West Seattle, Washington
19 Monday
It all begins in a matter of hours … and some participants in tomorrow’s West Seattle Grand Parade are just finishing up their entries:
That’s part of the crew from Potter Construction, a parade sponsor and participant (and longtime WSB sponsor too), decorating their truck. We’ve been publishing parade previews all week, after sitting in on the Monday night parade-lineup review meeting as usual. More entries to mention tonight so you can be ready to cheer them on – youth-focused organizations! Southside Revolution Junior Roller Derby, Rain City Ropeworks, Endolyne Children’s Choir, Highline Premier FC, West Seattle Junior Football and Cheer, Seattle Gymnastics Academy, drill teams, scouting groups … you can also watch for unique entries like the DeLorean car(s), costumed Star Wars fans, and the Pacific Northwest Naval Air Museum‘s USS Nimitz replica.
(WSB photo, 2023 Float Dodger 5K)
But first, the Float Dodger 5K sends hundreds of runners and walkers from Hiawatha Playfield (2700 California SW) out onto the parade route at 9:30 am, and you can still register to be part of it – West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) presents the Float Dodger, and proceeds go to help the West Seattle Food Bank fight hunger and prevent homelessness.
As the signs say, parking is off-limits on the parade route – California from SW Lander to SW Edmunds – plus side streets used for staging, starting at 7 am, so get your car moved by then, because tow trucks have their own pre-parade of sorts. Otherwise, just set up a spot somewhere on the route and enjoy the parade. (If you’re not settled on a spot, as we mentioned last night, West Seattle Realty [2715 California SW; WSB sponsor] invites you to their parade-viewing party, out front of the office, treats and restroom access!) The parade, celebrating its 90th year, starts from California/Lander at 11 am and usually ends by ~1:30 at the south end of the route, but this is the biggest one in years, and there are always variables along the way, so that’s just an estimate.
Two reader reports on abandoned items; if either might be yours, please email us and we’ll connect you with the finders:
TOOLBOX: Cynthia sent the photo and report:
This was left behind our condo building and it doesn’t belong to any of us. It has some scuffs on the top so it doesn’t seem to be brand new. But it also still has stickers on it from some kind of retailer. There was only one item left inside but we figured someone might want the toolbox back.
BICYCLE: A reader who wante to be anonymous sent this photo and report:
Bicycle abandoned near Fairmount Ave SW and Harbor Ave. It has been there since last weekend, so clearly it is abandoned. At the back side of Duwamish Head Greenspace behind the pump station.
10:21 PM UPDATE: Marlene’s family confirms she is now safe at home.
Earlier:Read More
ORIGINAL REPORT, 4:58 PM: Biggest event on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (breaking news precluded a highlight list today) is happening right now – first day of the Alki Art Fair, on the promenade and lawn west of the sand. We’re on our way to the beach now for photos. The list of participating artists is here; the music lineup (mostly Saturday/Sunday) is here. The booths are scheduled to be open until 8 tonight, 10 am-6 pm tomorrow and Sunday, with music 12-7 pm Saturday, 11 am-5 pm Sunday.
5:49 PM: As promised, we’re adding photos – wide variety of work again this year, from visual art (Ula Nero‘s work, above, and Shelby Huff‘s photography, below) …
… to the apparel, jewelry, and basketry you’ll find at Rekik Mezenghie‘s booth:
This year’s Kid Zone focuses on giving little visitors a place to create their own art:
Again, this is on until 8 tonight, then starts up again at 10 am Saturday.
Thanks for the tip. Another sign today that the city really is getting close to the long-planned soil cleanup at the Morgan Junction Park addition site – crews were there today to clear the fenced-off areas, including a junk-hauling truck and police in unmarked vehicles. There’ve been signs of camping there recently, so we have an inquiry out with the city’s Unified Care Team about whether this was part of their process. We reported on Thursday that the Seattle Parks project manager for the expansion told the Morgan Community Association this week that the soil cleanup is scheduled to start August 8th. Once 16 feet of contaminated dirt has been removed, clean fill will be brought in, and the site will be seeded, for potential open-space use until the actual park expansion is built next year.
Three months after we first told you about two new businesses moving into the ex-beauty-school space on the south edge of The Junction, they’re open! After soft-opening during West Seattle Summer Fest, Rosanne Zhu and Chris Tanghe are now announcing their businesses’ official debut:
The day has arrived! Upwell Wine & Coffee and Walter’s Wine Shop are now open for business 7 days a week on California Ave SW near the Alaska Junction.
Coffee shop hours are 7 am-3 pm where you can always grab a coffee brewed with Herkimer beans or experiment with a rotating roaster that changes every 8 weeks. Our initial partner is Seattle’s own Elm Roasters from Pioneer square. All pastries made in house and starting at 9 am there will soon be a daytime menu featuring made to order breakfast and lunch items too.
Coffee service ends at 3 and Thursdays through Saturdays, Upwell transforms into a wine bar with 12 wines by the glass and an evolving menu of seasonal dishes, tinned fish, and other goodies.
