day : 06/01/2025 11 results

Premiere this week for local filmmaker’s new documentary about former West Seattleite Doris Brown Heritage, once ‘best runner in the world’

By Aspen Anderson
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Director Andy Yardy, a West Seattle resident, shares the inspiring journey of world-class runner, coach, and former longtime West Seattleite Doris Brown Heritage in his documentary “Last Lap,” having its first local public screening this Thursday.

The film chronicles Heritage’s rise from running on the beach as a child to becoming one of the world’s fastest women –and includes scenes from Alki Beach, not far from her former home in the Fairmount Ravine area.

“People need to hear her story so they can pursue their passion, whether it’s running or something else,” Yardy told WSB in a phone conversation.

After two years of work, “Last Lap” premiered at several film festivals this summer, winning the “Best Washington-Made Film” award at the Gig Harbor Film Festival — Heritage’s hometown. The documentary also won the 2024 “Best Audience Choice Documentary Feature Film” at the Seattle Film Festival.

This Thursday, January 9, at 7 pm, the Seattle premiere will take place on a double bill at SIFF Cinema Uptown in Queen Anne, followed by a Q&A with Heritage and Yardy. Additional screenings will be held on Saturday, January 11, at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm at the SIFF Film Center downtown. The 46-minute documentary features footage of Seattle, including Alki Beach and Discovery Park, where more than 50 of Heritage’s fans and former athletes she coached joined her for a memorable run.

“That’s the point that pulls everything together,” Yardy said, reflecting on the rainy scene at Discovery Park. “She [Heritage] talks about that day as one of her favorite days of her life.”

Despite being a champion runner — she made history by winning the International Cross Country Championships five consecutive years from 1967 to 1971 and was the first woman to run an indoor mile in under five minutes — Heritage never earned an Olympic medal, a point Yardy found compelling.

“She was kind of the B-list Olympian,” Yardy said. “She was the best runner in the world, but she never got a medal at the Olympics.”

Heritage competed in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where she placed fifth in the 800 meters, and the 1972 Munich Olympics. Her coaching career at Seattle Pacific University spanned more than three decades; at SPU, she helped shape the careers of numerous athletes and assisted the U.S. women’s team at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1987 World Championships. In 1976, Heritage was named “Washington’s Woman of the Year” by the Washington State Legislature. She lived in West Seattle 1977-2017 with husband Ralph Heritage (a West Seattle High School graduate) and now lives in Stanwood. (Read more of her life’s story here.)

(Photo courtesy Andy Yardy, who’s at left with producer Andrea Groenink, Ralph Heritage, Doris Brown Heritage)

Yardy hopes his documentary will inspire cross-country teams and coaches. While the film currently has no public wide-release date, it is expected to be available on Amazon Prime in the future.

Tickets to the upcoming Seattle screenings are free and can be obtained here.

(Thanks to Frank for the tip on this!)

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BIZNOTE: Bel Gatto closes in Fauntleroy after less than a year (updated Tuesday)

January 6, 2025 5:22 pm

| 180 COMMENTS

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

(WSB photo)

ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: 10 months after it opened, Fauntleroy bakery-café Bel Gatto has closed, blaming new city wage/tax rules. Bel Gatto – operated by the owner of CHOW Foods, which also owns Endolyne Joe’s next door, took over the space where The Original Bakery had been for ~90 years. The closure tip came from Rich, who sent this photo of the note we have since confirmed is on Bel Gatto’s door:

When Bel Gatto opened last February, it had been a little over a year after The Original Bakery closed. We have an inquiry out to owner Peter Levy regarding the space’s future and whether any of his other venues are making changes because of the factors cited for Bel Gatto’s closure.

SIDE NOTE: This is the fifth West Seattle food/drink business to close in less than a month, after Locust Cider, Alki Beach Café, Pecos Pit, and Bebop Waffle Shop.

ADDED TUESDAY: Owner Peter Levy sent responses to questions we asked:

-The space’s future:”There is no decision yet as to what we will be doing with the space that housed the bakery. That will be determined in the next several weeks.”

-Money matters: “I do want to mention that prior to closing we assured that we had adequate financial resources to pay all of the employees and vendors in full. As far as business levels, we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the City put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

-Are other CHOW Foods restaurants making changes because of the city rules he cited as a reason for closing? “At our other two Seattle restaurants, in anticipation of these wage/salary increases, we have had to review and alter the breadth of our menus, our menu pricing, physical plant layouts and personnel requirements. These are rather extreme issues to address that we have not had to consider in our Tacoma restaurants where we had a 2.3% increase in wage rates vs close to 20% in Seattle.”

We also asked if he had had any contact with the City Council regarding concerns about the new rules, before they took effect: “I sent all members an email in the early fall stating our case for consideration of extending the allowance of tips and benefits to be included in overall compensation, but all I got was crickets – not one response.”

