West Seattle, Washington
22 Thursday
5:07 PM: The bird photographed by Jerry Simmons had the right idea – a quick dunk to cool off. You’re going to have to keep the stay-cool tactics going – though temperatures will drop a bit after tomorrow, not that much, so the National Weather Service has just extended the Excessive Heat Warning alert an extra day, until 11 pm Tuesday. 90s are expected for the high that day, not 100+ like yesterday/today/tomorrow, but it might feel that way: “Temperatures lingering in the upper 90s on Tuesday with potentially dangerously hot heat index values up to 111.” Here again are our key links (with updated information:
Places to cool off, including air-conditioned libraries and restaurants/bars, plus “cooling centers” and wading pools
Restaurants changing their hours or closing because of heat danger
The city’s status update says, “Water and electricity usage remain within normal operations for utilities.” But if you are a Monday solid-waste customer, the plan for Monday has changed again: Trash/recycling crews will be out an hour earlier, as previously announced, so have those carts out at 6 am, but food/yard waste will NOT be picked up Monday (no word yet on the makeup plan – we’ll update when that info is available).
6:10 PM: SPU has now announced its Tuesday pickups will start an hour early, too – details here, and below:
P.S. Today’s high was 104 at Sea-Tac – the new all-time highest temperature on record in Seattle – but that’s a record that forecasters say is certain to fall tomorrow.
The report and photo are from Jonathan:
Seeking the help of our West Seattle neighbors to locate my daughter’s powder blue bike. Her Jamis Coda Sport, size 18â€, was stolen from the back yard of a friend in the 3600 block of Othello, late night Saturday (June 26) or early morning Sunday (June 27). The bike had a gel-style white front LED headlamp and red LED rear light.
Here’s a stock photo of a similar bicycle. We’ll add the police-report number when it’s available.
2:12 PM: SFD has sent a water-rescue response to the Seacrest area: “Crews are investigating reports of 3 kayakers in distress with reportedly 2 kayaks taking on water.”
2:19 PM: Update from SFD: “Bainbridge PD and our rescue boat made contact with the kayakers. We are assisting them aboard our rescue boat to return them to shore. No injuries.”
Back in April we told you about a book release from a Morgan Junction author who publishes romance novels under the pseudonym Cara Maxwell. If you’re thinking about riding out the heat wave sitting under a tree reading, her next one is out – “A Love Match for the Marquess,” continuing her “Hesitant Husbands” series. Maxwell says, “If you enjoy romances in the style of Julia Quinn, Lisa Kleypas, or Christi Caldwell, then you will enjoy this series.†This is her third book, and she says she’s moving into full-time writing now after a decade in education. Find out more about her and her books at caramaxwellromance.com. Her new novel is available there as an e-book or in paperback.
(Photo courtesy John Bennett)
If you happened to be in The Junction around 7:30 last night, you might have seen those two ladies riding in a classic Cadillac, doing parade waves. That was part of a surprise party thrown for Lora Radford (above right), executive director of the West Seattle Junction Association, which she has led through the pandemic as local businesses’ chief cheerleader, beacon of hope, informational clearinghouse, lobbyist and red-tape fighter, and more. Friends lured her to the courtyard by Hotwire Coffee – which she owned for more than a decade before the WSJA gig – and showered her with appreciation, from a proclamation to pizza:
(WSB photos, here and below)
The “National Lora Appreciation Day” presentation was emceed by Lora’s chaperone for the Cadillac ride, entertainer Sylvia O’Stayformore:
Lora offered words of gratitude and said simply, “We got through the pandemic together.”
P.S. Next big Junction event is getting closer – the Sidewalk Sale on July 8-10!
(Saturday’s sunrise, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Saturday’s high temperature was 102, one degree below Seattle’s all-time high. Today and tomorrow could set new records. So we’re starting with links you might find helpful, both with information that’s been updated since they were originally published:
Places to cool off, including air-conditioned libraries and restaurants/bars, plus “cooling centers” and wading pools
Restaurants changing their hours or closing because of heat danger
(And remember to: Water the birds; protect your pets)
Now on to what else is going on:
RIDE FOR MAJOR TAYLOR: As previewed here (with maps), 500 bicycle riders will be traveling through West Seattle (and beyond!) during this big ride today. They’re starting from White Center between 6:30 and 8 am.
