West Seattle, Washington
01 Sunday
It’s a Christmas Eve gift – as mentioned in our daily preview, free takeout dinners at the West Seattle Eagles HQ (4426 California SW) in The Junction, cooked up by Itto’s Tapas. On the menu: Lemon chicken with saffron rice, harissa brussels sprouts, arugula salad. Just show up – they’re expecting to feed 200, while the dinners last!
Thanks to Jodi for the tip – 10 customers are out of power near 14th/Roxbury. No indication so far of the cause.
UPDATE: Jodi emailed at 6:26 pm to say, “Back on, thank goodness & hurray to the City Light people out working tonight.”
The sun’s setting and Christmas Eve begins in earnest. Want some local music for your holiday cheer? West Seattle’s own Mode Music Studios (WSB sponsor) staff perform an eclectic variety of holiday music in the video above – Mode’s Virtual Holiday Singalong: “We have excerpts from musicals, classic holiday songs, rocking covers, and some original works.” It’ll be on YouTube, free to access, through the end of the holiday season.
(Added: Photo tweeted by @deviantollam)
Big police response scaling down in High Point. Police have just arrested a suspect in what was originally described over radio as a robbery or robbery attempt, involving a knife, at the 35th/Morgan Walgreens. The suspect wound up on a roof at Stewart Manor across the alley. Police called in reinforcements, even negotiators – then the suspect came down and officers arrested him.
2:38 PM: Thanks for the photo. City Light and Seattle Public Utilities are being summoned to join Seattle Fire and Police at that crash scene in the 6300 block of West Marginal Way. A driver hit a pole and hydrant. No major injuries reported.
3:19 PM: Officers have just told dispatch “Marginal is open again.”
Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this midday:
CRASH REVEALS STOLEN PACKAGES: A driver crashed that Subaru into a North Admiral garage door this morning. While investigating the driver (added: a man in his 30s) for suspected DUI, police also found what they describe as stolen packages:
According to police radio, an officer is going to attempt to return the stolen items. The driver was taken into custody.
BICYCLE TAKEN: One reader report today, sent by Theresa: “Large silver Scott Ransom mountain bike stolen from North Admiral 12/22. Reward if found. Bo, 206-795-3970.”
Like the bicycle and stroller shown here yesterday, this isn’t the kind of item you just “misplace,” so we’re featuring it here instead of in our Lost/Found (non-pets) forum. The photo is from Rosalie:
I initially saw this wheelchair not far from Charlestown and 39th SW. Yesterday, it was in the middle of Hiawatha playfield at 8 PM at night. I suspect it was stolen … It is a Tracer SX5. It’s in safekeeping right now.
If you recognize it, let us know and we’ll connect you.
The sun’s out (for a few hours, anyway) and it’s Christmas Eve. Here are notes for the hours ahead:
IN OUR HOLIDAY GUIDE, you’ll find info including:
-Store hours for last-minute gift shopping
-Christmas Eve church services
-Grocery-store hours (most close early on Christmas Eve)
IN OUR HOLIDAY GUIDE AND ARCHIVED HERE:
-Christmas lights we’ve showcased (should be another good night for viewing)
LOOKING FOR WAYS TO HELP?
-Look for the Giving Opportunities section of the Holiday Guide, including homemade-cookie donations for The Christmas People (drop off at Alki Masonic Center, 40th/Edmunds parking-lot entrance, until 4 pm)
DEMONSTRATE FOR RACIAL JUSTICE
–Scott will lead the sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden 4-6 pm (possibly ending earlier tonight “if traffic is light”)
(Wednesday sunset over Vashon Island, photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
SUNSET:
4:22 pm
FREE CHRISTMAS EVE DINNER: The Itto’s Tapas crew invites everyone who needs a free Christmas Eve dinner to come pick up yours at the West Seattle Eagles (4426 California SW) starting at 5 pm.
(WSB photo, Summer Fest Eve 2017)
This year without events and live performances has left many performers struggling. Among them, a West Seattle festival fixture – The Bubbleman. Among the countless cancellations this year were events presented by the Morgan Community Association and West Seattle Junction Association, which want you to know about crowdfunding for him, writes Phil Tavel, vice president of MoCA:
The Morgan Community Association and the Junction Association want to say THANK YOU to the Bubbleman for all of the good cheer that he has brought to West Seattle over the years.
This is a year when those in the crowd can give back a little something to help the performers who have given so much to us.
Here is a link to give whatever you can to the man with the purple beard, the rainbow car and a million bubbles and a million and one bubble jokes.
Happy Holidays to Everyone!
MoCA and the Junction Association!
