day : 08/01/2020 10 results

You might see a few flakes early Thursday morning, the National Weather Service says, but don’t panic. Its newest forecast update is out, and while we might see a bit of snow, the more-serious potential still doesn’t show up until late in the weekend – Sunday night or later. Also note that Tuesday’s high is predicted to be in the 20s! As we mentioned yesterday, the city has invited media to a preparedness briefing tomorrow, and we’ll be there.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 3 theft reports – keepsake ring; car; bicycle

January 8, 2020 6:52 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Crime | Gatewood | Shorewood | West Seattle news

Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

STOLEN PURSE WITH KEEPSAKE RING: From Jennifer:

My good friend lost her husband suddenly and unexpectedly not that long ago. She is raising their two young children alone. She was picking up her child at school and only ran in for less than 5 minutes. Her car window was smashed and her purse stolen. She carried her husband’s wallet, driver’s license and most importantly, his wedding ring around with her to keep him close. It was all in the purse. We are asking everyone to look out for the purse with the hopes that it was dumped somewhere. It could be in the Gatewood area or near either the Westwood or Junction QFC, as that is where they attempted to use her credit cards. If anyone knows anything about these items, please return them no questions asked.

Description:

Purse- black ‘shorty love’ purse/backpack
Wallet- light pink Kate Spade
Ring – tungsten carbide

We will add the police report # when we get it.

STOLEN CAR: From Conner:

Sometime in the early morning of 01/08/19, my dark blue 2002 Land Rover Discovery was stolen from my house in the Shorewood area. Last seen on 26th Ave. It was parked right in front on the street in a well-lit area, so it’s concerning. A neighbor was walking her dog around 5am and said that my car was still parked there when she walked past the house. Please post about my stolen vehicle and hopefully it will turn up!

STOLEN BICYCLE: From Chris:

Crime occurred Monday 1/6 approx 9:00 pm from 7100 block of Woodside Place SW.

As the video shows, the thief is a heavy-set bearded male wearing dark pants, a letterman’s or baseball-style jacket with lighter colored sleeves, and a baseball cap.

Bike stolen was a black men’s Raleigh Tokul 2 with gumwall tires and no reflectors. Police report has been filed.

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THURSDAY: War opponents plan protest in West Seattle Junction

January 8, 2020 5:45 pm

| 37 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle protests

For the second time in less than a month, a nationwide day of protest will include a demonstration in the West Seattle Junction. Activists say they will rally at California/Alaska at 5 pm Thursday to protest the U.S. killing of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani and the prospect of war with Iran. The announcement says the demonstration’s intent is to “urge restraint and that the United States avoid yet another unnecessary, costly war of choice in the Middle East.”

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RESTAURANT BIZNOTES: South Delridge restaurant replacement; MOD Westwood gets closer

January 8, 2020 4:28 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants | Westwood

Two restaurant biznotes this afternoon:

PHORALE LOCATION CONFIRMED: That sight in the window at 9418 Delridge Way SW connects the dots on two things. The closure of the Vietnamese restaurant Hoang Kim last week (as reported here) and the announcement that Phorale – known for its food truck since closing in South Park – was opening “in White Center.” The Eater report that broke the latter news did not specify a location, nor did Phorale respond to our followup, but we went to South Delridge to check on our suspicions and indeed, the windows are now papered over with Phorale’s distinctive logo.

WESTWOOD VILLAGE MOD PIZZA: On our way back from that run, we went through Westwood Village and noticed this:

The signage for West Seattle’s second MOD Pizza is up. We first reported last March that city permit files showed MOD would move into the ex-Baja Taco and ex-Giannoni’s Pizzeria spaces. MOD declined comment as recently as August, saying they were still negotiating the lease; we’re checking back with them now to see if they have a projected opening date.

ADDED 4:50 PM: They’re hoping to open “end of March.”

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FOLLOWUP: USPS explains why it will close Westwood Village post-office lobby at night

January 8, 2020 3:54 pm

| 27 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Westwood

As first reported here last Saturday, starting next month, the Westwood Village post office (2571 SW Trenton) will start closing at night next month, as the West Seattle Junction post office has been doing for almost two years. Since the signage at Westwood didn’t cite a specific reason, we followed up with regional U.S. Postal Service spokesperson Ernie Swanson. Here’s what he tells WSB:

Homeless people began sleeping in the lobby of the Westwood Village Station, harassing our customers who came in to check their mail in the evening. The homeless people also left trash behind including syringes and human waste. With regard for the safety of our customers, the decision was made to close the lobby from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. each night. This problem has become more prevalent in the city as we feel the need to close our lobbies during night-time hours.

An online-news search confirms this is happening in other cities – a quick search turned up reports from Medford, OR, to Kokomo, IN.

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UPDATE: Wondering about those half-cut trees along Admiral Way?

January 8, 2020 1:47 pm

| 28 COMMENTS

| Environment | West Seattle news

From the “you asked, so we asked” file: The case of the “Admiral Way tree massacre,” as it was described by Doug, who sent that photo. We’ve received numerous inquiries about the half-cut trees, which are on Seattle Parks-owned land on the slope over the downhill side of Admiral at 34th [map]. So we asked Parks, whose spokesperson Rachel Schulkin researched it with the department’s forestry staff and tells WSB:

Those trees were removed as they were either dead or declining and were posing unacceptable risk.

