West Seattle, Washington

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month : 07/2021 309 results

FYI: King County says some services will stay virtual for a while
July 11, 2021 12:57 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle online

Some services provided by King County will continue online-only for a while. In case you missed that announcement this week, here’s the explanation:

Most of the restrictions implemented as the COVID-19 pandemic swept into King County and Washington State in early 2020 were lifted as of June 30. Gov. Jay Inslee recently unveiled the “Washington Ready” plan that will help the state reopen and get back on track after 15 months of shutdowns.

While the Washington Ready framework does allow government services to reopen to in-person customers, King County is in the midst of a project that will close the King County Administration Building in downtown Seattle and relocate the services that had been provided there prior to the pandemic. Until the project is finished later this year, services provided by the King County Records and Licensing Services (RALS) Division will continue online, by phone, and by mail or dropbox, depending on the service.

The RALS services that will remain virtual are:

*Marriage licensing
*Document recording
*Certified copies of recorded documents
*Real estate transaction recording
*Restrictive covenant modifications
*Vehicle/vessel and pet licensing services that were once provided at the Administration Building
(Licensing subagents, which are independent small businesses that contract with King County to provide vehicle and vessel licensing, will continue to set their own policies for in-person service)
*For-hire driver licensing, including Transportation Network Company (TNC) permitting
*Process server registration

In addition, pet adoptions and other services at the King County Pet Adoption Center in Kent will remain on an appointment-only or will-call basis

For more information on how to obtain Recorder’s Office services, please visit kingcounty.gov/recorder. For information about vehicle and vessel licensing, including the locations of licensing subagents, kingcounty.gov/vehicle. To learn more about for-hire licensing and permitting, go to kingcounty.gov/ForHire. For animal services, kingcounty.gov/pets.

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You asked, so we asked: What’s happening at Morgan Junction Park expansion site
July 11, 2021 10:50 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Work has been going on at the Morgan Junction Park expansion site, north of the current park in the 6400 block of California SW [map], but it’s not a sign the long-shelved park-development project is getting under way. That and other “landbanked” park projects (including two others in West Seattle) have been indefinitely idled because of Parks revenue losses blamed on the pandemic. So, some asked, what’s up with the heavy equipment and piles of gravel/rocks that have shown up at this site?

Kelly Goold of Seattle Parks told WSB that it’s “being used by a contractor associated with a SPU project under a Revokable Use Permit. Instead of fees [for using the site] the contractor will perform work on the site – clearing and grubbing of blackberries and invasive, rough grading, limited demolition, and the like.” What’s the Seattle Public Utilities project? We asked SPU’s Sabrina Register, who said the project is almost next door, “repair to a section of the sewer main that runs along SW Beveridge Place as part of a multi-site sewer-rehabilitation project.” SPU has used other Parks property in similar ways before, such as a section of the Myers Way Parcels (explained here). As for the future of the Morgan Junction Park Addition, the site (which formerly held businesses including a dry cleaner) is still set for hazardous-materials remediation at some point in the not-too-distant future – Goold said the funding for that, unlike the park development itself, has not been suspended, but the work has to go out to bid. (Here’s the environmental “checklist” from earlier this year.) The city bought the park site seven years ago; its status is likely to be a topic during the next quarterly Morgan Community Association meeting (7 pm July 21st, full announcement to come).

JULY 21 UPDATE: SPU has corrected which project is being staged at the future park site – it’s for the water-main repair work on SW Othello in Gatewood, not the upcoming Beveridge work.

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Here’s what’s up on your West Seattle Sunday
July 11, 2021 6:34 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(‘Bey’ the Bald Eagle and ‘friends,’ photographed by Jerry Simmons)

Welcome to Sunday!

ROAD-CLOSURE REMINDERS: SW Genesee west of Delridge Way and westbound SW Alaska west of California SW are scheduled to remain closed again today because of road work.