6:07 AM: It’s Thursday, December 24th, the 276th morning (and the start of the 10th month) without the West Seattle Bridge. Another cold night, so beware of frosty streets, paths, windshields.
ROAD (ETC.) WORK
Delridge project: Work is planned through today. none tomorrow.
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule today (Sunday service on Christmas Day).
Water Taxi – Regular schedule today (Doc Maynard is back; no service Christmas Day).
CHECK TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO
West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Restricted-daytime-access (open to all 9 pm-5 am) low bridge:
The main detour route across the Duwamish River, the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) . Here are two cameras:
The other major bridge across the river – the South Park Bridge (map) – see the closure advisory above. Here’s the nearest camera:
Going through South Park? Don’t speed. (Same goes for the other detour-route neighborhoods, like Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge.)
To check for bridges’ marine-traffic openings, see the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
You can view all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Tonight’s toplines in the pandemic:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*58,750 people have tested positive, 474 more than yesterday’s total
*1,022 people have died, 10 more than yesterday’s total
*3,909 people have been hospitalized, 14 more than yesterday’s total
*721,289 people have been tested, 575 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 55,212/954/3,765/703,210.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
STATE BRIEFING: We’re on a “downward trend,” state health officials said. Still way higher than anyone wants to dee, and “not out of the woods” yet, but statewide there’s a downturn – “hopeful numbers going in the right direction.” No post-Thanksgiving spike, so they’re urging everyone to keep up the safety measures for Christmas too. See the full briefing here.
VACCINE UPDATE: Thousands of people have been vaccinated, per the state’s update:
Last week, providers across the state began administering initial doses of COVID-19 vaccine to high-risk health workers, and now, more than 30,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered. We are thrilled with this progress in such a short time. This week, we allocated 44,850 Pfizer doses and 127,900 Moderna doses. That includes:
*153,925 doses distributed to more than 220 sites in 37 counties
*18,825 doses distributed to support long-term care facilities as well as 14 Tribes and Urban Indian Health Programs
During the aforementioned briefing, officials said it’ll be “several weeks” until vaccinations move on to the next eligible group.
EVICTION MORATORIUM EXTENDED: The city moratorium was extended a week ago through the end of March; today Gov. Inslee announced the same extension for the entire state.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
On Christmas Eve-Eve, two more displays:
Thanks to Ryan for that photo from 29th SW, near Camp Long. Next one is Nic and Michelle‘s display at 50th/Charlestown:
Michelle explains, “We are new to the area and wanted to spread some Christmas cheer.” We stopped by for a closer look:
We’re adding these to the list in our WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide; even if you don’t go out light-viewing, you can see all the places we’ve spotlighted by scrolling through our archive.
Among the Christmas Eve/Day information we’ve been compiling in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide: Grocery-store hours for the next two days. Here’s what we’ve found: West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor; 4201 SW Morgan), closing at 9 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day … Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor; 41st/Admiral), open 5 am-6 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day … PCC WEST SEATTLE (2749 California SW), closing at 7 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day … Whole Foods (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW), open 7 am-7 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day … Trader Joe’s (4545 Fauntleroy Way SW), closing at 6 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day … Safeway (all 3 West Seattle stores), open 5 am-6:30 pm Christmas Eve, 8 am-5 pm Christmas Day … QFC (both West Seattle stores), closing at 7 pm Christmas Eve, closed Christmas Day. … Again, this is also in our Holiday Guide, along with restaurant and coffee lists that we’re continuing to add to (info appreciated at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!).
5:51 PM: Skywatching expert/educator Alice Enevoldsen says the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is visible from West Seattle right now, to the south/southwest, until 6:30 or so, though they’re not as close together as they were a few days ago, when clouds rendered it impossible to see.
ADDED: Bill Schrier tweeted this photo:
And Dan Ciske sent this one:
These items are generally too big to be simply “lost” so we’re mentioning them here rather than in our Lost/Found (non-pets) forum board:
T. found that bicycle abandoned on a Fauntleroy sidewalk. Older bicycle with a blown tire. Recognize it? Let us know and we’ll connect you. Meantime, in Seaview, Gwyneth found this:
She says, “It doesn’t seem like it’s in the best of shape but it got dumped on my corner either last night or this morning and in case someone is missing it, it’s sitting on the corner of Raymond and 47th SW.”
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Tiffany at Trees by the Sea (2538 Alki SW):
We are done for the season and have some trees and wreaths left over. If there is anyone who is in need then they can help themselves. We have left the lot open for people to have access to it. We want to thank you and all of our customers for another great season and look forward to seeing everyone again next year!
Just in from Kersti Muul of Salish Wildlife Watch – orcas in the area! She says a small group is “milling” off the north end of Vashon Island. Let us know if you see them!
