West Seattle, Washington
13 Saturday
Southwest Precinct police representatives were guests at two community meetings we covered last night, with different topics:
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: Mark Solomon, Crime Prevention Coordinator from the South Precinct who’s also currently handling Southwest, was the guest. The ANA conversation with him touched on two major topics: One, the two teenagers who have been reported as involved in multiple incidents in local businesses. Attendees included at least one affected business owner. The two boys were described as well-known to business owners, as they have gone in to various shops and restaurants, harassing employees. Solomon said he would check on the situation. (Side note, two teens were taken into custody in the Admiral District late today after incidents in at least three businesses; we’ll be following up with SPD tomorrow.)
He also mentioned that Admiral has not been immune to the business burglaries that have happened around the peninsula; he said Wiseman’s Appliance was broken into last month.
Solomon also got an earful about traffic violations in the Admiral area – people speeding, running red lights, and ignoring pedestrians. One person asked if there were stats on running red lights; Solomon said he only gets collision stats. There was also a request for motorcycle officers to give speeding tickets, but Solomon said the motorcycle patrol’s role these days is primarily to aid traffic these days and not so much hand out tickets.
(Separate from the discussion with SPD’s Solomon, the ANA also heard about a new community proposal to make Admiral more pedestrian-friendly; look for that story tomorrow. And one more note – Solomon, who ran for City Council last year, confirmed to us that he’s applied for the current council vacancy.)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Traffic was also a topic as second-watch Lt. Joshua Ziemer and community-liaison Officer German Barreto visited the FCA meeting. President Mike Dey brought up the recent collision that killed Steven Hulsman as he rode his bicycle on Marine View Drive, and wondered about speed bumps. How did Alki get so much traffic calming? was the question. FCA might consider asking Alki community advocates how they had so much success with SDOT, it was suggested.
Meantime, the SPD delegation brought crime-trend information that Lt. Ziemer said was for West Seattle in general. Homicides in the Southwest Precinct (which includes South Park) more than doubled, 3 in 2022, 7 in 2023 (the SPD crime dashboard says 8). The newest trend: Burglaries are on the rise. A not-so-new trend: Auto thefts are way up, 2023 was up 39 percent over 2022, and he said that mirrors a nationwide trend, fueled by the Kia and Hyundai thefts. They’re hopeful that a recent arrest (no name but likely this one) will make a dent. Robberies are also up (and in response to a question, he said that most carjackings fall into that category) – they believe the auto theft and robbery rises are related, because many vehicles are taken to be used in a crime.
How’s SPD recruitment going? they were asked. Departmentwide, they’ve still had more departures than new hires. Lt. Ziemer noted that it’s a nationwide problem, not just a Seattle problem. He said a contract agreement with the officers’ union would be an important step to assist in recruitment. But Lt. Ziemer stressed that they’re not just looking for “numbers” in hiring, they want “quality people” who want to come to SPD and will stay a while. The Southwest Precinct remains a popular place to work, he added.
(We’ve published two other reports from the FCA meeting – the latest on Seattle Parks‘ pickleball-court planning, and an update on West Seattle dog-park siting.)
7:55 PM: Thanks for the tips. Emergency responders are arriving at the scene of what texters describe as a car-on-side crash on Admiral Way, at/near the Schmitz Park bridge. So far dispatchers have reported only minor injuries. No images yet, but one texter says, “The car is wedged in some trees very oddly, almost flipped over. I can’t imagine how it ended up that way.” … The response is reported to be blocking the eastbound lanes.
8:47 PM: Thanks to Tony Tschanz for the photo of the tow crew hauling it out. SFD closed out its response fairly quickly, reinforcing the initial assessment of “minor injuries”; we’ll follow up to be sure.
This Thursday, January 11, is the second Thursday of the month, which means it’s time for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s monthly online speaker series, Words, Writers, Southwest Stories. SWSHS’s Elizabeth Rudrud gives us this preview – not just of tomorrow’s speaker, but also who’s ahead, and a request for your feedback:
Our first Words, Writers, Southwest Stories program is this Thursday, featuring Maria Chávez, Professor of Political Science at Pacific Lutheran University. Her talk, “The Firsts: Latina Struggles in the United States,” explores the unique challenges Latina professionals in the US face and draws from wide-ranging interviews and her own personal experiences.
