WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen gray 4Runner (update: found)
James hopes you can help find his stolen Toyota 4Runner:
ORIGINAL THURSDAY NIGHT REPORT: My 4Runner was stolen in front of my house (Brandon and 45th, near West Seattle Nursery) early Wednesday morning at 2:17 am. Maybe someone will see it and report back. It’s a gray 1988 4Runner with a cracked windshield. My son and I have put a lot of time into restoring it and we’re all sad about it.
The vehicle now has Washington plates, BTS2702. Here’s security video from right before the theft:
7:44 PM FRIDAY: James just emailed to report, “Good news! SPD found at motel in Georgetown and I got it back today. The interior is pretty bashed up and they decided to paint the dash blue. Still, so happy to have it back.”
About that other high-profile city job opening
Mayor Bruce Harrell‘s announcement today of the search process for a new police chief had one WSB commenter wondering what’s up with the search for a new SDOT director. So we asked mayoral spokesperson Jamie Housen. His reply tonight: “We should have some news to announce on the SDOT front soon around the search process, which will be a robust national search and include community input and stakeholder engagement.” When Harrell announced previous SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe‘s departure three and a half months ago, he elevated SDOT chief of staff Kristen Simpson to interim director, but said she wouldn’t be applying for the permanent job. We also asked Housen if the mayor had visited the West Seattle Bridge yet, since those weekly progress-report documents we’ve been getting (on a 4-week delay via public-disclosure request) mentioned it. Housen said, “The mayor’s schedule hasn’t aligned for a site visit to the bridge yet, but it is something we are hoping to get on the calendar, as the bridge’s repair and reopening remains one of the administration’s highest priorities.” P.S. Former SDOT director Zimbabwe, who lives in West Seattle, just started a new job in the private sector, with the design-consulting firm Kimley-Horn.
HEALTH CARE: Providence, Swedish announce ‘unified brand’
Two of our region’s major health-care organizations, Providence and Swedish, have been affiliated for a decade now. But apparently that’s not obvious to all, so they’ve announced a “unified brand” … all the organizations’ eight hospitals and 214 clinics will now be under the brand Providence Swedish. The announcement suggests the only real difference patients will notice will be signage; that’ll roll out in the months ahead, we were told on follow-up. The announcement also includes this note:
As they have since 2012, Providence and Swedish will continue to honor one another’s distinct identities. Swedish will remain a secular organization, and Providence will remain a faith-based organization. That means Swedish locations will continue to provide certain services that may not be available at Providence locations according to the original affiliation agreement. Providence and Swedish will also remain separate employers, and its foundations will continue to operate as separate 501(c)3s.
WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Tank taken; suspected catalytic-converter theft
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
TANK THEFT: From Jill:
Alki area 11:30 pm (Tuesday night). Car drove into condo carport and parked. Walked to bbq and stole propane tank. We yelled at them out the window and they said come down and get it from them.
CATALYTIC CONVERTER THEFT? From Mindy:
(Wednesday) morning between 5:30 and 5:40 (not sure exact time) heard a car door and voices outside. When a grinding noise started, looked out the door to see a car stopped (3800 block of 17th Ave SW, near W Marginal Way SW) with passenger door open next to a car in front of the house downhill from ours (couldn’t see which car they were working on and don’t know the owners of neighborhood cars).
I yelled “What’s that noise” or something, yelled some more hoping to scare them off. My husband also came out and yelled. They paused but started up again. I yelled about calling the police and headed down from our upstairs unit toward the street. A man in a gray hoodie with a flashlight got into the passenger door of the stopped vehicle — a dark sedan, I think, but I couldn’t see the license plate — and the vehicle backed down the street toward W Marginal Way SW.
A “dark sedan” has been described in some recent catalytic-converter thefts in the area.
Mayor outlines plan for Seattle Police chief search and how you figure into it
It’s been more than a year and a half since Adrian Diaz became interim Seattle Police Chief. Today, Mayor Bruce Harrell outlined his plan for finding a permanent police chief, noting that Diaz is “encourage(d) … to apply.” The mayor’s announcement says Harrell will soon hire “an independent third-party firm to assist in identifying candidates nationwide.” He’ll also appoint a search committee “made up of local leaders including law enforcement experts, Community Police Commission members, and representatives from small businesses, communities of color, and other key voices.” Along with those steps, the mayor also promises a website “providing an overview of the search process” and an online survey where community members can “list what they are looking for in the next chief.” The announcement, which does not specify a timeline by which the mayor hopes to make a hire, also notes the city charter spells out some requirements including “a competitive examination … to identify the three finalists” as well as City Council confirmation.
