West Seattle, Washington

15 Monday

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month : 02/2018 282 results

West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network gets a lesson in what to do to keep criminals away
February 28, 2018 10:44 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Want to learn the basics of deterring criminals from targeting your residence or business? The slide deck embedded above (or in PDF here) shows the highlights from Southwest Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner‘s presentation at last night’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network meeting.

As always, the meeting at the precinct was led by WSBWCN founders Karen Berge and Deborah Greer. Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis started with a briefing, saying property crime was front and center as always.

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UPDATE: West Seattle Junction still doesn’t need paid on-street parking, SDOT says after first study in 9 years
February 28, 2018 7:16 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

(UPDATED THURSDAY 11:11 AM with SDOT slide deck shown at meeting)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Street parking usage and turnover rates in the West Seattle Junction business district are close to what the city considers optimal, so pay stations are not in The Junction’s future.

That was the biggest headline as SDOT debuted its Junction parking study results at the annual West Seattle Junction Association merchants meeting tonight. (Added Thursday morning – here’s the slide deck:)

It was the first time in almost a decade that the city studied Junction parking, as was noted by WSJA executive director Lora Swift and then by SDOT’s Jonathan Williams, who presented the study’s toplines. (The last study, in 2008-2009, also resulted in a decision that paid street parking wasn’t warranted.)

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FOLLOWUP: Madison Middle School portables? Community committee to consider zoning modification
February 28, 2018 3:56 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

We first reported four weeks ago on plans to add 4 portable classrooms at Madison Middle School. The early-stage site plan shows the expected placement on the north side of the campus. Today, the city sent an announcement that it’s forming a community advisory committee to consider whether a zoning modification can be granted to allow the placement:

Here’s your chance to serve on an advisory committee that will recommend whether to grant a modification to a City zoning regulation for Madison Middle School at 3429 45th Ave SW. The Seattle School District is requesting to provide less than required on-site parking in order to add portables.

The committee will convene up to three public meetings at or near Madison Middle School over a three-month period. The committee will receive briefings from the School District, and gather and evaluate public comment on the departure request. Following these meetings, the committee will make a recommendation to the Seattle Department of Construction & Inspections (SDCI) to either grant or deny the requested modification. The committee may also recommend relevant conditions to be applied to granting the change to minimize its impact on the surrounding neighborhood. SDCI will make the final decision.

Those who can apply to the committee are neighbors who live or own a business within 600’ of Madison Middle School, residents in the surrounding neighborhood, representatives of city-wide education issues, and parents of potential Madison Middle School students. Other committee members will include a representative from the School District and City of Seattle.

To apply, send a letter of interest by Wednesday, March 14 that includes your address, information about yourself and your interest in serving on this committee to:

Maureen Sheehan
Seattle Department of Neighborhoods
PO Box 94649
Seattle, WA 98124-4649

Email: Maureen.sheehan@seattle.gov

That’s also who to contact with questions.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Police search in Morgan Junction
February 28, 2018 3:01 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tips about a police search in Morgan Junction. We went down to find out what was going on; police say they’re searching after a report of an attempted burglary at an apartment building on 42nd SW just north of Fauntleroy Way SW. They brought in a K-9 team, but no luck finding a trail. No other details so far.

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FOLLOWUP: See what else Metro is about to change
February 28, 2018 2:20 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

One day after our report on how some West Seattle-serving bus routes will change while the Lander Street Bridge project is built, we have more news of Metro changes. As reported in our Tuesday story, the Lander-related reroutes will kick in with Metro’s March 10th “service change,” and today, Metro has gone public with what else is changing then. The announcement is here; the route-by-route list of changes is here. Breaking it down for local routes:

RAPIDRIDE C LINE

On weekdays, two new northbound peak-period trips leaving SW Barton St & 29th Ave SW at 7:26 and 9 am will be added. Also, the first two northbound trips to South Lake Union leaving the Westwood Village at 4:17 and 4:47 am will be revised to leave eight minutes later at 4:25 and 4:55 am. A new southbound trip to Westwood Village leaving Valley St & Fairview Ave N at 4 pm will also be added.

