a look:

All that remains is a big muddy area, with chain-link fence around it. The paths to the east and to the north (toward the bus stop) are taped off, but nothing else in the park is affected. We’ll be checking with Seattle Parks, and again with SFD, next week.

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FOLLOWUP: Yes, SDOT is still working on 35th Avenue SW Phase 2

October 12, 2017 12:51 pm

| 31 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

At least once a week, somebody asks what’s up with 35th Avenue SW Phase 2 – or whether there will even be a 35th Avenue SW Phase 2, given that it’s been more than a year since SDOT provided the last major community update focused on the project.

We took the question to SDOT’s longtime point person on the project, Jim Curtin.

Yes, he says, Phase 2 is still being worked on. But first, SDOT is “preparing to come out with before-and-after data,” covering the two years since the Phase 1 rechannelization south of Morgan.

In August 2016, you might recall, SDOT unveiled possibilities for Phase 2 at an open house (WSB coverage here), and said whatever was decided would be put in this year.

This year is almost over. Curtin explained that “Councilmember (Lisa) Herbold asked us to let the community help us with the design. We thought it would be a good idea to pause and make sure we were collecting sufficient amounts of data before making decisions.” Now, he says, they believe they have, and they’ll be releasing the “before-and-after study” which “will also have our plans for Phase 2 within it.”

No hint on how soon this will go public, but he promises it’s “going to be incredibly comprehensive and illustrative of how the corridor functions in the Phase 1 area and will also have information about what’s in the future for 35th north of Morgan.”

In connection with a connecting project – the West Seattle Greenway – crossing improvements already have been announced for 35th/Graham (that announcement in June suggested that the next 35th SW update would be in July).

Curtin says those are still planned, along with other “long-requested new crossings.” And while, again, other details – such as whether part of the stretch will be rechannelized as was a long stretch south of Morgan – aren’t available yet, Curtin told us, “There will also be attempts to reduce the speeds on the north end, where we still have some significant speeding issues.”

He acknowledged again that the next phase has “been a long time coming.” The design process is under way, and there’s no new funding request – Curtin says it’s coming “mainly through the Levy to Move Seattle.” As for how the next phase will be unveiled, if you haven’t already guessed this from other city events in the past year, they are not likely going to have a city-official-with-slide-deck-style presentation, he said. The city’s contention is that some community members “aren’t comfortable in those situations, so we miss potentially powerful input.” So look for potential “drop-in sessions,” probably another walking tour, and information online … sometime soon.

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@ West Seattle High School PTSA: Principal discusses threat response

October 12, 2017 11:34 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(WSB photo)

West Seattle High School‘s new principal Brian Vance was already scheduled to talk with the WSHS PTSA at its meeting last night, long before the situation last Thursday involving a “threatening statement” made by a student (WSB coverage here), but that became Topic A. Read More

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West Seattle Art Walk and more for your Thursday

October 12, 2017 10:20 am

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| West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Every quarter, the West Seattle Art Walk adds new venues – so take a good look at the new map for tonight and the next two months, to see who’s just joined!

(Click to see larger image)

While The Junction remains the heart of the Art Walk, new venues are in other neighborhoods too, including south Admiral and Sunrise Heights. Starred venues are hosting artists/art, while those without stars (as well as some with them) are offering food/drink specials to make your night of art exploration even more special.

Here are the highlights for tonight, including:

North of Morgan Junction, Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) invites you to be part of the art tonight, with an interactive experience – join featured artist Pamela Resnick:

If you have ever wanted to try painting with oil paints, now is your chance. You will have the opportunity to paint on a 6” x 6” piece of canvas with help and direction.

The subject matter is anything related to wine. There will be some images available to choose from, bring your own or just come paint the colors in abstract form or design. The goal is to get enough 6”x6” “wine” paintings so we can combine them all together into a large mosaic piece of artwork to commemorate the evening.

Art Walk starts at 5 pm and continues “until late,” depending on the venue – go explore, find out about West Seattle businesses you might not have visited before, and have fun!

Also happening today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox:

MILITARY JETS: Just a reminder that three EA-G6B Growlers from Whidbey Island are scheduled to arrive at the nearby Museum of Flight at 11 am and leave at 2 pm – as previewed here yesterday.

ALAIR NIGHT OUT: 4-8 pm, gift shop Alair is hosting its next Girls’ Night Out, with a variety of visiting vendors, services, treats – full details in our calendar listing. (3280 California SW)

SECOND THURSDAY OUT! LGBTQ community members and friends are welcome to meet up at the Senior Center/Sisson Building at 6 pm for an evening including dining at Lee’s Asian Restaurant. (4217 SW Oregon)

(added) WOLF ALICE @ EASY STREET: 6 pm free in-store concert at Easy Street Records with “London indie-rock darlings” Wolf Alice – the only Washington stop on their tour! (California/Alaska)

HIGH-SCHOOL ECOTRAVEL OPPORTUNITY: Parent/guardian of a West Seattle High School student? 6:30 pm tonight at WSHS:

There is an unique opportunity for your student to earn high school and college credit while gaining lifetime experiences on an educational trip this summer to Belize. Mr. Rose and Mr. Marzofka will be leading an exclusive group of students on a trip that focuses on eco-travel through the diverse ecosystems of Belize. If you are interested, reserve your spot now at a last-chance informational meeting on October 12th at 6:30 pm in room 234 at West Seattle High School. There are only a couple spots still available and it will be first come first serve to fill the last spots. For more information or to RSVP to the informational meeting, email Mr. Rose (narose@seattleschools.org) or Mr. Marzofka (jdmarzofka@seattleschools.org).

(3000 California SW)

ACOUSTIC OPEN MICROPHONE: Singers and other musicians are welcome at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

LIVE MUSIC AT HAWKS NEST WEST: At the new venue on Alki, 8:30-11 pm, live music after Thursday Night Football, featuring Zechariah Valette. (2806 Alki SW)

SEE MORE … on our full calendar!

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THIS WEEKEND: Fall Festival @ Forest Lawn in West Seattle

October 12, 2017 9:13 am

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| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

No Seahawks this Sunday since it’s a bye week, but you have two fall festivals to visit in West Seattle!

We’ve already previewed the longrunning Fauntleroy Fall Festival (2-5 pm), and this year you can start your afternoon at Forest Lawn (WSB sponsor), which invites you to its Fall Festival from noon-3 pm.

This festival promises “hay ride, face painting, balloon artist, pumpkin decorating, photo booth, caramel apples & popcorn, giant games for kids.” Most of the activities will be in the parking lot outside Forest Lawn’s main building at 6701 30th SW [map] across from the cemetery; the hay rides will go around the cemetery.

All free!

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday watch

October 12, 2017 6:39 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

6:39 AM: Good morning! We start again today with no incidents in/from West Seattle.

REMINDER FOR TOMORROW: No classes Friday for Seattle Public Schools – it’s an in-service day for teachers.

P.S. Thanks as always for letting us know if you see a traffic/transit problem we haven’t reported on yet – text/voice 206-293-6302 (provided you can use your phone legally & safely).

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