West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
One week ago tonight, we reported on two incidents of confirmed gunfire in West Seattle. Turns out there was a third gunfire incident that night, and charges are filed against the suspect, who is jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail.
39-year-old Daren Atwood is charged with firing a rifle he wasn’t supposed to have, shooting twice into a neighbor’s home near Fairmount Ravine. Police found a bullet that had pierced that house’s walls just feet from where the residents were sleeping. Court documents say Atwood is not supposed to have guns because of a protection order resulting from a conviction for fourth-degree domestic violence; he signed a declaration of non-surrender, saying he didn’t have any guns, though the new court documents say he apparently has owned the rifle since at least 2015. When police made contact with Atwood last Tuesday morning, after the neighbor had called about the gunfire, Atwood reportedly told them someone had tried to shoot him. He consented to a “security sweep” of his house, police say, and that’s when officers found a bolt-action rifle that had been recently fired.
The circumstances of the case are reminiscent of a previous gunfire-related arrest of Atwood on which we reported in 2014, when a SWAT team was called in and five schools sheltered in place because of gunfire in the same neighborhood. Eventually police found Atwood, who claimed he had fired shots because someone was after him; no one was injured, but cars had bullet damage. Atwood was then charged with a misdemeanor that eventually was dismissed. Now after last week’s incident, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged him with second-degree unlawful firearm possession, unlawful firearm discharge, and reckless endangerment. He is scheduled to answer the charges at an arraignment hearing August 9th.
Almost two months after the City Council rejected a proposal to match city law with the new state law about public drug use, Mayor Bruce Harrell is out with his plan. It’s the result of the committee he formed after that vote (the members are listed here). At the heart of it is city legislation that the mayor’s announcement says would:
-Codify state law and make public consumption of illegal drugs a gross misdemeanor in the city of Seattle.
-For the first time in the City’s history, designate diversion and treatment as the preferred approach to addressing substance use issues – connecting people with care and responding to a public health crisis with evidence-based health solutions.
-Define a new threat of harm standard – differentiating between drug use that threatens others versus the individual alone, recognizing the real and perceived danger of consumption of illegal drugs in public places, and aiming to support safe and welcoming neighborhoods by reducing public use.
The aim is not to jail drug users, according to Harrell, who is quoted in the announcement as saying, “Success will not – and cannot – be measured on how many people cycle through jail; instead, our focus is on improving connections to lifesaving treatment and expanding program options to better meet the needs of those with substance use issues.” So what would the mayor’s proposal mean for law enforcement? The announcement says he’ll issue an Executive Order next week “providing guidance to Seattle Police Department officers on how the law should be applied, further detailing threat of harm standards, and defining tools to collect and analyze data to measure success.”
The photo and report are from Jordan, who works at Sky Printing (35th/Fauntleroy), and thinks this is more likely to be a dumped/stolen item than merely lost, because of what’s not in it.
I found this Coach wallet outside of our shop, along with a bunch of business cards and receipts, but no cash or credit cards or IDs. The wallet is in good shape; we’re keeping it in our lost and found.
Contact the shop if it’s yours.
(WSB photo, July 2020, post-Tug closure)
According to a liquor-license application, the former home of the Tug Inn may return to its tavern roots. The tavern-license (beer/wine) application for 2216 SW Orchard is in the name of Deluxe Beer Bar and Grill. We haven’t succeeded in reaching its prospective operators yet, but we did reach the owners of Bee’s Plumbing, which bought the site in 2020 and moved their business in until outgrowing it and moving to the former South West Plumbing location in North Delridge. They tell WSB they’re “in the process of renting the old bar out to a company who is going to open a restaurant.” (They’re already renting part of the site to a towing company.)
(2022 Seafair Parade of Ships photo by Long Bach Nguyen)
This is Seafair‘s big week, and some of it will be visible from West Seattle. On Wednesday, expect Blue Angels fly-bys before the U.S. Navy demonstration team arrives at Boeing Field around 1:30 pm, but first, there’s the Seafair Fleet arrival tomorrow (Tuesday, August 1st), passing West Seattle’s Elliott Bay shores on their way to “parade” past the downtown waterfront. Today, Seafair has announced which ships are participating:
US Navy: USS Barry (DDG 52), a guided-missile destroyer homeported in Everett
U.S. Coast Guard: USCGC Robert Ward (WPC-1130), a cutter based in Los Angeles, and USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563), a buoy tender
Royal Canadian Navy: HMCS Edmonton (703), HMCS Yellowknife (706), HMCS Nanaimo (MM 702)
The ships are due along the downtown waterfront at 1 pm so their West Seattle pass should be in the noon hour; you can usually get a good view anywhere from the Alki promenade to Seacrest Pier. Later this week they’ll be open for tours at three downtown locations – on Pier 46, Terminal 66, and Pier 68; the schedules are on the Seafair website.
