West Seattle, Washington
15 Sunday
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Wednesday night, our area’s largest political organization meets online to decide who to endorse in this year’s elections.
This past Saturday night, the 34th District Democrats gathered in person to raise money, snack, sip, and hear many candidates’ pitches.
The fundraiser’s theme was Forward Together, meant as a rallying cry as Democrats here and elsewhere work to find a unified breakthrough in an age of Republican control. As the organization’s first vice chair Rachel Glass said toward the start of the program, the point was “to uplift the work we’re doing to save our democracy.” Chair Jordan Crawley added, “The defense of democracy starts right here. … The moment we’re in (is) an invitation to lead.” But even local, regional, and state Democrats haven’t been marching in lockstep, as evidenced in two recent appearances of the 34th District legislative trio, at which they said working with newly elected Gov. Bob Ferguson had been a challenge.
The disagreements weren’t in evidence Saturday night, though, as the party filled the Washington State Black Legacy Institute in Admiral. Elected officials in attendance included 34th District State Sen. Emily Alvarado, State House Majority Leader Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, County Councilmembers Teresa Mosqueda, Claudia Balducci, and Girmay Zahilay, Seattle School Board President Gina Topp, County Prosecuting Attorney Leesa Manion, and Seattle City Councilmember Alexis Mercedes Rinck (the only one of the nine councilmembers to attend). Former elected officials too – including ex-King County Executive, now Sound Transit CEO, Dow Constantine and ex-State Senator, now state Commerce Director, Joe Nguyen.
With Crawley declaring “Elections matter,” he and Glass made way for a parade of candidates. State Sen. Alvarado – running unopposed for a full term in the seat to which she recently was appointed – gave the first and arguably most fiery speech: “We can’t just sit idly by while they try to take our democracy away.” County Councilmembers Zahilay and Balducci, main rivals for the open job of County Executive, gave more standard pitches mostly focusing on local issues and their respective selling points, although Zahilay had an extra point to hit: He arrived in the U.S. at age 3 as a refugee from Sudan – a country now on the federal “travel ban” list. “I’m running today because (a story like mine) is no longer possible.”
The Seattle city race with the most candidates speaking was City Attorney; incumbent Ann Davison, who has run for office in the past as a Republican, was not on hand, but her three challengers Erika Evans, Rory O’Sullivan, and Nathan Rouse made their cases. The two citywide Seattle City Council positions are both on the ballot; Position 8 incumbent Mercedes Rinck cleaved to the spirit of the evening by declaring “Seattle must stand as a beacon of hope and resilience (and) fight against the politics of fascism.” (She has four challengers, none of whom were there.) Position 9 incumbent Sara Nelson wasn’t there but one of her three challengers, Dionne Foster, spoke, proclaiming, “I know our city can do better.”
Burien is part of the 34th, too, so they heard from a few of the candidates in that city’s races, before the event wrapped with a round of “raise-the-paddle” fundraising.
Next up, the group meets online at 6 pm Wednesday (June 11) for endorsements. Here’s the agenda – one block endorsement, followed by a long list of individual ones for contested races. Even if you’re not a member eligible to vote, you can watch the meeting – here’s the registration link; they usually publish the recording to YouTube afterward, too.
Story and photos by Hayden Yu Andersen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
When Rain City Ropeworks held their annual community show at the Holy Rosary School gym on Sunday, it was more than just a chance to show off what they’ve learned – it was also a key moment of preparation for nine team members who will be representing Washington at the World Championships in Kawasaki, Japan, next month.
The show was a great way to get an understanding of what they need to improve on, said team coach and Rain City Ropeworks founder Rene Bibaud. She is a 5-time Jump Rope world champion, as well as a former performer and coach for Cirque Du Soleil, a motivational speaker, and ESPN color commentator.
In the past nine months, the students have drilled, practiced, and perfected their own freestyle routines. “It’s a consistent upgrade of skills,” Bibaud remarked. These routines are completely original and structured around a song, chosen by the students themselves. In the process of learning these routines, accepting and learning how to deal with mistakes is a vital skill, the coach explains. “The most important skill to have is learning how to recover. You’ll make mistakes, and it’s important to learn how to keep your footing.”