(Republished with permission from the Fauntleroy Community Association’s December 2020 newsletter Neighbors)
By Judy Pickens
When the Fauntleroy Children’s Center opened as the Fauntleroy Day Care Center in September 1978, Kim Seaman Sheridan wasn’t there to welcome the eight children as they entered a room at Fauntleroy Church.
But she was there the following year as a teacher, and she has been there every year since as the center’s director, welcoming nearly 5,000 infants and children over her 42 years of service.
Come January 1, Kim will begin the next chapter of her life – one not so abundantly populated with children.
She sees a change in directors as a plus for the center, enabling new leadership to run with new ideas. Also, she said, “After 42 years, it’s time to be home.”
Thanks for the sunrise photos! (Above, from Chris Frankovich; below, from Susan Romanenghi.) Though the days are getting longer now that the solstice is past, all the time is gained on the other end of the day, until January 6th, when the sun starts rising earlier.
The forecast is for sunshine later, and tomorrow too, with rain likely to return Friday night.
6:07 AM: It’s Wednesday, December 23rd, the 275th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Watch for ice on streets and paths, after a very cold night.
ROAD (ETC.) WORK
Delridge project: Work is planned through Thursday. Here’s the weekly lookahead.
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule today (Sunday service on Friday).
Water Taxi – Regular schedule today (no service Friday).
CHECK TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO
West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Restricted-daytime-access (open to all 9 pm-5 am) low bridge:
The main detour route across the Duwamish River, the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) . Here are two cameras:
The other major bridge across the river – the South Park Bridge (map) – see the closure advisory above. Here’s the nearest camera:
Going through South Park? Don’t speed. (Same goes for the other detour-route neighborhoods, like Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge.)
To check for bridges’ marine-traffic openings, see the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
You can view all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Here’s the latest pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First the numbers, as shown in today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*58,286 people have tested positive, 179 more than yesterday’s total
*1,012 people have died, 19 more than yesterday’s total
*3,895 people have been hospitalized, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*720,714 people have been tested, 3,034 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 54,849 /948/3,748/700,591.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 78 million cases worldwide, 18.2 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
BRIEFING TOMORROW: State health experts continue their weekly Wednesday briefings. You can watch at 8:30 am tomorrow – here’s the link.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
This is a big week for the volunteer organization known as The Christmas People. They’re planning to feed hundreds around the area for the holiday. They’re now stocked up with volunteer help, but they need two things:
HOMEMADE COOKIES: Bake them and drop them off in boxes or carefully placed in bags. Volunteers will take it from there. Dropoff times and location – 9 am-4 pm each of the next five days, Wednesday through Sunday – Christmas Day included – at Alki Masonic Center, 4736 40th SW. (Use the Dining Room entrance that faces the parking lot.)
NEED A HOLIDAY MEAL? Call or email The Christmas People by Thursday (Christmas Eve) to order free meals if you’re in need – “shut-ins, seniors, veterans … people who need a nice meal at Christmas.” Call Fred at 206-719-4979 or email pialley@jps.net.
(Updated 8:13 pm with helicopter search)
Four West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
BUSINESS BURGLARY: Thanks for the tips about Whisky West‘s break-in. We haven’t been able to get the police report, but this afternoon we spoke with general manager Mike Sweet. He tells WSB it happened around 4:30 am Sunday. Two men whose faces weren’t visible due to masks and hoodies broke in through a side door and looked around – they didn’t seem to exhibit any familiarity with the restaurant/bar, but eventually found their way into the office, and stole the safe, which contained money to be distributed to the staff as holiday bonuses. They also took about $4,000 in liquor, some food, and keys they used to take a business truck (white 2007 Ford F-150). Sweet launched a crowdfunding account to try to replace the bonus money and says it’s had a good response already. Meantime, if you have any info, the police report number is 20-348992.
CAR SMASH-AND-GRAB: This happened to Peter in the 9700 block of 33rd SW:
He says it happened Saturday night: “Our car was broken into … parked right underneath a streetlight.”
STOLEN AND DUMPED? Susanna found this toolbox near a South Admiral corner:
She moved it out of the street onto the sidewalk, “out of the way of cars.” If it might be yours, let us know and we will pass along location info.
ADDED 8:13 PM – HELICOPTER SEARCH: Guardian One is in the area, assisting with a search in the West Duwamish Greenbelt, just uphill from West Marginal Way. According to radio communication, police are looking for a suspect in a harassment/threats case who is possibly armed with a knife. … The search is also covering Puget Ridge. We don’t have a description of the suspect, other than that he’s a juvenile. … (8:49 pm) The helicopter has moved on to another call. We don’t know the suspect’s status.
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