West Seattle, Washington
16 Thursday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The next 8th-grade class at Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) will start school this week, looking ahead to a year that ends with an EWMS tradition: “Change The World” projects.
We’ve covered some of these over the 8 years that they’ve been a vital part of the EWMS curriculum.
Last year’s EWMS 8th-grade graduates included four young women whose project has the potential of changing the school experience for students throughout our state.
Tomorrow night, the last West Seattle Art Walk of summer offers live music as well as art displays. Above is this quarter’s list of participating venues, some with artists, some with food/drink specials for Art Walk visitors, some with both. Venues span the peninsula from Arbor Heights (Brace Point Pottery & Gallery, C.A. Pierce show and sale, 4208 SW 100th, 5-8 pm) to Admiral (West Seattle Grounds, Priyanka Parmanand painting live, 2141 California SW, 5-8 pm). Some venues are showing multiple artists’ work, like Fogue Gallery (WSB sponsor), 4130 California SW, open “until late” on Art Walk night, with a group show featuring guest artist Reeve Washburn (who also happens to be the WSAW’s coordinator). This month’s highlight is the return of live music to accompany your Art Walk wanderings. The Art of Music is happening in two locations – Welcome Road Winery, 3804 California SW, hosts harpist Alyvia Miller, and bassist/vocalist Marina Christopher is at KeyBank Plaza in The Junction, both performing 6-7:40 pm. Plan your Art Walk night with this month’s full preview – venue spotlights and hours – here.
(Tuesday photo, 64th/Alki)
When SDOT announced a survey last week featuring three design concepts for the Alki Point Keep Moving (Stay Healthy) Street‘s future, it sounded a lot to us like the street’s closed-to-through-traffic status had been made permanent. Not so, says SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson: “We were not intending to indicate a change in overall project status. As you noted in your story, the language in our new survey is very similar to what we’ve said in the past, and we are also continuing to label the Keep Moving Street as a temporary closure in the project map on the front page of the survey. We are still working to secure funding for designing and building permanent changes on the street based on community input. In the meantime, Alki Point will remain a Keep Moving Street in its current form until spring 2022 or until we secure funding for permanent changes on the street.” He added, “At this point, we’re just exploring these concepts and it’s possible that the feedback we receive could lead us to explore new ways to combine popular attributes from each concept, or to reconsider if there is a strong trend of people saying that they don’t like any of the concepts.” If you have an opinion one way or another and haven’t replied to the survey, go here.
Now that Labor Day is past, the fall campaigns are expected to rev up. Top of the ticket remains the race for Seattle Mayor – City Council President Lorena González vs. former City Councilmember Bruce Harrell. Tomorrow night brings the first announced West Seattle event of the fall campaign: Harrell will be touring the West Seattle Junction before and during the West Seattle Art Walk. Junction Association executive director Lora Radford says he’ll be here to talk with community members and answer questions starting at 4:30 pm Thursday at Walk-All-Ways (California/Alaska). Voting for the November 2nd election starts once voters receive ballots, which are scheduled to be mailed October 13th.
(2017 US Army photo, UH-60 Black Hawk from 16th Combat Aviation Brigade)
Very early this morning, we noted on Twitter that a low, loud passing helicopter was identified on tracking software as a U.S. Army UH-60 Black Hawk (similar to the one above). As it headed up the West Seattle shoreline, another one was flying over Vashon Island; it too crossed the peninsula, but headed east over Lake Washington, while the first one turned around and headed back south. Today, also via Twitter, we learned these were training flights. The 16th Combat Aviation Brigade (from Joint Base Lewis-McChord south of Tacoma) said, “As the days become ‘shorter,’ our pilots will fly earlier in the evening to complete required night vision training flights. In the summer it does not get dark enough, early enough, to fly under night vision at hours when most people are still awake.” They added that, “At a given moment, during weekdays, there are several 16th CAB helicopters in the air all over western and central Washington.” More often than not, military aircraft aren’t identified on standard online flight trackers, but the two we heard in the midnight hour last night were.