This is an especially important lesson for the older athletes to internalize, as the team is a mix of older students and younger ones. Often, the older team members will be called on to help mentor those with less experience. In order to facilitate this process, the program has a team leadership council. This is a group of experienced team members who help teach the new athletes.
It’s a rewarding experience for the Leadership Council as well, according to Ethan Im. As a member of the Team Leadership Council, Im has found a community in RainCity RopeWorks. Starting at the age of 7, he said the sport was intimidating at first.
He’s managed to channel this former fear as a guide to the younger athletes, however, by meeting them where they’re at. “It’s a little tricky, since they’re usually shy, but that changes once you show them the ropes,” Im said. “I like to tell that that ‘you’re only competing with yourself’.“
Im has grown into both a confident performer and a leader. From July 27th to August 3rd, he’ll be one of 9 team members going to Japan to compete in the World Championships. He says, above all else, he hopes that by participating in this sport he can help lend it more legitimacy. “A lot of people see it as a playground sport, but I hope this team can show them otherwise.”
Also headed to the World Championships is Alia Lundborg. She’s in her 4th year and is also a member of the Team Leadership Council. She’s nervous, but excited, to compete in the championships. Lundborg will be performing a Double Dutch, a group exercise using two larger jump ropes. “It takes so much practice to get these routines down, but it’s definitely brought us a lot closer together,” said Lundborg.
Lundborg’s progress stuck out in particular to Bibaud: “Alia has been at every possible practice; she’s one of the most skilled and consistent members of the team. I’m thrilled that she’s going to the world championships this year.”
Reflecting on the last ten months, Bibaud is most proud of the team for their growth as a community. Throughout the event, other athletes were consistently cheering each other on during their performances and congratulating each other afterwards. This supportive culture is in large part due to the Team Leadership Council, according to Bibaud. “They all want to do their own personal best, they care deeply about one another, and I’m very proud of that,” Bibaud said.
To learn more about the team, see the Ropeworks website here. For information about the world championships, check here.
Thanks to Tim O’Neill from O’Neill Plumbing (WSB sponsor) for the photos and report on a big win:
All of us here at O’Neill Plumbing are pretty dang proud of our Pee Wee team that just won the championship Saturday !!
We’ve been sponsors since 1974 and don’t have any record of them ever winning the championship !!
Way to go, TEAM OP !!
This is part of the West Seattle Baseball organization, which is now signing people up for Summer Crush – more on that in a separate report!
We reported last month about the King County Wastewater Treatment District’s new plans for West Seattle and South Seattle, including a 7-million-gallon-plus overflow storage tank off West Marginal Way SW. It’s meant to reduce overflows of combined sewage and stormwater into the Duwamish River. If you have questions about that or other parts of the “Mouth of the Duwamish” project, the drop-in session mentioned last month is coming up – here’s the reminder we received:
King County has proposed a solution to control overflows from five combined sewer overflow (CSO) outfalls at the mouth of the Duwamish River. The proposed solution to improve water quality in the Duwamish River and Elliott Bay includes a new wet weather treatment station in SODO and a new storage tank in West Seattle (Industrial District West). It also includes a new outfall for cleaned water, supporting facilities, and new pipes to connect flows along the way.
Now that we have a proposed solution, we will prepare an engineering report for review by the Washington State Department of Ecology. We will also start the design phase and environmental review.
-Share your questions with the project team
-Attend one of our upcoming drop-in sessions to share your feedback, questions, and concerns.–SODO Home Depot Drop-In: Tuesday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to noon at 2701 Utah Ave. S.
–Delridge Community Center Drop-In: Thursday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to noon at 4501 Delridge Way S.W.Can’t make it? We still want to hear from you! Connect with our team in one of the following ways:
Find us at an upcoming event:
–Georgetown Carnival: Saturday, June 14, from noon to 6 p.m., on Airport Way South between South Lucile Street and South Vale Street.
