West Seattle, Washington
26 Monday
2:30 PM: Thanks for the tip. Seattle Fire is just arriving at a scene where downed wires have caused a small brush fire along the 7300 block of Dumar Way [map]. We’re told a falling tree branch is to blame. Avoid the area for a while.
2:35 PM: We’ve heard from a few people reporting power outages but there’s nothing on the City Light map yet.
2:48 PM: Now the map has updated to show a 26-customer outage.
No, this isn’t about the Seafair Pirates‘ Alki landing. If you’re watching the waters off west-facing West Seattle tomorrow, you just might see the majestic multi-masted sailing vessels known as schooners. This year’s Captain Reynaud International Schooner Race is happening in three legs over the next three days, starting with Tacoma to Alki Point on Saturday. What’s the difference between a schooner and a regular sailboat, you ask? The race website’s photo page might help clarify. The race website doesn’t list a start time, but the Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners says 11 am.
Three weeks after we reported that Dough Joy Donuts was taking over the ex-Café Mia space in The Junction, they’re open. We got a tip last night from @westseattlereviews that Dough Joy had soft-opened earlier in the day, and after another tip this morning, we went over to confirm. Yes, they’re open at 4317 SW Oregon, and their hours will be 8 am-2 pm Wednesdays-Sundays. Their specialty is “plant-based donuts.” Dough Joy has beverages too:
And yes, as promised, one side of the shop is devoted to plants:
Along with the West Seattle, Dough Joy sells its donuts via a shop on Capitol Hill and truck in Ballard
Here’s what’s happening for the rest of your sunny Friday:
ALKI PLANTING PARTY: If you have some time to devote to beautifying West Seattle’s most famous park, join Seattle Parks gardeners and other community volunteers on the east side of Alki Bathhouse (60th/Alki) any time between noon and 4 pm today, as previewed here.
COMMENT DEADLINE: Today’s the deadline for emailing comments on the new illuminated sign proposed for Louisa Boren STEM K-8 (5950 Delridge Way SW), as noted in our previous report on the proposal.
CITY COUNCILMEMBER’S OFFICE HOURS: 2-6 pm, Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s monthly “office hours” by appointment with constituents – see our calendar listing for information on how to book a time.
LIVE MUSIC AT C & P: Anthony Lee Phillips performs acoustic music, 7-9 pm at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). All ages, no cover.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE SKYLARK: Joe Hellmore, Jordan Biggs, Lindstrom and The Limit perform at The Skylark. 7 pm doors, 8 pm show. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
(added) BASEBALL: The DubSea Fish Sticks host The Seattle Studs at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd, White Center) at 7:05 pm. Tickets here!
Have something to add to our calendar? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Summer is the prime season for baseball and softball, and the West Seattle Little League is going into the height of this season – here’s the announcement:
West Seattle Little League (WSLL) is sending three baseball teams – one for each division, 10s, 11s, and 12s -and two softball teams – a 10s and Juniors (13-14 year olds) team – to compete in the WA District 7 Little League All-Stars Tournaments.
WSLL will be host to the 12s baseball All-Stars division tournament games at Bar-S (6464 SW Admiral Way). The first games kick off on Saturday, June 25, at 10 am, with WSLL vs. Seattle Central Little League. The Bar-S Snack Shack will be churning out good old-fashioned baseball treats and snacks. We invite the West Seattle community to come out to Bar-S to cheer on the teams!
Around town, you can catch the other WSLL All-Stars teams in play:
-June 25: 11s All-Star baseball tournament begins at Valley Ridge Fields
-June 27: Juniors All-Star softball district tournament begins at Mt Rainier High School (WSLL first game June 29th)
-July 9: 10s All-Star baseball tournament begins at Pacwest
-July 10: 10s All-Star softball district tournament begins (location TBD)We will be updating the website westseattlelittleleague.com with standings as often as possible. You can also check out the rosters for all teams.
6:01 AM: Good morning; welcome to Friday, June 24th.
WEATHER
We’re under a heat advisory noon Saturday until 11 pm Monday, but today’s forecast is unremarkable – sunshine and a high in the 70s.
