West Seattle, Washington

16 Tuesday

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month : 11/2018 293 results

4 for your pre-holiday West Seattle Wednesday
November 21, 2018 11:13 am
|    Comments Off on 4 for your pre-holiday West Seattle Wednesday
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Don Brubeck)

On Thanksgiving Eve, the event list is a bit short, but we still have a few things to mention. From the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide and year-round Event Calendar:

DESSERT DONATIONS: If you have a dessert to donate for The Hall at Fauntleroy‘s free community Thanksgiving feast but can’t get there tomorrow, you can take it to parent company Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering‘s SODO office today before 3 pm. (4101 Airport Way S.)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TO ITTO’S: Third anniversary for Itto’s Tapas on the north end of The Junction. Their message: “Thank you for your patronage, West Seattle! Please visit us on Wednesday, Nov 21, and enjoy an amuse-bouche.” Open 4 pm-midnight. (4160 California SW)

EVENING BOOK GROUP: All welcome to head over the ridge and join in the South Park Library Book Group meeting, 6:30 pm at the SP Senior Center. This month’s title: “Founding Mothers” by Cokie Roberts. Next month: “My Brilliant Friend” by Elena Ferrante. (8201 10th Ave. S.)

OPEN MICROPHONE: At The Skylark, signups at 7:30, music at 8:30 pm. No cover, for performers or spectators. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

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FOLLOWUP: Beach burial for sea lion
November 21, 2018 10:22 am
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Thanks for the tip. Seattle Parks is digging on the shore south/east of Seacrest to bury the latest dead sea lion to wash up. (Here’s our report from Sunday.) This is one of seven recent sea lion deaths now under federal investigation, according to the Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network – which is who to call if you see a sea lion or other marine mammal on a local shore, alive or dead, 206-905-SEAL.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Pre-holiday Wednesday watch
November 21, 2018 7:14 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Pre-holiday Wednesday watch
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)

7:14 AM: Good morning. Only note for our area right now is that if you travel SW Holden between 35th and Delridge, you might note a few SFD crews remaining from what was fleetingly a large callout, then quickly downsized, in the 2600 block.

HOLIDAY TRANSIT CHANGES TOMORROW/FRIDAY: Remember that there’ll be changes both for Thanksgiving Day and the day after. Metro will be on a Sunday schedule tomorrow, “reduced weekday” Friday. The King County Water Taxi will be out of service both days.

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VIDEO: Light-rail displacement questions, plus 99-closure-and-beyond briefing, @ Junction Neighborhood Organization
November 20, 2018 11:47 pm
|      23 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Transportation | West Seattle news

Our area’s two biggest transportation topics were at centerstage as the Junction Neighborhood Organization met last night. First, light rail:

SOUND TRANSIT UPDATE: Stephen Mak, the project’s West Seattle lead, provided background, including where on the timeline the project is – with planning continuing until 2022. But the most distinctive part of the briefing he led with Andrea Burnett was the Q&A, with a heavy focus on questions from people wondering if they would lose their homes to light-rail construction.

Mak also recapped how the process got to where it stands. We recorded this on video but the house lights weren’t brought down, so the graphics aren’t all that visible, so it’s mostly usable as audio – the slide deck is above.

The presentation included a quick look at the three “end-to-end alternatives” with which the third round of route review has begun (unveiled at the Stakeholder Advisory Group meeting we covered two weeks ago).

There are variables within each of these options, as Mak recapped; for example, the one that would tunnel to The Junction includes three potential tunnel locations.

And there’s the possibility of crossing the Duwamish River north of the West Seattle Bridge instead of south of it; that would include the rail bridge crossing over the West Seattle Bridge’s Delridge ramps, Mak said in response to a question.

The third end-to-end alternative, which would be elevated going into The Junction, envisions an elevated station at 41st. “I think it would be helpful for you to give (people) the elevation,” an attendee said. “Isn’t it true that it would be 140 feet?” Mak said he didn’t have that information. Does an elevated track go over houses? No, the houses would be demolished “to clear a path,” someone else responded. Another person said, “Is there a Ballard tunnel option? If Ballard gets a tunnel, West Seattle is going to want a tunnel.” Other questions included, what does ST mean by “exploring tradeoffs” in certain locations?

Also: Is there any option that would mean no one would lose their homes?

