West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
If you haven’t responded to this year’s Seattle Public Safety Survey – academically administered, with results summarized for SPD – we’re reminding you that it’s open now. This is the 8th annual survey; it’s not a quick survey, but rather a thorough questionnaire asking you about everything from your opinion of Seattle Police to what kinds of crime, disorder, and even traffic issues are problematic and/or feared in your neighborhood. It’s available in 11 languages. Seattle University, which is administering the survey again this year, adds, “A report on the survey results will be provided to the Seattle Police Department to help them better understand your neighborhood’s safety and security concerns and community-police dialogues will be held in May-August 2023 to provide opportunity for police-community engagement about the results.” This is linked to the SPD Microcommunity Policing Plans, which you can see here. To respond to the survey, start here. The survey’s open until the end of this month.
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
AUTO-THEFT ATTEMPT: From Jessica:
I’m writing to share about attempted auto theft/car prowlers out early Nov 1 around 2:30 AM. They prowled several cars in the garage at 1156 Alki Ave and attempted to steal our car (the keyhole and ignition were both tampered with).
The images show the car they were driving, Jessica explains. No police report # yet.
CREEK OVERLOOK VANDALIZED: Volunteers have been working to clean up tagging damage to signage at the Fauntleroy Creek overlook after one salmon-watching volunteer reported seeing this:
At 5:41 pm (Monday) at the fish ladder viewpoint, I saw the trio high five each other. They saw me approaching and left in a hurry. I saw all the signs there full of graffiti.
They ran down the stairs to the bus stop. I followed and one kid had a marker in his hand, apparently ready to tag a sign at the bus stop.
They saw me and ran back up the stairs and proceeded to run northbound on upper Fauntleroy Way SW, then crossed the street and ran into Lincoln Park.
Police have the full images; incident # is 2022-923487.
On Tuesday we published an update on the city budget-review process, as it’s in the heart of public-feedback time right now, if you want to let city leaders know where you think money should be spent over the next two years. This afternoon, the City Council‘s budget chair, West Seattle-residing citywide Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, announced a few schedule changes after a new revenue forecast showed the city will be taking in less money than expected. Instead of announcing her “balancing package” next Monday, it’ll be a week later. But the Tuesday morning (November 8th) public hearing is still on, and ongoing feedback can be sent any time to council@seattle.gov. Here’s more information on the new schedule and the revised income forecast.
When Thanksgiving gets closer, we’ll be compiling our annual list of which restaurants plan to be open on the holiday. But there’s one place we already know for sure will be open, 
and it requires reservations that are usually booked up well in advance: Salty’s on Alki (1936 Harbor SW; WSB sponsor). They’re now taking Thanksgiving reservations online or by phone (206-937-1600). No buffet again this year, so it’s a three-course plated Thanksgiving dinner (see the menu here), with seatings between 11 am and 5 pm. They’re also again offering take-home kits, to be picked up the day before Thanksgiving.
The space at 4130 California SW that used to be home to Fogue Gallery has a new tenant: The jewelry shop And Arlen. They’re welcoming you to a grand-opening celebration Saturday (November 5th), 4 pm-8 pm: “We are a women-owned, sustainably focused jewelry brand and are excited to join the West Seattle community!” Though the storefront is new, And Arlen is not – they’ve been selling jewelry online for eight years. At Saturday’s celebration, And Arlen says, “We will have snacks, champagne, a raffle, and other handmade goods from small businesses around Seattle.” After the grand opening, the shop’s regular hours will be Tuesdays-Saturdays, 10 am-4 pm.
(Seine fishing off Alki Point, photographed Tuesday by David Hutchinson)
Here’s what’s on the list for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTH PARK GRAFFITI CLEANUP: They would love to see West Seattle neighbors join in! 1-3 pm, at Duwamish Waterway Park.
The Community Service Officers in collaboration with South Park community organizations are working to build a graffiti abatement program. Our hope is to create more awareness and empower residents and local businesses to reclaim their neighborhood, and have a more immediate, safe, and effective response to remove graffiti tagging around the neighborhood. Our graffiti clean-up kickoff is scheduled for Wednesday, November 2nd, from 1-3 PM. Meeting location will be at the Duwamish Waterway Park, 7900 10th Ave. S. All are welcome to volunteer, paint and mingle with the community.
Link for sign-up and more info: forms.office.com/g/uwJFPjN3Qz
LIVE AT LOCOL: Locöl Barley & Vine (7902 35th SW) spotlights live music 6:30-8:30 pm Wednesdays, no cover, 21+, rotating artists.
DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: This coalition of community advocates for West Seattle and South Park meets online at 7 pm, all welcome. Guests are scheduled from the Port of Seattle/Northwest Seaport Alliance to talk/answer questions about Terminal 5, among other issues. Video/call-in info is in our calendar listing.
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
TRIVIA x 4: At 7 pm, you can play trivia at the West Seattle Brewing Mothership (4415 Fauntleroy Way SW); Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) hosts Wednesday-night trivia starting at 7:30 pm; trivia starts at 8 pm at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW); at 8:30 pm, trivia is back at Talarico’s (4718 California SW) with Phil T.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Have an event – one-time or recurring – to add to West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar? Please email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Thanksgiving is just three weeks from tomorrow. A food drive under way right now at Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor) will help more of your West Seattle neighbors have a holiday meal. Here’s the wish list:
Daystar is at 2615 SW Barton, across the street from the south side of Westwood Village.
6:00 AM: Good morning. It’s Wednesday, November 2nd.
WEATHER
After a rainy night, another cloudy, possibly showery day is forecast, high around 50.
ROAD WORK
–Two continuing closures: The outer southbound lane on West Marginal Way between 17th SW and the Duwamish Longhouse … The east end of Sylvan Way.
TIME-CHANGE REMINDER
Time to start noting that Saturday night/Sunday morning, we “fall back” an hour as Daylight Saving Time ends.
TRANSIT STATUS
–Metro buses are on their regular schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations/reroute alerts.
-Still a 2-boat schedule for WSF’s Triangle Route (check here for alerts/updates).
-The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its fall/winter schedule (still daily, all dayparts, but no late Friday/Saturday runs).
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
High Bridge – here’s the camera at the top.
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (if SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way).
Low Bridge: Open to all.
1st Ave. S. Bridge: The alternate route.
Highway 99: Here’s the northbound side at Lander.
All functional city traffic cams can be seen here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
If you see trouble on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
9:30 PM: Thanks for the tips. Police are using a K-9 right now to search for a suspect in South Admiral – (update) This started with a robbery call at Admiral Safeway; police say a store employee was threatened with a knife and assaulted. Police are currently in the 47th/Lander vicinity. Updates to come.
9:46 PM: Police are on other nearby streets too as the search continues.
10:11 PM: No change in the situation.
10:24 PM: The K-9 is still part of the search too, by the way, so you might hear another police announcement – they issue those as warnings when a K-9 is involved, so a search subject is on notice.
11:14 PM: After a couple hours of intensive searching, they’re winding down. There’s a possibility the suspect left the area – they’ve alerted Metro, for example. But if you live in the area and see/hear anything unusual, call 911 – they were getting tips during the search including someone who thought they heard a cell phone repeatedly ringing outside their house. If we get any description info, we’ll add it.
ADDED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: Here’s the SPD preliminary report summary:
At 1930 hrs, a suspect entered a grocery store in the Admiral neighborhood where he shoplifted $20.00 worth of merchandise. Suspect exited the store and was confronted by loss prevention at which time the suspect punched him in the face and took off running. Loss prevention chased the suspect approximately a block and a half before the suspect stopped and turned on him. The suspect pulled a knife and raised it above his head in a stabbing motion and yelled he had a knife. Loss prevention stopped pursuit. SFD responded and treated the loss prevention officer for a minor injury. Officers conducted an area check for the suspect and eventually located him several blocks away. The suspect fled on foot, leading officers to call for assistance from K9 units. K9 officers responded to the scene and conducted a track for approximately 1 hour, but were unsuccessful in locating the suspect.
It was closer to 2 hours, from the time people started texting us about what they were seeing and hearing, to the time the search was called off.
(Monday night photo by Christopher Boffoli)
No arrests reported yet in last night’s shooting of a woman and man, both 37, near 62nd SW and Alki Avenue SW. Police have not commented since last night, when a briefing was provided at the scene and an SPD Blotter post with a few additional details followed. We asked them followup questions today but have yet to hear back. We also asked our area’s City Councilmember Lisa Herbold whether she had spoken to police leadership about the shootings. Here’s her reply:
Capt. Rivera let me know that SPD’s response included officers from other areas of the city. Further, this shooting was the subject of SPD’s weekly Gun Violence Reduction meeting today. As you know, the information that can be released is limited during an open investigation, but Capt. Rivera let me know that SPD will release updates when they can and the follow-up unit is still working the case and searching for evidence.
