West Seattle, Washington
10 Wednesday
4:45 PM: Over the weekend, we published security-camera images from last Wednesday’s armed robbery at Bellevue Rare Coins in The Junction. The description of one robber as having a distinctive limp had some wondering if they were the same people suspected in a region-wide robbery and murder rampage, mostly targeting cannabis shops, with a store employee killed during a Tacoma holdup. Today, one of those suspects, 15-year-old Marshon D. Jones, was arrested, while another, 16-year-old Montrell D. Hatfield, remains at large. SPD has subsequently confirmed to WSB, “Robbery detectives have confirmed that they are the suspects in the Bellevue Rare Coins robbery, and are being investigated further. That investigation, and further attempts to locate the other suspects, continues.” After last week’s West Seattle robbery, the store closed for three months of security updates and remodeling work. If you have any information about the robbers who are still at large, call Seattle Police and refer to incident # 22-085753.
6:21 PM: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Casey McNerthney tells WSB that Jones and Hatfield are only charged so far in a February robbery at a pawn shop in Federal Way. (Court documents note that Hatfield is the one with the prosthetic right leg.) The charging documents also show that, as with the West Seattle robbery, the robbers ordered employees to lie on the floor. In the Federal Way robbery, they also allegedly fired a warning shot. Police arrested the suspects shortly after the robbery, but as has been reported in regional media, despite prosecutors’ arguments that they should remain in juvenile detention, King County Superior Court Judge Averil Rothrock allowed them to be out on electronic home monitoring, from which they escaped. McNerthney says that’s the only case involving these two referred to the KCPAO so far.
ADDED: To clarify, Jones and Hatfield’s only King County charge so far is the Federal Way robbery, but they are also charged, in Pierce County, with the Tacoma murder.
The state Department of Ecology has sent advance word of a drill you might notice if you’re looking toward Harbor Island or the downtown waterfront tomorrow (Tuesday, April 12th). Starting at 9 am, the alert says, “Kinder Morgan and NRC will be deploying equipment to exercise their oil spill contingency plans, and test the geographic response plan for that area. Activities will start at the Kinder Morgan facility on Harbor Island [map], and then move to the waterfront near the Seattle Aquarium. Crews will operate oil spill skimmers near Harbor Island and deploy boom near the Seattle waterfront.”
The date has changed for Brent Amaker & The Rodeo‘s “Save the Yen Wor” concert. Here’s the new plan:
The “Save the Yen Wor” benefit show, originally scheduled for Wednesday April 13th, has been postponed due to Covid-19. A member of the band contracted Covid-19 this past weekend and will be unable to perform due to CDC isolation guidelines. The show has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 17th. For those who were planning to attend the Yen Wor this coming Wednesday, Brent will be on hand to MC and host charity Karaoke with Loretta. Also look out for the possibility of additional special guests!
All proceeds from both events will be donated to assist the Yen Wor during a period of family illness and transition. Learn more about the community effort to save the Yen Wor at their Go Fund Me page. Feel free to donate prior to the event if you would like to help.
Please update your calendars now, and support this important West Seattle institution in any way that you can.
People who are 65 and older and/or living with disabilities have a new transportation option this spring, announced today by the city:
SDOT has launched a new pilot program called Ride Now to provide free and discounted rides to transit stations and other nearby destinations that can be difficult to reach by transit only – specifically for older adults (65+) and people with disabilities and their caregivers. The goal of the program is to provide more accessible, convenient, and affordable transportation options for these community members. The pilot program will be active during the months of April and May 2022.
Eligible community members can request six $20 paper or digital vouchers per month to use for rides from Yellow Cab, Uber, or Lyft. Program participants can request these rides when they want them, no reservations required, and have an accessible ride come right to their door. Vouchers will work on trips that start or end within the city of Seattle, and riders can receive higher discounts off trips that connect to transit.
Eligible individuals include:
Older adults: Individuals aged 65 or older.
People with disabilities: Individuals with any type of disability that impacts their ability to access transit, including physical and cognitive disabilities.
Caregivers: Individuals who travel with the above eligible riders.
You can request vouchers at seattle.gov/transportation/RideNow or by calling 206-684-ROAD [7623]. Vouchers will also be available through some community-based non-profit organizations. This pilot program, the result of a grant, is in addition to services offered by other agencies, such as the Hyde Shuttle and other King County programs linked here.
