West Seattle, Washington
10 Thursday
(Photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Here’s what’s happening for the rest of February’s first Wednesday:
PANDEMIC BRIEFING: About to get under way (10 am), state health officials talk about the status of the pandemic and answer media questions – watch the livestream here.
FOOD FUNDRAISER: Chef Gino Williamson is back at 5441 Delridge Way SW, 11 am-7 pm, cooking and selling food to continue raising money to open a restaurant nearby.
TRANSFORMATIONAL PSYCHIATRY NW OPEN HOUSE: 4:30-7:30 pm, you’re invited to visit the Jefferson Square offices of Transformational Psychiatry NW (WSB sponsor), suites 550-551 in the office building.
DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: 7 pm online, the community coalition for West Seattle and South Park meets. All welcome. Our calendar listing has details on how to participate.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Family and friends will gather next Tuesday to remember Mary Louise Campagnaro Giacomini, and are sharing this remembrance now:
Mary Louise Campagnaro Giacomini was born April 29, 1934 in Seattle to John and Maria Campagnaro. She exited to heaven via San Diego unexpectedly on January 19, 2022. She was mom to me, Nonna to her granddaughters, Mary Lou to her friends and neighbors, and Louie to her faithful husband of 59 years, Ray. My mom is survived by my father Ray, her daughter Tina Huston (Jeff), her brother Fred, her sister-in-law Paula, her granddaughters Mallory and Paige, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents John and Maria, her brother Mimo, her aunt and uncle Joe and Adele, her double first cousins Fay, Mario, and Aldo, her in-laws Lorenzo and Louise, and her brother-in-law Larry.
Mary Louise graduated from Holy Rosary High School in West Seattle and worked as a security clearance clerk for Boeing. She met a handsome engineer while working there and they were married in 1962. After their marriage, my dad was transferred to central California and they settled in Santa Maria. Ten years later, my dad accepted a new job in San Diego, where they expected to stay for a few years. Fifty years later, my parents still called San Diego their home.
My mom was a loyal friend and a selfless person. Her first priority was always her family. My mom never met a stranger and had a contagious laugh. She also had a loud, booming voice that she said she “inherited from her dad.” It was very difficult to miss her. My mom was tough – always standing up for herself and her family. Loving but tough – you always got the truth – whether you wanted to hear it or not. I will miss talking to her and still asking her advice after 55 years. She was the best mom!
After settling in San Diego, I started kindergarten and my mom grew bored of staying home. This began her stint with San Diego City Schools as a yard duty and then as an instructional aide for children with learning disabilities. She loved working with kids of all ages and made many friends.
My mom and dad enjoyed many years of retirement and travel with family and friends. Their devotion to our girls made a big impact on their lives and we will always be eternally grateful. She spent years being a taxi service for her granddaughters and volunteered in the CCD program when her granddaughter needed an aide. She loved volunteering and continued working with the kids after her granddaughter graduated the program. Rest in Peace, Mom. Continue to watch over us and provide guidance. We will all be reunited again someday. We love you!
A memorial mass will be held at Holy Rosary Church on Tuesday, February 8th at 10:00 am. holyrosaryseattle.org.
Please make donations to the Autism Society of America, San Diego Chapter swim program. 4699 Murphy Canyon Rd. San Diego, CA 92123
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
9:58 AM: Crash on West Marginal Way @ Dakota – police say one lane is open each way.
10:59 AM: Metro sent out an alert about delays because of a crash on SW Genesee east of Avalon; SFD log says there was a response on Genesee at 26th but it closed quickly. No injuries per police radio.
11:25 AM: Metro says Route 50 is still routed off SW Genesee. We don’t know the status of other traffic access. Meantime, SDOT says West Marginal is now clear.
1:07 PM: Metro says the road is back open so Route 50 is back to normal.
Earlier:
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6:01 AM Good morning!
WEATHER
Today’s forecast again features a chance of rain or snow, which didn’t pan out Tuesday, but today is expected to be colder, with a high near 40.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of reroutes/cancellations.
West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes are on regular schedules.
