West Seattle, Washington

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month : 03/2022 305 results

WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: 9 notes
March 6, 2022 6:34 am
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: 9 notes
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Saturday sunset, photographed by James Bratsanos)

Sunday is here, and now we’re just one week from Daylight Saving Time, two weeks from spring. Here’s what you should know about today:

ROAD-WORK ALERTS: Today we have three (as previewed on Thursday):

–West Marginal Way repaving: Again today, SDOT plans this work through ~1 pm, “repaving West Marginal Way SW between 2nd Ave SW and Highland Park Way SW. During work hours, we will be limiting the area to southbound traffic only. People driving northbound will follow a detour route that continues north on 2nd Ave SW to Highland Park Way and connects at the Highland Park Way/West Marginal Way intersection.”
–5-way intersection: This work is expected to be complete by 1 pm – this flyer explains what’s being done.
–Spokane Street signage: “We’ll be adding directional signs on westbound SW Spokane St to provide earlier notice of the correct lane to be in for the Admiral Way or Harbor Ave/Avalon Way exits. We’ll also make small updates to the road striping to support these new signs.” This work is supposed to have been complete by 6 am.

CHURCHES: Most West Seattle churches are continuing online services, with many resuming in-person too – here’s our weekly update on 20+ churches.

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Cookie booths are back this year, we learned on Saturday. Here’s the troops we’ve heard from:

-10 am, Easy Street Records (California/Alaska)
-Noon, Easy Street
-2 pm, Junction True Value (44th/Edmunds)
-Look for other times, locations, and days (through March 20th) here

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, find fresh food – produce, meat, fish, cheese, beverages, baked goods, and prepared food – at the weekly WSFM (WSB sponsor). (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)

‘A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD’: Twelfth Night Productions presents the musical “story of a friendship that endures throughout the seasons,” 3 pm matinee at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Ticket info and more in our calendar listing.

NEED FOOD? White Center Community Dinner Church serves a free meal (take-away available) at 5 pm Sundays at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW).

BENEFIT CONCERT: 5 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), DAD rocks the house to raise money for the West Seattle Lacrosse Club.

SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: 8 pm to 1 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).

SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.

Got an event to list in our calendar and previews? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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CORONAVIRUS: March’s first check of West Seattle, King County trends and stats
March 5, 2022 8:38 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

The King County vaccination-verification requirement is lifted; most indoor mask requirements end one week from today. But the pandemic’s not over, so how are the key numbers going locally? Here are the latest countywide and West Seattle trends and totals, via the Public Health – Seattle/King County dashboard.

*29 percent fewer cases countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 291 new daily cases countywide (down from 407 when we checked a week ago)

*1 percent more hospitalizations countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 11 new hospitalizations daily (up from 10 a week ago)

*36 percent fewer deaths countywide in the past two weeks than the two weeks before (the dashboard doesn’t offer a one-week increment)
*Currently averaging 5 deaths daily (down from 6 a week ago)

For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons (these are the combined totals from two “health reporting areas,” labeled West Seattle and Delridge):
*272 cases between 2/14 and 2/28, down from 560 between 1/30 and 2/13
*5 hospitalizations between 2/14 and 2/28, down from 9 between 1/30 and 2/13
*1 death between 2/14 and 2/28, down from 3 between 1/30 and 2/13

And checking vaccination rates:
*79.9 percent of all King County residents have completed the series (up .2% from a week ago)
*84.6 percent of all King County residents ages 5 and up have completed the series (up .2% from a week ago)

*In West Seattle, here are the zip-code vaccination rates for ages 5 and up (note that 98106 and 98146 are not entirely within WS):
98106 – 86.7% (up .2% from a week earlier)
98116 – 91.7% (same as a week earlier)
98126 – 82.6% (up .1% from a week earlier)
98136 – 92.8% (up .1% from a week earlier)
98146 – 81.5% (up .4% from a week earlier)

Though the city’s West Seattle clinic is closed, you can still find vaccination locations via this statewide lookup. We’ll also continue spotlighting pop-up clinics, such as the one the West Seattle YMCA (3622 SW Snoqualmie; WSB sponsor) is hosting next Saturday, March 12th, noon-4 pm.

