West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
(This morning’s rainbow – photo sent by Susanna)
From community meetings to nightlife, here’s a reminder of what’s yet to come on this Wednesday:
FERRY MEETING: 12:30 pm, you’re invited to the first of two community meetings for Washington State Ferries‘ winter updates, including the service-restoration plan (Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth is one of the routes awaiting full restoration). Register here to get the link.
TRIVIA x 6: 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 7:30 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) with Phil T.
LIVE AT EPHESUS: Kimball & The Fugitive Trio now plays Ephesus Greek Restaurant (5245 California SW), 6:30 pm Wednesdays.
LIVE AT LOCOL: Locöl (7902 35th SW) spotlights live music 6:30-8:30 pm Wednesdays, no cover, 21+, rotating artists.
34TH DDs CHOOSE LEADERSHIP: 7 pm online, our area’s largest political organization, the 34th Legislative District Democrats, choose their new leadership. Register here to get the link.
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
Have an event – one-time or recurring – to add to West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar? Please email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
9:57 AM: We’re getting multiple reports that Chief Sealth International High School and Denny International Middle School are/have been in “shelter in place.” We’re checking with SPD; its Twitter call log classifies a call earlier this hour as “weapon”-related, but that only indicates what was reported, not necessarily what was found.
10:10 AM: And now (thanks again for the tips) we’re told the SIP has been lifted. Haven’t heard back yet from SPD or Seattle Public Schools but we just found the original dispatch audio – someone at CSIHS thought they saw someone with a gun possibly “trying to make entry to the school.”
10:18 AM: SPS spokesperson Tim Robinson tells WSB, “This involved a situation with one student at one of the schools. There was a false report regarding a possible weapon. It turned out to be nothing.”
10:45 AM: An SPD spokesperson also confirms, “We received a report of a suspicious person in the 2600 block of SW Thistle. Officers investigated and did not find any evidence of a crime.”
11:05 AM: SPD adds, “While police were unable to find any indication of a crime, officers will continue to have a presence in the area.”
SIDE NOTE: The two schools’ PTSAs were already planning a joint meeting for next week, 7 pm Tuesday (January 17th) at the Sealth library, with both principals scheduled to discuss the campus safety plan.
Help keep others warm for the rest of this winter! Here’s an invitation from Alki Beach Pride:
Do you have gently used teen/adult clothes & coats looking for a new home?
Alki Beach Pride is hosting a Coat & Clothing drive to help a cause that is close to our hearts, We would love the help of our community in donating at one of our many drop off locations.
Huge shout out to the businesses supporting us this year for our first ever coat drive 🌈☺️ We couldn’t do it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you
• Admiral Theatre
• Arthur’s
• Berkshire Hathaway, Ramone Myers
• Harry’s Beach House
• The Lumber Yard Bar
• Tibbetts United Methodist Church
• Youngstown Coffee& thank YOU for looking through your closet for a cause – West Seattle is the Best Seattle
The drive continues until January 27th.
8:57 AM: Texters report an incident is blocking the Delridge onramp to the bridge. … SDOT says it’s a stalled vehicle.
9:07 AM: Moving again.
Earlier;
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Wednesday, January 11th.
LOW-BRIDGE CLOSURE
This is the 20th day the low bridge has been closed to surface traffic.
We’re awaiting word on what’s next after SDOT removed a leaky cylinder Sunday.
SIGNAL CHANGES
We reported Tuesday on what’s happening with 35th/Avalon and two nearby intersections.
WEATHER
Rain returning today, high in the low 50s.
TODAY’S TRANSIT STATUS
Reminder that while the low bridge is out of service for surface traffic, free Metro/Water Taxi rides are available via an app.
–Metro is on a regular schedule today but still down buses for repairs (we’ve asked for an update on how many are still out) – keep watching notification channels such as @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations and route suspensions.
-The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule.
-WSF’s Triangle Route remains on its two-boat schedule- check here for alerts/updates.
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Updating this recent report, five are now live. Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also up at Delridge/Oregon, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Henderson.