Ferries: WSF continues the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
680th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras are still 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:
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 roads/paths/water? Text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
(King County video: Presentation begins 55 minutes in)
“This is a tension between public health and public safety.” That’s what King County Prosecuting Attorney Dan Satterberg told the County Council’s Law, Justice, Health, and Human Services Committee this morning. His presentation was related to a Department of Public Defense proposal to further restrict what kind of crimes can result in jail bookings. The proposal is rooted in pandemic-related concerns such as COVID-19 spread and staffing challenges at the jail, which has had booking restrictions since shortly after the pandemic began. Here’s the slide deck that Public Defense Director Anita Khandelwal presented to the committee today, also proposing that prosecutors cut back on filing charges:
The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says this new proposal would mean no jail bookings for suspects “including repeat felony offenders, sex offenders, and felony home burglary suspects, among others accused of serious felony crimes,” as listed in the Public Defense slide deck. A KCPAO spokesperson says, “We believe that thoughtful, individualized case reviews are better to balance public safety and public health, and we have been doing those.” At today’s meeting, the KCPAO criminal-division chief Dan Clark said, “The problem with the blanket prohibition on certain felony crimes is that it is not a nuanced approach … if you have somebody who steals a catalytic converter every day or somebody who breaks into a home every day and the police finally catch them, if there’s these restrictions in place they can’t book them anymore. The better system is the one we have now that actually takes the opportunity for those high-impact offenders to be in front of a judge and then the judge makes a call.” The KCPAO prosecutes felonies and a handful of misdemeanors. Public Defense represents many of the suspects, and its members said at today’s hearing that their clients are not just at risk of COVID, but are being kept in inhumane conditions because of jail-staffing challenges.
Since the County Council spotlighted this issue, we asked West Seattle’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott via email where he stands. His reply:
Booking policy in the Department of Adult & Juvenile Detention within King County is an Executive Branch policy. The Council does not generally adopt or vote on the policies.
Through the pandemic, the County has intentionally decreased the number of people incarcerated from about 1900 to about 1350, and the January COVID spike is in deep decline already, with currently 61 incarcerated positive for COVID and 62 in quarantine, down from numbers approaching 200 and 250 respectively earlier this month.
Given the previous decrease in population and declining cases, I would not look favorably at a decision not to book further felonies at this point.
“Executive-branch policy” would ultimately be up to King County Executive Dow Constantine, who is quoted here as saying the county already has taken many steps to address concerns. Some councilmembers at today’s hearing said rather than change booking policy, they’d rather see steps taken to address some of the specific conditions cited as concerns.
Four reader reports about thefts:
STOLEN PICKUP: That’s Joanne‘s white 1999 Chevy Silverado pickup with white rack over the bed, “stolen between 5:07 pm January 31 and 7:00 am February 1 from in front of our house near Madison Middle School. WA plate C01899A. Let us know if you see it, please.” And call 911. (UPDATE: Found.)
STOLEN BICYCLE: The photo and report are from Jeffrey:
Between Saturday night and 10 am 1/29/22 Sunday my Gary Fischer “Marin” mountain bike was stolen from my back yard, then walked out thru my neighbor’s yard. It was a well-used, XL frame, and would be hard to ride for anyone less than 6′ tall. It is orange, with stickers on it, and a custom seat.
STOLEN CATALYTIC CONVERTER: Brittany reports, “On Friday at the old Roxhill elementary school building across from the 76 and the Safeway on Roxbury, my catalytic converter was stolen from my Kia Soul, right in the parking lot at my school I work at.”
STOLEN CLOTHING: Drew reports that a box of “inventory from my new business venture” was stolen in a car break-in outside his home in Gatewood last Friday – a box unintentionally left in the car. In the box, about $2,500 worth of apparel, which he describes as “beach volleyball clothing (that) we just recently started selling online, so no one in the Seattle area has the clothing except for me (yet!). … Every piece of clothing has a “V” (for Voller) logo … The V logo on the clothing is in gold.” You can see here what the clothing looks like – the stolen items were shorts and T-shirts.
4:59 PM: Thanks to Corey for the tip. A semitruck is having trouble at 35th and Alaska, blocking the eastbound and southbound lanes, but other traffic is getting around.