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WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: Rallying for Black lives outside Louisa Boren K-8 STEM
March 5, 2022 7:43 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: Rallying for Black lives outside Louisa Boren K-8 STEM
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

If you were traveling on Delridge Way at mid-afternoon today, you might have seen members of the Louisa Boren STEM K-8 community waving signs in support of Black lives. The demonstration, organized by the Louisa Boren PTSA, complemented Black Lives Matter at School events that were held districtwide, mostly during February. Parents tell us students also worked on reports about Black people who made history, and those are on display inside the school.

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SENTENCING: 7+ years for man who shot two at Alki Beach
March 5, 2022 5:58 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, February 2020)

Last Sunday, we reported on the guilty plea entered by 23-year-old Allan D. Hawley of Marysville, two years after he shot two acquaintances at Alki Beach. Hawley was sentenced on Friday for the February 2020 shootings. He lied to police, claiming the shootings were done by someone trying to rob the victims, but security video from a nearby business showed the truth, and he was arrested days later. Both victims, then-21-year-old men, survived. As we reported last weekend, prosecutors recommended a sentence of 7 years and 9 months in prison, with credit for time already served, and court documents say that’s the sentence Hawley received yesterday from King County Superior Court Judge Michael Ramsey Scott.

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BOOKS: Long before streaming, there was the Shyvers Multiphone. Here’s your chance to hear from someone who wrote the book on it
March 5, 2022 3:33 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news

Thursday night is the next Words, Writers, Southwest Stories presentation from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – this time, an online conversation involving two well-known West Seattleites:

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is excited to announce that it is hosting John Bennett and Clay Eals in conversation for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, March 10 at 6:00 PM.

John Bennett, author of “The Shyvers Multiphone Story” and a longtime sponsor and board member of the historical society, will be interviewed by Clay Eals, a founding member and former executive director of the historical society. Registration is required. Register here.

Bennett’s 152-page, large-format book, illustrated with hundreds of photos and news and magazine clippings, recounts the fascinating history of a little-known precursor to the jukebox. First called the Shyvers Music Phone and later the Shyvers Multiphone, this Seattle-based invention was placed in restaurants and bars. It allowed a patron to drop a nickel into a slot and select a song to be heard on a speaker as transmitted by phone lines from a 78rpm record that was played by a “hostess” at a centralized, remote location.

The Shyvers Music Phones and Multiphones were popular in the 1940s and 1950s, and they were showcased in the 1949 Doris Day film “My Dream Is Yours.” Their demise followed a music-industry transition to 45rpm records and high-quality jukeboxes. Today, Shyvers Music Phones and Mulitphones are treasured collectibles. Bennett, who operated a jukebox repair and sale business called Jukebox City in Seattle in the 1980s, parlayed his interest in coin-operated music devices and passion for historic preservation into publishing this handsome and evocative book, released in fall 2021. Providing key editing and design assistance was John’s sister, Jane Bennett. The book is for sale via eBay.

You might also know John Bennett for his West Seattle restaurant Luna Park Café as well as his preservationist activities such as participating in saving the Stone Cottage. Eals is a longtime journalist and author whose work includes the well-regarded biography “Steve Goodman: Facing the Music,” now in its sixth printing.

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MUSIC: West Seattle Community Orchestras ready for new members
March 5, 2022 12:55 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Received today from the West Seattle Community Orchestras:

West Seattle Community Orchestras reports that after too much of this:

. . . it’s once again eager to return to this:

We invite you to join us! THERE’S STILL TIME TO REGISTER! But hurry! Some sections are filling up quickly!