ROAD WORK
SDOT has a long list of weekend alerts:
On Saturday, June 25 and Sunday, June 26 from 6 AM to 6 PM, we will be closing the on-ramp from eastbound SW Spokane St (West Seattle Low Bridge) to the Spokane St Viaduct, along with eastbound lanes of the Spokane St Viaduct. A signed detour will be in place along SW Spokane St. The closure is needed so we can continue filling potholes on the Spokane St Viaduct.SDOT says the Spokane Street Viaduct work is NOT happening after all.On Saturday and Sunday, we’ll finish building curb ramps at the Dumar Way SW and SW Orchard St intersection. This work will include pouring concrete and paving the road in front of the curb ramp. We expect to begin as early as 8 AM and conclude by 5 PM. We do not anticipate any major traffic impacts, however people driving can expect delays in the area.
On Sunday, we’re pouring concrete for the lane divider on SW Spokane St in the vicinity of 11th Ave SW near Harbor Island. This is phase two of three phases to repair the damaged lane divider. We anticipate this work to begin as early as 8 AM and conclude by 4 PM. Traffic impacts include closure of the East Marginal Way S and the lower SW Spokane St ramps. There will be a detour in place for those traveling in the area. Please anticipate travel delays. Please know this work is weather-dependent.
Also: More southbound I-5 lane closures for expansion-joint work.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
Metro buses are on their regular weekday schedule; 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 – and WSF says that probably won’t change for many months. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
824th 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 (one of four recently installed cameras!):
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are 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.
10:16 PM: Seattle Fire and Police are on the way to what’s described by dispatchers as a “rollover” crash on the railroad tracks in the 3800 block of West Marginal Way [map] Updates to come.
10:20 PM: Firefighters arriving at the scene report everyone’s out of the vehicle, no major injuries, so the response is being downsized. Now the challenge is to notify BNSF that there’s a vehicle on the tracks.
(Recent Alki sunset, photographed by Jen Popp)
If you were having a hard time believing it’s really going to be hot in a few days, here’s something to make it more real: A National Weather Service “Heat Advisory” alert, in effect noon Saturday to 11 pm Monday. Temperatures could get into the 90s Sunday and Monday. Nothing like a year earlier, though – Tuesday will be the first anniversary of the record-smashing 108-degree Seattle high.
Five local students are getting help with college from the Rotary Club of West Seattle. Here’s the announcement:
The West Seattle Rotary Club has awarded over $19,000 in scholarships to four local area high school students and one student at Washington State University.
These annually awarded scholarships are funded by two endowed programs (Gambriell and Past Presidents) and one program funded by donations to our annual fundraising campaigns (Student of the Year).
On June 14th, four of the five awardees spoke via Zoom at the Club’s weekly meeting, presenting a bio-sketch of their many school and extracurricular activities, their career goals, what they regard as their most important attributes.
The recipients are:
Yasmeen Aden, Chief Sealth International High School, planning to study psychology at UW, Gambriell and Student of the Year scholarships
Jayden Elenez, West Seattle High School, planning to study aviation at CWU, Gambriell and Student of the Year scholarships
Mevina Ott, West Seattle High School, planning to study the sciences at Stanford, Student of the Year scholarship
Lola Taylor, studying at Washington State University, Gambriell scholarship
Diego Estome-Hedger, studying at South Seattle College and headed for San Diego State, Past Presidents scholarship
Watch for application information for next year’s scholarships here.
The Sound Transit Board‘s June meeting just wrapped up less than an hour ago – last one before it’s tasked with “confirming or modifying” a “preferred alignment” for West Seattle/Ballard light rail. ST staff is working on a proposal for that, board members were told, and will present it at the Executive Committee‘s meeting in two weeks. The board in the meantime were presented an overview today of the 5,195 comments received regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement between January 28th and April 28th. You can see them all here. Today’s meeting also featured a substantial amount of public comment from people in West Seattle, primarily expressing opposition to the DEL-6 station location/alignment (see page 10) for its prospective displacement of Transitional Resources – which provides supportive housing and mental-health services – and Alki Beach Academy.
Board chair Kent Keel insisted that when staff presents its draft alignment, that will not be “the final say” – the board will consider it over the course of three meetings, with a vote expected during the full board meeting on July 28th (for which the ending time has been potentially stretched to 5 pm, an extra hour). The two committee meetings at which this will be discussed before then are the Executive Committee meeting at 10:30 am July 7th and the System Expansion Committee meeting at 1:30 pm July 14th. ST has moved to hybrid meetings, so you can attend online or in the board room at Union Station downtown. One other thing to watch in the meantime: The city is drafting its official recommendations for the routing and station locations – which, when previewed earlier this month, included DEL-6.
Thanks to Trileigh for the photo and tip – that’s a tree down along 48th SW between Holly and Eddy [map]. She’s reported it to SDOT so it might be cleared before too long, but in the meantime, take care if you’re headed that way.