CHURCHES: Many are still streaming, in place of – or in addition to – in-person services. Here are the newest links for 20+ West Seattle churches’ services.

FUNDRAISER SALE FOR TRAILER-THEFT VICTIM: Margarita got her stolen food trailer back, but it was trashed. So she’s having a fundraising sale:

Anthropologie furniture, mamaRoo, Halo, couches, upholstered beds, tables, baby-girl clothes, plus-size to xsmall women’s clothes, brand-new shoes, camping equipment, watercraft equipment, antique lamps, tons of framed art. This is a fundraiser, everything priced below what I paid for them new. 46th and Lander in West Seattle. Sunday 9-6, Venmo or cash only. If you would like to contribute to my GoFundMe I would greatly appreciate it.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Changes started last week – you can enter the market from anywhere along the way, and no more market-wide mask mandate (though individual booths may have their own rules), plus, no more taped-off perimeter, soo you can now move around the market freely. You also can now eat and drink inside the market. Hours are still 10 am-2 pm on California between Oregon and Alaska. Scroll down the page at this link to find the vendor list and map for this week.

‘TYPEWRITER POET’ SEAN PETRIE: He’s at the Farmers’ Market, typing poems, 10:30 am-1:30 pm, and then at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW) at 2 pm.

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.

DONATION DRIVE: Donations of food and men’s casual clothing are welcome at Alki UCC‘s monthly dropoff drive, 11 am-3 pm at 6115 SW Hinds – details in our preview.

WHITE CENTER POST-FIRE GATHERING: Noon at Greenbridge Plaza (9800 8th SW), a community gathering to grieve the losses suffered in last Monday’s arson. Details on our partner site White Center Now.

LOW TIDE: At 12:32 pm, the tide’s out to -2.1 feet, so Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists will be out at Constellation (63rd/Beach) and Lincoln (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) parks, 11 am-1:30 pm.

LITTLE LEAGUE TOURNAMENT: 1 pm at Bar-S Playfields (64th/Admiral), the West Seattle Little League 9/10/11 All-Stars play a district-tournament game.

CAMP SECOND CHANCE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Find out what’s new at the only city-funded tiny-house encampment in West Seattle, 2 pm online. Viewing/listening/participation info is in our calendar listing.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE SKYLARK: Them with Cherry Tomato and Destin Mai, doors at 7 pm, $10 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

Event listings welcome – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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GARDENING: Need advice? Master Gardeners returning to West Seattle Farmers’ Market
July 10, 2021 11:41 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Gardening | West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle news

(Bee in artichoke flower, photographed by Stewart L.)

Changes continue at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. Tomorrow, Master Gardeners return:

WSU Extension Master Gardeners will return to the West Seattle Farmers Market this Sunday, July 11.

We can help identify plants that you have in your garden, and the problems that may trouble them – bring along a photo on your phone or a sample flower or leaf.

And if you are new to gardening, we have lots of ideas to help get you started.

Master Gardener volunteers are trained para-professionals who will provide you with information that is RESEARCH-BASED and focused on environmentally friendly gardening practices.

You can also ask gardening questions via email at ask-a-mastergardener@live.com

More information about the Master Gardener Program can be found here.

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FOLLOWUP: Checking back on 35th/Henderson mural
July 10, 2021 8:38 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Two days after we showed you the mural in progress on the north side of the 35th/Henderson building that’s home to The Birdhouse and other businesses – look at it now! We went by this evening to check it out. None of the painting team – led by designer/artist Katie Todaro of Glam Dusty Studios – was around, so we don’t know how close it is to officially done, but it’s beautiful! WSB commenters noted after our first report that The Birdhouse is selling T-shirts with the mural design, too.