Read More

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VIDEO: Rotary Club of West Seattle gets visit from state Attorney General, looks ahead to Children’s Shopping Spree
November 20, 2018 9:31 pm
|    Comments Off on VIDEO: Rotary Club of West Seattle gets visit from state Attorney General, looks ahead to Children’s Shopping Spree
 |   Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

A high-profile guest at today’s Rotary Club of West Seattle meeting – state Attorney General Bob Ferguson. And the club has another big event coming up. First, today’s visit:

Ferguson is a North Seattle resident who has been the state’s elected Attorney General since 2012 (here’s his bio). He told the West Seattle Rotarians that he had set a goal of visiting every Rotary Club in the state – more than 180 – and he has only about 40 to go. He spoke briefly and then answered questions. We recorded video:

Toplines: His office has 600+ lawyers, more than 100 of whom work on behalf of children – a major responsibility for the AG’s office. The office handles 20,000+ consumer complaints every year, many involving charity fraud. He shared anecdotes, including the story of prosecuting scammers who had bilked small businesses out of a fake $125 “fee.” The consumer-protection division pays for itself, he added, from proceeds of judgments.

Ferguson also mentioned having filed 32 lawsuits against the Trump Administration and winning 15 of them so far, 9 of which are no longer appealable, with the other 6 still in the appeal process. The lawsuit subjects range from DREAMers to “3D printed” plastic guns. Some ask him why he’s filing so many suits against the administration; Ferguson said he contends, the better question is, why does the administration so often flout the law?

First question: Who pays for those lawsuits?

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West Seattle Crime Watch: More illegal dumping
November 20, 2018 8:30 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

For the second time in less than week, we have a reader report of illegal dumping. Just texted:

Illegal dumping in alleyway between 35th Ave SW and 34th Ave SW around 6:55 pm. Heard loud roar of truck speeding off on Barton. Black bags with other debris spread down the alleyway.

The texter says it’s been reported to police.

P.S. Here’s the text of the no-dumping law, in case you’re curious.

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From the ‘in case you wondered too’ file: New crossing islands at 30th/Trenton
November 20, 2018 7:21 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

If you travel on SW Trenton between Delridge Way and 35th SW, you have probably noticed those new crossing islands installed at 30th SW. It’s part of the West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway, which is on 30th SW between SW Roxbury and SW Kenyon, before moving to 34th SW as it continues north. We’ve received a few questions about the islands – most recently, a reader wondering how emergency vehicles would get around them. We took that question to SDOT’s project spokesperson Adonis Ducksworth, who explained:

Your observer is correct, they will interfere with the turning movements of large vehicles. We designed them knowing that larger vehicles – specifically commercial vehicles – would have to drive over them.

To accommodate such large vehicles, the islands would have had to be designed in a manner that would not have provided as much refuge for pedestrians. So we decided on a compromise: design and locate them as originally intended for pedestrian safety, while making them mountable for the low volume of larger vehicles turning to/from 30th/Trenton. In other words, large trucks can drive over the islands. The curb is only about 4 inches off the ground versus the standard 6 inches.

The Phase 1 design (see the map here) also includes crossing islands at 30th/Thistle and 34th/Morgan.

We asked Ducksworth what’s next in the greenway project, which is in its first phase and eventually will stretch all the way to north West Seattle. He says that “almost all of the speed humps are in” for Phase 1. “We still have to put up the signs and paint the markings. That work will likely happen in the near future in 2019.”

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Haven’t made it to any of the info sessions about the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure? Another one in West Seattle next week
November 20, 2018 4:59 pm
|    Comments Off on Haven’t made it to any of the info sessions about the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure? Another one in West Seattle next week
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Highway 99 tunnel | Transportation | West Seattle news

If you still have questions about the upcoming closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct – and the other looming traffic-crunch factors – but haven’t made it to any of the meetings where it’s been discussed – here’s your next chance: Monday (November 26th), Delridge Community Center (4523 Delridge Way SW), 6:30-7:30 pm. This one’s a city presentation; the announcement says, “Please join the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods and the Seattle Department of Transportation for an information session on the upcoming permanent closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and the other upcoming challenges to our transportation system as we build a better city.” It’s one of five around the city.

P.S. We covered last night’s briefing at the Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting and our report is in the works.

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BIZNOTE: Another West Seattle corner store closing
November 20, 2018 2:57 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tips. Country Deli-Grocery at 7789 Highland Park Way is closing at the end of the month. The property is for sale – both the store and the house behind it; no buyer set but the store is closing anyway. Asking price is $380,000 for the store, $780,000 if you want the house too. Highland Park Way is one of the West Seattle arterials where redevelopment is increasing, and the listing for this property says, “Rare opportunity to develop a mixed rental property – retail shop and apartments above, Neighborhood Commercial zoning (NC 1).”