ROUTE 21
Rerouting because of Lander Street project; timetable/map here (PDF)

ROUTE 22

On Sunday only, southbound Route 22 to Arbor Heights will be revised to operate westbound on SW Oregon St and southbound Glenn Way SW to regular routing on California Ave SW.

Route 22 will not operate eastbound on SW Oregon St between 44th Ave SW and California Ave SW, and southbound on California Ave SW between SW Oregon St and SW Edmunds St. The bus stop eastbound on SW Oregon St just west of California Ave SW will not be served.

Timetable/map here (PDF)

ROUTE 37
Rerouting because of Lander Street project; timetable/map here (PDF)

ROUTE 50
Rerouting because of Lander Street project, and adding two trips; timetable/map here (PDF) – and here’s the map that wasn’t available for our report yesterday:

ROUTE 60
Downtown rerouting; timetable/map here (PDF)

ROUTES 116, 118, 119
Rerouting because of Lander Street project; timetables/maps are here (PDF)

Again, the added trips and reroutes take effect on Saturday, March 10th.

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UPDATE: Seattle School Board approves resolution supporting gun laws, March for Our Lives
February 28, 2018 12:19 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

12:19 PM: On the same day that students returned to class at the Florida high school where 17 people were killed two weeks ago, the Seattle School Board will at its “work session” meeting this afternoon/evening consider a resolution to go on record supporting gun laws and the nationwide march in support of them. The board –
led by president Leslie Harris, who represents West Seattle and South Park – will consider a resolution “to declare support for sensible gun safety legislation, declare opposition to efforts to arm educators in our schools, and declare support of the March for Our Lives on March 24, 2018.” The “sensible … legislation” is described in the resolution as:

• raising the age to purchase assault weapons to 21,

• implementing Enhanced Background Checks for Assault Weapons,

• banning the purchase and sale of “assault” or semi- automatic rifles and of any accessories designed to increase a gun’s rate of fire,

• establishing safety programs in schools that do NOT include arming educators or staff,

• eliminating private gun sale loopholes,

• providing funding for thorough gun violence research, including removing the prohibition on research and data collection by the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC);

• supporting prevention, intervention and community re-entry programs that reduce community and gun violence; and

• increased funding for programs and school staffing (i.e. counselors, nurses, and psychologists) that support student mental health, social and emotional learning, and antibullying; and therefore be it further

RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the Seattle School District supports legislation currently under consideration by the Washington State Legislature that would enact some of the above measures, including Engrossed Senate Bill 5992, Senate Bill 6620 and House Bill 3004; and therefore be it further

RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the Seattle School District wholly rejects the misguided suggestion, advanced by President Donald J. Trump, the National Rifle Association (NRA) and some members of the Washington State Legislature, that it is either desirable or appropriate to arm teachers in schools for any purpose, and will maintain existing prohibition of firearms at school and will NOT support any effort to arm educators and staff; and therefore be it further

RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the Seattle School District wholly endorses and will
participate in the student-led March for Our Lives on March 24, 2018.

That march is planned to start on Capitol Hill and head to Seattle Center. Meantime, you can read the entire resolution in the agenda for tonight’s special “work session” meeting, which has other items including a budget discussion and a briefing on potential ways to “re-vision” high school starting in the 2019-2020 school year – see the full agenda here.

TODAY’S MEETING: Since it’s a “work session,” there’s no public comment period, but it’s open to the public, 4:30-6:45 pm at district HQ in SODO (3rd/Lander).

6:23 PM: The board approved the resolution, according to the SPS Twitter feed; here’s what was published on the district website.

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West Seattle Wednesday: Highland Park Action Committee; bird talk; Tinkerlab; more!
February 28, 2018 10:44 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Wednesday: Highland Park Action Committee; bird talk; Tinkerlab; more!
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Common Goldeneye, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Love birds? One of tonight’s West Seattle highlights is for you! But first…

WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON AT THE MOVIES: “From Headquarters,” at Senior Center of West Seattle, 1 pm. $1 members/$2 non-members – and free popcorn! (4217 SW Oregon)

TINKERLAB DROP-IN: Always fun for afterschool afternoons now that Wednesdays are early-release days – self-directed STEM-craft activity, 2:30-4 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)