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VIDEO: ‘Typewriter poet’ Sean Petrie’s big weekend in West Seattle
July 10, 2021 6:16 pm
|    Comments Off on VIDEO: ‘Typewriter poet’ Sean Petrie’s big weekend in West Seattle
 |   West Seattle books | West Seattle news

Thanks to Clay Eals for that video from “typewriter poet” Sean Petrie‘s event at the Log House Museum this afternoon (which was on our “West Seattle Saturday” preview list). You have two more chances to catch him in West Seattle tomorrow – 10:30 am-1:30 pm, he’ll be at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market in The Junction, creating typewritten poems, and then at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW) at 2 pm, typing and promoting his award-winning book “Listen to the Trees: A Poetic Snapshot of West Seattle, Then and Now.”

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CAN YOU HELP? West Seattle Girl Scouts need climbing instructor
July 10, 2021 4:36 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(Schurman Rock photo courtesy Seattle Parks)

From Diana Palmer:

West Seattle Girl Scouts’ Day Camp, a 60-year tradition at Camp Long, just had a last-minute cancellation to help belay and teach climbing to Girl Scouts at the famous Schurman Rock at Camp Long. July 21, 22, and 27 & 28 between 10:30 am-3 pm, Looking for volunteers or affordable organization to help teach 200 Girl Scouts rock-climbing skills!

If you can help, call Diana at 206-579-4222.

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UPDATE: Fire in South Delridge
July 10, 2021 2:15 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

2:15 PM: Big SFD response for what’s described as a fire in a vacant building in the 9400 block of 18th SW. Many of the responding units have been dismissed but five are still on the call; we’re on our way there to find out more.

2:23 PM: “Small exterior fire,” says SFD.

2:38 PM: They believe the fire started with someone cooking at this abandoned house (photo added above), but nobody was there when firefighters arrived; no injuries reported.

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VIDEO: Mayoral candidates in West Seattle for WSB/WSJA forum
July 10, 2021 12:08 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

12:08 PM: This year, Seattle elects a new mayor – Jenny Durkan decided not to run for re-election. Ballots for the August 3rd primary go out in a few days; you’ll have 15 mayoral candidates to choose from. WSB and the West Seattle Junction Association invited them all to participate in the first and only forum devoted to questions from West Seattleites – most were suggested by WSB readers – and it’s happening now at the Senior Center of West Seattle. You should see the stream embedded above; if anything goes awry, check the WSB YouTube channel or the WSJA Instagram IGTV feed; it’s also being recorded for later viewing.

1:38 PM: Forum’s over; we have removed the stream window above and replaced it with a photo. We will be uploading the recorded video in its entirety later, as well as adding notes. We had one no-show, so nine candidates participated:

James Donaldson
Colleen Echohawk
Jessyn Farrell
Lorena González
Bruce Harrell
Andrew Grant Houston
Lance Randall
Don Rivers
Casey Sixkiller

This, it turns out, was their first in-person forum.

4:16 PM: The lower-res YouTube stream is now archived – pull ahead to 5:40 for the start of the forum:

We’ll have a higher-res version with the story later, but if you don’t want to wait, watch it now!

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 3 reports, including axe-attack charge
July 10, 2021 10:30 am
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

MAILBOXES BROKEN INTO: From AL:

While walking my dog this morning I noticed that my mailbox on Cloverdale and most mailboxes on the 8400 block of 25th Ave SW were busted open. I’ve reported to SPD non-emergency but thought your readers would like to know.

TENNIS COURT VANDALISM: Players arriving at the Solstice Park tennis courts this morning noticed two nets had been tampered with and another appeared to have been cut down and taken, with only this (lower left) left behind:

It’s been reported to police.

AXE SUSPECT CHARGED: One followup today – a felony charge is now filed against the man accused of swinging an axe at a West Seattle Junction 7-11 employee on the Fourth of July. 29-year-old David D. Ailep Jr. is charged with second-degree assault. The charging documents say that the employee had asked Ailep to leave the store because he was acting aggressively, yelling, and throwing items on the floor. Her shift was almost over; her husband was waiting outside to drive her home, and she went out to tell him she needed to do a few more things. Ailep had just left and confronted her outside the store, the documents say, pulling out the axe and swinging at her; she told police that if she hadn’t backed up to get out of the way, he would have hit her in the head/neck/chest. The employee’s husband subsequently got out of his car and used bear spray on Ailep, who police say then fled; they found him in an alley a block away, lying on the ground, the axe under him. Ailep remains in the King County Jail, bail set at $150,000.

