West Seattle, Washington
17 Saturday
Received tonight from Garrett, this report of a boat prowler in Fauntleroy Cove:
A neighbor alerted me that someone was on my boat. When I paddled out, I found a man who appeared to be in his mid-40s, with a salt-and-pepper beard, skinny with a yellow and black PFD aboard my boat. He had a very nice black Highfield inflatable that was loaded with gear suspected of having been taken from other boats.
He was inside the cabin while I was paddling out and was standing on the transom when I arrived. We had a heated verbal confrontation, and he took off in the inflatable. As we followed alongside him in Puget Sound, he wielded a knife at us.
I contacted the police and the U.S. Coast Guard. Coast Guard officers located him and followed him toward Elliott Bay Marina. Before reaching the marina entrance, he reportedly beached the inflatable on the rocks and ran into the wooded area. I was also told that he brandished a knife at the federal officers.
As of this posting, he has not been apprehended. Please be alert, check your boats, and do not approach him. Call 911 immediately if you see him or have information about his whereabouts.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A wide-ranging Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting just wrapped up, facilitated by FCA president Frank Immel. Here are the major topics:
REMEMBERING ALAN GRAINGER: “He was a very interesting man … He will be missed,” said Immel of the FCA board member who died in July at age 77 (here’s the remembrance we published). His high-profile architecture career inspired reminiscences, too. Vice president Catherine Bailey added that she’ll miss his sense of humor. His talent as a treasurer was also appreciated. Susan Lantz-Dey recalled the colorful decor of Mr. Grainger’s home; Bailey noted he was apparently preparing to participate in an upcoming West Seattle Garden Tour. He was also remembered for his outspoken nature, even if it meant challenging the consensus or status quo.
POLICE UPDATES: Southwest Precinct “Sgt. Joe”, making his first FCA appearance, said things are still trending down, aside from theft, though auto theft is half what it was a year earlier. Asked about the Roxhill Park encampment-clearance aftermath, he acknowledged, “They’re back.” (He didn’t have any updates on the stabbing investigation, though.) The return of the SW Barton Place RVs also was noted, and Sgt. Machak said that years ago, officers themselves used to be able to get RVs towed, but now they aren’t empowered to do that because outreach has to be done first. Asked about staffing, he said Southwest Precinct has “two or three new officers.”
EARTHQUAKE PREPAREDNESS: Emergency-preparedness strategist Mac MacDonald, a West Seattleite, said a big quake in the Cascadia Subduction Zone is not an “if” but a “when.” His But people in Seattle are generally not prepared. We’re the only place on the Ring of Fire that hasn’t had a 9.0 quake in the past 300 to 500 years – so we’re in the window right now. “It could happen tomorrow, or not in your lifetime, but it’s going to happen” – a nearly 40 percent chance in the next 50 years, he said. That said: “Fear is inevitable, panic is an option,” but training and preparation can help you avoid panic, a state in which “your IQ drops to near zero.” It’s not just the quake, it’s the tsunami, he warned. Not just one – it could hit in nine waves, he said. A coastal quake would give Seattle two hours to escape the tsunami, he said. And though it might be only a four-foot wave, “it’s relentless.” This is different from a Seattle Fault quake – which could generate a tsunami 40 feet high on the downtown waterfront. West Seattle would be battered too – and streets would be impassable because of fissures. His presentation was meant to be a preview of a full community presentation he was pitching the FCA to organize. (He did hint at a few classic preparedness tips – don’t let your car get below a half-tank of gas; always have shoes in your bedroom so if you have to escape in the middle of the night you’re not walking barefoot on glass shards; have a tent because “you’re going to be living in one” for a while. Bottom line: Complacency is the “true killer.” As local preparedness volunteers have long evangelized, you’ll need to take care of yourself TFN – overwhelmed authorities and responders will not be able to get to you for a while, if ever. Discussion ensued about how and when MacDonald’s full-length presentation could be offered; stay tuned for future info – they talked about sooner rather than later, before the holiday season. “I think this is an important topic, because (the big quake) is GOING to happen,” Immel summarized.