So far almost 30 restaurants in White Center and South Delridge are ready to serve up tasty bites on Saturday during the first-ever Taste of White Center.
All you have to do is buy $5 tickets, each good for a special menu item at participating restaurants, from shave ice to smoked chicken, pho to pizza, banh mi to burgers, roasted corn to congee, and much more – and then wander around to those venues to start chowing down. The list of participating establishments is here. The event is happening 11 am-4 pm Saturday; during that time, the $5 tickets – benefiting the White Center Food Bank – will be on sale at three locations: the corner of 16th/98th, Mac’s Triangle Pub (Delridge/16th/Roxbury), and Patrick’s Bakery & Café (10003 15th SW),
The report and photo were sent by Michelle:
Electric Scooter stolen from the Safeway in Admiral Junction around 5:30 pm Wednesday Night. The owner had just taken it out of the box. The thieves used bolt cutters to remove the lock. Police have been notified. It is a Fat Bear Bike, two-seater, black. If you see it or know something, please call the police.
FRIDAY UPDATE: Found – see comment.
We promised to let you know as soon as we heard from anyone having a vaccination clinic for newly eligible children under 5. Today, we have word from Neighborhood Naturopathic (WSB sponsor) that they’ve set two dates – Monday, June 27th, and Monday, August 1st, 2 pm-6 pm, “for the first and second doses for patients between the ages of 6 months and 4 years (Moderna), as well booster doses for patients between the ages of 5 and 11 years (Pfizer). These clinics will be open to both patients and non-patients at Neighborhood Naturopathic at 5410 California Ave SW, Suite 203. We ask that anyone interested call ahead to schedule: 206-486-8383.” Vaccinations for kids 6 months to 4 years old got safety approval at the state level (following the federal clearance) earlier this week.
9:50 AM: Thanks for the tip that Westwood Village’s Staples store is closed temporarily – we went over to confirm and they told us they’re trying to get their systems back up after a “power hit” this morning. The Seattle City Light map shows a 9-customer outage on the north side of the center vicinity.
11:22 AM: We just tried calling to check if they had reopened yet and only reached a recording that said the store’s unavailable. If you happen to see it reopened, please let us know (texting 206-293-6302 or email westseattleblog@gmail.com) – thanks!
If you have an under-12 household member who’s interested in football, West Seattle High School head coach Jeff Scott has an invitation: They’re welcome at a free football camp, sponsored by the WSHS program, 9 am-2 pm Saturday, July 16th. It’s happening at Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California SW); if interested, and/or if you have questions, email westseattlefootball@gmail.com. As the flyer notes, free food, free T-shirt, plus a WSHS alum flag-football game at noon that day!
9:21 PM: Caller reports the 35th/Barton signal is flashing red.
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6:02 AM: Good morning; welcome to Thursday, June 23rd.
WEATHER
Today’s forecast is back to sunshine and a high around 70. (Now both Sunday and Monday are forecast for possible 90s!)
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES
Metro buses are on their regular weekday schedule; 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
823rd 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 (one of four recently installed cameras!):
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are 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.
Seattle Fire has sent a ‘scenes of violence” response to a building in the 1300 block of Alki Avenue SW. This is reported to be an incident involving self-inflicted knife wounds.
(Reminder: If you or someone you know has thoughts of self-harm, there’s a 24-hour hotline at 866-427-4747.)
1 AM: Police and medics from both sides of the city-limit line have responded to a shooting reported at the Roxbury Safeway. One person is reported injured; King County Sheriff’s Office deputies reported taking a suspect into custody and recovering a gun. No other details so far.
1:14 AM: Both SPD and KCSO continue to investigate. There’s also been word that at least one other person with a gunshot wound has been “dropped off” at Harborview – whether related to this, too soon to say.
1:30 AM: Officers are discussing multiple scenes, including a “trail of blood” that led northward across Roxbury.
5:39 AM: Here’s what SPD has posted:
(Seattle Police Department photo)
Police are investigating after a woman was seriously injured in a shooting in Roxhill.
At 12:41 a.m., police responded to a shooting near 27th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Roxbury Street. Officers arrived and found a woman with multiple gunshot wounds in a car in a parking lot. Police began first aid, and responding Seattle Fire Department medics transported the 35-year-old woman to Harborview Medical Center.
Investigating officers discovered evidence that the shooting occurred in the 9400 block of 27th Avenue Southwest.
