month : 03/2019 307 results

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch

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

6:59 AM: Good morning! So far, no transit alerts or traffic incidents in/from our area, so far.

WATER TAXI ALERTS: Reduced service today, schedule change starting tomorrow – details here.

YOU CAN HELP: Beer benefit for brain-tumor research as Ounces co-proprietor discloses why it’s ‘very personal’ to her

This Thursday, you can drink up for a good cause. Ounces co-proprietor Laurel Trujillo (WSB file photo at right) is raising money as she prepares to have surgery, but it’s not a benefit for her – it’s to raise money for brain-tumor research. Here’s her announcement and how you can help:

Laurel here, owner of Ounces! Hoping you’ll join me and our brewery friends to help raise money for a cause very personal to me. I was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor and will be going under the knife (hence the name, lol) on April 3rd to have it removed.

Before the surgery, I’d love for you to come have beer/cider with me and help raise a bunch of money for brain tumor research!

Here’s how the fundraiser works: We’ve partnered with 21 of our brewery friends (and 2 cideries) to raise funds for the American Brain Tumor Association (or ABTA). For 1 night only, both us and the 23 breweries/cideries will be tapping up a specific beer/cider and donating $1 of every pint sold (us at Ounces and each of the breweries/cideries at their respective taprooms).

So on Thursday, 3/28… head to Ounces or one of the below breweries and lets all drink beer for a good cause!

Partners & Taplist:

Holy Mountain Brewing -Creation and Providence Saison

Stoup Brewing – Beer with Friends IPA

Urban Family Brewing Company – Perpetuation Sour

Matchless Brewing – The Clarity IPA (100% of proceeds donated)

Aslan Brewing Company – Classic Light Lager

Lowercase Brewing – Forbidden Rice Lager

Georgetown Brewing – Manny’s Pale Ale

Rooftoo Brewing Company – Scotch Scotch Scotchity Scotch Ale

Chainline Brewing Company – Going Under the Knife IPA

Counterbalance Brewing Company – Secret Summer Hazy IPA

Standard Brewing – Ghost Note Dark Lager

Optimism Brewing Company – PRIDE Farmhouse Saison

Jellyfish Brewing Company – Cannonball Oatmeal Porter

Seapine Brewing Company – Dutch Skater Pale

Two Beers Brewing Co. – Party Line IPA

Hellbent Brewing Company – Flight Test Experimental IPA

Black Raven Brewery – Test Flight 2.5 Hazy IPA

Mac & Jacks Brewery– Serengeti Wheat

Chuckanut Brewery & Kitchen – Pilsner

Old Stove Brewing Company – Amber Waves

Fremont Brewing – Nitro Dark Star (*100% of proceeds donated, only at Ounces, not at Fremont Urban Beer Garden)

Locust Cider – Original Dry Cider

Seattle Cider Company – Lemon Lavender Cider

Laurel and husband Andrew Trujillo opened Ounces in North Delridge (3809 Delridge Way SW) in 2016. For more info on the participating breweries, follow the links in this post on the Washington Beer Blog.

UPDATE: Driver hits parked car, goes sideways in Arbor Heights

8:15 PM: SFD and SPD are on their way to a reported “rollover collision” involving one person in one vehicle in the 9800 block of 35th SW [map]. Updates to come.

8:27 PM: Added photo – it’s a car that went sideways after its driver hit a parked car, according to what we’ve been told at the scene. The driver will be taken to the hospital by AMR ambulance. 35th is currently blocked both ways.

9:22 PM: Another photo – at left is the car that was hit while parked. We went by the scene again a short time ago; still blocked. We’ll update when there’s word it’s open again.

WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit returns to JuNO at ‘really good time to be engaging’

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Back in November 2017, the Junction Neighborhood Organization hosted a briefing with Sound Transit, at which a top ST manager promised “an interesting year and a half” ahead.

That year and a half is almost over; May is when the ST Board will decide which routing/station locations for West Seattle light rail will go into environmental studies. But as another JuNO briefing with ST showed last night, some local residents are just starting to sit up and take notice, especially since multiple locations are now in play for the Junction station.

An upstairs meeting room at the Senior Center/Sisson Building in The Junction filled to overflow capacity for last night’s briefing and Q&A. ST’s Leda Chahim reassured them that “this is a really good time to be engaging,” though the “scoping period” for public comment ends one week from today.

First – here’s the slide deck Chahim and other ST reps used to recap where things stand.

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BIZNOTE: Happy 2nd anniversary, Arthur’s!