(WSB photo – seen in Gatewood)
The weather may still be hinting at wintry, but it’s time for spring celebrations. West Seattle egg hunts are back this year, and the first starts tomorrow:
FAUNTLEROY EGG HUNT: Again this year, the Fauntleroy Community Association has recruited volunteers to hide eggs, with non-candy surprises inside, around various parts of the neighborhood, at various times, tomorrow (Tuesday, April 12th) through Saturday. Find the boundaries, and info on recycling eggs you find, here.
DELRIDGE EGG HUNT: Seattle Parks skipped egg hunts the past two years but is returning at a smaller scale this year, with one West Seattle hunt, for kids 3-11 – 10 am Saturday (April 16th) at Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW).
LINCOLN PARK EGG HUNT: Eastridge Church is again presenting an egg hunt in the south meadow at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), also at 10 am Saturday. They promise thousands of eggs plus “field games and inflatables.”
BEER GARDEN EGG HUNT: At 3 pm Saturday, Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW) will have an egg hunt for kids under 10. If you can, bring a nonperishable food donation for the West Seattle Food Bank.
CHURCH EGG HUNTS ON EASTER: On Easter Sunday, some local churches offer egg hunts after services. We have two on our Easter/Holy Week services list so far and expect to be adding more in the next few days.
Anything to add? Email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch
STOLEN VEHICLE: From Andrew:
My 1999 Chevy S-10 Blazer red was stolen from the 5000 block of 41st Ave SW some time between 12:30 AM and 7:30 AM. License AFY6805. Had ski racks. Some tools inside. Police report has been filed.
Plate # is AFY6805. (UPDATE: Andrew says it’s been found – abandoned, damaged, in the 4800 block of California SW and impounded from there.)
CAR PROWLERS: Michelle says an alert circulated among residents of the Lighthouse building on Alki Point warning of two car prowlers seen in both their lot and the Alki Point Lighthouse public parking lot next to it. They were described only as “two males, both wearing backpacks and both covered up (difficult to identify).”
BROKEN WINDOW: One holdover report from last week. M & G report, “(Last) Sunday night / Monday morning, broken side car window, 38th and Olga, nothing taken and didn’t even open the door ( upper half of shattered glass still in the door. Fell out when I opened it).”
The report and photo are from Troop 282‘s Jay Brock:
Springtime means more adventures to be had in the SCOUTdoors. Troop 282 and Troop 284 of West Seattle would like to congratulate 5 of their scouts for completing their Scuba Open Water Certification and their Scuba Diving Merit Badges. On Sunday Aprit 3rd these scouts joined a number of Scouting divers that now can do conservation projects on land as well as under the sea. It was no easy task for them while still in school. The had to complete 15 hours of online learning, a couple of classroom hours, several hours training in a pool and four dives in the open waters of Puget Sound. A big shout out goes to Duncan as the Dive Instructor and Seattle Scuba for the course.
Troop 282 meets on Tuesdays at 7:30 at West Side Presbyterian Church and Troop 284 meets on Mondays at 7:00 at Explorer West Middle School. Now is a great time to join and be part of the action.
7:20 AM: The Water Taxi is canceled until 10:30 am because of wind.
7:40 AM: The Vashon WT also is canceled through at least the 8:15.
10:33 AM: The West Seattle Water Taxi has resumed service.
——
Earlier:
6:03 AM: Good morning. It’s Monday, April 11th, the start of spring break for many (but not all) local schools.
WEATHER
Cloudy forecast with possible showers, maybe even some morning snowflakes, high near 50.
BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES TODAY
Metro is on its regular weekday schedule. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of reroutes/cancellations.
Water Taxi‘s on its regular schedule. Shuttle service is now serving all runs. (UPDATE: See above)
Ferries: WSF is still using the two-boat schedule for Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth. Check here for alerts/updates.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
749th 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:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
Are movable bridges opening for vessels? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also 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.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The roughed-out redesign of the Highland Park Improvement Club building would have the same footprint, but a different look and feel inside.
Sketches for the redesign were unveiled during HPIC’s fourth Town Hall about rebuilding, a project made necessary because of the major damage done by last June’s fire. HPIC’s Kay Kirkpatrick opened the online event Wednesday night by saying they’re working on a fundraising plan and hoping they can keep the cost lower by staying within the existing footprint and reusing the foundation.
Architect Matt Wittman of Wittman Estes presented the schematic design options. His presentation summarized nine key themes they’d heard from the community in previous discussions, and how they had responded to those themes.