While the canoe families who arrived at Alki on the Journey to Muckleshoot have moved on to the host tribe’s community center for a week of around-the-clock protocol, most if not all of the canoes are heading home. Alki photographer David Hutchinson sent these three images, reporting, “When I checked around 11:30 AM today, there were still 34 tribal canoes on Alki Beach. They were in the process of leaving, with some being carried down the beach to the water and others being loaded onto boat trailers along Alki Ave.”
Some are/were paddled to Don Armeni Boat Ramp to be placed onto trailers there, as shown in one photo from our Sunday coverage.
12:16 PM: Waiting till the last minute to vote? It’s not just you. The week’s first updates on ballot returns for tomorrow’s primary election are in, and turnout remains small – here in City Council District 1, 16.5 percent of ballots have been received as of this morning, just a sliver over the countywide turnout of 16.3 percent. It’s a short ballot – just five decisions to make:
–City Council District 1, eight candidates (no incumbent)
–County Council District 8, three candidates (no incumbent)
–School Board District 6, three candidates (no incumbent)
–Port Commission Position 5, three candidates
–King County Veterans, Seniors, Human Services Levy
The optimal way to turn in your ballot is via a KC Elections dropbox, with three in West Seattle (plus one in White Center, one in South Park, and others around the county – here’s the list/map), which you can do up until 8 pm Tuesday night; if you’re sending it via USPS mail, do it early enough tomorrow (if not today) to assure it’ll have an August 1st postmark. If you’re still looking for info, our overview is here (and there’s been another City Council candidates’ forum since then – our coverage is here). If you’ve just arrived, you can still register to vote – here’s how.
2:49 PM: KCE is updating the received-ballot numbers every two hours (here). D-1 is now up to almost 18 percent.
Thanks to John Skerratt for the photo of canoes that landed on Alki Sunday for the Paddle to Muckleshoot journey (WSB coverage here) and remain there while canoe families share a week of protocol at the Muckleshoot Community Center in Auburn. Here in West Seattle, highlights for today/tonight include:
LOW-LOW TIDE: It was out to -3.1 feet at 10:20 am, so it’s still way out right now (and even lower the next two days – here’s the chart).
SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS: Here’s the list of local sites where free food is available for kids on weekdays this summer, 11:30 am-1 pm lunch, 2-3 pm snacks.
WADING POOLS OPEN: Noon-7 pm. Today’s scheduled pools in West Seattle: EC Hughes (2805 SW Holden) and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW).
COLMAN POOL OPEN: This outdoor salt-water pool at Lincoln Park is open noon-7 pm daily through Labor Day. See the session schedule here.
LEARN TO PHOTOGRAPH ISS SOLAR TRANSITS: West Seattleite Kevin Freitas‘s free 2:30 pm event for interested photographers has moved to Magnolia because the International Space Station‘s path moved, but you’re still invited – info including location map is in our calendar listing.
LEARN BASIC CARPENTRY SKILLS: Skillshare event at The Heron’s Nest, 4 pm – more info in our calendar listing. (4818 Puget Way SW)
COMMUNITY PADDLE: Monday nights all summer long, get out on the water with Alki Kayak Tours, 6 pm. (1660 Harbor SW).
CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
OPEN MIC: Weekly BedHead Open Mic continues at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (4201 SW Juneau), 6:30 pm – info in our calendar listing.
D&D: Open D&D starts at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), all welcome, first-time players too. $5.
FAUNTLEROY MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
PLAY TRIVIA! Here are three Monday night options for trivia – 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MONDAY MUSIC: Live music with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar ? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Next Sunday on the Constellation Park side of the Alki Point Healthy Street (63rd/Beach), a special event is planned by the organization Outdoors for All, which provides options for people with disabilities to ride bikes. We’re spotlighting the announcement today in case you haven’t yet seen it in our Event Calendar:
We will be hosting a free adaptive bike demonstration for people with disabilities at Constellation Park/ Beach Drive Healthy Street on Sunday, August 6 from 10 am-2 pm.
