West Seattle, Washington
22 Sunday
Hours after Seattle Public Schools classes ended for the year on Wednesday, the School Board met to appoint chief operating officer Fred Podesta as acting superintendent, at least until September 3. That’s the originally scheduled date that Dr. Brent Jones was supposed to end his tenure, but he’s on medical leave that is expected to last through the remainder of his time with the district. Documents in the agenda from last night’s special meeting of the School Board, at which the appointment was made, note that the COO is designated backup for the superintendent anyway. Podesta has been with the district for six and a half years. As for a new permanent superintendent, the district is still in the “community engagement” phase; a survey is open for another 10 days, and a variety of “engagement sessions” are scheduled (none in West Seattle, but some are online) – go here for the links to all that.
P.S. The district is taking applications through July 31; here’s the job listing.
Here on the eve of the official start to summer, we are also exactly one month away from two back-to-back big summer events:
(WSB file photo)
The West Seattle Grand Parade, preceded by the Float Dodger 5K. Both will travel down California SW between the Admiral District and The Junction on Saturday, July 19.
(WSB file photo)
The morning starts with the Float Dodger 5K, presented by West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) as a fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank, starting on the field at Hiawatha at 9:30 am, heading to The Junction and back. (You can register for it right now!) Then at 11 am, the West Seattle Grand Parade – presented by the West Seattle Rotary Foundation – starts rolling, marching, dancing, walking, etc., southbound on California from Lander. You’ll actually want to be in your spot along the parade route before 11, because we’re told SPD motorcycles will be back this year – after a small contingent rode the route last year for the first time in several years, at least 8 are expected this year – and they get a head start on the rest of the parade. There are really no bad seats, but if you want to hear the parade entries announced, be near California/Charlestown or California/Alaska. And it’s not too late to be part of the parade, participating and/or sponsoring, as noted in the latest West Seattle Junction Association newsletter:
*Be in the Parade – Showcase your business or organization in front of thousands of locals! …
*Become a Sponsor – Support this beloved tradition and shine a spotlight on your business with a sponsorship of $250, $500, or $1,000 to help cover street closure costs. …
To learn more or sign up, email WestSeattleParade@gmail.com.
3:50 PM: When we hear from readers about cable/internet outages, it’s usually very localized … but this one seems to be an exception. About half an hour ago, our CenturyLink service suddenly went out in Upper Fauntleroy. We had someone working outside so we thought maybe they’d pulled a cable. Then we started hearing from readers – mostly in Gatewood, but most recently a text from someone at California/Dakota. Anyone else? We are going to try reaching the CL media team but the holiday might make that a challenge.
4:01 PM: Posts on X (ex-Twitter) suggest this goes beyond Seattle. The official @CenturyLink account has someone replying to reports, only saying they’re looking into a “possible disruption.” But the CL website itself is down too (we got a 503 error, as did someone in a comment below). In addition to comments, we’re getting texts from all around West Seattle. Some mention Quantum is down too.
4:20 PM: On X, CL has yet to make a statement acknowledging the far-and-wide outage, and its website continues to serve an error message. … Commenters are trying a workaround that’s been circulating on social media; we have no way to verify (we’re using Comcast/Xfinity right now, lots of redundancy for business purposes).
5:17 PM: Some commenters mentioned their service just returned; ours appears to, as well, after a little more than two hours out. Still no official comment from CenturyLink/Lumen, however.
5:42 PM: And we’ve received the company statement:
We are currently addressing a network routing issue that caused a temporary service disruption for some customers. Our teams have identified the root cause and are actively working to restore full service as quickly as possible. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we resolve this matter.
6 PM: Company spokesperson Matt Villarreal just sent an updated statement saying everyone should be back on: “… All services have since been fully restored. We understand how important it is to stay connected and sincerely appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding during this time.”
(WSB photo, October)
Urban ArtWorks has been involved in more than a few mural projects around West Seattle, and now it’s offering teens a chance to get involved this summer, and get paid for their work – here’s the announcement:
Urban ArtWorks is partnering with Southwest Youth and Family Services to bring the Mural Apprentice Program (MAP) to Delridge this summer! They are currently recruiting teens ages 14–19 to join this paid opportunity where participants will design and paint murals, build community, and gain valuable job skills. No prior art experience is needed and we especially welcome BIPOC, LGBTQIA+ youth, and students who qualify for free or reduced lunch. Learn more and apply at urbanartworks.org/programs, or email programs@urbanartworks.org to get started.
The deadline for applying is just four days away – June 23 – so don’t procrastinate if you’re interested!
Though Rite Aid still is not officially commenting on store-by-store plans in the wake of its latest bankruptcy, info is becoming available at/from local stores. Back on Tuesday, with the help of reader tips, we reported on notices now posted at two affected stores that say they’re converting to CVS – the California SW Rite Aid says August 5 is its changeover date; Bartell Drugs in Admiral says its date is September 3. Since then, we’ve learned the plans for two other affected West Seattle stores. Bartell Drugs in Jefferson Square has a notice posted saying it too will convert to CVS, on August 29:
And Rite Aid in Westwood Village – the one store with a retail lease announced as available, as we reported last month – says the current plan is to just close. No notice was posted when we went in, but pharmacy staff told WSB’s Hayden Yu Andersen that the store/pharmacy will close on August 26. If you have a current prescription there, you’ll want to talk with them ASAP about what you want to do with it, as otherwise, they told us, prescriptions will be automatically transferred elsewhere, possibly to one of the West Seattle Walgreens or the Jefferson Square Bartell that as mentioned above is converting to CVS.