BIZNOTE: Party time for Highland Park Corner Store’s first anniversary
One year ago, Meaghan Haas had just opened Highland Park Corner Store in the renovated ex-mini-mart at 7789 Highland Park Way SW. With all the challenges that businesses faced during the pandemic, she nonetheless plunged ahead and started something new, and now it’s time to mark the milestone of making it through year one. The store’s already become a place for community celebrations, and this time it’s about HPCS itself – you’re invited to “just show up” Saturday afternoon (April 2nd), 1-4 pm, for festivities including cake, games, a piñata (around 3 pm), and more.
6 ways to spend the rest of your West Seattle Thursday
(Trillium, photographed in Fauntleroy Park by Mark Dale)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ART EXHIBIT: “Oceans of Emotion” is now on display at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), and you can drop in any time until 4 pm to see it.
BODY IN MOVEMENT: Free workshop at Daystar Retirement Village (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) on how to keep moving and keep healthy, 11 am. Details in our calendar listing.
RAPIDRIDE CONSTRUCTION Q&A: The RapidRide H Line project team will be available online or by phone (206-485-0017, conference ID: 206 834 474#) 5-6 pm for drop-in Q&A.
BOARD GAME NIGHT: Come try something new at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), 6:30-10 pm.
‘FEEDING THE WHOLE FAMILY’: Online presentation with Cynthia Lair, benefiting West Seattle’s Cooperative Preschools, 7:30 pm – our calendar listing explains what you’ll see and how to attend.
THEATER: ArtsWest‘s new play “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing” starts its third week tonight, 7:30 pm, in the theater at 4711 California SW. Tickets available here.
Have an event to list on our calendar? We’re adding more daily – email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Thursday watch
6:02 AM: Good morning. It’s Thursday, March 31st.
WEATHER
Some sun, some rain, high in the 50s.
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. Shuttle service is now back to serving all runs.
Ferries: WSF is still using the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
776th 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.)
NOTE: SDOT WAS STILL HAVING CAMERA TROUBLE AS OF EARLY TODAY, SO WE ONLY HAVE THIS WSDOT CAM:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
CAMERA P.S. – YOU CAN ACCESS VIDEO FROM CAMERA WINDOWS ON SDOT MAP HERE
Are movable bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted by @wsdot_traffic.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
Dozens of questions, answers, comments @ Sound Transit’s West Seattle light rail public hearing
(Rendering of potential SW Genesee guideway, from page 126 in DEIS Appendix N-2)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
You have four weeks left to officially comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the West Seattle (and Ballard) light-rail extensions – basically, one last major chance to speak up before its final routing and station locations are settled.
As part of that process, Sound Transit held an online public hearing tonight, this one geared toward the West Seattle segment, currently expected to open in 2032. The DEIS contains results of studies of the possible alternatives for routing and station locations, and the comments will be taken into consideration by ST board members – including King County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who spoke briefly at the start of the meeting – at their next major decision point, likely this June.
Three-quarters of the meeting was devoted to Q&A and comments; 22 people offered the latter, half of them advocating for ST to study the gondola system whose advocates have pitched it as an option to West Seattle light rail.
As the meeting began, ST’s Cathal Ridge began with a recap of the project plan, going back to the ST3 vote in 2016. Design starts in 2023; construction of the West Seattle line is scheduled to start in 2026. The official comment period for the DEIS began January 28th, and after it’s over, the board “will confirm or modify the preferred alternative.” He also recapped the alternatives that are being studied while noted that some of them would “require third-party funding.”
OVERVIEW: For an overview of what’s been studied, Ridge turned it over to Jason Hampton, who’s leading the West Seattle segment planning. For context on what’s in the DEIS, here are the focus topics:
Read More
WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Rainbow sightings, and what’s ahead
(Photo by Jerry Simmons)
Thanks for the rainbow photos! The sightings happened during an afternoon of unsettled weather – rainshowers mixing with sun at least twice.
(Texted photo, Riverview Playfield)
Again tomorrow, we might see some sun, might see some rain. The forecast for the days ahead appears to be spanning all possibilities, typical for Seattle springtime.
CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Charges filed in Andover shooting
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed two felony charges against the suspect in last Thursday morning’s shooting near 26th/Andover. 38-year-old Justin A. Weiland is charged with second-degree assault, with a firearm enhancement, and unlawful gun possession. The charging documents note that his criminal record goes back 25 years; in that time, prosecutors say, he’s been the subject of 50 warrants. As reported here last week, he was arrested hours after the shooting, leaving the Junction apartment of a woman who was reported to be with him when it happened. Prosecutors now say she factored indirectly into the shooting – though the victim is reported to have told police he didn’t know who shot him, the woman told police the victim is her former boyfriend, and that he and Weiland had been “feuding.” The entire incident was recorded by a security camera at the nearby West Seattle Health Club, and that’s how police identified Weiland as the suspect; an officer wrote that he and a partner “patrol the area of that encampment regularly and make a habit of getting to know the subjects that frequent that area. Justin Weiland is extremely recognizable to us as we have spoken to him on many occasions. Furthermore Justin Weiland’s signature look is a black jacket, blue jeans, a flat billed ball cap worn forward, and almost always fancy tennis shoes.” The 41-year-old victim suffered a gunshot wound to his calf. Weiland remains in the King County Jail, bail set at $300,000. (We obtained his photo from the state Department of Corrections, the only area agency that releases photos on request, provided the person has been in their system.)
About the SFD response in The Junction
Just in case you’re in The Junction and wondering – four SFD units were sent to Pizzeria Credo (4520 California SW) but are reporting the problem was just “smoke from a pizza oven,” so they’re downsizing the response.
GOT PLANTS? Arbor Heights Elementary’s school garden wants them!
Gardening season is here – and if you have surplus plants, here’s a garden whose tenders would be happy to give them a new home: The Arbor Heights Elementary School Garden! Here’s the request – with an invitation – sent to us so we can share it with you:
Do you have any plants or herbs to donate to the Arbor Heights Elementary school garden? The students and garden volunteers are looking for plants (especially pollinators) to hold down the new soil and prevent erosion for the new berms (raised beds) they will be building at the upcoming garden work party on Sunday, April 3.
Spring is a good time to divide and move perennials, so if you have any divisions to share from your home garden, we’d love to have them. You can bring any plants to Arbor Heights Elementary during school hours (7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.) and leave them by the front entrance — or stop by on Sunday, April 3, from 10–11:30 a.m. for the garden work party. If you’d like to join the party, bring a pair of gloves and weeding tools. The more, the merrier!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Amy West, 3rd-grade teacher, and school garden fairy, at akwest@seattleschools.org.
The school is at 3701 SW 104th.
BIZNOTE: Antique Mall of West Seattle will reopen
(WSB photo, March 2020)
After two years of pandemic closure, some have wondered if the Antique Mall of West Seattle was ever going to reopen. Today, we have an answer – yes! Antique Mall management announced last night that the longtime Junction business at 4516 California SW will reopen in April. No specifics yet, but they’re promised “soon.” And if you’re in The Junction on Sundays, look for their sidewalk sales!
BIZNOTE: Duke’s Seafood Alki seeking four nonprofits to help with ‘Countdown to the Bridge’ benefits
In addition to the community planning effort looking ahead to the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge (as updated here last night), some businesses and organizations have special events in the works too. Duke’s Seafood Alki (WSB sponsor) plans four dine-out benefits in the months ahead and is looking for nonprofits interested in being considered. Here’s the announcement:
Duke’s Seafood Alki today launched a search for nonprofit organizations to highlight and honor as part of its “Countdown to the Bridge” campaign. Duke’s Seafood designed the campaign to celebrate the hardworking people of West Seattle as they battle the challenges imposed by the closing of the West Seattle bridge. Nonprofits are encouraged to share their story at our website by end of April 2022.
“With the opening in sight, we want to thank the nonprofit organizations that continued to work tirelessly during the hard months when the bridge was closed,” says Duke Moscrip, founder of Duke’s Seafood. “We know those challenges firsthand. The transportation difficulties and their resulting consequences to Alki Beach due to the bridge closure has hit all of us hard. So, as we count down to the opening, we want to recognize four nonprofit organizations in West Seattle, one per month, where we donate a percentage of our sales for that evening.”
Duke’s Seafood seeks nonprofits in the West Seattle area and has set up a webpage to apply for this partnership: dukesseafood.com/locations/alki. “Duke’s Seafood values sustainability and honesty in everything we do,” says Moscrip. “We seek to align with nonprofits that share those values. We encourage any nonprofit in the area to tell us your story, how you serve the community and the challenges you have faced due to the bridge closure. We know it’s been tough, and we hope our small gesture will make a difference.”