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THANKSGIVING UPDATES! New info in our West Seattle Holiday Guide
November 20, 2018 12:56 pm
|    Comments Off on THANKSGIVING UPDATES! New info in our West Seattle Holiday Guide
 |   West Seattle news

T minus 2! Thanksgiving is two days away and as promised, we’ve continued adding information to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, where you’ll find seasonal events and other information spanning the busy weeks from pre-Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day. For your Thanksgiving planning, we have:

-Morning workouts/run
-Coffee shops that’ll be open on the holiday
-Restaurants that’ll be open on the holiday
-Grocery stores that’ll be open on the holiday
-Free community meals
-What to do after dinner

And that’s just Thanksgiving! Lots more in the guide too – browse it here. We’re adding to it at least once a day – if you have something to add, for Thanksgiving or beyond, please e-mail us as soon as you can – westseattleblog@gmail.com.

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Car-on-side crash at 35th and Trenton
November 20, 2018 11:58 am
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

Northbound 35th SW is blocked near SW Trenton because of that crash. The driver of the car that’s on its side hit the parked car on the right, police told us at the scene. No injuries, and a tow truck has already arrived, so this should be cleared before too long.

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Remembering Joyce Coleman, 1926-2018
November 20, 2018 10:46 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends are sharing this remembrance of Joyce Coleman:

R. Joyce Coleman, age 91, passed away in the presence of family on Friday, November 9, 2018, just short of her 92nd birthday. She was born November 15, 1926, in Yakima, to Delbert McClain and Blanche Oliver.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Frank and sons Robert and John. She is survived by her son Frank Jr., daughters-in-law Lena and Sue, grandsons Andrew and Ben, sister Marlene, brothers Bob and Don, and a great-grandson and great-granddaughter.

She was a resident of Seattle for over 78 years after moving from Yakima and lived a majority of her life in West Seattle, which she considered her home. She attended and was a member of West Side Presbyterian Church for over 65 years.

Joyce was a telephone operator prior to meeting Frank and getting married. After Frank retired, she went back to work at Seafirst Bank in the Mortgage Banking Department, and Frank drove her to work or the bus stop every day up until she retired. It was time they shared and enjoyed especially at Christmas so they could shop at Frederick and Nelsons, Nordstrom, and Macy’s.

She will be interred in a private gathering at Mt. Tahoma National Cemetery, where she will join her beloved Frank. A gathering will occur after the holidays for family and friends to share and get together in her honor.

Special Thanks to the staff and nurses at Providence Hospice and Home Care of Snohomish County for their loving care and assistance in her final days. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to this group of wonderful people and facilities.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

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Dozens of reasons to go watch Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown on Friday
November 20, 2018 9:03 am
|    Comments Off on Dozens of reasons to go watch Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown on Friday
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Dozens of young musicians, comprising our area’s two high-school marching bands, will be part of the 28th annual Macy’s Holiday Parade downtown this Friday. Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School (shown in WSB photos from 2017) are both in the parade lineup we obtained from a Macy’s spokesperson – see it here (PDF).

The parade starts at 9 am Friday (November 23rd) at 7th and Pine, heads west on Pine to 5th, turns south on 5th, then west on University, and heads back north on 4th to, of course, the endpoint at Macy’s. Rain or shine!

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Foggy Tuesday watch
November 20, 2018 7:14 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Foggy Tuesday watch
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)

7:14 AM: Good morning! No incidents reported so far in/from West Seattle on this foggy Tuesday morning.

7:19 AM: Washington State Ferries says the #2 and #3 vessels on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route are “running an estimated 20 minutes behind schedule due to fog and reduced visibility.”

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WEATHER ALERT: ‘Dense fog advisory’ until noon
November 20, 2018 3:23 am
|    Comments Off on WEATHER ALERT: ‘Dense fog advisory’ until noon
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Minutes ago, the National Weather Service issued a “dense fog advisory” alert for our area. It’s in effect until noon. The NWS warns, “Dense fog will result in poor driving conditions for the entire morning commute. Patchy areas of freezing fog may also lead to isolated areas of black ice on bridges and some roadways.” Read the alert in its entirety here.