In addition to our three orchestras (Debut, Concert and Symphony), we once again will offer beginning strings classes for students and adults.

Whether you’re new or a returning member, you will need to register: wscorchestras.org/register. All participants 5 and older must show proof of vaccination at the time of registration.

Auditions for NEW members are to be held Tuesday, March 15, at Fauntleroy Church. Also on that date Beginning Strings classes will resume, also at Fauntleroy Church.

By the way, this is a great bargain: Students participate for FREE; adults pay a modest fee.

We have a great session planned and hope you’ll join us!

P.S. Brownie points for anyone who can identify the music and/or the composer!

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WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND: Girl Scout Cookie sales!
March 5, 2022 10:57 am
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

10:57 AM: In the mood for cookies? We just received this from Ryan:

You may have already seen them around. Girl Scout cookie sales have begun. This year the girls are allowed to do booth sales again. This Gatewood/Seaview-based little Daisys are selling at Thriftway today until Noon.

Although booth sales have returned, it’s been a really difficult year for the girls to sell cookies. They are getting to learn all about the global supply chain distribution.

Sales for local delivery via the Digital Cookie sites have already been shut down because we can get the supply. We also lost a bunch of cookies in our first delivery was a truck overturned and the cookies were destroyed.

Anybody else with local cookie booths? Let us know!

12:19 PM: Another troop selling right now:

Our girls are selling cookies at the Highland Park Corner Store with some creative advertising! Here until 1 pm!

Angela – Troop 41169

The store’s at 7789 Highland Park Way.

P.S. If you missed the lookup link above, here it is again – use it to see where else Girl Scouts planned to be out this afternoon.

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WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: 14 notes
March 5, 2022 6:34 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Friday’s sunset, photographed by Jen Popp)

Welcome to the weekend! Here’s our list of what’s happening today/tonight:

ROAD-WORK ALERT: Repaving work is happening today – here’s the SDOT alert:

We are returning to West Marginal Way to pave the other side of the street we paved in early February. On Saturday and Sunday, we will be repaving West Marginal Way SW between 2nd Ave SW and Highland Park Way SW. We anticipate beginning this work early as 1 AM and concluding by 1 PM on both days. During work hours, we will be limiting the area to southbound traffic only. People driving northbound will follow a detour route that continues north on 2nd Ave SW to Highland Park Way and connects at the Highland Park Way/West Marginal Way intersection. The road will be fully open outside of work hours.

ALKI BEACH CLEANUP: Meet Jessica and friends for the monthly first Saturday cleanup – supplies provided – 10 am-noon, starting at 2452 Alki SW. More info in our calendar listing.

POTTER CONSTRUCTION @ HOME SHOW: The Seattle Home Show is happening through tomorrow at the Lumen Field Event Center, and Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) is among the West Seattle companies participating. Show hours today are 10 am-6 pm.

LIVE MUSIC AT C & P COFFEE: 10:30 am-noon, Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). No cover.

FREE WEEKLY WRITERS’ GROUP: New participants welcome. 10:30 am – go here to register and to get the meeting address. More details are in our calendar listing.

VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: Open to visitors noon-3 pm, as noted here. (2234 SW Orchard)

WINE TIME: Viscon Cellars‘ (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) tasting room is open 1-6 pm, for tasting or by-the-glass/by-the-bottle wine.

RALLY FOR BLACK LIVES: Happening outside Louisa Boren STEM K-8 this afternoon – here’s the announcement sent to us:

Saturday, March 5 from 2:00-4:00 pm, there will be a PTA-Sponsored Black Lives Matter Rally rally to cap off of STEM’s Black Lives Matter week of action. Please join us in front of the school to lift an affirmative voice for Black lives. If you can, come with uplifting signs or posters to join as we celebrate the Black Lives Matter movement. Be sure to wear a mask and socially distance during this event.

The school is at 5950 Delridge Way SW.

