West Seattle, Washington
26 Friday
6:04 AM: Good morning! Cloudy, possibly showery, maybe even afternoon thunderstorms today. Thanks to Bruce Gaumond for this view of the pre-sunset sky on Monday:
ROAD WORK
Delridge project – Here is this week’s plan.
SW Yancy – Last week for the SW Yancy closure west of 28th.
FERRIES/BUSES
Regular schedule. For ferries, the Triangle Route is back to three boats.
(Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations, @wsferries for major WSF changes.)
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
449th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are the views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: 23rd week for automated enforcement cameras; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends, when the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available for some categories of drivers.)
Here’s a low-bridge view:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
And the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are bridges opening for boats or barges? See the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed. The 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
With 16 days at most until full reopening, here is tonight’s roundup of local pandemic-related information:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health daily summary:
*111,164 people have tested positive, 58 more than yesterday
*1,615 people have died, unchanged since Saturday
*6,275 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday
ONE WEEK AGO: Last Monday, the three totals we track were 110,417/1,602/6,231.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Check the state dashboard.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 176.2 million cases, 3,812,000+ deaths – 599,945 in the U.S. See the other stats – nation by nation – here.
VAX STATS: In King County, 76.4 percent of people 12+ have had at least one dose; 68 percent are fully vaccinated. In West Seattle, the most-vaccinated zip code is still 98136 – 88.2 percent of people 12+ have had at least one dose. (Maps and stats are here.)
2ND VACCINATION LOTTERY TOMORROW: Tuesday brings the second drawing for the “incentives” announced by the governor.
SPEAKING OF THE GOVERNOR … his next scheduled briefing/media Q&A is 10:30 am Thursday. No link yet.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:
CAR AD LEADS TO CAR CHASE, GUNFIRE: The preliminary summary from police says this happened just after 8 pm tonight: “The victims responded to an OfferUp ad to purchase a vehicle. They agreed to meet up in the area of 12th Ave SW / SW Webster St and waited in a park parking lot.” They were using the app to communicate with the seller when a vehicle pulled up. Three people got out and approached the victims, pointing handguns at them “while demanding cash and other items of value.” One robber fired two shots into the air before all three got back in their vehicle and left, the victims said. They followed the car northward, fast, and the reprt adds: “During the vehicle chase, a suspect fired additional shots from the moving vehicle,” which almost hit a third vehicle while continuing to speed away. The victims lost sight of it and pulled over to call 911; by that point, the report notes, “Officers had responded to the initial scene to investigate multiple 911 reports of vehicles speeding and shots being fired.” The robbers, however, were not found.
ANOTHER CATALYTIC CONVERTER TAKEN: The latest report is from Nicole:
Car was parked in the Louisa Boren school parking lot due to construction on Delridge Way. Happened sometime between Thursday late night- Sunday early morning. They sawed the converter right off the car. Police report was filed.
If you’re keeping track of what vehicle makes/models get hit – this one was a Lexus XS
8:55 PM: Thanks to Susan for the tip: 10 homes are without power in Upper Morgan, since just before 8 pm. Seattle City Light‘s outage map doesn’t show the cause yet.
1:30 AM: Just checked the map again – it’s over.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One day after Terminal 5‘s four big new cranes arrived from China, port managers gave us and other media a close-up look. While at T-5, we talked with construction managers about the status of the nine-digit dock-modernization project on West Seattle’s eastern shore.
But first, the most frequently asked question: How and when are they taking the 316-foot cranes off heavy-lift ship Zhen Hua 36? SSA, the T-5 north-berth tenant – and the cranes’ owner – says they’ll be rolled off starting Wednesday and, if all goes well, finishing Saturday.
While we were there this morning, crews were working to cut the cranes free of the supports to which they’d been welded for the cross-Pacific journey.
You’ve probably heard a few stats about the cranes. Here are a few more. T-5 handled cargo until 2014, and the tallest cranes it had previously had a “lift over rail” of 115 feet – compared to 175 feet for the new ones – and a reach of 145 feet, compared to 240 feet for the new ones. Take a look up at them with us:
Which shipping lines will those cranes serve first when SSA opens T-5’s north berth early next year? SSA’s Bob Watters, there today for media Q&A, said that hasn’t been decided yet.