The Words, Writers, Southwest Stories program is a monthly speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society with support from Humanities Washington, 4Culture, and the City of Seattle Office of Arts and Culture.
This year, we will present talks on a range of topics including:
February – Nancy Koppleman, “The Oldest Hatred: Coming to Terms with Antisemitism”
March – Harriet Baskas, “Wonderful, Weird, and Worrisome Objects in Washington State Museums”
April – Kestrel Smith, “Fish Wars: Tribal Rights, Resistance, and Resiliency in the Pacific NW”
May – Luther Adams, “A Space for Black History”
July – Shin Yu Pai, “Ten Thousand Things: Artifacts of Asian American Life”These programs are always free but donations are greatly appreciated. Programs are presented online on the second Thursday of each month. [Register here for Thursday’s link.]
Is there a speaker or topic you would like to see included in our 2024 series? The Southwest Seattle Historical Society would like to hear from you! Send in your suggestions to museum@loghousemuseum.org
(Photo by James Bratsanos)
Lowland snow? Maybe. Sub-freezing cold? Definitely. That’s the current forecast for what’s on the way. Starting tomorrow night, temperatures will drop below freezing, with daytime highs in the 20s on Friday and Saturday, overnight lows as cold as the upper teens on Friday and Saturday nights. So Seattle Public Utilities – which handles water service among other things – wants you to be ready. Today SPU invited media crews to a home in Seaview for demonstrations on simple steps you can take – like protecting outdoor faucets:
(WSB photos/video from here)
In our photo is SPU’s Sabrina Clark-Bentley, who showed options for that – either a foam cover you can buy, or a DIY wrap with an old sock or towel, plastic bags, and tape:
Inside, SPU recommends turning on a faucet to a “slow drip” when it’s below freezing, so water keeps flowing in your pipes to reduce the chance of a break. In your kitchen, if your sink is against an exterior wall, open the doors beneath it to bring in warmer air:
And know where your water shutoff is, in case you need it. Other things to consider before the cold wave hits – storm-drain clearing. That’s part of what we discussed in a brief interview with SPU’s emergency-management program manager Chad Buechler:
Again, the number he mentioned for SPU-related emergencies, like water breaks and clogged street drains, is 206-386-1800 (same one we often mention for brown water).
3 PM: Orcas are in the area again, seen off Alki Point Lighthouse, per Kersti Muul. Let us know if you see them too!
3:07 PM: I They’re southbound, now off Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook (4500 block Beach Drive), Kersti says.
3:34 PM: Now off Lincoln Park.
That’s the poster (full-size PDF here) that local women have been distributing around the area to warn others about a man suspected in multiple incidents of sexual harassment. We first published a reader report about this on December 30th; one of the women involved emailed us the poster today, explaining, “Since emailing you on this originally, we are now up to more than 2 dozen similar reports (majority in West Seattle but some in Burien and White Center as well) of harassment via social media reports – the most recent on Sunday near the West Seattle Farmers Market, which they reported on our original blog post.” (Here’s the link to that comment.) They asked us to again publish a photo of the man’s pickup truck:
And they want you to know that if you have an incident to report, SPD has told them to advise victims to please call it in to 911 and. refer to SPD incident # 24-002311.
(WSB photo – Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Seattle Parks has a new idea for where to add pickleball courts in West Seattle: The parking lot at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex.
That’s what Parks’ director of planning and development Andy Sheffer told the Fauntleroy Community Association last night.
It’s not a sure bet, though, as the parking lot is Seattle Public Schools property.
Before we get into those details – some backstory: Sheffer was invited to talk with FCA after the group’s previous meeting, last November (WSB coverage here), included a discussion with opponents of Parks’ plan to repurpose an old paved pad – once tennis courts, more recently a storage area for Parks maintenance – by setting up six pickleball courts. As FCA president Mike Dey explained in introducing Sheffer, they wanted to hear “the facts” about Parks’s plan, which first emerged in September, when Parks dropped a plan to add pickleball stripes to Solstice Park tennis courts, and drew intense opposition.