–Duwamish River Festival: Saturday, August 2, from noon to 5 p.m., at 8700 Dallas Ave. S.
-Contact Bibiana Ocheke-Ameh at dwetweafacilities@kingcounty.gov or (206) 477-5604 to have a one-on-one conversation or invite us to a meeting hosted by your group or organizationVisit kingcounty.gov/MDWetWeatherFacilities to learn the latest updates about the project, access all project materials, and sign up for email updates. If you have suggestions for other ways we can work with you and your neighbors, please let us know!
See a fact sheet about the plan here.
Last Tuesday’s gunfire at 25th/Dakota was related to a family dispute, according to documents in the charge filed against the suspect by the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. It was all related to one nearby residence, prosecutors say. They filed a felony first-degree assault charge against 23-year-old Jibril Mohamednur. The documents say the suspect is related to the ex-spouse of a 28-year-old man who allegedly drove by the residence Tuesday morning and fired gunshots toward it. Prosecutors allege Mohamednur then grabbed a gun and ran out to shoot at the first man’s vehicle. They say police had responded to the residence twice in the previous two days for situations involving the divorced couple, one in which the ex-husband allegedly “drove in front of the residence brandishing a firearm.” The charging documents say Mohamednur was identified in part by video from a residential security camera. As shown in a police update we reported in a followup, investigators found a “loaded and chambered firearm” in an Audi also linked to the residence, along with clothes they believe Mohamednur was wearing at the time of the shootout. The court documents also show that he has a criminal record including felony convictions for burglary and identity theft. He remains in the King County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail. The court documents also say police have probable cause to arrest the ex-husband but hadn’t found him as of the time Mohamednur was charged.
On a day like today, hard not to get caught up in summer-fun daydreaming. So we have more news about the peninsula’s biggest party of the year, West Seattle Summer Fest, a little more than a month away – it all starts with Summer Fest Eve on Thursday, July 10, then three days of Summer Fest, Friday, July 11-Sunday, July 13. Above is this year’s map, reflecting the changes we mentioned previously – the Kids Zone and food court have swapped sides of SW Alaska, and the West Side Stage will be near the food zone, by Wells Fargo. The map also shows where you’ll find a new feature – free stations to refill your water bottle. Also on the Summer Fest website, the West Seattle Junction Association – which presents Summer Fest – has published the lists of vendors (including year-round merchants with sidewal sales), food and drink (also including year-round businesses with sidewalk cafés during the festival), and the schedule for nonprofits/agencies you’ll find with us and WSJA in the centrally located Info Booth. Main-stage music is on Fridays and Saturdays, on California north of Oregon, running until 11 pm, and on Sunday, that same area will be temporary home to the West Seattle Farmers’ Market. This year’s festival hours are 1-8 pm Friday (music until 11), 10 am-8 pm Saturday (music until 11), and 10 am-5 pm Sunday (WSFM until 2 pm). See you there, July 11-13 (and Summer Fest Eve July 10)!
P.S. If you missed the earlier announcement of the music lineup, see that here!
SDOT says the SW Barton bus-layover zone between Roxhill Park and Westwood Village won’t be repaved this year after all, and that changes the plan for this week’s meeting about it:
Our project is being postponed – rather than starting construction in Fall 2025, we will begin work in March 2026. We need to delay our work because a separate project that will affect SW Trenton St (the street that major bus reroutes will use) conflicts with our timeline. Instead of competing for street space and making buses detour on an active construction zone, our project will start later.
We will still have our public meeting but are changing its format into a drop-in session where you can come learn the most up-to-date information. So come see us at our SDOT table outside the former site of the Bed Bath & Beyond in Westwood Village (2600 SW Barton St, Suite A1, across from the Wingstop) on June 11 (Wednesday) from 5:30 – 7:00 pm. And don’t worry. We will still hold a more comprehensive public meeting before construction begins – and will let you know when that meeting is rescheduled for a date in fall 2025.
We asked about the “separate Trenton project.” The reply: More speed humps.