The company deals with all the major lines at its terminals around the world; this terminal will be “ready for the next generation of vessels.” Much of the north-berth work is complete; a major task under way now, as we saw this morning, is paving.
We spoke there with construction manager Jonathan Ohta, who talked about the challenges they’ve faced during the project – the paving’s been one of them, as they’re integrating new construction with the old terminal, and that’s meant grade differentials which in turn have resulted in drainage difficulties.
The past few days’ major rainfall left evidence of that, with serious puddling in spots.
Other technical challenges resulted when crews discovered unanticipated conditions. And in-water work has required waiting for “fish windows” – for example, to drive piles for a new “toe wall” along the berth (an “underwater retaining wall,” Ohta explained) they needed to order a special type of pile driver unlike any used before. The pile-driving has to wait for the next “fish window” in August; that will be followed, if all proceeds as planned in the permitting process, with dredging to make the water at the berth five feet deeper (55′ compared to the current 50′).
Ohta said a major point of pride has been continuing work throughout the pandemic while maintaining rigorous COVID safety standards. Right now, the north berth is on track for “substantial completion” by year’s end. The south-berth work is already under way, too.
Some parts of the project are serving both berths, like the new electricity infrastructure, so ships will be able to plug in to shore power.
The most-recent timeline estimates, beyond the north berth’s opening early next year, include opening the south berth by the end of next year, and completing the dredging by March of 2023. The project is under the auspices of the Northwest Seaport Alliance – the joint Seattle-Tacoma port authority – whose managing members (port commissioners) are scheduled to get the next major project briefing at their July 6th meeting.
Thanks for the photo and tip! Shown above is the US Navy littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS 10), on its way to Vigor Shipyard on Harbor Island. The ship, whose namesake was serving in the U.S. House of Representatives when she survived being shot in 2011, is the first of two ships of this class that will undergo work at the shipyard this year as part of a ~$110 million contract. This announcement from Vigor says about 165 workers will handle a variety of projects including replacement of flight-deck support stanchions, painting the underwater hull, and overhauling jet drives and the main propulsion engines. The littoral combat ship USS Omaha is due at Vigor in September.
Readers in The Junction identified that pole as epicenter of the two identical-footprint West Seattle Junction power outages this past Friday and Saturday – both taking out almost 500 businesses and homes for hours, both blamed on “bird/animal.” We followed up today with Seattle City Light spokesperson Julie Moore, who tells WSB: “It was indeed crows impacting the same spot two days in a row. We are pursuing installing avian protection at this location, which will require a scheduled outage to perform the work. I don’t have details on timing right now, but impacted customers will receive notification when the work is scheduled.” The City Light website explains avian protection and notes more than 200 known bird deaths a year – mostly crows.
Some neighborhoods are getting city permits to close sections of business-district streets for summertime “café streets.” Not the West Seattle Junction, though. Not for lack of trying, says Lora Radford, executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association (who provided the photo above of a north Seattle street as inspiration). The idea has come up in discussions here on WSB and elsewhere, and WSJA was looking to close a small section of SW Alaska – the half-block east of California, to the service alley. Radford says, “The closure request was June 15 – October 15 with the plan to activate the space with picnic tables and umbrellas for outdoor seating. The SDOT planners and permit review team took a long and thoughtful approach to the plan, with the Junction fully appreciative of their ability to think outside of the box. In the end though, the impact across multiple departments was too disruptive.” A major obstacle in this case was Metro; the city told WSJA that among other things, “Closing this stretch would result in significant service delays and degrade reliability” – that half-block stretch of Alaska is used by routes that total 373 weekday trips. The decision only affects the proposal to actually close that part of SW Alaska; curbside/sidewalk extensions of food/beverage establishments elsewhere in The Junction will continue, and WSJA says a few more Junction establishments are considering those.