Meanwhile, a King County Sheriff’s Deputy contacted a man nearby who stated he was present at the shooting. The man relinquished a gun, and police took him into custody.
Shortly thereafter, a gunshot victim arrived at HMC via private vehicle. Police are still investigating and will determine if that victim was involved in this incident.
Anyone with information about this shooting should call the Violent Crimes Tip Line at 206-233-5000.
We received some questions today about a big deployment of cranes and trucks that took over a block in Gatewood for most of the day, 41st SW between SW Southern and SW Rose. Workers on scene told us they were there to place a prefab DADU (Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit, aka “backyard cottage”). The company involved in this installation was Abodu; permit filings say this DADU was planned to be just under 500 square feet. We weren’t there for the actual placement but it likely looked a lot like this one in Highland Park in early June:
Thanks to Kay for that photo. Same company built that DADU too.
If you can donate blood, Bloodworks Northwest hopes you’ll do it during their upcoming West Seattle pop-ups. Here’s the announcement:
Summer activities like travel, visiting guests, and fun in the sun sometimes prevent would-be donors from donating blood, and blood inventory struggles throughout the season. Our community’s need for blood is constant, no matter the weather.
That gift of blood takes just an hour of your time to give. Our next West Seattle blood donation opportunity is at the Pop-up @ Our Lady of Guadalupe (7000 35th Ave SW) on June 27, 28, 29, 30, and July 6, 7, 8, 14, & 15 in the air-conditioned gym!
We have LOTS of OPEN appointment slots. Please try and help fill one! A local patient will be forever glad you did! Please use this link to sign up.
Masks and appointments are required. For more about the safety of donating blood during the pandemic, eligibility, help booking your appointment and other info, please visit bloodworksnw.org
6:48 PM: Thanks for the tips. The big police response at 34th/Morgan was because of a person in crisis outside the Stewart Manor. He was believed to have possibly had a knife. Police have just ended the standoff and taken him into custody after using a beanbag round. The scene should be clearing soon.
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: The police-report summary says they first got a call at 3:06 pm:
Officers arrived and located the suspect in an agitated state holding a stick and claiming to want to fight the reporting party. The suspect was observed while the victim was contacted. The victim reported that the suspect had approached his apartment door brandishing a knife while making threats to kill the victim and causing damage to the door. Probable cause was established for felony harassment. The suspect was advised he was under arrest, but he retreated further into a contained rear fence area. The suspect produced a knife and waived it at officers while stating he wanted to fight and was planning suicide by cop. After verbal communications broke down, HNT was requested. A lengthy standoff ensued until the subject’s behavior escalated. After breaking a window with a large rock, the suspect removed his belt and held it as a whip in one hand while waiving the knife around in the other. The suspect began cutting himself with the knife causing multiple lacerations to his torso and arm. In an effort to take the suspect into custody, a less lethal launcher was used resulting in a type II Use of Force. The suspect became compliant shortly thereafter and was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was transported to HMC for medical treatment before being booked into KCJ.
(HNT = trained officer[s] from the Hostage Negotiation Team.)
If you’re in the Alki area and thought you heard gunfire around midnight, neighbors discovered this morning that you indeed did. Some of it even pierced the walls of a home.
That photo is from Linda, who discovered the damage inside her home – about two blocks east of Alki Playfield – after a neighbor found a bullet casing on the street nearby and texted everyone on the block about it.
Linda subsequently found the broken dishes but didn’t initially connect the two, wondering if there had been an earthquake. She showed her husband, “and he could see the round entry hole from the bullet, so we dashed outside and found three bullet holes in our home’s siding. One went into that cabinet, the second went into a closet, ricocheted around, and then blew out and landed in our living room. The third is apparently lost in the rafters above the ceiling.”
They called 911 and police responded. “They collected the bullets, the bullet casing Anne found, then looked around and located the other two on the other side of the street.” The officer speculated that “the shooters were driving uphill and fired indiscriminately. According to him, this happens a lot, with people shooting guns without targets and not really caring what or whom they hit. One of our neighbors remembered hearing the noise just after midnight, and apparently someone else had called in gunfire to 911 at 12:17 am so he thought it was the same incident.” Police urged them (as we always do if someone texts us about suspected gunfire) to always call 911, even if you’re not sure what you heard.
Linda concludes, “I had managed to convince myself that this kind of incident was typically between people/groups who knew each other and were up to no good, so it’s a bit of a shock to find out that isn’t so.”
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