If you see a problem on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
(Reader photo, South Park on December 27)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
With more than four dozen South Park homes and businesses suffering “substantial damage” in flooding two weeks ago, a City Council committee convened a briefing Tuesday morning. They heard city departments recount what they’ve done since what one speaker described as an “absolutely extraordinary event.”
The City Council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee also wanted to know what’s being planned in case the Duwamish River has another disastrous spillover – particularly, what’s being done to prevent a potential repeat during winter’s final “king tides” in less than two weeks.
Senior Deputy Mayor Monisha Harrell led the multi-department delegation. Here’s the full slide deck that was shown, and you can watch the video starting 1 hour, 6 minutes in:
Key numbers: 49 homes and businesses “have substantial damage.” 14 agencies are involved in the response/recovery operation. In the city response, the Office of Emergency Management is helping with some on-scene work, but Seattle Public Utilities and Human Services are most involved. They’re working with King County to find “funding opportunities,” possibly from the state. But they repeatedly stressed the importance of the community-based organizations that are involved, especially the Duwamish River Community Coalition.
SPU deputy director Keri Burchard-Juarez said SPU had sandbags and an advance contract with Just Health Action. But forecasters did not predict that the river would overtop its banks so “we really weren’t prepared” for that. But it happened, and they worked to provide emergency housing for up to 15 families, as well as setting up a trailer and tents (as we reported last week), plus portable showers, toilets, and laundry facilities.
(WSB photo, last week)
They’ve moved on to focus on cleanup, including inside people’s homes, and the focuses this week also include hazardous-materials mitigation. They had a community meeting with flood victims last weekend and will have another within a few weeks.
Regarding preparing for the next king tide – it’s predicted to be two feet lower than December 27th, but the wild card would be a low-pressure storm system causing a similar situation. SPU will implement an Incident Command Structure, will monitor weather very closely, will have an on-site presence. They’ve also observed several locations along river where it overtopped and will strategically place sandbags there, as well as trying to get a berm installed at one location, an under-construction pump station, 8th, Chicago. “Putting in as many precautions as possible.”
What happened “was absolutely extraordinary” and yet they’ve known something like this was coming, city reps acknowledged. They’ve been working for five years to develop a “resiliency district” for the Duwamish Valley, including South Park and Georgetown. They’ve been looking at property acquisition along the river. They know there will be “future investment needs.” SPU has already been working on a road improvement and drainage project. And they’ve worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on a cost-benefit analysis for more potential work.
The Human Services Department talked about assistance for flood victims, including collaboration with the community organizations and check-ins “every 24 to 48 hours” with the affected people, plus ensuring they have housing and food.
When does the housing assistance expire? asked City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, who chairs the committee. HSD told her it’s now been extended until at least the end of the month. The homes are being evaluated for safety – mold, asbestos, etc. She also wanted to know from SPU, how much more studying needed to be done before action is taken: “We don’t always have to do things sequentially, we can do them simultaneously.” SPU general manager Andrew Lee explained that his mention of a “feasibility study” to be done was not redundant with previous work such as the cost-benefit analysis. That analysis, he added, shows a “high benefit” from doing certain flood-control work, so this will evaluate the options more closely. Meantime, the city is meeting with the congressional delegation to talk about potential federal funding.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: This wasn’t part of the discussion, but you can still support the community groups who also are working with the flood victims – find links and info here.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes tonight:
SERIAL-ROBBERY CHARGES: On Friday night, we reported that police announced an arrest in the December 4th robbery of the 35th/Barton 7-11. Today, 22-year-old Ricardo F. Valencia-Alvarez was charged in that holdup and 10 others, and an alleged accomplice, 21-year-old Cesar Sandoval, was charged too; another alleged accomplice, Daniel A. Recinos, is already in jail and charged with multiple robberies. In the 95-page charging document filed by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, investigators detail a string of robberies, mostly at gas stations, in October, November, and December, in communities including Bellevue, Mercer Island, Kent, Renton, Redmond, and Maple Valley, as well as West Seattle, White Center, and Burien. The night we reported the 35th/Barton holdup, we noted that a Burien gas station had been held up a short time later by robbers who matched the description; that robbery yielded some key evidence – the clerk fired 11 shots at the robbers as they fled, and detectives say Valencia-Alvarez posted photos of the shot-up white BMW on social media, where he added, “We had just robbed the gas station too.”
