West Seattle, Washington
18 Monday
(WSB file photo)
By two weeks from today – Wedmesday, September 6th – most local students will have returned to school. One West Seattle school has already begun the 2023-2024 school year – Summit Atlas, the charter middle/high school. For students at Kennedy Catholic High School in Burien, the nearest parochial high school, today was Day 1. The rest of the planned first days that we found via online calendars start next week – here’s the list:
August 30 – Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School
August 30 – Vashon Island School District
September 5 – Tilden School (WSB sponsor)
September 5 – Hope Lutheran School
September 5 – Holy Rosary Catholic School
September 5 – Holy Family Bilingual Catholic School
September 5 – The Bridge School
September 6 – Seattle Public Schools (1st-12th grades)
September 6 – Highline Public Schools (1st-12th grades)
September 6 – Westside School (WSB sponsor)
September 6 – Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor)
September 6 – West Seattle Montessori
September 11 – Seattle Public Schools (kindergarten/preschool)
September 26 – South Seattle College (WSB sponsor)
(Anyone to add? Let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!)
A 40-year-old man is charged with residential burglary for a Friday break-in north of Westcrest Park at a home where a teenage girl was alone. Police released information and video from the incident today via SPD Blotter; we researched the suspect’s status and found that he’s still in jail and has been charged.
The narrative in the charging documents begins with the girl, home alone, texting her father wondering if he’d hired someone to do work at their home, because a man was trying to get in. The father subsequently called 911. In the meantime, police say, the man broke in, while the girl hid in a closet, from which she called 911 too. Officers arriving in the area were flagged down by a neighbor who said a man had been seen in the area carrying a ladder and gas can. This, the neighbor said, was on video (a frame grab from the charging documents is at right).
Police meantime went on to find a broken window at the house from which, and about which, 911 had been called, and officers forced open the door to get in. They say they found Christopher M. Abbott sitting in a car in the closed, locked garage. From there, the document says:
Abbott noticed the officers and immediately started yelling that he was not going to be taken into custody. Abbott then began chugging gasoline out of the gas container that he had with him.
Officers instructed Abbott to open the driver’s door, or they would be forced to break the window to extract him from the car. Abbott refused again and continued chugging gasoline out of the container. Due to the hazard that Abbott was creating for officers and himself, officers broke the driver’s side window of the vehicle and removed Abbott while he continually attempted to grab onto items inside of the vehicle to prevent from being extracted from the car.
Here’s the SPD video showing their arrival at the house and apprehension of Abbott:
After they took him into custody, they found the 17-year-old girl, who came out of hiding and told officers she was unhurt. Her father arrived in the meantime and went through the house with officers to see if anything was missing, It appeared Abbott had eaten some pizza and chips; nothing else seemed to be missing. Abbott was medically evaluated at Harborview and then booked into the King County Jail. According to charging documents, he has no permanent address, and no local record, but has several convictions in Texas, mostly for domestic-violence assault. His bail is set at $20,000 and he will be arraigned next month.
This Saturday, the second annual Admiral Funktion street party, presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association, will take over California SW between Admiral Way and College Street. You’ve seen the music lineup. Today, we have the vendor lineup – the businesses and organizations you’ll see in booths along the street:
Alair
Southpaw Barber Shop
Inner Alchemy
Seattle Dive Tours
SW Historical Society/Save the Stone Cottage
West Seattle Food Bank
Papa Tony’s Hot Sauce
Admiral Church
Pearsall Properties
The Little Merle
Hawthorne Massage and Self Care
CrossFit West Seattle
Seattle Yarn
Row House West Seattle
Admiral Neighborhood Association
Honey Girl Books
Ma’ono
ANA says Seattle City Council District 1 candidates Maren Costa and Rob Saka will have booths too. And the year-round local businesses in the festival zone, and nearby, will be happy to welcome you, both during the Admiral Funktion and afterward.
The forecast looks sunny and warm as the festival starts at 11 am Saturday (August 26th); it will continue until about 10 pm. The festival is free, but if you can afford to support it – permits and production are costly – the ANA is crowdfunding, with wristbands good for discounts at local venues if you donate $25 (or more) – go here. (The ANA is an official nonprofit, so your donation is tax-deductible.) See you in Admiral on Saturday!
It’s been almost two weeks since we first reported on sewer-line repairs affecting Elliott Bay Brewing and then Talarico’s Pizza in The Junction. The work got ever more complicated, Tim O’Neill of O’Neill Plumbing Company (WSB sponsor) explained, as they dealt with, among other things, a century-old line. He sent an update today explaining that you’ll see his crews in the area a little while longer:
Both Elliott Bay Brewery & Talarico’s Pizzeria are open for business.