Arthur’s in The Admiral District is celebrating its 2nd anniversary this week.

On Thursday (March 28th), proprietor Rebecca Rice tells WSB, “We’ll have food and drink specials in honor of the date, with a lot of new fun menu previews. We’re starting a fresh shucked oyster program and would love to gauge the neighborhood’s interest, as well as continuing to showcase our amazing Australian meat pies, fresh and seasonal spring flavors, and drinks discounted all night.” Arthur’s opened in March 2017 at 2311 California SW, previously home to Angelina’s.

WATER TAXI: Thursday is first day of West Seattle 7-days-a-week service

(WSB photo from January)

3:02 PM: The West Seattle Water Taxi‘s seven-day-a-week schedule starts Thursday, and that means the end of the 2-boat service that started just before the Alaskan Way Viaduct permanently closed. You can preview the spring/summer schedule here. Key points, as the county reminds us, are that the Water Taxi will:

*Be in service seven days a week from Pier 50 downtown to West Seattle

*Include late evening sailings every Friday and Saturday

*Depart downtown Seattle as late as 10:45 p.m. during Seattle Mariners, Sounders and Seahawks night home games

Thursday is in fact the Mariners‘ home opener, though the game starts at 4:10 pm, so the Water Taxi’s not likely to have to run that late.

ADDED TUESDAY NIGHT: Turns out TODAY was the final day of 2-boat service – see this service advisory for Wednesday.

COUNTDOWN: Registration opens next week for 15th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day

We’re starting to get questions about West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, so we’re publishing this reminder that registration always starts in early April, which means next week! Saturday, May 11th, 9 am-3 pm, is the official date/time for the 15th annual WSCGSD – not one big sale, but many sales of all sizes, all over the peninsula – presented and coordinated (since its fourth year) by us here at WSB. We hold registration open for a little over three weeks, and close it with enough time for us to prepare the printable and clickable versions of the map/sale list and make them available one week in advance of sale day so shoppers can make their plans and plot routes. You’ll see the announcement here when signups start! (WSB photo from 2017 WSCGSD)

West Seattle Car Show at the end of the road unless ….

(WSB photo from 2018 West Seattle Car Show)

Another West Seattle summertime tradition is in danger of driving into the sunset.

The West Seattle Car Show needs new presenters – or else what was the 11th annual WSCS will have been its last.

If you’re interested in taking the wheel, it’s ready to go without much groundwork, promises Todd Ainsworth, who with Chris Christensen (they own Swedish Automotive and West Seattle Autoworks, both WSB sponsors) took over the show in 2014 after the sudden death of its founder, West Seattle Junction entrepreneur Michael Hoffman, who launched the WSCS in 2008. It quickly became a popular late-summer event. In 2015, the show moved to the campus of South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), whose Automotive Technology program is the beneficiary of money raised by the show (admission has always been free, while participating car owners pay a nominal entry fee, and there’ve bee additional fundraising opportunities such as drawing tickets).

After five years, Todd says, for a variety of reasons, they have to hand it over to somebody new. “We’ve already got the date reserved at the school and whoever it is will basically receive a ‘car show in a box’ to work with,” he says – definitely a strong jump start. He adds that, “Ideally, it would be a local car club or other community-based group” but so far a quiet circulation of the availability hasn’t brought anyone forward so now they’re going wide.

POTENTIALLY INTERESTED? Contact Todd at 206-938-8685 or via email at wscarshow@gmail.com.

West Seattle Crime Watch: Seen this stolen bicycle?

Reader report from Kerri: “Friday 3/22, I had a bike stolen out of my garage on 15th and Barton/Cambridge. I have reported to the police.” Here’s what the bicycle looks like.

What’s up for your West Seattle Tuesday

(Daffodil photographed in The Junction by Lisa Ruiz)

Here’s a quick look at local highlights in the hours ahead:

TODDLER STORY TIME: 10:30 am at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. (2306 42nd SW)

PAINTING ON THE iPAD: ArtRage at Delridge Library, 6 pm. (5423 Delridge Way SW)

TRACK WORKOUT: Free track workout with West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) – meet at the store by 6:30 pm. (2743 California SW)

DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: This new peninsula-wide group will discuss topics of West Seattle-wide interest including a potential City Council candidates’ forum. 7 pm at Duwamish Longhouse. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)

SHAMBALA MEDITATION: 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Tea, too! (4408 Delridge Way SW)

FAMILY STORY TIME: 7 pm at Delridge Library, kids of all ages welcome! (5423 Delridge Way SW)

SUFFERING F-HEADS: 9 pm, “jazz/punk super-duo” at Parliament Tavern. No cover. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

SEE THE FUTURE … by browsing our complete calendar here!