SPD had already deployed emphasis patrol throughout the area. Since emphasis patrols rely on assigning officers to overtime, the ability to staff the emphasis can be limited by capacity when there are higher priorities for officers on overtime.
Capt. Martin Rivera is commander of the Southwest Precinct, which handles West Seattle and South Park. He or one of his watch commanders may be at tomorrow night’s District 1 Community Network meeting (7 pm online, link will be in tomorrow morning’s West Seattle Wednesday preview list) if you’d like to ask a question. And the precinct itself (2300 SW Webster) will be the site of the twice-rescheduled community meeting with police at 6 pm Thursday, November 17th. Meantime, if you have any information about the shooting, the SPD tip line is 206-233-5000.
Meantime, with ongoing comment discussion touching on questions about accountability and what happens if/when someone is arrested, we looked back at three Alki shootings in which arrests were made during the past two years:
JUNE 2021 QUADRUPLE SHOOTING: This Alki shooting killed 22-year-old Tilorae Shepherd and injured three other people. Charging documents say it followed some kind of disagreement over fireworks. 19-year-old Milton Arnold III of Des Moines was arrested and charged with murder and assault. Arnold had no convictions but was at the time facing possible charges in a robbery and assault case in Des Moines. He remains in King County Jail, awaiting trial, with a status hearing later this month.
NOVEMBER 2020 SHOOTING: 35-year-old Garrett Heinemann of Alki was charged with assault for allegedly shooting a neighbor who was driving down an alley. The victim survived; the motive was a mystery. Heinemann, who has no criminal record, remains in the King County Jail, awaiting trial, with a status hearing next week.
FEBRUARY 2020 DOUBLE SHOOTING: An acquaintance of the two victims, both of whom survived, claimed the shootings happened in a robbery attempt, but an Alki business’s security video showed what really happened. 23-year-old Allan Hawley of Marysville pleaded guilty earlier this year and was sentenced to 7 years and 9 months in prison, as reported here, with credit for the two years he had already spent behind bars. Hawley had one past conviction, for burglary as a teenager.
The Senior Center of West Seattle isn’t just for seniors. You’re invited, regardless of your age, to an event this Thursday (November 3) that’s at, and raising money for, the center. In case you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s the announcement!
Wine Tasting This Thursday at the Senior Center
Thursday, Nov. 3, 6-8 pm; live music from 7-10 pmCommunity members of all ages are invited to a wine tasting and live music this Thursday at the Senior Center of West Seattle. Bring your friends and join us for a fun and festive evening featuring red and white varietals from local wineries Darby, Pine Lake Cellars, and Welcome Road. Tickets are $50 each and include snacks from Brown Girl Charcuterie, live music by Larry Knapp, and wine tasting. Proceeds benefit the Senior Center. The Senior Center is located at 4217 SW Oregon St. with its main entrance off SW Oregon St. Purchase tickets (here).
Thanks to Christine for the photo! She reports that crosswalk at Hanford and Walnut [map] was installed today: “Honestly, this is a miracle. There is now a painted crosswalk and sign at Hanford and Walnut Ave SW. Hanford is a road that people speed on constantly, sometimes going 60 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone.” This is just south of West Seattle High School.
Two bicycle reports that we were about to publish last night when breaking news got in the way:
CHILD’S BALANCE BICYCLE STOLEN: From Yachi:
Our daughter’s balance bike was taken (Monday). It’s a pink and white Haro Prewheelz that was fairly new. My daughter has a rare form of dwarfism and uses the balance bike as her mobility device. She had set it by the sidewalk to get ready for trick-or-treating, so it was disappointing to find it was taken (near 40th/Manning). If anyone sees it lying in their yard, we would love it back!
If you think you’ve seen it, contact us and we’ll connect you.WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Someone found it in their yard and contacted us; we connected them with Yachi, whose daughter has her bike back!
GREEN TREK BIKE FOUND: From Suzanne:
I found this bicycle along 48th SW in the Seaview neighborhood. It has two flat tires but seems to be in good shape otherwise. It’s a Trek Singletrack 930 with a green frame. Not sure how to make certain that it finds its way back to the original owner (expensive bike). I’ve propped it up on the sidewalk between my property and my neighbor’s.