It’s now been about a month since many pandemic restrictions, particularly regarding masks, lifted. Weekend’s end means our weekly check of where key local numbers stand, via the Public Health – Seattle/King County dashboard. It shows COVID cases up for a third week, with hospitalizations also rising but deaths continuing to drop:
*36 percent more cases countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 384 new daily cases countywide (up from 281 when we checked a week ago)
*52 percent more hospitalizations countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 5 new hospitalizations daily (up from 3 a week ago)
*63 percent fewer deaths countywide in the past two weeks than the two weeks before (the dashboard doesn’t offer a one-week increment)
*Currently averaging 1 death daily (down from 2 a week ago)
For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons (these are the combined totals from two “health reporting areas,” labeled West Seattle and Delridge):
*228 cases between 3/21 and 4/4, up from 126 between 3/6 and 3/20
*3 hospitalizations between 3/21 and 4/4, up from 2 between 3/6 and 3/20
*No deaths between 3/21 and 4/4, unchanged from between 3/6 and 3/20
And checking vaccination rates:
*80.6 percent of all King County residents have completed the series (up .2% from a week ago)
*85.3 percent of all King County residents ages 5 and up have completed the series (up .1% from a week ago)
*In West Seattle, here are the zip-code vaccination rates for ages 5 and up (note that 98106 and 98146 are not entirely within WS):
98106 – 87.5% (unchanged from a week earlier)
98116 – 92.4% (up .2% from a week earlier)
98126 – 83.2% (up .2% from a week earlier)
98136 – 93.2% (unchanged from a week earlier)
98146 – 82.5% (up .3% from a week earlier)
VACCINATION AND TESTING, UPDATED HOURS: No pop-up clinics announced recently, you can still find vaccination locations via this statewide lookup. If you want to get tested and don’t have a kit at home, public testing sites include the city-supported site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, 9 am-5:30 pm Mondays-Saturdays), the Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1220 Harbor SW, 9 am-3 pm Monday-Friday), and the Curative van at Summit Atlas (35th/Roxbury, but it’s closed this week).
(WSB photos)
The new art tiles at Nantes Park (5062 SW Admiral Way) found their intended audience this afternoon during a visit by a delegation from the park’s namesake French city, celebrating its 42 years as a sister city to Seattle.
The Seattle-Nantes Sister City Association led the art/beautification project over the past three years, involving students in both cities and French writer/illustrator Claude Ponti.
A message from Ponti was read during this afternoon’s reception in the park, saying he hopes the park and its art will help people find “a sliver of joy and happiness.” The ~50 people in attendance heard from, left to right below, Susan Kegel of the Seattle-Nantes SCA, Christena Coutsouboss of City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s office, acting Seattle Parks superintendent Christopher Williams, Adiam Emery from Mayor Bruce Harrell‘s office, Franck Coutant from the Nantes park department, and Nantes deputy mayor Pierre-Emmanuel Marais.
Marais offered poignant remarks about the importance of international friendship at a time when part of the world is at war; he noted that Nantes, like Seattle, is opening its arms to Ukrainian refugees, and offering help. After speeches, today’s event also included music and refreshments. You might not be surprised to see the source of treats offered to the French visitors:
The park project, made possible in part by a Department of Neighborhoods matching-fund grant, isn’t entirely done – a walkway with inset art is incomplete because of the just-concluded concrete strike. But the park is fully open to visitors.
The photo and report are from Carl:
Our family discovered two child-sized mountain bikes left behind in the alleyway [in Highland Park]. The larger one is a red Dynacraft with a wipe out shield in front. The smaller one is blue and has a license plate that says “2cool4u.”
If one or both are yours, email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – and we’ll connect you.
As Alki Elementary proceeds toward its levy-funded rebuild, it will go before the city Landmarks Board for consideration. Landmark nomination is a standard step in the process when a big Seattle Public Schools project like this is planned – we’ve reported on several prior instances, going back to the Denny/Sealth project in 2008, also including Fairmount Park Elementary, the former Genesee Hill Elementary , and the old Arbor Heights Elementary, all in 2013, among others. Though it’s largely a technicality, the full nomination process has to play out, so the board will have a hearing during its next online meeting at 3:30 pm Wednesday, April 20th, as previewed here. Meantime, the $66 million rebuild is expected to start construction after next school year; for the ’23-’24 and ’24-’25 school years, Alki will hold classes at the former Schmitz Park Elementary (currently temporary home to West Seattle Elementary during its addition project).
P.S. West Seattle has four schools that are fully designated as city landmarks – E.C. Hughes (Roxhill) Elementary, Gatewood Elementary, Madison Middle School, and West Seattle High School – here’s the map showing all city landmarks.