TODAY’S ONLINE CHURCH SERVICES: Most local churches still offer online Sunday services (some offer in-person options too), so each week we compile the newest links for 20+ churches’ services, both streamed and recorded (and in one case, written).
WS FARMERS’ MARKET, CLOSING EARLY: Vegetables, fruit, flowers, cheese, meat, beverages, bread, more – something new each week at the Farmers’ Market, which is closing an hour early today because of the weather – it’s open 10 am-1 pm in The Junction. Scroll down the page at this link to find the vendor list and map for this week. (Enter at California/Alaska; pickups for online orders are at California/Oregon)
DELRIDGE GROCERY COOPERATIVE: Today’s the fourth Sunday you can shop for staples at the DGC store (5444 Delridge Way SW), 11 am-3 pm, as previewed here.
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)
PRIDE ART EXHIBIT: Last day to see it! As previewed here, “The Divine: Beyond the Bounds of Queerness”= is at Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery (9414 Delridge Way SW), open noon-6 pm.
(Saturday low-low tide montage from Constellation Park, sent by SF)
LOW-LOW TIDE: One final extra-low low tide, -3.0 feet at 1:28 pm, with Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists at Constellation and Lincoln Parks, 11:30 am-3 pm.
LIVE MUSIC: Sid Law and Alan Sobel, outdoors at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), (change) 11 am-1 pm.
PRIDE KARAOKE PARTY: Admiral Pub (2306 California SW) presents karaoke host Christopher Mychal, 7 pm to close. (Air conditioning!)
Got something for our event calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic info, with four days to go until The Grand Reopening:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*112,378 people have tested positive, 87 more than yesterday’s total
*1,657 people have died, 1 fewer than yesterday’s total (data correction)
*6,490 people have been hospitalized, 2 more than yesterday’s total
ONE WEEK AGO: Last Saturday, those numbers were 111,584/1,616/6,312.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 180.7 million people have tested positive, and more than 3,917,000 people have died; U.S. deaths have passed 603,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, France, Turkey (unchanged again this week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
MORE CAPACITY FOR COOLING CENTERS: Pandemic-related capacity limits on cooling centers were lifted by the governor so more people can seek refuge during the heat wave.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Four notes in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:
SHOPLIFTING ARREST: Another big-ticket shoplift thwarted tonight at Ulta Beauty in Westwood Village, according to the preliminary police summary. It says officers answered a 911 call around 6 pm; with description information from the caller, they found the suspect “sitting at a nearby bus stop.” Nearby, a backpack that turned out to have 22 items inside, valued at almost $2,000. Police say the suspect confessed to the theft and gave consent for them to search the backpack, The stolen items were returned to the store; the suspect was booked into jail. SIDE NOTE: This is the second four-figure shoplifting case arrest involving that store this month. We checked online records to see what has happened to the suspect arrested in the early June case, 31-year-old Jake Erickson. He was charged with felony theft and awaits trial on other unrelated cases we mentioned in our previous story; he was released from jail last Wednesday after 19 days, required to live with his mother under electronic home monitoring.
PORCH THEFT: Emailed video and report:
We live in Gatewood and recently had someone come onto our porch and steal a leaf blower we had left out.
ABANDONED BICYCLE: Texted photo and report:
Abandoned bike on 16th Ave SW and Myrtle. 7000 block. Looks like a well-maintained bike. It was on its side.
CAR PROWLS: Two in Upper Fauntleroy early this morning, both at WSB HQ. We apparently left the cars unlocked. Nothing taken; the glove boxes were emptied, worthless contents (pen and paper for story notes, half-used bottles of hand sanitizer) strewn on the front seats. As we’ve done following previous prowls, we’re filing an online report.
9:51 PM: Thanks to everybody who messaged us about that downed tree across 48th SW in Seaview, just before the stretch that leads to/from Lowman Beach. When we went over a little while ago to check it out, police were moving it aside:
One person wondered about the best way to report something like that. If it’s a road hazard, you can always call 911.
