West Seattle, Washington
11 Thursday
Here are toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s April board meeting, held this past Tuesday night:
POLICE UPDATES: Lt. Mike Watson from the Southwest Precinct talked a bit about the shooting death of 20-year-old Ka-Don Brown on the Chief Sealth International High School campus this past Saturday. He said the victim is believed to have been shot where his body was found in the faculty parking area in the southwest corner of the campus, not where casings were found in 27th SW upslope. And he said the victim was a frequent visitor to programs at Southwest Teen Life Center across SW Thistle from the school. Lt. Watson also said Mr. Brown’s murder is part of a trend – violent crimes are up 50 percent over this time last year. Property crimes are down lately, but catalytic-converter thefts continue at a pace of at least 50 a month citywide. Last year’s total citywide was about 2,000. As for hotspots, he said they’re doing “emphasis” at Westwood Village three or four days a week, and shoplifting remains the major problem there.
FCA board members remain concerned about enforcement of Fauntleroy’s RPZ, since physical permits are being phased out and parking-enforcement officers will just need to electronically check plates. Lt. Watson said the new method isn’t fully deployed yet. Meantime, the PEO’s shifts end around 10 pm, raising questions about enforcement of early-morning RPZs like the one in Fauntleroy.
SPEAKING OF TRANSPORTATION: Still no followup from SDOT since the walking tour with director Greg Spotts four months ago, reported FCA vice president Catherine Bailey. She said she has emailed repeatedly and received no reply.
PREPAREDNESS: Cindi Barker and Chris Jaramillo talked about the Emergency Communication Hubs – volunteer-managed locations that would be set up if an earthquake or other disaster disrupted normal channels of communication. Jaramillo urged the FCA to help raise community awareness of the hubs, with updates in the FCA newsletter and more information on the FCA website. Barker noted that the Hubs table at the recent Food Fest annual membership meeting generated a lot of interest and discussion. FCA president Mike Dey said the group’s community survey this year will include the hubs as a topic and ask respondents what information they need. Meantime, Barker said the next drill for the hubs will be on June 11th and volunteers will set up in The Junction, at Hope Lutheran. The scenario this time will be a citywide power outage rather than an earthquake. (Whichever West Seattle neighborhood is yours, check this map to learn the location of your nearest hub.)
FERRIES: FCA’s point person for Washington State Ferries issues, Frank Immel, said there wasn’t much new to report. WSF is still working on a date for the next meeting of the Community Advisory Group for the Fauntleroy ferry dock rebuild. He also said the third boat is expected to return to the Triangle Route next week (now that Cathlamet is back in service) but the performance will be watched closely.
FALL FESTIVAL FUNDRAISER: Next Tuesday, April 18th, is the big day at Endolyne Joe’s (9261 45th SW) when part of the proceeds go to the Fauntleroy Fall Festival, which is produced entirely with donations and volunteers. If you go to Joe’s after 5 pm, you can also participate in the raffle for gift baskets.
SPEAKING OF EVENTS: FCA’s egg hunt was a big hit – at least 300 people, and the change to a single venue (the schoolhouse) worked well … Last month’s Food Fest had a good turnout too, an estimated 150 prople.
The Fauntleroy Community Association board meets in person and online at 7 pm second Tuesdays most months – watch fauntleroy.net for updates.
Three West Seattle biznotes tonight:
SSC GARDEN CENTER OPENING: This Saturday is the first day you can shop for student-grown plants at the Garden Center on the north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Again this year, the center will offer perennials, ground covers, shrubs, some annual edibles and flowers, and indoor plants. It’ll be open 9:30 am-3:30 most Fridays and Saturdays from April 15th through June 17th. (You can make a side trip during the compost giveaways on April 22nd and May 6th!)
ALKI KAYAK TOURS OPENING: Starting Saturday at 1660 Harbor SW – here’s the announcement:
Mountain to Sound Outfitters and Alki Kayak Tours are excited to announce the opening of our 18th season this weekend at our location in West Seattle at Seacrest Marina.