(Sanderling, back from the Arctic – photo by Mark Wangerin)
Here’s what’s happening in the hours ahead:
NORTHWEST SEAPORT ALLIANCE: The commissioners from the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma meet online at noon as the Managing Members of the NWSA – which is building the Terminal 5 modernization project, among other things. Find the agenda and video link here.
YOUTH BASKETBALL TRYOUTS: The West Seattle Reign (WSB sponsor) youth-basketball program starts tryouts tonight – 6:30 pm for 5th-6th grade boys, 7th-8th grade boys at 7:30 pm, both at Westside School in Arbor Heights (10404 34th SW). Full details and registration link here.
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34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Our area’s largest political organization meets online at 7:15 pm, with a pre-meeting program at 6:30 pm about the Whole Washington Health Trust. The agenda is here; register for the participation/attendance link here.
OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups, 8:30 pm performances at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW).
Something for the calendar and daily preview? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(May photo by Gill Loring)
Just south of West Seattle, and west of White Center, you’ll find little North Shorewood Park. This Saturday, you can help get the park ready for the change of seasons. Here’s the announcement:
Restoration and Stewardship at North Shorewood Park
10044 24th Ave SWSaturday, September 11, 2021
9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Space is limited; register here.
6:04 AM: Good morning! Another warm day expected, with a high possibly in the 80s (Tuesday’s high was 81).
BACK TO SCHOOL
More schools are starting classes today – including Westside School (WSB sponsor) and Tilden School.
ROAD WORK
26th SW & beyond – Northbound 26th SW remains closed between Roxbury and Barton.
Delridge project – This week is focusing on curbs, medians, and landscaping.
Tunnel closure Friday – 10 pm Friday (September 10th) to 6 am Saturday, the Highway 99 tunnel will be closed for maintenance.
TRANSIT
Buses are on regular schedules today – except for the rerouting in RapidRise H Line work zones. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of canceled trips.
For ferries and water taxis, regular schedule today. Watch @wsferries for ferry updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
534th 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 – No camera for a few weeks (explained here)
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 draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed will tell you. (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.
1:40 AM: Police and fire are headed to a report of at least one shooting victim near 42nd/Dawson. Updates to come.
1:43 AM: Officers are telling dispatch that a woman has been shot int the abdomen. She is reported to have told them who is responsible.
1:50 AM: The possible suspect is reported to have left the scene in a vehicle, maybe a green Infiniti. (Update: It’s been further described as a 1998 i3.)
1:56 AM: SFD medics are taking the victim, reported by medics to be 37 years old, to Harborview.
2:28 AM: So far, no further details on circumstances nor on the victim’s condition; we will of course follow up later this morning.
8:41 AM: Police say the victim’s injuries are not life-threatening; SFD says she was in stable condition when transported. SPD has just posted more details:
Around 1:30 AM, a 21-year-old man called 911 and reported that his mother had been shot in the 4200 block of Southwest Dawson Street. Officers found the woman leaning up against a car on the street.
Police learned the man and his mother were outside on the street when the man began talking to five known people in a car. The conversation turned into a dispute and one person in the vehicle fired a gun at the man, missing him and striking his 37-year-old mother.
(WSB photo by Patrick Sand)
While the orcas didn’t get within orca range, while we were at Alki this evening, we did enjoy that golden view. The clouds that were moving in might bring a shower, maybe even a thundershower, overnight, forecasters say, so don’t be surprised if you hear that. (We’ve dodged so many shower “chances” in recent weeks, though, our expectations are low.)
X items in West Seattle Crime Watch. First, two from police reports:
GUNFIRE CONFIRMED: Holdover from the holiday weekend – around 9:45 pm Sunday night, multiple 911 callers reported what sounded like gunshots. Police found evidence to confirm it – shell casings in the 6000 block of 36th SW. No injuries or property damage, and the police report says that although some thought they heard a vehicle leaving the area after the shots, no one could describe it.