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WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: From sales to Shakespeare, 16 things to know for today/tonight
July 10, 2021 6:34 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Western Tanager, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Happy Saturday! Here’s what’s happening:

TRAFFIC ALERTS: Two road-work closures you should know about for today – SW Genesee west of Delridge Way, and westbound SW Alaska west of California. Both are scheduled to last all weekend.

HIGHLAND PARK IMPROVEMENT CLUB GIANT GARAGE SALE: 10 am-3 pm, multiple vendors – plus beverages – in the lot at HPIC (1116 SW Holden), as the community center recovers from its recent fire.

JUNCTION SIDEWALK SALE: Starting at 10 am, it’s day 2 with more than two dozen West Seattle Junction merchants – and some pop-up visitors – offering tables of deals, as previewed here.

THUNDER ROAD GUITARS & OTHER MORGAN JUNCTION SALES: 10 am, Thunder Road Guitars (6400 California SW; WSB sponsor) has its big annual Garage Sale Day with cheap (and even free) items. Also in the sale spirit: Paper Boat Booksellers and West Seattle Coworking a short ways north.

SSC GARDEN CENTER PLANT SALE: Open today 10 am-3 pm, north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.

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.

BLOWOUT PLANT SALE: Furry Faces Foundation has some of its fabulous plants left over and is selling them at, well, dirt-cheap prices. 11 am-3 pm. (3809 46th SW)

NEIGHBORHOOD SALES: Don’t forget to check the WSB Community Forums’ Freebies/Deals/Sales section for today’s listings!

LOW TIDE: Just before noon, the tide’s out to -2 feet, and Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists are at Constellation and Lincoln Parks, 10:30 am-1 pm.

MAYORAL CANDIDATES’ FORUM: Noon at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), WSB and the WS Junction Association present a forum with 10 of the 15 candidates answering West Seattle-focused questions. Livestreamed and limited in-person audience; details are in our calendar listing.

‘LISTEN TO THE TREES’: 1 pm at the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens), the Southwest Seattle Historical Society hosts an in-person reading and signing with Sean Petrie, who will give a short reading from his award-winning book “Listen to the Trees: A Poetic Snapshot of West Seattle, Then & Now.”

ANNIVERSARY: Pizzeria 22 (4213 SW College), open 4-10 pm, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with specials tonight.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: 7 pm, it’s the GreenStage “Backyard Bard” production of “The Tempest,” at High Point Commons (6400 Sylvan Way SW). Free.

‘WHALE PEOPLE: PROTECTORS OF THE SEA’: Exhibit opening at Vashon Heritage Museum, 8-10:30 pm with speakers, a film, and a visiting totem – details in our calendar listing.

PORT ORCHARD FIREWORKS: Depending on how sound carries, you might hear these fireworks from across the Sound tonight around 10 pm, so we’re mentioning them here.

Are we missing anything? Calendar listings always welcome at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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FOLLOWUP: The beat goes on at Highland Park Improvement Club, with first post-fire event Saturday
July 9, 2021 9:27 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(WSB photos, June 26th)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Highland Park Improvement Club is more than a building … it’s people.

And that’s why the early-morning fire that heavily damaged the century-old HPIC headquarters two weeks ago (WSB coverage here) hasn’t stopped HPIC from continuing to be the heart of its community.

Tomorrow (Saturday, July 10th), for example, the first of three “Giant Garage Sales” – already planned before the fire – will be held in the HPIC parking lot and courtyard on the two sides of the 1116 SW Holden building least affected by the flames.

