West Seattle, Washington
26 Tuesday
We don’t know how the first night of early Alki Beach Park closure went last night – except that no major incidents were reported – but tonight police are out in force. We drove the beach from 63rd/Alki to Seacrest and back between 9:55 and 10:20 pm, and saw groups of officers on foot, on bikes (photo above), and in vehicles. Some were staged at Don Armeni Boat Ramp. While the beach was still moderately busy at 10:15 pm, officers have since told dispatchers they’re “clearing the beach” now.
Seattle Parks announced Friday that Alki would be closed at 10 pm nightly through Monday, in hopes of deterring problems from violence to fireworks. Its northern counterpart Golden Gardens, meantime, is being closed at 10 pm nightly for nine months, also to tamp down on trouble..
“We know this crisis is not inevitable.”
That’s how the Alliance for Gun Responsibility‘s executive director Renée Hopkins opened a forum this past week with five mayoral candidates. The Alliance presented it along with Grandmothers Against Gun Violence and the South Seattle Emerald, whose publisher Marcus Harrison Green served as moderator. Though the forum had been scheduled for a while, it happened the day after four people were shot at Alki, one fatally, and during a citywide wave of gunfire incidents.
Participating candidates, in alphabetical surname order, were Colleen Echohawk, Jessyn Farrell, Lorena González, Bruce Harrell, and Andrew Grant Houston. The five qualified by participating in the Alliance’s endorsement process and having at least 1,000 donors, Hopkins said during introductions.
The questioning included full-length answers as well as lightning-round yes/no questions. Opening statements were requested to include the answer to: “If you could wave a magic wand and do one thing to end the gun-violence epidemic, what would it be?” Here’s how the candidates responded: (Note that in all responses in this report, only quotation marks signify an exact quote – otherwise it’s our summarizing/paraphrasing.)
The Southwest Design Review Board gave its approval Thursday night to the project that now carries the address 9208 20th SW [map], formerly 9201 Delridge Way SW. No public comments were offered, and board recommendations were few; most of the changes proposed at the previous meeting in October (WSB coverage here) had already been incorporated into the design presented during the online meeting.
Four SWDRB members were present – chair Scott Rosenstock, newly appointed members Patrick Cobb and Johanna Lirman, and member Alan Grainger. The city was represented by planner Tami Garrett, who’s handling the project, and Design Review program manager Lisa Rutzick. Read More
Scammers try to reach you by just about every messaging means possible – even text messages: Patrice Lewis sent this warning:
Watch out for phony health-care-related text messages. I received one Thursday morning that appeared to come from my health-care provider. It told me to click the included link for a health message. I’ve been waiting for a notification that the result of a recent routine test is ready for me in my online health chart, so for a minute I thought it might be that, but the link looked suspicious. I called my provider’s customer service and they confirmed it was fake. So easy to be fooled by these links if you don’t take a minute to question them – so do be careful.
Even a health-care expert can almost get fooled – Patrice is a health-insurance specialist.
P.S. You can report fraudulent messages here.
Thanks to Kersti Muul for the tip – transient orcas are headed northbound, off the Southworth ferry terminal at last report, so if you’re going to look for them, take binoculars!
(Photo by Benjamin Chamberlain)
Thanks for the photos/tips! Turkey sightings north of The Junction has people wondering if this could be THE West Seattle Turkey – which hasn’t been seen around here in more than a year. The photo above was taken near 42nd/Andover on Friday; the one below, the same area, this morning:
(Photo by Claire Fitterer)
And this one is from 41st/Dakota, also this morning:
(Photo by Ian Lurie)
If you’re new – The West Seattle Turkey captivated the peninsula, working her way north from the southwest end of West Seattle starting in April 2019, eventually settling in the Admiral/Belvidere area, occasionally making forays away. Then she started heading back south again, crossing out of the city limits after this Seola sighting in April 2020. The last sighting of any kind mentioned to us was in south King County later that month. Her origins were never determined.
(Video by Claire Fitterer)
Could this be the same bird? Average lifespan of a wild turkey hen is reported to be about three years.
One more Independence Day event in The Junction – along with helping to place American flags along the heart of downtown West Seattle, you are also invited to be part of a “pop-up parade”! Here’s the invitation from the West Seattle Junction Association:
Meet us outside Cupcake Royale at the All Walk on Sunday, July 4th at 10 AM for a loop around the West Seattle Farmers’ Market (no more restrictions)! You’re encouraged to dress up, bring the kids, dogs, and your independent spirit! The Junction will provide hand-held flags to the first 50 people. You’ll see the expanded American Flags too, lining California Ave! Meet us Sunday and let’s celebrate SO MUCH!
Several people asked us about a helicopter search off the west-facing West Seattle shore late last night. Flight trackers showwed it was a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter. We checked with USCG Public Affairs just now and they told us they had responded to a salvage company’s report of a “red flare” in the area. They looked from both air and sea, and found nothing, nor could they get other confirmation of a sighting, even from Washington State Ferries, and no one was reported missing, so the search was eventually called off.
(Fiery sunset and fireboat – photo by Jen Popp)
The holiday weekend is here! Possibilities for your Saturday:
BEACH CLEANUP: Join Jessica at Alki, starting at 10 am, for the monthly community cleanup at the beach (meet at 2452 Alki SW), as previewed here.
LIVE MUSIC: Marco deCarvalho and friends play Brazilian jazz outdoors at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 10:30 am-noon.
TODAY’S AQUATIC SCHEDULE: Open today – Highland Park spraypark (11 am-8 pm, 1100 SW Cloverdale); Delridge (noon-5:30 pm, 4501 Delridge Way SW) and Lincoln Park (noon-7 pm, 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) wading pools.
‘STOP THE VIOLENCE’: 1-4 pm youth-geared event on Alki with music, food, speakers, more, as previewed here.
VISCON CELLARS: Fully open tasting room (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor)! Wine by the glass and bottle too. 1-6 pm.
MORE LIVE MUSIC: Tyler Edwards on the patio at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way, 6 pm.
EVEN MORE LIVE MUSIC: The Memphis Radio Kings headline tonight’s show at Drunky’s in White Center (98th & 16th). Doors open at 8 pm.
LIGHTS ON: Seattle Parks is turning the lights on approximately 8:30 pm-11 pm at four local parks/playfields tonight and tomorrow to try to deter fireworks use – details here.
Police investigated an armed robbery Friday night at the Lucky 5 gas station/mini-mart (35th/Henderson). Their preliminary summary report says it happened around 9 pm; the robber approached the counter, pulled out a handgun, pointed it at the employee behind the counter, and demanded cash. The employee gave him what was in the register but the robber demanded money from the safe, holding the victim at gunpoint until that was handed over too. He fled with cash and the employee’s cell phone. Police responding to the area used a K-9 but weren’t able to find the robber.
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