FAUNTLEROY FALL FESTIVAL: October 18 is this year’s date, with a new time, 1-4 pm. There’ll be some logistics changes, too – stand by for news on that – all your favorite features, just in different venues around the Fauntleroy Church/Y/etc. campus. Fundraising is going well; a benefit is coming up at The Birdhouse on September 29, with 20 percent of the proceeds that day going to the FFF.
BICYCLING SAFETY FORUM FOLLOWUP: FCA was pleased by how last month’s forum went and the fast action by SDOT afterward. VP Bailey said the question now is, what next? And what’s next for the Fauntleroy/Rose crossing project? New drawings are due out in mid-October, according to SDOT, she said. As for how things are going with Fauntleroy and Wildwood since the parking removal, it was mentioned that ferry-dock dropoff and pickup traffic for Vashon Island School District “commuter” students is fairly substantial. The question was raised about whether a followup meeting was in order, to discuss various issues such as whether SDOT is or isn’t looking into whether stop signs might be involved at Fauntleroy/Wildwood. There was also discussion about adding sharrows on the pavement.
BOARD RECRUITMENT: The FCA needs new board members, and needs to fill the positions of secretary and treasurer, but those might have to be “new people” – so where do they cast a net to find them? They’re considering starting the search with a letter to FCA members asking if anyone has interest in joining the board. Remaining board members also discussed when they should aim to have those new board officers in place, whether 15 is the optimal number of board members, and even whether the FCA’s community role is evolving, given the number of special-topic meetings they’ve organized in recent months.
PLANTERS: Board member Lantz-Dey had updates on the Endolyne-area flower boxes and said a fall work party will be organized.
WHAT’S NEXT: The FCA board meets on second Tuesdays, 6 pm, at historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Among the guests at the October 13 meeting will be a rep from Washington State Ferries to talk about the dock project, particularly the soon-to-be-installed signal
West Seattle has something increasingly rare – its own playhouse. Your next chance to take advantage of that: ArtsWest (4711 California SW) is about to launch its new season, with the first play “The Chinese Lady” opening next week – here are the details:
ArtsWest and Yun Theatre present THE CHINESE LADY by Lloyd Suh, directed by Zenaida Rose Smith and Christie Zhao. The cast features Zoe Ding and Sebastian Wang. THE CHINESE LADY performs at ArtsWest from September 17th to October 11th, 2026. Tickets are available online at artswest.org or by phone at (206) 938.0963.
THE CHINESE LADY inspired by the story of Afong Moy, a Chinese woman displayed as a living exhibit in 1800s America. Allegedly the first Chinese woman to set foot on U.S. soil, she is 14 years old when she’s brought to the United States from Guangzhou, China in 1834. Told in first person from her point of view, she holds nothing back as she recounts a half-century of performing her culture to curious onlookers. Afong shows them how she eats, what she wears, and the highlight of the event: how she walks with bound feet. As the decades wear on, her celebrated sideshow comes to define and challenge her very sense of identity. Her dreams and aspirations shift with the passing of time as she discovers what it means to reclaim her story. THE CHINESE LADY is a funny, heartbreaking, and devastatingly contemporary portrait of America through the eyes of a young Chinese woman.
“The play feels very present now — not even parallel,” reflects co-director and founding artistic director of Yun Theatre, Christie Zhao, “Chinamaxxing has been trending on TikTok, where China suddenly becomes fashionable and desirable through very clear, consumable images — tai chi, tea, public transportation, certain aesthetics. It can feel almost like browsing a shiny display store. The image of China can change very quickly, while Chinese people can still be stereotyped or excluded. More visibility does not necessarily lead to more understanding; it can also create more projection. We see people and cultures more than ever through media, but that doesn’t mean the distance between us has actually gotten smaller.”