Three crime/police notes:
SEARCH: If you saw/heard a police search after 9 pm last night in the Delridge/Trenton vicinity, police say they were looking for someone suspected of a threat involving a gun. The preliminary summary says, “Officers were waved down … The victim reported that a male suspect crossing the street pointed a handgun at them, causing them to fear for their lives.” A search ensued but no one was found.
BURGLARY: Julia in North Shorewood sent the video and report:
A woman was able to enter our home around 3:30 am, and got halfway through our house before we were alerted. She was eerily calm and my husband was able to get her outside while I locked myself in the baby’s room and called 911. KSCO responded and had a number of officers out looking for her and the “others outside” that she mentioned.
She had checked our car and looked through things in our backyard before coming in. We’re not sure what her intention or mental state may have been. We did capture rather clear footage on our security camera … in case any other neighbors have experienced something from the same person, or she can be identified? We’ll be beefing up our security system with outside alerts, but are also hoping to warn other neighbors.
If you do have any tips, we’ll add the KCSO incident number when we get it.
POLICE AT DON ARMENI: Thanks to Doug for the photo from a few hours ago showing motorcycle officers gathered at Don Armeni Boat Ramp:
We checked with SPD: “Previously scheduled training” was the reply.
(It’s Monday – you can do it! Photo by Jerry Simmons)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WOMEN’S PERSONAL SAFETY CLASS: Free online class at 3 pm for 14+. Details are in our calendar listing, including how to register.
BOOK DISCUSSION: At 6 pm online, Frank Abe, Tamiko Nimura, Ross Ishikawa, and Tom Ikeda discuss “We Hereby Refuse,” a graphic novel telling this story: “Japanese Americans complied when evicted from their homes in World War II — but many refused to submit to imprisonment in American concentration camps without a fight.” Free event presented by partners including the Seattle Public Library; registration required to get the link – our calendar listing explains how.
PIGEON POINT NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Meeting online at 7 pm with an agenda including the Port of Seattle and Sound Transit. See our calendar listing for the attendance link.
WORLD BLOOD DONOR DAY: That’s today, so if you can donate, Bloodworks NW asks you to visit their website or call 800-398-7888 to make an appointment to donate.
It’s the last week of school, and the Alki Elementary PTA is finishing the year with one final fundraiser in partnership with more than two dozen local businesses:
ALKI LOVES LOCAL marks Alki Elementary PTA’s final and MOST EXCITING community-building fundraising effort for the 20/21 school year!
We are proud to partner with 25 incredible small businesses to bring you our very own community coupon book! Each ALKI LOVES LOCAL coupon book includes coupons for West Seattle local businesses as well as a Pike Place Market Mini Book.
This next time period is a time of recovery for our local business community. Alki Elementary has put together a community coupon book to encourage families to get out and shop local as we begin to reengage in-person and continue to support our local businesses as they rebuild. Coupon Books are available for purchase until June 17th
The books include 32 offers, plus two tickets for a bonus prize drawing. You can see the list of participating businesses, and prizes, at the same site you can buy your coupon book(s) – go here.
6:03 AM: Good morning! Cloudy, possibly showery today, as the last week of school begins.
ROAD WORK
Delridge project – This week’s plan will see, among other things, the Delridge/Henderson/Barton work shifting to the east side of the intersection.
SW Yancy – Last week for the work closing SW Yancy west of 28th.
FERRIES/BUSES
No bus changes. For ferries, the Triangle Route is back to three boats.
(Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations, @wsferries for major WSF changes.)
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
448th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are the views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: 23rd week for automated enforcement cameras; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends, when the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available for some categories of drivers.)
Here’s a low-bridge view:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
And the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed is working again. The 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Tonight’s pandemic notes, with 17 days at the most until full reopening:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the King County Daily Summary Dashboard page:
*111,106 people have tested positive, up 55 from one day earlier
*1,615 people have died, unchanged from one day earlier
*6,272 people have been hospitalized, up 1 from one day earlier
One week ago, those three totals were 110.338/1,602/6,228.