In the comment discussion below our coverage of the shooting that injured two people on Alki last night, some are talking about larger issues of public safety, police, and politics. One immediate matter in which you still have time to give feedback is the city budget for the next two years, which will be finalized before Thanksgiving. Last week, city councilmembers discussed their proposed changes to what Mayor Bruce Harrell presented, and next Monday, the council’s budget chair, West Seattle-residing citywide Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, presents her version of an amended budget. If you feel strongly about what the city should focus on (or not), you’ll want to send a message now, and consider speaking at the next public hearing, which is one week from today – online and in-person. In the short run, you can find out about the proposed budget amendments by using this online tool developed by the council. Here’s council staffer Joseph Peha‘s overview:
It lays out all 100 amendments with detailed information about each one:
o The department it pertains to
o The amendment number
o A short summary of what it does
o The Councilmembers who originally sponsored it
o A link to read a memo from Council’s policy staff
o And a link to watch the Council’s discussion of the amendment – timestamped to go right to that specific part of the meeting
The tool is interactive. You can filter amendments by Councilmember or department. And the number of amendments for each department is listed in the dropdown. Everything is also mobile friendly, so the tool will work on phones, tablets, etc.
After Councilmember Mosqueda presents her “balancing package” on Monday, and the public hearing next Tuesday (9:30 am – the agenda explains how to participate), there’s another round of council amendment opportunities, followed by a November 22nd public hearing and final voting November 23rd. (Here’s the budget calendar.) And if you’re just catching up on the city budget – here’s our coverage of the mayor’s original announcement, and key points.
(Photo by Vincent Marx)
Here’s what’s happening in the hours ahead, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
BLOCK DROP: The roaming DIY cleaning supplies and the volunteers who make them happen are taking a brief break, returning with a Lincoln Park drop on Friday.
TERMINAL 5 QUARTERLY BRIEFING: It’s part of the agenda for the Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members’ meeting at 12:30 pm today, happening in Tacoma but viewable online here.
SIP ‘N’ SHOP AT LAUREN’S JEWELRY: 1 pm-6 pm, “happy hours” with wine, shopping, deals, and support for local nonprofits at Lauren’s Jewelry in Westwood Village (WSB sponsor). Contact the shop for a slot to visit – info’s in our calendar listing.
POSTCARDS TO VOTERS: A local way to take national action with Election Day nears – participating in the 10:30 am drop-in weekly gathering at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
CHESS CLUB: Play chess at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), 1:30 pm. Beginners welcome!
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Longstanding weekly 4:30-6 pm sign-waving demonstration continues at 16th/Holden. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
WEST SEATTLE TAE KWON DO CLUB: November classes start at 6 pm tonight at High Point Community Center (6940 34th SW)
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
SKELETON THEATRE: Technical difficulties last night but a second night is scheduled as usual for Skeleton Theatre, with “The Illusion of Death” – magic performed by animatronic skeletons on a front-yard stage at 36th/Hanford. Show runs continuously (with short breaks to reset) 6-9 pm; more info here.
AUTHOR READING: 6:30 pm at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW), Sallie Crotty reads from her memoir “Out of the Ashes: A Story of Recovery and Hope,” described as follows:
Detailing a mid-life descent into debilitating despair that culminates in a suicide attempt, the memoir brings the reader on a deeply personal journey. She reveals her struggles, time spent in a psychiatric ward, and how lacking a clear diagnosis almost led to her death. She also describes how proper care and receiving the right diagnosis and treatment can provide hope, stability, and a path to happiness.
More info in our calendar listing.
STAR WARS MINIATURES NIGHT: Meeples Games (3727 California SW) hosts this weekly 7 pm event.
TRIVIA X 3: Three of the venues where you can play Tuesday nights – 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!
You can always see more, and preview future events, via our event calendar – if you have something to add, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:03 AM: Good morning. It’s Tuesday, November 1st.
WEATHER
A cloudy, possibly showery day is forecast, high around 50.
ROAD WORK
–Two continuing closures: The outer southbound lane on West Marginal Way between 17th SW and the Duwamish Longhouse … The east end of Sylvan Way.
TRANSIT STATUS
–Metro buses are on their regular schedules; watch @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations/reroute alerts.
-Still a 2-boat schedule for WSF’s Triangle Route (check here for alerts/updates).
-The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its fall/winter schedule (still daily, all dayparts, but no late Friday/Saturday runs).
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
High Bridge – here’s the camera at the top.
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (if SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way).
Low Bridge: Open to all.
1st Ave. S. Bridge: The alternate route.
Highway 99: Here’s the northbound side at Lander.
All functional city traffic cams can be seen here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are also on this WSB page … Are movable city bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
If you see trouble on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
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