West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
That area along the west side of 45th Avenue SW just north of SW Wildwood is proposed for a new Fauntleroy Creek overlook as part of the city’s restarted project to replace two century-old culverts that carry part of the creek underground. Seattle Public Utilities says it’s focusing on just one of those culverts right now, the one traveling under 45th SW. SPU reps will be at 45th/Wildwood 10 am-1 pm Saturday to talk with people about the newest plans, and they’ve just opened a survey. Back in 2019, SPU started a public process, and at the time construction was envisioned to be wrapping up about now, but like many other projects, it was placed on hold. Now, they’re restarting the process for the 45th section, with this overview:
The 45th Ave SW culvert is the immediate focus of this project. SPU prioritizes culvert projects based on the likelihood and consequences of culvert failure. Each culvert is evaluated using various criteria, including impacts on the environment, fish passage, traffic, and community, as well as operations and maintenance. Through this evaluation process, SPU has identified the public roadway culvert at 45th Ave SW as the highest priority for replacement. SPU is committed to proactively replacing this culvert to reduce the risk of failure and mitigate storm-related flooding.
Construction on 46th is tentatively set to start in spring 2026, SPU says. Planning is also continuing for the California SW section, which goes under public and private property near Fauntleroy Church. This Saturday, you can find out more in person:
Join members of the project team for a Design Drop-in on Saturday, March 9 any time from 10 am – 1 pm to learn about the culvert and share your thoughts on the future Fauntleroy Creek overlook space. The project information table will be at the intersection of SW Wildwood Pl and 45th Ave SW, in front of Wildwood Glen.
The survey, meantime, is open until March 22.
(Photographed from Alki this morning by Marc Milrod)
Mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s what’s scheduled for the rest of today/tonight:
FREE PLAYSPACE: Drop in Tuesday mornings 9 am-noon at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (42nd/Juneau).
CITY COUNCIL TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE: The third meeting of the committee chaired by District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka starts at 9:30 am. Three major agenda items: The Seattle Transportation Plan, a “State of the Bridges” briefing, and the tribal-art project for columns under the West Seattle Bridge’s west end. Here’s the agenda. You can watch live via Seattle Channel.
CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon). All levels welcome. (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Fifth day of cookie booths at multiple locations – some starting at 4 pm. Search here for your nearest locations.
CITY COUNCIL MEETING: Regular weekly meeting of the Seattle City Council, 2 pm. There is a public-comment section – in person or by phone – if there’s something you want to tell the council. The agenda explains how. You can watch live via Seattle Channel.
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration continues at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
LIGHT-RAIL STATION PLANNING: 5:30-7:30 pm, Sound Transit reps will be at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds) for an open-house-style meeting about station planning for the future West Seattle extension.
DISCOVER SEATTLE COLLEGES: As previewed here, here’s a chance to see what South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and its sibling campuses offer. Tonight at 5:30, the second of four online info sessions (with in-person open houses next week) focuses on business and accounting programs – RSVP here to get the link.
LEARN ASL: Free weekly classes, 6 pm at West Seattle’s Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (4001 44th SW). Start any Tuesday night! Details in our calendar listing.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
FREE TRACK RUN: Run with new (or not-so-new) friends! Meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for this free weekly run at 6:15 pm.
TOASTMASTERS: 6:30 pm online meeting – expand your communication and leadership skills! Our calendar listing has RSVP info so you can get the link.
MAKE POTTERY: 6:30-9 pm “girls’ night” at pottery studio The Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW), sign up in advance to work on your project(s).
BINGO AT THE SKYLARK: Play – free! – Belle of the Balls Bingo hosted by Cookie Couture, 7 pm Tuesdays. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
TRIVIA X 4: Four places to play Tuesday nights – The Beer Junction (4711 California SW) now has Sporcle Pub Quiz with David at 7 and 8 pm … 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Zeeks Pizza West Seattle (6459 California SW), hosted by Geeks Who Drink; 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).
