month : 07/2022 296 results

Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

CAR PROWLERS: From Tim:

Early this morning we had a car broken into in our parking lot on the 3700 block of Beach Dr SW. We did get photos and video of the incident. Photos of a distinctive red Ford Ranger (back hood and black/green tailgate) attached.

Police report filed.

CATALYTIC-CONVERTER THEFT: From Elka:

We had the catalytic converter stolen out of our 2002 Acura TL. It happened last night (7/25) or maybe early this morning (7/26). We live on 40th Ave SW, between Brandon and Dawson.

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VIDEO: Small aircraft crash-lands in water off Alki promenade

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

4:43 PM: Thanks to Allison for the photo. That craft went into the water off the Alki Beach promenade a short time ago. No major response has ensued, just a two-unit SFD medical dispatch. We’re on our way to find out more.

5:08 PM: No injuries, we’re told at the scene. The pilot/operator is trying to figure out how to get it out of the water, as it’s submerged. Still trying to determine what size of aircraft this is.

5:11 PM: Cessna 150, we’re told. It’s 10 or so yards offshore.

5:18 PM: Allison, who sent the first photo, says she and her son were driving westbound around 62nd/Alki “when we saw the plane splash in nose first, then pop up and lie flat on the top of the water. We drove closer, pulled over, and saw 3 or 4 amazing folks swim out and assist the pilot out to safety. About a minute later police arrived in response to someone who had called the incident in.” Police-radio communication indicates the NTSB will investigate.

5:42 PM: Paddleboarder Tim Kelleher recorded this video of the plane crash-landing in the water:

Since the tide is still coming in, you can’t see the plane from shore right now – this person went out for a look:

An SPD boat is in the area now.

6:48 PM: History note, the most recent in-the-water crash in our area was 2017 – off Beach Drive, almost exactly five years ago.

8:52 PM: We went back to the scene before sunset – no one around but park visitors; the police-line tape above is wrapped around the closest beach stairway, and a float offshore presumably marks where the plane sunk.

9:37 PM: Police-radio exchange indicates they hope to get it out at low tide – 11 am tomorrow, it’s out to -1.2 feet. Meantime, the Coast Guard just tweeted some aerial images including this one:

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BIZNOTE: Pho Than Brothers closing in West Seattle Junction

July 26, 2022 3:30 pm

| 47 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Thanks for the tip; we’ve confirmed that Than Brothers Pho is closing at 4822 California SW, after 16 years in West Seattle. No word on whether they’re seeking another West Seattle location in the future. We reported in 2020 that the building, where the restaurant was a tenant, had been put up for sale; King County Assessor records show it was sold back in April. The new owner is an LLC associated with the Redmond headquarters and owner of Origins Cannabis, which has a West Seattle store a few blocks away, on a site with a redevelopment project under review; Origins declined comment on whether they plan to move or expand into the California SW building. Meantime, Than Brothers is the ~~sixth~~ seventh Junction restaurant to close in the past eight months, after Café Mia, Taqueria Guaymas, Kamei, Lee’s, West 5, (added) and Ma’ono.

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Mayor to announce new SDOT director Wednesday

July 26, 2022 1:43 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

Just out of the inbox – Mayor Bruce Harrell has chosen a new SDOT director “after an extensive national search” and will make the announcement Wednesday. When previous director Sam Zimbabwe‘s departure was announced and chief of staff Kristen Simpson was appointed interim director, the mayor said she didn’t intend to apply for the permanent job. No finalists have been announced, just a search committee appointed in April. The new director will arrive not only as the West Seattle Bridge prepares to reopen, but also as SDOT works on a longterm prioritization plan, which in turn will shape the next funding package, successor to the Levy to Move Seattle. (During our conversation on Tuesday, West Seattle Bridge project director Heather Marx, a West Seattle resident, told us the funding project will be in her portfolio post-bridge.) Meantime, you can watch the announcement of the new SDOT director at 11:45 am Wednesday via Seattle Channel. The job pays up to $254,000, according to the online listing.