(Reader photo from 2019 Easter sunrise service at Forest Lawn)
With Easter Sunday one week away, we’ve started a list of West Seattle Holy Week/Easter services in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar. You’ll find it there, toward the top, for each day through next Sunday (here’s the direct link). Some local churches already have sent information on what they have planned – both in-person and online – and the list includes all that, plus the return of the West Seattle Ministerial Association‘s sunrise service at Forest Lawn. We’ll continue adding to the list as information comes in – just email us the basic information, westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Madison Middle School students are working on a virtual production of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” and they’re seeking sponsors. Among the sponsorship offers is a “personalized Shakespearean advertisement.” Here’s the flyer with info on sponsorship. As for the production, you’re invited to watch whether you’re a sponsor or not; four performances are planned on three dates – 7 pm April 25 and 28th, 1 pm and 7 pm May 1st, no admission charge. (You can go here to RSVP.)
(WSB photo from past Recycle Roundup)
Just a reminder that April 24th is the date for Fauntleroy Church‘s next Recycle Roundup, a free dropoff event, 9 am-3 pm in the church’s parking lot at 9140 California SW. Here’s the list of what will be accepted:
(You can also see the list here, including what NOT to bring.) Fauntleroy Church’s partner is 1 Green Planet, which usually brings multiple trucks, so there’s plenty of capacity.
(WSB photo: Roadside tulips in Gatewood)
Here’s our list of what’s happening today, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ROAD-WORK ALERT: Two SDOT work sites between 7 am and 4:30 pm today:
We will be updating curb ramps at 45th Ave SW and Admiral Way SW in the North Admiral neighborhood. Parking will be limited during this work. People walking and biking in the area will be detoured to the other sides of the intersection for crossing.
In the North Delridge area, we’ll be installing foundations for future radar speed signs on 16th Ave SW between SW Morgan St and SW Findlay. The parking lane will be blocked as we complete this work, however we do not anticipate disrupting traffic or impacting people walking and biking in the area.
CHURCHES: Many West Seattle churches are continuing online services, with most resuming in-person too – here’s our weekly update on 20+ churches.
DONATION-ONLY YOGA CLASS: 9 am at Jet City Labs (4546 California SW) – details in our calendar listing.
SPRING POTTERY SALE: In the garden at 4111 47th SW, 10 am-2 pm.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, find fresh food – produce, meat, fish, cheese, beverages, baked goods, and prepared food – at the weekly WSFM. (California SW between SW Oregon and SW Alaska)
WEST SEATTLE RUNNER’S 12TH-ANNIVERSARY WEEKEND: As previewed here – 11 am-4 pm today, West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) continues its anniversary sale, and starts the day with an 11 am Altra-demo group run. (2743 California SW)
DUBSEA FISH STICKS JOB FAIR: 1 pm-3 pm at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center (1321 SW 102nd), the DubSea Fish Sticks baseball organization is having a job fair:
The team is currently looking to hire 20-30 part-time employees for the months of June and July. High school and college students are welcome to apply with select positions being available to those 15 years of age and older. There are select positions such as servers and security that do require the applicant to be 21 years of age or older.
The job fair will allow those interested in working for the Fish Sticks to find out more information about each position and apply on site. For those that are interested but cannot attend the job fair they can apply online at GoFishSticks.com/jobs. Positions that are currently available include concessions, ticketing, game day operations, servers and security.
The DubSea Fish Sticks’ season begins on Saturday, June 4th, running through July 31st.
ARTSWEST MATINEE: ArtsWest‘s play “This Girl Laughs, This Girl Cries, This Girl Does Nothing” has its closing performance this afternoon, 3:00 pm, in the theater at 4711 California SW. Tickets available here.
TRAVELING FAMILY BAND AND FRIENDS: Live music at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 3-5 pm. No cover.
SISTER-CITY CELEBRATION: 4 pm at Nantes Park in west Admiral (5062 SW Admiral Way), join reps from the park’s namesake city in France and our city in celebrating their sister-city relationship. Also see new features in the park; details in our preview.
NEED FOOD? White Center Community Dinner Church serves a free meal (take-away available) at 5 pm Sundays at the Salvation Army Center in South Delridge (9050 16th SW).
KUNDALINI YOGA & MEDITATION: 7 pm at Inner Alchemy Studio (7356 35th SW) – details here.
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: New time, 9 pm to 1:30 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).