At Alki Kayak Tours, we are committed to the conservation and preservation of Puget Sound as a working marine ecosystem that supports the industries of Seattle as well as the spawning salmon headed up the Duwamish River. Our guides provide an additional set of eyes on the Sound looking over its well-being for preventable ecological harm. We utilize the best management practices and focus on leaving the smallest possible ecological footprint when operating tours.
Our tours are a forum where the Puget Sound community and tourists alike can discuss and learn about the history and ecosystems of the Sound. Our guides offer meaningful commentary with the goal of having every paddler leave with a greater understanding and appreciation of this unique corner of the world.
Mountain to Sound Outfitters, our retail specialty store, will also be going through some changes this year, and will offer sales through our reservation process and will conduct Sea Kayak and Stand Up Paddleboard (SUP) Demos every 2 weeks. You can sign up for our demo through our website here.
WILD ROSE’S TO CLOSE: This announcement is from the West Seattle Junction Association‘s community newsletter:
Wild Roses Antiques and Home Furnishings is closing.
We have sad news to share – the beautiful Wild Roses is closing after 25 years in business in the Junction. Owner Leighann says it’s time for the next chapter in her life and wants to thank all the community for supporting the store for over two decades. The store closes May 31, and store-wide closing sales are on now.
Wild Roses is at 4529 California SW.
(Norwegian Bliss arriving one May morning in 2022, photographed by Stewart L.)
Love them or hate them, cruise ships are on their way to Seattle for another season. The first scheduled cruise this year starts Saturday (April 15th), when Norwegian Bliss – capacity 4,004 passengers and 1,716 crew – will head out on a weeklong cruise to Alaska. It’s scheduled to dock at Pier 66 on the central downtown waterfront while here. It’s the first of about 300 cruise-ship calls scheduled for Piers 66 and 91 (in Magnolia) this summer and fall, with the season not ending until the final departure on the day before Halloween. Here’s the schedule, which the port warns is subject to change.
P.S. Related to a topic featured here earlier today – Pier 66 is not yet shore-power-capable; it’s supposed to be before next year’s season. (Pier 91 already is.)
Before spring break, West Seattle High School held a job/internship fair. A month earlier, we published a call for businesses and organizations to participate. WSHS’s Career Connected Learning coordinator Brian Fitzgerald says they had a heartening response, and asked us to publish this message of gratitude:
West Seattle High School would like to say THANK YOU to the organizations that participated in our job and internship fair on Wednesday, April 5th. Thanks to their participation, students were able to learn more about opportunities available to them, practice networking, and how to navigate a job fair!
Take a moment to check out these community-focused businesses/organizations:
Seattle Public Utilities – https://www.seattle.gov/utilities
Seattle Parks and Rec – https://www.seattle.gov/parks
Seattle HappyFeet – https://www.seattlehappyfeet.com
YMCA – https://www.seattleymca.org
Seattle Skill Center – https://skillscenter.seattleschools.org
Amazon Career Quest206
Girls Rock Math – https://girlsrockmath.org
UW Dining – https://hfs.uw.edu/Home
Southwest Youth and Family Services, Young Writers Workshop – https://www.swyfs.org/what-we-do/education
Domino’s on California Ave & SW Hanford St. – https://www.dominos.com
Laborers International Union of America – https://www.liuna.org
AJAC – https://www.ajactraining.org/programs
Sharetea Jefferson Square – https://www.instagram.com/sharetea.westseattle/?hl=en
Chipotle Alaska Junction – https://locations.chipotle.com/wa/seattle/4730-california-ave-sw
Tilly’s Southcenter Mall – https://www.tillys.com
Wheel Fun Rentals – https://wheelfunrentals.com/wa/seattle/alki-beach
Honda and Toyota of Seattle
NW Kidney Center – https://www.nwkidney.org
City Year – https://www.cityyear.org
SH Worldwide – https://shworldwide.com
WCP Solutions – https://www.wcpsolutions.com
Wildwood Market – https://wildwoodwestseattle.comAlso, a big thanks to the West Seattle Blog for helping get the word out!