The EBB pipe-lining project from inside the building’s basement to the main on California Ave ha been completed.
We then moved over to Talarico’s to make similar repairs and have found additional pipe separations near the curb line that will require some equipment that is not readily available until early next week.
We apologize for the inconvenience and hope to have everything, including the cement repairs, completed by 8/31.
Reader report:
Our 2000 red Dodge Dakota was stolen Monday night or early Tuesday morning from in front of our house on 42nd SW SW between Juneau and Findlay.
License number B45084N
SPD case number 23-241959
Early this afternoon, we learned of two business burglaries in the Junction area:
EMERALD WATER ANGLERS: Burglar(s) broke a window on the north side of West Seattle’s only fishing-focused store (a WSB sponsor), which is on the southeast corner of 42nd/Oregon.
(WSB photo)
Proprietor Dave McCoy says the burglar(s) stole high-end jackets. He’s going through security video for more on what happened, including the time. This isn’t the first time Emerald Water Anglers has been hit; Dave posted on social media, “I didn’t realize this is what being a community-minded advocate for clean, cold water and wild fish was going to look like, but here I am and here I will stay!”
TAILS TO ASTONISH: On the south edge of The Junction, burglar(s) broke into West Seattle’s only comic-book store overnight too. No visuals from this one (yet) so we don’t know if there’s any chance it was related. Co-proprietor Shaun Duff tells WSB the list of comic books they know the burglar(s) stole totaled more than $20,000:
Amazing Spider-Man #129 First Punisher
Amazing Spider-Man #13
Amazing Spider-Man #14 First Green Goblin
Amazing Spider-Man #3
Amazing Spider-Man #129 Signed by Jerry Conway, First Punisher, CGC 8.5
Amazing Spider-Man #13 First Mysterio, CGC 4.5
Amazing Spider-Man #9 CGC 3.5
Avengers vs. X-Men #1 Mid Town Comics Edition Variant Cover by Skottie Young, CGC 9.8
Detective Comics #34 Restoration, CGC 5.0
Fantastic Four #46 First Black Bolt, CGC 4.0
Infinity #1 Skech by Jim Starlin Signed Signed by Jim Cheung, CGC 9.8
X-Men #9, CGC 3.0
Batgirl #37, CGC 9.8
Raphael Mini Series High Grade
Raphael Mini Series Low Grade
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 3rd Printing
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 1st Printing High
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 1st Printing Low
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #4 1st Printing
The shop at 4850 California SW is closed today “to get as much of this sorted out as we can.” (added) Police incident # is 23-243112.
The West Seattle Church of the Nazarene in Morgan Junction is hoping to get opinions from families with young kids but says the topic is “not about religion.” Here’s the message they asked us to share:
Are you a parent in our community with young kids? We want to hear from you!
A small group from our church is working on a neighborhood improvement project, and we need your input. We’re applying for a grant to make our community more family-friendly, and we believe your perspective as a parent is crucial.
We’d love to chat with you for about 30 minutes over a cup of coffee (our treat!) to discuss what it’s like to be a parent, the challenges you face, and what improvements you’d like to see in our neighborhood. This interview is not about religion; it’s about understanding your experiences as a parent.
Our focus is intentionally a bit vague. Our hope is that these conversations with the community will guide us in identifying the best ways we can positively impact the West Seattle community.
We are open to new possibilities, but current areas that could benefit from these conversations include Play Space (an indoor play area for children and their caregivers), a future coffee shop within the church building, Maarten Park (a green space being developed for neighborhood use), Movies in the Park, Open Mic Nights, and a Community Vegetable Garden.
Your participation is confidential, and any information shared will only be used for our grant application. If you’re interested, please email us with your availability. Let’s work together to create a better place for families to thrive! Thank you for being a part of our community’s growth!
You can contact associate minister Sarah Emerson; her contact info is here.
As noted here a few weeks ago, the seasonal store Spirit Halloween has returned to the ex-Bed Bath and Beyond space at Westwood Village. Going through the center this morning, we noticed this morning that it appeared open, so we went in to verify. Here are the posted hours:
This is an earlier start than last year, when the store didn’t open until September.
(Post-rain clouds this morning, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
From discussion to dance, here are calendar highlights for the rest of your Wednesday:
TODDLER READING TIME: 10:30 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open 11 am-8 pm. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS: Final week for local sites where free food is available for kids on weekdays this summer, 11:30 am-1 pm lunch, 2-3 pm snacks.