First Sheffer explained that the “next step” is a study on mitigating pickleball noise, a major point of concern for project opponents, contending the Lincoln Park courts would be disruptive both to wildlife and to people. He said this study – for which a “kickoff meeting” is imminent – involves the University of Washington Engineering Department, which is working on pickleball equipment that would reduce the noise by at least 50 percent. “Nobody ever really thought about the noise, but now that it’s a mainstream sport, they have to think about it.” (He noted later that pickleball noise concerns also include the “laughter and joy” expressed by players.) They’re also working with local wildlife/environmental advocates, he said, including Birds Connect Seattle.
But, he said then, “We are studying other sites concurrently … I’ve always had my eyes on the Southwest [Athletic Complex] parking lot.” Sheffer said he’s already had one meeting with the school district about the idea and has another one set up. He explained,, “What I’d like to see come out of that is to be able to build the same number of courts with the ability to park over [them] for the two or three big events a year.” He didn’t specify which events he was referring to; the NCSWAC is used for a variety of sports events throughout the year, plus high-school graduations, among other things, and its lot is adjacent to Parks-owned Southwest Teen Life Center and Pool.
Sheffer said they’re open to other sites but a major criteria is that a site would have to already be paved – they don’t want to pave anything that’s not; he said he’s been “scouring the city looking for impervious surfaces.” In West Seattle, he said, the Lincoln Park pad and NCSWAC parking lot “are really it” but he stressed that he’s hopeful the parking-lot idea “will go through and then we can look at other uses for Lincoln.”
If Lincoln Park remains the site, Sheffer was asked, what about its condition? One person in attendance said, “We have pictures of broken asphalt and treeroots coming up through it.” Sheffer replied, “We would patch the broken areas of asphalt and do another asphalt overlay and a top coat.” He added that the Lincoln Park site wasn’t identified for repurposing previously because Parks’ “old leadership” said it was needed as a maintenance facility, while “new leadership” decided the materials could be stored somewhere else.
Another question: What’s the rush for new pickleball courts? Sheffer replied, “We have a huge demand for pickleball … huge demand from West Seattle for sure.” So much so, he said, that existing sites are under pressure to expand – he noted, “There’s a big push to make Walt Hundley [Playfield, in High Point] more of a dedicated pickleball facility.”
What about a privately owned site, like Westwood Village, which has both a huge parking lot and two large empty indoorspaces? Sheffer said they could certainly consider that; FCA board member Marty Westerman said the suggestion had already been made to the shopping center’s owners, but they had yet to reply.
Sheffer returned multiple times to an acknowledgment of the concerns voiced previously by those opposing the Lincoln Park site (the FCA has yet to take a formal position) – “This is your park, we hear you loud and clear, you shouldn’t have to fight the city … I’ve heard a lot through this process.”
Other questions were aimed at eliciting more specifics about the study. Sheffer said it’s “kicking off” with a meeting tomorrow (Thursday, January 11th) and shouldn’t last longer than three months – “a lot of it is literature review,” he added, referring to what he said was “lots” of studies already done regarding pickleball noise.
He was asked about the best way to advocate, either for or against the pickleball project. At first Sheffer suggested people wait to see how the study turns out; later in the meeting, he suggested an online survey would be a possibility, maybe with questions such as “if noise could be reduced by 50 percent, would you be opposed?”
WHAT’S NEXT: Before leaving the meeting (which moved on to other non-Parks topics we’ll recap separately), Sheffer said his next steps would be the study, a survey, and review of other possible sites; he said the next conversation with SPS regarding Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex was slated for the “third week in January.” (It should be noted that NCSWAC already has tennis courts dual-striped for pickleball, just west of the pool building.)
(Yellow-rumped Warbler, photographed by Jerry Simmons)
Here’s the daily preview, mostly from our West Seattle Event Calendar:
DINE AT CIRCA, HELP STUDENTS: The West Seattle High School Class of 2026 is benefiting from a share of proceeds during a “dine-in day” today at Circa in The Admiral District (2605 California SW), open now through 9 pm.