FOR THE BIRDS: Community conversation/listening session with Seattle Audubon at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 6:30-8:30 pm – explained here. (5612 California SW)

BE A PUGET SOUND STEWARD: The work is in West Seattle, but tonight’s info session is in Tukwila:

EarthCorps has been working with the Port of Seattle to restore sites along the Duwamish River for the past several years through the Puget Sound Steward program. Puget Sound Stewards improve and sustain natural areas along estuaries, rivers and beaches throughout the Puget Sound Region, including Terminal 105 and Terminal 107 along W Marginal Way. These volunteers work as a team to help EarthCorps keep the Duwamish shoreline healthy, run restoration events, adapt management plans, and educate the community. EarthCorps provides the education and resources to support stewards in their role and stewards commit to volunteer 25 hours throughout the year in return. To learn more about the program join us for an info-session on February 28th at the Tukwila Community Center, 6:30-7:30 pm – snacks and refreshments provided! Register today on EarthCorps calendar; contact Project Manager Mariska Kecskes at mariska@earthcorps.org with any questions.

(12424 42nd Ave. S., Tukwila)

HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: 7 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, you’re invited to HPAC’s annual meeting – which includes briefings by Seattle Police and City Light (find out about the Advanced Metering Program) as well as voting for HPAC leadership. Full details here. (1116 SW Holden)

SKYLARK OPEN MICROPHONE: At The Skylark – 7:30 pm signup, all ages until 10 pm, full recordings of your set available for purchase – more info here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

THAT’S NOT ALL … see our complete-calendar page for everything happening today/tonight/beyond!

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FRIDAY: 8th annual Soul Jambalaya concert at Chief Sealth IHS
February 28, 2018 9:45 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Friday night at 7 pm, you’re invited to this year’s edition of an annual don’t-miss musical celebration in the auditorium at Chief Sealth International High School – Soul Jambalaya. As announced by longtime music educator, and assistant principal at adjoining Denny International Middle School, Marcus Pimpleton, it’s another stellar lineup:

Soul Jambalaya 2018 will feature some pretty outstanding artists and music ensembles (Clinton Fearon, The Total Experience Gospel Choir, Septimus, and the Native Jazz Trio) in concert with our very own Chief Sealth Jazz Band as we celebrate the contributions of African Americans to the music of the world.

The concert is free of charge, although donations will be graciously accepted to support jazz education and events at Chief Sealth.

It would be really great to have a full audience to support these great artists who are giving so generously of their time to provide our students with an opportunity to enjoy authentic performances of these important music styles. Please consider joining us and inviting friends.

Chief Sealth is at 2600 SW Thistle; the auditorium is on the west side of campus.

If you can’t go to the concert but would like to support the music students, you can do that online too.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: End-of-February Wednesday
February 28, 2018 6:59 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: End-of-February Wednesday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

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

6:59 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far on this final day of the month. No transit advisories so far this morning, either.

9:31 AM: Another relatively quiet morning commute is concluding. We monitor throughout the day and also appreciate tips – 206-293-6302, text or voice, 24/7 – thank you!

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Looking into Sustainable West Seattle’s future – and seeing you
February 27, 2018 10:35 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | How to help | Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle news

(WSB photo: ‘Diver Laura’ James, left, demonstrates virtual-reality viewers at Sustainable West Seattle meetup)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Over its decade-plus history, Sustainable West Seattle has launched and/or nurtured a multitude of community-enhancing projects.

Among the biggest: The West Seattle Tool Library and the annual GreenLife expo at West Seattle Summer Fest.

SWS also supports West Seattle Meaningful Movies, the West Seattle Timebank, Hate-Free Delridge, and more, as listed by president Stu Hennessey toward the start of last night’s SWS meetup at the Senior Center/Sisson Building in The Junction.

But even more than projects and programs … the biggest change can be made in cumulative small actions by people who care, and that was the theme.

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AT THE LIBRARY: Putting the tech in textile
February 27, 2018 8:58 pm
|    Comments Off on AT THE LIBRARY: Putting the tech in textile
 |   Fun stuff to do | High Point | West Seattle news

(WSB photos)

Almost every day, our calendar listings feature cool free programs you can enjoy at local Seattle Public Library branches. This past Sunday, we were invited to stop by the High Point Library to photograph one of them – a workshop about “E-Textiles.”

