West Seattle, Washington
25 Friday
Alongside a school bus parked at Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point, Seattle Public Schools held a media briefing this morning on the new camera-enforced crackdown on drivers who don’t stop for school buses. 120 of the 379 buses the district is using are now equipped with six cameras each – five of them in the spot you see in the top photo, one in the front-facing rear-top-left spot below – and they’ll be recording video of potential lawbreakers.
School-bus driver Ty Boulanger was at the briefing and said he sees violations often:
New school bus cams in @seapubschools starting today – driver explains why they're needed. Media event @ Pathfinder K-8 in WS. pic.twitter.com/S2WzY7tfBE
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 18, 2017
If an apparent violation is spotted on camera, it’ll be sent to the King County Sheriff’s Office, which is contracting with SPS to review each and every possible violation. Sgt. Ryan Abbott, who’s been the point person on that for Highline Public Schools‘ version of the program, was among those at the briefing, where it was stressed that each potential violation is reviewed by a deputy who decides whether to send it on to the driver or not.
The cameras are being installed on buses by, and remain the property of, American Traffic Solutions, the same company behind the city’s school-zone-speed-enforcement cameras and red-light-enforcement cameras. It gets $69 for every potential violation sent to KCSO for review, and other cost and revenue numbers are in this page from the School Board-approved action item that created the program (see the full document here):
The 120 camera-equipped buses are “random,” SPS says, and you won’t even see a flash. The recordings include license plates and GPS information. Warning notices are going out for those caught in the next two weeks, and then the $419 citations begin. That fee cannot be reduced, SPS tells us, while noting that violators can request a payment-installment plan. Seattle is now one of about 30 school districts in the state ticketing via bus cams.
P.S. If you’re not clear on the stop=for-school-bus law – here’s the full text.
What a way to start the day! Thanks to the King County Water Taxi‘s West Seattle crew for sharing that video – from the Doc Maynard, they saw orcas on this morning’s 6:15 and 6:35 am sailings, Frank Massaro tells WSB, adding that crew member Jade Farrar recorded the video during the latter.
(Female downy woodpecker, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
‘FILL THE BOOT’ DRIVE: Today through Thursday, West Seattle and four other areas of the city will see Seattle firefighters’ annual “Fill the Boot” fundraiser for muscular dystrophy. (Photo added:)
(Multiple corners at California SW/SW Alaska)
AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP: 2-3 pm at Southwest Library. This month’s book is “The Buddha in the Attic” by Julie Otsuka. All welcome! (9010 35th SW)
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT COMMISSION: This new city commission meets for the second time at City Hall downtown, 6 pm. The agenda is linked here; our coverage of the commission’s first meeting is here. (600 4th Ave.)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 6:30 pm at High Point Library, bring the kids for songs, stories, and rhymes! (35th SW/SW Raymond)
ROSTAM BATMANGLIJ LIVE IN-STORE: 7 pm at Easy Street Records, Grammy-winning songwriter/producer Rostam Batmanglij is live in-store with a special solo performance celebrating his just-released debut solo album. (California SW/SW Alaska)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE … via our complete-calendar page, here.
You are invited to join in special events at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) this week to celebrate Welcoming Week. Here’s the announcement:
This Welcoming Week (through Sunday, September 24th), the West Seattle YMCA will join Welcoming America, hundreds of YMCAs and other organizations nationwide in hosting free events to celebrate immigrants’ contributions to communities and bring together all residents in a spirit of unity. Welcoming Week activities are all free, open to the public and include a focus on cultural experiences.
“At the YMCA, we believe we are stronger when everyone in the community feels welcome and we can all work together for the common good,” said West Seattle YMCA Executive Director Shalimar Gonzales. “Welcoming Week is an opportunity for neighbors – both immigrants and U.S.-born residents – to connect, find common ground and celebrate our shared values – all for a better us.”
West Seattle Y’s Welcoming Week activities include:
Sept. 19, 9-10 am and 6:30-7:30 pm. Our Global Y: Presentation and Discussion. West Seattle staff member Austin Cassell will share his reflection on his recent trip to the Tijuana YMCA.
Sept. 20, 4:30-6 pm. Cooking Across Cultures. Stop in for a FREE community cooking demo where you’ll learn and taste how potatoes are prepared in three different countries: India, Korea, and Mexico. Chef Kim O’Donnel will lead an immersive culinary adventure by preparing aloo gobi (India), gamja jeon (Korea), and papas con rajas (Mexico).