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UPDATE: 2 officers injured near 27th/Roxbury, 1 suspect arrested, 1 sought
November 19, 2018 11:00 pm
|      81 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

(UPDATED 11:11 AM TUESDAY with new information)

(Added: WSB photos)

11 PM: Lots of sirens in south West Seattle, as one texter noted, and here’s why: A call for major backup went out after someone assaulted a police officer in the 9400 block of 27th SW. We don’t know how the call started but when the call went out for backup, one officer told her colleagues over the radio that there was probable cause to arrest a suspect – who is still being sought – for assault on an officer. No serious injury reported as there’s been no call for medics. The suspect was last reported headed southbound.

11:09 PM: Now there’s an SFD dispatch.

11:29 PM: We’re at the scene to see what more we can find out.

11:40 PM: Police at the scene say this began as a domestic-violence call. A responding officer was assaulted. No info yet on their condition.

12:13 PM: Still searching. As discussed in comments, the siren bursts are a search-related tactic.

3:39 AM: No further info; we’ll be following up with SPD when their media office opens later this morning.

11:11 AM: We’ve talked with police and obtained the narrative from last night’s incident:

According to the report, it started with a 911 call from someone saying their 21-year-old brother was banging on their apartment door and drunk, and was not a welcome visitor. Officers arrived and saw the suspect kicking the door. He tried to leave the scene. A struggle with officers ensued. That’s when, the report says, one officer “was kneed in the head.” A crowd had begun to form and another officer who was trying to provide crowd control was shoved in the chest by someone else. The person who did that ran into and then out of a nearby apartment. That’s when the search began but that suspect was not found. The report describes him only as male, black, dark complexion, 5’9″, 170, wearing a red Cardinals T-shirt and black jeans.

Ultimately the officer who was kneed was taken to the hospital and has since been released; two other officers were checked out by SFD medics at the Southwest Precinct, and one is described as having suffered minor injuries. The original suspect – the man whose brother had called 911 – is in jail for investigation of assault, resisting arrest, and domestic-violence property damage; jail records show he was booked two other times in just the past week, both on suspicion of trespassing.

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2 ways to bake up a West Seattle holiday-season good deed
November 19, 2018 9:25 pm
|    Comments Off on 2 ways to bake up a West Seattle holiday-season good deed
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

Love baking? Two holiday-season community dinners can benefit from your baking!

That’s a photo from a past-season Hall at Fauntleroy community Thanksgiving dinner. This Thursday, for the 20th year, The Hall will again open its doors for a free catered feast that will also feature community-donated desserts. If you can spare cookies, cake, a pie, or something else to sweeten things up for the diners, organizers would welcome your contribution. You can drop your donation off at Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering‘s SODO office (4101 Airport Way S.) 9 am-3 pm tomorrow or Wednesday, or at The Hall (9131 California SW) 10 am-1 pm Thursday – details here.

Looking ahead to Christmastime, this is a call specifically for cookies – lots and lots of them! The Christmas People plan to again serve a community dinner at the Alki Masonic Hall in The Junction on Christmas Day, as well as distributing food to people who can’t get there, and they are again calling for thousands of home-baked cookies to be donated in the days before Christmas! Contact The Christmas People if you’re interested in contributing.

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What West Seattle gets in the City Council’s final budget
November 19, 2018 6:10 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The City Council passed next year’s budget today, finalizing its changes to the plan Mayor Jenny Durkan proposed in September, and including some changes championed by West Seattle/South Park (District 1) Councilmember Lisa Herbold. We’ve reported on most of them previously in the process. They include, as listed in her budget-wrapup announcement:

DISTRICT 1 CAPITAL PROJECTS:

*Adding the Highland Park Way SW/SW Holden Street Roundabout project to the SDOT Capital Improvement Program

*Adding 35th Avenue SW road paving to the SDOT Capital Improvement Program (CIP)

*Seattle Parks Department planning to enhance Trail Access on SW Brandon Street

*Adding the South Park Playfield to the CIP, noting $1.8 million in funding

The roundabout and 35th SW items don’t guarantee funding for those projects, but they’re a key step toward moving them toward the SDOT front burner. Meantime, Herbold also notes in her announcement:

… “funding to maintain a public safety coordinator for South Park, funding for RV Remediation, and enhancing and adding three inspectors to the Vacant Building Monitoring Program, so more vacant properties are monitored and don’t become public safety nuisances for the neighborhood. … $60,000 in funding for Concord Elementary’s Community Learning Center, Citizenship Program funding for Neighborhood House at High Point, funding to allow Colman Pool stay open for an additional 4 weekends a year.”

Herbold’s announcement also mentions nine other “citywide wins” among her proposals that made it into the final budget.