Participants learned how to use sewing machines – and how to add electronic components to their projects:

The result could be, for example, a T-shirt with embedded lights. Checking the library system’s Calendar of Events, we note that a shorter, kid-geared “e-textiles” session is planned as part of Tinkerlab, at the West Seattle (Admiral) Library, 2:30-4 pm March 21st.

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CAN YOU HELP? Here’s what the West Seattle Bee Garden needs right now
February 27, 2018 7:07 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | How to help | West Seattle news


The West Seattle Bee Garden in High Point is headed for spring – in need of a bit of help. From Lauren Englund:

We’ve lost our handyman at the WS Bee Garden, who is moving back home to the midwest. With a few small projects on the horizon (replacing a broken sign, and fixing a piece of broken plexiglas protecting the mosaic) we’re in need of a volunteer with some basic building/carpentry skills.

If you might be able to help – here’s how to contact Lauren.

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Governor urged to veto public-records bill that was rushed to approval by legislators including all three from 34th District
February 27, 2018 4:13 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“Whatever the legitimate reasons for this bill, those reasons will forever be overshadowed by the fact that this was crafted behind closed doors without any benefit of sunshine.”

That’s what the League of Women Voters says in its analysis of SB 6617, the public-records bill that passed the state Legislature at lightning speed a few days ago and is now the subject of a campaign to urge a veto by Governor Inslee.

The latest voices calling for a veto include our area’s King County Councilmember Joe McDermott (a former legislator himself). He and fellow County Councilmember Reagan Dunn sent the governor this letter today:


That puts him on the side opposing the stance of our area’s three current state legislators – Sen. Sharon Nelson (the Maury Island-residing Senate Majority Leader) and West Seattle-residing Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon – all of whom voted to approve it.

We asked them all for comment/explanation today, and have received two responses. But before we get to that – if you haven’t heard about this bill, let alone the uproar surrounding it, we refer again to the LWV’s analysis for a summary:

While the headlines focus on the fact that the bill states the legislature is exempt from the official Public Records Act (PRA), the next statement is “the legislature is subject to separate disclosure requirements.” The bill then goes on to establish a number of specific requirements regarding public records that do not currently exist in law. These include the release of calendars, names of those met with and communication with lobbyists. None of this is required under current law, nor has it been part of general practice. What is specifically exempted is personal correspondence with constituents, which often contains very personal Information.

But that’s no excuse for the rush job, the LWV notes. And other outcry includes a particularly loud voice, The Seattle Times, which made this the subject of a first-in-its-history front-page editorial today. Times As editorial-page editor Kate Riley described it, they are opposed to the bill because it “slams the door to government records a judge said the public should have access to.” Riley’s report quotes Times publisher Frank Blethen as saying, “In the 37 years I have served as a publisher in our state, I have never seen as blatant or dangerous an attack on your right to know than the inexplicable attempt of bipartisan legislative leadership in Olympia to essentially keep you from knowing what they are doing.”

Public-records access is the lifeblood of what our business calls “accountability journalism.” Obtaining them isn’t easy, but the fact they are legally supposed to be made available can at the very least be considered something of a check on power. And in this time when there are fewer people in the journalism business, due to a long list of factors, many are disturbed by anything constraining the ability to get public records.

Now, to what our legislators have to say. We sent requests for comment to all three this morning. We have not heard back from Sen. Nelson or her staff. Reps. Cody and Fitzgibbon have both sent lengthy responses, and we are publishing both in their entirety, after the jump, along with contact info – his response first, because we received it first:

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FOLLOWUP: Metro bus reroutes starting soon for Lander Street Bridge project
February 27, 2018 1:49 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

During his appearance at last Thursday’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting (WSB coverage here), King County Council chair Joe McDermott mentioned the imminent start of construction for the Lander Street Bridge project south of downtown, and Metro bus rerouting ahead as a result. That led to some comment discussion, and we promised to follow up. Here’s what Metro spokesperson Scott Gutierrez can tell us so far:

Metro routes 21, 37, 50, 116, 118 and 119 will have scheduled routing revisions for the duration of the South Lander Street project. These changes will be considered the regular routes and will take effect with the March 10 service change. Information will be posted soon on Metro’s website and will be part of all related data and timetables.