ARTIST RECEPTION: 4-10 pm, visit Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) to meet Alaina Bryan and see her art, as previewed here.

SHELTER OPENING: If you or someone you know is unhoused, the overnight shelter at the West Seattle Veteran Center (3618 SW Alaska) reopens at 5 pm tonight.

OPEN MIC: Go perform at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), 6 pm!

‘A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD’: Second weekend for Twelfth Night Productions‘ presentation of this whimsical musical, 7:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Our calendar listing includes the ticket link.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE SKYLARK: 8 pm, Prismia, Kitty Junk, Buried Blonde. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

MARDI GRAS DRAG SHOW: Special theme for Dolly Madison‘s show at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 9 pm.

Something to add, for today/tonight or beyond? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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SENTENCING: Jail time for employer of man killed in West Seattle trench collapse
March 4, 2022 10:15 pm
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

(January 2016 WSB photo – SFD responders to rescue callout after trench collapse)

ORIGINAL FRIDAY NIGHT REPORT: Six years after 36-year-old Harold Felton died in a trench collapse at a West Seattle worksite, his then-employer was sentenced today to 45 days in jail. We last reported on the case in 2018, when Phillip Numrich, owner of Burien-headquartered Alki Construction LLC, became what the state described at the time as ““the first … Washington employer (who) has faced felony charges for a workplace fatality.” He was charged with manslaughter. Earlier this year, in a plea agreement, Numrich pleaded guilty to the reduced charge of attempted reckless endangerment, a gross misdemeanor. The charge carried a maximum sentence of three months in jail; prosecutors agreed to recommend one month. The court file for this afternoon’s hearing includes this letter from state Labor and Industries supporting jail time, which L&I called unprecedented, detailing what its investigation found:

After several days of heavy rainfall, (Numrich) allowed Mr. Felton to enter an eight- to ten-foot deep trench to work on the sewer replacement. It had been raining heavily, but Mr. Numrich had only brought enough shoring (safety equipment) to protect two of the four sides of the trench from a cave-in. It’s common knowledge that soil becomes less stable following heavy rains. While Mr. Felton was working inside the trench, the sides collapsed, burying him under a massive amount of dirt and killing him. The requirements to protect an excavation such as this one have been in place since the 1970s, and are well known to everyone in the industry.

The defense filed a document quoting Mr. Felton’s co-worker at the site as suggesting insufficient shoring was not at fault, but rather “tunneling” done by the victim. Today’s hour-plus-long hearing also incorporated sentencing for a charge to which Numrich’s company agreed to plead guilty, “violation of labor-safety regulation with death resulting.” King County Superior Court Judge Michael Diaz ordered the 45-day sentence for Numrich on the attempted-reckless-endangerment charge; the sentencing minutes don’t show whether a fine was ordered for the company charge, but the plea bargain included a state recommendation that he be fined $100,000. (We’ll follow up Monday for additional details.)

ADDED MONDAY: Court documents that weren’t available until today show that the judge ordered a $25,000 fine.

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Live, work, study, and/or do business in Admiral? Talk about your neighborhood Tuesday!
March 4, 2022 8:45 pm
|    Comments Off on Live, work, study, and/or do business in Admiral? Talk about your neighborhood Tuesday!
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

The Admiral Neighborhood Association isn’t just for Admiral residents – it’s also for business owners, workers, students, shoppers, diners, anyone with an interest in the neighborhood. And ANA would love to connect with you at its next meeting, set for Tuesday night (March 8th), 7 pm. You can participate either in person (Admiral Church, 4320 SW Hill) or online (link’s in our calendar listing). ANA also is reminding you that it’s launched a new website – connecttoadmiral.org.