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FOLLOWUP: SDOT’s new information on how Avalon/35th/Alaska repaving and rechannelization will change parking
November 19, 2018 3:20 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Luna Park | Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo)

Back in August, when we last updated the Avalon/35th/Alaska repaving and rechannelization plan, SDOT said it was re-crunching the numbers on current and proposed parking. The assessment – with numbers – is finally ready, and SDOT says:

Our parking update findings show:

*Net loss of 67 parking spaces on SW Avalon Way between 35th Ave SW and SW Spokane St

*Net loss of 9 parking spaces on 35th Ave SW between SW Avalon Way and SW Alaska St

*39 remaining on-street parking spaces in the Luna Park business district between SW Spokane St and SW Yancy St. Today, there are 53 on-street spaces (24 on the west side and 29 on the east side). Our project design removes 14 spaces total (the sum of removing 16 on the west side and adding 2 on the east side). The east side spaces are “no parking” 6-10AM, Monday-Friday, as they mostly are today.

*13 remaining spaces in the off-street public parking area between Luna Park Cafe and The Shack. Today, there are 14 spaces here distinguished by privately-painted line markings. We remove one that’s been marked across the sidewalk/pedestrian area.

*3 remaining spaces in the off-street public parking area next to Luna Park Cafe and Avalon Glassworks. Today, there are 3 spaces here.

*31 parking spaces will be restricted Monday through Friday, 6-10 AM, to create a bus lane on the east side of SW Avalon Way between SW Spokane St and SW Yancy St. Today, there are 18 spaces restricted weekday mornings.

*We’ve kept load zones and a disabled zone to meet high-priority needs like business deliveries, and pick-ups and drop-offs at busy apartment buildings

*We’re planning to implement 2-hour parking time limits on SW Avalon Way in the business district north of SW Yancy St to improve customer and visitor access

Why the new design includes fewer parking spaces than today:

*We’re redesigning SW Avalon Way with a focus on safety. This will result in narrower travel lanes to lower overall speeds, reduce high-end speeding, and reduce crossing distances for people walking and biking to get around the neighborhood and catch the bus.

*We’re separating people biking from moving traffic with protected bike lanes, mostly between the curb and a “floating” parking lane. The floating parking lanes will have buffer areas, so car doors don’t hit people biking and there’s space for people parking to walk to and from their car. This design pulls parking farther back from intersections and driveways than today. Twenty-foot parking setbacks allow people driving to see people walking and biking better – their vision isn’t blocked by a parked car – to make collisions less likely at driveways and cross streets.

*We didn’t count spaces 5 feet from driveways, 15 feet from fire hydrants, 20 feet from crosswalks, and 30 feet from intersections, which are not legal parking areas under state and local laws, but may be considered legal parking today.

*Most street space for the protected bike lanes came from removing the center turn lane, but in narrower areas at the north end of the corridor we had to restrict morning parking on the east side to allow for the bus lane that moves thousands of people a day on RapidRide and other routes

*On 35th Ave SW, we removed parking spaces where we’re adding pedestrian crossing islands to help people get across the street at SW Alaska St to the West Seattle Stadium and transit

Next steps:

*We’ll post the 100% street channelization plans online with parking areas noted. We’ve already done that at 30% Design and 60% Design. Specifically, the community will see the number of spaces in each parking area and notes where we think load zones and a disabled zone will be located.

*We’ll post this information and this parking changes graphic on the website

*We’re scheduling a meeting with the Luna Park Merchants Association to discuss the latest update. Please let us know if you need a phone call or meeting with our project team to discuss this information.

*We want to continue to hear from the people who live, work, travel, and visit the neighborhood with requests for information, questions, and if there are any errors in our maps or analysis that need to be fixed

*We’ll then follow-up with the community this winter to share the final design, and pre-construction information since we’re expecting construction to start in spring 2019 and last 2 years

According to previous conversations with SDOT, that’s not two continuous years, but rather two construction seasons – roughly April through October each year. The project includes repaving of Avalon in its entirety, from the bridge to Fauntleroy Way, as well as about three blocks of 35th SW between Avalon and Alaska, and a block of Alaska west of 35th. The 60 percent design documents are all on the project website; the parking update we received today isn’t there yet.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Suspect in custody after Westwood Village robbery
November 19, 2018 2:05 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | Westwood

(Added: Photo by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)

2:05 PM: Big police response converging on Westwood Village and Roxhill Park after a robbery report. According to police-radio communication, the robbery happened at Target and the robber “pulled a knife on security.” The robber was reported to have been seen heading “toward the bus stop” so police are checking Roxhill Park. Description: “Black male, light-skinned, 6’1″, black hooded puffy jacket with gray fur around the hood, light jeans, black Nike shoes, bright orange backpack.” The stolen items are described as video games.

