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year : 2019 3571 results

6 for your West Seattle Wednesday
January 23, 2019 9:09 am
|    Comments Off on 6 for your West Seattle Wednesday
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Recent photo in Lincoln Park by Anjanette Nelson-Wally)

Midweek already! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BABY STORY TIME: Bring your up-to-1-year-old(s) to High Point Library at 11:30 am for stories, songs, and rhymes. (3411 SW Raymond)

GROUP RUN: 6:15 pm, get out and run with West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor). Meet at the shop. (2743 California SW)

HPAC TALKS CAMP SECOND CHANCE: At 7 pm, the centerpiece of tonight’s Highland Park Action Committee meeting is a “facilitated, structured conversation” about whether the group should support extending the sanctioned encampment’s stay in southeast West Seattle. The full agenda is outlined on the HPAC website. HPAC meets at the Highland Park Improvement Club. (1116 SW Holden)

SCHOOL LEVY INFO: Ballots are going out for next month’s Seattle Public Schools levies. Still have questions? Get answers during a presentation at tonight’s West Seattle High School PTSA meeting. 7 pm at the school. (3000 California SW)

VOLUNTEER FOR LOOP THE LUPE 2019: 7 pm at Our Lady of Guadalupe‘s Pastoral Center, find out about ways you can be part of this unique summer event, as previewed here. (35th SW/SW Myrtle)

OPEN MIC: 7 pm signups at Great American Diner and Bar for weekly open-microphone session, hosted by Alan Sobel. (4752 California SW)

SEE WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING … by going here.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: 2nd post-Viaduct Wednesday, AM watch
January 23, 2019 5:30 am
|      71 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)

5:30 AM: Good morning! Nothing major so far.

BUS LANE ENFORCEMENT TODAY: We brought this issue up during Tuesday’s media conference call with transportation/transit agencies. SDOT’s Dawn Schellenberg later told us, “We checked in with SPD and they confirmed [today] an officer will be posted at the beginning of the 4th Ave/Spokane off-ramp where it begins to loop off of mainline, and also one down the loop ramp approximately midway to prevent reentries into the bus lane.”

5:42 AM: Early train activity – SDOT and Metro have both tweeted alerts about East Marginal/Spokane.

5:53 AM: Camera still shows that blockage, so if you’re eastbound, we’d advise high bridge if possible rather than surface.

6:15 AM: High bridge is starting to fill up.

6:27 AM: Train has finally cleared on lower Spokane Street.

6:36 AM: Trouble on NB I-5 just north of the West Seattle Bridge, by I-90. One lane blocked. Meantime, after a rainy night, it’s just misting right now.

6:49 AM: I-5 problem is cleared. Spokane Street cam shows the train arm down again – so if you are planning to take lower Spokane, be forewarned, busy morning at the railroad crossings.

7:09 AM: No new problems – just busy. Meantime, the Tacoma crash mentioned by AdmiralDon in comments has just cleared, if you have to head that far.

7:27 AM: Thanks for the commute reports in comments! Monitoring regional traffic watch, “better than yesterday” seems to be a common sentiment … so far. … AbBr tweeted about a stall just past the Fauntleroy entrance to the high bridge. Haven’t seen it on a camera but – heads-up in case it hasn’t cleared yet.

7:45 AM: LOW BRIDGE ALERT – it’s closed to surface traffic as of a minute ago. Also, another mention of a stalled/pulled-over vehicle on the eastbound high bridge.

8:02 AM: Low bridge has reopened.

8:05 AM: If you’re Beacon Hill-bound at the east end of the bridge, SDOT reports a Columbian Way/Spokane blocking situation. … If you’re noticing the SFD response headed for South Park, there’s a medical emergency (not a fire) aboard a barge along S. Riverside.

8:30 AM: The Incident Response Team has arrived to deal with the stall. Also – the rain has intensified. Bridge still packed both ways.

8:50 AM: No change as top of the hour approaches. … Today’s progress report will be focused on an afternoon media briefing about how transit’s going, so if you have questions on that front (Metro/Water Taxi/Ride2 in particular), please let us know!

9:39 AM: Belated report as we just had to cross the bridge ourselves. Bus and car pulled over just at the merge point. Looked like collision aftermath. SPD was there. Also noted them in the 4th exit ramp bus lane. Now heading back to WS!