That project is not complete. Winter storms have interrupted a lot of our planned work, including this project. Our plan is to return in the next couple weeks to reduce most of the remaining tree stems to ground level. A few appropriately placed stems will be left as wildlife habitat. Performing this remaining work will not need traffic control like the previous work did.

Besides the site’s high visibility along Admiral Way, it also attracted notice given its proximity to the city-owned land where ~150 trees were illegally cut four years ago.

3:17 PM: Schulkin has just sent this update: “We had time today and finished this project. We lowered all the stems except a few that we left for wildlife habitat.”

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Early-morning search; car prowl; Gatewood followup

January 8, 2020 11:55 am

| 9 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

~~Two~~ Three incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:

EARLY-MORNING SEARCH: Several people have asked about an early-morning search – around 2:40 am – in the Fairmount Park area, including a K-9 team. SPD tells us it was related to a domestic-violence case (which is why no related incident # shows on the 911 map/tweet log), and that officers did not find the person they were looking for.

CAR PROWL: Thanks to Anna for the reader report:

I wanted to share my car prowl report on 47th Ave SW and Murray Ave SW. At around 2AM, someone parked across from our driveway, opened our car doors and took miscellaneous loose belongings. I filed an online report with SPD (T2000390 tracking number). Just wanted to let others in the neighborhood know so that they can take preventive measures.

GATEWOOD FOLLOWUP (added 12:05 pm): Moments after we published the above two items, SPD Blotter posted a followup on the Gatewood incident we covered yesterday afternoon, so we’re adding it:

Officers arrested a 23-year-old man and recovered a handgun and small amounts of narcotics Tuesday after they found a man slumped over in a running vehicle in a West Seattle alleyway.

Shortly after 2:30 PM, police responded to a report of a man slumped over in running white, orange, and black Honda Civic, which was blaring loud music, in the 6900 block of 37th Avenue Southwest.

When officers arrived, they peered through the car’s tinted windows and saw a man slumped over in the driver’s seat of the running vehicle, and noticed a pistol protruding from in between the car’s front passenger seat and console.

Officers unsuccessfully attempted to rouse the driver, and found the car’s doors were locked, so they broke out the vehicle’s passenger-side window. The driver eventually woke up and was ordered to exit his car. As he did so, a baggie of narcotics fell from his lap onto the ground.

Officers then found small amounts of heroin, meth, Xanax, marijuana and pistol and two loaded magazines inside the vehicle. A loaded magazine was recovered from the front passenger seat. Another loaded magazine was recovered from inside the glove box. The vehicle was secured and left at the scene.

Officers arrested the 23-year-old man and booked him into the King County Jail for narcotics possession and DUI.

Reader report/tip for Crime Watch? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 voice/text – thank you!

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DEVELOPMENT: 3 project updates, from Morgan Junction to West Marginal

January 8, 2020 11:23 am

| 1 COMMENT

| Development | West Seattle news

Three notes today. First, two projects received key city approvals this week, opening appeal periods:

(October 2018 photo sent by Thomas)

5917 CALIFORNIA SW: More than a year after the former Charmann Apartments were torn down here, the site’s 9-townhouse, 4-offstreet-parking-spot plan has been approved. That opens an appeal period through January 20th. The decision notice explains how to appeal; the notice and the decision itself are both linked here.

6045 WEST MARGINAL WAY SW: We first mentioned in December 2018 that this landscaping-materials site was proposed to become a 4-story self-storage building; current documents in the file describe it as 3 stories plus a basement, with 931 storage units and office, plus 12 “parking stalls on grade.” This plan also has received city approval, with an appeal period open until January 20th; the notice and decision are linked here.

Third note – another project added to the city’s Early Outreach for Design Review program:

7035 DELRIDGE WAY SW: We mentioned this site three weeks ago – 9 townhouses, with one offstreet-parking space per unit, to replace an old house. Its appearance on the city’s Early Outreach for Design Review list means a community chat/site tour should be scheduled soon.

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Highlights for your West Seattle Wednesday

January 8, 2020 9:45 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Bushtit, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Midway through the first post-holidays week, here are the highlights for the hours ahead:

FAMILY STORY TIME: 10:30 am at Southwest Library. (9010 35th SW)

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

BABY STORY TIME: 11:30 am at High Point Library. (3411 SW Raymond)

WRITING CIRCLE: Facilitated discussion led by author Jeanine Walker as part of Seattle Writes, 6-7:30 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. Open to all ages and all genres of writing. (2306 42nd SW)

34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: At The Hall @ Fauntleroy – 6:30 pm social time, 7 pm meeting, featuring a panel discussion of hate in Washington state. Full agenda in the newsletter. (9131 California SW)

DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: 7 pm at the Duwamish Longhouse and Cultural Center, this West Seattle/South Park advocacy group welcomes everyone interested in community issues. See the agenda here. (4705 W. Marginal Way SW)

POEMS AND STORIES: 7 pm, Poetrybridge‘s monthly night at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor). Featured readers: Lyn Coffin and Matt Trease. (5612 California SW)

PLAY PING PONG: Weekly tournament at Admiral Pub, 7 pm. 21+. (2306 California SW)

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