West Seattle, Washington
05 Thursday
The only snow we’ve seen since that dusting a few weeks ago is courtesy of peek mountain-peak views, like the one in David Hutchinson’s photo of The Brothers. But the temp’s back into the 30s and precipitation is returning, so the National Weather Service says a rain/snow mix is possible, while insisting accumulation is unlikely. (But do let us know if you see any!)
Quick updates on four of the many cases we’re continuing to watch but haven’t updated in a while:
MURDER SENTENCING: Anna Kasparova and Abel Linares-Montejo, found guilty two months ago in the 2017 murder of Edixon Velasquez, are scheduled for sentencing this Friday (February 7), 1 pm, before King County Superior Court Judge Kristin Richardson.
ATTEMPTED-BURGLARY-WITH-KNIFE SUSPECT: This Friday is also the next date for Gabriel Putnam, who you might remember as the suspected would-be burglar shown on porch video with a large knife. He subsequently skipped a court appearance; a warrant was issued, and he was arrested in October in Idaho and extradited back here. He’s been in the King County Jail ever since, in lieu of $25,000 bail; on Friday, a trial-readiness hearing (aka omnibus) is scheduled.
SAWED-OFF SHOTGUN SUSPECT: Michael Mullen, originally arrested for an incident last June in a Junction alley in which he was found in possession of a sawed-off shotgun, has been back in jail since mid-October. He was recently found competent to stand trial and has a bail hearing tomorrow afternoon.
FORMER COACH PLEA BARGAIN? Court documents indicate a plea hearing is tentatively scheduled Wednesday for Michael Gutierrez, the former West Seattle High School JV-girls basketball coach charged with inappropriate sexual communication with two players. No details, though, of the potential plea agreement or recommended sentence.
The new date for the Admiral Neighborhood Association‘s next meeting – postponed last month becauese of weather worries – has just been announced. So set your calendar for the new date, same agenda as originally planed:
The Admiral Neighborhood Association’s next meeting is coming up on Tuesday, February 11th from 6:30-8:30pm.
Location: Admiral Congregational UCC, 4320 SW Hill St.
At this month’s meeting:
1. 2020 Census Information and Recruitment; and
2. Admiral Neighborhood 2019 Survey Results.Come and meet your neighbors and discuss issues and events in our area!
Extra time if you’re thinking of registering someone for West Seattle Little League – the deadline is now extended to February 14th:
West Seattle Little League offers baseball fun for girls & boys from ages 4-12, with special rookie teams for 8-year-olds! The season runs from March – June and includes fun activities like the jamboree and end of the year picnic. Interested to know more details? Check out westseattlelittleleague.com to find information about boundaries and league age. You can also email info@westseattlelittleleague.com with any questions including scholarship information. Look forward to seeing you on the field.
The announcement is from the nonprofit Fauntleroy Children’s Center:
Fauntleroy Children’s Center has earned renewal of its accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC),—the world’s largest organization working on behalf of young children.
NAEYC Accreditation is a rigorous and transformative quality-improvement system that uses a set of 10 research-based standards to collaborate with early education programs to recognize and drive quality-improvement in high-quality early learning environments.
“We are proud to have earned the privilege of continued accreditation as a sign of our commitment to the highest set of standards for children and families in our community. We have been able to display the ‘Torch of Excellence’ since 1987, when we were the first center in West Seattle to achieve national accreditation. Our recent scores range from 92%-100%, with 7 of the 10 program standards having achieved a score of 100%! Our skilled, professional, diverse staff work diligently to provide meaningful, play enriched, educational experiences to the children in our care. We have fun as we grow and learn together. We invite you to tour our school and see our beautiful, spacious classrooms and multiple outdoor environments.” said Kim Sheridan, Director.
To earn NAEYC Accreditation, Fauntleroy Children’s Center went through an extensive self-study and quality-improvement process, followed by a 2-day on-site visit by one of the NAEYC Assessors to verify and ensure that the program met each of the 10 program standards, and hundreds of corresponding individual criteria. NAEYC-accredited programs are always prepared for unannounced quality-assurance visits during their accreditation term, which lasts for 5 years.
In the 30+ years since NAEYC Accreditation was established, it has become a widely recognized sign of high-quality early childhood education. More than 7,000 programs are currently accredited by NAEYC—less than 10 percent of all child care centers, preschools, and kindergartens nationally achieve this recognition.
FCC is in the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse.