10:51 AM: Back from downtown errands; took a surface route back and experienced some of the things we’ve written about, such as traffic revisions at certain intersections – no right turn allowed on Dearborn from 5th to get to 4th, so we had to head to 6th, where right turns to Royal Brougham were prohibited. Finally got back to 4th from Spokane (no left from westbound, so we had to deploy the “u-turn route,” just short of a train track that was in use). 4th was clear from Spokane to Michigan to the 1st Ave. S. Bridge to Highland Park Way. (By the way, here’s that bus-involved crash we mentioned last hour.)

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LOVE HISTORY? Another chance to see ‘Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred’ authors
January 22, 2019 11:47 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle books | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Love history? You have a chance this week to celebrate it as Paul Dorpat and Jean Sherrard return to West Seattle with an illustrated talk about their recently published book “Seattle Now & Then: The Historic Hundred.” West Seattle historian and writer Clay Eals, who edited the book, will be part of the presentation, 6 pm Thursday (January 24th) at Aegis Living (4700 SW Admiral Way). Everyone’s welcome to what will be, Eals notes, “the 25th event on behalf of the book since its launch on Paul’s 80th birthday last October 28.” Find out about the previous presentations – including videos – on the book’s website. Better yet, just go! It’s free, and Aegis will treat you to appetizers and beverages.

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KING TIDES: ‘Coastal Flood Advisory’ alert for Wednesday morning
January 22, 2019 7:48 pm
|    Comments Off on KING TIDES: ‘Coastal Flood Advisory’ alert for Wednesday morning
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

As noted here previously, the next two mornings bring winter’s highest high tides, aka “king tides” – 13.1 feet both days (7:04 am tomorrow, 7:43 am Thursday). Though no major problems are anticipated, the National Weather Service nonetheless has issued a Coastal Flood Advisory for 5 am to 10 am, advising, “The combination of high astronomical tides, low atmospheric pressure and waves from onshore winds will result in minor coastal flooding Wednesday morning.” If you’re out at that early hour, let us know what you see (photos to 206-293-6302 or westseattleblog@gmail.com) – thanks!

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PM TRAFFIC ALERT: Stalled vehicle on low bridge; Ambaum fire; other updates
January 22, 2019 5:00 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle video

5 PM: Thanks for the tip. The SDOT video camera on the “low bridge” confirms a stalled vehicle on the right side of the westbound lanes. Rainy commute, so bring your patience; if you’re headed eastbound out of West Seattle, for example, the high bridge looks as backed up as any AM commute.

5:10 PM: A second vehicle (unofficial apparently, no rollers) showed up/pulled over to help, and now both vehicles have moved along, so the low bridge is clear again.

5:25 PM: Given it’s so ugly out there, we’ll keep this atop the stream for a while. Another problem: 1st and Massachusetts, a blockage, blamed on “debris.” (Update: According to radio communication, a sign of some sort.)

6:20 PM: If you are heading to or from Burien, heads up – there’s an apartment fire just south of White Center, Ambaum and 122nd. Even some Seattle Fire units are now being sent to help out.

6:46 PM: Metro says the Ambaum fire is delaying Route 120. Meantime, the low bridge has closed so a vessel can get through.

7 PM: Low bridge has reopened to surface traffic.

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CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Plea bargain in Ryan Cox case?
January 22, 2019 3:55 pm
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Almost a year and a half after repeat offender Ryan J. Cox was arrested and charged with stabbing a man in Gatewood, the case may again be on the verge of resolution. His omnibus (trial readiness) hearing has been postponed twice in the past week; the document filed today says, “Parties have a resolution with all terms finalized” and that Cox is expected to enter a plea Thursday. Nothing’s final, of course, until it actually happens: Last July, as reported here, there was also word of a “resolution” but it fell through; today’s document also notes, “Parties will be asking for a continuance if case does not resolve.” Cox has been in jail since the night of August 8, 2017, when he was arrested after allegedly stabbing another man, and himself. We detailed his criminal history in this followup the next day.