Sept. 22, 6-7 pm. Film Screening of 8 Borders, 8 Days.
A single mother shows us the consequences of closing America’s doors to people fleeing war. With no answer to her application for resettlement in the US, a smuggler’s raft to Europe was the only way out. 8 Borders, 8 Days is a 60-minute documentary following their story.
Sept. 22, 5-6 pm. Afro-Cuban Dance with guest instructor Mark Lilly. Join us as we explore the traditions of the Yoruba people of Nigeria with instructor Mark Lilly. In this class you’ll learn the traditional Orisha dance movements. These dances came to the Americas during slave trade (Maafa) and are taught in the Afro-Cuban technique.
The West Seattle Y is in The Triangle, at 36th SW/SW Snoqualmie.
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:52 AM: Good morning! Wet roads are the big news so far this morning. No incidents in/from West Seattle; though a crew was reported to be dealing with tree trouble on the eastbound Admiral Way hill earlier this morning, the city map shows normal traffic speed in that area now.
7:59 AM: Medical response at 37th/Admiral. Texter says pedestrian is hurt. On our way to check.
8:14 AM: Not there yet but getting messages that most lanes are blocked by the response, so avoid that area (Admiral near the viewpoint atop the hill to/from the bridge) for now. The SFD log shows two of its units are still on scene.
8:33 AM: Just arrived. Police can only tell us that one man was injured and is being taken to Harborview Medical Center. Apparently not life-threatening because the Traffic Collision Investigation team is not being called out, and police say they expect to clear the scene – which currently has one downhill lane blocked – within 15 minutes or so.
11:34 AM: SFD tells us that the victim is “a homeless male in his 70s (who) suffered serious injuries to head and leg.”
4:14 PM: In comments, the victim’s daughter-in-law says he is not homeless, and also is hoping to hear from witnesses.
8:09 PM: Just received two notes about this, including this one from Carrie:
Just witnessed a large white possible labradoodle hit by white SUV at graham & California ave in West Seattle. The dog took off running and we lost sight of him at California & Fauntleroy. If you’re in the area please keep an eye out for this guy!
9:39 PM: We have since received and published a lost-dog listing from Seaview and Carrie says that might be the same dog.
THURSDAY AFTERNOON NOTE: Izzy’s owner Nancy has updated the aforementioned lost-dog listing to say that Izzy has been found and is home!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Is there really anything the Triangle Route Improvement Task Force can do to improve the route?
One task-force member asked that question about midway through the task force’s most-recent meeting at Fauntleroy Church, wondering aloud, “What is (Washington State) Ferries hoping to get out of us continuing to meet – because maybe we’re done.”
There was no direct answer for that but the indirect answers could be heard throughout the meeting, including toward the end, when time was opened for public comment, and several of the Vashon residents in attendance stood up.
While WSF changed its Fauntleroy terminal processing procedures in mid-June, hoping to get drivers through the tollbooths more quickly, frustrated Vashon residents have been pointing out that many boats are still leaving with empty spaces – and not because there are no vehicles left to load.
WSF says a major part of the problem is that the Fauntleroy dock holds 80 waiting cars, but the route is running 120-vehicle-capacity boats. Expanding the dock, in the midst of a single-family-residential zone, has long been considered to be out of the question.
Riders contend that problem could be transcended somewhat if WSF had portable scanning equipment that could be used by terminal staffers, so that those with tickets didn’t have to stop at the booth to be scanned.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. First, we should note that WSF plans two community meetings this coming week – the one on Vashon, Wednesday night, is likely to be particularly contentious. (Times and locations are at the bottom of this page.) Now – here’s how last Thursday’s task-force meeting unfolded:
5:10 PM: And another crash, this one affecting traffic headed back from the Seahawks game, among other westbound travelers – thanks to the reader who tipped us; Seattle Fire has just been dispatched to the westbound bridge, Fauntleroy end, before Walking On Logs. It’s reported to be a one-car crash; no word on whether anyone’s hurt.
5:15 PM: Per scanner, no one’s hurt, but it’ll take a bit to clear because the vehicle is sideways “blocking 1 1/2 lanes.”
5:30 PM: And now SDOT reports a crash on the southbound 99 ramp to the westbound WS Bridge.
6:10 PM: SDOT says the crash on the Fauntleroy end of the westbound bridge is now clear.