STOLEN CARS FOUND: Just before 9:30 this morning, a report of a suspicious vehicle in the 9000 block of 3rd SW brought out police, who discovered (a) it was stolen, (b) a person was passed out inside it, (c) there were catalytic converters inside it, and (d) another vehicle next to it was stolen. After apparently reviving enough to say he’d ingested a mixture of drugs, the person passed out again and was taken to the hospital by Seattle Fire.
Three reader reports:
STOLEN WHEELS: Sophie says her boyfriend’s car was hit by wheel thieves last night in the Altamira Apartments garage in The Junction (same building as QFC):
Here’s what they look like:
PROWLER: Clayton sent the video and report:
After about half a dozen car prowls in the last couple months we noticed that there is a man walking our neighborhood every night around 2 AM, checking car doors. He carries a large sack or wagon to carry his plunder. Last night he got into my yard and poked around behind my house, which allowed me to get some footage of his face.
This is happening near 38th and Hinds.
DUMPED DRESS (AND MORE)? The photo and report are from Fiona:
We were cleaning up at Delridge a couple of months ago, and found a pile of clothes, so I bagged them to donate. I finally got around to washing them and realized they probably all belong to one person, and I thought I’d put word out. If no one claims them, I’ll donate them. There’s a very nice Betsy Johnson dress (pictured) and then if a responder could identify a couple of other items, that would clinch it. It’s a lot of really nice and unique clothing.
You can text Fiona at 509-761-9286 if this is yours.
Three notes from the West Seattle restaurant world:
MAHARAJA CUISINE OF INDIA: This Junction restaurant (4542 California SW) has just reopened for indoor dining. Its hours are 11 am-midnight Sundays-Wednesdays, 11 am-2 am Thursdays-Saturdays; the kitchen closes at 11 pm.
MIOPOSTO: The North Admiral restaurant with outdoor and indoor dining (2139 California SW) will offer brunch/lunch 7 days a week starting tomorrow. They’ll open at 11:30 am weekdays, 10 am weekends.
MARINATION MA KAI: Fall hours started today at the Seacrest eatery with outdoor and indoor seating (1660 Harbor SW) – 11 am-8 pm Mondays-Thursdays, 9 am-8 pm Fridays, 9 am-9 pm Saturdays and Sundays.
Got a biznote? westseattleblog@gmail.com is the best way to get us info – thanks!
5:13 PM: The Southern Resident Killer Whales’ first local appearance of (almost) fall could be happening shortly! Members of J-Pod have been heading south in Puget Sound all day, and Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail just called to say that if they continue southbound, they should be in view from West Seattle around 5:30 pm or so. Thanks also to Kersti Muul for updates on their southward journey. Both have mentioned that West Seattle researcher Mark Sears headed out to see them earlier today; Donna says Mark has seen J56, the 2-year-old whale reported to be ailing, and his early word was that she looked OK – that’s of course pending a closer assessment of her condition. Anyway, assuming the orcas keep heading this way, let us know if you see them!
5:23 PM: Don’t rush down to the shore – update from Donna, they’re milling off West Point, on the north edge of Elliott Bay.
6:38 PM: We are at the west end of the Alki promenade and are seeing one in the distance to the NW.
7:04 PM: Still seeing a few blows in that same general area.
A month and a half after a reduction-gear problem took it out of service – just as it was scheduled for a month of maintenance anyway – Washington State Ferries‘ M/V Cathlamet is back on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route as of this afternoon. The 124-car Cathlamet replaced the 90-car Sealth, so this boosts capacity on the run,.