In general, routes will be revised to operate in both directions on First Avenue South between South Lander St and Edgar Martinez Drive South, and on Edgar Martinez Dr between First Ave South and Fourth Avenue South.

Customers who ride these routes should watch for temporary reroutes before, during or after major stadium events. We also encourage customers to sign up for Transit Alerts.

We’re checking with SDOT for timeline information beyond what Metro mentioned.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Burglary suspect arrested in Highland Park
February 27, 2018 11:31 am
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

11:31 AM: Thanks for the tips about police activity outside the Highland Park 7-11. That helped us zero in on the source of some scanner traffic about an arrest – and now we’ve just obtained more information from SPD media-relations Det. Mark Jamieson (officers at the scene declined comment). He says the white Escalade in the photo was suspected in connection with a West Seattle burglary this morning and a non-West Seattle burglary yesterday (in South Precinct jurisdiction); an officer spotted it, called for backup, and a “felony stop” (which usually means guns drawn) was made in the 7-11 parking lot. They arrested a suspect and impounded the vehicle, pending a search warrant. More details are expected to be made public a bit later, police tell us, so look for another update.

ADDED 1:36 PM: SPD Blotter‘s report notes that an “observant neighbor” is to thank:

A neighbor called 911 Tuesday at 8:45 a.m. after she spotted a man attempting to break into a home in the 1200 block of SW Othello Street. The witness continued to update dispatchers as officers were responding to the home and described a white Cadillac Escalade driving away from the home.

The King County Sheriff’s Guardian One helicopter was in the area and spotted the SUV leaving the neighborhood. The pilot directed officers to the vehicle in the 1600 block of Southwest Holden Street. Seattle police officers took the 23-year-old into custody and have turned him over to burglary detectives. Detectives believe the suspect may be responsible for an additional burglary in the area this week. Detectives will book the suspect into King County Jail for investigation of burglary.

ADDED 2:58 PM: According to a separate online update from the South Precinct’s commander, the non-West Seattle burglary yesterday was in the 10100 block of Rainier Ave S. The victims, who were home, provided police with a plate number, so that’s how police knew what/who they were looking for.

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West Seattle Tuesday: Life-saving learning; park planning; crime prevention; more!
February 27, 2018 10:26 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Tuesday: Life-saving learning; park planning; crime prevention; more!
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(White-crowned sparrow, photographed by Robin Sinner, shared via the WSB Flickr group)

Thought-provoking presentations and chances to learn are part of the highlights for the rest of today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

AFTERSCHOOL MEALS: Just a periodic reminder that Kids’ Café afterschool meals are available at High Point Library, 2:45-3:30 pm, to anyone under 18. (35th SW/SW Raymond)

(added) DINE-OUT FUNDRAISER: Go to Puerto Vallarta in The Junction between 3 pm and 11 pm, tell them you’re dining out for Seattle Lutheran High School, and SLHS gets 20 percent of proceeds. (4727 California SW)

ARTIST RECEPTION WITH GERRAD STOCKDALE: 6 pm at the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse – showcasing art including a deck of cards; details here. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)

REVIEW SOUTH PARK’S YOUR VOICE, YOUR CHOICE SUGGESTIONS: 6-8 pm at South Park Community Center, you’re invited to help evaluate the area’s suggestions for Your Voice, Your Choice park/street-grant money – check this map to see what’s suggested and where. (8319 8th Ave. S.)

THE OPIATE EPIDEMIC – WHAT FAMILIES NEED TO KNOW: The mother of a 20-year-old who died of a drug overdose has important information for families, 6:30 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Walmesley Center. All welcome. (35th SW/SW Myrtle)

LEARN ABOUT ‘CRIME PREVENTION THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN’: Be at tonight’s West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network meeting for a CPTED presentation by Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner. All welcome, whether you’re in a Block Watch or not. 6:30 pm at the precinct. (2300 SW Webster)

ROXHILL PARK’S FUTURE: 6:30 pm at Southwest Library, be part of planning how the Park Commons program could bring a brighter future to Roxhill Park. (9010 35th SW)

JONATHAN KAUFFMAN @ WESTSIDE SCHOOL: The award-winning writer speaks about his new “Hippie Food” book in a Town Hall Seattle presentation at Westside School, 7:30 pm. Ticket info’s in our listing. (10404 34th SW)

THERE’S MORE … on our complete-calendar page.

