day : 13/06/2023 9 results

In the waning days of the school year, some longtime educators are not getting ready just for summer, but for the endless summer of retirement. That applies to one at Lafayette Elementary for whom colleagues are organizing a “fond farewell” and hoping you can help:

Did you or your child attend Lafayette Elementary and have Cindy Adams as a teacher? After over 30 years of teaching, she will be retiring. Please help us wish her a fond farewell and thank you for all of her years of teaching. Students and families, past and present, are invited to send cards, art, poems to the front office to be compiled to send as a surprise to her by June 29th.

Please feel free to email your letter to bjjones1@seattleschools.org and we will print it out. Or mail your letter to Lafayette Elementary (2645 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116) addressed to Cindy Adams c/o Brooke Jones. Thanks so much!

FOLLOWUP: Myers Way encampment ‘resolution’ begins

June 13, 2023 7:15 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Myers Way | West Seattle news

Thanks for the tips. The no-parking signs along the city’s portion of Myers Way are there because clearance work has begun on the encampments on the east side of the street; City Councilmember Lisa Herbold had said in her newsletter last Friday (as reported here) that she was told “resolution” was planned. Today, two readers told us in mid-afternoon that they had seen city vehicles and tow trucks in the area earlier; we went out immediately to look but the crews were gone, while vehicles and campers remained along the northeast end of Myers. Subsequent inquiries to city and state contacts haven’t yet yielded any information. But during the Camp Second Chance Community Advisory Committee meeting that just wrapped up, camp managers confirmed that clearance work had happened earlier today. They expressed gratitude – declaring “it was a great day for cleanups along Myers Way” – as the unsanctioned camping causes problems for their attempts to maintain order at their site on the west side of Myers. The clearance work also caused some chaos outside their gates, they said, as some east-side campers and their possessions migrated across the street. While outreach workers have been working with the east-side campers, none will wind up at Camp Second Chance, as its 64 tiny houses are fully occupied, the managers said. We hope to find out more about the east-side situation tomorrow and will check in the morning to see if crews return; the “no parking” signage carries dates running for another week-plus past today.

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ELECTION 2023: You’ll vote in November on Seattle Housing Levy renewal/expansion

June 13, 2023 4:30 pm

| 73 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The mayor proposed it in March, and the City Council finalized it this afternoon – the next renewal of the seven-year Seattle Housing Levy, expanding it to almost a billion dollars, will be on your November ballot. Here’s an overview of where that money would go, according to the council’s website:

Rental Production and Preservation:
$707,270,379 – Capital funding for new production of affordable rental housing, acquisition of structures to create or preserve affordable housing, and reinvestment in existing affordable housing to make capital improvements.

Operating, Maintenance, and Services:
$122,300,000 – Operating support for Housing Levy-funded buildings for 20 years, supplementing rent paid by low-income residents, including formerly homeless residents and other residents with supportive service needs. Wage stabilization support for supportive housing workers serving residents who have experienced homelessness and who are living with low incomes.

Administration:
$60,000,000 – Funding for administration of all programs, including holding costs and predevelopment costs for land in the City’s possession.

Homeownership Program:
$50,689,796 – Assistance to low-income homeowners to maintain stable housing through emergency home repair grants, assistance to eligible homebuyers through home purchase loans, and development subsidy loans for the development of new resale-restricted homes.

Prevention and Housing Stabilization:
$30,000,000 – Rent assistance and stabilization services for low-income individuals and families to prevent eviction, support housing stability, and address homelessness.

Acquisition and Preservation:
Up to $30,000,000 (no additional funding) – Short-term acquisition loans for cost-effective purchases of buildings or land for rental or homeownership development.

The first Seattle Housing Levy was a $50 million, 8-year measure in 1986; the one that’s expiring, passed in 2016, was for $290 million. You can see the rest of its history here. As for this one, when proposed in March, it was described as costing the owner of a median-value home – $855,000 – $32 a month.

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WHALES: Orcas, humpback in nearby waters

June 13, 2023 2:21 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Whales

2:21 PM: Two whale reports from Kersti Muul: First, southbound orcas off Bainbridge Island, visible from Alki, within this past hour; second, a humpback whale off Blake Island. Let us know if you see any of the above!

5:15 PM: Update from Kersti – the humpback is in Elliott Bay, headed toward Duwamish Head.

5:33 PM: From there, Kersti says, the humpback is heading toward downtown.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Home-burglary attempt on video; assault arrest

June 13, 2023 1:03 pm

| 19 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

WOULD-BE BURGLARS ON VIDEO: Aaron emailed to report;

I live in West Seattle over by Thriftway on California, and Sunday morning at 3:30 am two guys tried to break-in my house with a crowbar. Luckily the deadbolt held and they couldn’t get it open and left.

My camera was able to get good footage of them and their attempt.

Here’s a framegrab of the other person involved:

Aaron says his home might have been targeted because of personal items stolen in a car prowl recently. If you have any information, the SPD report # is 23-909805.

ASSAULT ARREST: SPD reports an arrest in the heart of The Junction late Sunday night. Just before midnight, officers “responded to the area of California Avenue SW and SW Alaska Street for an altercation.” They arrested a 32-year-old woman who they say “had accosted two men and threatened one of them with a knife.” She remains in King County Jail, held for investigation of assault and harassment, pending a probable-cause hearing later today.