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WEST SEATTLE ART: Glow-in-the-dark creations and more @ Saturday exhibit reception on Alki
March 4, 2022 7:10 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE ART: Glow-in-the-dark creations and more @ Saturday exhibit reception on Alki
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

That’s some of the art by Alaina Bryan that’s on display at Locust Cider on Alki. It’s her first show, and you can meet her during a 4-10 pm reception there tomorrow (Saturday, March 5th). Here’s her story:

I’m a 24-year-old artist from West Seattle specializing in a unique art technique that I call “claynting”- that is, painting with polymer clay on glass surfaces. I invented the technique in 2019 while recovering from a traumatic brain injury. Nearly 3 years later, I am fully recovered, much thanks to my art therapy. I work now as a full-time self-employed artist while studying UX Design in online grad school. My injury has made me determined to do what I love with the time I’m given, and given me a passion for accessibility, especially in the arts & entertainment industry.

I have approximately 50 works of art, all for sale, currently being displayed at Locust Cider on Alki, including many of my original clay works. All of my works are created from secondhand or ‘upcycled’ materials, including the large polymer clay windows. Also, many of my pieces are UV fluorescent and/or glow-in-the-dark! This makes for very fun night-time viewing over a delicious glass of cider.

Locust is at 2820 Alki SW, open to all ages.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Shelter reopening
March 4, 2022 4:54 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(West Seattle Veteran Center photo)

Winter’s not over yet, and colder weather is ahead. Keith Hughes of the West Seattle Veteran Center and American Legion Post 160 says he plans to reopen the overnight shelter there at 5 pm tomorrow (Saturday, March 5th). He plans to keep it open through at least next Wednesday, adding, “I will be staffing it myself and with volunteers from 5 pm until 10 am each day.” He says the King County Regional Homelessness Authority still is not funding the shelter, which is the only one in West Seattle – if they would , he says, “we could increase our staffing and increase our capacity to help the homeless community in the Southwest corridor.” Meantime, we asked if they need any particular donations right now, volunteers or food/clothing or money. His reply: “The community response over the past two cold spells has been wonderful and very generous, so I really don’t have any pressing needs for supplies or clothing this time around. I have also been able to build up my list of willing volunteers, so I am able to get at least one break per day for a run of 5 or 6 days of cold. I just want to keep up the awareness that winter is not over and there are still people out there without food and shelter. When you see them, help them. If you can’t help them directly, point them to the West Seattle Veteran Center Shelter.” It’s at 3618 SW Alaska.

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WEST SEATTLE PARKS: Camp Long reopens, with an invitation for you
March 4, 2022 2:25 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(February photos courtesy Camp Long)

That’s the view from Schurman Rock at Camp Long. After a long period of pandemic closure, the 68-acre park at 5200 35th SW has “soft-reopened,” and that opens opportunities not only for visiting, but also for helping guide its future. First, here’s what we’ve learned from Camp Long supervisor Matt Kostle:

Camp Long Park is open, hours as follows:

Tuesday through Sunday – Gates are open from 10 am-6 pm

(Comfort Stations may close slightly earlier to allow staff time to close the whole facility)

We are now accepting rentals at full capacity for the following:

-Main Lodge rooms (upstairs room, basement, kitchen)
-Outside shelters
-Outside large fire ring

We are planning to open rentals to our cabins soon

Our Challenge Course and Rock Wall are also available for groups to register for programming!

For rental and general park information, contact Nancy Mitchell 206-684-7434 camp.long@seattle.gov

For Educational Challenge Course Programs, contact: Maggie Riederer maggie.riederer@seattle.gov

Kostle adds, “We are transitioning to these new hours and rentals and with limited staff on hand so we may not have as much availability for rentals and park opening and closure may not be at exact times published but we are making every effort to move to these times and availabilities to keep the park open and rentals available to use.”

He also told us, “During the pandemic we have also been able to make some major upgrades to the facilities, the biggest of which is the addition of WIFI now available at the main lodge in addition to some large Smart TVs so folks can host meetings, conferences, presentations, etc. here and still reach a wider digital audience!”