TODDLER READING TIME: 10:30 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).
DOWNSIZING OR MOVING? 1 pm workshop at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon) – free but RSVP required.
MIDWEEK SOUND BATH: 1 pm, presented by Inner Alchemy at Move2Center (3618 SW Alaska), $35.
CHOOSING A FINANCIAL CAREGIVER: 3 pm workshop at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon) – free but RSVP required.
FIX-IT WORKSHOP: Repair it instead of replacing it! Weekly event, 5:30-7:30 pm at West Seattle Tool Library (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center).
FREE GROUP RUN: Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the weekly free group run, 6:15 pm.
TRIVIA x 5: Five places to play tonight. At 6 pm, Locust Cider (2820 Alki SW) offers trivia … 7 pm trivia at Burger Planet (9614 14th SW, White Center) … Quiz Night 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 … and at 8:30 pm, trivia with Phil T at Talarico’s (4718 California SW).
LIVE MUSIC AT THE LOCOL: 6:30 pm. 21+. Rotating performer slate. (7902 35th SW)
MUSIC BINGO: Play weekly at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7 pm.
BASKETBALL: One varsity home game tonight, at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle), the girls play Ingraham at 7:30 pm.
SKYLARK OPEN MIC: 7:30 pm signups @ West Seattle’s longest-running open mic – no cover to watch. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
If you’re planning a presentation, meeting, performance, reading, tour, fundraiser, sale, discussion, etc., and it’s open to the community, please send us info for West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar! westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
The Brownies of Troop 40622 are hoping you can help them keep local pets fed. Their leader Krista sent the request:
Our Brownie troop of 12 third graders is working on the Philanthropist Badge.
As philanthropists, the troop has made a goal of collecting 500 pounds of pet food for the Pet Pantry at the West Seattle Food Bank. Animal lovers through and through! So far the Brownies have collected 186 pounds of food. They have collection bins located at Bebop Waffle Shop [California/Admiral], Sea Pines Physical Therapy [4617 37th SW], and Next to Nature [4543 California SW]. The bins will be active through the end of January. The troop also has an Amazon Gift List (Troop 40622) that sends items directly to the Pet Pantry! Thank you for supporting our troop’s efforts to make the world a better place.
6:00 AM: Good morning. It’s Wednesday, January 10th.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Cloudy, chance of showers, high in the low 40s. Today’s sunrise will be at 7:55 am, and the sun will set at 4:38 pm.
(Tuesday photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
ROAD-WORK ALERT
With the wind past us, SDOT crews might resume work on the signal at Highland Park Way and Holden – mast arms for the permanent signal. Lane closures are expected.
TRANSIT NOTES
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you’re wondering where the boat is.
Metro today – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Washington State Ferries today – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route. Check alerts for changes, and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
(The video options on SDOT‘s camera map are working again.)
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, 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:
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if applicable). Thank you!
Thanks to Jen Popp for that photo of tonight’s sunset, seen from Constellation Park. The wind alert has expired and we’re now getting back to relatively normal weather – until Thursday night. That’s when temperatures are supposed to drop, with an overnight low in the 20s. Will we see snow while the colder-than-normal air is hanging around? Right now the National Weather Service says it’s “likely” – especially Friday. So the city wants you to know it’s getting ready, and advises you should too – all that info is here (and more expected tomorrow).
(2023 Seattle Parks image of stadium study area for off-leash area)
We’re at the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s monthly meeting, where discussion has just concluded with Seattle Parks director of planning and development Andy Sheffer. The discussion was mostly about the Lincoln Park pickleball-court project – full story on that later – but before he left, Sheffer provided a short update on another issue involving the park – whether West Seattle’s next off-leash area will be at Lincoln Park or just south of West Seattle Stadium. Sheffer said he thinks the final choice is going to be the West Seattle Stadium site, which most recently looked less likely because of a city need for a place to charge some of the electric vehicles in the city fleet. Sheffer told the FCA he believes the site can handle a dog park and fleet charging, and that the plan will be presented to the Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners on February 8.