WEST SEATTLE TRENDS: Sunday is the night we check these numbers, shown in two-week increments on the “geography over time” tab of the countywide daily-summary dashboard. For WS status, we combine the totals from the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas” (HRAs): For the past two weeks, 46 positive test results; 75 in the 2 weeks before that; 118 in the two weeks before that. … We also are noting two other West Seattle stats each week. The total deaths for the entire pandemic in the two HRAs comprising West Seattle: 69, no additional deaths since last week’s check. And a look at hospitalizations: 196 total have been attributed to people in the two peninsula HRAs since the start of the pandemic, adding one this week.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here (but again, note there was no update this weekend).
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 175.9 million cases and 3,803,000+ deaths, almost 600,000 of them in the U.S. – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here
SCHOOL VACCINATION CLINICS: Three this week at which the district says students and family members are welcome, first or second shots: Denny International Middle School on Tuesday and Friday, Madison Middle School on Tuesday.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Once the rain stopped this evening, fog started seeping over nearby islands. Above, that’s Bainbridge Island in David Hutchinson‘s photo from Alki; below, our peek view of Vashon Island from the Gatewood/Fauntleroy line:
More rain might be on the way, but we’ve already set a June 13th record – .68 of an inch measured at Sea-Tac, breaking the old half-inch record set in 1946.
P.S. Summer is exactly one week away – the solstice moment is 8:31 pm next Sunday (June 20th).
Four notes from West Seattle Junction food/beverage establishments:
MA’ONO: Thanks to Eric for the tip. Ma’ono in West Seattle is temporarily closed, reopening June 23rd.
CUPCAKE ROYALE: The Junction shop is closed for renovations, reopening Thursday.
AZUMA SUSHI: Reminder that – as reported here – they’re taking a break, reopening Monday, June 21st.
LADY JAYE: This Tuesday (June 15th), 4-8 pm, Lady Jaye (4523 California SW) plans a Pre-Father’s Day Wagyu Meat Market, including both Wagyu cuts for you to take home and cook and Wagyu cheeseburgers they’re grilling up for takeout. More info in our calendar listing.
Got a biznote – especially as the June 30th reopening date approaches? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
The community is invited to help Pathfinder K-8 on Pigeon Point say goodbye to its longtime principal and assistant principal, in two ways this week. The announcement is from Holly Rikhof:
Please help the Pathfinder K-8 School Community celebrate the legacy of our beloved Principal David Dockendorf and Assistant Principal Lisa Clayton, as we wish them well after 48 combined years of vision, leadership, and endless dedication to our school!
David Dockendorf joined Pathfinder in 1999 as the school’s third principal. Over the course of 23 years, he has guided the school through huge change and growth, while ensuring that Pathfinder remains true to its roots. He has hired all but one of the current staff at the school and has helped shape thousands of student’s love of learning over more than two decades of leadership. He has created a culture of community partnering for student success where teachers, staff, and parents come together. We will forever remember his chaperoning sold out school sleepovers and the auction performances that both brought the community together and supported our students. He is retiring at the end of the year after nearly four decades in public education.
Lisa Clayton started at Pathfinder in 1994 – Pathfinder’s third year. During her 25 years at the school, she has held a range of positions – librarian, kindergarten teacher, head teacher, and after a brief posting elsewhere, has been the Assistant Principal since 2011. We will miss her hard work and presence at the school, but wish her well in all future endeavors! She is leaving to become the Assistant Principal at Genesee Hill Elementary next year.
David and Lisa’s success has been rooted in a shared vision and dedication to teaching the whole child and providing each student with a rich academic experience. Pathfinder’s expeditionary learning model and commitment to outdoor education have been hallmarks of their tenure. The school added a middle school in 1998, and Lisa and David have been instrumental in growing the program into a dynamic K-8 model that has a waitlist for every grade and retains their own from kindergarten through to eighth grade. We are so grateful for the thriving school community that David and Lisa are leaving behind!
If you would like to share your congratulations and well wishes with David and/or Lisa, there will be a mailbox posted the last week of school, June 13-18, in front of the Pathfinder building (1901 SW Genesee St, Seattle) to collect cards and gifts from the community. It will be checked daily, and the contents will be presented to David and Lisa in memory boxes on June 18th.