Now, here’s where you come in. Camp Long is revitalizing its Advisory Council and would love to hear from prospective members. Here’s that announcement:

Help Make Camp Long an Epic Destination – Become an Advisory Council Member:

Represent and engage the community
Advocate on behalf of the community
Advise on programs and activities that meet community needs
Assist with fundraising and promotions
Event planning and volunteer participation

RSVP today to join us for a virtual information and interest session on Tuesday, March 15th at 6:30 pm

Or contact sebastian.wilson@seattle.gov – 206-265-1378

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SCHOOLS: Seattle’s interim superintendent is offered the permanent job
March 4, 2022 1:29 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

West Seattle’s representative on the Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors, Leslie Harris, was the only “no” vote this morning as the board voted to offer interim superintendent Dr. Brent Jones the permanent job. The 6-1 vote came during a special board meeting. The board had hired a consulting firm that launched a “national search” two months ago, but no other candidates had been announced. Dr. Jones has been interim superintendent for 10 months, following the departure of Denise Juneau after just under three years. The announcement of today’s vote says contract negotiations will start immediately; the interim role carried a $315,000 salary.

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CAN YOU HELP? White Center Food Bank call for baby-formula donations
March 4, 2022 11:47 am
|    Comments Off on CAN YOU HELP? White Center Food Bank call for baby-formula donations
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | White Center

Just in from the White Center Food Bank, which also serves part of West Seattle:

CALL FOR BABY FORMULA DONATIONS!

There was a recall of formula, and White Center Food Bank is running extremely low on supplies for our baby pantry.

We could use our community’s help to restock the shelves!

Here are the recall guidelines so you can check before you buy.

Donation hours at the food bank are 8-3:30 Mondays-Fridays (10829 8th Ave SW)

If those hours or location are not convenient, we have donation barrels located at:

– BECU in Roxbury Safeway
– Burien Press
– Moonshot Coffee
– Good Day Donuts
– Future Primitive Beer
– White Center and Fauntleroy Starbucks locations

You can also donate online at: whitecenterfoodbank.networkforgood.com

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FOLLOWUP: Repairs ahead for broken sewer pipe beneath Beach Drive
March 4, 2022 11:26 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Utilities | West Seattle news

New information today about Thursday’s sewer-pipe leak beneath Beach Drive, north of Lowman Beach. As noted in a late-night update added to our original coverage, it’s a King County Wastewater Treatment Division pipe, and right now, a crew is on scene using a video camera to get a closer look at the problem. We’ve talked with KCWTD spokesperson Marie Fiore, who says the pipe carries West Seattle sewage to the West Point treatment plant across Elliott Bay. It runs parallel to another pipe, so they had to “hand dig” to get to it for investigative purposes, so the other pipe isn’t damaged in the process, Fiore explained; that one is now carrying what would have been routed through the leaky pipe. She says they’re 70-year-old concrete pipes. Once the camera crew – whose work has traffic down to one lane, with flaggers, in the area right now – is done, they’ll know the timing and scope of repair work. Meantime, the Lowman Beach shore – affected by the seawall construction work right now anyway – will stay closed at least through the weekend, as Fiore says water-testing results aren’t expected back until Monday. They’re also working on an estimate of how much sewage spilled before the leak was stopped last night.

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UPDATE: Suspect in custody after KCSO/SPD response at 16th/Roxbury
March 4, 2022 9:22 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | White Center

(WSB photos)

9:22 AM: Thanks for the tip. SW Roxbury is blocked at 16th by a large police/sheriff’s response. We are told at the scene that they are attempting to arrest “a person with a knife” who is outside the T-Mobile store at that intersection. The closure continues to the east. Updates to come.

9:30 AM: This is primarily a KCSO situation, although SPD is there too. Deputies tell us they had dealt with the suspect earlier and that he had threatened them with a knife, so that’s what preceded this standoff. 16th and Delridge are both blocked to the north of Roxbury. (added) Metro has rerouted the 120, 128, and 60, according to an alert.