Walter’s Wine Shop opens at 11 and has wines from around the world featuring sustainable practices and a spectrum of styles. Wine classes start in a few weeks on Wednesdays and the wine club will follow suit. Free delivery to West Seattle will commence when the online shop is up in August.
We look forward to meeting the West Seattle community!
Upwell/Walter’s is at 4811 California SW.
Thanks to everyone who has sent tips after getting notification from Bank of America that it plans to close its Admiral branch (one of its three West Seattle branches). This announcement comes with more than half a year of lead time – the notices, and the B of A website, say the closure date is February 11, 2025. This will be the second bank closure in Admiral in less than a year; the Wells Fargo branch at California/Admiral closed last March (and the building remains up for sale). And it’s the latest of several local branch closures in the past few years- most recently, the Sound Credit Union branch in The Junction closed last month; the Washington Federal branch in Morgan Junction closed three years ago; and Chase closed its in-store branch at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) half a year before that. We’re following up with B&A regarding the Admiral closure notice. (For history fans – when we got here in the early ’90s, the building was a diner.)
ORIGINAL REPORT: Police are investigating early-morning gunfire near 11th/Roxbury. They say reports of suspected gunfire were received around 5:17 am, and responding officers found a man whose vehicle had bullet damage. He was not hurt. He said the gunfire came from someone in another vehicle (we don’t have any descriptive information); in addition to the vehicle damage, casings were found on the sidewalk on the south side of Roxbury near 11th.
ADDED TUESDAY: Here’s the final SPD summary of this incident:
At 0517 hours, Officers responded to the reports of shots heard. Another caller reported that they had been shot at and their vehicle had sustained damage. Officers contacted the victim, who was uninjured, who stated that they were parked at a dead-end street. The victim was inside their vehicle facing north in front of a RV that belonged to their friend. The victim heard someone from the south, behind them, shout something and then heard 2 to 3 loud bangs. The victim then realized a bullet had hit the rear window of their vehicle and went through the windshield as well, just missing the victim. A 9mm shell casing was found on the sidewalk of the arterial. There was no available description of a suspect or vehicle at the time of the report.
7:06 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, July 19. The West Seattle Bridge is now fully open eastbound after a 3+-hour closure following a one-car collision, so we’re moving on with the daily roundup.
ABOUT THAT TECH OUTAGE
A global glitch has affected air travel, so if you’re flying out or picking someone up, check with your airline. We’re not aware yet of other major local effects.
Now our regular local info:
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
The forecast: Partly cloudy, becoming sunny, high in the low 80s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:32 am, while sunset will be at 8:58 pm.
SATURDAY CLOSURES FOR PARADE AND 5K
Reminder – Saturday brings the West Seattle Grand Parade and Float Dodger 5K on California SW between Admiral and The Junction, and that means street closures/parking restrictions (including some side streets for staging) – don’t ignore the no-parking signs (7 am-3 pm), because those who don’t WILL be towed. … Watch for bus advisories here.
ALSO THIS WEEKEND
No road closures for this, but the beach will be extra-busy with the Alki Art Fair running today through Sunday, mostly on the promenade west of the Bathhouse.
ROAD WORK
*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project is in progress; here are more specifics. Fairmount Avenue is closed under the bridge for the duration of the project, likely into early 2025.
*SDOT’s Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.
*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro – Regular schedules; check for advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is. It’s Friday, so there’ll be later runs.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route, and the unscheduled third boat may be back. Also, WSF promises three boats for this weekend’s Vashon Strawberry Festival crowds.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS (Minus the ones that were still down early today)
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
South Park Bridge:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
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 open for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
5:23 AM: Thanks for the tips. The eastbound high bridge is closed right now because of a crash investigation. Police radio suggests this could last at least until after 6:30 am. (added) Archived SFD/SPD radio indicates this happened around 3:30 am near the 1st Avenue South exit and was described as a single-vehicle crash, a Tesla Model 3 from which one person needed to be extricated.
5:47 AM: A commenter and one of the few operating SDOT cameras in the area indicate that the closure is at the 99 overpass; you can get onto the bridge but you’ll be diverted onto NB 99.
6:10 AM: Added screengrab from SDOT camera looking west toward the crash scene and the 99 overpass and exit. The wrecked car, which is white, is partly visible.
6:53 AM: Officers just told dispatch that the bridge should reopen soon after SDOT finishes cleaning up the scene.
7:01 AM: All but one lane of the EB bridge has now fully reopened, We’ll update this story with whatever followup information we get later about injury/circumstances.
8:45 AM: Here’s the summary from SPD:
On Friday July 19, 2024, at 0326 hours a white Tesla was travelling at a high rate-of-speed eastbound on the West Seattle bridge. The vehicle failed to maintain its lane of travel and careened between the north and south cement barriers before coming to rest, quite a distance later. The 33-year-old male driver showed obvious signs of impairment and was placed under arrest. The 25-year-old female passenger suffered serious, but non-life-threatening injuries. She was transported to Harborview Medical Center via Medic One. It was expected the adult male driver would be booked into King County Jail for Investigation of Vehicular Assault, pending medical evaluation by hospital staff.
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