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LOW BRIDGE: Here’s what’s up with its 3 projects

July 26, 2022 12:52 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

(File photo)

In our Monday conversation with SDOT‘s West Seattle Bridge project director Heather Marx, which brought first word of the high-bridge repair milestone, we also asked about the low-bridge work. You might recall that the same contract with Kraemer North America includes work on the low bridge. What they’re focusing on right now, Marx said, is reinforcement of the bridge – with work similar to what’s happening with the high bridge, epoxy injection into cracks and carbon-fiber wrapping. That’s separate from the other projects planned for the low bridge. Those include replacement of the communication system and routing cables under the Duwamish River, boring mini-tunnels (4″ wide) to thread the cables beneath the river. Taurus Power & Controls, Inc. is the contractor chosen for that work. SDOT is also replacing the bridge’s hydraulic pump/cylinders, and addressing electrical problems that led to recent trouble rendering the bridge inoperable for a while. “By the end of the year, the low bridge should be good,” Marx summarized. (More detail on the projects are on this city webpage.)

And just in case you needed to hear it again, yes, Marx reiterated, the low-bridge restrictions will be lifted as soon as the high bridge reopens. So where will those enforcement cameras be redeployed? Not decided yet. Since state law allows transit-lane camera enforcement, might the cameras be redirected up there? Not currently planned but not out of the question.

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UPDATE: By-donation lemonade stand in Gatewood

July 26, 2022 12:05 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Gatewood | How to help | West Seattle news

Just out of the inbox: Norah and Evalyn have just set up a free (by donation if you can) lemonade stand in Gatewood. The photo and announcement are from dad (and assistant) Josh:

12:05 PM: My daughters would like to have a lemonade stand today so we are going to be giving away free lemonade from Noon until 3 pm today along the west side of 35th between Othello and Myrtle slightly across from Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is free and we will have a donation jar that will be given to NWAAF (Northwest Abortion Access Fund) and a donation jar that will be given to the West Seattle Food Bank.

We will have Country Time and Country Time with Strawberries mixed in. We will also have some fresh-squeezed Lemonade in limited amounts for super donors and an option for a lavender-infused booster for mega donators.

2 PM UPDATE: Josh says they’ll stay open until 4:30 or so, unless they run out. We’ve substituted an updated photo he sent.

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Where to cool off, and the rest of the list for your West Seattle Tuesday

July 26, 2022 11:06 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Sunrise photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)

Atop today’s list, hot weather and how to cope with it:

PLACES TO STAY COOL (+ EARLY CLOSURES): The city is circulating this list of where you can go to cool off if you need to. For West Seattle, the Senior Center (California/Oregon) is air-conditioned and is open until 4:30 pm today; the Delridge and High Point branches of the Seattle Public Library both are fully air-conditioned – both are open 1 pm-8 pm today. (UPDATE: The no- and partial-A/C local branches are closing early – Southwest closed at noon, West Seattle [Admiral] is closing at 3 pm, per this SPL page.)

WHERE ELSE TO STAY COOL: So far we’ve heard from Rebecca at Arthur’s in The Admiral District (2311 California SW), which has A/C and isn’t open for service today BUT Rebecca is there working on some projects and is happy to let you in to cool off if you can’t find anywhere to go. … Admiral Pub has A/C (21+ venue, 2306 California SW) … Anybody else? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thanks!

And of course pools can help you stay cool:

WADING POOLS & SPRAYPARK OPEN: EC Hughes (2805 SW Holden) and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW); both will be open noon-7 pm. Also, Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) is open 11 am-8 pm.

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

Here’s what else is happening:

CITY COUNCIL MEETING: Hybrid meeting (online and in-person at City Hall) at 2 pm; here’s the agenda, which explains how to comment. Watch live here.

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

PLAY-ALONG IN THE PARK: The West Seattle Community Orchestras welcome musicians of all skill levels to play with them at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) tonight, 6-8 pm – details in our calendar listing.

SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you are invited to come play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).

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 info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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LIBRARIES: New chief librarian coming to West Seattle for ‘community conversation’

July 26, 2022 10:24 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle libraries | West Seattle news

Something to say about the Seattle Public Library? Tell it to the person in charge, in person, next week. Just announced this morning:

Tom Fay, Seattle’s newest Chief Librarian, will host his first Community Conversation with Library patrons from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 4, in the meeting room of the High Point Branch (3411 SW Raymond St.).

Fay will discuss with patrons how the pandemic has impacted current Library services and the patron experience, as well as how the Library is preparing for its long-term future.

“As we prepare to develop a new long-term strategic plan for The Seattle Public Library, we are starting our planning by listening to the needs of our patrons, our neighborhoods and our partners,” said Fay. “I look forward to hearing from community members about what is important to them and how the Library can better serve them now and in the years to come. We know that our patrons, staff, and the broader community are navigating a time of significant change. It’s important that we stay in conversation with the individuals and families we serve so that we can plan our future together.”