If you want to play tennis at the Lowman Beach Park court one last time before it’s removed as part of the shore-restoration project, you have six days. Seattle Parks says its contractor McClung Construction will be starting work next Monday (September 13th) and that means, according to project manager Janice Liang, “The park will be partially closed during construction including the beach, tennis court, and the gravel walkways. The play area and the part of the lawn area close to the street will remain open.” The $1.2 million shore-restoration project will remove the failing seawall on the north side of the park, creating more beach space, and daylighting the stretch of Pelly Creek that currently leads to an outfall pipe in the seawall. The work is expected to last at least eight months. Earlier this summer, Parks ruled out building a replacement tennis court elsewhere in the park, but said it would consider allowing something smaller, like a pickleball court – provided community fundraising covered the cost; nothing is planned so far.
Some businesses are voluntarily requiring customers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Today, King County announced it’s working on possibly making it mandatory for “some non-essential indoor business activities and other venues.” The announcement does not specify which “business activities” are being considered for this, only elaborating, “The County is considering non-essential indoor and outdoor spaces where people gather in close proximity for a prolonged period of time.” We asked for more specifics, or at least examples; Public Health spokesperson Kate Cole replied, “Examples of non-essential businesses include music venues and bars.” Right now, the county says it’s shaping the potential policy by “engagement with community organizations, labor unions, businesses, and cities to gather feedback.” If and when an order is announced, unvaccinated people would have “at least five weeks to complete their vaccination series before the requirements of the proposed policy go into effect.” Even if you’re not in one of the groups with which the county says it’s conducting “engagement,” you’re invited to send your feedback to coronavirus@kingcounty.gov.
A year and a half after the passing of former South Seattle College president Jerry Brockey, the date is set for his Celebration of Life. The announcement is from one of his successors at the college, Dr. Jill Wakefield:
The Jerry M. Brockey Student Center sits at the center of South Seattle College’s campus, where students gather to connect with each other, and the cultural celebrations of a diverse community take place. It is fittingly named after a man who shaped a college from a vision to reality, serving as the college’s president from 1977 – 1995. Jerry Brockey passed away in March 2020. A celebration of life is scheduled for Mr. Brockey on Saturday, September 25, at 2 p.m. in the Brockey Center.
Born in 1933 on a small farm in North Dakota, Jerry Brockey eventually landed in Seattle where he built his career in education as a teacher and coach at Seattle Public Schools. He later joined the Seattle Community College district and was appointed president of South Seattle in 1977.
Brockey was known as a passionate and tough leader, with high expectations and a legendarily firm handshake. Brockey led the college’s growth as a premier workforce education and college transfer destination. Former colleagues described Brockey as an “egalitarian … an effective president, and a natural leader,” a “welcoming executive that created a welcoming environment for students,” and a president who was “really good at bringing people together.”
West Seattle historian and journalist Clay Eals, in remarks shared with West Seattle Blog, said, “Jerry also was a highly visible connector between the college and the rest of West Seattle, no easy feat given the college’s geographical isolation.” Eals went on to say, “He was a true force for good, worthy of admiration.”
Jerry Brockey’s legacy is ever-present at South Seattle College through the Brockey Student Center and the Brockey Endowed Scholarship, which has helped many students find financial stability so they can focus on their studies.
For more information on the Brockey Celebration of Life, call 206-234-6752.
Mr. Brockey was 86; here’s the obituary published shortly after his death last year.
Nice day to go to the beach – but if you do, heed this reminder from David Hutchinson of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:
West Seattle is entering its busiest 2-3 months for vulnerable harbor-seal pups using our local beaches. We ask that everyone please be alert and report any marine mammals you come across to the Seal Sitters’ Hotline at 206-905-7325. The young harbor seal pup in the photo was chased into the water yesterday by an off-leash dog. Remember, dogs are not permitted on Seattle Parks’ beaches, either off or on a leash. This pup appears to have some respiratory issues, which is common for many pups during the fall months. It is critical that these animals are able to rest undisturbed.
ADDED TUESDAY NIGHT: We don’t know whether it’s the same seal, but Cindy Roberts photographed this one basking at Constellation Park today:
Have you seen Weston‘s trailer? It was stolen from 40th and Dawson between 2 am and 5 am today. Plate is 11756AE. Call 911 if you see it. (added) A few more details – it’s a 2018 KZ-IV Escape 140th Toy Hauler, with a burgundy and gray vinyl sticker stripe.