2:11 PM: Per radio communication, police are detaining a suspect on Roxbury. They also report “knife recovered.”

2:20 PM: Per radio, the man in custody has been taken back to the scene, where the guard has confirmed that’s the suspect, who is now being taken to the precinct.

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18 coho salmon spawners answer the call at Fauntleroy Creek
November 19, 2018 12:28 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Photo by Steev Ward)

By Dennis Hinton and Judy Pickens
Special to West Seattle Blog

The annual salmon watch on Fauntleroy Creek began on October 29, the morning after the drumming to call in the coho, and that very day, salmon watchers documented the first six to do so.

(Photo by Gordon Thomas)

By Sunday (November 18), when the watch ended, 18 had taken advantage of favorable tides, ample rainfall, and ideal habitat conditions to made their way into the lower creek – the most in four years.

The spawners were all vigorous and three pairs are thought to have left fertilized eggs to germinate in the creek. Four were “jack” salmon – small males that returned to fresh water after one year instead of the usual two in salt water. Full-sized spawners ranged up to 6 pounds. Most were released as smolts by hatcheries (as identified by missing adipose fins) but at least two could have originated in the creek as Salmon in the Schools release fish.

Nearly 100 students from two area schools came in hopes of seeing fish living or dead. Two “open creeks” drew 120 people and another 120 stopped by to chat with one of the 16 volunteers who took turns watching. Ferry foot passengers even got in on the action, cheering fish navigating through drift logs to enter the creek from Fauntleroy Cove.

Next up for local volunteers will be distributing eyed eggs in early January to 14 West Seattle schools for students to rear and release as fry in May. They will be among 70 schools citywide to rear coho, chum, or Chinook through the Salmon in the Schools program.

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West Seattle Monday: Viaduct & light rail, Thanksgiving ordering, macramé, more…
November 19, 2018 10:48 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Monday: Viaduct & light rail, Thanksgiving ordering, macramé, more…
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(White-throated Sparrow, photographed by Mark Ahlness, shared via the WSB Flickr group)

From the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide and year-round Event Calendar:

THANKSGIVING ORDERING DEADLINES: From the Holiday Guide, today’s the deadline for ordering holiday meals at Metropolitan Market-Admiral (WSB sponsor), details here, and at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor), details here. It’s also the deadline if you want a Thanksgiving pie that’s NOT on the holiday-spcific menu at A La Mode Pies in The Junction.

‘WHEN IS HOME NO LONGER A SAFE OPTION?’ Rescheduled talk at Aegis Living of West Seattle (WSB sponsor) is today, 11:30 am-1 pm. (4700 SW Admiral Way)

POETRY READING: At South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Olympic Hall, noon-1:30 pm, students read and you’re invited! (6000 16th SW)

VIADUCT, LIGHT RAIL, RPZ AT JuNO: 6:30 pm at the Senior Center/Sisson Building, as previewed here, the Junction Neighborhood Organization meets, with these hot transportation topics and more on the agenda. All welcome. (4217 SW Oregon)

MACRAME MONDAY: At Bird on a Wire, 6:30 pm, get crafty! Food and beverages too. (3509 SW Henderson)

DROP-IN PRESCHOOL ART: 6:30 pm at High Point Library. “Join our guest teacher, Miss Lisa, to complete art projects using nature, recycled materials, and more! For ages 2-5.” (3411 SW Raymond)

Got events? Send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – the earlier the better – thank you!

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Blue bikes stolen in garage and car break-ins
November 19, 2018 9:52 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL REPORT, 9:52 AM: From Missy:

Our garage was broken into sometime late last night or early this morning. Luckily only one of our bikes was taken. I was hoping to get the word out so that I could possibly get my bike back. The bike was taken from our garage on the 3200 block of 48th Ave SW. It is a 2012 Marin Bridgeway bike in “vintage blue.”

Here’s a photo of a similar bike. (Update) The police report # is 2018-433351.

ADDED 10:37 AM: Just got this from Andre, so we’re adding:

Last night after midnight my bicycle was stolen from a parked and locked car at my home. Stolen was my 2016 Crux cyclocross bike and a Bright Yellow waterproof bike bag. If anyone sees this in the neighborhood please let me know. It’s very distinctive. Blue and Pink and Yellow bike. Contact me at andre.tiffany@gmail.com

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