OPEN MIC: 7 pm at Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way). 21+.
BINGO AT TALARICO’S: You can play 8 pm bingo every Tuesday. (4718 California SW)
What are you planning? Are community members invited? Tell everyone via our event calendar – please email the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, March 5th.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Today’s forecast gets sunnier as the day goes on, but the high will again be a colder-than-normal mid-40s. Sunrise will be at 6:40 am, sunset at 6:01 pm. (Two weeks until the spring equinox!)
(Added: Overnight snow near Delridge/Juneau – photo sent by Sage K)
‘SPRINGING FORWARD’ SOON
Daylight Saving Time starts Sunday morning (March 10) at 2 am, when we’ll “spring forward” an hour.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route. Check WSF alerts for changes, and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
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: All functioning traffic cams citywide are 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 they’re not already on scene). Thank you!
When Mark saw that animal in his alley (2900 block of Alki Avenue SW) very early this morning, he thought it was an otter. It’s not unusual to see one of those cross the street – or your path. But he later found out it was a beaver!
Apparently it was disoriented and animal control came by to investigate, retrieve, and rehabilitate it.
Sometime between my early morning sighting and 11 am it had managed to get into the water drains covered by heavy iron grates in the alley. They had to have another Seattle services unit remove the grate and the animal control officer reached down to retrieve it. Needless to say it was a very exciting and interesting morning, most welcome on a quiet gray winter day…
If a statewide initiative gets enough signatures to go to voters, the State Legislature first gets the chance to approve it, which would mean it will become law without going onto the ballot. That’s what just happened with Initiative 2113, which will lift restrictions that legislators placed on police pursuits three years ago (and loosened a bit last year). Unlike legislation, initiatives don’t require the governor’s signature – if both the State House and State Senate pass them, they will become law. Both votes happened today – the House voted in favor of it, 77-20, and the Senate vote was 36-13. According to the roll-call tallies on the Legislature’s website, all three West Seattleites representing the 34th District in the Legislature voted no – Senator Nguyễn and Representatives Emily Alvarado and Joe Fitzgibbon.
Under current state law, pursuits are allowed in six types of circumstances; under 2113, the authority becomes simply “There is reasonable suspicion a person has violated the law.” There are some caveats, such as that “The person poses a threat to the safety of others and the safety risks of failing to apprehend or identify the person are considered to be greater than the safety risks of the vehicular pursuit under the circumstances.” Officers also need to notify a supervisor, who will then oversee the pursuit, and they need to have gone through a particular type of training. You can read the initiative’s full text here. Initiatives passed by legislators become law 90 days after the end of their session, which in this case is Thursday. Departments can have more restrictive policies than state law allows, as has been the case with SPD (here’s their current policy).
(Friday photo, sent by Carolyn)
Last Friday, one of the two main King County Water Taxi vessels went out of service after a small engine fire, as reported here. We asked Metro today about the status of that vessel, M/V Sally Fox. Spokesperson Al Sanders told WSB this afternoon, “The engine fire on the Sally Fox was caused by a loose oil line to a turbocharger. The fire was small and the damage was superficial. Repairs have been made to the Sally Fox and the Marine Division is awaiting USCG approval to operate.” That was potentially expected by day’s end today, although the Water Taxi Watch tracker showed Sally Fox still at the downtown barge dock around day’s end.
P.S. We also asked about the problem early this morning that delayed the start of West Seattle service until 6:30 am. That involved M/V Spirit of Kingston, Sanders said, which was briefly “unable to transfer helm control to exterior station,” a problem that Water Taxi engineering staff handled.
Two more porta-potty fires in West Seattle last night bring the total to at least four in just over three weeks, all in north West Seattle. Our photo above shows the aftermath of one at Admiral Way and SW Waite. We got a tip about it last night but SFD had closed out their response and left before we arrived, so we followed up on it today, and found out it was one of two in the span of an hour. SFD spokesperson Kaila Lafferty says the first fire last night was in the 3600 block of 44th SW around 6 pm, less than an hour before the one at Admiral and Waite, and that investigators ruled the cause of both as “undetermined.” That’s also what SFD concluded about these two we noted three weeks ago, at 51st/Dakota and along an alley in the 3400 block of California SW.
