West Seattle, Washington
18 Wednesday
Thanks to the Seola Beach neighbor who sent that photo of Ruckus the Northern Elephant Seal, resting on a private beach during today’s low tide. The neighbor says he was under watch so curious onlookers could be kept at a distance. As Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network has explained, he might be getting ready to molt; if you see him, keep them updated with a report to 206-905-7325 (905-SEAL).
9:12 PM: Thanks to the texters who have reported that crash at 35th/Avalon, including one who sent a photo. (206-293-6302 is our hotline, any time.) Police and SFD medics have responded, One texter says buses are rerouting. No indication of major injuries so far – just one engine sent.
9:40 PM: The crash is still blocking the southbound side of the intersection, as shown on the SDOT traffic cam, which also shows police directing traffic there.
9:58 PM: Tow truck(s) now in view.
10:11 PM: Our original texter reports, and the camera confirms, the scene is clear, We’re checking with SFD re: injuries.
12:10 AM: SFD says they treated two women, 31 and 51, but neither was hurt badly enough to need hospitalization.
Got a text about low water pressure in Belvidere. 206-386-1800 is how to report any water problem – pressure, discoloration, outage, etc. The texter reports back that Seattle Public Utilities says they’re having a power problem at a substation; electricians are working on it.
After a decade, Community Acupuncture Project of West Seattle is closing its office in The Junction (4545 44th SW). Tomorrow’s the last day. But the CAP itself is very much alive and kicking – just consolidating into its Burien office. Here’s how it first announced the closure to clients:
After 10 years in the Junction, the Community Acupuncture Project will be closing our West Seattle location at the end of July. We have loved this community deeply and we are saddened to be closing our West Seattle doors. West Seattle and our clinic have seen a lot of changes over the past decade: major construction, the bridge closure, the pandemic, and more development! Sadly, we no longer have any staff living in West Seattle or White Center, and the structural needs of our space have been challenging, to say the least.
This has not been an easy decision and we are grieving the loss.
To all our patients, volunteers, and supporters from this neighborhood, who love and care for West Seattle, we are so grateful for your love and encouragement over the years.
We look forward to continuing to provide affordable acupuncture to the community from our Burien location and will be expanding our hours in Burien and growing that clinic.
We are happy to share that Aiko, Samantha, Dionea, Haley, and Sonja will continue to practice at this location and you can keep getting treatments from all your familiar acupuncturists – just in Burien. If you haven’t visited 1800 SW 152nd St, the clinic is half a mile west of Ambaum, in the Seahurst neighborhood. We have a free parking lot, two ADA-accessible bathrooms, no stairs, recliners, and tables ready for you in a cozy setting. Come check us out! You can read more at: acupunctureforall.org/burien
Thank you for all your support, West Seattle. We hope to see you in our Burien location, just 8 miles down the road!
As of Saturday, the CAP’s hours in Burien will be 9 am-2 pm Saturdays, 10 am-3 pm Sundays, 2-7 pm Mondays and Wednesdays, 10 am-1 pm and 3 pm-7 pm Tuesdays, 10 am-7 pm Thursdays, closed Fridays.
The chlorine shortage continues to impact our operations but we are hopeful that we can make it through to the end of the summer without any further impacts to the public.
(WSB file photo)
Yesterday’s temporary closure of the Delridge wading pool reminded us that we hadn’t checked on the state of Seattle Parks aquatics for a while. So here’s what we found out, thanks to Parks spokesperson Rachel Schulkin:
WADING POOLS: The current curtailed schedules aren’t expected to change before season’s end – what you see now is what you get, for this year.
SWIMMING POOLS: Five are open citywide, including outdoor Colman Pool at Lincoln Park, but that closes in early September. So what’s the status of West Seattle’s indoor city-run pool, long-closed Southwest Pool? Schulkin says, “We anticipate opening Southwest Pool in September for drop-in swim, and adding lessons in October.”
IMPORTANT NOTE: Reopening the rest of the city’s pools, Schulkin stresses, “is all dependent on our ability to hire pool staff and lifeguards. We are actively recruiting and hiring.” Info on the openings, and how to apply, is here.
(WSB file photo)
Somewhere between the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge in 2022 and the opening of West Seattle light rail – 2032? – is another major local transportation project: Replacing the Fauntleroy ferry dock/terminal. We’ve been reporting on the official start of the planning process, and tomorrow (Wednesday) night brings the next step – the second meeting of the project’s Community Advisory Group, 6 pm online. The CAG is one of three advisory groups for the project, along with the Technical Advisory Group, described as “technical staff from municipal, county, state, and federal agencies, federal and state resource agencies, as well as local tribes,” and the Executive Advisory Group, “local and state appointed or elected officials, transportation-agency leadership, federal partners, and tribal leadership.” (See the groups’ membership lists here.) Tomorrow’s CAG group is open to the public for viewing (register here), though there’s no public-comment period; you can email FauntleroyTermProj@wsdot.wa.gov with comments for any or all of the groups. A separate public-input process is also planned this fall, WSF says.