5:22 PM: Video feed on the SDOT info-map shows southbound traffic is being directed around the stuck truck, too, but avoid the area if you can. (added) Turning traffic from EB Alaska also is getting around the truck, gingerly.
6:15 PM: Still there.
6:49 PM: A tow truck is reported to be on scene now (the video feed shows several vehicles with flashing lights), so this is getting closer to resolution.
7:29 PM: Per texter, and confirmed by video feed, the intersection is now clear.
Another West Seattleite who led a city department under the former administration is out. Mayor Bruce Harrell announced today that Highland Park resident Andrés Mantilla is out as head of the Department of Neighborhoods – which he ran for most of the previous mayor’s term – and he’s appointed Southeast Seattle resident Greg Wong (right) as DoN director. The announcement says Wong will be tasked with “driving local engagement, coordinating neighborhood strategies citywide, and charting a future direction for a City full of unique, vibrant, and welcoming neighborhoods.” Wong is a lawyer and former teacher. The DoN announcement was one of three director changes announced by the mayor today, along with former mayoral candidate and ex-legislator Jessyn Farrell leading the Office of Sustainability and Environment and Markham McIntyre, formerly an executive with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, to lead the Office of Economic Development. All three are serving as interim directors pending confirmation by the City Council; read more in the full announcement here.
Suddenly getting a flurry of questions about a big Seattle Fire presence at Constellation Park south of Alki Point. Thanks to the texter who sent these photos.
They report the crews there told them it was a drill – which is what we suspected since there’s nothing on the real-time incident log – and we’ve just confirmed that with SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley – diving drill, to be specific.
Two orca-related items:
WHALES’ MONDAY VISIT: We mentioned orcas were in the area again Monday. Today, two photos from Trileigh Tucker, who says, “There were about 4 adult orcas and one or maybe even two babies – waiting to hear back from Orca Network about the babies. ON identified them as T124s. The lighting was just gorgeous.”
RESEARCH BUOY: As mentioned in our daily preview list, a King County research boat was out this morning deploying a buoy to listen in on undersea noise, a major threat to orcas. Here’s the video recorded during the livestream and Q&A:
This isn’t off West Seattle – closer to Edmonds – but the research over the next three months will be of interest to orca-watchers all around Puget Sound. Full details from King County are here.
Almost four months after we reported the closure of Morning Star Mini-Mart at 8th/Henderson in Highland Park, we know what’s moving in. Greene Information Systems is moving its headquarters there, from Georgetown. The company won’t be a tenant – its ownership bought the 4.200-square-foot, 75-year-old building and the 13,000-square-foot site it’s on. We contacted the company after seeing it named on preliminary site-plan documents in city files. According to Christian Castro, who responded to our inquiry on behalf of the company, the owners and many of the employees live in West Seattle. Greene IS serves as “outsourced IT” for more than 100 clients and is a Microsoft consultant. They’re doing interior renovations on the building to turn it into office space for their U.S. staff, which he said currently numbers about 17. At some point years down the road, the site has redevelopment potential, since it’s zoned for mixed-use that could have commercial space on the ground floor and residential above, but there are no near-term plans for that, he said. As for how soon Greene IS expects to move in – Castro said they’re estimating three to seven months but that’s dependent on how the city permitting process goes.
For the second time in 15 hours, we’ve received a reader report of a stolen green CR-V. This one is from Jessie:
This is an old photo of Jessie’s green 2000 Honda CR-V – it now has Washington plates, BFP5162, but still had the Virginia Tech Hokies tire cover when “stolen from 44th Ave SW between Dakota and Genesee … sometime between about 6-7 pm last night and 9 am this morning (2/1).” It’s been reported to police; call 911 if you see it.
(Turkey tail mushrooms, photographed at Camp Long by Rosalie Miller)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox:
RESEARCH LIVESTREAM: If you see this before 10 am, tune in here to see “a livestream aboard the SoundGuardian, King County’s research vessel, as marine mammal researchers deploy a buoy into Puget Sound that will measure underwater noise, which poses multiple risks to southern resident orcas.” It started at 9:30 am and is being followed by Q&A. (That same link should work for a replay afterward.)