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That’s an SDOT photo from work done these past three days to reinstall a refurbished cylinder removed from the low bridge last fall. This is part of an ongoing process, SDOT reminds us:
Last October, we reinstalled the refurbished cylinder from the east pier that was damaged when the piston head became stuck in January 2023. When the unexpected damage occurred, preparations to overhaul all four of the bridge’s hydraulic turning cylinders were already underway as part of our comprehensive repair and maintenance efforts. This allowed for repairs to be completed sooner than if we had started from scratch. Our bridge maintenance crews, and our design and repair experts redeveloped a part of the turn cylinder so that this type of malfunction is much less likely to occur in the future.
Between March 1-3 [this past Friday-Sunday], crews successfully reinstalled the refurbished cylinder that was removed during the October 2023 low bridge closure! We will continue to rehabilitate the remaining two turn cylinders in the west bridge pier this year.
That’s not the only low-bridge work that’s yet to come. Next month, SDOT says, “crews will reroute the control tower wires from the high bridge to a new conduit beneath the West Duwamish Waterway that connects to the motors that open and close the bridge. … The original system, composed of buttons, switches, and wires, is about 30 years old. To remedy this, we will be rerouting the wires connecting the control tower with the motors that open and close the bridge off the high bridge to a new conduit under the West Duwamish Waterway. This work will increase the resiliency of the West Seattle Bridge system and help decouple the low bridge from the high bridge.” More details on this work and how it will affect bridge users are promised soon.
Today we’re welcoming Andy Randles, a real-estate broker with Ewing & Clark, as a new WSB sponsor. When new sponsors join us to advertise their local businesses to you, they get the opportunity to tell you about who they are and what they do – here’s what Andy Randles would like you to know:
“I have a depth of knowledge for Seattle real estate and neighborhoods, and love helping new neighbors move in. There’s so much to love about this area and working with people seeing everything for the first time is such a treat to be a part of.
“People appreciate that I’m patient and understanding. “Patience” shows up a lot in my reviews and leads to referrals and repeat clients. I also have a rich understanding of the home-purchase process and real-estate market to ensure clients have a smooth experience, and I help maximize their value.
:My community involvement includes serving as a chapter lead for Seattle YIMBY, and being a member of Circle the Block (a neighborhood watch group for Pioneer Square). In my spare time, I’m also a member of an American History meetup group! Here’s how to connect with me.”
We thank real-estate broker Andy Randles for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here; email patrick@wsbsales.com for info on joining the team!
Last week on the Nisqually earthquake anniversary, we reminded you about Emergency Communication Hubs – the volunteer-powered meeting places pre-designated in case of catastrophe, places you can go for information/resources if something big takes down the usual means of communication. One of West Seattle’s 20+ hubs is hoping nearby residents will come to a gathering this Thursday (March 7), 6:30 pm – the one for South Gatewood and Upper Fauntleroy residents, at Peace Lutheran Church (39th/Thistle). Here’s the announcement from organizer Joel:
The Emergency Hub located at Peace Lutheran Church is meant to provide community-run support efforts in the area of Cloverdale up to Othello, and 35th to California in the event of infrastructure related disturbances such as a major snowstorm, extended power outages, or the big earthquake/ tsunami/ volcanic eruption/ Guadalajara type of disaster.
If you are, or you know anyone, in the area that may be interested in doing some tabletop role-playing exercises that’ll cover several information gathering and resource distribution techniques to help us be better prepared for managing our local needs in a time of crisis, please feel free to join us. All are welcome. No prior knowledge or training is needed. Enter on the west side of the church.