The BMW had been carjacked in Federal Way days earlier and was found a day after the West Seattle/Burien robberies, on I-90 in Kittitas County, where the suspects are accused of abandoning it and carjacking another driver to get their next getaway car. About a week earlier, on November 29th, prosecutors and police allege, the robbery rampage included Little Caesar’s Pizza restaurants in White Center and Burien. The charging documents say Valencia-Alvarez has a record with juvenile assault and theft convictions as well as a current warrant in a malicious-mischief case, while Sandoval has a record including robbery and burglary, and had just gotten out of state prison a month before the robberies started. He’s being held in lieu of $2.2 million bail, while bail for Valencia-Alvarez is set at $750,000. (Bail was set at $900,000 for the other alleged accomplice, Recinos, who’s 20.)
Also in Crime Watch, one reader report:
REPEAT VISITOR: A resident near Lincoln Park says their security camera has caught this person repeatedly prowling his property, once to steal electricity to charge a phone, another time to try to break in, and a third time to vandalize:
(updated) The incidents have been reported to police.
And a reminder …
TALK WITH POLICE THURSDAY: The next West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting – your chance to hear from and ask questions of local police – is Thursday (January 12th), 7 pm, at the Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster).
That’s the trailer for “Tribal Waters,” a documentary telling the story of the Wind River – described as home to some of Wyoming’s best fishing – and two tribes who cherish it and are fighting for its future. A special screening is planned at 6:30 pm Thursday, January 26th, at Emerald Water Anglers (4502 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) in The Junction, with director Jon Klaczkiewicz and some of those featured in the film there for Q&A afterward. EWA proprietor Dave McCoy says they have room for 50 people and tickets are available now – online here, or call the shop at 206-708-7250.
Thanks to everyone who sent photos of tonight’s deep-pink sunset! The photo above is from Estelle Shives; below, from Brooke Gosztola:
(added) And from Mark Dale, looking toward Vashon and a Fauntleroy-bound ferry:
While today was sunny and dry, the rain is on its way back, according to the National Weather Service, which has issued a
ORIGINAL TUESDAY REPORT: The city’s year-old restroom building at 57th/Alki has portable toilets outside because it’s out of service. Several people have asked about this; we took the question to Seattle Parks. One reader said they’d been told it was a “plumbing problem,” so we started by asking Parks about that. Spokesperson Rachel Schulkin replied, “We were having a plumbing issue but it’s fixed = now we’re having an issue with the remote locking system. The doors are locking whenever closed, and have to be manually unlocked each time. We are working on a fix now, no timeline on reopening just yet.” Remote locking was also blamed for the delay in opening the comfort station after its completion in 2021; the city is using the technology to cut down on after-hours vandalism citywide.
WEDNESDAY MORNING: Parks says they’re open again. …. And our crew has just confirmed it.
We photographed that crew working today at 35th/Avalon, and already had an inquiry out to SDOT after a tip Monday from Jon. Today, SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson gave us this outline of what’s changing there – and nearby:
Our traffic signals crews are currently working to replace signal-control equipment and make operational improvements at three nearby intersections. If all goes well, we expect the work at all three signals will likely be completed by the end of the day:
35th Ave SW & SW Avalon Way: We are replacing signal-control equipment and adding a northbound right-turn arrow at 35th Ave SW and SW Avalon Way. This improvement was requested by King County Metro to help with transit operations.
35th Ave SW & Fauntleroy Way SW: We are replacing signal-control equipment and adding a leading pedestrian interval (also sometimes called a pedestrian-first walk signal) to the intersection of 35th Ave SW and Fauntleroy Way SW. This is a safety improvement that gives people walking across the street a few seconds head start before cars get a green light, making pedestrians more visible to people driving. Citywide collision data indicates there has been a 50% drop in pedestrian turning collisions at the intersections where we’ve added this safety feature.