The High Point Branch Community Conversation is Fay’s first in a series of conversations with patrons about the future of the Library. The next Community Conversation will be held from noon to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 24, at the Rainier Beach Branch, and additional conversations will be held at other locations this year and throughout 2023. These events will be added to the Community Conversations page of the Library’s website as their dates and times are determined.

Patrons who would prefer to provide feedback online to the Library about current and future services can also share their thoughts on the Community Conversations page.

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COUNTDOWN: One week until Night Out returns

July 26, 2022 9:00 am

| Comments Off on COUNTDOWN: One week until Night Out returns

| Neighborhoods | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

One week from tonight – on Tuesday, August 2nd – side streets around West Seattle (and beyond) will close for neighbors’ block parties during the return of Night Out. It’s a national community-building event with history going back almost 40 years. To close your (non-arterial) street for a Night Out block party, all you have to do is register here.

P.S. If you’re having a party, Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner has an offer for you:

On Monday August 1st (the day before Night Out) from 10 am – 2 pm I will be at the SW Precinct, in the community meeting room, to provide you with crime prevention materials, swag, and goodies to give away at your parties!

Please feel free to come by during that time to pick up whatever you might need/want for your get-together.

I will have a variety of goodies, and they will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

If you’ve never been to the precinct, it’s at 2300 SW Webster; the community room is right off the public parking lot on the south side of the building.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Welcome to Tuesday

July 26, 2022 6:02 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, July 26th.

WEATHER

Sunny and hot, with the “excessive heat warning” alert officially taking effect at noon.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro buses are on their regular weekday schedules; 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 before next spring. Check here for alerts/updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

856th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. 47 days until the week SDOT hopes to reopen it.

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, many with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page

Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Broken windows; abandoned blue Schwinn bike

July 25, 2022 9:24 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two more reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

BROKEN CAR WINDOWS: From Corey:

Just wanted to give a heads up to those living in the Highland Park neighborhood, side car windows are being smashed in the area. Myself and a neighbor were hit a few weeks back around 18th and Trenton, but didn’t report because nothing was stolen. This most likely happened late night/early morning.

Learned today a friend who lives around 10th and Portland had their passenger window smashed last night along with 4 or 5 other cars and they have found a ball bearing next to their car. I also saw another unknown car with the same vandalism.

In all cases, as far as I’ve heard and experience nothing was stolen. Unfortunately for all of us we now have a $300 window repair bill.

Please keep vigilant and if anyone has a lead it would be great to share in the comments. Thanks!

Side note, you can report car prowls online even if nothing was stolen (we’ve done it a couple times) – go here..

ABANDONED BIKE: From the dumped-likely-stolen file – James sent the photo:

James says it’s been in an Upper Morgan alley for at least two days. If it’s yours, contact us and we’ll connect you.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Alert level for impending heat wave changes again; plus, where to cool off

July 25, 2022 7:14 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Sunday sunset, photographed by Lynn Hall)

As hot weather approaches, the National Weather Service has changed the alert level again. Now it’s an Excessive Heat Warning, in effect from noon Tuesday to 4 pm Friday, and temperatures in the upper 90s are possible. (“Warning” is the highest alert level, compared to “watch” or “advisory,” both of which were issued earlier.) The city has sent out a list of where you can go to cool off if you need to. For West Seattle, the Senior Center (California/Oregon) is air-conditioned and will be open weekdays 8:30 am-4:30 pm; the Delridge and High Point branches of the Seattle Public Library both are fully air-conditioned – both are open 1 pm-8 pm Tuesday, 11 am-6 pm Wednesday and Thursday, while Delridge is closed Friday but High Point is open 11 am-6 pm. Got a restaurant, bar, coffee shop, or other facility that will be air conditioned and open for public use? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

P.S. Today’s official high = 87.

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CORONAVIRUS: Seattle Public Schools offers another local vaccination clinic

July 25, 2022 4:29 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Seattle Public Schools has announced another round of COVID vaccine clinics for students, staff, and family members, ages 3 and above. The full citywide list is here; the West Seattle clinic is at Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon) 2:30-5:30 pm Saturday, August 6th. You’re encouraged to preregister here but we’re told they do welcome walk-ins. At the school clinic, Safeway Pharmacy will provide doses 1, 2 for students ages 3-4, dose 1 and 2 for ages 5-adult, boosters for ages 5-adult.