9:42 AM: The man is now in custody. Our crew was still on scene and reports that the man moved toward a line of shielded deputies and was within Taser distance, so they used that weapon to subdue and arrest him. They tell us the streets should reopen in 15 to 30 minutes.

10:21 AM: As shown on the nearest traffic cam, the scene has cleared and the streets are open again. Metro has also sent an update that buses are back to their normal routes.

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WEST SEATTLE FRIDAY: 8 events!
March 4, 2022 8:50 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Thursday afternoon clouds, photographed by Jan Pendergrass)

Here’s what’s happening on March’s first Friday:

POP-UP CLEANUP: 10 am-noon, join Erik Bell in a pop-up family-friendly cleanup starting at EC Hughes Playground (29th/Holden). Our calendar listing has details of how to participate, for all or part of it.

MAYOR ON PUBLIC SAFETY: Mayor Bruce Harrell plans a speech about public-safety collaboration at 10:30 am, joined by agencies that work on it, at the federal, state, county, and city level. You can watch live via Seattle Channel.

CABERNET TASTING: 4-6 pm, visit West Seattle Liquor and Wine (4714 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) to taste Cabernets from around the world, as previewed here.

AFTER-SCHOOL MAGIC LEAGUE: The Magic League is in session 4-6 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW) – details in our calendar listing.

DJ NIGHT AT THE SPOT WEST SEATTLE: Friday night DJ’ing starts at 6 pm. (2920 SW Avalon Way)

SCHOOL MUSIC SHOWCASE ON RADIO: Thanks to Dawn for the tip:

Tonight’s episode of NW Focus Live on Classical KING FM 98.1 will feature a panel of Seattle-area music students and teachers. Taking part in the discussion on their experiences with music education are Chief Sealth Band Director Joey Roberts and student musician and Sealth junior Riley Tobin. Riley will also be performing live on the show along with the other student panelists. NW Focus Live airs on Friday evening at 8 PM.

AUTHOR EVENT AT C&P COFFEE: 7-9 pm at C&P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), “join author and musician Gerald Elias for a Special Free Book and Music Event and light refreshments … Elias will present his 7th and newest Daniel Jacobus murder mystery, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MURDER.” More info in our calendar listing.

‘A YEAR WITH FROG AND TOAD’: Second weekend starts for Twelfth Night Productions‘ presentation of this whimsical musical, 7:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Our calendar listing includes the ticket link.

Anything to add to our calendar? Email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Friday notes + weekend alerts
March 4, 2022 6:03 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Friday, March 4th.

WEATHER

Cloudy, cooler forecast, with a high in the 40s.

WEEKEND ALERTS

Saturday and Sunday, repaving resumes on West Marginal Way SW south of Highland Park Way; Sunday, there’ll be work at the 5-way intersection as well as sign work further west on Spokane. Details on all three projects are here.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES TODAY

Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of reroutes/cancellations.

Water Taxi‘s on its regular schedule.

Ferries: WSF continues the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

710th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

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.)

1st Avenue South Bridge:

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? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted by @wsdot_traffic.

All city traffic cams can be seen here; West Seattle and vicinity-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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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Late-night gunfire
March 3, 2022 11:54 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Highland Park | Puget Ridge | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL THURSDAY NIGHT REPORT: A resident along 16th SW near SW Othello texted us to say they heard “gunshots … about 6 or 10 in a row, super loud” a short time ago. Police are in the area now and have just told dispatch that they’ve located a casing. No word of any injuries so far.

ADDED FRIDAY: SPD’s preliminary incident summary says no witnesses could be found, just “broken glass from a vehicle and evidence of a shooting were recovered from the street in the 7300 block of 16 Ave SW.”