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BOOKS: West Seattle writer co-authors Mudhoney member’s memoir

June 13, 2023 11:56 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle books | West Seattle news

Among the new books released today is a rock ‘n’ roll memoir co-authored by a West Seattle writer who sent us this announcement:

Writer Adem Tepedelen has co-authored a grunge memoir with Mudhoney guitarist Steve Turner. Mud Ride: A Messy Trip Through the Grunge Explosion is being released today in North America via Chronicle Prism.

Mud Ride is a down-and-dirty account that chronicles the birth and evolution of the Seattle grunge scene. It features a foreword by Pearl Jam’s Stone Gossard and more than 100 illustrations and photographs, many that have never been seen before. Tepedelen — a highly respected music magazine journalist, author and former editor of Seattle’s iconic The Rocket — collaborated with Turner to tell the story of grunge’s underground origins in the late ’80s and early ’90s, when Turner and his friends — Seattle skate punks, hardcore kids and assorted misfits — started forming bands in each other’s basements and accidentally created a unique sound that spread far beyond their once-sleepy city.

Mud Ride offers an inside look at the tight-knit grunge scene, the musical influences and experiments that shaped the grunge sound, and the story of Turner’s bands, Green River and Mudhoney, which went from underground flophouse shows to selling out stadiums with Nirvana and Pearl Jam. Including stories about the key moments, musicians, and albums from grunge’s beginnings to its come-down from the highs of global success and stardom, this is the first account of the musical phenomenon that took over the world – from someone who was there for it all.

Tepedelen says you should be able to get the book through West Seattle’s independent bookstores Paper Boat Booksellers and Pegasus. Turner, meantime, has a promotional appearance at 7 pm tomorrow (Wednesday, June 14th) at Elliott Bay Books on Capitol Hill.

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Fauntleroy Community Association, Camp Second Chance CAC, more for your West Seattle Tuesday

June 13, 2023 10:17 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Spittlebug on lavender stem in West Seattle garden – photographed by Rosalie Miller)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

POSTCARDS TO VOTERS: Weekly meetup for long-distance political advocacy and local networking, 10:30 am at C & P Coffee Company – drop in to join in. (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).

HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open daily, 11 am-8 pm, rain or shine. (1100 SW Cloverdale)

CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon): “Are you looking for a new activity to keep your brain sharp and clear? The Senior Center Chess Club welcomes both novice and experienced players. Join us at 1:30 p.m. for lessons, short tutorials, and chess for all levels of expertise.” (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)

HOUSING LEVY @ CITY COUNCIL: 2 pm this afternoon, it’s the full council’s weekly meeting, online or at City Hall (600 4th Ave.). Voting to send the renewed/expanded housing levy to voters is a major item on the agenda (viewable here); the meeting is viewable via Seattle Channel.

MEAT MARKET: 4-8 pm (or while the merchandise lasts), Wagyu beef and more at Lady Jaye‘s periodic meat market, plus Father’s Day-style photo booth. (4523 California SW)

DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.

STORYTIME IN THE GARDEN: 6 pm stories and activities for kids at the Delridge P-Patch, weekly throughout the summer starting tonight. (5078 25th SW)

CAMP SECOND CHANCE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Questions or concerns about West Seattle’s only sanctioned encampment/tiny-house village? 6 pm online meeting tonight, all welcome. Connect here or by phone at 253-215-8782; for both: meeting ID 840 8571 9253, passcode 245935.

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

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Myriad updates are on the agenda for this 7 pm FCA board meeting, all welcome, at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW) or online (register here).

OPEN MIC: 7 pm at Otter on the Rocks, hosted by Michael Pearsall. (4210 SW Admiral Way)

MORE TRIVIA: Three places where you can play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW); also, 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz 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 look into the future any time via our event calendar – if you have something to include on it, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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SUMMER: West Seattle writer offers free workshop for 8- to 12-year-olds

June 13, 2023 9:04 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

If your household includes an 8- to 12-year-old interested in writing whose summer isn’t fully booked yet – this free workshop taught by a West Seattle writer in nearby South Park still has room:

In this summer-long workshop, young people creatively explore and expand their self-confidence by writing and illustrating a book together. We will read two short stories and then rewrite one of them in our own words, in weekly meetings of one hour a week over 11 weeks. Group activities, games, solitary writing, and drawing provide for a fun and productive setting.

Books/stories we’ll read: River Dragon, an ancient Chinese story of coming-of-age, retold in an illustrated children’s book by Darcy Pattison, and “A Pumpkin Seed,” a cautionary tale from Haiti, in Creole Folktales retold by Patrick Chamoiseau

Location: South Park Community Center, 8319 8th Ave S.

Session time / dates: 4:30-5:30 pm 11 sessions, Thursdays, from June 29 to September 7, 2023

Price: free. Please plan to attend as many sessions as possible, to be part of a writing community.

For more info: see video and read about our class, founded and taught by Ms. Julia (Julia Douthwaite Viglione, PhD): 1

Enrollment open NOW via the South Park Community Center website

Questions? email Ms. Julia at juliawsea@gmail.com

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Tuesday info

June 13, 2023 6:00 am

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

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:00 AM: Good morning. Welcome to Tuesday, June 13th!

WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Today’s forecast: Mostly cloudy, high near 70. Sunrise was at 5:11 am; sunset will be at 9:08 pm.

SCHOOL YEAR ENDING

Today’s the last day of school for Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor). Here’s our list of when other local schools get out for summer.

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. Note that next Monday, the WSWT will be on a Sunday schedule for Juneteenth.

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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