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In case you wondered too: Here’s what Seattle Fire Ladder 13 was doing in the Lincoln Park forest

January 6, 2025 5:10 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Thanks to Kersti Muul for the photos! Seattle Fire‘s Ladder 13, based at Station 37 in Sunrise Heights, was seen with its ladder extended in upper Lincoln Park this afternoon. No calls logged to the area, so we asked SFD what they were doing.

Reply from spokesperson David Cuerpo: “They were doing a training exercise utilizing the aerial ladder for a rope rescue. Pulling up a Stokes basket.”

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BEACH WARNING: Stay out of the water at Fauntleroy’s Cove Park, after pump-station overflow

January 6, 2025 2:24 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Environment | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

(Added: WSB photo, Cove Park entrance)

The King County Wastewater Treatment District says its pump station next to Cove Park, north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock, had an overflow on Sunday, so warning signs are posted now to tell people to stay out of the water. Here’s what we received from KCWTD:

The King County Wastewater Treatment Division responded to an overflow at the Barton Street Pump Station in West Seattle on Sunday, restoring the pump station to normal operations within 3 minutes [of arrival].

At about 12:50 p.m., the pump station located in the 9000 block of Fauntleroy Way Southwest, just north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, overflowed after equipment inside the facility experienced an electrical issue. A wastewater
operator reset the pumps and restored the pump station.

King County notified the Washington State Department of Ecology and Public Health – Seattle & King County on Sunday.

Because combined flow of stormwater and sewer was released into Puget Sound through an emergency outfall, King County is working with Public Health to monitor water quality in the area. King County posted closure signage at Cove
Park on Monday. The beach at Cove Park is expected to be closed until water quality testing indicates it is safe. The public is urged to avoid contact with the water until the signage is removed.

The announcement didn’t mention the volume of storm/sewer overflow that was released – nor is that mentioned on the KCWTD incident webpage – so we have a followup inquiry out about that.

UPDATE: KCWTD spokesperson Akiko Oda tells WSB that they estimate 3,500 gallons went into Puget Sound.

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FOLLOWUP: More on Hiawatha Community Center and Play Area project status

January 6, 2025 1:12 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(WSB photo from start of work in March)

More followup information today on where the Hiawatha Community Center and play area projects stand. Late last month we checked in and learned that Seattle Parks was in the process of changing project managers for the community center “stabilization” project, but we did not request an update on the play area. Today we have a brief update on both, thanks to a community member who’s been concerned about the projects inquiring with Parks’ capital-project manager Mike Schwindeller. He says that the new project manager is “working with both the contractor and design team to confirm the schedule implications of the addition of scope associated with the decarbonization of the building.” Parks has applied for a permit for that additional work (explained in this document). Meantime, Schwindeller adds, “As far as the Play Area project, we will have the final Geotechnical Report in the next couple of weeks which will dictate our next steps and timeline. Unfortunately, SPU (and subsequently SDCI) required this enhanced level of documentation associated with the Stormwater Code for us to proceed with the project just as we were going out to bid.” Schwindeller also said yet more details are expected “next week” and that’s when they’ll update the project website, which hasn’t been updated since summer.

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SEEN OFF WEST SEATTLE: Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, outbound

January 6, 2025 11:25 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

The photo is from Timothy Oliver (thanks!), who just saw the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) from Alki Point, noting it’s his first time seeing one so close-up. The Nimitz is currently headed northbound in Puget Sound, according to VesselFinder.

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UPDATE: Short-lived gas-leak response in 4100 block of 38th SW

January 6, 2025 10:22 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news

10:22 AM: Seattle Fire is responding to a gas leak in the 4100 block of 38th SW [vicinity map]. Updates to come.

10:28 AM: The response has been downsized – most units have been dismissed.

(WSB photo)

10:35 AM: A WSB team member at the scene says Puget Sound Energy has arrived.

11 AM: Our team member confirms all SFD crews have left.

11:41 AM: Reviewing audio from the response, this originally was reported as a leak inside a home, with a strong smell of natural gas in the basement, but firefighters weren’t able to confirm a leak, and left as PSE investigated further.

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The list for your West Seattle Monday

January 6, 2025 9:58 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Live SDOT cam in the heart of The Junction)

Post-holiday, routines are resuming – here’s the list for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE: Blood-donation pop-up in West Seattle today – check if appointments remain. (4001 44th SW)

A CLEANER ALKI: The local volunteer cleanup group is out until 11:30 am in South Park:

We’ll be Sprucing along the Duwamish Trail South Park Connector to clear leaves and foliage growing out onto the trail. The stretch we’ll work on runs about two city blocks so you can park on either end though we’ll likely park on the south end by 10th Ave. S. & S. Henderson by the pedestrian overpass bridge over 99. The other end of the trail comes out at S. Trenton. We’ll be cutting back brambles, scraping the trail and limbing low hanging branches. There will also be trash-picking opportunities along the path and into the woods. Feel free to reach out with any questions at 206-852-9552.