We have all sorts of adaptive bikes available including recumbent trikes, hand-powered cycles, and tandems – we can get almost anyone on a bike!
More info: outdoorsforall.org or email taylorm@outdoorsforall.org
In partnership with SDOT, Outdoors for All offers free adaptive bike/trike rentals May through September from its headquarters in North Seattle – here’s more info on that.
10:10 AM: Norskgirl posted in a comment on another story a short time ago: “I’m stuck in stop and go traffic on southbound exit from I-5 to West Seattle freeway. Extremely slow, lots of waiting. Long line of cargo trucks virtually blocking lane waiting to exit to docks. Cars unable to merge due to blockade caused by volume of trucks. Recommend avoiding SB I-5 to West Seattle.”
10:14 AM: We’re seeing this on the westbound low bridge, too – here’s a framegrab from SDOT’s camera:
We should note that part of the ongoing “modernization” work at Terminal 5 includes a plan to double “on-terminal” truck-queuing space from 100 trucks to 200 trucks.
11:24 AM: We asked Northwest Seaport Alliance spokesperson Melanie Stambaugh if there was a particular problem to blame. Her reply: “Our operations team spoke with the terminal and there was a technical issue on terminal this morning. The issue has been resolved and trucks should begin moving again.”
Earlier:
6:02 AM: Good morning. It’s Monday, July 31st.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Sunny, high in mid-70s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:45 am; sunset will be at 8:45 pm.
ROAD WORK
The “quiet zone” project along West Marginal could start today – here’s the announcement from last week.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro – regular schedule – check here for advisories.
Water Taxi – regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service. Check Vessel Watch to see where the boats are.
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: The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed shows whether 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!
As happened in Gatewood and in North Admiral, neighbors sprang into action Sunday night to fight an apparent fireworks-sparked fire in South Delridge.
(Added: Photo posted in comments by Matt)
A reader texted us this report of the story behind an SFD callout around 8:30 pm Sunday:
(There) was a fire by 15th SW and SW Cambridge. Lots of smoke and Fire Dept wasn’t on scene yet. Was heading home from Proletariat Pizza and saw all the smoke that was stopping traffic on Roxbury. A neighbor was using a hose on the south side and I grabbed the hose from the house on the north side neighbor and we put water on the fire until firefighters arrived. Those guys are awesome! Clearly caused by a fireworks mortar flipping sideways pointed at the trees. The first person getting water on the fire definitely saved the house and maybe the adjoining houses. Thanks, buddy!
(NWSA photo)
When Seattle and Tacoma port commissioners meet Tuesday (August 1st) as Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members, updates on West Seattle’s Terminal 5 are a big part of the agenda. A year and a half after the first “modernized” berth at T-5 opened to cargo traffic, construction continues on its second berth, now expected to be ready early next year. At Tuesday’s meeting, a vote is planned to finalize leasing the second berth to the same operator as the first, SSA Terminals. Rent to start will be almost $2 million a month, according to documents attached to the meeting agenda, including the lease. Terms of the lease also include obligations on both sides for various components of the project, including two new cranes that SSA has ordered, now expected to be delivered in October, plus a six-acre container-storage yard expansion. The total cost of modernizing both berths, some of which is covered by grants, is now estimated at $454 million, according to a general T-5 progress report that’s also planned at the NWSA managing members’ meeting, which starts at 11:30 am Tuesday and will be viewable online.
Hundreds of West Seattle streets will be closed for block parties on Tuesday night (August 1st), this year’s Night Out. It’s a nationwide night for community-building, with a focus on safety and preparedness, and a great chance to check in with your neighbors if you don’t get to chat much over the course of the year. You can see some of the areas where parties are planned by looking at the map on SPD’s Night Out page. If you’re not participating in a Night Out party, be careful when you’re traveling between 5 and 9 pm Tuesday night, as those are the hours for most street closures. P.S. If you’re having a party and wouldn’t mind us stopping by for a photo, email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN GRAY RIO: From Alyssa:
Hoping to get the word out that my boyfriend’s gray Kia Rio hatchback was stolen in front of my house on 42nd Ave SW near SW Graham. Last had eyes on it around 7 pm Friday night and found it missing right before noon Saturday. There was glass and the ignition box lying in the road. If anyone has any information, please call SPD and reference case no. 23-216571.