The production’s unique form creates a bridge from the past to the present. Co-director Zenaida Rose Smith shares, “This play is chiefly concerned with the relationship between performer and the audience as a means to activate the latter. Performance is a deeply powerful tool of persuasion because it engages audiences’ empathy and imagination. A well-written, well-staged play can upend and transform audience assumptions about unwieldy ideas like truth, family, race, exotification, and otherness.”
THE CHINESE LADY is the first co-production between ArtsWest and Yun Theatre. Yun Theatre is a bicultural, experimental theatre company that challenges traditional norms and confronts social and political issues affecting marginalized communities. Their productions reflect the intersection of Chinese and American ideologies and aim to spark dialogue and contribute to positive change and social justice. Beyond productions, Yun offers multilingual theatre education, artist development, readings, and community programs that make theatre-making more accessible to immigrant communities and support artists and audiences in participating in culture in their own languages.
THE CHINESE LADY kicks off ArtsWest’s 2026 – 2027 season titled A VISIBLE EXISTENCE. In a moment when so much of our world feels uncertain and disconnected, A VISIBLE EXISTENCE asks a simple but urgent question: how can art reveal the hidden worlds we carry inside? In each of the five productions this season, artists, dreamers, outsiders, and communities struggle to connect, to create, and to understand themselves and one another through art, memory, music, and imagination. THE CHINESE LADY explores what happens when cultural identity is put on display as art to be consumed, and one woman’s struggle to express and define herself on her own terms.
ArtsWest will present THE CHINESE LADY Thursday through Saturday at 7:30 pm and Saturday through Sunday at 3 pm September 17 – October 11, 2026.
Tickets are still available for the pay-what-you-can preview September 16, too
This past hour, Seattle Public Schools held a media briefing on the new city-funded program to provide free school breakfasts and lunches for every student, not just the ones who meet what was noted is a tough eligibility standard. One key point: The district needs data from every family, so they’re asking everyone to please fill out the School Meals Application for Child Nutrition Eligibility and Education Benefit (CNEEB), preferably online. The city – represented at the briefing by Mayor Katie Wilson – has committed to reimbursing the district for meals that aren’t covered by federal funding. As also explained at the briefing, they’re tracking who’s eating school meals via bar codes issued to students. Until now, about half the district’s 106 schools already offered universal school meals because so many of their students were eligible; now, it’s happening at the other half too, as explained in this document from a School Board meeting last month. The city funding isn’t permanent, though – Wilson says she’s hopeful it will only be needed to “fill in a few years’ gap” until the state can fund universal school meals instead.
1:13 PM TUESDAY: From the “in case you wondered too” file – no, Metro is NOT planning West Seattle Water Taxi runs after Wednesday night’s season-opening Seahawks game. This is noted on the Water Taxi’s blog-format website, and reader Brian confirmed it by inquiring via email, receiving this reply: “At this time, we are not planning to run extended service for the Seahawks opener on Wednesday, September 9. Our extended service ends August 31st and we did not budget for extended service after that date.” (We’re following up with Metro regarding what exactly is involved with the end of “extended service,” as the Water Taxi’s fall schedule change usually isn’t until October.)
ADDED 5:39 PM WEDNESDAY: Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer responded, “We aren’t operating additional Seahawks later sailings today or this season, and we concluded the additional sailings we had planned for Mariners games as of Aug. 31. HOWEVER we still are operating late Friday and Saturday West Seattle trips per the posted schedule through Oct. 9.”
Just in from the Admiral Neighborhood Association, after a lively summer of presenting community events (Fourth of July Kids’ Parade, the three-concert AMP series, and the Admiral Block Party): The schedule and location are changing for ANA general gatherings, usually held every other month. Starting this month, ANA’s Dan Jacobs tells WSB, the gatherings will be at 7 pm on third Wednesdays at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (3050 California SW). So the first one there will be a week from tomorrow, 7 pm on Wednesday, September 16. Watch connecttoadmiral.org for agenda info!