For detailed info on how hubs are supposed to work, go here
Last Thursday, Kathleen sent these photos of a “parade” of tow trucks she saw heading from Myers Way toward Highway 509. After a few inquiries, we finally found out today where they were towed from. It wasn’t an encampment cleanup/mitigation, we were told, but it was a cleanup – involving a Seattle City Light parcel along Myers Way.
SCL spokesperson Jenn Strang told WSB, “This has been a collaborative operation between several city entities to secure the City Light property along Myers Way. We removed vehicles that were sitting at the bottom of the hill and are also closing in on removal of trash and debris in the next few weeks. Once cleared, it will be secured with ecoblocks to prevent further dumping in the area. A total of 10 vehicles, plus a stripped-down frame, were taken off the property.” (We have a followup question out regarding which specific parcel this involved – maps show SCL property on both sides of Myers, close to the city-limit line.)
(Quiet February morning at Alki – photo by James Bratsanos)
Here’s the list for the rest of today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: 2 pm at City Hall, the weekly meeting in which councilmembers talk about their plans for the week ahead. Here’s the agenda. Watch live via Seattle Channel.
TODDLER GYM PLAYTIME: Free indoor drop-in playspace 3-5 pm at the Salvation Army Center. (9050 16th SW).
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Fourth day of cookie booths at various locations – some starting at 4 pm. Search here for your nearest locations.
BENEFIT BAKE SALE: A local soccer club, Valencia CF Academy Boys 2010/2011, is fundraising for its upcoming trip to Spain, including scholarship costs to ensure all players can make the trip. They’re having a bake sale during Arbor Heights Food Truck Night, 4:40-7 pm. They’re promising key lime pie, cookies, brownies, pan dulce, more. Read more about them in our calendar listing. (10835 42nd Ave. SW)
DISCOVER SEATTLE COLLEGES: As previewed here last night, South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and its sibling campuses are opening the doors – virtual and physical – this month so you can learn about what they offer. Tonight at 5:30, the first online info session focuses on health and medical programs – RSVP here to get the link.
GET CRAFTY: 6-10 pm, Monday brings “Crafting and Creativity Night” at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
D&D: Open D&D starts at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), all welcome, first-time players too. $5.
MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA! Three options tonight – 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander); 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7:30 pm with QuizFix at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MEDITATION IN FAUNTLEROY: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
MEDITATION ON ALKI: The Alki Dharma Community invites you to Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) for meditation. 7 pm.
MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Live music with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
KARAOKE: 9 pm, Monday night karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar and/or Holiday Guide? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Last year, almost two dozen local businesses and organizations were part of the West Seattle High School Job and Internship Fair. This year’s event is a month away and organizers asked us to share this invitation for participation:
West Seattle High School Job and Internship Fair – 4/3/24
If you’re looking to hire teens and/or soon-to-be high school graduates, West Seattle High School is hosting the WSHS Job and Internship Fair on April 3rd from 11:30am-2:30pm. Come showcase your opportunities and connect with students!
Fill out this MS Form to attend: forms.office.com/r/vh7TccqWEZ or email Brian Fitzgerald at bjfitzgerald@seattleschools.org with questions or concerns.
Positions offered can include:
Paid
Volunteer
Internships
Permanent
Seasonal
Pre-apprenticeships
Apprenticeships
6:28 AM: Just in from Metro: “West Seattle Water Taxi will miss first two round trips this morning due to a mechanical issue.”
Earlier:
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, March 4th.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Unsettled weather again today, with the forecast including a chance of showers, possibly some “wintry mix,” high in the mid-40s. Sunrise will be at 6:42 am, sunset at 5:59 pm.
ALMOST TIME FOR A CHANGE
Daylight Saving Time arrives Sunday morning (March 10) at 2 am, when we’ll “spring forward” an hour.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route. Check WSF alerts for changes, and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
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: All functioning traffic cams citywide are 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 they’re not already on scene). Thank you!