But while that should make for a fun day, what’s been happening since the June 25th fire has been hard, heartbreaking work for HPIC’s all-volunteer board. We talked Thursday by phone with Nicole Mazza to see what they have learned, what’s next, and how people can help.

Read More

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SATURDAY: Candidates for mayor in West Seattle for WSB/WSJA forum
July 9, 2021 8:33 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

checkbox.jpgFour years ago, 21 candidates ran for Seattle mayor, and we moderated a forum to which 15 RSVP’d. This year, 15 candidates are in the race, and 10 have RSVP’d for the forum we’re co-presenting Saturday with the West Seattle Junction Association. It starts at noon, with the candidates side by side at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon). Thanks to everyone who’s suggested questions – we’ll see how many we can get through with 10 candidates in an hour and a half. Our calendar listing has the lineup of participants and how to watch.

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ROAD WORK: Roxbury repaving ahead; plus, Delridge project adds another closure
July 9, 2021 7:04 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

We’ve already reported on two road-work closures this weekend – SW Genesee west of Delridge, and westbound SW Alaska west of California. A roundup of alerts from SDOT today include two more worth noting:

SW ROXBURY REPAVING: First, the good news. Hard to see in the early-evening shade but our photo above shows a rutted section of SW Roxbury between 24th and 25th that SDOT plans to repave later this month:

In partnership with King County, SDOT crews will repave SW Roxbury St between 24th Ave SW and 25th Ave SW. Expect traffic slowdowns on Monday, July 19 and Tuesday, July 20.

Work hours are 7 a.m. to 4 PM Monday, July 19 and Tuesday, July 20. For people driving, traffic will be reduced to one lane with crew members directing drivers. Please go slow when driving in the area. Watch for people biking and walking, follow signs, and expect delays. For people walking, rolling, and biking in the area, sidewalk access will be maintained.

In addition, tree pruning will occur on Wednesday, July 14 through Thursday, July 16 in advance of the paving work. This shouldn’t impact traffic flow, but there will be crew activity in the area. This tree pruning effort is to make room for the large paving equipment to ensure that we don’t damage the trees or the equipment.

The once-planned major Roxbury repaving project remains on indefinite hold, but spot projects like this come up now and then – in May 2020, for example, Roxbury was repaved between 16th and 18th.

DELRIDGE DETOUR: The weekly update on the Delridge Way work preparing for the RapidRide H Line has a new addition – southbound Delridge Way will be closed “as soon as 7 am Monday” (July 12th) between SW Holden and SW Trenton. SDOT says, “The street will remain closed for about two weeks as we work to safely demolish and rebuild both the northbound and southbound travel lanes on Delridge Way SW.”

The full list of this week’s highlights for the Delridge project – starting with the SW Genesee closure that’s already under way west of Delridge – is here.

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UPDATE: 16th closed south of Roxbury after driver hits gas line
July 9, 2021 6:07 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts | White Center

6:07 PM: King County Sheriff’s Deputies are blocking off 16th SW in White Center south of Roxbury after a report of a crash and possible gas leak at 16th/98th. Updates to come.

6:24 PM: Deputies have just told dispatch “the gas is off” but the closure will continue for a little while until Puget Sound Energy arrives. Our crew has just arrived and a fire captain tells us they’re talking with nearby businesses to get them to “air out” as the leaked gas dissipates.

6:39 PM: Added photo of the car that hit the gas line on the north side of Beer Star’s building.

6:50 PM: Deputies just told dispatch that all but the 16th/98th intersection can reopen; cleanup there will take a while longer.

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New technology-enforced scooter-parking ‘hubs’ in West Seattle as city adds 4th provider, Spin
July 9, 2021 4:08 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

The city announced today that it’s adding a fourth scooter provider, Spin (pending final authorization). The same announcement trumpets a pilot program going in West Seattle requiring scooter and bike renters to park in designated “hubs.” They’re shown on the map above. From the announcement:

We’re testing a new strategy to improve parking in West Seattle. Over the past few weeks, several new bike and scooter parking spaces were painted along Alki Beach and near the King County Water Taxi dock. Starting this week, scooter and bike share companies will start using GPS technology requiring riders to park in these designated spots. If someone attempts to park on the sidewalk or sand, the app gives them instructions on where to move the scooter before the user can end their trip.