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WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: What we learned from the first 9 ‘progress reports’
March 3, 2022 9:49 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

(SDOT bridge-top camera image, noontime today)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

As part of the West Seattle Bridge repair contract, weekly progress reports are required. In late January, we asked SDOT for those reports; they told us our request had to go through the city’s public-disclosure-request system, which subsequently estimated our request would take a month to fulfill. It did. This week we received minutes from the first nine weekly progress meetings, from November 23rd through January 18th.

The documents show that these meetings are held at 8 am Tuesdays. The reports, usually two to three pages long, are not detailed, and the ones we’ve received don’t reveal anything dramatic, but there are a few points of interest. Most notable is that the concrete-drivers strike first turns up in the January 11th report, with this notation:

Ongoing Teamsters strike against the concrete suppliers locally has shut down many jobsites. While there are no impacts to the project yet, concern for concrete availability once suppliers are allowed to deliver again. Concrete suppliers will address in order of priority based on volume. Given the lower volume of the project, concerns with meeting the schedule deadlines are being monitored and schedule options are being explored to condense the concrete delivery timeframe.

That note appeared four weeks before Mayor Bruce Harrell stood before media crews and warned that the strike would delay the bridge reopening if concrete didn’t become available by February 20th.

Other notes of interest include a COVID outbreak reported among the bridge crew in the January 18th report – three confirmed cases and one suspected case; the report adds that “all were fully vaccinated.” From mid-December to mid-January, there were multiple mentions of logistics for the raising of the bridge work platforms.

(WSB photo, January 29th, just before second half of second platform went up)

They were at one point expected to be hoisted in December, but instead went up in January; progress-meeting minutes indicate that working with the railroad took extra time – “railroad comments” were cited as a reason for a resubmittal of documents related to the hoisting.

The reports are on forms with a preset list of discussion topics, and lists of invitees/attendees, from repair contractor Kraemer North America, SDOT, consultant (and repair designer) WSP, and in addition to SDOT’s in-house communicators, representatives of communications consultant Stepherson and Associates. We have put in public-disclosure requests for the weekly reports filed since the ones we received, and are waiting for estimates on how long that’ll take.

P.S. As for what’s happening now with the bridge, work continues, minus concrete. Last week, SDOT told the West Seattle Transportation Coalition they still hope to be able to reopen the bridge in mid-2022.

On the strike front, the drivers’ union, Teamsters Local 174, says it wants to bargain individually with the concrete suppliers; the suppliers responded with a statement today accusing the drivers of trying to “bully the construction industry.”

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READER REPORT: Anti-mask tirade targets autistic student
March 3, 2022 7:11 pm
|      36 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Many mask mandates are ending. That doesn’t mean mask-wearing is ending for everyone. Some people will still be required to; some will still choose to. Many elected and community leaders have stressed the importance of not hassling those who continue to wear them. We received this report from Gary about an incident today:

Our son is 19 years old and high-functioning autistic. He is part of the Seattle Public Schools BRIDGES program, aimed at helping Special Needs kids integrate into adult life / society.

After getting off the bus [with his teacher] and walking around 26th and Roxbury on the way to class [at the former Roxhill Elementary building], a large truck decided to stop, pull out his phone, start recording them, yelling and swearing how he is brainwashed and doesn’t need to wear a mask outside. Although not “illegal,” I’m sure many parents can understand the emotions that it brings. We now have to pay attention if this has caused additional apprehension about riding Metro, the community, and people in general. All of which are difficult for kids with special needs.

It was handled well by the teacher, and the truck moved on… just truly a shame how selfish and rude people are, unaware of the damage and setbacks something like this could actually cause to somebody.

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CRIME WATCH: Another stolen red Nissan
March 3, 2022 7:04 pm
|    Comments Off on CRIME WATCH: Another stolen red Nissan
 |   Crime | South Park | West Seattle news

For the second time today, we’re publishing a report of a stolen red Nissan – this time, a car. Katie‘s red 2007 Nissan Sentra was stolen from the 800 block of South Donovan St in South Park on Tuesday night. License plate BWN3670. If you see it, call 911.

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