(Added: Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
We have received several questions about a Seattle Fire response that’s been blocking the southbound lanes of California near Hinds. They were originally called there for a suspected gas leak. They couldn’t find evidence of a leak but with Puget Sound Energy‘s help have finally traced the concern to a problem with a meter, which PSE has shut down. The SFD crews will be departing shortly, firefighters just told dispatch.
The Sound Transit Board is still months away from finalizing the light-rail route into West Seattle – that will happen after the final Environmental Impact Statement is made public. 
In the meantime, the agency, working with the city, is continuing to plan the four stations (Junction, Avalon, Delridge, SODO) – based on the locations that are so far considered the “preferred alternative.” Tuesday night, the agency returns to West Seattle for an open-house-style meeting following up on the one held four months ago. They promise that the meeting will be “an opportunity to see how your feedback informs ongoing station area designs” – feedback from a survey last fall as well as from the October meeting. (Additional station-planning info was shown at a subsequent meeting of the West Seattle Transportation Coalition.) “Station area designs” is a reference to not only the stations themselves but also how other transportation – buses, bicycles, etc. – will be routed for arrivals and transfers, and also what will happen to station-adjacent sites that will be used for construction staging. Some are envisioned as “transit-oriented development.” The Tuesday meeting is set for 5:30-7:30 pm “with a short presentation at 6 pm,” at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds, lower-level entrance off the parking lot). The projected launch date for the $4 billion light-rail extension remains late 2032.
Two notes in West Seattle Crime Watch:
POLICE DETAIN ALKI BURGLARY SUSPECTS: This is happening right now. Someone called 911 to report a suspected burglary at Il Nido (the Italian restaurant in the former Alki Homestead) after seeing/hearing people inside on a night when it’s usually closed; police have detained two suspects, one caught while running a block west, the other, after running into a nearby business. We don’t know yet what they’ve confirmed about the burglary – they’re trying to reach the restaurant’s owners – but in case you’re on Alki and wondering about the police activity, that’s what’s happening. MONDAY UPDATE: We followed up with SPD, which tells WSB, “Officers found two juveniles, both males, ages 13 and 14. They were arrested for burglary and property destruction, identified and released.” They are accused of breaking into an under-construction area of the historic building.
ATTEMPTED TRUCK THEFT: Emailed by a reader in North Admiral:
Wednesday morning, about 1 – 2 a.m., car thieves attempted to steal my husband’s red Dodge Ram pickup. 45th Ave just north of Hill St. Luckily, a neighbor’s nephew was driving down Hill Street and noticed a van with its lights off parked in the middle of the street. He stopped his car and when they noticed him, a couple of people jumped out of the truck, into the van and took off. The truck’s passenger side lock was damaged, and they attempted to jam a screw driver into the ignition. The tip of the screw driver broke off in the ignition. This is the second auto theft, although ours was only attempted, in our neighborhood in a couple of weeks. The last auto was recovered by the owner using a tracker in their vehicle. They were able to find it in Georgetown and recovered it. Our Neighborhood Watch Captain will be putting an alert out to all the neighbors in this area for those who are not yet aware. Please post so others are aware.
Moving on to college? Going back to college? Thinking about a career change? South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) likely has something for you. As part of “Discover Seattle Colleges” events these next two weeks, you have multiple opportunities to learn about the possibilities. First, four online events this week will explore academic programs and career pathways offered by SSC and its sibling campuses (North and Central):
Health and Medical / Education and Human Services: Monday, March 4, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Business and Accounting / Science, Engineering and Technology: Tuesday, March 5, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Culinary, Hospitality and Wine / Skilled Trades and Technical Training: Wednesday, March 6, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Arts, Design and Graphics / Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages: Thursday, March 7, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
RSVP to get the links for any or all of those online events – go here.
