WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Prime time for car prowling
With holiday-shopping season almost wrapped up, it’s prime time for car prowling – as two reader reports remind us:
*Misti reports that around 9:30 am in the QFC/Petco garage in The Junction, she startled, and possibly thwarted three men who appeared to be casing the car next to hers, “looking inside while holding a huge tool (that) looked like it could easily shatter a car window.” She had lingered in her car making a phone call and adds, “Guy right next to my window jumped about 5 feet when he saw me, he said hello then they all walked off quickly.”
*Haile reports, “Man seen for several hours today (ongoing) looking in cars and following delivery trucks on Alki in the 59th/60th and 60th/61st alleys on both sides of Admiral.”
PANDEMIC NOTES: School district update; test-site FYI
Two pandemic notes tonight:
SCHOOL DISTRICT UPDATE: In the middle of the first week of the two-week winter break, an update from Seattle Public Schools, sent to families and published on the district website:
Our plan is to reopen schools as scheduled on Monday, January 3.
That said, we are also preparing for the possibility that some classrooms, and perhaps some schools, will have to go remote at some point in January.
Uncertainty at any time is challenging, but no more so than now, after the stress and anxiety of the last several weeks. We are sharing this information with you now so you can be as ready as possible should your child need to switch to remote learning.
Along with vaccinations/boosters, the district is recommending that students get a COVID test before school resumes.
TEST-SITE FYI: Speaking of testing, we’ve heard this from multiple readers – though the website for the Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp says walk-ups are welcome, readers report having been turned away without an appointment. Right now, the next appointment availability on the website isn’t until next Monday. The city/UW Medicine testing site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, however, is showing open testing appointments on Friday.
CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: West Seattle burglary suspect charged here, plea-bargaining in Nevada
Last month, we brought you Amy‘s story – her car was stolen from Alki, and hours later, her home was burglarized. 
A tip from an anonymous WSB reader helped police identify the suspect; they tried at least twice to arrest him at his North Delridge residence, but he was gone. Then Amy got word two weeks later – as reported here – that the suspect had been arrested in Nevada, trying to elude police.
We’ve since spoken to the Mineral County District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting him there, and have obtained their court documents as well as those detailing a charge filed against him here. The suspect is 28-year-old Jordan J. Edmonds – we obtained the photo at right from the Washington State Department of Corrections, taken when he was in their custody in 2018. In Nevada, deputy district attorney Jaren Stanton told us, Edmonds has agreed to plead guilty at a January 6th hearing to two felony charges – eluding an officer and unlawful gun possession. He will be sentenced about six weeks later, Stanton said. After he serves time in Nevada, Edmonds faces two felony charges here, filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in the break-in at Amy’s house – residential burglary and second-degree identity theft. Those documents indicate Edmonds already had been charged in four other cases this year and last year – two residential-burglary cases, two unlawful-gun-possession cases. According to prosecutors, he had gotten out of jail by posting bond in all four cases (court files show $50,000 bail in a West Seattle burglary last summer), and conditions of release included not leaving this state. His criminal history includes four burglary cases – two as an adult, two as a juvenile.
Amy, meantime, says she’s continuing to work through “issues” related to the burglary but is “grateful” to the WSB reader whose tip helped solve the case. We’ll follow up next month to see what happens when Edmonds is sentenced in Nevada.
YOU CAN HELP: West Seattle’s only winter-weather shelter needs volunteers
Once again, American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle is opening a winter-weather overnight shelter – but we just learned this afternoon that volunteers are urgently needed. Post commander Keith Hughes says they are required to have two people on site at all times while open as a shelter, and they need help filling those slots. Ideally a volunteer could be there either 6 pm-midnight or midnight-6 am, but if you can only give a few hours, they’ll take the help they can get. If you have questions, or are ready to volunteer, call Post 160 any time between 8 am and 6 pm at 206-932-9696, or call Keith directly at 206-941-6654.
WHO’S OPEN ON CHRISTMAS: Where to find West Seattle info, and how to add more
One more reminder that it’s not too late to let us know about retailers and food/drink businesses’ hours on Christmas Eve/Day. All the info we have compiled so far – including the complete grocery-store hours list for Friday/Saturday – is toward the end of our West Seattle Holiday Guide page (which has a list of church services, too). We’re still checking around today for additions before cross-referencing it all on our Event Calendar too; if you can help by providing info, please email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
TRAFFIC, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Winter’s first Wednesday
6:03 AM Good morning!
WEATHER
First full day of winter. The temperature rose overnight; the forecast calls for showers and a high near 50.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of trip cancellations. (Holiday plans: This Friday (Christmas Eve), Metro will be on a Sunday schedule; Christmas Day will be a regular Saturday schedule.)
Ferries and Water Taxi: WSF continues a two-boat schedule on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run. Check here for alerts/updates. The Water Taxi is on its regular schedule. (Holiday plans: No Water Taxi service Friday or Saturday.)
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
638th 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.)
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
South Park Bridge:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way (angles – which are controlled by SDOT, not us – still not fixed yet as of early this am – UPDATE – fixed as of mid-morning):
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable bridges opening for vessels? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed can tell you; 1st Ave. S. 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.
UPDATE: Power outage in south West Seattle, fully restored after two hours (updated with cause)
1:26 AM: So far we have two reports that power’s out in Arbor Heights. Flickered here in Upper Fauntleroy, Not on City Light map yet. Anyone else out?
1:29 AM: Add Fauntlee Hills.
1:32 AM: The outage is mapped now – 4,880 customers, mostly southwest West Seattle.
1:39 AM: No cause yet but a few people report it was preceded by a “boom.” We noticed the wind kicking up. (The forecast was updated again after 9:30 pm and notes “Gusts to 30 mph after midnight.”)
2:24 AM: One hour in. No word on the cause yet.
2:31 AM: Just got a text about restored power in Arbor Heights. (added) Commenters from other areas, too.
2:36 AM: Map shows the outage is down to just under 1,000 customers. Mostly Sunrise Heights, and a bit of Gatewood, plus a stretch along SW Holden reaching into Highland Park. Updated map:
3:43 AM: And after a little more than two hours, everybody else is back on. We’ll follow up later this morning with SCL regarding the cause.
11:37 AM: Just got that info from SCL’s Julie Moore: “The cause was a large tree that came down on our lines just south of SW Juneau and 26th Ave SW. Initially the outage at 1:22 a.m. impacted 4,879 customers, but within about an hour we were able to determine it was safe to re-energize a large section of our system as the crews continued to patrol and locate the issue. Once they did, the remaining 982 customers were restored by 3:30 a.m.”
| 2 COMMENTS