TERMINAL 5 UPDATE: The quarterly update on Terminal 5 construction is set for 11 am, when “The Northwest Seaport Alliance Managing Members will receive a quarterly briefing on the Terminal 5 Modernization project. With the north berth operational, construction continues on the south berth in preparation for operations to commence in 2023. Staff will provide a status update on terminal construction, operations, and any changes to projected project milestones.” See the stream and agenda here.
(added) SCHOOL FUNDRAISER: Received today from the Alki Elementary PTA:
Alki School Night at Good Society Brewery and Public House
Today from 3-10 pm
Good Society is donating a portion of every purchase to Alki Elementary PTA. For your purchase to count, tell them you are there for Alki Elementary! 2701 California Ave SW
DEMONSTRATION FOR RACIAL JUSTICE: 4:30-6 pm at 16th/Holden, Scott leads the weekly demonstration for racial justice. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
WEST SEATTLE TAE KWON DO: 6 pm tonight, it’s the first February class for the West Seattle Tae Kwon Do Club at High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW) – details in our calendar listing.
TRIVIA X 2: Two venues to play tonight – 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 7:30 and 8:30 pm at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).
BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!
There’s more on our calendar – and if you have something to add for the future, email us the info at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Family and friends will gather Friday to remember Dr. Joseph P. Megale, and are sharing this remembrance with the community:
Heaven just got a whole lot better.
Dr. Joseph Patrick Megale [Dr. Joe] passed away on January 23, 2022, at the age of 94 among family in Palm Springs, CA. His passing was, believe it or not, a surprise to those who knew him closely. Dr. Joe, up until a couple weeks before his death was a vibrant, active, 94-year-old man. Anyone close to Joe new he was on the ball, both mentally and physically.
Joe was born on March 12, 1927, the third son to Giuseppe and Dominica [Pizzimenti] Megale in Coos Bay, Oregon. He and his mother Dominica moved back to Italy to care for her mother when Joe was 3 years old, his father staying in Coos Bay. Joe and his mother returned to Coos Bay before the War broke out when Joe was 7 years old. Joe attended high school in Coos Bay, where he was a standout football player. In 1944, he joined the Army, and was honorably discharged in 1946. He was quoted as saying “I went into the Army a boy and came back a Man.” He then attended undergrad studies at the University of Portland, followed by dental school at the University of Oregon. His senior year, he met the love of his life and future wife Mary “Diane” Kremmel [it did take an introduction from his sister Eleanor]. Joe and Diane were married on August 20th, 1955, Joe passed his boards [both Washington and Oregon] in June of 1956, their first child was born [Joseph] shortly after that, and they relocated to Washington to join his brother Dominic, who had an established dental practice in West Seattle (West Seattle Dental Center). Joe credited his brother Dominic for helping him get started in the dental field; he didn’t really know him growing up [Dominic was 14 years his senior] but he developed a great bond and friendship practicing together over the years.
Joe was truly committed to his practice; he believed in honesty, integrity, hard work and consistent support. His dream of providing exceptional dental care with compassion for his clientele all resulted in a successful practice which was supplemented beautifully by his sister, Paulina Beard, who practiced alongside her two brothers as a dental hygienist for the duration of Joe’s career. All his kids had a hand in the dental field and the daughters continued their work\careers with him for a number of years, some staying until his retirement, it was the true meaning of a “family practice.” Joe never wavered in his care for his patients they were first and they mattered. Joe retired in 1995 but continued to carry his dental license, volunteering at the Gospel Mission clinic in downtown Seattle and traveling to Moses Lake to provide pro bono care to people in need. A testament to his love of dentistry and way of giving back to a career that was good to him.
Joe was very active in his church, Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he received his CCD teaching certificate and was a founding parishioner.
6:03 AM Good morning! Welcome to February.
WEATHER
Today’s forecast features “a chance of rain or snow” this morning, but the temperature is eventually expected to get into the 40s.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
Metro is on the regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of trip cancellations.
West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxi routes are on regular schedules.
Ferries: WSF continues a two-boat schedule on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
679th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
Low Bridge: Automated enforcement cameras are still 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:
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 roads/paths/water? Text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
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