Then next week, the Seattle Colleges campuses all have in-person open houses where you can meet faculty, take tours, get admission/resources information, and more. (Even if you’re not considering enrollment, community members are welcome to visit and learn more about the colleges too!) Here are the two for SSC:
Georgetown Apprenticeship & Education Center, South Seattle College: Monday, March 11, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
South Seattle College Main Campus (in West Seattle): Tuesday, March 12, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
To RSVP for either or both, and to get info about open houses at the other colleges, go here. (And if you’re ready to enroll, you can do that now too, for spring-quarter classes starting April 1st.)
(WSB/WCN photo of Justin and family last year as Full Tilt marked 15 years)
Two weeks ago, we reported on community crowdfunding to help the family of Justin Cline, White Center community advocate and founder of Full Tilt Ice Cream, after he suffered a heart attack. Today, we just heard from a Full Tilt staffer announcing on behalf of the family that Justin has died, at age 49. Here’s the announcement published on the original GoFundMe page:
It is with absolutely broken hearts that we share that our beloved friend Justin has moved on to the great ice cream shop in the sky.
Justin died around 6:00 am on Saturday, March 2nd, 2024 at Valley Medical Center. At every step along the way, Valley staff did an incredible job monitoring and managing his ever-changing condition, and taking every possible step to give him excellent care.
Ann, Moss and Ruby, their family and friends, and the entire staff and community of Full Tilt are grieving this loss. Justin will be missed by so many, because he touched so very many people in his life. The number of stories of connections and care that we have heard this past month has been incredible. We have loved hearing all the large and small ways that Justin’s open, giving nature has positively impacted the community as a whole and hundreds of individual lives.
Right now Ann and the kids are understandably distraught and overwhelmed with this tragedy. We understand that everyone wants to connect with Ann, share their memories and stories of Justin, and offer love and comfort. However, the community Justin built around himself is so large and deeply connected that we imagine the outpouring of love could become overwhelming for Ann.
We have created a list of ways that the community can support Ann, Moss and Ruby in this time.
* Continue giving to the GoFundMe to support Justin’s family during this time. Ann’s financial needs will only increase as she navigates this shift to single-parenting and keeping Full Tilt afloat.
* Send your memories, stories, artworks, and photos of or inspired by Justin to justininmemoriam at gmail.com. We will be compiling the stories, photos, memories, artworks into a book for Ann and the kids. If possible, title your email “contribution” to help us manage the inbox.
* Email justininmemoriam at gmail.com to offer any practical support you would like – either with your ideas for support you’d like to offer or an open offer for whatever Ann may need. Ann’s friends will be monitoring this inbox and will connect with Ann to see what kinds of supports are needed as time goes on. If possible, please title your email “support” to help us manage the inbox.
* Continue to visit Full Tilt when you can. Every scoop you enjoy, every round of pinball, and every beer you share with a friend helps keep Justin’s family and employees going.
* Hug your people and tell them you love them.
* Consider ways you can support your community. Justin’s store, his heart, and his time were open for those who needed him. Our communities are better when we are community builders.
* Get CPR certified. Ann was able to save Justin’s life the night of his heart attack because she knew how to perform CPR. A couple of hours of your time could save a life. cpr.heart.org/en or redcross.orgWe will share more information as services are planned and needs are realized.
Thank you all for your love and support, for all you’ve done this past month and all you will continue to do to help hold Justin’s family, friends, Full Tilt family and community close. We all wish Justin were here to hug each and every one of you.
Toward the request for people to “continue visiting Full Tilt” – which opened in downtown White Center in 2008 – they’re open today.
Family and friends are remembering Lorraine Presley, and sharing this remembrance with her community:
Lorraine Rachelle Chevalier Presley, October 21, 1941-January 30, 2024
Born in Victoria, BC to Marie and Edgar Chevalier. Raised in Mornville, Alberta, Canada. As a teen, the family moved to St. Petersburg, FL, where Lorraine graduated from high school. She wanted to go to college and become a doctor; however, her father would not allow it, because “she was a girl, and girls do not become doctors.” In 1962, while attending nursing school at a junior college, she noticed an advertisement for a stewardess job with United Air Lines and applied. She was the only woman of twenty-five applicants chosen for the job. She flew out of Chicago before transferring to Seattle in 1963. She settled in West Seattle and traveled the world – meeting politicians, celebrities, influential businesspeople and even an occasional mafioso! She shared many stories of her adventures in a world that was certainly a different era.