FREE SEEDS: That’s one of the rewards you can get if you help out with this – High Point Library invites volunteers to drop in 11 am-1 pm and help pack seeds for the HP Seed Library. (3411 SW Raymond)

(added) CITY COUNCIL: Back from holiday break, the councilmembers’ first briefing meeting of the year is at 2 pm – here’s the agenda, which also explains how to watch (no comment period during briefings).

GET CRAFTY: 6-10 pm, Monday is “Crafting and Creativity Night” at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.

D&D: Weekly D&D at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW). All welcome, including first-time players.

LISTENING TO GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: 6:30 pm with Tamara Kubacki, meeting at Mama Be Well Healing Studio (4034 California SW). “Grief groups are brave and safe spaces where bereaved people can share their stories and speak their loved one’s name without fear of getting advice, platitudes, or being shut out, no matter how long it’s been since their loved one’s passing.” – you can attend once or multiple times. Fee. Preregistration requested – our calendar listing explains how.

MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA! Three places to play 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: Monday night meditating – free weekly Zen sitting/meditation in the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.

MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: The Alley in back of Bonjour Vietnamhas music Monday nights, with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.

MONDAY KARAOKE 9 pm, it’s Monday night karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).

If you have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar, please send the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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New Intergenerational Theater Project inviting student, adult participants

January 6, 2025 9:06 am

| 0 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Student and adult participants are invited to apply for this new “intergenerational” project at Chief Sealth International High School – here’s the announcement we were asked to share:

7-10 students from Chief Sealth International High School will join 7-10 adults (some preference will
be given to seniors, and applications will be considered in the order they are received) chosen by BAYFEST for
a monthly meeting of the new BAYFEST Intergenerational Theatre Project. Fun theatre games and exercises, guided discussions, group collaborations and playwriting will lead to a final “showing” in June.

Project will be led by BAYFEST and CSIHS Drama Company Director Robert Shampain, who has more than 30 years experience leading this type of workshop-format project. Other BAYFEST teaching artists will join us for some sessions.

Over our 35 years, BAYFEST has often worked collaboratively with youth and adult performers, and we always find this kind of cross-generational partnership unbelievably rewarding for all. Now that our Chief Sealth Drama Company has been well established, we want to add this project to our roster of community offerings with the hope of making it a regular and sustainable program each year.

January – June, 2025 – Saturdays or Sundays (group will decide what works best for all). First meeting will take place on Saturday, January 18, from 10 AM – 1 PM at Chief Sealth International High School Auditorium and Little Theatre, 2600 SW Thistle Street.

Interested adults and students (NO THEATER EXPERIENCE NECESSARY – JUST A DESIRE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH PARTICIPANTS OF ALL AGES AND, WE HOPE, CHALLENGE YOURSELF A BIT!) can fill out a brief application:
shorturl.at/EEAXw

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 11, 2025

COST: FREE. This project is being sponsored by BAYFEST Youth Theatre and our funders. We only ask that participants commit to being collaborative, having fun, and following our group-created charter.

NOTE: Because we are affiliated with Chief Sealth High School, adult applicants will also be required to complete the Seattle Public Schools “Volunteer Packet” at: bit.ly/4gTmD4f

YOU MAY SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH FRIENDS WHO MAY BE INTERESTED.
Any questions? Please contact BAYFEST at BAYFESTyouthTheatre@ gmail.com

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TRAFFIC CAMS, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Back-to-school Monday

January 6, 2025 6:03 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning! Back to school, back to work, as we begin Monday, January 6, 2025.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Starting cloudy, becoming sunny, high in the upper 40s. Sunrise/sunset – 7:56 am (first day the sunrise is earlier than the day before!) and 4:34 pm.

TRANSIT

Water Taxi – Regular schedule.

Metro buses – Regular schedule.

Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route with M/V Issaquah and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Tillikum as the “ghost boat.” Check here for last-minute changes.

ROAD WORK

*SDOT warns you may see work trucks parked on the high bridge while crews wrap up some planned work inside.

*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project shifted traffic flow to the outside lanes last Tuesday as planned, and removed the temporary crosswalk at 39th.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:

Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:

Low Bridge – Looking west:

1st Avenue South Bridge:

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.

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.

See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire in Upper Morgan

January 6, 2025 2:50 am

| 0 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Police investigating a report of possible gunfire heard in Upper Morgan have found evidence – casings in an alley “south of Graham, between 38th and 39th.” However, officers also have told dispatch “these casings are for blanks.” (Still illegal, by all the references we can find.)

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