Car (similar to this) has a faded RockyMounts two-bike bike rack on the back (similar to this).
SEEKING HIT-RUN WITNESSES/SUSPECT: From Jon:
On Friday, my parked car was sideswiped at 4:14 pm while parked on the 2700 block of 49th Ave SW, resulting in a large scratch from the rear quarter panel to the driver’s door.
After reviewing security camera footage, I am particularly interested in talking to the driver of the silver Ford Fusion (2010 era), which passed my car then, and the two cyclists who witnessed the event. I am willing to return the side mirror cap which fell off the other vehicle to the driver of said car in exchange for insurance info!
My email is jonowen@hotmail.com
4:57 PM: Thanks for the tips. A power outage centered near Delridge/Orchard is only affecting 26 customers but at least one store – Sherwin-Williams – is among them, as is the traffic signal at that intersection.
9:40 PM: Not fixed yet, per SCL map.
1:12 AM: Just checked again; power’s back.
This year’s Alki Beach Pride is set for August 20th, but a big event in preparation for ABP is happening next Saturday. Here’s the announcement sent to us to share with you
Seattle PrideFest has shared their gigantic 130 ft by 70 ft Pride flag to be unfurled and held by 40+ LGBTQ volunteers on Alki Beach as a celebration of Alki Beach Pride, West Seattle’s biggest Pride event happening, later in August (Sunday, August 20th). Here is a video of the flag in Yakima so you can see how big it is!
This gigantic Pride flag has been used at Seattle’s Pride celebrations and has traveled to many Pride events throughout the state of Washington, including the Tri-Cities and Spokane, which were its most recent stops. This will be the first time the flag will be in West Seattle!
We’re looking for LGBTQ-identifying West Seattle residents of all ages to come and help us out! Meet at Alki Playground/Whale Tail Park at 10:30 am Saturday for a practice run and photo ops. Then we’ll fold it up and take it over to the beach for the ceremony. There will be drone footage and photos taken with the Seattle skyline in the background for this historic event.
-Saturday, August 5th at 10:30 am for practice at Alki Playground (59th/Lander)
-11 am to 12 pm for the ceremony on Alki Beach
-40+ volunteers needed that are LGBTQ+
-Post-ceremony celebration will be held at Arthur’s restaurant 1 pm to 3 pm
-Allies are totally welcome to come and celebrate!There’s no need to sign up, just show up!
The August 20th Alki Beach Pride celebration includes a street party and outdoor movie.
(WSB photos unless otherwise credited)
11:31 AM: The first canoe families are arriving at Alki Beach after leaving Suquamish following a two-night stay during the first Canoe Journey since before the pandemic, the Paddle to Muckleshoot. Up to 100 canoes are expected.
Lots of backstory in our preview published last night. Hundreds of people are here, lining the beach and seawall, as arriving canoe families ask and are granted permission to come ashore.
(4:14 pm note: The stream just concluded, but you should be able watch a recorded replay here)
1:04 PM: The live stream we mentioned last night continues, showing a member of each arriving canoe family making the request, and Muckleshoot members on shore welcoming them.
The speeches – given in both Native languages and English – have been poignant, as some have spoken of “so much loss these past few years,” primarily because of the pandemic. One said they had lost their skipper to COVID. But the exchanges also have been joyful as the hosts promise the visitors “We will sing, we will dance, we will feast together.”
That will happen at the Muckleshoot Community Center in Auburn, to which the visitors will be taken by shuttle bus.
First, canoes are carried out of the water, and are parked on the beach. Many also carry flags showing where they’re from.
The paddles tell stories too.
One skipper spoke with a bit of humor:
The list of participating canoe families is here. Some families have traveled in more than one canoe. Some canoes carried members of multiple Indigenous nations and cultures – we heard introductions mentioning Hawai’i, the Navajo Nation, even the Maori of New Zealand.
