Students from several West Seattle schools were among the competitors again this year in the Environmental Slam. Thanks to Marco for sending this report on how it went:

On Thursday, May 19th, it was time again for the annual WFFE Environmental Slam. WFFE (Washington Foundation for the Environment) is a nonprofit based in Seattle. Our mission is to empower young people to use their voices to advocate for the environment and climate-change initiatives since 1979. The Slam promotes environmental research, activism, and presentation for young people in Washington in grades 5-12. It is a showcase of individuals and teams from around Washington competing to make the most compelling case for action on regional environmental issues. Winners in each category of the Slam designate a local non-profit supporting their cause to receive a $500 donation in their name.

This year marked an especially successful event, because we were able to hand out $3,750 in total to these nonprofits picked by our young presenters:

oceana.org – environmentwashington.org – kab.org – greenpeace.org – climateclock.world – drawdown.org – seaottersavvy.org – climate-refugees.org – wolfhaven.org – pugetsoundkeeper.org

This was the thirteenth year of the environmental Slam (and the 2nd year online). With 10 entries from Genesee Hill Elementary, McClure Middle School, Explorer West Middle School, Madison Middle School, and Whitman Middle School we had a great spread of presentations. First place selected by our expert judges (from the local nonprofits Futurewise, Sound Experience, and Zero Waste Washington) went to the presentation on the orcas of Puget Sound and raised $550 for Environment Washington. Second place went to the Climate Rap, benefiting Climate Refugees. We also learned about Turtles, Trash in our Parks, Fossil Fuels, the Climate Clock, Sea Otters, Wolves in Yellowstone, Fossil Fuels, Global Warming, and Pollution in Puget Sound.

Since we hosted the Slam online, we don’t have a picture of this year’s actual winners, but this picture from 2019 will give you a good idea of how happy our winners were with their success and the money they raised:

A huge THANK YOU to all our donors, volunteers, supporters, teachers, parents, and especially the wonderful youths who taught us so much!

More information at Washington Foundation for the Environment. WFFE is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization chartered in Washington State.

READER REPORT: Suspicious sighting at Hiawatha

| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

E sent this after family and friends urged her to tell others:

This morning at about 5 am, I was running at Hiawatha track. I had a fairly unnerving encounter around 5:15 am. I was doing my warm-up run, and suddenly noticed a guy watching me, hanging out by the portapotty, hadn’t been there on my previous laps. When he saw me notice him, he pretended to be reading a sign, but then went back to watching me and took something out of his backpack. I started switching directions and he kept standing there, doing odd things, but watching me. There was something not right about it. Then, luckily, I was getting near him but trying to stay clear and he looked intentional about approaching me. As if by magic the wonderful group of guys who normally do boot-camp class showed up. They seemed like they might have noticed something was off too, as they stopped and stared at him, and he looked between us and kind of shuffled off. He then moved to some other bushes at the end of the track and watched for a bit longer before finally disappearing.

I don’t want to be an alarmist, but something was very off about it. Just wanted to warn other early Hiawatha frequenters to be on the lookout. Like I said, nothing concrete, but I’d feel terrible not saying and finding out something happened and I could have warned others.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: Two timeline followups

| West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

Last Friday night, we noted that City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s newsletter had two West Seattle Bridge timeline updates that weren’t included in the SDOT bridge newsletter sent just a few hours earlier. So we followed up. Here are the answers we received today:

(SDOT image, first structural-concrete delivery April 16)

CONCRETE: Almost six weeks after the first structural-concrete pour, the last two are expected to happen tomorrow and Thursday, according to SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson. That doesn’t mark the end of the repair work, but it’ll be a milestone, since SDOT has said it needs to get through those pours before it can update the completion schedule. Speaking of which …

TIMELINE UPDATE: Bergerson explained Herbold’s mention of a timeline update expected June 9th: “We plan to give an update about the reopening timeline at the next Community Task Force meeting on June 9.” When the CTF last met in April, the June meeting date wasn’t finalized, and there was hope the reopening date would already have been announced, so that it would be less of a briefing meeting, but apparently not.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Arbor Heights house-fire victim dies; neighbors organizing help

May 24, 2022 2:55 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Arbor Heights | How to help | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, Sunday evening)

2:55 PM: When an Arbor Heights house caught fire Sunday evening, neighbors rushed over with fire extinguishers to try to help while firefighters were on the way. Now, neighbors are assisting in another way – they’ve organized crowdfunding for the family coping with the aftermath of what SFD ruled was an accidental fire. The most seriously injured victim is still in the hospital in critical condition with burns, neighbor Steve tells WSB. So neighbors are doing what they can to help, and for all the times readers ask if they can help in the wake of emergencies, they wanted to let you know too. They explain on the crowdfunding page that the victim and his wife “are wonderful neighbors who have lived on our block for many years.”

