day : 01/07/2022 9 results

Two reader reports about thefts:

THIEVES ON WHEELS: Kevin was loading his car in the 3800 block of 34th SW around 4 am today, going back and forth to his house, when he looked up to see two people on what he described as “a moped” by his car, then speeding off with three bags, including one that contained his wallet, passport, computer, and cash, He jumped in his car and tried to follow then but they turned around at 35th and Avalon and got away. No description, he says, other than that “the guy on the back had one of those reflective vests.” He did get two of his bags back – tossed by the thieves during their getaway – but not the one with the valuables. If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 2022-166046.

BUSINESS THEFT:Crossfit Loft sent this video of a thief at their business today:

They say he stole sunglasses and sweatshirts, and was last seen running southbound on California. They believe he’s hit other local businesses too. The SPD incident # is 2022-168132.

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UPDATE: Sprinkler credited for controlling apartment fire south of West Seattle Junction before firefighters arrive

July 1, 2022 3:47 pm

| Comments Off on UPDATE: Sprinkler credited for controlling apartment fire south of West Seattle Junction before firefighters arrive

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(Added: WSB photo)

3:47 PM: Seattle Fire units are arriving at The Blake Apartments at 5020 California SW for what’s described as a fourth-floor kitchen fire.

3:52 PM: This will tie up traffic for a while because of the big response, so avoid California just south of The Junction for a while. Meantime, firefighters report that the fire is under control thanks to a sprinkler.

(Added: Texted reader photo)

3:56 PM: Fire now reported “tapped” (out).

4:01 PM: No injuries reported, says SFD, which is dismissing some of the responding units.

4:06 PM: Firefighters on scene tell us this was a “room fire” and confirm that the sprinklers got it under control even before they reached it. Traffic on California is currently shut from Edmunds to Brandon. Residents of the building, meantime, aren’t being allowed back in just yet, while firefighters check a few more things to be sure it’s safe.

4:55 PM: Police have told dispatch that traffic is now getting through via the center lane and southbound lane.

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SPORTS: West Seattle Little League softball, baseball All-Star teams’ latest big wins

July 1, 2022 2:38 pm

| Comments Off on SPORTS: West Seattle Little League softball, baseball All-Star teams’ latest big wins

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Congratulations to three West Seattle Little League softball and baseball teams for big wins! The updates are from WSLL’s Kristin Widman:

Juniors softball secures spot in district 7 championship

Three cheers for the Juniors (13-14 year olds) softball team, who won their game on Wednesday to advance to the WA District 7 championship game in their inaugural season with West Seattle Little League! The game starts at 10 am on Saturday, July 2 at Mt Rainier High School (22450 19th Ave S) in Des Moines. WSLL is excited to field 2 softball All-Stars teams (Juniors and 10s) this year and watch the teams thrive and represent the best of West Seattle.

12s baseball – state-bound

The 12s All-Stars baseball team went undefeated in their tournament run and fought off a tough South Highline National LL team on Thursday, winning 7-2. Parker Manderino launched a home run in the first inning. The 12s move on to the state tournament starting July 16 at 4:30 pm at Lynndale Park (18927 72nd Ave W) in Lynnwood.

11s baseball – state-bound

The 11s All-Stars baseball team also won big on Thursday, defeating Renton LL 13-3. They tallied a total of 10 hits in the game. Brookes Kalivoda drove in 5 runs on 2 hits including a home run. The 11s state tournament run begins July 16 at Federal Way National Little League Complex (450 SW Campus Dr).

For the All-Stars tournament schedule, visit the WSLL website: https://www.westseattlelittleleague.com

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BIZNOTE: New ownership blossoms at Flower Lab

July 1, 2022 12:38 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Flower Lab in The Admiral District has a new owner. But if you’ve been a customer, you probably already know Katie Ellison. Here’s the announcement:

Wendy and Paul Damoth, the previous owners of Flower Lab, have sold the business to longtime employee and florist Katie Ellison.

Katie and her husband Ryan, who’s been a postal carrier working at the West Seattle Post Office for more than 10 years – along with their children Roman (age 4) and Malcolm (age 2) – are excited for the opportunity to continue serving the West Seattle community for all their floral needs.