(Late-summer flower photographed along Alki by Bob Burns)
We’re starting to rev up the post-summer routine … here’s our list of highlights for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE YMCA CLOSED, FAUNTLEROY OPEN: The main branch is now expected to reopen tomorrow; the Fauntleroy branch will be open today until 9 pm to compensate.
CITY COUNCIL RECONVENES: First meetings after Seattle City Councilmembers’ two-week break – Public Safety Committee (started at 9:30 am) and Transportation, Waterfront, Seattle Center (starts at 2 pm) – find agendas, with viewing/attending/commenting info, by going here.
CRAFTS AND PUZZLES SUMMER SALE: 10 am-2 pm, first of five days for this sale at The Mount‘s shop, Emilie’s Treasures – get there through the main lobby. (4831 35th SW)
POSTCARDS4DEMOCRACY: New postcard-writers as well as returnees are welcome at this weekly advocacy gathering, 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). Sign up here before you go, if this is your first time.
SPRAYPARK, WADING POOL CLOSED FOR THE SEASON: Just a reminder that Monday was the last day of this season for sprayparks and wading pools.
ROTARY CLUB OF WEST SEATTLE: Noon lunch meeting at West Seattle Golf Course (4470 35th SW) – info about today’s featured speaker is in our calendar listing.
CHESS CLUB: All levels! 1:30-3 pm, at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).
OTHER EVENTS AT THE CENTER: Dozens every week! Go here for the full Center for Active Living calendar.
DROP-IN WINE TASTING: 5-7 pm Tuesdays at Walter’s Wine Shop (4811 California SW) – $15 fee, $5 off with bottle purchases. In the spotlight tonight – Patagonian wine.
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving on the corners at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
TUESDAY NIGHT SUPPER CLUB: Alki Kayak Tours and Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) are presenting this weekly event for stand-up paddleboarders – details here – 5:30 pm. (1660 Harbor SW)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 6 pm board meeting, open to community members – see the agenda here. Conference room at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
TRACK RUN WITH WEST SEATTLE RUNNER: Meet up by 6:15 pm at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for WSR’s free weekly track run.
TIM’S OPEN MIC: 6:30 pm signups, 7 pm music – weekly open mic hosted by Levi Said at Tim’s (16th SW and SW 98th) in White Center.
PASS THE AUX AT REVELRY ROOM: 7 pm at Revelry Room (4547 California SW), new game!
Revelry Room is hosting Pass The Aux, our in house developed social jukebox game, Tuesday at 7 PM.
The host gives the room a prompt, and everybody gets to pick songs and add to the vibe. Guests submit their picks from their phones, then we listen together, vote for our favorites, talk about the music, discover some things, and build the soundtrack for the night as a room.
We’ve been calling it the anti-karaoke. It’s a participatory music night for people who love sharing music, with no singing required. 21+.
SCOTTISH COUNTRY DANCING: Weekly lessons at Fauntleroy Church (9140 California SW), 7 pm – lots of info in our ongoing calendar listing.
WOMEN’S MEDITATION CIRCLE: Weekly small-group meditation at Mama Be Well Healing Studio (4034-A California SW), 7 pm. Our calendar listing has info on registering before you go.
BINGO! Play free weekly Belle of the Balls Bingo at The Skylark, 7 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
TRIVIA X 4: Four Tuesday trivia venues – The Beer Junction (4711 California SW), Sporcle Pub Quiz with David at 7 pm and 8 pm … 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free, hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia … 7 pm at Zeeks Pizza West Seattle (6459 California SW), hosted by Geeks Who Drink … 7 pm at Admiral Pub, free to play, prizes. (2306 California SW).
KARAOKE AT POGGIE TAVERN: 9 pm until 1:30 am, your turn to sing! (4717 California SW)
Organizing an event, fundraiser, class, performance, gathering, etc.? Tell your West Seattle neighbors via our event calendar – just email info to [email protected] – thank you!