SW Avalon Way & Fauntleroy Way SW: We are replacing signal-control equipment, but there will not be a noticeable change to the way the signal operates from the public’s perspective.
Note: We already added leading pedestrian intervals to the other two intersections a few months ago. We have also recently readjusted the signal timing to give pedestrians more time to cross the street at all three locations.
The “for lease” signs are down at long-vacant 2758 Alki Avenue SW, formerly home to Top Pot Doughnuts (which closed two years ago) on the left side and a variety of short-lived food businesses on the right side. We discovered the new plan via city permit filings: The combined 3,200-square-foot space will become West Seattle Arcade. The proprietor is West Seattle resident Elyssa Cichy, who explained when contacted via email, “West Seattle Arcade will be a family-focused, modern arcade with birthday party space and awesome video games for all ages. We are planning on opening this Spring. Our family has lived in West Seattle for over a dozen years, and we are excited to bring something new and special to our community.” You can watch westseattlearcade.com for updates. Alki has had a mini-boom in family-focused businesses in recent years, with additions such as Outer Space Seattle and Seattle Early Learning Center.
11:16 AM: Thanks to Greg for the photo and tip. He says that growing sinkhole is in the street where 59th SW and 60th SW meet in south Alki [map]. He says it was just a “pothole” yesterday but “overnight things changed.” We’re checking with SDOT to see the plan for addressing it.
2:14 PM: SDOT tells us it’s working with Seattle Public Utilities on this: “SDOT is planning to install a steel plate over the hole today to replace the current barricades while SPU works on a long-term repair plan.” Whether that means it’s a leak, break, drainage problem, or something else, they didn’t say, and we’ve asked that on followup.
3:40 PM: SPU says it’s a sewer-pipe problem.
(Photo by James Bratsanos)
Many options on the Tuesday list, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTH PARK FLOODING BRIEFING: That’s part of the agenda for the City Council Public Safety and Human Services Committee meeting that’s about to begin (9:30 am) – here’s the agenda; the meeting is viewable via Seattle Channel. (Note that as of publication time, the online stream is having trouble – here are other ways to watch/listen.)
CITY COUNCIL: 2 pm this afternoon brings the full council’s weekly meeting, online or at City Hall (600 4th Ave.). See the agenda here; the meeting is also viewable via Seattle Channel.
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Longstanding weekly sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
LION DEN: Cub Scout Pack 282 is starting a Lion Den for kindergarteners, 6 pm at West Side Presbyterian Church (3601 California SW).
CAMP SECOND CHANCE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Monthly chance for updates and Q/A about West Seattle’s only tiny-house encampment, 6 pm – online meeting, with participation information in our calendar listing.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
HOPE LUTHERAN PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: The preschool at 42nd/Oregon welcomes prospective families to visit tonight at 6:30 pm.
BOEING EMPLOYEES CHOIR: Open rehearsals start tonight in West Seattle:
Join the Boeing Employees Choir — even if you aren’t a Boeing employee! We’re looking for more singers to round out our top notch concert choir. We’re traveling to Greece and Turkey in the Fall of 2024! We rehearse every Tuesday night, 6:30 – 9:00 pm, at the American Legion Hall, 3618 SW Alaska St. Open rehearsals for all interested singers begin Tuesday, Jan. 10th and continue through Tuesday, Feb. 14th. If you feel we’re the right fit for you, schedule a simple vocal audition. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit group and we sing throughout the year at local Puget Sound retirement homes, churches, and community centers. Singers are asked to make a donation of $100 per season. We tour abroad every few years — most recently to Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Scotland. Make a resolution to sing more and have more fun! For more info email: president@boeingchoir.org.