Have an event to list on our calendar? We’re adding more daily – email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
10:48 PM: That’s one of the storm cells that passed to the south at midday today, photographed by Troy Sterk from Lincoln Park. Later in the day, another one got as close as downtown – Kevin Ainsworth sent this photo from Harbor Avenue:
A short time later, we were in the same area and saw it moving south:
Today’s high was only 49, nine degrees below normal. The forecast for Sunday is also somewhat unsettled – breezy and cool with a chance of showers.
11:32 PM: But before we get to tomorrow – we have reports from Arbor Heights and The Junction of snow mixed in with rain!
After the Bellevue Rare Coins holdup in The Junction on Wednesday, we asked if the store had security images or video to release. Tonight, they have sent several images.
The store describes the robbers only as “3 young black males, one with an odd limp.” As shown in the image above, the robbers also smashed jewelry display cases.
As reported here Thursday, the store closed after the robbery, for what’s described as remodeling and security updating, “bringing all protocols and equipment up-to-date with state of the art security,” which they plan to do at their other stores too.
If you have any information about the robbers’ identities, you can call Seattle Police and refer to incident # 22-085753.
When Mayor Bruce Harrell recently announced his plan for a police-chief search, we asked about the plan for hiring another high-level city position – SDOT director. The reply was that a similar process would launch shortly, and now it has. A Friday afternoon announcement from the mayor’s office says these 15 people have been named to a search committee:
Genesee Adkins, former SDOT Chief of Staff
Cassie Chinn, Wing Luke Museum
Dr. Anne Goodchild, UW Urban Freight Lab
Amy Grotefendt, Transportation Lead, Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Matt Howard, Seattle Department of Transportation
Alex Hudson, Transportation Choices Coalition
Rob Johnson, NHL Seattle Kraken, former Councilmember
Steve Kovac, IBEW Local 77
Lee Lambert, Cascade Bike Club
Geri Poor, Port of Seattle
Rizwan Rizwi, Muslim Housing Services
Monisha Singh, Chinatown International District Business Improvement Assoc.
Yordanos Teferi, SDOT’s Transportation Equity Workgroup
Terry White, King County Metro
Yu-Ann Youn, SDOT’s Transportation Equity Workgroup, UW student
The announcement does not mention neighborhoods of residence; our quick cross-check of public records shows only one name that potentially matches to a West Seattle address. The announcement says the committee members “were selected for their technical expertise and vision, lived experiences with the transportation system, and ability to leverage networks to market the position, collect feedback, and provide information to support the process and selection.” The committee is expected to meet for the first time later this month; applications for the SDOT director position officially open on Tuesday. No details yet of other plans for community input into the search. The mayor’s office has said the current interim director, Kristen Simpson, previously SDOT’s chief of staff, doesn’t intend to seek the permanent job.
The photo and report are from Ray:
Saw this dumped bag at Thistle and 17th. Lots of student material (pens,note cards).
Ray says the strewn material also included a piece of paper with an email address that he’s notified about this too, but if the bag’s owner sees this first, here’s where it wound up.
On Saturday, May 7th, Roxhill Park will fill with the sound of world music during a daylong festival just announced:
URGENT AFRICA, a non-profit, is producing an ethnic musical event, “Sounds From Around the World,” at Roxhill Park, West Seattle, on May 7th from 11 am-7 pm. This music fest is in conjunction with the Office of Arts and Culture and Seattle’s Parks and Recreation. This is a family event and FREE to the public. Bring a blanket or dance on the grass.
(Photos courtesy Urgent Africa)
The groups being featured are: NABY CAMERA, West African traditional djeli’s/historians/storytellers/praise singers/poets with special guest Boka Kouyate, DESEO CARMIN, Latin/Flamenco/Funk music …
Also COMFORT FOOD (Afro Funk/Soul/Nu Jazz/Fusion), & The LION of JUDAH BAND (Dancehall/Ska/Reggae/and Calypso):
All musicians presented have played on World stages!
Less than a month until Mother’s Day, here’s a school fundraiser that might help with your gift-giving:
H.U.G.S. for Mothers & Special Others
Seattle Lutheran High School – Parent Association FundraiserHope. Unity. Gratitude. Saints.
Brighten someone’s day with a tasty treat and a bouquet!
Seattle Lutheran High School Parent Association is partnering with local businesses Bakery Nouveau and Flower Lab to offer chocolates and flowers for Mother’s Day weekend.
Funds raised go toward classroom grants, student scholarships and educational speakers.
ORDER HERE by Wednesday, April 20th
Contactless curbside pickup or local delivery to limited zip codes on Saturday, May 6th.
See the school website here for more information.
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