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WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE: ‘Major milestone’ just reached in repairs

July 25, 2022 2:05 pm

| 53 COMMENTS

| West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

(Added: SDOT photo)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

2:05 PM: The West Seattle Bridge is still on track to reopen in mid-September, and toward that, SDOT has just announced a “major milestone” in bridge repairs – the “post-tensioning” steel cables to strengthen the bridge have been tightened to 100 percent, and the bridge has reacted the way engineers’ calculations have predicted it should. We first learned this in a conversation just concluded with bridge project director Heather Marx, after requesting an interview for an update on the repair work. She says the milestone was reached over the weekend. It’s not the last significant part of the repair work – epoxy injection and carbon-fiber wrapping continues – but it’s a big one. The project remains on schedule for the bridge to reopen “the week of September 12th,” and Marx reiterates that when they have 30 days to go, they’ll announce a more specific date. More info – including other updates from our conversation – coming up.

ADDED 2:29 PM: A bit more technical explanation on the milestone – monitoring installed on the bridge include “instruments that tell us the shape of the bridge,” Marx explains, and engineers calculated what that shape should be when the post-tension is at 100 percent – so it was a big sigh of relief when they got to 100 percent and that shape is exactly what resulted. The tensioning is done with jacks that “pull (the steel cables) from both sides,” Marx explains. Email updates at the end of last week mentioned that they had reached 20 percent, and Marx says that was an important point along the way, to be sure it was going to work – “a quality-control moment.”

So what remains to be done to reopen the 28-months-closed bridge? After the aforementioned final epoxy injections and carbon-fiber wrapping – Phase 4, if you’re keeping track – the CFR has to cure, the work platforms will be removed, and load testing will happen – “running a truck at specific weight, specific speed, back and forth” on the bridge, along with other inspections. After all that, deck restoration – all those notches in the concrete for the work platforms, for example – and demobilization, getting the work crews and equipment off the bridge, will follow. (They’re already doing some concrete repairs now – 60 panels in the bridge deck are planned for replacement, and as of a week ago, Marx says, about 25 are completed.)

The fact they’ve passed the major milestone of full post-tensioning doesn’t mean it’s all coasting from here, Marx cautions – “at the end of the project, the (possibility) of something to go wrong unexpectedly stays at the same rate, so it’s an anxious time.” But aside from the concrete delay, they haven’t experienced any other major holdups lately, she said – there is a cement shortage right now but they’ve been able to work around it with suppliers.

We’d heard recently that SDOT was not giving permission for a run/walk/ride on the bridge, one of the ideas that a community coalition had been pursuing, so we asked about that. Marx said they just didn’t want to run the risk that an event would be planned and the bridge would be ready to open sooner but they’d have to hold the closure for an event – SDOT had long said that once it’s ready to open, they would not let anything delay it for a moment. So, we asked, is there a chance that you might announce at the 30-day point “the bridge will open September X’ and then discover as September X approaches that it’s ready to go a day (or more) earlier? Marx said that’s a possibility, but they expect the 30-days-notice date to be as precise as possible. But “the general vibe is (to open) as soon as the bridge is available.”

All this is not to say there won’t be some kind of event related to the reopening; Marx says SDOT is planning one to thank the community for what it’s endured. Free food that the city will buy from local restaurants, and she’ll be there helping serve it. It’s not a celebration of SDOT, she stresses, as they realize “the bridge is ours and it’s broken.”

We talked with Marx about the low-bridge work; more on that separately later.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire; burglary by tractor; car prowl

July 25, 2022 11:54 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three reports in West Seattle Crime Watch, starting with two from the weekend:

GUNFIRE: This is the only “confirmed gunfire” report in the weekend SPD summaries. Police went to 24th/Kenyon just after 1:30 am Sunday after a report of possible gunfire. The report says, “Officers located evidence of a shooting, broken glass, a makeshift memorial and two unoccupied vehicles struck by gunfire.” Someone told police they heard people arguing, then the gunfire, then two vehicles left the area. The report doesn’t elaborate on the “makeshift memorial” but that corner has this history.

BURGLARY BY TRACTOR: This happened just after 7:30 am Friday. Police say someone drove “a large tractor” – which turned out to have been stolen – through the garage door at Stan’s Mt. View Towing yard in the 9000 block of Delridge Way SW. There, they broke into a vehicle that had been the subject of a King County Sheriff’s Office “warrant … involving firearms.” The tractor driver left with a bg of unknown items, but probably not including guns, as police note that KCSO had already executed the warrant “and possibly recovered firearms from inside the truck.”