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm meeting at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill) with agenda including a look ahead to this year’s neighborhood plans and a chance to hear from/talk with a local police rep.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: All welcome to attend the FCA‘s monthly board meeting in person or online, 7 pm at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW)
SEATTLE METROPOLITAN SINGERS: This award-winning choir rehearses in West Seattle! Tonight’s announcement (postponed from last week):
The Seattle Metropolitan Singers are starting their next season on Tuesday, January 10th. Rehearsals are 7 pm to 9 pm every Tuesday at the Senior Center of West Seattle [4217 SW Oregon]. This choir won The People’s Choice award at the 2022 Great Figgy Pudding Competition at Pike Place Market. This is a treble voice choir and all are welcome to join that fit in that vocal range. Please e-mail the_met@seattlegleeclubs.org if any questions. Or check out their website seattlegleeclubs.org/themet
OPEN MIC: Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way) invites you to take the stage, starting at 7 pm.
TRIVIA X 3: Three places where you can play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), 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 always see more, and preview future events, via our event calendar – if you have something for us to list, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, January 10th.
LOW-BRIDGE CLOSURE
This is the 19th day the low bridge has been closed to surface traffic.
After removinb a leaky cylinder Sunday, SDOT moved into testing it says will help clarify the repair timeline.
WEATHER
Sunshine expected today, high in the low 50s.
TODAY’S TRANSIT STATUS
Reminder that while the low bridge is out of service for surface traffic, free Metro/Water Taxi rides are available via an app.
–Metro is on a regular schedule today but still down buses for repairs (we’ve asked for an update on how many are still out) – keep watching notification channels such as @kcmetroalerts for trip cancellations and route suspensions.
-The West Seattle Water Taxi is on its regular schedule.
-WSF’s Triangle Route remains on its two-boat schedule- check here for alerts/updates.
SPOTLIGHT CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Updating this recent report, five are now live. Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also up at Delridge/Oregon, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Henderson.
If you see a problem on the roads/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do so safely) – 206-293-6302.
(WSB photos/video)
After 22 years at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, West Seattle resident Leesa Manion is its leader. She took the oath of office in a courthouse ceremony this afternoon, two months after she was elected with 58 percent of the vote. Manion makes triple history in ascending to the role – as the first woman and first person of color to serve as King County Prosecuting Attorney, and as the first Korean American elected to this type of job anywhere in the U.S. She was introduced by Ann Davison, who made history last year by becoming Seattle’s first female City Attorney:
Davison said their offices would work closely together and that both needed to address the root causes of crime as well as accountability for those who commit it. Manion then spoke before her oath was administered by King County Superior Court Judge Sandra Widlan (the oath is 24:15 into the video):
Manion, who previously served as the office’s Chief of Staff, received two standing ovations during her speech. She warned those expecting major announcements that this was an occasion for celebration – her policy announcements would come later, before the end of this month. Today, she offered words of gratitude and pride, for people from the other women of KCPAO, to her family, including her two children. And in calling for partnership with law enforcement, she gave a shoutout to her partner Perry Tarrant, a former Seattle Police assistant chief, who came forward with a surprise bouquet:
Manion also spoke vehemently about the importance of representation, and about the support and encouragement she has received from the Asian American and Korean American communities. The latter included an out-of-town visitor who spoke last at the ceremony, Jerry Baik, an assistant city attorney in Los Angeles who is also executive director of the international Korean Prosecutors Association:
Baik, whose organization has members in nine nations, hailed Manion as a role model and presented her with a plaque honoring her historic election. “I would not miss this moment for anything,” he told Manion.
Though, as noted, she said policy announcements will come later, she mentioned one gargantuan task she must address, saying the KCPAO has a “backlog of 4,000 charged cases” and saying it would take innovation to deal with that.
She invited those listening – including a crowd that included another West Seattle-residing elected official, County Executive Dow Constantine – to “join me on this journey … (to) build a modern, thoughtful, effective legal system.” Manion succeeds Dan Satterberg, who served as King County Prosecuting Attorney for almost 16 years.
(Reader photo, last Wednesday)
Last Wednesday night, that tree fell onto 35th SW between Avalon and Snoqualmie, taking down utility wires/cables and closing the street for 10 hours. The tree was on West Seattle Stadium property, so the next day we asked Seattle Parks about its inspection history and what would be done to check out the trees alongside it:
(Reader photo, looking southwest toward the tree stand that had included the one that fell)
We received the information today. Here’s what Parks spokesperson Rachel Schulkin told us about the tree that fell: “Based on our records, the trees were last inspected in 2017.” She also told us that Parks staffers inspected the site the day after the fall – last Thursday – “and also inspected the adjacent row of trees along the northwest stretch of West Seattle Stadium, to ensure that there was no other conditions of immediate concern.” Though 35th is a busy street and the tree fell in the heart of PM-commute time, it did not hit anyone or any vehicles.