4 PM: Since we published this, as noted in comments, the crowdfunding page has been updated with the news that the critically injured man, Angelo, has died.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Early-morning shooting, robbery

May 24, 2022 1:23 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Information on both of these incidents early this morning is from Seattle Police preliminary summaries:

SHOOTING: Someone got shot east of The Junction but police didn’t hear about it until after the victim showed up at a Burien hospital, according to this summary:

(At 2:30 am today), a suspect was heckling females at the Corner Pocket Billiards located at 4300 SW Alaska St. A male intervened and a disturbance ensued. The intervening male victim left the establishment and went to the parking lot at an apartment building located in the area of 38 Ave SW/SW Oregon St. The victim saw a black Escalade circle the block a couple of times. A short time later, the victim heard a gunshot, and he was struck in the left shoulder. The victim was transported to St Anne in Burien, and SPD was notified about the incident by King County. Officers didn’t locate a crime scene.

If you have any information, the incident # is 22-130528.

ROBBERY: The victim in this also told police that a bar dispute might have factored into it. The summary:

(At 2:52 am today), officers responded to the 4000 block of 26th Avenue SW to a report of a strong-armed robbery of a purse. Victim was outside her residence when a suspect got out of a waiting car and grabbed victim’s purse. The pair struggled over the purse, with the victim falling to the ground. Suspect got back in the car with the purse and left the area. Victim managed to keep almost the entire contents of her purse. Suspect dropped his cell phone. A witness/friend of the victim told officers that the incident may have been a follow-up to an altercation at a bar earlier in the evening.

The bar in that summary was not identified. The SPD incident # is 22-130520.

Share This

ELECTION 2022: First debate Thursday for 34th District State House Position 1 Democratic candidates

May 24, 2022 11:54 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Now that the withdrawal deadline has passed, the fields are set for the August primary (same as what we reported Friday, except for one State Senate withdrawal – see the official lists here). The marquee local race in our area this time around will be for 34th District State House Position 1, from which Rep. Eileen Cody is retiring after more than a quarter-century. The first debate/forum in the race is Thursday night (May 26th), 6:30 pm online, with the 34th District Democrats and West Seattle Democratic Women hosting the two Democrats who are running, Emily Alvarado (left) and Leah Griffin (right). 34th DDs chair Carla Rogers says All are welcome to attend; register here to get the link. In addition to being a public forum, this also is a prelude to the 34th DDs’ endorsement meeting, which Rogers says is set for June 8th.

Share This

Brown water in Highland Park

May 24, 2022 11:31 am

| 1 COMMENT

| Highland Park | Utilities | West Seattle news

If you’re noticing discolored water in Highland Park, it’s not just you. Caitlin (near 9th and Cloverdale) reports it’s happening, apparently attributed to fire-hydrant work in the area. (That can often stir up sediment – aka rust – in the system.) Any time it happens to you, Seattle Public Utilities wants to hear about it – 206-386-1800.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE BOOKS: WordsWest team reuniting Wednesday to celebrate Susan Rich’s new book

May 24, 2022 11:13 am

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE BOOKS: WordsWest team reuniting Wednesday to celebrate Susan Rich’s new book

| West Seattle books | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, June 2019)

Three years ago, it was the end of a mini-era in West Seattle literary accomplishments when local writers Susan Rich, Harold Taw, and Katy E. Ellis closed the book on five years of WordsWest Literary Series, monthly readings they co-founded and coordinated. Tomorrow night, the three reunite – and hope to see you too – for a new celebration at WordsWest’s longtime hub, C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor): Rich has just released her fifth poetry collection, “Gallery of Postcards and Maps: New and Selected Poems,” described as follows:

A Gallery of Postcards and Maps: New and Selected Poems collects the essential and award-winning poems from Susan Rich’s four books of poetry along with a generous selection of unpublished work. Rich’s poetry spans the last twenty years through a life engaged with human rights, compassion, and questions of travel. As a teacher, wanderer, and former journalist, Rich’s lyric poems work to amplify the beauty we overlook, the nature of home, and the liminal spaces between the personal and global.