Lorraine met William (David) Presley, and they married in 1968. She had to leave her job due to regulations at the time requiring stewardesses resign once married. They made their home in West Seattle to raise their children Kari and Michael. In 1977 she chose to return to college, earning her RN degree then working at Swedish Hospital. In early 1980, she joined a class-action lawsuit against the airline for its regulation forcing stewardesses to resign upon marriage. The women won the case, and she gained her job back as a flight attendant with United. This gave her the freedom not only for herself to travel again, but her family were also able to travel. On occasion (for a change of scenery) she flew and lived out of Narita, Japan and London, England. She also flew out of San Francisco. Lorraine retired in September 2001.
In 1997 she and David moved to Grants Pass, OR. In 2008 she returned to West Seattle to be near her daughter and son. At age 65 she took an intensive three-month course to renew her Washington State RN license, working at Northwest Kidney Center. Lorraine returned to Grants Pass in 2019 to care for her husband. In January 2023 she was diagnosed with stage 4 melanoma. After a year bravely fighting cancer, Lorraine passed peacefully, quickly and without pain, her family by her side.
Among her talents, Lorraine possessed the highest standard of entertaining, cooking, presentation, and caregiving. She was an excellent seamstress. Making everyday clothing, one-of-a-kind Halloween costumes, and designer-worthy formal wear. Her cakes were beautifully decorated and tasted amazing. In retirement, she volunteered at soup kitchens and medical expeditions in Louisiana, Chicago, Grants Pass, and Seattle.
Lorraine was a strong, smart, creative, caring woman who gave so much of herself to all
who met her and will be greatly missed, never forgotten. She is survived by her husband David, children Kari and Michael, her sister Colleen and husband (Russ), their daughters (Dory, Michelle), sister-in-law Sue Soderstrom, her nieces (Joy, Janet, Debbie, Michelle, Susan, Diane) and nephews (Kevin, Tom). Per her request, there will be no memorial service. Her ashes are to be scattered over Puget Sound and Paris, France.The family asks that in lieu of flowers, please consider a monetary donation in her spirit to any of her favorite organizations: Remote Area Medical (ramusa.com), Planned Parenthood, and Habitat for Humanity.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
(Bufflehead starting a dive, photographed by James Tilley)
Here’s what to know about today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
DOWNTOWN (ETC.) TRAFFIC ALERT: If you’re going downtown or points north this morning, you might encounter the Hot Chocolate Run, which has 5K/10K/15K routes – here’s the map.
MINI-POLAR PLUNGE: 9 am every Sunday, you’re welcome to join a group plunge into Puget Sound off Alki – meet at Statue of Liberty Plaza (61st/Alki).
GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Third day of cookie booths at various locations – some starting as early as 9 am. Search here for your nearest locations.
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at 9 am at rotating locations – today it’s C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
HELP OUT AT THE BEE GARDEN: Lots of work – planting, transplanting, compost-moving – 10 am-1 pm at the West Seattle Bee Garden (Lanham/Graham).
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the market is open as usual between SW Alaska and SW Oregon on California, offering winter vegetables and fruit plus cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages (from cider to kombucha to beer/wine), nuts, candy, more! Here’s today’s vendor list.
WHILE YOU’RE AT THE MARKET … go check-out the Small Business Pop-Up Market inside Jet City Labs (4527 California SW), with vendors and music! 10 am-2 pm.
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need to borrow something for a home project? Visit the WSTL 11 am-4 pm. (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center)
ART EXHIBITION: First weekend for Lucha Libre-themed show at Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery (9414 Delridge Way SW). Open today noon-4 pm.
TOY SWAP: 2-4 pm at Fit4Mom Studio (2707 California SW) – details in our preview.