Duke’s Seafood Alki opened in 2001 at 2516 Alki Ave SW, West Seattle. It is open for lunch and dinner from 11 am-10 pm Sunday through Thursday, and 11 am-11 pm Friday and Saturday, with Happy Hour daily from 3-6 pm and 9 pm-close on the deck and in the bar.
Duke’s plans to announce the beneficiary organizations by April 30th, so best to apply sooner rather than later.
TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Wednesday notes
6:01 AM: Good morning. It’s Wednesday, March 30th.
WEATHER
Cloudy and cooler, some rain, high in the 50s.
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. Shuttle service is now back to serving all runs – here’s the announcement.
Ferries: WSF is still using the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
736th 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.)
NOTE: SDOT WAS STILL HAVING CAMERA TROUBLE AS OF EARLY TODAY, SO WE ONLY HAVE THIS WSDOT CAM:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Are movable bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted by @wsdot_traffic.
Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
UPDATE: Seattle Fire ‘full response’ for 3000 block of 47th SW
11:43 PM: Seattle Fire has dispatched a “full response” to the 3000 block of 47th SW for [map] what’s reported as a possible fire in a basement garage. Updates to come.
11:49 PM: Firefighters are confirming smoke from one level of a “split-level” home.
11:52 PM: The fire is reported to be under control.All occupants are safely out.
11:56 PM: And now the fire’s “tapped” (out).
12:13 AM: Some units continue to be dismissed from the scene. SFD says no one was hurt.
3:48 PM WEDNESDAY: SFD says the cause is still under investigation.
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: Concrete update; six more ‘progress reports’ obtained; celebration planning
Three West Seattle Bridge updates:
(SDOT photo: Expansion joint rehab, also awaiting concrete)
CLOSER TO CONCRETE? When last we checked with SDOT regarding whether some striking drivers’ offer to return to work would result in concrete for the bridge, they said contractor Kraemer North America was talking with potential supplier Cadman about the “recipe” for what they need. Today, when asked for an update, SDOT told WSB, “At this stage in the project’s pursuit of concrete, the city has evaluated and approved Cadman’s concrete mix designs. Kraemer is now working with Cadman to determine their delivery capacity and schedule.” SDOT’s response to our inquiry also said, “We are still aiming to reopen the bridge in mid-2022.”
PROGRESS REPORTS: The bridge project team continues to have “progress report” meetings on Tuesday. As explained here in early March, we requested the reports from those meetings and were told they could only be released through the public-disclosure process, which has been taking about a month. So we continue to file requests for them. We just received six more, from the meetings January 25th, February 1st, February 8th, February 15th, February 22nd, and March 1st; the only notable point is that the concrete situation is recapped weekly, with the February 1st notation, “Project can endure strike without schedule impacts through about February 20th. After this date, impacts will be day for day.” That was eight days before the city publicly announced the February 20th date; also of note, we hadn’t heard the “day for day” point before; SDOT has repeatedly said that the schedule impacts won’t be known until the last pour for the post-tensioning (strengthening). February 8th brought a mention of concern about “exposed rebar” somewhere on the bridge deck. And the February 15th report noted an incident: “Westbound Highrise vehicle drove into perimeter gate. No injuries or major damage. Security could not locate car.” That week’s report also mentioned a possible “mayoral visit” to the bridge, but no further notations about whether that ever happened.
CELEBRATION PLANNING CONTINUES: As also previously mentioned, a community coalition has been working on plans to celebrate the reopening of the bridge, whenever it happens. Members of the subcommittees are holding an online meeting every other Tuesday to check in, and today brought one of those meetings. Many specifics are still yet to be decided, but here are a few toplines. Instead of just a logo contest, they’ll ask community members to suggest slogans too. Watch for the announcement of that. They’ve settled on some verbiage, though – there’ll be a website at westseattlebestseattle (dot) org, and they’ll encourage use of the #westseattlebestseattle hashtag – this, to underscore a goal of the reopening celebration, to encourage the rest of the region to come visit. They’re also still seeking sponsors for the celebratory event(s).
Just in case you wondered too: Helicopter loops
That’s a screengrab from Flightradar24 a few minutes ago, showing the loops the King County Sheriff’s Office helicopter Guardian One has been flying. We’ve received a few questions from people wondering if there’s an incident; no, just loops, as far north as Lincoln Park and as far south as Des Moines. This happens every so often. Whether it’s training or patroling, we don’t know, but will inquire tomorrow.
There’ll be another pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinic in West Seattle this weekend: This one is for 
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