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PROGRESS REPORT: Updates on week 2, weekday 2, of Highway 99-less-ness
January 22, 2019 2:15 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Highway 99 tunnel | Transportation | West Seattle news

“If 90,000 drivers decide to get back in their cars, there’s no question that things will get worse quickly – don’t do it!” So said WSDOT’s Laura Newborn toward the end of today’s multi-agency media conference call, something WSDOT has organized most weekdays since the Alaskan Way Viaduct shutdown, and other participants echoed that: Keep those alternative commuting practices going if and when you can!

Meantime, toplines from the call:

(Framegrab from WSDOT construction cam)

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE: WSDOT’s AWV Replacement Program deputy administrator Dave Sowers said they’re still on track to open the tunnel February 4th, right after the February 2-3 celebration weekend, with the NB 99 non-tunnel traffic exit ramp opening a week to 10 days after that. There’s a big concrete pour today, for “load distribution,” as they continue working on the ramps in the south portal area; it’s the groundwork for a future pour, “several hundred cubic yards of concrete.” So far the weather hasn’t really been a problem – absent truly heavy rain, or snow, they’re working through it. The next weather-dependent work is asphalt and striping, likely to happen this Friday, when drier weather is expected.

TRAFFIC ASSESSMENT: Though, as commenters on WSB and elsewhere observed, it felt worse than last week, WSDOT and SDOT reps on the call thought it wasn’t that different – WSDOT traffic engineer Morgan Balogh said “the peak started early and lasted longer,” and observed that people coming into Seattle from points south (via I-5, for example) had an added 15 minutes or so of travel time. SDOT’s Traffic Operations Center supervisor Tim McCall noted the West Seattle Bridge and East Marginal Way were key slowdown spots. As for the truck traffic that contributed to the latter …

PORT TRAFFIC: Port of Seattle spokesperson Peter McGraw said Terminal 18 on the east side of Harbor Island was the main contributor. They have more truck traffic this week because of more vessel calls starting last weekend … T-18 was so backed up that trucks couldn’t even get off the island, he said. And, “you can expect heavier traffic for the rest of the week.”

BUSES: They don’t have passenger counts yet, said Metro’s Jeff Switzer, noting that not all buses have counters. He was able to say that standby buses made 570 trips January 12th-19th, carrying nearly 20,000 riders. (We might hear more about the Metro overview tomorrow afternoon, when King County Executive Dow Constantine is leading a media briefing.) … We asked about bus-lane enforcement plans on the bridge besides the lane to 4th; SDOT is checking with SPD on that. They also are looking into the Avalon Way snarl. They altered the 1st and 4th Avenue S. signal timing today to help with traffic including buses.

WATER TAXI: No numbers for today yet. Last week Monday-Friday saw 11,456 passengers, said Switzer, compared to 3,490 in the comparable period last year. (2:45 PM UPDATE: 938 Water Taxi passengers this morning, down from 1,200 last Tuesday but still way up from a year ago, when 367 used it. Also up: The free parking at Pier 2 – which has a free shuttle to the dock – 71 cars today, vs. 53 last Tuesday. Still lots of room.)

P.S. We’re told the post-Viaduct situation is on the agenda at Thursday’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, with County Executive Constantine the tentatively scheduled guest, 6:30 pm Thursday (January 24th) at Neighborhood House High Point, 6400 Sylvan Way.

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SHUTDOWN SURVIVAL: City offering utility-payment deferrals
January 22, 2019 12:15 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from the mayor’s office:

As furloughed federal workers across the country and across Seattle continue to be hurt by President Donald Trump’s partial shutdown of the federal government, Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan issued a new Executive Order to help impacted federal employees with their utility payments.

The partial shutdown began on December 22, 2018 and is now in its 32nd day. According to an analysis by Governing Magazine, the State of Washington has over 54,000 federal employees. Approximately 11,000 of them work in agencies currently without appropriations and are being directly impacted by the shutdown by working without pay or being furloughed.

Nationally, it is estimated that 800,000 federal employees across the country are working without pay or are currently on furlough.

Mayor Durkan’s Executive Order (EO) builds on existing City assistance programs. The EO directs Seattle City Light (SCL), Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), the City Budget Office (CBO), and the Human Services Department (HSD) to immediately develop a plan to offer deferral of utility bill payments to federal employees and community members who have been negatively impacted by the federal government partial shutdown.