FREE FAMILY-HISTORY RESEARCH HELP: Get expert help for free, 2:30 pm-4:30 pm at West Seattle Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (4001 44th SW).
MUSICIANS FOR THE WEST SEATTLE FOOD BANK: Good music, good cause! 3 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
DRAG BINGO: 5:30 pm at The Locöl Kitchen & Bar (7902 35th SW), 21+.
LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: See and hear the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8-10 pm.
Planning something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the info – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Our first report on this past week’s HPAC meeting – held online Wednesday night – focused on the group’s discussion with a Metro rep about proposed bus-stop changes. But the coalition tackled other topics of note, and that’s what we’re writing about now.
ENCAMPMENTS: Questions about several encampments in southeast West Seattle had surfaced at previous meetings, so HPAC invited local-government reps to attend with updates. Tom Van Bronkhorst was there from the city’s Unified Care Team, and James Poling was there on behalf of WSDOT. The one of greatest concern was the growing encampment at 1st/Cloverdale, just west of Highway 509. Poling said that WSDOT “has started preliminary assessment at the site.” Van Bronkhorst said WSDOT doesn’t own the entirety of the property involved – there’s adjacent city land that’s “also encamped.” As a result of that, he said, the city will be “working in the weeks ahead to plan some kind of removal.” Before that, he expected crews would be removing litter at the site. (We followed up post-meeting with Lori Baxter, who handles homelessness-response inquiries for the mayor’s office, and she confirmed the site is getting “weekly trash mitigation … while WSDOT resolution planning continues.” She added, “The Unified Care Team last inspected this site on February 14, noting six RVs/vehicles and three tents/structures.”) At the HPAC meeting, Van Bronkhorst also addressed the encampment across Delridge Way from the Southwest Precinct, saying it’s likely to be resolved by summer, because a city reforestation project is planned to “activate” that area (the Delridge Native Forest Garden, which got a federal grant last year, and about which Baxter tells us, “UCT will consider the construction schedule while building out upcoming calendar dates”). Finally, regarding Barton between 15th and 17th, Van Bronkhorst said five RVs were there at last count, 600 pounds of trash was removed three weeks ago, and the outreach agency REACH has been “visiting every few weeks.”
‘THE HUM’: More than a decade ago, we reported on then-HPAC leadership leading community sleuthing of the droning noise that so many were hearing at night. It was traced to vacuum equipment offloading dry cargo from ships serving an industrial facility on the Duwamish River; better muffling was installed, and that seemed to handle the problem. In recent months, we hear every so often from someone thinking they’re hearing it again; invariably, when we get one of those reports, we check MarineTraffic.com, and it shows the same type of ship in port around the same spot. At Wednesday’s meeting, local resident Matthew said he’s resolved to get to the bottom of it, including finding out what the noise rules are. HPAC leadership agreed to collaborate with him. You can help too – if you hear it, log the time. Record it if you can.
DELRIDGE TRIANGLE: This triangle of land by the Route 60 northbound bus stop across from 2 Fingers Social was the subject of a community-led planning process in 2017-2019 aimed at turning it into more of a park. Eventually the effort stalled (the last mention in our archives was July 2019). Now, HPAC says, there’s word that Seattle Parks is acquiring the parcel from SDOT. We’re following up on that with both.
WHAT’S NEXT? HPAC meets on fourth Wednesdays most months, 7 pm. Watch the HPAC website for updates.
In case you missed it: For a while this afternoon, snow had the upper hand in the “wintry mix” that swept through. Gill Loring‘s photo above is from White Center; we saw it while traveling from North Admiral to south Gatewood. The clouds that brought it were quite dramatic, as Jason Grotelueschen‘s photo from The Junction shows:
More “wintry mix” (aka rain/snow) is in the forecast all the way through Tuesday, with highs continuing in the mid-40s (below the seasonal norms, which would be low 50s). Spring is only 17 days away!
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