SIDE NOTE: These conversions will be CVS’s first foray into West Seattle; a previous plan for a standalone store at the current site of mixed-use Maris (4722 Fauntleroy Way SW) died in Design Review almost a decade ago.
Thanks to player parent Erika for sending the report and photo:
Last Thursday, the Southwest Little League Majors Rat City softball team won the regular season championship for District 7! They defeated Rainier Little League 15-0 to round out their nearly undefeated season with a record of 15-1-0. Many of these girls have been playing together for several years and were led by Head Coach Matt Talmadge and Assistant Coaches Melissa Rosenberg, Mike Stanfill, and Walker Hatton.
Southwest Little League spans the southern part of West Seattle and into White Center/Burien but most of these kids are West Seattleites!
Congratulations, Rat City softball team! Catch the SWLL softball team in the D7 All Star tournament this week on June 19th & 20th at 6 pm (PacWest Fields).
(Painted stone attributed by texter to ‘Westwood mystery artist’)
Here are our Thursday highlights, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you can look ahead any time), starting with some changes for the Juneteenth holiday:
LIBRARIES: Seattle Public Library and King County Library System branches are all closed,
SEATTLE PARKS & RECREATION: Many Seattle Parks facilities (but not all) are closed.
USPS: Juneteenth is a US Postal Service holiday.
BANKS: This is also a banking holiday.
STREET PARKING: For Seattle neighborhoods with city-operated pay stations, on-street parking is free today.
We have not received or found word of any organized Juneteenth celebrations in West Seattle; if you know of anything, please comment! Meantime, here’s the rest of the list:
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: Gardening season continues! The center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open today and every day through Labor Day, 11 am-8 pm. Free. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
COLMAN POOL: Also open today, on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm – see the session schedule here.
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome at this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com to get the details of where they’re playing today.
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: First of three regular Thursday night events here – every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Poke Me.
WINE TASTING WITH CLARK: Another regular Thursday event at HPCS, 5-7:30 pm – info here.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: Last but never least, HPCS is the starting point for running 3 miles, or walking a shorter path, in the neighborhood near HPCS with the Run Club, leaving from the store at 6:30 pm, returning for beverages – info here.
VISCON CELLARS: This West Seattle winery’s friendly tasting room/wine bar is open Thursdays, 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor). Stop in for wine by the glass or bottle!
RAT CITY ART & FOOD WALK: The new third-Thursday tradition in White Center, starting at 5 pm at most of the two-dozen-plus participating venues – see our calendar listing for the lineup/map.
ART RECEPTION: 5-7 pm at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), reception for “found object assemblage” artist Elaine Woodhouse.
FREE MENDING WORKSHOP: 5 pm at KAVU (9064 Delridge Way SW) – details and RSVP link in our calendar listing.
POSTCARDS FOR DEMOCRACY: The long-distance-advocacy group has a bonus monthly happy-hour gathering at Great American Diner and Bar (4752 California SW), 5-7 pm.
WESTIES RUN CLUB: This group’s 6 pm weekly Thursday run starts at The Good Society in Admiral (California/Lander).
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Prefer to walk? Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy for tonight’s group walk – details in our calendar listing.
LIVE MUSIC IN THE JUNCTION: 6-9 pm, Patrick Rifflin performs Thursdays at Pegasus Pizza in The Junction (4520 California SW).
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: All-ages show at 7 pm with Shai Foxx, Silvermoon, DUK, Arc Flash. $10. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
ARTSWEST OPENING NIGHT: The curtain rises for new ArtsWest production “The Effect“ at 7:30 pm. Check here for tickets. (4711 California SW)
DJ NIGHT: The weekend spinning starts early at Revelry Room (4547 California SW), with DJ Mr. Moon, 8 pm.
Are you planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Last week, we reported on Pegasus Book Exchange in The Junction inviting customers past and present to share stories and memories about and for owner Fred Epps, Now, they’re renewing the request, with word that Fred has died. Emma Epps sent this update:
My dad (Fred Epps) was diagnosed with cancer on June 1st, 2025, and his health declined very rapidly even as we were waiting for more information from the doctors. He passed away peacefully at home in the early morning of June 18th after only two days in hospice care. That’s just the way he would have wanted it — no long lingering for him.
We will hold a public memorial in August, hopefully on the 16th which was his birthday; details to come. In the meantime, we welcome your Fred stories here.
If you would like to do something in his memory, we believe he would simply encourage you to support independent and local businesses, musicians, and artists.
The Epps family says that upcoming birthday would have been Fred’s 72nd; he was born August 16, 1953, in Washington, D.C. We’ll let you know when the memorial plans are finalized.
6:01 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Thursday, June 19 – Juneteenth 2025.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Partly sunny, high in the upper 60s. Today’s sunrise was again at 5:11 am (and holding, for a few more days); sunset will be at 9:10 pm. (Summer officially arrives Friday at 7:42 pm!)
(Wednesday evening photo by Carol Ann Joyce)
SCHOOL STATUS
Seattle Public Schools‘ last day was yesterday, so almost everyone is out now; Vashon Island gets out June 24; Highline Public Schools on June 25.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro buses – No changes for the holiday. Regular schedule today.
Washington State Ferries – No changes for the holiday. Regular service on the Triangle Route, with M/V Kittitas and M/V Cathlamet. M/V Salish serves as the “bonus boat”. Three-boat service is still expected to relaunch on June 30th.
Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service; spring/summer schedule, with later runs on Friday and Saturday nights, plus weeknights with Mariners’ home games (and some other events).
…
STADIUM ZONE
Another FIFA Club World Cup match at 3 pm today at Lumen Field – Sounders FC vs. Madrid.
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!
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