BACKSTORY: We first reported the Barton repaving plan after spotting the permit application in March. SDOT says the temporary replacement layover zone will be on the southwest corner of 25th/Trenton.
(Early summer flowers – photo by Susan Whiting Kemp)
Here’s what’s on the highlight list from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (are we missing something? let us know!):
FAMILY STORY TIME: Southwest Library‘s 10:30 AM story time is open to wee ones and their parents/guardians/caretakers. (9010 35th SW)
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open every day 11 am-8 pm for kids to keep cool! (1100 SW Cloverdale)
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: See city councilmembers look ahead to the rest of the week, 2 pm. The agenda explains how to watch.
HOMEWORK HELP: K-12 students can get free drop-in help at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond), 4-5:45 pm.
CRAFTING & CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm, Monday is “Crafting and Creativity Night” at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
D&D: Long-running weekly D&D at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW). All welcome, first-time players too!
LISTENING TO GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: No need to grieve alone. 6:30 pm at Mama Be Well Healing Studio, join a group with Listening to Grief. Registration/fee info here. (4034A California SW).
MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA: Three places you can play tonight! 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander) … 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW), 21+ … 7:30 pm with QuizFix at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
ALKI MEDITATION: Every Monday – doors open at Alki UCC at 6:45, meeting is from 7-8:30. (6115 SW Hinds)
POOL TOURNAMENT: The Corner Pocket‘s weekly tournament starts at 7 pm. $10 buy-in. (4302 SW Alaska)
FAUNTLEROY MEDITATION: More Monday night meditating – free weekly Zen sitting/meditation in the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
JAZZ AT THE ALLEY: Live music on Monday nights – jazz with The Westside Jazz Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
MONDAY KARAOKE Time to sing at 9 pm Monday nights – karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).
Thanks to everyone who sends info for our calendar – if you have something to add or cancel (or otherwise update), please send the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Another announcement as the school year approaches its end: Chief Sealth International High School’s Drama Company will be staging two events to close out 2024-2025. On Saturday and Sunday – June 14th at 6:25 pm and June 15th at 4 pm – it’s the one-act play “The Angel Intrudes” by Floyd Dell. This one-act play is directed by students, and tickets will be just $2.
Then on Saturday, June 21st, at noon, the Intergenerational Theatre Project will present “The Lear Project,”described as a “company-devised piece based on participants’ writings, group exercises and discussions, and the first scene in Shakespeare’s King Lear.” We told you about the Intergenerational Theatre Project earlier this year. Essentially, it pairs students in the Chief Sealth Drama Company with adults to produce a theater show that bridges the generational divide. Tickets for the June 21st show will be free. Find out more about all these shows by going here.
6:00 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Monday, June 9, 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
After a record high on Sunday (90 degrees), the Heat Advisory alert remains in place until 10 pm, and the forecast is for another sunny day, high in the low 80s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:11 am (which is as early as it gets, and it’ll stay there for about two weeks); sunset will be at 9:05 pm.
(Saturday’s sunrise, photographed by Richard Bartlett)
CLOSURES, ROAD WORK
-After a day-and-a-half closure over the weekend, the low bridge is open to all modes of traffic again.
-The Admiral Way Bridge lanes were scheduled to change again by today, says SDOT.
SCHOOL SCHEDULES
Summit Atlas in Arbor Heights has concluded its school year. Many local independent/parochial schools will get out this Friday. Seattle Public Schools‘ last day isn’t until a week from Wednesday. Neighboring districts – Vashon gets out June 24, Highline on June 25.
TRANSIT TODAY
Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service; spring/summer schedule, with later runs on Friday and Saturday nights, plus a new addition – late-night service for weeknights with Mariners’ home games (and a few other events). More info here.
Metro buses – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Kittitas and M/V Cathlamet. M/V Salish serves as the “bonus boat”.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Low Bridge – Looking west:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
Delridge cameras: In addition to 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 (including links to live video for most); for a quick scan of West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras, see this WSB page.
See a problem 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!
| 2 COMMENTS