day : 08/06/2023 10 results

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Fewer RVs and greenbelt campers. More traffic calming. “Partnership” with police.

That’s part of what Alki/Harbor Avenue-area residents listed as “accomplishments” when they met with city reps Wednesday night for the fourth time in their ongoing push against crime and street disorder in the West Seattle waterfront area. (Here’s our coverage of their meeting back in December)

But they say there’s work yet to be done. For one, they’re particularly concerned about the increase in gun violence, with the recent shooting deaths of Peyman Shojaei at Don Armeni Boat Ramp and Davonté Sanchez near Whale Tail Park. And they want the city to install signage reinforcing the no-parking hours of 11 pm-5 am. They also want to see traffic calming extended further north/westward toward the beach.

The meeting at Admiral Church was facilitated by Mike Gain (above), one of the leaders of the ad-hoc community group.

City reps in attendance included, above from left, Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Dorothy Kim (currently acting precinct captain), SDOT’s Bill LaBorde, Unified Care Team rep Tom Van Bronkhorst, Seattle Parks’ Andy Shaffer, and Deputy Mayor Greg Wong (who had to leave an hour into the meeting). The city delegation included other reps from the mayor’s office, SPD, Office of Economic Development, and Seattle Public Utilities.

Another of the community group’s leaders, Steve Pumphrey, showed photo and video examples of what he and his neighbors have been trying to get stopped, including waterfront parties with blasting music in the 3 am vicinity and drivers doing donuts and other stunts. (See his slide deck here.)

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CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Driver charged in West Seattle Bridge crash that killed two people

June 8, 2023 7:49 pm

| 32 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

(SDOT camera image from shortly after crash)

Two and a half months after two 18-year-olds died when a wrong-way driver hit them on the West Seattle Bridge, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges. 36-year-old West Seattle resident Delfino Lopez-Morales is charged with two counts of vehicular homicide and one count of reckless driving. We have been watching court files closely ever since the crash, and just found the charging documents. In them, investigators say he had a blood-alcohol level of .14, almost twice the legal limit, three hours after the crash, and a THC level suggesting he had used cannabis within a few hours of the crash. Court documents add that an empty beer bottle was found in the truck he was driving. The two victims, Khalea Thoeuk and Riley Danard, both from Snohomish County and on their way to Alki to celebrate Riley’s birthday, were killed instantly. The charging documents say Lopez-Morales, driving a friend’s truck, was going 100 mph when he hit them. He was seriously injured and has been under medical care since the crash, at Harborview Medical Center until sometime in the first half of May, when he moved to rehab. Here’s the investigator’s narrative from the charging documents:

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Scenes from West Seattle Art Walk, June edition

June 8, 2023 6:23 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

6:23 PM: Get out and wander the peninsula tonight – it’s West Seattle Art Walk night!

Our first stop was West Seattle Grounds (2141 California SW) in North Admiral, where illustrator Andrew Gregg is showing work tonight. Much of his art is focused on athletes, as you can see in the background of our photo. If you visit WSG before 7:45 pm, you can also catch live music by Taylor John Hardin, one of three Art of Music performances during tonight’s Art Walk.

6:41 PM: Paul Gerard is another of the Art of Music performers; as shown above, he is performing until 7:45 pm at Wildflour (4709 California SW; formerly Flying Apron) in The Junction. The visual artist there tonight is Jenna Brechbiel.

Also in The Junction, Matthew Cory is the featured artist at Compass (4509 California SW):

Some receptions run as late as 9 pm, so you still have time to go out and enjoy some art!

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TRAFFIC ALERT: New stop signs at 44th/Findlay

June 8, 2023 4:47 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

4:47 PM: Thanks for the tip! That’s one of two new stop signs on 44th SW where it meets SW Findlay [map]. This is just west of California/Findlay, where SDOT installed a pedestrian-activated “half-signal” last October. The reader who emailed us about this earlier today said “yield” signs had been there previously, adding, “Not sure why the change – no recent increase in accidents or near-misses. Also, when traveling north on 44th, the new stop sign is obscured by a tree.” Same tree that’s in our photo, but the sign only comes into view when you arrive right up to it. We have a question out to SDOT about the rationale for the installation.

6:50 PM: SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson responded, “This was a standalone project. The new stop sign is intended to enhance safety and provide clarity for people traveling through this intersection.”