5:03 PM: Second West Seattle power outage of the day – and this time, it’s blamed on a tree. Seattle City Light says 22 homes/businesses are out along Delridge between Findlay and Juneau, with restoration estimated by 8 pm.
5:27 PM: This one also was restored long before the estimated time – outage map shows the power’s back.
4:41 PM: If you have to get onto the eastbound West Seattle Bridge any time soon, don’t head toward the Delridge Way onramp – there’s a two-car crash. No injuries, per scanner, so the Seattle Fire response will be clearing soon, but they’re asking for SPD to help with traffic.
4:58 PM: SDOT says the ramp crash has been cleared.
3 PM: From the Seattle City Light outage map, that’s the area where 302 customers (homes/businesses) are affected – plus a couple spots along West Marginal Way SW – by a power outage that started about 20 minutes ago. Thanks to Billy for the tip; we’ve heard from others that the power flickered in some other areas. No word yet on the cause; restoration is estimated around 9 pm but again, as in all outages, that’s just an estimate, could be sooner, could be later.
3:55 PM: SCL says “equipment failure” is the cause, and has moved the restoration estimate to 7:34 pm.
4:44 PM: Power restored. Thanks to Dee for the update, saying the electricity was back in time to see the Seahawks win!
1:31 PM: Sorry we didn’t hear about this one in advance – that was a flyover for the Seahawks home opener, roaring in right over south West Seattle, a few minutes ago. Still looking up exactly what/whose jets they were.
1:46 PM: Haven’t found that info yet but here’s what it looked like for those at the stadium.
This past Wednesday night, Our Lady of Guadalupe (OLG) and Holy Rosary churches co-sponsored an evening with meteorologist Jeff Renner, best known for the many years he spent at KING 5 television. The discussion at OLG’s Walmesley Center was centered on Pope Francis‘s 2015 encyclical “Laudato Si,” addressing care for “our common home” – the planet. We recorded it on video, and you can watch it above (Renner takes the microphone at 9:30 into the video, preceded by introductions from emcee Mark Stoelinga, a meteorologist and Holy Rosary parishioner, and a prayer from OLG’s Father Jack Walmesley).
Just got word from Seattle Public Library‘s regional manager Jane Appling that Delridge Library will be open today, regular hours (1-5 pm), after its emergency Saturday shutdown. She explains, “Yesterday’s early closure was due to a water leak that required cleanup, and shut down the fire alarm system for an extended period.”
(Rufous hummingbird, photographed in early September by Mark Ahlness, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
DUWAMISH LONGHOUSE NATIVE ARTS AND CRAFTS FAIR: 10 am-6 pm, shop and snack at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse – details in our calendar listing. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in The Junction – see what’s fresh this week! (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
2ND TIME SALE’S 2ND DAY: 11:30 am-2 pm, one more time to shop the 23rd annual 2nd Time Sale at Fauntleroy Church. (9140 California SW)
ANTI-BULLYING SEMINAR: 1 pm at Evergreen Tang Soo Do Academy – check to see if there’s still room. (2701 California SW)
JAMTIME: Bluegrass and old-time music at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 1-4 pm. (5612 California SW)
SOUTH PARK SPOTLIGHT @ SOUTHWEST STORIES: Anna Marti talks about the history of South Park, “From Farm to Factory,” 2 pm at South Park Library, as part of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s SouthWest Stories series. Free. (8604 8th Ave. S.)
Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand unless otherwise credited
The annual Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park celebrates not only Latin American cultures but their importance in the U.S., and that was more poignant and urgent than ever this year.
Underscoring the issue of justice, King County Superior Court Judge Veronica Alicea-Galván was this year’s Grand Marshal:
More than 60 entries, with hundreds of participants, paraded and performed down the route.
Horses and riders from Charros of Washington concluded the parade, and we have some video too:
Charros of WA at end of Fiestas Patrias parade in South Park pic.twitter.com/fhzcrxNXMO
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) September 16, 2017
Earlier in the parade, different kinds of horsepower were on display:
Thanks to Annika Bowden for that sunset view looking beyond Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza, where the last Saturday night of summer is being celebrated at the last Salsa on Alki Beach session of 2017. We watched the wildfire-smoke-reddened sunset a few miles south at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook:
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
The National Weather Service says smoke will persist into tomorrow morning and then we can expect “rain at times in the afternoon.”
