Police are on Delridge Way north of SW Andover, where they’ve arrested someone they were reportedly after for an “order violation.” Officers asked dispatch to send SFD medics because they used a Taser to take the person into custody. No other info so far.
It’s moving week for Thunder Road Guitars (WSB sponsor), heading from Morgan Junction to Admiral Junction, where West Seattle’s one-of-a-kind guitar shop will celebrate its grand opening at 2611 California SW starting Saturday morning and lasting all weekend. Thunder Road proprietor Frank Gross promised more details when he first announced the grand-opening date, and here they are:
Join us this weekend June 6th and June 7th for the Thunder Road Guitars Grand Opening at 2611 California Ave SW. We are hosting a ribbon-cutting with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce at 9:45 am on Saturday and the doors will officially open at 10 am.
– We will have a 10% discount on in-store and online purchases all weekend long (some exclusions apply). Use discount code 2611california.
– We are giving away grab bags to the first 30 people in line that will have an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff 2 as well some some Thunder Road swag and swag from some of our favorite vendors
– We are doing two GIANT giveaways, one Saturday and one Sunday.
Saturday Giveaway:
– Fender American Vintage Stratocaster
– Two-Rock Amplifier
– Pedals from some of our favorite brands
– Swag from Ernie Ball + Gibson + More
Sunday Giveaway:
– Gretsch Brian Setzer Signature signed by Brian
– Magnatone Baby M80 signed by the one and only Billy Gibbons
– Pedals from some of our favorite brands
– Swag from Ernie Ball + Gibson + More
How do you enter the giveaway?
Show up on the day you want to win to enter:
-Saturday = Saturday entry
-Sunday = Sunday entry
Winners will be announced at the end of business each day.
We’ll have Fundamental Coffee and Top Pot Doughnuts on hand Saturday morning for everyone waiting in line and our early customers. Then, from 1–3 PM, Todd from Elliott Bay Brewery will be in the house pouring beer from our favorite neighborhood pub.
There is a suggested donation for the beer, with all proceeds benefiting the West Seattle Junction Association and the Admiral Neighborhood Association. Thunder Road will match all donation dollars generated through beer sales.
We’ve put an immense amount of thought and effort into the design and feel of the new location. We absolutely love it, and we think you will too.
At 0300 hours, officers reported hearing shots fired just north of the Southwest Precinct. They responded and found an abandoned vehicle that had been recently stolen. The vehicle was checked and no weapons were located. However, while searching the vehicle officers heard another volley of gunfire to the east of their location in the 6700 block of Delridge Way SW, with multiple callers reporting the same. The area was checked but no victims, damaged property, or shell casings were found. GVRU was notified and the vehicle was recovered. While writing this report, an armed robbery occurred just south of the officers’ location. …
At 0318 hours, a clerk at a gas station in the 7100 block of Delridge Way SW reported just having been robbed at gunpoint by two masked men. The suspects fled eastbound in a recently stolen vehicle, which likely had more passengers in the back seat. One of the suspects may have had an extended magazine in his handgun. No shots were fired during the robbery, but the timing and proximity seem to indicate that [the incident above] may be related.
If you have any information, the possible-gunfire incident is SPD incident 26-154502; the robbery is incident 26-154508.
ADDED 4:38 PM: So far we don’t have details on the first “recently stolen” vehicle mentioned, but police radio archives indicate the one used in the armed robbery was a 2018 gray Hyundai Elantra.
Middle- and high-school-age girls are invited to this Friday’s free clinic with West Seattle Water Polo student-athletes! Here’s the announcement sent to us to share with you:
West Seattle Girls Water Polo team will be hosting a free clinic for middle and high school aged girls on Friday, June 5, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Southwest Pool. Learn and play alongside the high school girls team players, under the direction of WSHS Coach Emily Hernandez. Find out what this growing sport is all about – and get a chance to learn the basics. This is an educational event open to all 6th through 12th grade girls regardless of which school they attend. This year the team included players from WSHS, CSIHS, Vashon HS, and Garfield HS. Registration required in advance of the event. Please contact WSWP to receive a link to register: wshswaterpolo@gmail.com
For those rising 9th graders interested in starting their polo training early, new swim team coach Ryan O’Donnell will be at the clinic to meet swimmers and answer questions about the fall swim season at WSHS. Girls’ swim team practices start in late August.
This morning we published a photo of racquet-sports and auto items found near 35th and Fauntleroy. Now we’ve received a possibly-dumped-items report from Victor, a few blocks north:
Someone seemed to have dumped a collection of CDs on our lawn today? I have to wonder if it’s related to the items found near 35th and Fauntleroy. I’m hoping I can reunite the CDs with their owner.
I’ve attached a picture as they were found, but I went ahead and brought them inside for now …
With these too, you can email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – if yours, and we’ll connect you.
I would like to provide you with an update about construction progress for the Morgan Junction Electric Vehicle Charging Station. Site conditions during construction have been more challenging than we anticipated. This, in combination with the right-of-way construction moratorium for the FIFA World Cup™, means that we will not meet the estimated completion date of August 2026. We will have a better idea of the new estimated completion date after the moratorium ends in July. Crews will continue to work within City Light property during the moratorium.
We asked an immediate followup question about what constituted the “challenging … conditions,” but have yet to hear back. Four months have passed since we reported the first signs of construction work at the site, which is designed for eight chargers and was originally supposed to be built in 2022.
They were found on a sidewalk near 35th and Fauntleroy and didn’t appear to be something simply lost or purposely placed. If yours, let us know and we’ll connect you with the finder.