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FRIDAY: Dance, dine, and play, while helping West Seattle High School
February 27, 2018 9:18 am
|    Comments Off on FRIDAY: Dance, dine, and play, while helping West Seattle High School
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Just three days until your chance to dance, dine, and play, while raising money for students! If you haven’t already seen this in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

Spring is nearly in the air and it is time to secure your place at the West Seattle High School Spring Swing Dance. Mark your calendars for Friday, March 2, 6:30 PM, in the WSHS Commons. This event features musical performances from the West Seattle Big Band, WSHS Jazz Ensembles and new this year, our orchestra! Delicious appetizers and desserts prepared by WSHS culinary arts students will be served. Also enjoy fun games, dollar raffle and raffle for exciting themed Gift Baskets. Dancing is encouraged but not required.

Save some money and purchase your tickets online (deadline is Wednesday). Tickets are $20 (plus $ 0.56 processing fee) for adults (online), $25 at the door. Student tickets are $10 and available at the door. Game bracelets will be $5 at the event.

WSHS is at 3000 California SW.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: February’s final Tuesday
February 27, 2018 6:56 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: February’s final Tuesday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

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

6:56 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported in/from West Seattle so far this morning.

WATER TAXI: Last week’s damage to the Vashon vessel Sally Fox is now fixed and as of the Monday pm commute, KCDOT tells us, it was back on the island run, with Doc Maynard returning to the West Seattle run.

SUNDAY MORNING HIGHWAY 99 ALERT: The Battery Street Tunnel and points north will be closed for a while Sunday morning because of the Hot Chocolate run – details here.

10:08 AM: Report of a semitruck stalled on one northbound lane of the South Park Bridge. Otherwise, quiet morning until now – we always appreciate your traffic and breaking-news tips 24/7 at 206-293-6302, text or voice.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Paintball attacks; Charlestown 7-11 arrest followup; more…
February 26, 2018 10:12 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:

PAINTBALLS SHOT AT CARS: We’ve heard from two people so far tonight whose cars were hit by paintballs in West Seattle – one in the Triangle area, one in Westwood. Here’s one of the photos.

Anything fired/thrown/etc. at a moving vehicle (or person walking, riding a bike, etc.) has the potential not only to do damage, but also to startle the driver/rider/walker into swerving or falling, so it’s not a harmless prank, and if it happens/happened to you, report it to police. (Maybe just a coincidence, but as we wrote this, we heard a dispatch about something similar in Pioneer Square.)

7-11 ARREST FOLLOWUP: As promised, we followed up today on the Friday night arrest by Bellevue Police at the California/Charlestown 7-11.

BPD spokesperson Officer Seth Tyler tells WSB that they arrested a 28-year-old man wanted in connection with a robbery case. Their arrest team included SWAT officers because the robbery had involved a knife and the suspect, Tyler said, had a history of eluding. He remains in jail tonight in lieu of $225,000 bail.

SUSPICIOUS SIGHTINGS: Last April, we covered the case of a burglary suspect and stolen car that turned up in a dead-end alley in North Admiral between the 2100 block of California and 44th. Neighbors in that same alley say they have had four suspicious vehicle/people sightings in the past week in their alley and wanted to put the area on alert; they have contacted police. Different vehicles each time.

CRIME PREVENTION: Another reminder, 6:30 pm tomorrow at the Southwest Precinct, the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network will hear about Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design from the precincts Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner – all welcome.

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SPENDING $3 MILLION: First District 1 ‘Your Voice, Your Choice’ review meeting; 4 more to choose from!
February 26, 2018 8:12 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

If you missed the first “project development” meeting tonight for this year’s Your Voice, Your Choice process to figure out which of hundreds of community-suggested park/street projects will get a share of $3 million … you have four more to choose from. Participants at each meeting are evaluating a specific group of projects – different at every meeting – as grouped and color-coded on this map. Next one is tomorrow night in South Park (6 pm at SP Community Center, 8319 8th Ave. S.), to review the suggestions for that area; then there are three more meetings in West Seattle, one daytime and two nighttime (all listed here). And if you can’t make it to the meeting for the project area you’d like to evaluate, the city says you can access the project lists for all areas of each district (ours is D-1) at any meeting in that district. After this round, the next step is voting, with online and in-person opportunities starting in June.