PACKAGE THIEF ON VIDEO: Blake‘s security video captured the theft of two books from a porch near California/Charlestown just before 6 am Tuesday:
WOULD-BE BURGLAR THWARTED? A reader shares this neighborhood alert from 38th/102nd in Arbor Heights overnight:
Potential intruder rang our front doorbell. We awoke to the doorbell and thought for a minute that maybe the paper delivery person had rung the bell (which was odd). We got up to check (first looking through the window to make sure no one was on the porch) but there was no paper or person on the porch. We then heard scuffling around at our back door and someone trying to open/push/force our door in. We pounded loudly on the door from the inside and yelled to the intruder that we were calling 911 and to go away. The intruder then pounded back very loudly and forcefully. We yelled again that we were calling 911 and to go away. Officers arrived and searched our property. There was no one on our property at that point. They said this is a typical MO (mode of operation) for a burglary, first ringing the front doorbell or knocking to see if someone’s home, and, if no one answers they then move to the back door to break in. If you hear night-time activity at your door, listen to your gut and don’t hesitate . . . call 911.
REMINDER: Your next chance to hear about local crime trends and bring neighborhood concerns to police is on Tuesday night (September 19th), 7 pm, as the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meets at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
No injuries or traffic jams around 4:30 this afternoon when a driver went partly onto the sidewalk on southbound 35th SW at Holden – but he damaged another car and took out a hydrant:
That corner happens to be across the street from Fire Station 37.
3:29 PM: The Delridge Library would usually be open until 6 pm on Saturdays but is closed for the rest of the day after what the Seattle Public Library Twitter feed calls an emergency over the library. The SFD log shows a multiple-unit call at 5425 Delridge – the library itself is 5423 – just after 11 this morning, though three of the four dispatched units were canceled quickly. One immediate effect. School Board Director Leslie Harris was scheduled to be having her community-conversation meeting at the branch now through 5 pm; she in fact tipped us to the closure, but we don’t know if she’s moved to a backup location.
3:59 PM: No backup location, she says. We’ll be going over to the library soon to find out more about what happened. (Added – We did go over shortly after this note, but this sign is all we found, no one around, no sign of what the problem might be.)
Multiple people have texted and e-mailed us today, certain something was on fire very nearby. Way too smoky and smelly for it to be the wildfires, again, they were certain. Nope, the Washington Smoke Information website says, the fires to our east are the culprit:
When the Canadian smoke model forecast some smoke in Seattle this morning, we thought it was over-doing the east winds. Turns out it wasn’t. Smoke from the Jolly Mountain and Norse Peak fire are now being transported to western WA.
But this won’t be another weeklong smother – “It is expected that these conditions will be with us until mid morning on Sunday.” And at some point after that, we’re promised rain. The National Weather Service says so too.
It’s outdoor and indoor fun at this year’s WestFest, continuing until 10 tonight at Holy Rosary School – outside, there’s a full lineup of stage entertainment (see it in our morning lineup); when we stopped by a little while ago, the talent contest was just wrapping up, with a group dancing to “YMCA.” Steps away are the kid rides, including a bouncy slide:
Also a beer garden for the grownups and a food court for everyone, with wings, Caesar salad, burgers and hot dogs, popcorn and cotton candy, even angel cakes. If you go inside the school, you’ll find the book sale and bingo – someone had just won the game that was being played when we walked in:
You’ll find a climbing wall, too, in the main festival zone on the north side of the campus, which is along 42nd SW between Dakota and Genesee.
(September 2016 WSB photo)
You’ll see firefighters out in West Seattle and four other parts of the city next week for the annual Fill the Boot drive. Here’s the announcement:
Next week Seattle Firefighters will take to the streets with boots in hand to collect donations for the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s (MDA) Fill-the-Boot campaign. The collections will take place at the below locations across the City from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sept. 18, 19, 20 and 21:
15th Ave. NW and NW Market St.
Rainier Ave. S. and S. Ferdinand St.
Roosevelt Way NE and NE 50th St.
California Ave. SW and SW Alaska St.
4th Ave. and Pine St.The Local 27 Seattle Fire Fighters Union is partnering with the Muscular Dystrophy Association on this campaign – a more than 60 year tradition. The goal of the campaign is to raise funds to free kids and adults from the harm of muscular dystrophy, ALS and related diseases that take away physical strength, independence and life.
In 2016, the generous community members of Seattle helped the Local 27 Seattle Fire Fighters Union raise more than $22,000. This has helped contribute to the more than $600 million that the International Association of Fire Fighters has raised for MDA since 1954.
The campaign has been successful over the years because of the support from community members. There is also an option to donate online.
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