Side note – if you have employee and/or intern needs, listings are free in our Community Forums. Follow the “jobs” tab on our site menu, and if you don’t have a Forums log-in yet, get it here.
Two vehicle-theft related notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN PICKUP: From Alfredo:
My 2004 Toyota Tacoma was stolen yesterday 4/11/23 between 7:45 am-5 pm on 46th and Edmunds. If seen please call 911.
The plate in the photo is not fully legible so we’re waiting for an answer to our followup question about it, and will add that info when we get it.
FREE ANTI-THEFT DEVICES: Just announced by SPD:
In response to a rise in vehicle thefts involving certain Kia and Hyundai models, SPD’s Crime Prevention Coordinators will be giving away steering wheel locks at each of its five precincts this month. The devices are available at no charge to people who live or work in the City of Seattle, with a focus on those who own or lease a Kia or Hyundai vehicle.
Southwest Precinct – 2300 SW Webster Street:
April 15 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.
April 20 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.Due to limited availability, locks cannot be set aside or held. Only one lock allowed per person.
REMINDER: Speaking of the precinct, tomorrow night (April 13th) is the rescheduled Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting, 6 pm.
Fifteen months after the first modernized berth at Terminal 5 saw its first cargo call, it’s had another first – the long-delayed first use of shore power. That capability was originally supposed to be up and running by the time the first berth opened; we’ve been reporting on the delays for months, attributed to a variety of factors from labor negotiations to hardware/software problems. Today, the Northwest Seaport Alliance just announced the first plug-in has happened:
The Northwest Seaport Alliance’s Terminal 5 welcomed MSC Brunella as the first vessel to plug-in to the terminal’s shore power infrastructure. On Monday, April 10th, the commissioning phase of the Terminal’s shore power project component was finalized as the nearly 9,000 TEU vessel successfully utilized clean energy from the City of Seattle’s electrical grid to power the vessel while at berth.
Terminal 5 is the first international container terminal in the NWSA gateway with shore power capability, making this inaugural plug-in a significant environmental milestone in the Pacific Northwest.
Shore power infrastructure reduces diesel particulate matter and greenhouse gas emissions by allowing vessels to turn off their diesel engines and ‘plug-in’ to the local power grid while being worked at the dock. Seattle City Light has been a critical collaborator throughout this project. …
In addition to needing landside infrastructure at marine terminals, a ship must have special equipment installed to accept shore power. The NWSA is glad to see the cargo shipping industry increasing the number of shore power capable vessels, with more than half of the vessels that call NWSA being shore power capable. Once the infrastructure is fully installed throughout the gateway, the NWSA expects all capable ships will plug-in. …
You can read the entire announcement here.
(Mayor’s Office photo)
As announced by Mayor Bruce Harrell today, registration is now open for volunteering opportunities during this year’s One Seattle Day of Service, on May 20th. We checked the map/list, and noted a dozen opportunities in this area. Most have caps on registration, so if you’re interested in helping out somewhere on that day, sign up fast! From the announcement, here’s what you can expect:
Volunteer opportunities include a variety of options for people across ages, abilities, and interests. Most volunteer shifts are 2-3 hours, ranging from just a few volunteers to up to 100 per shift. Nearly half of activity opportunities are open to all ages, and more than one third are open to all abilities.
Volunteer activities include:
Cleaning and beautification – collecting trash, removing graffiti, building repair, and painting
Gardening and restoration – weeding, planting, storm drain protection, and trail repair
Helping neighbors in need – grocery packing, donation organizing, and tiny-home construction
The locations and registration links are here.
10:36 AM: Two new developments in connection with the investigation of the disappearance of Leticia Martinez-Cosman:
First, Seattle Police confirm they found a person dead in Renton while investigating tips in . This was first reported late last night by KOMO TV, and a WSB reader pointed us to that story very early today; we have since confirmed the discovery with SPD – this is the statement sent by SPD spokesperson Det. Judinna Gulpan:
SPD Homicide Detectives followed leads obtained during the investigation which resulted in the recovery of a deceased subject in the Renton area Tuesday afternoon. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm the identity of the deceased and the cause and manner of death.