And a reader report:

CAR BREAK-IN: From Liz:

Our car was rummaged through last night. I must have left the car unlocked on accident in our driveway. They went through our glovebox and center console. I think they took an old hoodie and maybe a flashlight. Nothing else that we can see. We’re located on 9th Ave SW near Barton SW.

An online report has been filed.

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From crafting to meditating, options for your West Seattle Monday

July 25, 2022 10:08 am

| Comments Off on From crafting to meditating, options for your West Seattle Monday

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(New public-art installation at Westcrest Park, ‘ChromaCyclium’ by Ken Roepe)

Here’s the list for the rest of your Monday:

WADING POOLS: Three local city-run wading pools will open today, EC Hughes at 2805 SW Holden noon-7 pm; same hours for South Park at 8319 8th Ave. S. And Lincoln Park at 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, noon-7 too. (The Highland Park spraypark continues its daily schedule, 11 am-8 pm, 1100 SW Cloverdale.)

COLMAN POOL: Colman Pool on the Lincoln Park shore is also open noon-7 pm.

POSTCARDING POP-UP: From local Postcards to Voters organizers, a pop-up gathering 5:30-7 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).

CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), explained in our calendar listing.

MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm.

PLAY PINBALL, FREE! The Admiral Pub‘s 16 pinball machines are open for free play 7-10 pm Mondays. (2306 California SW)

PLAY TRIVIA! Three scheduled options tonight for trivia players – 7 pm at Best of Hands (35th/Webster), 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)

Have something that should be listed on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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WHALES: Humpback off south West Seattle

July 25, 2022 9:22 am

| 16 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Whales

9:22 AM: If you have time to start your week with some whale-watching, Kersti Muul reports that orcas are off Colman Pool at Lincoln Park, southbound. Let us know if you see them!

10:01 AM: See comments – Kersti confirms it turned out to be a humpback.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, ROAD WORK, WEATHER: Welcome to Monday

July 25, 2022 6:03 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, ROAD WORK, WEATHER: Welcome to Monday

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, July 25th.

WEATHER

Sunny and warm, but the real heat isn’t expected to arrive until tomorrow-

ROAD WORK

The Alki Avenue pump-station project has been mobilizing (1400 block).

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro buses are on their regular weekday schedules; 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 before next spring. Check here for alerts/updates.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

855th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

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? Please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.

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‘Not as bad’ summer discussed @ Alki Community Council

July 24, 2022 11:58 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Roughly midway through the summer season at Alki, it’s “not as bad as years past.” So observed Seattle Police Southwest Precinct Officer Tammy Frame, first guest at this month’s Alki Community Council meeting online and in person this past Thursday night.

That’s not to say the beach has been trouble-free. Some residents were there with complaints. But there was general acknowledgment that the early beach closure – 10 pm, with fires to be out at 9:30 pm – makes a “significant difference.” One resident said, “A lot of the noise and rowdiness has evaporated.’ Even the Fourth of July was “much quieter,” attendees agreed; Officer Frame said the (unannounced) street closures that night were planned because police were “expecting a bigger crowd.”

Fast, loud driving continues to be a concern on Alki and Harbor Avenues, though, and one attendee specifically wanted to discuss aggressive driving and other problems on 56th SW, especially from people coming downhill toward the beach from Admiral Way. Neighbors have been asking for traffic-calming measures but “getting the runaround” including suggestions to apply for a variety of city grant programs that are either inactive or not applicable for transportation projects. Officer Frame suggested contacting Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner for clearer information on possible solutions.

As for the Harbor Avenue concerns – not just aggressive driving, but also the continuing presence of RVs – one local condo complex is hosting a meeting with police this week and has invited reps from other complexes too. Asked how best to voice concerns about RVs, Officer Frame mentioned the Find It Fix It app, as well as contacting the Parks Department, which she described as the current “lead” on encampment issues. But she also stressed, if/when you see crime or “suspicious activity,” call 911 – “we need data” to quantify concerns, she stressed.

One more note before the shorter-than-usual meeting wrapped up – the Alki Elementary rebuild project has an “environmental checklist” online now for comment – find it linked from this page (scroll down to Alki Elementary, click the plus sign to expand; you’ll also find info on how to comment).