“Every day that the crisis of the government shutdown continues, public servants in Seattle are forced to live without knowing if they can provide for their families – and Seattle is put at risk by the lack of federal services that we rely on, from earthquake monitoring to the Coast Guard to affordable housing support,” said Mayor Durkan. “We are acting urgently to help support Seattle families being hurt by the Trump shutdown. But to truly help families and help Seattle, we need the White House to re-open the federal government today.”

The four City departments will develop their plan for initial execution by this Friday, January 25. The program will include a phone number for impacted residents to call for eligibility information and enrollment.

The shutdown continues to threaten our most vulnerable residents throughout Seattle, the Puget Sound, and Washington State. The shutdown is impacting nutrition assistance programs, TSA agents, federal grant programs, and earthquake monitoring capabilities in the Northwest.

Federal offices in and around Seattle where federal employees are either furloughed or are working without pay include:

· NOAA’s Western Regional Center in Sand Point
· NOAA’s Seattle Forecast Office
· NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center & Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Montlake
· NOAA’s Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Sand Point
· The Federal Detention Center in SeaTac
· U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington
· Seattle Immigration Court
· EPA’s Pacific Northwest Regional Office
· Federal Trade Commission’s Northwest Regional Office
· U.S. Coast Guard Base Seattle
· TSA & FAA Employees at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
· HUD’s Seattle Regional Office
· USGS Earthquake Hazards Seattle Field Office
· Small Business Administration’s Seattle Office
· Seattle’s IRS Service Center

The City of Seattle has several ongoing programs to ensure that residents are able to afford basic services such as water, sewer, garbage, and electricity. The City’s Utility Discount Program offers reductions on Seattle City Light and Seattle Public Utilities bills to income eligible customers. Through Project Share, City of Seattle customers can set up individual payment plans and deferrals during times of financial hardship. The program is funded by donations from City of Seattle customers.

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911, school levies, meditation and more for the rest of your West Seattle Tuesday
January 22, 2019 9:49 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Sharp-shinned hawk, photographed in Fauntleroy Park by Mark Wangerin)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

BABY STORY TIME: Geared toward babies up to 1 year old. 10:30 am at Southwest Library. (9010 35th SW)

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

911 @ BLOCK WATCH CAPTAINS NETWORK: You don’t have to be a captain or even a Block Watch member – all welcome at tonight’s 6:30 pm WSBWCN meeting at the Southwest Precinct, with your chance to hear from and talk with local police, plus a special guest with info on the recent 911 outage and the new text-to-911 service. (2300 SW Webster)

LEVY BRIEFING: Your ballot arrives in a few days. Still have questions about the Seattle Public Schools leviesstir? 7 pm tonight, you’re welcome at a briefing with Schools First at Lafayette Elementary. (California/Lander)

MEDITATION: The antidote to traffic! Or whatever else is disquieting you. 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – details in our calendar listing.

TAVERN TUNES: She’s back from New York! Jessica Lurie Ensemble at Parliament Tavern, 9 pm. 21+. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

THAT’S NOT ALL! See our complete calendar here.

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YOUTH SPORTS: West Seattle Girls Softball signup time
January 22, 2019 9:22 am
|    Comments Off on YOUTH SPORTS: West Seattle Girls Softball signup time
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Another youth-sports league is signing up players for the upcoming season – this time, West Seattle Girls Softball. The announcement is from WSGS president Chrysta Torres:

Registration for the 2019 softball season is now open – and there is a $20 discount for registering in January. Practices will begin in mid-March, with games starting in mid/late April. The season will conclude the first week of June.

We invite girls 6-15 with any level of softball experience to join us for a fun season of recreational league fast-pitch softball. We teach the basics and build skills as players continue with the program and work to place players on teams that will be most beneficial to their needs.

We’d also like to thank the local businesses that sponsor our league year after year – we cannot do it without their support.

You can follow the registration link from the WSGS home page.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: 2nd post-Viaduct Tuesday AM watch
January 22, 2019 5:30 am
|      57 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)

5:30 AM: Good morning! Welcome to the first non-holiday commute of the second post-Viaduct week. Traffic/transportation authorities hope those whose changes made last week a success keep it up this week. No trouble reported in our area so far.

5:40 AM: The high bridge is busy but flowing.