Quick youth-sports announcement: West Seattle Lacrosse is looking for coaches – high-school girls assistant coach, high-school boys head and assistant coaches, 3rd/4th grade girls’ coach. Contact [email protected] with any questions and/or interestl
6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, September 8, 2026.
BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY
It’s not only post-holiday back-to-school day, it’s also the first day of classes for Seattle Public Schools pre-K and kindergarteners, and for Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic School (with the renovations that were celebrated last week).
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET
The forecast is for areas of morning fog, then some sunshine, high in the low 70s. Sunrise will be at 6:37 am today; sunset will be at 7:35 pm.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro buses – Regular weekday schedule today – any reroute/stop advisories will be here; reminder that buses return to SW Barton as of Saturday.
West Seattle Water Taxi – Regular summer schedule, with extra Friday/Saturday/Sunday runs including later-night schedule Fridays and Saturdays.
Washington State Ferries – As previewed last week, the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route is now on a two-boat schedule “for about one week” because M/V Cathlamet is out of service; check the alert page for specifics.
BRIDGE TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Here are four bridge views from the SDOT map:
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:
Low Bridge – Here’s the westward view:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
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!
Two incidents of note this early Tuesday morning:
7-ELEVEN ROBBERY: Police are investigating a holdup just before 2:30 am at the South Delridge 7-Eleven. Two men, both armed with handguns, are reported to have robbed the store. The descriptions circulated so far are two Black men in their early 30s, both in ski masks, one in a black jacket and blue jeans, one in a red shirt, both last seen fleeing on foot, northbound on Delridge. Officers are searching right now with K-9 assistance.
(Screenshot from 35th/Barton traffic cam)
STOLEN-CAR ARREST: About half an hour before that, police were at another West Seattle 7-Eleven – at 35th and Barton – arresting a man after finding a stolen car at the store. The car was described as a white 2019 Nissan Rogue. The suspect is being taken to jail right now.
12:08 PM UPDATE: He wound up in a hospital instead of jail, according to the report narrative we just obtained from SPD:
On 9/8/2026 while working fully uniformed patrol with my Field Training officer … I noticed an occupied suspicious vehicle at 9200 35th Ave SW 7-Eleven. I ran the white Nissan Rogue plate WA #XXXXXXX, it came back as a stolen vehicle under Seattle Police department incident #2026-256361.
I conducted a high-risk vehicle stop on the vehicle, which was facing northbound at the gas pumps. The male with the vehicle, who was later verbally identified as XXXX was placed in handcuffs, and I read him his Miranda rights and XXXX understood them. A female later identified as XXXX who had driven the vehicle to the location was detained inside of 7-Eleven.
XXXX explained that he had the vehicle for the past 3 days after receiving it from a friend. XXXX said he had gotten the vehicle from his friend but could not remember his friend’s information. He explained that his friend had given him the vehicle because he was homeless at the park and believed the car to be his friend’s family’s car.
XXXX informed Officers on scene that XXXX had come over to her house with the vehicle and asked her to drive to 7-Eleven because he was too tired to drive. XXXX had the keys to the vehicle on her but thought XXXX had borrowed the vehicle because he had the keys.
Through my investigation I determined that I had probable cause for RCW 9A.56.150 Possessing stolen property in the first degree because XXXX had the vehicle for the past 3 days, he avoided giving a clear answer on who his friend was that gave him the vehicle, and that XXXX admitted that XXXX had only driven the vehicle to 7-Eleven. I placed XXXX under arrest and searched him. I screened the arrest …. XXXX was seen by SFD on scene because he explained that he had swallowed drugs when he saw officers pull up. SFD cleared XXXX on scene, and he was transported to King County Jail by Officer Ames and was declined at KCJ due to him claiming to have swallowed narcotics. He was transported to Saint Annes and released from police custody and this decision was screened … The vehicle was searched on scene and towed by Lincoln Towing after the owner could not be reached.
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