COLMAN POOL: At Lincoln Park, this outdoor salt-water pool is open noon-7 pm daily through Labor Day. See the session schedule here.
DELRIDGE GROCERY CO-OP VOLUNTEER HANGOUT: 5-8 pm, drop by Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW) to meet some of the people who power Delridge Grocery, and find out how just a little of your time can do a lot of good toward keeping it running.
CIVIC CONVERSATION ABOUT AI: It’s moving fast. How might that change the world – your world? Come to C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor) tonight, 5-7 pm, and talk about it. Our preview has more info, including the RSVP link.
FIX-IT WORKSHOP: Don’t replace it – repair it! 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 5: Five places to play tonight. At 6 pm, Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) now offers trivia … 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); Larry’s Tavern (3405 California SW) hosts Wednesday-night trivia starting at 8 pm … at 8:30 pm, trivia with Phil T at Talarico’s (4718 California SW).
FREE GROUP RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the weekly free group run.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 6:30 pm. 21+. Rotating performer slate. (7902 35th SW)
LIVE PIANO MUSIC: 7 pm at Otter on the Rocks. (4210 SW Admiral Way).
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
DANCE POP-UP IN THE PARK: 7:30 pm at Myrtle Reservoir Park (35th/Myrtle), Whim W’him Contemporary Dance Theater plans a pop-up performance. Free.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Planning a presentation, meeting, performance, reading, tour, fundraiser, sale, discussion, or …? If it’s open to the community, please send us info for West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
4:32 AM: Thanks for the tips. 4,700 customers are out of power in (mostly) northwest West Seattle. More info to come ….
4:37 AM: Added above, a screengrab of the City Light map showing the outage zone. We haven’t heard an obvious cause yet. The power went out at 4:25.
4:48 AM: According to a commenter, the problem is at California/Hudson [map]. SFD and City Light are reported to be there.
5 AM: A similar footprint was affected by an outage on July 2nd – that outage was caused by a driver taking out a pole and lines at Admiral/47th/Waite – as well as another one July 24th blamed on an equipment problem (blown fuses) near 30th/Brandon. …
5:40 AM: The map now blames “equipment failure” for the outage. … Via Twitter/X, SCL verifies the “failure” happened at California/Hudson – “downed wire.”
5:43 AM: Some commenters are reporting their power’s back.
5:56 AM: The SCL map has finally updated to reflect that. 2,644 customers still out – will add the revised map, for the record, in a moment. (added) Here it is:
6:36 AM: Commenters say there’s at least a pocket around 47th/Admiral that’s still out, not shown on the map update. … That outage pocket is reported to include the 47th/Admiral signal.
6:46 AM: Thanks to Kevin Freitas, who keeps a continuous skywatching camera going, for sharing this video of how the sky lit up when the outage-triggering failure happened (a few blocks west of his residence):
Meantime, we looked further back in WSB archives. Before the three summer outages (including this one) with similar footprints but different causes, we had three other outages this year affecting thousands in West Seattle, all blamed on trees:
-1/13/23, 4,400+ out after tree came down in North Delridge
-2/3/23, 3,200+ out after tree came down (in wind) in North Delridge
-6/6/23, 3,300+ out after tree came down (in slide) on Harbor Avenue
(There were also several smaller but still notable outages affecting hundreds.)
7:10 AM: The SCL map has added back the Admiral area from which commenters were reporting “still out but not shown on map.” That brings the total out to 2,900+.
7:16 AM: Now that it’s light, our photographer went over to California/Hudson, where a City Light crew is working:
The wires/cables are by the stairway:
9:04 AM: Commenters and SCL report more restored – fewer than 300 still out.
10:47 AM: The map shows the outage entirely resolved. We’ll be following up with City Light for more specifics on the cause.
ADDED 3:49 PM: Here’s what City Light spokesperson Jenn Strang tells us:
CAUSE: The owl mentioned by commenter “Admiral” below was the actual cause, Strang says, in a chain reaction of sorts: “The owl contact outage at SW Walker St and 47th Ave SW resulted in the wire coming down at California and Hudson.”
FOOTPRINT: We asked how three outages with different causes, in different areas (though the owl at 47th/Walker is close to the 47th/Admiral/Waite crash scene at the heart of the early July outaage), wound up with pretty much the same footprint. Strang’s reply: “The footprint is similar because of how the infrastructure is laid out from that particular substation to the outlying feeders.” In some cases, she added, the footprint is affected when SCL has to de-energize an area for safe repairs, but in this case, the identical footprint was shown from the very start of the outage, long before repairs.
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