4 PM: The live stream is still going as a few last canoes arrive. Some also have asked for permission to send their canoes home – by trailer – once they land. (Added: Doug Eglington saw some departures from Don Armeni:)
Many remain on the Alki sand for now, as Jamie Kinney‘s photo shows:
One of the last arrivals carried people from Alaska and B.C. The woman who spoke for them to ask permission also said they had come to ask for help in healing the Earth: “The world is toxic … support us in protecting babies and moms.”
4:13 PM: Minutes later, the final arrival – the Muckleshoot’s own canoe family. Tribal chair Jaison Elkins welcomed them.
7:09 PM: Thanks to everyone who’s sent photos! These next three are from David Hutchinson:
And these two are from Theresa Arbow-O’Connor – note the fireboat in the background of the first photo:
P.S. We drove through Alki at sunset and saw many canoes remaining on the beach, so if you missed the chance to see them, some will certainly be there tomorrow. This map shows the routes and dates taken to get here.
(Photo by Rose De Dan)
(Morning fishing at Lincoln Park, photographed earlier this week by Vanessa)
Welcome to Sunday! Here’s what’s happening:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the market is happening between SW Alaska and SW Oregon on California, offering summer produce as well as flowers, cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages (from kombucha to beer/wine), nuts, plant starts, more. Here’s today’s vendor list.
PADDLE TO MUCKLESHOOT CANOES ARRIVE: About 100 Indigenous canoe families are expected to land on Alki Beach starting around 11 am, on the last waterborne leg of the Paddle to Muckleshoot, the first regional Canoe Journey since before the pandemic. More info in our preview from last night.
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK OPEN: 11 am-8 pm daily through Labor Day, shine or rain. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
E.C. HUGHES WADING POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm. (2805 SW Holden)
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
COLMAN POOL OPEN: Also at Lincoln Park, this outdoor salt-water pool is open noon-7 pm daily through Labor Day. See the session schedule here.
ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS: Another chance for free tours of historic Alki Point Lighthouse (3201 Alki Avenue SW), 1-4 pm (last tour starts at 3:45 pm).
POP-UP BAKESHOP: 2-5 pm, Boy Howdy Bakeshop will be at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW).
MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: At C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Eli Lev performs harp music 3-5 pm.
BOOKS & BRICKS BENEFIT: 4 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), food, drink, and music to support a nonprofit expanding educational access in Africa.
SUNSET GONG BATH & MEDITATION: 7:30 pm at Lowman Beach (7017 Beach Drive SW) – details in our calendar listing. $25 suggested donation.
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
Something for our calendar – one-time or recurring? Email us the info – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Two City Council notes:
PRICE TAG FOR RACING TICKET: After last week’s much-reported full-council vote authorizing speed-enforcement cameras in designated “racing zones,” including Alki and Harbor Avenues and West Marginal Way, enforcement cameras will be discussed by the Transportation and Public Utilities Committee this Tuesday. The major topic is a discussion of potentially doubling the number of school-zone speed-enforcement cameras around the city, though new locations aren’t mentioned. In the slide deck prepared for the discussion, SDOT says school-zone cameras have improved safety, with stats on page 6 saying average speeds in the zones have declined slightly, and collisions have declined dramatically. Then the committee moves on to consider legislation allowing even more uses for enforcement cameras. From the staff summary:
This legislation amends SMC provisions regarding use of automated traffic safety cameras to implement several new provisions authorized by the state legislature in 2022 with passage of the Move Ahead Washington transportation package. These provisions allow for 24/7 speed limit enforcement in school walk areas, park and hospital zones, and on additional streets – up to 1 camera per 10,000 population – that have either 1) been identified as a priority location in a local road safety plan that a city has submitted to WSDOT and where other speed reduction measures are not feasible or have not been sufficiently effective at reducing travel speed; 2) have a significantly higher rate of collisions than the city average in a period of at least 3 years and other speed reduction measures are not feasible or have not been sufficiently effective at reducing travel speed; or 3) is in an area designated by ordinance as a street racing zone.
The legislation also sets the fees/fines for the various types of enforcement – $75 for block-the-box or restricted-lane violations, and $139 for speed enforcement including “racing zone” cameras (same as the current red-light-camera fee). This does not affect or change the amount charged for school-zone speed violations, currently $237. The committee’s meeting is at 9;30 am Tuesday (August 1st) and the agenda explains how to watch/comment.