In addition, at 2 pm on June 18th, the school will host a drive-by parade. All of the teachers and David and Lisa will be on hand, so come cheer from your vehicle for a memorable send-off!
Along with saying goodbye to the Class of 2021, West Seattle High School is also saying goodbye to its longrunning roof project. Seattle Public Schools says the two-year project is concluding this month. And it’s more than repair and replacement – it includes a bit of historical restoration too. The photos and explanation are from the district announcement:
As part of the project, the school is once again crowned by a spire atop the main cupola. The historic spire was installed when the school was constructed in 1918 but disappeared sometime after a roof repair project in the 1980s.
The Stemper Architecture website shows how the new spire was designed, made, and installed.
The district replaced part of the clay tile roof on the school’s 1918 wing, an official city landmark, in 2017. That work, the district says, “identified further issues with the landmark clay tile roof and the need to replace the existing thermal polyolefin roofing system as it had reached the end of its service life.” The resulting work also included sections of seam metal roofing over other parts of the school. This photo shows the multiple roofing types:
Plus, the district says, its project “addressed some deficiencies in the school’s design, including leaking concrete masonry walls covered with a new wall panel system, and a leaking seismic expansion joint which was replaced with a waterproof, continuous seismic expansion joint system.” Read more about the work on the SPS website.
The photo and report are from Paul:
I found this bicycle dumped in my alley in Highland Park. It looks pretty new and I’m sure some kid is missing his bike.
If you recognize it, please let us know and we’ll connect you.
P.S. For smaller items more likely to be simply lost/found, see this section of the WSB Community Forums.
10:27 AM: First look at the four big new cranes on their way to Terminal 5 in West Seattle:
Thanks to Mike York for sending us that photo from north of Kingston. The Zhen Hua 36 is currently at 10 knots so it’s probably still an hour-plus away from coming into view off West Seattle. We’ll be updating.
11:07 AM: Lynn Hall on Duwamish Head says they’re in view.
11:24 AM: Now entering Elliott Bay. Thanks to Carolyn Newman for first word on that, and David Hutchinson for this photo as the heavy-lift ship rounded West Point on the northwest edge of the bay:
11:40 AM: The 316-foot-tall cranes are now in view from Don Armeni Boat Ramp, a park which will afford a long stretch of viewing as they approach Terminal 5.
(Photo by David Hutchinson, substituted for original WSB phone pic)
12:14 PM: Now headed toward the docks. Next good waterfront vantage point – Jack Block Park.
12:45 PM: The ship has now arrived at T-5. At the Jack Block Park overlook, watching the final leg of the journey, we found a watch party of sorts – longshore workers for whom the T-5 project means new work. The terminal has not been in regular cargo service since 2014.
P.S. More photos later, and we’ll also have a followup tomorrow, when port officials and others are scheduled to have a media briefing.
ADDED: Thanks again to everyone who shared photos, including some in the comment section below. Maris Avots photographed the crane with one of the Luna Girls on Alki:
(Saturday’s low tide, photographed by Lynn Hall)
What’s headed into Elliott Bay starts our list today. Those four big new cranes for Terminal 5 in West Seattle are due to arrive today aboard the heavy-lift vessel Zhen Hua 36. Right now the vessel is near Port Townsend – here is the MarineTraffic.com map. We’ll publish a separate story when it gets closer.
Also happening today:
TODAY’S ONLINE CHURCH SERVICES: Most local churches still offer online Sunday services (some offer in-person options too), so each week we compile the newest links for 20+ churches’ services, both streamed and recorded (and in one case, written).
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Vegetables, fruit, flowers, cheese, meat, beverages, bread, more – something new each week at the Farmers’ Market, open 10 am-2 pm in The Junction. Scroll down the page at this link to find the vendor list and map for this week. (Enter at California/Alaska; pickups for online orders are at California/Oregon)
DELRIDGE GROCERY COOPERATIVE: Today’s the second Sunday you can shop for staples at the DGC store (5444 Delridge Way SW), 11 am-3 pm, as previewed here. Also, please take the DGC survey if you haven’t already.