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday watch; bridge crash

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

6:58 AM: Good morning! No transit alerts or traffic incidents in/from our area, so far.

8:51 AM: Thanks for the tips. A motorcycle crash is reported on the eastbound bridge, at Admiral. An SFD medical response is just now being dispatched.

8:55 AM: From SDOT:

9:05 AM: As the SDOT camera shows,t this is actually right at the peak of the high rise. Traffic is being routed into the outside lane. No word on the rider’s condition.

9:29 AM: SDOT has turned the camera back the other way but reports all lanes are clear. We’ll check with SFD re: the rider.

ADDED: He is in his early 60s per SFD and was in stable condition when taken to the hospital.

CONGRATULATIONS! West Seattle teen wins debate championship, heading to nationals

Another amazing achievement by a West Seattleite! National competition is next for Stephanie Glascock, whose proud family shares the photo and announcement:

Stephanie Glascock, a West Seattle resident who is a senior at Raisbeck Aviation High School, became the First Place Champion in Congressional Debate at this weekend’s Washington State Championship Tournament sponsored by the Washington State Forensics Association (WFSA) and Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA). (RAHS placed second in school sweepstakes for Congressional Debate.)

Having competed since her freshman year, Stephanie has garnered several local, state, and national debate awards and distinctions including quarter- and semi-finalist spots at the annual Harvard National High School Invitational Forensics Tournament, held in Cambridge, Mass., which is the largest and most prestigious high-school debate tournament in the country. She has competed twice in the National Speech and Debate Association’s National Championship Tournament held in June, qualifying again this year.

Congratulations, Stephanie!

Open-water women swimmers share stories, advice, inspiration (and a love for Alki)

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

“If you can swim in Puget Sound, you can swim anywhere.”

That was a comment by open-water swimmer Heidi Skrzypek, one of the panelists at the Women in the Open Water: Awakening the Dolphin Within event in downtown Seattle on Thursday night, featuring swimmers with impressive accomplishments who happen to regularly train at Alki Beach.

The women on the panel shared their experiences and advice about open-water swimming, and answered questions from attendees during the 2-hour event (see a slideshow video on YouTube, which was shown prior to the event).

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COMMUNITY: No Block Watch Captains Network meeting Tuesday, but SPD @ HPAC Wednesday

March 25, 2019 6:06 pm
|    Comments Off on COMMUNITY: No Block Watch Captains Network meeting Tuesday, but SPD @ HPAC Wednesday
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

If recent high-profile incidents have you wondering about the next chance to talk with SPD leadership at community meetings, two things you should know:

WEST SEATTLE BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK: Though WSBWCN usually meets fourth Tuesdays, they’re skipping this month and inviting you to their next meeting at 6:30 pm April 23rd (at Southwest Precinct), at which you’ll hear from the Guardian One helicopter crew.

HIGHLAND PARK ACTION COMMITTEE: At 7 pm this Wednesday (March 27th) at HP Improvement Club, the HPAC meeting will include a crime-trends update from precinct operations Lt. Steve Strand and a presentation by Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner.

UPDATE: Man shot in South Delridge

(WSB photos)

3:24 PM: Police are investigating a shooting in the 9400 block of 16th SW [map]. They say 1 man is hurt. No one in custody yet. Updates to come.

3:39 PM: We’ve talked briefly with police at the scene. They believe this was a drive-by shooting. No clear vehicle description yet. So far they don’t believe it was random. The victim is being transported to Harborview Medical Center via SFD Medic 32.

4:05 PM: Both precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis and operations Lt. Steve Strand were among the police at the scene, and have talked with us. The victim was shot outside of a business building on the west side of 16th SW, which is currently closed for the investigation. According to a short update just posted to SPD Blotter, he was hit in the back.

4:19 PM: Initial information from SFD – which could change – is that the victim is about 30 years old and was in serious condition when transported.

4:29 PM: 16th SW is reopening.