6 AM: East end of the eastbound high bridge – the backup to I-5 has begun (screengrab here for the record). WSDOT notes that northbound I-5 is busier all the way from south King County.

6:15 AM: Commuting via the West Seattle Water Taxi? Runs to downtown start now. The expanded (two-boat) schedule continues all the way until the spring/summer schedule change at the end of March.

6:24 AM: And now the traffic extends to the midspan (screengrab).

6:38 AM: Seems busier all around. Check out the headlights looking south onto NB 35th SW from Fauntleroy. LOW BRIDGE ALERT: Closed to surface traffic as of a couple minutes ago.

6:50 AM: Low bridge has just reopened, verified by tweet and video camera. Noticed via the latter, a steady stream of bicycles headed east immediately.

6:57 AM: Continuing our moment-in-time screengrabs, here’s the backup on the Fauntleroy-end curve (this camera was down for a long time, until last week).

7:02 AM: Surface-traffic alert from SDOT, first one of this kind that we’ve seen post-Viaduct:

7:11 AM: Commenters report Admiral and Delridge are backed up. Also got a text from Al that, to be specific, Admiral’s backed up the hill to 37th.

7:22 AM: Consensus seems to be that this is the day some people started going back to old routines. Regional transportation/transit agencies are resuming the daily media conference calls so we’ll see what the take is then. Meantime, plenty of commute to get through.

7:31 AM: Getting to Delridge – tough too. Amy tweets that the Andover approach is backed up to 28th SW. Meantime, that truck backup near the port is likely the reason for a surface Spokane backup east of the low bridge.

7:46 AM: Though we don’t have a crew at the Water Taxi dock this morning, we’re watching the boats via MarineTraffic.com and all appears to be well. Jennifer sent this photo, captioned “Beautiful morning commute!”

7:52 AM: Texter reports it took “one hour travel time from top of Admiral Way by viewpoint to the lower bridge.”

7:57 AM: Aid response (low-level medical) call to 4th and Spokane. Heard this mentioned on scanner as truck/bicycle collision. It’s not visible on the SDOT cam for that intersection.

8:05 AM: Still a bridge jam – here’s a screengrab from the Walking on Logs curve.

8:30 AM: Doesn’t look any better out there.

8:35 AM: Toward the east end of the Roxbury corridor, SDOT reports a “blocking vehicle at Olson/Cambridge.”

8:55 AM: Top of the hour nears and it’s still jammed on the bridge.

9:04 AM: 1st Avenue South Bridge closed to surface traffic at the top of the hour. (added) Back open at 9:08.

9:21 AM: Thanks for all the firsthand reports in comments and via Twitter! (And text/voice if you can call safely and legally – as a passenger or after you get to where you’re going – 206-293-6302.)

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‘This is the model’: Camp Second Chance supporters gather to make their case for allowing it to stay
January 21, 2019 10:22 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Myers Way | West Seattle news

(WSB photo of Camp Second Chance entrance, December 2017)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”

That was part of a collection of quotes from Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., read aloud by those in attendance on this MLK Day night at a special Westside Interfaith Network meeting, devoted to rallying support for keeping city-sanctioned Camp Second Chance in place in southeast West Seattle.

Three city reps were there to hear the testimonials that drew applause and the occasional “amen!” during the gathering that filled the Fauntleroy UCC Fellowship Hall with more than 100 people: Jackie St. Louis and Lisa Gustaveson from the city Human Services Department, and City Councilmember Lisa Herbold.

The timing is critical because the encampment is close to the end of its second sanctioned year (following nine unsanctioned months) on the city-owned Myers Way Parcels. City law currently says two years is the maximum stay allowed for an encampment. Another group, the Highland Park Action Committee, is meeting Wednesday to listen to arguments about whether it should or should not support an extension. Throughout tonight’s WIN meeting, speakers including camp residents made the case that the camp must not be forced to leave.

Cinda Stenger, a lay leader at Alki UCC who is also on the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee, noted that the church has built 13 “tiny houses” at the site. (We have chronicled these reports in our coverage of most CAC meetings.) She said this is the only Seattle community that can build on site at a sanctioned encampment. “If this camp is to move, this powerful work will no longer be possible,” she said, calling the relationship between community supporters and the camp “a love affair. … Everything is about relationships … If they are to be relocated or worse, disbanded, (the city) will be breaking our hearts.”