Located in the Admiral Junction, and sharing their location with Bebop Waffle Shop, Flower Lab is open for walk-in shopping and city-wide flower delivery.

Current Flower Lab hours are 8:30 am-3:30 pm weekdays, 9 am-2 pm Saturdays, closed Sundays.

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FOURTH OF JULY: Seattle Parks’ lights-on plan to discourage fireworks will last three nights this year

July 1, 2022 11:54 am

| 29 COMMENTS

| Holidays | Safety | West Seattle news

(Reader photo of fireworks debris at a local park in 2020 – one that did NOT have lights on)

11:54 AM: Seattle Parks has made its annual announcement that some playfields will be illuminated to discourage fireworks use. This year the plan stretches across three nights, Saturday through Monday (July 2-4). At the affected West Seattle fields, it’ll be lights on at 8:30, lights out at 11. One other difference: Last year’s announcement said the fields will be “monitored” 9 pm-4 am, but this year it’s 9 pm-2 am. Here are the four West Seattle fields affected:

Delridge Playfield, 4458 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Playfield, 2700 California Ave. SW
Walt Hundley Playfield, 6920 34th Avenue SW
West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35th Ave. SW

This announcement only involves Seattle Parks facilities – we don’t usually get similar announcements from other entities that have fields in the area, such as Seattle Public Schools (though we’re inquiring).

4:54 PM: SPS says they have no lights-on plans but will have security monitoring their fields.

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Six options for July’s first West Seattle Friday

July 1, 2022 10:53 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Caitlin Gerhardt)

If you’re not busy getting ready for a holiday-weekend trip, here are five possibilities for the rest of this sunny Friday:

(added) FOOD FUNDRAISER: Chef Gino of TheHomeSkillit.com is cooking and selling food to help fundraise for his July 4th event feeding people in need. Find him until 6 pm today outside The Home Depot (SW Webster west of Delridge).

WADING POOLS OPEN: Sunny and warm today, so the city will open the pools that are scheduled for Friday operations. In West Seattle, that means Delridge (4501 Delridge Way SW), noon-5:30 pm, and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm. Highland Park Spraypark at 1100 SW Cloverdale is open 11 am-8 pm, too.

COLMAN POOL: The outdoor pool at Lincoln Park will be open today as its 7-days-a-week schedule continues, noon-7 pm.

(added) BASEBALL: The DubSea Fish Sticks host Diamond Sports at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd, White Center) at 7:05 pm. Tickets here!

MIKU, AND THE GODS. 7:30 pm curtain for the world-premiere play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor). Tickets are available here.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE SKYLARK: Kayce Guthmiller, Marina Demarco, Anna Preston perform at The Skylark. 7:30 pm doors, 8 pm music. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

Have something to add to our calendar? Email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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Celebration of Life planned July 23rd for Kevin D. Kerstetter, 1958-2022

July 1, 2022 9:45 am

| 1 COMMENT

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends will gather July 23rd to celebrate the life of Kevin Kerstetter. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing:

Kevin Dean Kerstetter
October 10, 1958 – June 24, 2022

Kevin Dean Kerstetter, aka “Papa,” age 63, passed away peacefully at his home in Wenatchee, WA with loved ones on the evening of Friday, June 24, 2022 at 8:56 PM after a courageous 3.5-year battle with Metastatic Prostate Cancer.

Born in Chehalis, WA, to Sharon Lee Dry and Marlin Dean Kerstetter, Kevin grew up in the small town of Twisp, WA with siblings Kimon, Brian and Marcus – where he attended Liberty Bell Junior and Senior High – wreaking havoc as a young adult, but leaving wonderful memories with whomever he met along the way. After leaving Twisp for work, Kevin settled in West Seattle with his now-divorced wife Kelli and raised two beautiful children- Kayleigh and Kelsey. Kevin studied at South Seattle Community College and worked in Calibration at Pyrometric Service Co with his best friend Larry, where he left after 32 yrs and 9 months and was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer soon after. Kevin left West Seattle after 40 years, settling in Wenatchee, closer to his home town, but near enough to the hospitals for treatment.