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DEVELOPMENT: ‘All West Seattle’ team working on possible new 7-story building for heart of The Junction
February 26, 2018 3:35 pm
|      170 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(King County Assessor’s Office photos)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

While there’s been plenty of development in The Junction in the past few years, nothing new has been proposed for California Avenue SW since the construction of the mixed-use buildings now known as Junction 47 (California/Alaska) and 4730 California.

But now, for the first time in almost six years, a major new proposal has emerged for the heart of The Junction.

City files show a new early-stage proposal for 4747 California SW, described as a “7-story mixed-use building.” While the address is for the Bikram Yoga building, the preliminary site plan shows the project would also include the land currently holding the Sleepers in Seattle building to its north (4741 California SW).

That building is co-owned by Husky Deli proprietor Jack Miller, with whom we talked this afternoon about the plan. He stresses that it is early-stage indeed – no specifics on how many apartments or parking spaces (but he says there WILL be parking). Miller also emphasized to WSB that it’s an all-local team; the development firm listed in city files, HB Management – also on record as owner of the yoga building – was founded by one of his neighbors, Ed Hewson, a friend since childhood.

Miller says, “We’re hoping to make something really nice.” He says redeveloping the furniture-store site, in particular, is unavoidable because the 79-year-old building is deteriorating, from the roof on down. He feels building in that spot also will be least disruptive to The Junction’s business mix – “We love The Junction.” A new building might even be a new home for his own business someday.

The four lots involved (this would NOT go all the way to Edmunds – the corner lot is under separate ownership) are all zoned for 85-foot development (and potentially higher if HALA upzoning goes through as proposed), so a 7-story building would not be maxing out the capacity. The preliminary site plan carries the name of the architecture firm Ankrom Moisan, which is Portland-based but has Seattle and San Francisco offices. As always with development proposals, we’ll continue to follow up on this one, which will require Design Review if it gets to that stage.

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AT TERMINAL 5: Two ships in port in West Seattle after trouble at sea
February 26, 2018 2:46 pm
|    Comments Off on AT TERMINAL 5: Two ships in port in West Seattle after trouble at sea
 |   Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

(Fire investigation aboard MOL Prestige docked in Seattle, 2/12/18 US Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Ali Flockerzi)

You might have noticed two sizable ships in at West Seattle’s Terminal 5. Turns out both are there after trouble at sea. The 961-foot container ship MOL Prestige arrived about two weeks ago after an engine-room fire off the British Columbia coast. And over the weekend, the 653-foot bulk carrier Federal Iris arrived after losing power off the Oregon coast. Port of Seattle spokesperson Peter McGraw confirmed to WSB that both are being handled by Foss Maritime, “under a license agreement with the NW Seaport Alliance.” The Prestige, he says, “is still undergoing inspections, and is expected to depart around March 15th,” while the Iris is also being inspected and likely to leave by the end of this week – both departure dates, McGraw cautions, are estimates.

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CONGRATULATIONS! West Seattle High School basketball star Grace Sarver spotlighted as Star Times first-team pick
February 26, 2018 12:39 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports


(#20 Grace Sarver in defense mode, WSB photo from November 2017)

Thanks for the tip! As the district-champion West Seattle High School girls get ready for 3A state play starting Thursday night, the Wildcats’ Grace Sarver has just earned an honor: First-team recognition in The Seattle Times‘ winter Star Times picks. The Times describes the junior guard as “One of the fiercest defenders in the Metro League.” See the full Star Times list here. And see Sarver and her teammates’ first state-championships game at the Tacoma Dome at 7:15 pm Thursday (March 1st), vs. the winner of Wednesday’s Seattle Prep–Shorecrest game. (Missed our coverage of the WSHS girls’ Saturday night win over Garfield? It’s here.)

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