UPDATE: Weston says it was found in Burien.
6:03 AM: Good morning! Another nice day expected, warm and breezy. Bonus photo – Sunday’s sunset, from Rosalie Miller:
BACK TO SCHOOL
More schools are starting classes this week – today, Holy Family and Hope Academy.
ROAD WORK
26th SW & beyond – Northbound 26th SW remains closed between Roxbury and Barton.
Delridge project – Curbs, medians, and landscaping are the focus this week.
Tunnel closure Friday – 10 pm Friday (September 10th) to 6 am Saturday, the Highway 99 tunnel will be closed for maintenance.
TRANSIT
Buses are on regular schedules today – except for the rerouting in RapidRise H Line work zones. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of canceled trips.
For ferries and water taxis, regular schedule today. Watch @wsferries for ferry updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
533rd 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 – No camera for a few weeks (explained here)
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 draw/swing bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed will tell you. (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.
From Susan:
we wondered about the ceremony that these roses were part of. They were drifting on the water just south of the [Fauntleroy] ferry dock this late afternoon. They were starting to scatter; we counted 10.
We sent thoughts of Peace and Comfort.
Last night in our weekly pandemic update, we noted that Seattle Public Schools planned to start updating a “dashboard” this week with COVID-19 case numbers. Despite the holiday, the district posted the first round of data today. The data is shown by region, not individual schools. It shows the Southwest region – West Seattle and South Park – with 12 cases, 10 students and 2 staffers. That’s more than a third of the 36 cases reported districtwide after three days of the school year. Though the dashboard totals are not broken down by school, we know at least one of the schools affected is Chief Sealth International High School, which had to cancel its Friday night football game. District protocols say families will be notified of any positive cases in their child’s classroom. The dashboard, meantime, is scheduled for weekly updates, on Mondays.
(August photo by Long Bach Nguyen)
Another Labor Day note about jobs: SDOT announced last week that the federal Department of Transportation had approved the plan to use the Priority Hire program to fill bridge-related jobs. The city explains the program as “promot(ing) access to construction careers for women, people of color and others with social and economic disadvantages.” So how will this work? We asked a few followup questions; the replies below came via Melissa Mixon of the city Department of Finance and Administrative Services:
How many jobs are expected to be part of this?
The West Seattle Bridge should provide significant opportunity for construction workers in our communities, with a need for several hundred workers over the course of the project. Based on performance on other Priority Hire projects, the City estimates that workers from economically distressed ZIP codes could earn an additional $600,000 in wages on the West Seattle Corridor Bridges Rehabilitation and Strengthening project due to Priority Hire. Other apprentices, women and people of color who live outside the economically distressed ZIP codes will earn additional income.
Who will do the hiring?
Kraemer, their subcontractors, construction union partners and apprenticeship programs will work together to hire Priority Hire workers on the project. The project will have a Community Workforce Agreement (CWA), which sets basic terms and conditions of employment on the project it covers. Contractors on the project will hire apprentices and experienced journey workers through union hiring halls and associated apprenticeship programs.
When and where will those openings be posted?
If you or someone you know is interested in working in construction, learn more about getting in the industry (and potentially working on the West Seattle Bridge) by viewing the Apprenticeship Guidebook. These programs will work directly with contractors to place workers on the project. You can also connect with our community-based partners to learn more about construction opportunities:
Outreach
Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle: 206-702-8011
Rainier Beach Action Coalition: 206-914-1762Training
ANEW: 206-381-1384 or info@anewaop.org
Carpenter’s Pre-Apprenticeship Program: 206-437-4235
Ironworkers Pre-Apprenticeship Program: 206-244-2993 or info@iw86appr.org
Seattle Central Colleges PACT Program: 206-934-2943 or PACT.Central@seattlecolleges.edu
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