FOLLOWUP: Comment time for new 79-unit Lam Bow Apartments proposal

(‘Preferred’ massing option, from project packet by SMR Architects)

As first reported here two weeks ago, the Seattle Housing Authority has a new plan for the Lam Bow Apartments at 6935/6955 Delridge Way SW. Instead of just replacing the building destroyed in a 2016 fire, they’re going to demolish the remaining building too, and build a new ~79-unit building – almost 30 more apartments than the two original buildings had. The project is going through Administrative Design Review, and the design packet is now online for your review and comment (see it here, 68 pages, PDF). This is the Early Design Guidance phase, so the packet shows massing (size/shape/placement on site) options and lists these project goals:

LAM BOW REDEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES
• Replace the 21 units lost in the October 2016 fire and increase the total number of units on the site.
• Create a mixed-income community with units serving residents at or below 30% of Area Median Income (AMI) and 60% of AMI.
• Increase the supply of affordable homes, especially larger apartments (2BD+) for families with children. Our target unit count and mix is:
1-Bedroom Units: 22
2-Bedroom Units: 42
3-Bedroom Units: 15
Total Units: 79

One note – today’s notice published by the city erroneously refers to it as a 50-unit project, which it was previously, but we’ve confirmed with SHA that was a error by the Department of Construction and Inspections. The notice explains how to comment in this stage of Design Review – deadline April 8th.

UPDATE: Driver, dog rescued from car-on-side crash at California/Brandon

(Photo courtesy Mark Daughhetee)

11:31 AM: A big Seattle Fire response is headed to California/Brandon [map] for a crash reported as involving two cars, one on its side. This is reported to be in the northbound lanes but avoid both ways for now.

11:37 AM: California’s now reported to be blocked both ways. Firefighters are reported to be rescuing the driver whose vehicle went sideways.

(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)

11:49 AM: Photos added. The driver is out and did not suffer major injuries – he will be taken to the hospital by AMR ambulance. A dog was rescued from the car and is also OK, we’re told.

11:59 AM: Continue avoiding the area, as cleanup will take a while. Metro has just sent an alert that the C Line (update: also Route 22) is routed off California “between Morgan and Edmunds” for now. Meantime, the crash circumstances remain under investigation but a second car is damaged and is up on the sidewalk on the northbound side.

12:48 PM: Just revisited the scene – the road’s open, SPD and SFD gone.

CLOSURE ALERT: Seattle Public Library systemwide shutdown Wednesday

March 25, 2019 10:39 am
|    Comments Off on CLOSURE ALERT: Seattle Public Library systemwide shutdown Wednesday
 |   West Seattle news

Thanks to Forest for the suggestion that we make sure you’re aware of this: “All locations of The Seattle Public Library and book drops at the Central Library will be closed on Wednesday, March 27 for a staff in-service day. Regular operating hours will resume Thursday, March 28.”

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Monday watch

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

6:58 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported so far in/from West Seattle.

TRANSIT ALERT: Metro says the 6:31 am Route 57 is running “more than 30 minutes” late.

SERVICE CHANGE: This is the first weekday since Metro’s service change Saturday; the most notable system change is the end of buses using the Transit Tunnel downtown. There are a few changes on West Seattle routes – here’s the full service-change overview, route by route.

BACK TO 3 BOATS: Washington State Ferries‘ Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run is back to 3 boats as of today.

WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: With 9 days to comment, what you need to know now

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

What routing and station locations will be deemed “preferred” for West Seattle light rail? Key decision deadlines are headed this way fast.

With Sound Transit soon to decide what will be the focus of environmental studies, you have nine days left to comment as part of the “scoping” period. Here’s what’s happening as the April 2nd deadline nears:

JUNO MEETING TONIGHT – The Junction Neighborhood Organization is focusing its meeting on light-rail routing, 6:30 pm tonight (Monday) at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon). This is one place for you to have a say, along with the online open house.

EAST ALASKA JUNCTION NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION: We reported on this new group two weeks ago. Sunday, you might have seen their table at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market:

They’re advocating for tunneling into The Junction and, in particular, opposing the “orange” elevated routing (their materials call it the “yellow” line), not only because it could take out an entire residential neighborhood but also, they say, because it would predetermine how light rail would expand south – taking out even more homes. Go here to see the flyer they have been circulating, as well as their proposed alternative.

ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT DISPLACEMENT: Youngstown-area residents continue voicing their concerns about the southernmost option for the Delridge station; we reported in January on a special meeting they had with ST. They invited Port of Seattle Commissioner Stephanie Bowman on a walking tour of their neighborhood this past Thursday:

That’s Bowman at left above with Dennis Noland, a longtime area property owner who’s been leading the neighbors in advocacy against the Youngstown-area station location. She’s a member of the Elected Leadership Group, which will make a routing/stations recommendation next month to the ST board.