This past week, we checked in on the status of the planning for a major project in The Triangle, exactly a year after the Sweeney family – best known for Alki Lumber – announced intentions to explore redevelopment. We noted that the sites at 4440 Fauntleroy Way SW and 4406 36th SW had appeared on the city website for the Early Community Outreach for Design Review process, with a ~500-apartment project in the early stage of planning. Since then, a community-meeting date has been added to the city calendar – 6 pm February 12, at Chaco Canyon Café (3770 SW Alaska). This is a casual early-feedback meeting, before, before the project moves into the formal Design Review process.
(Brant, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
The Big Game isn’t all that’s going on today/tonight …
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Try something local for your football food – 10 am-2 pm, in the street in the heart of The Junction. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
VISIT THE LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The HQ of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, in a historic carriage house on Alki, is open noon-4 pm. (61st/Stevens)
BARBECUE WITH YOUR BEER: NWTXBBQ is the food truck at Best of Hands Barrelhouse (WSB sponsor), noon-5 pm. (7500 35th SW)
MUSICIANS FOR THE WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK: 3-5 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), bring nonperishable food and/or cash to donate! All ages. (5612 California SW)
‘THE REVOLUTIONISTS’: Second-to-last Sunday matinée for ArtsWest‘s comedy, directed by Kelly Kitchens, 3 pm. Ticket info here. (4711 California SW)
SUPER BOWL AT ADMIRAL PUB: First one since the new owners took over, and they invite you to watch it there! 3:30 pm. (2306 California SW)
(Saturday sunset, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
JAZZ AT THE ALLEY: 8-10 pm, The Triangular Jazztet performs at The Alley in The Junction. 21+. (4509 California SW)
PREVIEW THE WEEK AHEAD … via our complete calendar.
(Added: WSB photos)
2:48 AM: Thanks for the texts. SFD is at 58th/Alki on a “scenes of violence” call, and texters say they heard shots – we’re working to find out more.
2:52 AM: Via emergency radio, we’ve heard that one patient has been taken to the hospital.
3:01 AM: SFD is also being called in to treat someone who’s been “punched in the head.” Meantime, the main incident is being described as a “shots call.” Our crew should be there shortly to try to find out more.
3:21 AM: At the scene, our crew says casing markers are visible on the water side of Alki Avenue, across from the Wheel Fun Rentals lot, in the grass and on the path. We haven’t yet been able to talk to police to find out more about the patient taken to the hospital.
3:28 AM: Dispatcher has just reported that another gunshot victim, possibly related to this, has just shown up at a hospital in Federal Way.
3:52 AM: Just talked with a lieutenant at the scene. He says they’re still trying to piece together what happened, but he confirmed that the person taken to the hospital was shot. No one reported in custody so far. They’ll be clearing out of the scene soon.
4:23 AM: Added more photos. Still awaiting info on the condition of the victim taken to Harborview, and the status of the investigation, so we’ll be updating this story later this morning. Meantime, our archives indicate this is the first time a person has been shot on Alki since the still-unsolved shooting that killed 23-year-old Jordan Thomas in 2017.
9:14 AM: Just in via SPD Blotter:
Detectives are investigating after a 21-year-old man was shot and injured in the Alki neighborhood early Sunday morning.
Police were dispatched to reports of someone shot in the 2600 block of Alki Avenue Southwest. Officers spoke with witnesses who stated the victim was sitting at one of the fire pits when he was approached by a group of unidentified men. The witnesses said there was some type of fight disturbance and then shots were fired. They said the group scattered leaving behind the victim with a non-life-threatening gunshot wound to the head.
Seattle Fire Department Medics took the victim to Harborview Medical Center for further treatment.
Gang unit detectives are now investigating and are asking anyone with information to please call the tip line at 206-233-5000.
MONDAY NOTE: We’re still trying to get the full report; SPD told us it’s not releasable yet. No arrests; the investigation remains active. What additional information we received today clarified that robbery was the apparent motive; from SPD, “It appears two victims were at Alki beach having a bonfire. While walking back to get the car, one victim was confronted by a group of four. At one point, someone said ‘what do you have in your pockets?’ The victim said a cell phone and wallet. At that point the group of four began assaulting the first victim. The second victim arrived and jumped in to assist in the fight. A moment later gunshots sounded and one of the two victims was stuck by gunfire. Both victims were transported to HMC, one for the gunshot wound and one for the injuries from the assault.” No description of the attackers, nor is there any more information about whether the gunshot victim who turned up in Federal Way was related to this.
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