West Seattle, Washington
14 Saturday
That’s a frame grab from a video Easy Street Records posted on social media, reporting that the person seen in the video broke the glass in their front door at noon Christmas Day, on a rare closure day for the shop. From the post: “For many of us in the retail industry, these kind of moments are really discouraging, but, especially on Christmas. Windows, glass, entryways…these are typically not covered by insurance. These are out of pocket expenses.” We recently reported on some of the other West Seattle businesses that have been victims of similar crimes, looking at whether a city fund set up for “storefront damage” has been much of a help.
As a side note, we’ve spent some of this quiet post-holiday following up on court cases, and happened onto a familiar name, a West Seattle repeat offender; turned out he’s been in jail since last month for breaking a business window in SODO. It’s been more than four years since we’ve had cause to mention Ryan J. Cox, but we saw his name on the jail roster and looked up documents to find out why. He is charged with malicious mischief for breaking a window at Krispy Kreme in SODO, estimated worth $2,200. He’s currently awaiting a mental evaluation to see if he’s competent to stand trial; according to documents on file, his “last known address” is in West Seattle, near Southwest Library.
(WSB photos)
‘Tis the night after Christmas, and we’re not done with lights yet. Yvonne sent the tip about this display in North Shorewood: “There is a huge Santa, maybe 30 or 40 feet tall, in a yard full of many lights. The huge Santa just makes you smile! I don’t have the exact address but the home is located on west side of 26th Ave SW, 2 blocks north of the Shorewood Market, which is on the corner of 26th Ave SW and SW 106th St.” And that’s where we found it ..plus, of course, reindeer:
Checking our archives, looks like we featured this home six years ago. No giant Santa then, though! … To see every place we’ve featured this year and previous years, scroll through this section of WSB archives.
4:40 PM: Seattle Fire has sent a “full response” to a possible house fire the 3400 block of 30th SW [map],between the south end of Harbor Ave SW and the bottom of the Admiral Way hill. Updates to come.
(Added: View from SDOT’s Harbor/Spokane camera)
4:44 PM: A unit on scene just told dispatch it appears to be a “small fire between two houses” that might already be out.
4:46 PM: They’re canceling many of the responding units after confirming it is a “small exterior fire” possibly related to a fireplace.
4:54 PM: The fire is confirmed out (“tapped”).
5:04 PM: The entire response is in the process of closing.
Five months after Row House closed on the north end of The Junction, a new rowing studio in its south end is about to open its doors. We received an announcement from Row West that it’s set soft-open dates for Saturday and Sunday, January 3 and 4 – next weekend – 8 am to noon both days. Row West is at 4740 44th SW, across from Junction Hardware, and plans to “offer inclusive indoor rowing classes designed for all fitness levels.” It’s launching in part with the help of a successful crowdfunding campaign last summer.
JC sent this on behalf of the stolen car’s owner:
Honda Fit stolen from Genesee Hill on 12/23/25
Plate No AKA4233
Seattle Police Case # 25-374198
If you find it, please call 911.
(1/1/2025 WSB photo by Dave Gershgorn)
As noted in our Event Calendar and Holiday Guide, we haven’t been sure about the status of the Alki Beach New Year’s Day Polar Bear Swim because we hadn’t heard from or been able to reach longtime organizer Mark Ufkes. This morning, his announcement arrived, with an explanation of why it’s later than usual:
January 1, 2026
New Year’s Day Alki Beach Polar Bear SwimWe go into the water at 10:00 am sharp!
(After the countdown from 10, 9, 8 . .)
Bring good water shoes, warm clothes to change into, a towel and your hopes and dreams for 2026. Holding hands with your neighbors as you go in, always makes it easier!!
New Request:
Please bring a donation for our local food banks. Drop them in the Costco black tubs that will be placed all along the sidewalk.
Message of thanks to the good people of West Seattle:
My amazing, beautiful wife Lois Schipper and I would like to thank you all, from the bottom of our hearts, for always being so kind to us during our three decades here. And for being such great neighbors too. Between our many friends, family, and so many great public school teachers, you all have helped us nurture our two boys to adulthood and made our lives so much fuller.