NEXT MEETING: The Alki Community Council will take August off, so next meeting is September 22nd.

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CORONAVIRUS: Newest West Seattle, countywide numbers and trends

July 24, 2022 9:21 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Here’s our regular Sunday night check of local numbers from the Public Health – Seattle/King County COVID dashboard:

*17 percent fewer cases countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 878 new daily cases countywide (down from 1,052 when we checked a week ago)

*13 percent fewer hospitalizations countywide in the past week thab the week before
*Currently averaging 17 new hospitalizations daily (down from 19 a week ago)

*20 percent fewer deaths countywide in the past two weeks than the two previous weeks (the dashboard doesn’t offer a one-week increment)
*Currently averaging 3 deaths daily (same as last week’s two-week average)

For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons (these are the combined totals from two “health reporting areas,” labeled West Seattle and Delridge, together comprising the entire peninsula):
*712 cases between 7/4 and 7/18, down from 759 between 6/19 and 7/3
*18 hospitalizations between 7/4 and 7/18, up from 12 between 6/19 and 7/3
*2 deaths between 7/4 and 7/18, down from (corrected) 3 between 6/19 and 7/3

VACCINATION: Checking vaccination rates:
*81.7 percent of all King County residents have completed the initial series (up .1% from a week ago)
*86.5 percent of all King County residents ages 5 and up have completed the initial series (up .1% from a week ago)
*51.6 percent of all King County residents have had the initial series plus a booster (up .2% from a week ago)

*In West Seattle, here are the vaccination rates by ZIP code for ages 5 and up (reminder, 98106 and 98146 are not wholly within WS):
98106 – 88.8% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 55.7% have had a booster (up .2%)
98116 – 93.6% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 67.9% have had a booster (up .1%)
98126 – 84.3% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 57.8% have had a booster (up .2%)
98136 – 94.4% completed initial series (up .1% from a week earlier), 70.9% have had a booster (up .2%)
98146 – 83.7% completed initial series (up .1% from a week earlier), 50% have had a booster (up .1%)

VACCINE CLINICS: Look for opportunities here.

TESTING: If you want to get tested and don’t have or want to get a home kit, public testing sites include the city-supported site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, 9 am-5:30 pm Monday-Saturday this week) and the Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1220 Harbor SW, 9 am-3 pm Monday-Friday this week). … If you need to report self-test results, that’s explained on this page.

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SPORTS: Local physical therapist offers advice for pickleball players in national publication

July 24, 2022 8:10 pm

| Comments Off on SPORTS: Local physical therapist offers advice for pickleball players in national publication

| Health | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Pickleball is a surging sport – and with all ages playing, some players are in search of strategies to keep up with the challenges.

Mark Bouma of Lake Washington Physical Therapy‘s West Seattle clinic (WSB sponsor) tells us, “I recently had the opportunity to contribute to a national physical therapy magazine article (APTA Magazine) on how physical therapy is helping pickleball players stay healthy! Since pickleball is such a popular and fast-growing sport, particularly in the PNW, I thought this may be of interest to members of the West Seattle community.” Here’s the article in PDF. Mark also sent this link to an article on pickleball and shoulder injuries that he published last year on the LWPT website. Pickleball is so hot in Seattle, the city Parks Department is working to expand facilities; next step in its ongoing study is an August 11th briefing.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Folding bicycle stolen

July 24, 2022 6:17 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

From Chris:

My car was broken into and tossed and thieves opened my trunk and stole an important bike from me. After having my old bike and rack cut off of my car, two of my good friends bought me a folding bike that I could keep on trunk and not have to carry up and down my steps. Now it too has been stolen. It was a Montague Navigator, dark blue in color. If anyone sees it or has any info, please contact me via this email tobolac@aol.com

This happened near High Point Community Center. It’s been reported to police but no incident number yet.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: This week’s heat alert upgraded

July 24, 2022 4:34 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Tetherball at sunset, photographed by Anjanette Nelson-Wally)

4:34 PM SUNDAY: The National Weather Service is still predicting a heat wave Tuesday through Friday, and this afternoon it upgraded the alert level to Excessive Heat Watch. The alert is for Tuesday afternoon through Friday night; the forecast still suggests Wednesday and Thursday are likely to be the hottest days, possibly into the mid-90s.

MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: The alert is now a “heat advisory,” kicking in at noon Tuesday.

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