Teresa Mosqueda‘s move from the Seattle City Council to the King County Council is complete with today’s swearing-in ceremony at the county council’s first meeting of the year. Administering the oath of office in the council chambers downtown was Councilmember Mosqueda’s husband, Manuel Valdes; they and their 4-year-old daughter live in North Delridge. Mosqueda was one of two newly elected councilmembers sworn in today, along with Jorge Barón; they are making history as the first Latina/o members elected to the County Council. Mosqueda, who succeeds Joe McDermott in representing District 8 (including White Center, West Seattle, Vashon and Maury Islands, and Burien), will chair two committees – the Health and Human Services Committee and the Regional Transit Committee, and will be vice chair of the Transportation, Economy and Environment Committee. You can track County Council meeting dates and agendas, including committee meetings, here.
Thanks for the tips about a sizable police response in High Point. We got there just as it was wrapping up. Officers at the scene told us that it had to do with a “hate crime that happened hours earlier.” One person was arrested. We asked SPD’s media office for further details; here’s the summary with which they replied:
Officers responded to reports of a male yelling racist remarks at passerby and pointing a gun at them in the 6000 block of Lanham Pl SW. Officers arrived and contacted a victim who stated the suspect threatened to kill them and pointed a gun toward them. Officers contacted the suspect and took him into custody. The suspect will be booked into KCJ [King County Jail] for investigation of hate-crime offense and felony harassment. Officers determined the weapon used was a BB gun.
The response had Lanham Place SW blocked near Graham, according to readers, but it should be clearing now if it hasn’t cleared already.
ADDED WEDNESDAY: The suspect is 38 years old. We hope to find out more about what happened in documentation that should be available after his bail/probable-cause hearing.
12:27 PM: As today’s strong wind continues – with the National Weather Service advisory remaining in effect until 10 pm – walkers and runners are facing obstacles as well as drivers; above, a reader photo shows tree limbs blocking the sidewalk on 61st SW in front of Il Nido/Alki Homestead. SDOT crews have numerous street-blocking trees to deal with around the city – this one near 22nd/Trenton was mentioned in our late-night coverage (another reader photo – thank you):
Downed wires are presenting problems too – most notably on East Marginal Way at Diagonal, which has a long stretch of 99 blocked in both directions, which we’re told is affecting access to the West Seattle Bridge from southbound 99. Meantime, the Seattle City Light outage map shows at least 10 small outages around the peninsula, with the largest current one affecting 10 customers. We’ll continue updating weather, traffic, and power issues here throughout the afternoon. Your tips are appreciated, whether downed trees, power outages, traffic issues, or other things people should know about – text 206-293-6302 (or email westseattleblog@gmail.com if it’s not urgent) – thank you!
1:30 PM: Highway 99/East Marginal has fully reopened, WSDOT says. … There’s a new power outage, 102 customers, just east of Lincoln Park, per SCL’s map.
3:01 PM: That outage has since been resolved.
4:41 PM: Reader on bus from downtown to West Seattle says driver is trying to divert from SB 99. We’re not seeing any new problems in traffic-tracking channels, though remaining spot outages might be affecting signals.
7:02 PM: Still gusty out there but much of the weather focus has moved on to the upcoming colder weather – here’s what the city says about preparations.
No weather-related cancellations in so far – we’ll note them on this list if that changes – so here are four tonight-only highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY OPEN HOUSE: It’s the season to consider school decisions for next fall, and Highland Park Elementary (1012 SW Trenton) invites prospective families to visit tonight, 6-7 pm.
HOPE LUTHERAN PRESCHOOL INFO NIGHT: Hope Lutheran School (4456 42nd SW; WSB sponsor) has a play-based preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, and invites prospective families to an informational event tonight, 6:30 pm. Our calendar listing has the link for preregistering.