ADDED EARLY SUNDAY: Two people have mentioned another tree problem further north on 48th – near Brandon/Findlay – earlier in the evening.
Thanks to Graham for the photos and report: “We celebrated Pride with a walk with neighbors around Palm and Sunset today.”
(Originally published Sunday, continuing to add updates/changes through Monday)
If the heat – the Sea-Tac gauge has hit triple digits! – has you thinking about getting dinner from/at a restaurant, be aware that some local food/beverage businesses are closing early and/or changing their hours to keep their workers safe. After a tip from Paula (thank you!), we started looking around, and here’s what we’ve found so far:
Bakery Nouveau – closing 1 pm Sunday
Bebop Waffle Shop – (updated) closed Sunday and Monday
Birdhouse – closing at noon Sunday, closed Monday
Bizzarro Italian Caf̩ (White Center) Рclosed until Tuesday
Cactus – closed Monday
Chupacabra – closed Monday
Circa, closed tonight and all day/night Monday
Coastline Burgers – closed Sunday and Monday
Copper Coin – closed Sunday and Monday
Cupcake Royale – closing at 2 pm Monday
Easy Street Caf̩ Рrestaurant closed Monday, record store trying to stay open
Elliott Bay Brewing – closed at 5 pm Monday
Grillbird Teriyaki – open noon-5 Sunday, closed Monday
Gyro Heroes – closed until Tuesday
Highland Park Corner Store – closed Monday
Hotwire Coffee – closing at 1 pm Sunday and Monday
Itto’s Tapas – closed Monday
JaK’s Grill – closed Sunday and Monday
Jet City Beignet (WSB sponsor) – no Sunday popup
Kamei – closed Sunday and Monday
Locol – closed through Monday (per texter)
Lodge Sports Grille – closed Monday
Lula Coffee – closing noon Monday
Luna Park Caf̩ Рclosed Monday
Marination Ma Kai – closed Monday
Mashiko – only offering cold menu items (including sushi) Sunday night and Monday
Mission Cantina (WSB sponsor) – open 10 am-3 pm Sunday, closed Monday
Moonshot Coffee (White Center) – closed 5 pm Monday
Nos Nos Coffee House – closed until Tuesday
Ounces – closed Monday
Pagliacci – closed early Sunday night, closed Monday
Patrick’s Café and Bakery (White Center) – closed Monday
Prost – closed Sunday and Monday
Realfine Coffee – closing at 1 pm Monday
Skylark – open Sunday 3-8 pm but serving cold sandwiches and salads
The Spot – closed early Sunday, will be closed Monday
Supreme – closed Monday
Swinery – closing at 2 pm Sunday
Talarico’s – closed Monday
Than Brothers Pho – closed Monday
West of Chicago Pizza (WSB sponsor) – closed tonight and Sunday
The Westy – closing 4 pm Sunday, closed Monday
Zippy’s Giant Burgers – will be closed Monday
We are checking other places online and by phone as fast as we can and will keep adding – if you know of others with closures/changes because of the heat wave, please let us know via comments, email (westseattleblog@gmail.com), or text (206-293-6302) – thank you!
P.S. We’re adding known A/C-equipped restaurants/bars to our master cool-off list – see it here – suggestions for those are welcome too!
That’s Margarita‘s food trailer, when she’s using it, which she can’t do until she gets it back. She sent the photo and report:
I’ve owned and operated Mamacita’s Bad Ass Mexican Food for a couple of years. I own a small food trailer. In that time the trailer has been attacked and almost stolen 3 times. Well, today someone finally succeeded. It was stolen from 46th & Lander St. in West Seattle. 2020 complexly shut us down. We are just getting started for the year, and I have 3 events booked that i now cannot do. This is my livelihood for me and my daughters and granddaughter. I have been through hell and back in the last 6 years and this business was supposed to be my saving grace.
The trailer was last seen at 1:30 AM by a neighbor, and I believe I heard commotion around 5 AM which could have been the trailer being stolen. Police report number is #21-159383
Breeze and shade can be found at 4208 SW 100th in Arbor Heights [map], where an outdoor/indoor art fair – with live music! – continues until 5 pm at Brace Point Pottery. We found Carly Ann Calbero performing:
She was wrapping up her set a short time ago, to be followed by Sue Quigley. Artists showing and selling their work, including Tina Anderson:
See the lineup in our calendar listing. The food truck Who’s Eating Gilbert’s Greats is there too, if you’re in the mood for lunch or a snack.