The ELG also meets this Friday (March 29th), scheduled to talk about the Delridge and Chinatown-ID stations, 9 am-noon at the ST board room downtown (401 S. Jackson). That’s where the Stakeholder Advisory Group (which had a member along on the Youngstown tour too, Deb Barker) met this past Thursday night – here’s how that went:

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VIDEO: Stolen car crashes, burns in Arbor Heights, driver flees

(Added: Reader video by Tracy. Alert, ambient sound includes profanity)

9:55 PM: In case you’re hearing the sirens: What we tuned into as King County Sheriff’s Office deputies followed/pursued a car into Arbor Heights has ended in a “car fire” call at California/106th [map]. Before that, a deputy had reported that the car’s driver tried to ram her at some point east of there. The driver has apparently bolted, as a K-9 team is being summoned to help search.

10:12 PM: Added reader video of the burning car. No report yet of an arrest. We aren’t sure yet what started this – except that it started somewhere east (25th/106th was the first location check we heard over the sheriff’s frequency).

10:30 PM: Tracy, who sent the video, says the fire is out but the search continues. Meantime, this photo also has been sent to us:

(Photo courtesy Robin)

10:47 PM: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Ryan Abbott tells WSB the car involved was stolen car and that it indeed “rammed a Deputy,” who is OK. Meantime, a commenter reports seeing how it all started near 16th/107th in White Center. And nearby resident Tracy says SFD has departed – here’s the car, post-fire:

11:33 PM: Haven’t heard any updates for a while.

ADDED 12:10 PM MONDAY: Followed up today with Sgt. Abbott of KCSO. He confirms that the suspect has NOT been found. We also asked about the circumstances of the original car theft. He says it was taken in White Center – 1200 block of SW 107th – two weeks ago: “The victim had started his car to warm it up in the morning of 03/11 and when he returned to it, the car was gone.” It’s a 2007 Chrysler 300.

Some trash cans changing: Bigger cans without bigger capacity

After seeing an online discussion about trash-can changes in Beacon Hill – some customers getting a larger can without increased capacity – Scott wondered if the same swapout is going to happen here. So we checked with Seattle Public Utilities spokesperson Sabrina Register, who says yes, in fact, it is, and the new cans/carts either are about to start arriving or already have. If you have a 20-gallon solid-waste container, Waste Management wlll replace it with a new one that has, Register explains, “the same dimensions as the existing Rehrig-brand 32g-service garbage cart, but will have a tan-color insert (screwed in) that reduces the cart’s capacity to 20-gallons.The inserts are not designed to be removed or added (again, screwed in/permanent). The new carts are better for drivers and customers because they roll and have attached lids.” This shouldn’t be a surprise; Register says affected customers should have received postcards (like this one) that were sent in late January.

P.S. Register also reminded us that, unrelated to this, SPU’s garbage rates are going up next month. This chart shows the change.

VIDEO: Lisa Herbold’s official City Council District 1 re-election campaign kickoff

(WSB photos/video)

Almost two months after announcing she would run for re-election, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold became the third candidate in the race to hold a campaign-kickoff event.

Supporters gathered at Highland Park Improvement Club this afternoon to hear Herbold recap her first term and explain why she wants a second:

Herbold said she had kept promises to fight for renters’ and workers’ rights as well as for small-business protection. She also vowed to keep focusing on issues including transportation and displacement – reiterating that she sees the latter as continuing to contribute to homelessness, which she said can be “economic,” not just physical. She also described taking joy in “the constituent work that my team and I do … I work for you, and together we can get things done.”

She also spoke of working with other elected leaders; the 30 people listed on the event as co-hosts included Herbold’s colleague Councilmember Lorena González – a Junction resident – and State Senator Joe Nguyen:

They didn’t take the stage to speak but a few other co-hosts did, including West Seattle entrepreneur Tana Yasu:

She lauded Herbold for being “not pretentious” and for having “an ear and a heart to listen.”

PREVIOUS KICKOFF COVERAGE: Phil Tavel‘s launch at Easy Street Records is part of our February 1st report; Jesse Greene held a kickoff event at Talarico’s in late January. Brendan Kolding hasn’t announced a kickoff event yet; we interviewed him last month. Isaiah Willoughby hasn’t had a kickoff yet either and we’re still awaiting an acceptance of our repeated interview offer. All five candidates were at the season’s first forum last Thursday; here’s our coverage, with video. The field won’t be finalized until the official filing period in May; the top two in the August 6th primary will advance to November.