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)
LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: The low tide is again low enough for decent exploring, so Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists will be out 11:30 am-2:30 pm at Constellation and Lincoln Parks. Low tide is -1.9 feet at 1:30 pm.
PRIDE ART EXHIBIT: As previewed here, “The Divine: Beyond the Bounds of Queerness”= is at Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery (9414 Delridge Way SW), open noon-6 pm.
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Visit the home of West Seattle’s history today (noon-4 pm, 61st/Stevens).
SUNDAY RUN CLUB: It’s back at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), starting at noon – details in our calendar listing.
FREE TO-GO DINNER: White Center Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm, outside, near the Bartell Drugs parking lot in White Center. (9600 15th Ave SW)
Got something for our calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Mid-weekend pandemic notes:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*111,051 people have tested positive, 112 more than yesterday’s total
*1,615 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*6,271 people have been hospitalized, 5 more than yesterday’s total
ONE WEEK AGO: Last Saturday, those numbers were 110,258/1,602/6,224.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 175.6 million people have tested positive, and more than 3,795,000 people have died; U.S. deaths are about to pass 600,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, France, Turkey (unchanged again this week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
(WSB video/photos)
The fourth and final commencement ceremony for the four high schools in West Seattle was a double farewell. Tonight at Memorial Stadium downtown, Chief Sealth International High School said goodbye not only to its 249 2021 graduates, but also to principal Aida Fraser-Hammer, who’s retiring after 8 years at CSIHS.
“I’m graduating with you,” she declared, while saluting a long list of individual grads and groups for achievements including academics – 68 National Honor Society members and 27 International Baccalaureate diploma recipients – and athletics, music, languages, even cooking. She praised programs and classes from Proyecto Saber and šəqačib to Mock Trial. The student speaker was Khalia Tenari:
She noted the historic events the class had experienced – not just “the two-week break that turned into a year” – but also the fight for racial and gender equity, and more. “Who would have thought our lives would turn into a rollercoaster of historic moments?” On a more personal note, she urged all her classmates to keep a strong sense of self-worth, to “know that the world would be a little dimmer without you in it.” And there were heartfelt words from the staff speaker, teacher Gentle Tassione:
She spoke of a big life change after 16 years teaching at a school in a town where she’d long lived. “Say yes – say yes to change, say yes to something new. … Ask yourself the question, ‘What do I really want?’ … Whatever you love, keep saying it out loud … and when those doors fly open for you, go through them.”
Their departing principal affirmed hope for their future; “We are Seahawks, we are made to soar high.”\
ADDED: Here’s the district video of the ceremony.
Three Crime Watch reports tonight:
MAN HURT TRYING TO STOP TOOL THIEF: According to a preliminary police summary, this happened mid-morning in the 7900 block of 34th SW. The victim was working on a house when a red Chevy Silverado pulled up. A man got out and, police say, “grabbed a Rotary hammer tool kit from the back of the victim’s truck, and placed it on the back of the Chevy. The victim jumped on the pickup bed, and the Chevy sped up. The victim was pleading for the (thief) to stop, but he increased speed and started swerving.” The truck slowed at 30th/Trenton St to turn, the report says, and “the victim grabbed his tool kit, and jumped from the truck.” He suffered non-life-threatening head and leg injuries and was taken to the hospital. Police searched for the thief but didn’t find him. The incident number is 21-145568.
CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFTS THWARTED: This happened in South Park but we have the preliminary summary since that’s also the Southwest Precinct, and the crime category is of wide interest. Police arrested two people after 5 am today who are accused of trying to break into a fenced property in the 8700 block of 7th Avenue South to steal catalytic converters off tour buses. The report says “in their possession were two electric saws with their initials on them (and) bolt cutters.” The buses’ owner had been hit a week ago by someone breaking into the yard and stealing five catalytic converters.
CAR WINDOW SHATTERED: Reader report from Michelle near Fauntleroy/California:
Sometime (Thursday) night, my car was shot with either a pellet or BB gun and shattered my window. The car in front of mine was affected as well. Reported this to the police at 7 am (Friday) morning. Thankfully no one was hurt and nothing stolen.
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