We have no further information to share at this time.
(The Medical Examiner usually releases information after 3 pm, so we might find out more later today.) Renton is also where Ms. Martinez-Cosman’s 24-year-old son told police he had escaped from a man who kidnapped and tried to kill him; that attack is the subject of some of the charges filed against Brett M. Gitchel, as reported here Monday. Police say Gitchel is the man last seen with her, at and leaving the March 31st Mariners game, and that he is the arsonist who torched her car, found burning on Beacon Hill. Gitchel remains in the King County Jail in lieu of $5,050,000 bail.
That additional $50,000 bail is because of another case filed against him – which we just discovered this morning while doublechecking Gitchel’s status. This one is the Genesee Hill burglary caught on video and originally published in WSB Crime Watch on March 28th, days before the disappearance. The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Gitchel on Tuesday with second-degree burglary in that case. The victim also uploaded his security video with an SPD report and the charging documents say a detective viewing that video identified the intruder as Gitchel (as did WSB readers). Here’s the clip we published:
Meantime, in addition to the reader report we originally published, there is one additional detail – the burglary victim recalled seeing the same man, now identified as Gitchel, walking on his street the day before. We’ll add the narrative from these charging documents as soon as we can.
12:02 PM: Here’s that narrative, with the victim’s name and address references redacted:
(WSB photo – tulips in Gatewood)
Here’s the midweek lineup, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
HISTORY HOUR: The Senior Center of West Seattle marks Earth Month in today’s presentation with local author/journalist Madeline Ostrander (featured here last year), 1 pm – details in our calendar listing, including how to RSVP.
FREE INDOOR PLAYSPACE: Toddler Gym is open weekday afternoons at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW), ages 2-6, 3:30-5 pm.
FIX-IT WORKSHOP: Weekly event, 5:30-7:30 pm at West Seattle Tool Library (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).
TRIVIA x 6: Here’s where to play tonight. First, at 6 pm, Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) now offers trivia … 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 8 pm; there’s 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska); trivia starts at 8 pm at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW); at 8:30 pm, trivia at Talarico’s (4718 California SW).
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: 6:30 pm online, our area’s largest political organization holds its April meeting, with the agenda including candidate spotlights, the King County Minimum Wage campaign, and Reconnect South Park.
JAZZ DUO: Piano and bass tonight at Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way), 6:30 pm.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 6:30 pm. 21+. Rotating performer slate. (7902 35th SW)
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: You’re the star! 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
KARAOKE AT BENBOW ROOM: 9 pm-2 am – info in our calendar listing. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
Planning an event – presentation, meeting, performance, reading, tour, fundraiser, sale, discussion, or … – that could be featured on West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar? Tell us about it! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
9:34 AM: Stalled vehicle reported to be blocking Delridge Way in the 7900 block; police are working to get it to the side
Earlier:
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, April 12th. third weekday of spring break for Seattle Public Schools and others.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
The forecast for today: Clouds making way for sun, high in the low 50s. Sunrise 6:26 am, sunset 7:55 pm.
UTILITY CREW ALERT
On 45th SW north of Wildwood in Fauntleroy, SPU crews will be back today to work on the Fauntleroy Creek culvert, as previewed here.
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule, but trip cancellations are still happening, so watch for alerts (if you’re not signed up to receive them, check channels like this).
Water Taxi – Regular schedule. P.S. Late-night Friday/Saturday trips resume April 21; to get ready, there will be no WSWT service this weekend (Saturday-Sunday, April 15-16).
Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule; check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the camera at the top:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge – looking southwestward toward it:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – another route across the river:
Highway 99: – the northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
As the Alki fire call winds down, a smaller response is happening in South Delridge – described as a small fire at a residence where no one was home. This is happening on Delridge Way just south of Thistle. A neighbor reportedly extinguished it before firefighters arrived, but they’re summoning backup to clear out smoke, and to dispose of a skateboard battery that might have sparked the fire.
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