During his battle with cancer, Kevin spent every day enjoying life to the fullest. Kevin loved spending time with his children, grandchildren and partner of 14 years- Peggy. Kevin’s hobbies included hunting, fishing, basking in the sun with a beer, finding fossils, rock tumbling, gardening, and yelling at Trump via Twitter.

Kevin always had a positive outlook on life, smile on his face, and never gave up when it came to battling his illness. Kevin always said “everything will work out” and it did too soon for him – but he is now in heaven (pain-free) with his mother Sharon, father Marlin, brother Brian, Aunt Doris, and many other loved ones smiling down on us.

Kevin is survived by his partner Peggy, daughters Kayleigh and Kelsey and granddaughters Kennedy, Tilia, and Karter. A Celebration of Life will be held in Wenatchee on Saturday, July 23rd from 1-4 PM. Please contact his daughters for exact location. Relatives and friends are welcome to join.

You are invited to view Kevin’s online tribute at www.heritagememorialchapel.com to share a memory or leave a condolence. In Lieu of flowers, Kevin would prefer a donation to support causes that impacted his life. We suggest either Seattle Cancer Care Alliance at www.seattlecca.org or the Genetic Disorder that affects his granddaughter Karter at www.scn2a.org. Arrangements are in the care of Heritage Memorial Chapel, East Wenatchee.

(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)

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YOU CAN HELP: New West Seattle DIY cleanup concept, starting today

July 1, 2022 8:30 am

| 13 COMMENTS

| Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

The report and photo are from community-cleanup superhero Erik Bell:

I’m excited to announce a new West Seattle cleanup initiative my daughter and two of her Girl Scout troop mates are launching this week called Block Drops for their Silver Award project — the highest service award for Girl Scout Cadettes (6th-8th graders).

Block Drops are an open invitation to the community to come out and clean West Seattle on your own time, using cleanup stations we’ll drop off in different neighborhood locations each week. We then come back later in the day to take care of the collected trash with the help of Seattle Public Utilities.

Paige, Evelyn, and Emma developed their project over the pandemic hoping to engage fellow West Seattleites to become the solution to a cleaner community. Their program offers weekly opportunities to live up to the Scouting ideal of leaving the world a better place than we found it.

Read more about their program at byandby.org/block-drops and join in on their first Drop Friday at Alki Beach (9 am-3 pm), or any of the four Drops they’ll be making next week.

Block Drops…the easiest cleanup in town!

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, ROAD WORK, WEATHER: Friday watch + holiday-weekend alerts

July 1, 2022 6:02 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:02 AM: Good morning; welcome to a new month – it’s Friday, July 1st.

WEATHER

Sunny and 70s again today.

ROAD WORK THIS WEEKEND

From SDOT:

On Saturday and Sunday, we will be repairing potholes on the Spokane Street Viaduct in the eastbound direction. The repairs will close the access to the Spokane Street Viaduct and the SR 99 Loop Ramp. People driving will have access to East Marginal Way S, 1st Ave S, 4th Ave S, and I-5. However, there will be a detour in place. Work will begin as early as 6 AM and conclude by 4:30 PM both days.

We’re planning to complete two projects this Saturday, July 2. For all planned construction, we expect to begin work as early as 6 AM and conclude by 5 PM. Please anticipate delays, drive safely in work zones, and follow directions from signs and flaggers.

-We’ll be finishing the repairs on eastbound SW Spokane St in the vicinity of 11th Ave SW near Harbor Island. This is phase three of three phases to repair the damaged lane divider. 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.

-Updating signal lights on 7th Ave S and S Cloverdale St in South Park. A majority of the work will be completed on 7th Ave S with minimal impacts to S Cloverdale St.

P.S. WSDOT plans more “Revive I-5” lane closures this weekend, too.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro buses are on their regular weekday schedule; watch @kcmetroalerts for word of reroutes/trip cancellations. (Monday will be on the Sunday schedule, with extra late-night service.)

The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule. (Here’s the schedule it’ll run for the Fourth of July on Monday.)

Ferries: WSF continues on the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth – and WSF says that probably won’t change before next spring. Check here for alerts/updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

831st 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.)