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COUNTDOWN: One month until Seafair Pirates Landing on Alki

June 8, 2023 2:52 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, 2022 Seafair Pirates Landing)

Between news updates, we’re also checking in on big summer events – many of which are happening in July. Today, we’re noting that the Seafair Pirates Landing on Alki is exactly one month away. According to Seafair, the Pirates are expected to arrive on the beach around 1:30 pm Saturday, July 8th (which is two weeks before their expected visit by land during the West Seattle Grand Parade). Just be on the beach by the Bathhouse and listen for the cannon fire offshore that usually warns of the Pirates’ approach.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 2 thefts – black Elantra (update: found), home Pride flag (with thief on video)

June 8, 2023 1:12 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two thefts in West Seattle Crime Watch:

STOLEN BLACK ELANTRA: From Ryan:

Reporting stolen 2012 black Hyundai Elantra. License plate AKU4990. Police report # 23-158866. Stolen from (3400 block of) 40th Ave SW between 2:12 am and 3:12 am this morning, Thursday 6/8.

FRIDAY UPDATE: Via text, we’ve just been told the car was found in Toppenish (near Yakima).

STOLEN PRIDE FLAG: From Travis: “I wanted to report to you this that someone stole our Pride flag this morning from off our front porch. It happened a few minutes before I get up for work. We live near Delridge Way and Thistle.” This security video shows the thief walking up and pulling down the flag (it’s not embeddable/downloadable but you can see it if you click the link). It’s been reported to police; we’ll add the number when available.

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Medians on West Marginal Way? City requesting feedback

June 8, 2023 11:39 am

| 44 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

SDOT is looking for feedback on a new proposal for part of West Marginal Way SW: landscaped medians:

We are seeking input on proposed landscaped median islands and a raised crosswalk. We are looking to understand driveway operations that would inform the median island size and feasibility.

Here’s the notice with information on proposed locations and how to comment. The deadline is June 20. SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson also says they’re planning to evaluate the recently installed protected bike lane and “other safety elements” this summer.

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Art Walk with music, ‘Cracked’ book launch, more for your West Seattle Thursday

June 8, 2023 9:49 am

| Comments Off on Art Walk with music, ‘Cracked’ book launch, more for your West Seattle Thursday

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Low-low tide photo by Theresa Arbow O’Connor)

Here’s our list of what’s ahead, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

SPRAYPARK OPEN: Daily operations continue for Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm.

WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayers@gmail.com to see where they’re playing today.

LOW-LOW TIDE: -2.4 feet at 2:55 pm, not super-low but still low enough for interesting shore exploration.

THURSDAY FOOD-TRUCK POP-UP: 4-8 pm at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW), Levantine Cuisine will be visiting.

HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: Also at HP Corner Store, meet up at 6:30 pm for a three-mile run!

WEST SEATTLE ART WALK WITH MUSIC: As previewed here, this month’s West Seattle Art Walk includes three free Art of Music performances, in Admiral, The Junction, and Morgan Junction. Art venues are all over the peninsula! See them here (art receptions generally start at 5 pm); see where to find the music here (6-7:45 pm).

WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at The Good Society (California/Lander) at 6 pm for a 3-mile run – more in our calendar listing.

BOOK LAUNCH: 6:30 pm, meet the author of “Cracked” at Emerald Water Anglers (4502 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) during this book-launch event including salmon sliders.

ANOTHER WEST SEATTLE DOG PARK? A report on off-leash-area expansion is part of tonight’s 6:30 pm Board of Park Commissioners meeting – more info here – attendance link here.

CAMPAIGN KICKOFF: City Council District 1 candidate Maren Costa invites people to meet her during a 7-9 pm kickoff event at Pizzeria Credo (4520 California SW).

There’s even more in our calendar!

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HELPING: 2 ways to help at upcoming West Seattle blood drive

June 8, 2023 9:09 am

| Comments Off on HELPING: 2 ways to help at upcoming West Seattle blood drive

| How to help | West Seattle news

If you can donate blood – or just time – here’s an upcoming West Seattle opportunity we were asked to share with you:

West Seattle Community Blood Drive
Thursday, June 29 I 1:00-6:30 pm
Bethany West Seattle Fellowship Hall, 8600 9th Ave SW

Did you know that every 2 seconds someone needs blood?!

This is an opportunity to give back to the community, through donating, as you are able, or through hosting folks as they come through the doors.

Sign up to donate or volunteer as a host!

Email meganc@churchbcc.org with any questions.

As you’ll see on the donation-signup link, there’s a date coming up in August, too.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Thursday info

June 8, 2023 6:03 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Thursday info

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning. Welcome to Thursday, June 8th.

WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Sunny, high in the mid-70s. Sunrise was at 5:12 am; sunset will be at 9:05 pm.

(Wednesday sunset scene – photo by James Bratsanos)

TRANSIT

Metro – Regular schedule, but trip cancellations and temporary route suspensions can and do happen at any time.

Water Taxi – Continuing the spring/summer schedule, including late-evening runs on Friday and Saturday nights.

Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule; sailing cancellations remain possible on short notice, so 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 main camera:

High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):

Low Bridge – east-end vicinity:

1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:

Highway 99: – 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 trouble 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!

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