She recapped Camp Second Chance’s backstory, with a group breaking away from a Tent City, launching on a site outside the city, then moving to the Myers Way Parcels (without authorization at first, and after a brief time on private property across the street).

Stenger said C2C, which usually has about 50 people living on the site at 9701 Myers Way S., is vital because there’s not enough low-income housing for the campers to move into. “If the camp has to move, the level of disruption to (campers’) lives is unconscionable.” Most have jobs and/or take classes, she noted.

She handed the mic to Willow Fulton, who chairs the CAC and lives near the camp, just south of the city/county line.

Read More

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LUNAR LOOKS: Skyline moonrise, and one more multi-phase eclipse view
January 21, 2019 9:28 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Skies Over West Seattle | West Seattle news

Just can’t get enough of the moon! From the WSB inbox tonight – above, the skyline moonrise, photographed by Susanna Moore (from WSB sponsor Niederberger Contracting); below, one more multiphase look at last night’s incredible eclipse, from Dan Ciske:

Dan says, “All taken over a 3+ hour time frame from our West Seattle deck, then merged into a collage.” (If you missed last night’s as-it-happened eclipse coverage, with other contributed photos, it’s here.)

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A reminder that brown water can result from nearby hydrant activity
January 21, 2019 8:49 pm
|    Comments Off on A reminder that brown water can result from nearby hydrant activity
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

While we were out covering a meeting (story to come), residents near WSB HQ in Upper Fauntleroy noticed brown water. Even before we returned home to notice it’s affecting us too, they checked with Seattle Public Utilities, which told them it’s likely the result of hydrant usage during this afternoon’s fire call. So we’re using the occasion as a reminder – that’s one reason for discolored water, but always doublecheck with SPU at 206-386-1800 if it happens to you, because among other things it might be first sign of a water break. Here’s the official city advice on dealing with discolored water.

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TUESDAY: 911 in the spotlight at West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network
January 21, 2019 5:22 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

As announced by the West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network for Tuesday night ([corrected] 6:30 pm January 22nd):

Our main presentation topic is 9-1-1, something most of us take for granted until something goes wrong…

Our guest speaker will be Kayreen Lum, the E-911 Outreach and Training Specialist for King County. She will talk about the recent 9-1-1 outage, what caused it, and what to do if it happens again. She’ll also explain when and how to use the relatively new option, to send text messages to 9-1-1 (which is now available in Seattle and King County).

As always, a police briefing/Q&A will be part of the meeting too. WSBWCN meets at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster), all welcome – you don’t have to be a Block Watch captain or even member.

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UPDATE: Seattle Fire ‘full response’ in Upper Fauntleroy
January 21, 2019 4:13 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Added: Texted photo – thank you!)

4:13 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “full response” to a possible house fire in the 8400 block of 42nd SW (map). Updates to come.

4:19 PM: Crews on scene report it appears to be just a dryer fire, “confined to the laundry room.” Biggest task ahead – ventilation.

4:23 PM: Fire’s out.

4:40 PM: No injuries reported. Most originally responding units have been dismissed.

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BIZNOTE: New, larger location for Alair
January 21, 2019 2:12 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

The West Seattle gift shop Alair is moving – but not far. Proprietor Shandon Graybeal sends word that she is moving to a larger space at 3270 California SW (former home to Equilibrium Fitness).

It’s just a few doors down from her current location at 3280 California SW, but with about 600 more square feet of space, “so we can start offering more print services (for screen printing and invitations, etc), calligraphy classes and pop ups, and eventually we’d like to have a letterpress back there. That’s years down the road though.” Alair is having a Moving Sale through month’s end – “offering 20% off everything and … a big section that’s 50% off,” open 10 am-6 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays, 11 am-4 pm Sundays through month’s end. She says she’s hopeful there won’t be much downtime for the move and expects to open the new storefront sometime in February, with a Grand Reopening party in March. She adds a special thanks to customers who’ve been patient as she has “had to utilize the ‘Back in 10’ sign a ton recently” and to other businesses that have been supportive. Alair is in its third year of business.