Several of these bike and scooter parking hubs are located on the street within “No Parking Within 30 Feet” zones near crosswalks, and new signs make it even more clear that it is illegal for cars to park there. This takes advantage of curb space that isn’t currently being used and helps keep the sidewalk clear so everyone can get around. It also enhances safety by preventing cars from parking illegally in a way that blocks other drivers view of oncoming traffic and people crossing the street.

SDOT’s announcement also says the new company, Spin, will operate mostly in West Seattle for starters – it’s already next door in White Center – and explains its technology guiding “better … riding behavior” as well as proper parking.

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FOLLOWUP: White Center fire was arson, King County Sheriff’s Office now says
July 9, 2021 1:37 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | White Center

(WSB/WCN photo, Monday)

1:37 PM: Thanks for the tips. We’ve confirmed with the King County Sheriff’s Office that the fire which gutted the LumberYard Bar and seven other businesses in downtown White Center early Monday is now being investigated as arson. Though the original tentative determination was that it was likely accidental, KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Tim Meyer tells WSB that they received “new evidence” that led investigators to “reclassify it as arson.” Though the LumberYard has posted on social media that “This most likely is also a hate crime,” Sgt. Meyer would not speculate on a potential motive. Anyone with any information should contact KCSO.

1:50 PM: We went over to the fire scene to see if we could find out more; no one’s around, but we did photograph the signs asking for tips – 800-55-ARSON. That’s reiterated in this statement we’ve just received from the White Center Pride Committee:

The White Center Pride Committee is deeply disturbed and saddened to learn that the fire at The Lumberyard Bar on July 5th has reportedly been reclassified from an electrical fire to arson. The possibility of this being a hate crime targeted at an LGBTQI+ gathering space is also being investigated. Not only was The Lumberyard Bar destroyed, but also 7 other businesses, many of which were minority owned.

We will continue to stand with all of the businesses and individuals that were impacted by this horrible act. Our community is strong and will never back down in the face of adversity. We implore anyone with information to reach out to the King County Sheriff’s Office with any information at 206-263-2070 or 1-800-55-ARSON.

The fire broke out after 1 am on Monday. No injuries were reported. But along with the LumberYard, it devastated neighboring businesses The Boxing Gym, La Tipica Oaxaqueña, John’s Hair and Nails, Rat City Tattoo, Nuggi, and Dottie’s Doublewide.

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WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Junction Sidewalk Sale, day 1
July 9, 2021 12:24 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Junction Sidewalk Sale, day 1
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

The tables are out and the sales are on! First of two days for the West Seattle Junction Sidewalk Sale – which was the original big summer event in downtown West Seattle, long before Summer Fest (no street festival again this year due to pandemic uncertainty). More than two dozen businesses are participating:

Above are Keonii and Sam from Fleurt Collective (4536 California SW). Fleurt is a shop where you always can find home-enhancing items like plants – and across the street the Discovery Shop (4535 California SW) has tables full of them too:

Go inside the Discovery Shop – which benefits the American Cancer Society – and you’ll find half-off deals on other things, too. Further down the block, Pegasus Book Exchange (4553 California SW) has tables full of, of course, books:

On the southeast corner of California and Oregon, Stop ‘n’ Shop Thrift Store has appliances looking for a new home:

Those are just a few of the sights we saw shortly after it all began. The block south of SW Alaska has sellers too – we even noted a sidewalk table outside Bakery Nouveau. If you can’t get to The Junction today, the Sidewalk Sale continues Saturday – participants (including some pop-ups) are listed here.

