day : 20/10/2021 11 results

(WSB photo, July)

That’s how the mural on the north-facing wall of the business building at 35th/Henderson looked when we reported on it in July. Here’s how it looks now:

Part of it has been painted over, while part of it has been altered. This all has its roots in a dispute between neighbors – the Birdhouse coffee shop, which commissioned the mural, and CoCo and Co. salon, which has added to, and painted over, part of it. We’ve talked with both in the last several hours, after Birdhouse contacted us today about the situation, followed by tips/questions from multiple readers.

If you’re not familiar with the building, note that the Henderson-facing wall with the mural is alongside the salon, which faces 35th, while Birdhouse faces Henderson, west of the section of the building that holds the mural. Here’s a wider perspective, from Google Maps Street View:

Both businesses are tenants. Both said the coffee shop had talked with the salon and with the building’s owner before the mural project – which the Birdhouse called its “love letter to the neighborhood” – and no objections were raised by the salon until after it was painted in July. The dispute has simmered over the ensuing three months. The salon says the mural’s prominent feature of birds, among other things, gave the impression that the coffee shop was the sole tenant. In an email to the Birdhouse and the building owner three weeks ago, the salon wrote that “we continue to have customers believe we have moved, closed or downsized, which is unacceptable to us.” So the salon offered, in that email, what they called a compromise, saying the mural could stay if some elements were removed, including “the two (2) black colored birds, the coffee cup, the color red (sun/moon?) and the name ‘fre-mann’ from van license plate.” (That’s the Birdhouse owners’ company name.)

The coffee shop did not respond; they told us the building owners advised them not to. The salon provided an email from the building owners, dated mid-August, suggesting the two parties should work it out – “we cannot decide for either of you.” The salon set a deadline of last Thursday for a response, saying otherwise it would repaint the wall. Still no response, so the salon made some changes to the mural earlier this week: “Our intention in updating the mural was to add inclusivity and remove specific branding. (We added) BLM. RGB. Rainbow feathers so the bird was no longer the Birdhouse logo. Trans symbols. First responders.”

After that, the salon says, they were threatened, and their security cameras were broken. A police report was filed. They blame the coffee shop, which told us they take responsibility for the cameras. As a result of that, the salon then decided “the mural was not worth dealing with” and started painting over part of it today. The Birdhouse filed a police report about that.

So what now? The salon says, “We will work on a solution to the current situation.” As of a phone conversation this evening, the coffee shop had no next steps planned.

–Tracy Record, WSB editor

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POWER OUTAGE: 300+ homes out in Brace Point area (Friday update)

October 20, 2021 9:05 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news

9:05 PM: Thanks for the tips! 334 customers are out of power in the Brace Point area as of about 15 minutes ago. No cause yet per the City Light map, but this is an area that’s been through multiple previous outages, and is getting underground upgrades in hopes of alleviating that.

11:16 PM: The number of customers affected is now down to 166.

9:54 AM: As noted in comments, the outage – now attributed to “equipment failure” (we’re following up with SCL) – continues, and the number of customers affected is back to 334.

THURSDAY NIGHT NOTE: Per a commenter, the power was back by 2 pm. Meantime, we’re still waiting for City Light to reply to our questions about the cause and the status of the upgrade project.

FRIDAY UPDATE: SCL spokesperson Julie Moore tells WSB, “The cause of the outage was a failed cable. As far as the rebuild project, we’re waiting for a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit from the Department of Ecology. We’re expecting it before the end of the month.”

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HALLOWEEN GUIDE: More West Seattle decorations, events added

October 20, 2021 7:06 pm

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| Holidays | West Seattle news

(Thanks to Barbara for this photo from 38th/Lander)

Thanks to everyone who continues sending contributions for the WSB West Seattle Halloween Guide! We’ve added a half-dozen more displays, and the event list is growing too. Just 11 days until Halloween, but events start this weekend, including the Our Lady of Guadalupe carnival on Saturday and the drive-up/ride-up Fauntleroy Fall Festival on Sunday. Got something to add – decoration location (with or without a photo) or event? westseattleblog@gmail.com is where to send it – thank you!

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WEST SEATTLE WILDLIFE: Coyote sighting

October 20, 2021 4:40 pm

| 26 COMMENTS

| Arbor Heights | Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Three months ago, reporting on a researcher’s quest to find out what happened to all the coyotes, we noted we hadn’t received a sighting report in a long time. Today – that changed! The photos are from Ted, who saw the coyote near 37th/97th in north Arbor Heights, noting, “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen one around here.”

Learn about coexisting with coyotes here.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Porch prowler; south stats

October 20, 2021 3:16 pm

| 27 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

West Seattle Crime Watch starts with a reader report:

PORCH PROWLER: Bryan caught someone on his security camera trying his front door twice early Tuesday morning – jiggling the handle and attempting a key code – at 1:30 am (video) and 3:30 am (video). Neighbors caught what appears to be the same person on at least two other porches at different times. Bryan filed a police report, #21-277629. (Added: This was in Morgan Junction.)