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MLK DAY OF SERVICE: WestSide Baby gets a boost
January 21, 2019 1:25 pm
|    Comments Off on MLK DAY OF SERVICE: WestSide Baby gets a boost
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a Day of Service for many – among them, thousands of volunteers organized via United Way of King County. Dozens of them are helping out at WestSide Baby‘s regional headquarters in White Center – including a big group of Starbucks workers, many of whom brought along their own kids.

WestSide Baby relies on a lot of volunteer help to “process gently used donated items and prepare them to be distributed to children in our community … quality checking clothing items, getting clothes on our shelves and filling actual orders from hundreds of social workers who help local low-income families.” Among the items they’re quality-checking, car seats:

The MLK Day of Service also points out that “WestSide Baby is the only social service agency in West King county area that collects, inspects and distributes free diapers, clothing, cribs and safety gear for babies and children. More than 114 local social service agencies, including shelters and food banks, rely upon us to provide critical necessities for low-income families.” WestSide Baby executive director Nancy Woodland says they have an ongoing need for volunteers, especially with car seats.

Contact WS Baby if you can help – here’s how.

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BASKETBALL: West Seattle High School girls honored at Senior Night
January 21, 2019 9:18 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

At the start of the holiday weekend, a celebration at West Seattle High School – a bittersweet one. The final regularly scheduled home game for high-school sports teams is traditionally Senior Night. WSHS honorees included their standout girls’ basketball team (third in the state last year), some of whom have played together since childhood. From the announcements on Friday night – Anissa Babitu is journeying the farthest, going to Fiji for college:

Jasmine Gayles, hoping to pursue a career in law:

Kelsey Lenzie, headed for the University of Portland:

Jenna McPhee:

Grace Sarver, headed for WSU:

Jayla Wilson:

Also honoring the seniors – the younger teammates they’ll leave behind:

The team went on to a 59-51 victory in their Friday night game against Roosevelt and are 13-2. They’re playing Prairie this afternoon at Showare Center in Kent, in the King Showcase; you do have another chance to see them without leaving West Seattle – at Chief Sealth International High School at 7 pm Friday, February 1st.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: MLK Day Monday watch; second post-Viaduct week
January 21, 2019 5:30 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times / WS-relevant traffic cams / Water Taxi schedule, other helpful info HERE)

5:30 AM: Good morning! Schools and most government facilities are closed; Metro‘s on reduced-weekday service; Sound Transit has some changes; both the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis ARE operating.

6 AM: Still relatively quiet, regionally too.

6:20 AM: No news is good news! Here’s the WSDOT wrap on week one of Viaduct-less commuting.

6:45 AM: West Seattle Bridge still flowing. I-5’s picked up.

7:06 AM: East end of the eastbound bridge has slowed but the westbound’s still well below usual.

7:30 AM: Forecast – mostly cloudy today, no rain expected until Tuesday morning.

8:05 AM: Still uneventful. Even the official SDOT description of West Seattle Bridge traffic is “light.”

8:30 AM: Watching the live-video bridge cams, it looks like a weekend out there. By the way, there’s another no-school day next week – Wednesday, January 30th, it’s the “day between semesters” for Seattle Public Schools.

8:55 AM: Wrapping up a quiet holiday commute. We’ll as always cover any breaking traffic news during the day/night, and will be back on AM watch at 5:30 Tuesday. Tips always appreciated at 206-293-6302 (our 24/7 hotline, text or voice) – thank you!

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AS IT HAPPENED: ‘Super Blood Wolf Moon’ eclipse over West Seattle
January 20, 2019 7:38 pm
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   Skies Over West Seattle | West Seattle news

(Added: Photo montage by David Hutchinson)

FIRST REPORT, 7:38 PM: Go outside right now and look high in the eastern sky. You should be able to see the start of the “Super Blood Wolf Moon” eclipse. If you can’t see it – or if you’d like to watch with an expert skywatcher – Alice Enevoldsen is at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) until 9:30 pm, in the field on the south side of campus as shown by the red star on this map she tweeted earlier:

The college is at 6000 16th SW on Puget Ridge. Alice also shared this info-sheet about the eclipse. Short version: Total eclipse starts at 8:41 pm. Updates to come!

8:20 PM: Haven’t looked yet? It’s very cool right now. About 2/3 covered.


