day : 09/11/2018 8 results

ELECTION: Tuesday turnout and other stats

November 9, 2018 8:08 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Today’s King County Elections count is the last one due out until Monday. So with most – not all – ballots counted, here’s how some key stats have turned out so far:

34th Legislative District – 77,700 ballots returned so far, out of 100,380 “active registered voters”
City of Seattle – 363,532 ballots returned so far, of 463,432 “active registered voters”
Entire county – 963,699 of 1,294,184
(Past elections’ countywide turnout #’s going back to the turn of the millennium are here.)

Here are the numbers from nearby dropboxes (which closed at 8 pm Election Night, so these numbers would seem to be final or close to it):

West Seattle Junction – 4,775
High Point – 8,699
White Center – 5,503
South Park – 1,472

The county says 381,746 ballots came in via dropboxes. Final election certification is set for November 27th – here’s the calendar.

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HAPPENING NOW: 2018 Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show, night 1

November 9, 2018 6:24 pm

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| Fauntleroy | Holidays | West Seattle news

(WSB photos from final show setup this afternoon)

Looking for something to do before/after dinner? The Fauntleroy Fine Art and Holiday Gift Show has begun! Open until 8 tonight at Fauntleroy Church‘s Fellowship Hall – free to stop in and browse:

Courtesy of Judy Pickens, here’s the list of this year’s participating artists:

Melissa Aaron – Spice blends & teas

Michelle Aitken – Beach-inspired ceramics

Mary Anderson – Whimsical cashmere & fleece hats

Leslee Avery Beausoleil – Cold-pressed soaps & dog shampoo

Sonja Bergstrom – SheepPAL footstools

Saki Uehara-Bingen – Hand-designed mandala products

Gretchen Curtis – Hand-knitted textiles

Josephine DeLellis – Collages, shadow boxes & collage kits

Natalie Fobes – Prints, mobiles & notecards

Esperanza Robles-Lazo – Delicate wire-wrapped jewelry

Johanna Lindsay – Playful glass & wire jewelry

Kate Lorenzini – Fine greeting cards, packaging & paper sundries

Dee Miller – Garden art

Marise Miville – Nature-inspired handmade jewelry

David Somers – Wood turnings, engravings, carvings & paintings

Linda Thorson – Molded concrete yard art & birdhouses

The church is at 9140 California SW. The show/sale continues 10 am-4 pm tomorrow and 11 am-2 pm Sunday, one of the first events of the season – here’s our calendarized list of holiday events (more to come, in the calendar and our almost-ready Holiday Guide).

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CLOSURE ALERT: SB Highway 99 scheduled to be closed next weekend

November 9, 2018 4:00 pm

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| Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Early alert that southbound Highway 99 is scheduled for closure next weekend (late Friday, November 16, through early Monday, November 19th), between the (updated) south end of the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge. This is described as a closure “for joint and spall repairs.” It’s weather-dependent, so rain will postpone it.

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FOLLOWUP: 9200 16th SW listed for sale as part of court settlement, 3 years after drug raid

November 9, 2018 2:44 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(WSB photo, July 2015)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Another new real-estate listing of note has a unique backstory.

The auto-shop site at 9200 16th SW is up for sale as the result of a court settlement that traces back to the SWAT-involved drug raid we covered there in 2015.

It’s not mentioned in the listing, which heralds this as “Westwood Development Site” and says:

ZONED LR3 RC: 12,918 sq. foot lot, suitable for up to 14 townhomes at 1,350 sq. feet each or 19,000 sq. foot apartment Building (Buyer to verify). Excellent value at less than $65,000 per door. Development is rampant in this area. Excellent investment opportunity. Vacant at closing.

We recognized the address, as we’ve been checking in from time to time on the long-running court case’s files. Those files now contain a settlement agreement, filed in October. The settlement ends what had been a forfeiture case brought by the city in 2015.

The original filing’s documents tell the story of an unlicensed marijuana-sales operation at the site, known as “The Wolfpack,” including a detective’s report from 11 days of surveillance in 2015. On those days – scattered through the period of March to July – the detective wrote of counting 2,873 vehicles arriving to make purchases from the operation, plus 1,621 arrivals on foot, while the auto business handled a total of 7 cars for repairs. The documents also detail subsequent undercover buys which allegedly were made without requests for documentation such as proof of age.

The settlement agreement stipulates that the property will be listed for $900,000 and any offer below that would have to be approved by the city. The city will get 70 percent of the sale proceeds; owner Paul Noble, 51, will get 30 percent minus any and all fees and commissions. The city also gets to keep about half the $59,000 in cash that was seized.