SOUTH STATS: On Tuesday afternoon, King County officials convened an online community meeting about public safety in White Center’s downtown business district. SPD and SFD participated too. From the former, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim presented crime stats and trends for West Seattle neighborhoods adjacent to/near White Center – South Delridge, Westwood, Roxhill, Arbor Heights. We covered the full meeting for our partner site White Center Now but thought you’d be interested in Lt. Kim’s slides (click to enlarge):

Lt. Kim also brought the year-to-date numbers for West Seattle in general:

We checked the SPD data dashboard – that’s actually the entire Southwest Precinct, including South Park. She didn’t bring up/down percentages for those but the dashboard’s stats for all of 2020 show three categories are close now to the entire 2020 year total – rape, robbery, and assault.

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ROAD WORK: Got questions about RapidRide H Line work? Ask them this afternoon

October 20, 2021 2:15 pm

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

Researching a few questions we’ve received about the RapidRide H Line-related road work – not the almost-complete Delridge project, but the other components such as 26th SW road rebuilding and 15th/Roxbury work – we discovered that the project team has twice-weekly “virtual office hours” for updates and questions. The next one is at 4 pm today. You can join via this Microsoft Teams link or by phone at 206-485-0017, conference ID 343 764 643#. If that time doesn’t work for you, email questions/comments to rapidride@kingcounty.gov.

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SPORTS: Annual Chief Sealth-West Seattle football game has a new date

October 20, 2021 12:44 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

While covering the Chief Sealth International High School softball-championship game on Tuesday, we learned a new date has finally been set for the annual CSIHS-West Seattle HS football game, aka the Huling Bowl. It was originally scheduled for September 17th, but canceled in the wake of a tumultuous day on the Sealth campus. The game is now set for Thursday, October 28th, 7 pm, at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle); both teams play home games at the stadium, but WSHS will be the home team for this one. (Before then, the teams each have games this week – WSHS plays Roosevelt at NW Athletic Complex, 7:30 pm this Thursday; CSIHS has a road trip up to Anacortes for a 1 pm game this Saturday.)

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One last rescued pet from Delridge raid, still seeking a home, one year later.

October 20, 2021 11:12 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Delridge | Pets | West Seattle news

One year after the Seattle Animal Shelter seized more than 200 pets from a house in Delridge, one last rescuee is still seeking a home. We heard from SAS this morning calling our attention to their search for someone who will adopt Miss Starla the guinea pig:

SAS says that of the seized animals, “175 were transferred to other shelters (and) SAS managed adoptions for 59 pets, including five chickens, eight rabbits, 40 guinea pigs, two chinchillas, and one dog.” SAS has details about Miss Starla here (and of course has many other pets you can adopt, too).

P.S. After SAS’s note about Miss Starla, we looked up the status of the criminal case against Matthew Hazelbrook, charged with 17 counts of animal cruelty in the case. Court records show his trial is set to start November 29th.

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Morgan Community Association, life after high school, more for your West Seattle Wednesday

October 20, 2021 10:30 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Seaview fall scene, photographed by Lori T.)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s what’s up for the rest of today/tonight:

DINE-OUT FUNDRAISER: 10:30 am-10 pm at MOD Pizza in The Whittaker (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW), mention the Madison Middle School ASB and help the students raise money for student activities.

DOG SWIM: Hey, who doesn’t love swimming in the rain? Third of six days when Arbor Heights Swim and Tennis Club (11003 31st SW) opens its pool to dogs before closing and cleaning it for the offseason. 4:30-6 pm. Details here.

OPEN HOUSE: Kennedy Catholic High School‘s fall open house for prospective students and their families is 6-8 pm. (140 S. 140th, Burien)

MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Busy agenda as usual for the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting, online at 7 pm. All welcome. See the agenda and participation information – via video or phone – in our calendar listing.

COLLEGE/CAREER PLANNING: The West Seattle High School PTSA invites all interested families (not just WSHS-affiliated) to this online event helping look ahead to students’ lives after high school. 7 pm – details including attendance link are here.

OPEN MIC: The weekly open mic at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW) – signups start at 7:30 (but the line often forms earlier, the club says), performances at 8:30.

KARAOKE: The second karaoke night of the week at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW) has moved to Wednesdays, 8 pm-1 am.

Are we missing something? If it’s happening today/tonight, please text our hotline ASAP, 206-293-6302, so we can add it to the list – thank you!

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FERRY ALERT: Third boat back on Triangle Route, at least for today

October 20, 2021 9:32 am

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| Transportation | West Seattle news

9:32 AM: Four days after Washington State Ferries put Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth on a two-boat schedule until further notice, the system just announced that they’ve found enough crew to restore three-boat service today. Beyond that? We’re checking. It’s one of three routes for which a reduced-service schedule started this past Saturday.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: WSF says three-boat service will continue at least through Thursday morning.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, ROAD WORK, WEATHER: Wednesday info

October 20, 2021 6:03 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning!

WEATHER

Rain and wind are in the forecast today.

SCHOOL-BUS NOTE

Third day for the cutback in Seattle Public Schools bus service – the suspended routes are listed here.

ROAD WORK

26th SW – Ongoing closure between Roxbury and Barton for RapidRide H Line prep work.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Regular Metro schedule, except for the rerouting in RapidRide H Line work zones – on 26th and 15th SW in particular. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of trip cancellations.

For ferries and Water Taxi: Both have changed schedules as of last Saturday – here’s the Water Taxi info; note that shuttles are only running during weekday peak hours. Here’s the ferry info.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

575th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are 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 here 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):

The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):

For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:

Are movable bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed is working again. (1st Ave. South Bridge openings are also 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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