(WSB photos)
As a grand finale to Pride month, 60 rainbow flags are flying in The Junction this weekend, placed this morning by volunteers. Among them, Colby the bow-tied dog:
For a third year, the West Seattle Junction Association offered the opportunity to “adopt” the flags for a fee – each flag has an accompanying mini-flag with the donor’s message (you can see them all here if you don’t see them all in The Junction).
Matching the mini-flags to flag-placement locations took some logistics – here are City Councilmember Lisa Herbold and WSJA executive director Lora Radford:
As in past years, the flags will be removed before nightfall tonight and put back in place tomorrow morning.
Free shredding, no waiting in the northwest parking lot at Westwood Village – and the temperature’s not too hot yet, about 80. John L. Scott Westwood (WSB sponsor) is presenting its annual shredding event/food drive with Evergreen Home Loans. Also there, the White Center Food Bank:
Bring food or check/cash if you can donate. The shredding service is available until noon
9:43 AM: Thanks to Danny Lean for the photo. According to the dispatch log, that car-on-side crash on California south of Stevens happened around 5:15 am. No medic unit sent, which indicates no major injuries – SFD dispatched only an engine – but a private ambulance was sent, so we are following up with SFD.
2:54 PM: SFD spokesperson David Cuerpo says a 23-year-old woman was treated at the scene, and declined to be taken to a hospital.
(Photo by Jerry Simmons)
This is forecast to be the first – but not the worst – day of the heat wave. So we start with:
WHERE TO COOL OFF: Our ongoing list is here. We’ll be adding to it as suggestions come in – particularly air-conditioned restaurants/bars open for indoor dining/drinking, westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Also happening today:
JUNCTION PRIDE FLAGS: Dozens of rainbow flags, all sponsored by local businesses/organizations/residents as part of a West Seattle Junction Association fundraiser, are going up for the weekend in the heart of downtown West Seattle, starting around 8 am.
FREE SHREDDING/FOOD DRIVE: 10 am-noon, John L. Scott Westwood (WSB sponsor) is presenting its annual shredding event/food drive with Evergreen Home Loans. Bring your shreddables to the northwest parking lot at Westwood Village (2600 SW Barton) 10 am-noon. The shredding is free of charge, but please bring nonperishable food (or cash) to donate to the White Center Food Bank.
LIVE MUSIC: Marco deCarvalho and friends play Brazilian jazz outdoors at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 10:30 am-noon.
OUTDOOR ARTS-CRAFTS FAIR: 11 am-5 pm at Brace Point Pottery (4208 SW 100th), with local artists, live music, even the Who’s Eating Gilbert’s Greats food truck – more info in our calendar listing.
SPRAYPARK, WADING POOLS OPEN: They’re part of our “where to cool off” list linked above, but it’s opening day so they get a special mention. Open today:
Highland Park spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) – 11 am-8 pm
Delridge wading pool (4501 Delridge Way SW) – 11 am-5:30 pm
Lincoln Park wading pool (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) – Noon-7 pm
GRAND OPENING: 11 am-7 pm, visit Tails To Astonish (4850 California SW), the new comic-book store, to celebrate its grand opening.
PRIDE PICNIC: Noon-5 pm, community-organized Pride picnic at Lincoln Park, on the lawn south of Colman Pool – details in our calendar listing.
LOW-LOW TIDE: Today it’s out to -3,7 feet at 12:41 pm, and Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists will be available 10:45 am-2:45 pm at Constellation and Lincoln Parks.
SALES! Go to this section of the WSB Community Forums to see who’s having garage/moving/etc. sales.