(2016 photo by Trileigh Tucker)
Here on WSB, our wildlife coverage used to include coyote reports (archived here) – not as warnings, but to raise awareness that they share the peninsula with us. Or – shared. It’s been a long time since we’ve received a coyote report, and despite living near multiple greenbelts, we haven’t heard or seen any lately either. We’ve wondered from time to time if they’ve truly dwindled here, or whether we’re just not hearing (about) them. Then we got a note from researcher Sam Kreling, a UW Ph.D. student, who is leading a study of Seattle’s coyote population. Kreling not only noticed our lack of recent coyote reports but added, “I’ve been attempting to find coyote scat in West Seattle for my research and haven’t really had any luck over the last couple of months.” The research is a collaboration between UW and the Woodland Park Zoo, “studying Seattle’s coyote population through non-invasive methods, aimed at understanding their diet, limit conflict, and their population demographics,” because “there have only been really limited insights to Seattle’s coyotes and much is still unknown about urban carnivores in general, so this study aims to help understand urban carnivores as a whole, and Seattle’s specific population of coyotes.” They’ve been working on it for almost a year, and when complete, they hppe the study will “inform Seattle management decisions on coyotes, identify regions that may be more prone to human-coyote conflict than others, and increase the general scientific knowledge surrounding urban wildlife.” So if you have any West Seattle leads for researchers, email seattlecoyotestudy@gmail.com.
One West Seattle Crime Watch report and two followups:
STORE ROBBERY: The 35th/Avalon 7-11 was held up around 2 am, according to a preliminary police report. The report is brief but says there were three robbers – two with guns – and that they got away with cash and cigarettes.
Two followups on recent reports:
SUSPECTED CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THIEF: Last Thursday, we reported on an arrest of someone suspected of stealing a catalytic converter in Arbor Heights, reported by a neighbor. When the suspect, a 38-year-old West Seattle man, appeared in court the next day, the judge only found probable cause for drug possession – police say they found him in possession of 355 Percocet pills and 47 grams of meth – and let him go on personal recognizance. As noted in our original report, police impounded the suspect’s vehicle. They subsequently got a search warrant for it and here’s what a new report says they found inside: 9 catalytic converters, a “potentially stolen firearm loaded with (13) 10 mm rounds,” two types of heroin totaling 137 grams, “various miscellaneous pills,” and more than $17,000 in cash. The suspect, who we’re not naming because he’s not yet charged, has a felony record, most recently a drug conviction in 2014, also including catalytic-converter theft in a case a decade ago.
PM UPDATE: SPD Blotter has now featured this case, including photos of some of what was found in the suspect’s car, such as this gun:
Meantime, we reconfirmed with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office that the search-warrant info was not available when the suspect went before a judge the day after the arrest.
CAR ATTACK: Last Wednesday, we reported on a mother and daughter being attacked in their car in the Fairmount area; the daughter fought back with a knife handle, and the attacker fled; an arrest was made blocks away. The City Attorney’s Office has since filed misdemeanor charges of assault and trespassing against the suspect, 38-year-old Benjamin C. Orr, who remains jailed in lieu of $10,000 bail.
Thanks to JayDee for the photo of new street art in the 4100 block of 49th SW. A few notes for the rest of today:
DEMONSTRATION: As noted last week, organizer Scott is now leading these streetcorner demonstrations weekly:
Tuesday, July 27, 4:30 to 6 pm, corner of 16th SW and SW Holden.
We are no longer doing Thursday sig waving at his time.
Come build awareness & stimulate actions to tear down the systems that have oppressed Black lives for over 400 years on this continent. Hold signs, meet neighbors and stand for racial justice. Scott at Puget Ridge Cohousing, endorsed by Hate-Free Delridge. Signs available.
PLAY-ALONG IN THE PARK: Musicians of all ages and all skill levels are invited to join West Seattle Community Orchestras members at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) for a Tuesday night play-along! 6 pm for easy music, 7 pm for intermediate music. Our calendar listing includes more info, including the RSVP link.
LIVE MUSIC: At The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), enjoy live music 6-9 pm Tuesdays.
PORT WORKSHOP: 6 pm online, the Port of Seattle convenes a community workshop on its Clean Air Strategy. This page explains how to participate.
REDLINING IN SEATTLE: Special program presented by the 34th District Democrats, 7 pm online, open to all – what you need to know about our city’s history. Details in our calendar listing.
Event coming up? Send us info so we can add it to the calendar – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
One week from tonight, it’s the return of Night Out. If you won’t be busy with a block/building party. the West Seattle Junction Association invites you to come spend the evening in “downtown West Seattle.” 6 pm-9 pm next Tuesday (August 3rd), The Junction welcomes you to a special evening, with food and drink specials among other things. (Look for a list here when it gets closer.) You’re also welcome to add to the festivities: “We welcome performances with instruments and tools ranging from acoustic instruments, performance art, odd instruments, puppets, bubbles to magicians.” (Sign up here!) P.S. No street closure planned in The Junction – on Night Out, that’s reserved for non-arterials.
6:12 AM: Good morning, Today’s forecast – more of the summery same.
ROAD WORK
Delridge project – Thistle east of Delridge has finally reopened. After 5 pm last night, the southbound closure zone had not yet shifted south to Trenton-Henderson, so we’ll check on that again this morning. Here’s this week’s detailed plan. (UPDATE: Henderson also has reopened. But the SB closure zone still starts at Thistle as of 9 am.)
SW Genesee – We checked on this after 5 pm and it appeared complete – let us know if you find otherwise.
TRANSIT
Buses are on regular schedules – except for the South Delridge reroutes. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations.
For ferries and water taxis, all should be normal. Watch @wsferries for updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
491st morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are the views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras remain in use; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends; the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available for some categories of drivers.)
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 draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? See the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed. (1st Ave. South 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.
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