In the extensive case files spanning three-plus years, a judge ordered the city to show this past February why the case should not be dismissed “for failure to prosecute” after both sides reportedly failed to fulfill a requirement to update the court on trial readiness. Lawyers for Noble subsequently responded that they expected felony drug charges to be filed against him shortly, and indeed they were; files show he then pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in July. Another city case seeking the forfeiture of his residence was dismissed.

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West Seattle Friday: Wine, shopping, skating, more!

November 9, 2018 12:32 pm

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Thursday night’s sunset, before the clouds rolled in! Photo by Robin Sinner)

Five for tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

VISCON CELLARS WINE RELEASE: Two new wines, and you can get them starting tonight!

(Photo courtesy Viscon Cellars)

Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) is releasing “a 2015 Unoaked Chardonnay and our 2014 Heart Box Red Merlot. Just in time for the Thanksgiving Holidays, both these wines pair great with traditional holiday meals.” The tasting room/wine bar is open 5-9 pm tonight, 2-7 pm Saturday. (5910 California SW)

FAUNTLEROY FINE ART AND GIFT SHOW: Tonight, tomorrow, and Sunday, local artists (see the list here) are showing and selling in the Fauntleroy Church Fellowship Hall. Tonight, you’re invited to stop by 5 pm-8 pm. (9140 California SW)

GO SKATING: Alki Community Center turns roller rink most Friday nights, 5:45-7:45 pm. Details in our calendar listing. (5817 SW Stevens)

SONGWRITERS’ SHOWCASE: 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) – “new lineup each month featuring four local singer-songwriters performing their original material. Anchored and hosted the second Friday of each month by West Seattle’s own Tom Humphreys. Each performer gets a 25-minute set in the showcase.” (5612 California SW)

‘FOOLS’ NIGHT 2: 7:30 pm, it’s your second chance to see the West Seattle High School Drama Club‘s production of the Neil Simon. Ticket info in our calendar listing. (3000 California SW)

SEE WHAT ELSE IS UP TONIGHT AND BEYOND … by checking our complete calendar.

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FOLLOWUP: Work crews finally arrive at future West Seattle Habit Burger Grill

November 9, 2018 11:24 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

More than five months after we broke the news that KFC was moving out of 3501 SW Avalon Way and The Habit Burger Grill was moving in, work at the site is finally beginning in earnest. If you pass by the busy 35th and Avalon corner frequently (which we do), you know the building was repainted in the chain’s trademark taupe fairly soon after the KFC closure, but it’s been idle in the months since, even drawing some vandalism. However, city permit files show the project has remained in the works, with a raft of filings in mid-September. We are attempting again to reach the company to see if there’s a projected opening date. The California-based Habit Burger chain opened its first within-city-limits Seattle store in Ballard back in August.

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UPDATE: Salmon spawning season continues; ‘open creek’ set for Saturday

November 9, 2018 10:51 am

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| Environment | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

10:51 AM: Thanks to Kersti Muul for the photos from Fauntleroy Creek earlier this week. Spawning season continues and she photographed those eggs, explaining, “Some critter had dragged them up on the banks. Eventually they were eaten but it took a few days … which surprises me! Seeing that we have otters and raccoons and birds a plenty.” She also shared this photo of the 13th coho counted in the creek, a ~3-pound female:

We’re checking on where the count stands. (UPDATE: Creek steward Judy Pickens tells us it’s at 18 – that’s more than 4 times last year’s four-fish count.)

ADDED 3:55 PM: Judy has since announced there’ll be another “open creek” tomorrow:

We’ve seen 18 coho to date, witnessed active spawning, and continue to have favorable tides for bringing in more fish. Volunteers will host an “open creek” Saturday (11/10) afternoon from noon to 3:00 at the fish ladder (SW Director and upper Fauntleroy Way SW). Come to the viewpoint there and a watcher will invite you down. Children need to bring a parent and dogs should be leashed and well behaved. Decking and steps will likely be wet, so use caution.

P.S. Bonus video from Kersti:

She explains, “It’s from yesterday, a spawning pair activity making a nest, with a little Jack trying to have a turn but getting turned back by the larger male.” (A “jack” is a salmon returning a year earlier than they usually would.)

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Pre-holiday-weekend Friday watch

November 9, 2018 7:14 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)

7:14 AM: Good morning! No incidents or transit alerts in/from West Seattle so far.

HOLIDAY WEEKEND: Monday (November 12th) is the observed Veterans Day, so there will be changes including no Water Taxi, reduced-weekday Metro, and no school.

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