9:04 PM: The moon is still covered, but duskily visible, if you haven’t looked yet!

(Photo by Jim Clark)

9:29 PM: Note that the total eclipse, according to the timeline Alice shared, ends at 9:43.

(Photo by John Nakatsu)

Meantime, overheard during totality – (1) People howling. (2) Per scanner, somebody (not sure if this was a SW or South Precinct dispatch; they share a channel) called in a possible burglar; officer reported back, “Homeowner is just trying to watch the moon. No burglary here.”

10:25 PM: Two-thirds-plus back out again. What a sight! Adding a few photos (thank you). Not just the moon – the one below from Trileigh Tucker shows part of the Orion Nebula, “where you can see the nebula clouds around the bright white area in the center. Star nursery!”

10:58 PM: Though the eclipse may look over, it’s not fully over – the penumbral phase doesn’t end unti 11:48 pm.

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‘A hard conversation to have’: Sound Transit faces residents who might be forced from their homes by West Seattle light rail
January 20, 2019 6:51 pm
|      55 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Sound Transit | Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB photo: Youngstown-area residents gathered to hear about light rail that might force them to move)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Light rail does not just appear one day in a neighborhood where it didn’t exist the day before.

Years of construction follow years of planning.

Some of that construction is preceded by demolition – tearing down homes and businesses that, to put it bluntly, are declared to be in the way.

That will happen to some in West Seattle. Just where, and how many homes and businesses, won’t be settled until the route and station locations for the due-to-open-in-2030 line are finalized. But some people for whom it’s a possibility are already grappling with it. This past Wednesday night, dozens of them gathered at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center with pointed questions for Sound Transit – questions that in many cases, ST reps said, it’s too soon to answer. Most of the people in attendance were from nearby streets where construction of the Delridge station might push them out, depending on what location is chosen.

The briefing/Q&A event was organized by a neighbor, Dennis Noland, who opened by saying, “It was devastating news to me” to find out that Sound Transit’s West Seattle light-rail plan might cost him and some of his neighbors their homes. Noland took it on himself to personally talk with neighbors after that revelation last fall.

The next step in that was organizing the meeting, intended for neighbors – “specifically a two-block area” bounded by, as he explained it:

SW Genesee on the south
SW Dakota on the north
West side of Delridge Way SW on the east
26th SW transecting 25th SW on the west

We recorded the 2-hour-plus event, but our video is mostly just of use for the audio as the projected slides could not be captured – they’re all in this slide deck (7 MB PDF) – and we didn’t have a separate crew member to zoom from person to person while we took notes. Nevertheless, here’s the recording:

Now, our chronicling of what happened:

Read More

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SHUTDOWN SURVIVAL: Ways to help Seattle’s U.S. Coast Guard personnel
January 20, 2019 4:53 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

(U.S. Coast Guard photo – aerial view of Seattle base)

From the WSB inbox – in case you haven’t already heard of this way to help local U.S. Coast Guard personnel as the shutdown continues, we were asked to publish this:

Seattle! Our local United States Coast Guard families are affected by the current federal shutdown. Please consider donating if you can.

Seattle Area CPOA in conjunction with CGEA, CWOA and PSOA have opened a Food Pantry located in the CPO Mess 3rd deck of Building 7. It is open to all AD CG, Reserve on AD, CG Civilians affected by the shutdown.

Hours are M-F 1100 – 1400.

Anyone wishing to help [can do so] by donating non-perishable items or toiletries to the front gate. If you can access the base, the OOD will take donations or you can bring them to the pantry.

Anyone wishing to send a check, it will be used to buy grocery gift cards; send it to:

Coast Guard CPOA
C/O US Coast Guard Base
1519 Alaskan Way So.
Seattle, WA 98134

Other ways to help… Consider donating to USONW online at usonw.org. Click on the DONATE tab then scroll down to Coast Guard. There is a dollar for dollar match for all money contributed up to $50k! All money contributed there will go to grants for Pacific NW CG personnel. Thank you so much for your consideration on helping our families!

While other servicemembers are not affected, the USCG is because it’s under the Department of Homeland Security rather than the Department of Defense. Here’s the map to its Seattle base, toward the south end of the downtown waterfront, so it’s not far from here.

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