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Agenda items are scheduled to include a discussion with a Seattle Parks manager about the Lincoln Park pickleball-court plan. Meeting will be in The Hall at Fauntleroy‘s Emerald Room instead of the usual schoolhouse conference room, 7 pm. (9131 California SW)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill), here’s the plan, with public safety high on the agenda:
Join us Tuesday as we begin 2024 with updates from the Southwest Precinct, a conversation highlighting a campaign to create a more safe and livable, people-oriented district. We will also be giving previews and dates for 2024 events as well as presenting volunteer opportunities to get involved with us.
See the rest of today’s happenings on our full calendar.
The weather is expected to be a lot calmer by next Monday, which is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a Day of Service for many. One big local volunteering opportunity will be at Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon), and you can sign up now to be part of this 9 am-1 pm event:
City Year Seattle/King County honors the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by serving in community at one of our partner schools. This year on Monday, January 15, 2024, our day of service will bring together alumni, donors, community members, and corporate partners as we revitalize Denny International Middle School. Volunteers will have the opportunity to paint murals, improve campus landscaping, clean, and organize the school for students, faculty, and staff. We believe MLK Day is a ‘day on,’ so come join us as we support the students of Denny International Middle School through service.
(If you’re also organizing a Day of Service event that’s open to more volunteers on Monday, please let us know – thanks!)
7:45 AM: Thanks for the tips. Two notes: Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) is in that 89-customer outage zone east of Arbor Heights and currently hoping to open at 10 am. Meantime, there’s a new outage, largest yet, on Pigeon Point and in North Delridge, 1,376 customers. Here’s a screengrab of the Seattle City Light map:
9:20 AM: The Pigeon Point/North Delridge outage is resolved.
10:40 AM: As noted in comments, East Marginal/99 is blocked by downed lines. (added) Readers are also saying access to the West Seattle Bridge from SB 99 is blocked – you’ll be rerouted to the low bridge.
11:11 AM: We’ll keep updating here as needed until we start a new afternoon report at noon.
Earlier:
6:25 AM: Good morning. It’s Tuesday, January 9th.
WINDY WEATHER
We’re still under a Wind Advisory alert until 10 pm. The wind roared in late last night and took down some trees – here’s our early-am coverage (thanks again to everyone who sent photos). We don’t have updates on whether any of those trees have been cleared yet; the one at Marine View Drive/104th is the only one that got an overnight advisory – please let us know if you happen onto any others. Showers are also in the forecast, high in the mid-40s. Today’s sunrise will be at 7:56 am, and the sun will set at 4:36 pm.
POWER OUTAGES
Here’s the City Light map. As of right now, the only notable outage we’ve had in this area all night is affecting 89 customers, between north Arbor Heights and White Center. Outside the SCL coverage area, Puget Sound Energy has more than 23,000 customers out – at one point that included much of Vashon Island, but that appears to be down to some spot outages.
TRANSIT NOTES
Water Taxi today – No weather effects reported so far. Check the real-time map if you’re wondering where the boat is.
Metro today – No weather effects reported in our area so far; check advisories here.
Washington State Ferries today – No weather effects reported so far on the Triangle Route. Check alerts for changes, and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
(The video options on SDOT‘s camera map are working again.)
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, 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:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – another route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander:
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call us (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if applicable). Thank you!
(Photo by Jeremy Barton)
11:18 PM: The wind has kicked up, and a tree is already down – the one shown above has fallen across 51st SW near SW Grayson [map]. The National Weather Service‘s Wind Advisory alert originally was expected to go into effect at 4 am but that was changed to 10 pm, and it sounds like that was a good call. Here’s what the NWS says is possible through 10 pm tomorrow:
Southwest winds 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph expected.
More rain, too. But all those freezing temperatures you’ve been hearing about aren’t due until Thursday night. Updates to come – if you have something to report that’s related to the weather, let us know – text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
12:09 AM: After some hefty gusts in the past 15 minutes, we’re hearing dispatches for downed trees, including the 7300 block of Wright SW (north of Lincoln Park) and the 8600 block of 22nd SW (northeast of Westwood Village). … Here’s a photo from Wright SW, where the texter reports that what fell was “telephone pole and massive tree limb from Lincoln Park,” hitting two vintage cars:
One power outage note in the area so far, 89 customers out, west of White Center (here’s the map). … A line is down across SW Holden near 38th (note the tree debris in the street, too):
The wind has calmed considerably – at least for now – since those huge gusts around midnight.