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FERRY ALERT: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth losing a boat this afternoon (update – it’s back)
July 9, 2021 11:42 am
|    Comments Off on FERRY ALERT: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth losing a boat this afternoon (update – it’s back)
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

11:42 AM: By mid-afternoon, the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth ferry run will be down to two boats. Here’s the alert from Washington State Ferries:

The #3 vessel, Cathlamet is out of service until further notice beginning with the 2:15 p.m. departure from Vashon to Fauntleroy due to a propulsion issue. Fauntleroy /Vashon/Southworth route will continue to operate the three boat schedule using only vessels #1 and #2.

The cancellation will also cancel the following sailing(s):

2:45 p.m. Fauntleroy to Vashon
3:25 p.m. Vashon to Fauntleroy
4:10 p.m. Fauntleroy to Southworth
4:45 p.m. Southworth to Vashon.

9 PM: The Cathlamet returned to service before 7 pm.

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FOLLOWUP: Alki Beach Park will close at 10 pm every night for the rest of the summer
July 9, 2021 9:12 am
|      82 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news

(Thursday’s sunset on Alki – photo by Jen Popp)

This announcement is just in from Seattle Parks:

Seattle Parks and Recreation (SPR) will extend the temporary early closure time of 10 p.m. at Alki Beach Park (2665 Alki Ave. SW) through September 12, 2021.

SPR originally piloted a temporary early closure time of 10 p.m. over the 4th of July holiday weekend. Based on positive community feedback, as well as continued concerns around illegal activity and public safety issues at Alki Beach Park over the busy summer months, SPR has decided to extend the temporary early closing. The park will close daily at 10:00 p.m. (instead of 11:30 p.m.) and reopen as normal at 4:30 a.m.

This extension of the temporary closing time change, authorized by SMC 18.12.040, is intended to mitigate illegal activity at the park during the busy summer months. Alki Beach Park has experienced an increase in public safety issues, including acts of violence, excessive noise violations, illegal fires, and unpermitted events.

SPR has already implemented several strategies to try to discourage illegal behaviors at Alki Beach Park:

· Public education: To clarify and publicize beach fire rules and other park rules, we are using our website and social media resources, sandwich-board signs at the park, and most recently, two large electronic reader-boards stating that fires are allowed in authorized firepits only, and the time by which fires must be extinguished. (Reader-board messaging may change to reflect updates.)

· Enhanced staffing: Five staff are on the beach nightly. They remind park users that fires can be in firepits only and must be extinguished by 9:30 p.m.; remind park users that amplified music is prohibited; pick up litter; clean and restock restrooms.

· Reduced hours for fires: Staff extinguish beach fires by 9:30 nightly.

· SPD coordination: We stay in close communication and strategize with SPD regarding efforts to enforce laws and prevent illegal behaviors.

Alki Beach Park will continue to allow beach fires through September 12 in designated fire rings. All beach fires must be extinguished by 9:30 p.m. and all visitors will be asked to leave the park by 10 p.m. Please see beach fire rules here.

Alki Beach Park daily operating hours will return to 4:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. effective September 13, 2021.

Last month, Parks announced a “pilot” to close Golden Gardens – the big beach park in Ballard – early for the next nine months, citing similar reasons.

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West Seattle Junction Sidewalk Sale and more for your Friday
July 9, 2021 8:59 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Junction Sidewalk Sale and more for your Friday
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Seen off Alki Thursday night – photo by Danny McMillin)

The weekend starts early!

WEST SEATTLE JUNCTION SIDEWALK SALE: For the pandemic-modified Summer Fest – today and tomorrow, starting at 10 am, dozens of Junction merchants – and some pop-ups from other parts of West Seattle – will have tables out for you to browse! Here’s a list of highlights. Some merchants are offering fun extras too – facepainting, refreshments, games. Come wander around to see what’s up!