Something to add to the calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Tonight’s pandemic points, with 5 days until reopening:
KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the daily stats from the Public Health daily-summary page, cumulative totals:
*112,291 people have tested positive, 43 more than yesterday’s total
*1,658 people have died, 10 more than yesterday’s total
*6,488 people have been hospitalized, 5 more than yesterday’s total
Now our weekly check of key numbers on the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard:
*1,520,955 people have received one dose (77.9% of everyone 12+)
*1,387,171 people have received both doses (71% of everyone 12+)
One week ago, the first three totals were 111,509/1,612/6,304, and the vaccination totals were 1,504,658/1,361,806.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 180.4 million cases, 3,909,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
AFTER REOPENING, DON’T THROW YOUR MASKS AWAY: There might be reasons to wear one sometimes, even if you’re vaccinated, says King County Public Health.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(WSB photo)
Police investigated a report of gunfire on Alki around 6:15 tonight. The preliminary report says witnesses reporting the shooter walking past Pepperdock Restaurant in the 2600 block of Alki Avenue SW, then facing southbound on Marine Avenue [map] and firing a round south, toward Alki Playfield/Whale Tail Park, before running away westbound. No one was hurt and no property damage was found; when we talked with police at the scene, they hadn’t found any evidence, but later they turned up “an unspent .40-caliber bullet” back in the 2600 block of Alki. Officers called in the Gun Violence Reduction Unit. The report does not include a description of the shooter other than “male” but mentions that he “was possibly with two other males during the incident.”
Thanks for the photos! Today just before noon, the minus-four-feet low tide was the lowest we’ll see this summer. Kathy Olson sent the photo above from Constellation Park south of Alki Point; the photo below is from Lisa Li:
(added) Michelle Green Arnson photographed this Gull-Crow faceoff during the low tide:
And Theresa Arbow-O’Connor was on Duwamish Head during Thursday’s almost-as-low low tide:
Tomorrow’s low tide is -3,7 feet at 12:41 pm, and Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists will be available 10:45 am-2:45 pm at Constellation and Lincoln Parks. Kathy photographed one of them in action today:
Wherever you explore, tread lightly and mindfully – these extra-low tides reveal near-shore creatures that usually aren’t out of the water. P.S. Next June’s low-low tides will be even lower than this year; -4.3 feet, the chart says.
8:22 PM: Thanks for the tip. A 26-customer power outage in Westwood is having some effects at the shopping center. A texter tells us there’s restricted access to cold/frozen food at QFC. Seattle City Light‘s map says the outage started just after 6:30 pm but doesn’t yet identify the cause.
1:19 AM: Still out. Added screenshot of outage map, for the record.
10:40 AM: Not fixed yet, after 16 hours. Reader says the Westwood QFC is closed. The SCL map now attributes the outage to “equipment failure.”
12:08 PM: The supermarket is NOT closed – we just went there to check. However, this big loud generator truck is running by the north door:
8:08 PM: The outage is about a third of its size – eight customers now. The generator truck is gone from QFC but they are still sorting out the refrigerated-item situation. Meantime, we’ve confirmed at least one store that did close because of the outage – Marshall’s.
9:43 PM: Map shows it’s been fully restored, more than 24 hours after the outage started. We’ll be asking SCL about the cause on Monday.
The photo is from Trileigh Tucker, who is among the West Seattleites wanting to ensure you remember our feathered (and furry) friends in the mega-hot weather ahead. She points out it’s not just about bird baths and water bowls:
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE put plenty of water out for the birds and your own animals, in the shade, under shelter so they don’t have to risk emerging from their protection. It’s going to be hard on them as well as us.
In addition, try spraying any shrubs in your yard with a hose — the little birds love taking a bath in the leaves. In less than 2 minutes after I did this (twice) this morning, chickadees and bushtits were bathing, so sweet to watch.
WATER THE BIRDS!!
Thanks to those who sent questions and photos (the one above is from Mike Munson) wondering why the renovated Lincoln Park beach restrooms aren’t open yet, though the construction fence is down. The question came up after we reported earlier this week on the pause in work on the new Alki restroom building (same contractor, JEM). Our contact for this project also is Seattle Parks’ Kelly Goold; he says, “Parks crews wanted time to clean up the landscape that was behind the construction fence and get the building ready to open. I believe the goal is to open it up before the holiday weekend.” The work started last fall and was primarily aimed at improving the restroom building’s accessibility.
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