For Lois and me, 2025 has been especially difficult. Lois, my executive-functioning spouse, has been diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease. We are crushed. Also, we both spent many years working with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), providing humanitarian assistance in Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and the former Soviet Union before we moved to West Seattle, then White Center. Lois is a Public Health Nurse and expert on at-risk moms and babies, and I worked on food security and democratic pluralism efforts.
For those who might have missed, USAID was the federal entity that Elon Musk “fed to the woodchipper” earlier this year. The entire USAID world-wide staff of over 10,000 good Americans all lost their jobs in one day. Like us, these professionals dedicated their lives to helping the most vulnerable around the world on behalf of the American people.
So, for Lois and me, we will be holding hands, and as we go running into Puget Sound, we will be washing away the stain of our spiritually-crippled President and his spineless Republican party.
And what we want from the New Year is to pack our remaining healthy time together with every service adventure we can fit in, and every day, be thankful that we are blessed to live in this generous, wonderful community with all of you good people.
Last year, over 1,500 went into the water. So come on down and join us on Thursday, January 1. Bring your food bank donation and get there a little early, as we go into the water at 10:00 am sharp after the countdown. And remember, don’t waste a day. Our lives are shorter than we think.
Be strong in 2026.
Sincerely,
Mark L. Ufkes and Lois A. Schipper
(Tuesday’s sunset, photographed by Bob Burns. The sun is already setting six minutes later than this fall’s earliest sunset!)
Short list of what’s happening today/tonight as we head toward the between-holidays weekend! Listings are from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and Holiday Guide (and if you have anything to add, please let us know):
HIGH TIDE: 12.4 feet again today, at 9:34 am if you’re headed out for a beach/shore walk.
LIBRARIES: Back open today; no special events on the calendar for local branches.
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER Closed for holiday break.
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Most Fridays you can visit the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens) to learn about local history – but it’s closed today.
VISCON CELLARS TASTING ROOM AND WINE BAR: Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) is open 5-9 pm tonight and most Fridays. Stop in to sip, or buy by the bottle.
C & P COFFEE MUSIC: 6-8 pm, Jim Page performs at C & P Coffee. (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), all ages, no cover.
FREE TEEN SWIM: 6-7 pm at Southwest Pool (2801 SW Thistle), free swim session for ages 13-18.
HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL: No varsity home games scheduled tonight.
SPINNING: DJ Buttnaked at Revelry Room (4547 California SW), 9 pm.
‘MAKE IT LOUD’ SKATING:Tonight, skate tonight to music by Disco Dash, 9 pm at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW). 21+. $20 cover/$5 skates.
If you have something to showcase on our event lists or calendar, please email what/when/where/etc. info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Before we get to today’s event list, a look to something further in the future, but with tickets available now: A fun kid-music concert open to the entire community is coming up at Westside School (10404 34th SW; WSB sponsor) – Recess Monkey is performing as a fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank! Here’s the announcement:
Seattle’s beloved kids’ music band Recess Monkey will perform at Westside School on Saturday, January 31, 2026, from 10:30 to 11:15 am in the Westside Theater. Known for their clever lyrics, playful personalities, and upbeat sound, Recess Monkey delivers a lively, interactive musical experience that gets everyone — big and small — up and moving.
The performance is open to the public, offering a fun, engaging morning of music for families in the Seattle area. Attendees can expect sing-alongs, dancing, and an energetic show that appeals to children of all ages.
Tickets & Info: $10 per family, benefitting the West Seattle Food Bank. Click here to find out more and purchase tickets.
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, December 26, 2025, and as a lone weekday between a holiday and a weekend, this should be a bit quieter.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET
The forecast says more rain is expected, west wind in the morning, high in the mid-40s. Sunrise will be at 7:56 am; sunset at 4:23 pm.
SCHOOL’S STILL OUT
Winter break continues (most if not all schools reopen Monday, January 5).
TRANSIT TODAY
West Seattle Water Taxi – Regular West Seattle service resumes, fall/winter schedule.
Washington State Ferries – The Triangle Route has its third boat back; the winter schedule starts Sunday, per WSF’s alerts page.
Metro buses – They’re back on the regular weekday schedule and routes in our area.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Low Bridge – Here’s the westward view. Also note, maritime-opening info is available via X (ex-Twitter):
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 at the scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
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