FUN & FESTIVE FRIDAY, FEATURING ‘ELVIS’: Also in The Junction, it’s another Fun & Festive Friday at the Senior Center of West Seattle, inside and outside at 4217 SW Oregon. Outdoors – refreshments, 11 am-1 pm. Indoors – “Elvis” performs at 12:30 pm. Also, Margie’s Café reopens, 9 am-1:30 pm.

LOW TIDE WITH BEACH NATURALISTS: The tide is out to -1.7 feet at 11:17 am, not super-low but low enough that the Seattle Aquarium Volunteer Beach Naturalists will be out at Constellation (Beach/63rd) and Lincoln (8011 Fauntleroy Way) parks, 10:15 am–12:15 pm.

AQUATIC SCHEDULE: Open today – Highland Park spraypark (11 am-8 pm, 1100 SW Cloverdale) and Lincoln Park wading pool (noon-7 pm, 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW).

DELRIDGE GROCERY COOPERATIVE: The DGC store at 5444 Delridge Way SW is now open Fridays, 3-7 pm, for food shopping, as well as Saturdays and Sundays, as previewed here.

ARTSWEST OPEN HOUSE: 4-7 pm, visit ArtsWest Playhouse and Gallery (4711 California SW) to get reacquainted!

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WEATHER, ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC: Friday notes
July 9, 2021 6:08 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle Trader Joe's

6:08 AM: Good morning, Today’s forecast is for the same weather pattern we’ve been seeing – the sunniest weather will be in the afternoon.

ROAD WORK

Delridge project – As announced, 7 am today is the scheduled start of the closure of SW Genesee west of Delridge, continuing through the weekend. See the new detour map here.

36th/Oregon – The repair work is done and this stretch of street is expected to reopen sometime this morning. (UPDATE: It reopened at 7:30 am, SDOT says.)

Alaska/44th – More work on westbound Alaska this weekend, starting early Saturday.

TRANSIT

Buses and ferries are on their regular schedules today. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations, @wsferries for major WSF changes.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

473rd morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are the views of other bridges and routes:

Low Bridge: 26th 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.)

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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LIGHT RAIL: Advocacy groups campaign against Sound Transit schedule delays
July 8, 2021 11:05 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   Sound Transit | West Seattle news

We’ve been reporting on the Sound Transit “realignment” process, which is still barreling down the tracks toward a potential board vote later this month. Board discussions have continued to include urban King County board members urging a delay in decisionmaking, as the financial picture keeps improving, and they contend the “affordability gap” may narrow further. In addition, one board member who’s led that call for months – King County Council chair Claudia Balducci of Bellevue – has been working on an alternative proposal which she has suggested would rely more on cost cuts than delays; the latter are the cornerstone of the realignment plan board chair Kent Keel of the University Place City Council has proposed. While his plan would only delay West Seattle light rail one year beyond the current 2031 projection, some parts of the ST plan would be pushed into the 2040s.

With all that as a backdrop, more than half a dozen advocacy groups held a media briefing today to “oppose any delay in delivery of voter-approved mass transit projects, to call on the Sound Transit board to instead adopt plans that keep the schedule promised to voters, and create a framework to fill budget gaps and accelerate projects.” The groups include the Sierra Club, Disability Rights Washington, 350 Seattle, Puget Sound Sage, Transportation Choices Coalition, Transit Riders Union, Seattle Subway, and local coalitions from around King, Snohomish, and Pierce Counties.

We asked Robert Cruickshank of the Sierra Club what the coalition plans to do, and what it’s asking concerned community members to do: For one, Cruickshank says, “Sierra Club will be sending a message to our members in the Puget Sound area next week asking them to contact the Sound Transit board and urge them to reject any plans that would delay delivery of transit lines and instead work with state and federal partners to deliver projects on or ahead of schedule. And right now anyone can deliver that message directly to the Sound Transit board by sending them an email at emailtheboard@soundtransit.org — an email sent to that address will get sent to all 18 board members.” The board’s Finance and Audit Committee will discuss realignment next Thursday, and the full board might vote July 22nd if there’s no decision to wait.

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