The book isn’t the only reason to go to Wednesday night’s 7 pm event at C & P; the poet promises cake (just ordered from the Salvadorean Bakery!). And she says her WordsWest colleagues have new works on the way too – Ellis will release her first full-length prose poetry novel this fall, and Taw is developing a musical. As the event title declares, they’re ““Bringing the Band Back Together Again for a Book Launch” – and inviting you to join them. No admission charge; if you want to buy a book while you’re there, you’ll be able to do that.

Share This

Fauntleroy ferry-dock meeting #1 and more for your West Seattle Tuesday

May 24, 2022 9:36 am

| Comments Off on Fauntleroy ferry-dock meeting #1 and more for your West Seattle Tuesday

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Seen Sunday afternoon; photo sent by
Thomas Christiansen)

Here’s what’s happening for the rest of today/tonight:

BUSINESS-DISTRICT SAFETY: One of the items on the agenda for the 9:30 am City Council Public Safety and Human Services Committee meeting that’s just under way (9:30 am start). You can watch via Seattle Channel.

POSTCARDS TO VOTERS: Drop-in advocacy, Tuesdays at 10:30 am at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).

FAUNTLEROY FERRY-DOCK PROJECT: First of two online community meetings to talk about where the planning is at – noon-1:30 pm; register here.

DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Weekly 4:30-6 pm sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. Signs available if you don’t have your own.

FAMILY GAME NIGHT: Meeples Games (3727 California SW) welcomes families 6-8 pm to this weekly hosted game-playing night.

TRIVIA X 3: Three of the venues where you can play tonight – 7 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), 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!

See more on our calendar – and if you have something to add for the future, please email us the info at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Share This

Remembering James Jones, 1940-2022

May 24, 2022 9:00 am

| Comments Off on Remembering James Jones, 1940-2022

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends are remembering James Jones, and sharing this with the community:

James William Jones, loving husband, father, and grandfather, passed away April 20, 2022. He was born May 11, 1940 in Great Falls, Montana to Lloyd and Stella Jones.

Jim will always be remembered for his love of salmon fishing, boating, Husky football, and talking with pride about his daughters and grandchildren.

Jim grew up in West Seattle, running around Lincoln Park and Alki Beach. He graduated from West Seattle High School in 1958 and went on to graduate from the University of Washington School of Business in 1964. He was also a graduate of Pacific Coast Banking School. Jim served in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves and worked on the Washington State Ferries, developing his seamanship and love of the water.

Jim and Dorothy Joyce married in 1960. Daughters Denise and Lauren were adored by their father. He encouraged them in all of their activities throughout the years and was their biggest supporter. Jim and Dorothy divorced in the early 1980s.

Jim’s shared knowledge in the fields of agriculture, forestry, fishing, construction, and commercial lending helped many people. His banking career began in 1964 at SeaFirst/Bank of America, serving as Branch Manager, Loan Officer, and Vice President. In 1992 he moved to Frontier Bank as Vice President and Senior Lending Officer, retiring in 2000.

Throughout his career and retirement, Jim always gave back to the community. He served over 30 years on the Puget Sound Kidney Centers Board of Directors; was a past member of the Arlington Rotary Club, served on the Arlington City Council and various other boards.

Jim met his wife and best friend Patti and they were blessed with almost 36 years of marriage. They enjoyed boating and fishing in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, exploring the Washington and Oregon coasts, and lots of road trips.

Jim’s spirit and love for life lives on with his family and friends. He will be greatly missed by his wife Patti, daughters Denise (Alex Hattwig), Lauren (Greg Stephens), and grandchildren Camille, Chloe, and Charlie, as well as many close friends and relatives.

Service was held last weekend at Peace Lutheran Church in Silvana. Memorials to the Puget Sound Kidney Centers appreciated.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)

Share This

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Tuesday morning watch

May 24, 2022 6:00 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Tuesday morning watch

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:00 AM: Good morning; welcome to Tuesday, May 24th.

WEATHER

Monday was sunnier than predicted. But today’s forecast is for clouds and a high around 60.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro is on its regular weekday schedule, but watch @kcmetroalerts for word of reroutes/trip cancellations.

The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule.

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

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

792nd 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.)