12:50 AM: One more tree photo – Ryan reports via X, “FYI, tree down blocking SB lane of Marine View Dr SW in West Seattle between 104th and 106th. Use extreme caution approaching from the north.” Police radio notes that SDOT is backed up, so road-blocking trees might not be cleared for quite some time.
5:50 AM: After a windy night, the 89-customer outage mentioned above remains the only one of note, so far, in this area. We’re proceeding to our morning traffic-info roundup momentarily.
6:36 AM: As noted in comments, there’s now a line down at 45th/Hemlock [map] east of Lincoln Park, and a half-dozen customers out.
7:50 AM: We’re adding mid-to-late-morning updates here.
9:32 PM: A hit-and-run driver injured Megan‘s son at California/Charlestown tonight, and she’s wondering if there are any witnesses out there: “Someone ran a red light in front of Meeples and hit my son. 6:30 pm Jan 8th … if anyone saw anything, please let us know!!!” We asked if there’s any description, and how he’s doing (the dispatch had described the injuries as “minor”): “I just heard it was a dark vehicle. They hit him hard enough that he flew on to the hood, then the road, so the driver definitely knew that they had hit someone. He’s very shook up and upset with road rash etc.” The SPD case # is 24-007129.
ADDED TUESDAY MORNING: SFD says the 17-year-old victim was treated at the scene and did not need hospitalization.
(WSB photo, December 29)
8:12 PM: When we reported Saturday on the charges against a Burien carjacking suspect arrested in West Seattle on December 29, court documents said the teenager who crashed the stolen car shortly thereafter remained unidentified and in critical condition. According to today’s King County Medical Examiner’s Office list of death investigations, he has died. The KCMEO says he was 14 years old and died from burns suffered when the Suburban caught fire after colliding with a semi-truck at West Marginal and 2nd SW. There are no details such as residence or school. The adult suspect, 20-year-old Edil N. Pineda-Mencia, remains in the King County Jail awaiting arraignment on two felony charges.
10:56 PM: We’ve just learned from a reader that the 14-year-old was a student at Highline High School in Burien.
If you’d like a dry indoor place for your little one(s) to play this winter – here are three West Seattle options:
That’s the sanctuary at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (42nd/Juneau), which is restarting its first indoor playspace program tomorrow, for the first time since pre-pandemic. Pastor Shaun Mattson sent the photo and the announcement:
Essentially we are inviting Moms, Dads, caregivers to come on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 am-12 pm to bring their little ones, and to have a place to play and connect with others in the cold and rainy seasons. It’s free to anyone and everyone. Just hoping the space can be a gift to the neighborhood. One change for now is we will be opening the sanctuary up as the play area as we are still trying to rebuild and repair things from the fire last spring.
That’s one of three West Seattle places offering free indoor drop-in playspaces open to the entire community. One of the other two, at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW), reopened today:
The Salvation Army Seattle White Center Community Center will be hosting a Toddler Gym again this winter! This service will be free to the community and will provide a space for little ones to run around outside of the rain with some toys, mats, and slides.
What: Toddler Gym Playtime for ages 1-6 years old. Parent supervision is required.
When: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3 pm-5 pm. Monday 1/8, currently planned to end at the beginning of April.
The third opportunity has been ongoing once a week for a while, Friday mornings 10-11:30 am at Arbor Heights Community Church (4113 SW 102nd), for kids 5 and under and their caregivers. These programs are all drop-in but NOT drop-off – caregivers must stay with the kids. Others? Let us know!
We received some questions today about trucks unloading stacks of cargo outside the ex-Bed Bath and Beyond store at Westwood Village, so we went over to check. The trucks were actually carrying equipment for Fitness 19, the new gym opening in the former 24 Hour Fitness space on the breezeway to the east. No opening date announced yet; it’s been one year since we first reported Fitness 19 was taking the space, which had been vacant for two years by then. (As for the ex-Bed Bath and Beyond space, it, like the ex-Staples store, remains advertised for lease.)
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