(SDOT photo, Sunday night)
On Sunday we told you about the removal of a leaky 7 1/2-ton cylinder from the machine house of the West Seattle low bridge, now in its third week of closure to surface traffic. SDOT says it’s now testing “how the bridge works with a single cylinder,” and that means you might be seeing some bridge movement. This testing, according to SDOT, will enable them to “make an educated estimate of how much longer repairs will take.” The cylinder itself is to be overhauled at a hydraulic-repair shop.
Now that we’re between squalls again, you have an opportunity for whale-watching: Kersti Muul reports that Southern Resident Killer Whales from J-Pod are in Elliott Bay off West Point (Magnolia) after traveling southbound in recent hours. Let us know if you see them!
(Photo tweeted by @i8iphone)
1:33 PM: Thanks to everyone sending rainbow photos! The wind alert from earlier today has expired but unsettled weather continues – rain squalls, sunbreaks, and still a chance of wind gusts. The rainbows showed up between the squalls.
(Photo by Doug Eglington)
Intermittent rain is forecast for the rest of the day but so far tomorrow’s weather is expected to be sunny!
2:32 PM: The current round of rain has been intense for more than a few minutes. Meantime, thanks to the texter who sent this photo of a tree down across 29th SW near Westwood Village Target:
A blocked public street or path can be reported to SDOT at 206-684-ROAD, or after-hours at 206-386-1218.
12:44 PM: Seattle Fire has a “rescue extrication” response arriving for a crash in the 4900 block of Erskine Way [map]. Updates to come.
12:48 PM: First crews on scene say it’s two vehicles, one person possibly hurt but nobody trapped, so they’re downsizing the response.
1 PM: Photo added from our crew at the scene. Police tell us the red truck, parked, was hit by the driver of the other vehicle. No injuries.
At a short King County Superior Court hearing this morning, the West Seattle man charged in the July hit-run death of bicyclist Robb Mason pleaded not guilty.
The judge agreed to prosecutors’ request for electronic home monitoring of 20-year-old defendant Mohamed A. Yusuf, and the defense did not object. He is charged with vehicular homicide and felony hit-run, accused of hitting Mr. Mason at a speed past 50 mph on Spokane Street while the 63-year-old victim was riding his bike home just east of the low bridge. Yusuf did not address the court; Mr. Mason’s widow Claudia Mason was in the courtroom and did speak to Judge Karen Donohue during the hearing – here’s what she told media outside the courtroom afterward:
Before she spoke to reporters, a sobbing supporter hugged her in the hallway, lamenting that “the law is not fair,” allowing the defendant to remain out of custody. The judge, in response to Ms. Mason, had contended that being under electronic home monitoring means he is in custody. In the charging documents, as we first reported last Wednesday, police say they identified Yusuf as the suspect through “scrupulous detective work” including evidence such as car debris at the scene and video from a Metro bus, and evidence gathered once he was charged included his online/phone activity, some of which involved searches, links, and messages related to the case. He is due back in court next month.
(Sunday sunset, photographed by James Bratsanos)
Here’s what’s happening today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
MONDAY MOVIE: 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), “Terry’s Greatest Movies You’ve Never Heard Of,” today featuring “The Tiger’s Tail.” Free popcorn! Advance registration required – our calendar listing explains how.
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: 2 pm, councilmembers preview the week ahead (here’s the agenda). You can watch online or on cable via Seattle Channel.
CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), explained in our calendar listing.
MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
PLAY TRIVIA! Three scheduled options tonight for trivia players – new 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)
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to list on our calendar ? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
The wind’s kicking up, and the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory alert that’s in effect until noon: “Southeast winds 15 to 25 mph with gusts up to 50 mph.”
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