ORGANIZED RETAIL CRIME: That’s the umbrella term for organized shoplifting and fencing, discussed in the council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee this past Tuesday. The occasion: A City Auditor report, requested by Councilmembers Lisa Herbold and Andrew Lewis, reviewing the state of the problem and how the city handles it. Here’s the report; here’s the meeting video:
Of local interest, note this table of Seattle locations that generate the most calls to police for shoplifting:
Westwood Village is number two, and Westwood Target (technically not part of the shopping center) is number five. The problem overall is estimated at $2.7 billion statewide in the past year. Here’s what the City Auditor’s Office says could be done to try to reduce it:
1. Support City participation in collaborative efforts among agencies, including collaboration with the new Organized Retail Crime Unit in the Washington State Attorney General’s Office.
2. Leverage federal and state crime analysis resources.
3. Use in-custody interviews of “boosters” — people who steal on behalf of fencing operations — to gather information on fencing operations.
4. Explore new uses of technology to address ORC.
5. Use place-based approaches to disrupt unregulated street markets.
6. Follow the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office “prosecution checklist” for ORC cases.
7. Consider City support of legislation that addresses ORC.
Tuesday’s meeting was just a discussion of the report and the problem; any action, on those seven points and/or others, would come later, and aren’t necessarily in the purview of the council. Participants in the discussion also included SPD, the City Attorney’s Office, and King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
(WSB photo from Alki landing during 2018 Canoe Journey)
As reported here last Sunday, the first Canoe Journey since pre-pandemic will see dozens of Indigenous canoe families landing at Alki Beach tomorrow. This year, the Muckleshoot Tribe is hosting the weeklong gathering that will follow the landing. Some have asked us today what time the ~100 canoe families are expected to start arriving. The only time we’ve seen is 11 am; we note on the Paddle to Muckleshoot website that they’re planning a YouTube live stream during the landing, with the feed scheduled to go live starting at 10:30 am. The canoe families are being hosted by the Suquamish Tribe (in North Kitsap) tonight, after arriving there Friday, and will paddle to Alki from there; the schedule on the Suquamish website says they’re expecting the canoe families to depart at 9:30 am and land at Alki around noon. As for what happens once they’re here, this story from the Muckleshoot newspaper explains that shuttle buses will take them to the host tribe’s community center in Auburn, where a week of protocol – cultural sharing – will follow, starting Monday morning. Many of the participating canae families are listed here. This year’s Canoe Journey theme is “Honoring Our Warriors Past & Present.” It’s the first time the Muckleshoot Tribe has hosted in more than 15 years, though they’ve hosted the Alki stop on other Canoe Journeys since then.
You can make a difference thousands of miles away by showing up for an event tomorrow (Sunday, July 30th) here in West Seattle. It’s a “summer festival” fundraiser for Books & Bricks Global, with a concert by the band Tinkham Road, plus food and drink. It’s happening 4-6 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), and you can find more info here. Books & Bricks Global works to increase access to education for kids in Africa.
Colin‘s boat and trailer were stolen Friday afternoon in North Admiral:
It is a 19.5-foot Glasply, 1982, WN8999jr, with blue stripes and a Yamaha 9.9 gray extra motor. It was stolen from the 1900 block of Sunset Avenue. It was taken with the trailer, which is an EZ Loader plate number AM8397. Police report number 23-214615.
We’re told Colin and his grandfather had just finished fixing up the boat – and then it was stolen. Any info, email ellenzoffel (at) gmail.com.
UPDATE: Found in South Park.
11:51 AM: If you need to drive or ride to a King County Elections dropbox to deliver your ballot – note that right now the driveway that leads to the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) dropbox is blocked by a locked gate, so you can only get to it on foot (there’s a stairway up from 16th). Daniel, who emailed us about the problem (and sent the photo), has reported to KCE at 206-296-VOTE – that’s the number to call about other voting concerns and problems too (overflowing dropboxes, for example). West Seattle’s other dropboxes are in The Junction (south side of SW Alaska between California and 44th) and High Point (north side of the library at 3411 SW Raymond); putting yours in a USPS box today is also plenty of time to get it postmarked before Election Day on Tuesday (when KCE dropboxes close at 8 pm). Fewer than 15 percent of Seattle City Council District 1 voters’ ballots had been received by last night.
5:15 PM: Gate at SSC is still closed.
7 PM: KCE says it’s open now.
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