SUMMIT ATLAS GRADUATION: 6 pm ceremony for the Arbor Heights charter middle/high school’s graduating seniors, Highline Performing Arts Center (401 S. 152nd, Burien).
‘LISTENING TO GRIEF’ SUPPORT GROUPS: 6:30 pm, weekly group gatherings for people experiencing grief – you can participate once, weekly, or occasionally. Fee. Before you go, RSVP/register here. (4034 California SW)
D&D: Long-running weekly D&D at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW). All welcome, first-time players too! $5.
Big thanks to everybody who sends info for our calendar; if you have something to add or cancel (or update), please send the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
If the usual times and places for local blood drives don’t work for you, this week brings one that might: Bethany Community Church in Highland Park is hosting a blood drive Thursday (June 4), 12:30 pm-6 pm. Donors get $15 e-gift cards. Here’s the direct link for appointments. The church is at 8600 9th SW.
Washington State Ferries – Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth route is on the regular three-boat schedule. Check the alert page for last-minute changes. And note that today starts the monthlong WSF 75th-anniversary celebration, including free-with-purchase coffee or popcorn at galleys today.
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 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!
10:48 PM SUNDAY: Police are looking for a robber after a holdup in the 9000 block of Delridge Way SW around 10:30 pm. The robber is described as male, Hispanic, masked, wearing a camo hoodie and blue jeans. It hasn’t been clear from radio exchanges so far whether this was a business holdup or other type of robbery.
11:11 AM MONDAY: We’ve obtained the narrative from SPD, confirming the robbery was at the South Delridge 7-Eleven. The narrative said the clerk was held up at gunpoint by the robber, who demanded, “Give me the cash” and made off with about $200. The narrative added these descriptive details, with some redactions: “a light skinned male, 5’6, medium build, wearing a XXXX XXXX, XXXX XXXX XXXX, and had a XXXX XXXX wrapped around his head as a mask. XXXX described the firearm as being small and light black. According (to) the XXXX the suspect was not wearing gloves; however, he did not touch anything besides the cash.” The store staff was unable to provide immediate access to the security video but expected to be able to do that today.
In addition to the pump-station work already under way on the south side of Lowman Beach Park, the King County Wastewater Treatment Division has another project starting this week: Sewer-pipe repairs that will start in the park and continue about a quarter of a mile north on the southbound side of Beach Drive SW. KCWTD says the work has to be done this time of year “when flows are lower and conditions are safer.” They’ll be working weekdays, 7 am to 7 pm, and while they don’t expect any interruptions in wastewater service, there’ll be some sidewalk closures and some alternating-lane traffic at times. The work is expected to continue into fall; once it’s done, road and park restoration will be done.
(WSB file photo. No outdoor cap tosses this year!)
Tomorrow (Monday, June 1) brings not only a new month but also the first graduation ceremony of the season for West Seattle’s three biggest high schools. And all are graduating at new venues this year. Summit Atlas, which after nine years remains West Seattle’s only charter school, will graduate 55 seniors in a ceremony at Highline Performing Arts Center in Burien at 6 pm Monday. West Seattle’s two major public high schools, Chief Sealth International HS and West Seattle HS, both have graduation ceremonies on Wednesday, June 17, at McCaw Hall (hosting graduations while Memorial Stadium is being rebuilt) – CSIHS at 5 pm, WSHS at 8 pm. The Seattle Public Schools webpage for graduation info also lists where and when ceremonies are planned for its alternative programs, some of which hold classes in West Seattle.
The White Center HUB (8th SW and SW 108th) is a hub of activity this afternoon and evening during the Community Market and Fundraiser, presented indoors and outdoors by the White Center Community Development Association. A team from WCCDA is there to talk with marketgoers:
Local creators and other small businesses have booths and tables both indoors and outdoors including La Tipica Oaxaqueña, The Art Lady, Lost Luggage Vintage, Peanutt’s Art and things, Sabrina’s Beauty Shop, Zars Nails, Mashel Trade, Chels Art, Xiao Quilt, Beautious Bakin’ & Kakin’, MX Handmade Collective, face-painting presented by the WCCDA, and more.
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Artist Alison is one of the people you can meet:
Or D of D’s Craft Room Creations:
Kids get the chance to create art, too:
And you can see the queen bee (the one with the white spot) brought by Goebel Goods, which is selling honey too:
Longtime West Seattle entrepreneur Lora Radford is trying to shine a light on your creativity via her co-op pottery studio Potterings, celebrating its first anniversary this afternoon. So she’s made special anniversary-edition mini-luminaries, little candleholders with designs on the sides to let the candlelight shine through. Potterings also offered free mini-workshops this afternoon for visitors to make their own:
The mini-workshops are all booked up but you’re still invited to visit Potterings (east side of ground floor at ActivSpace, 3400 Harbor SW) before 4 pm to see the studio in advance of future classes and events, which you can learn about here (where you’ll also find info on the Game of Shrooms scavenger hunt starting June 13).
Pickleball isn’t an official school sport, yet, but student-athletes in other sports at local high schools are benefiting from pickleball tournaments this weekend and next. Today at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, dozens of players are raising money for WSHS athletes at the second annual West Seattle Paddle Battle.
The tournament is organized by the West Seattle Booster Club – board members and volunteers were at courtside when we stopped by:
Trophies await the victors, and we’re expecting the winner info for an update to this story post-tournament.
Not only is the Paddle Battle raising money via entry fees, its sponsorships are topped by Murder Hornet Hot Sauce again this year.
This weekend’s one-of-a-kind fundraiser filled Axe Kickers Seattle in Top Hat last night not only with the venue’s signature axe-throwing, but also a full night’s slate of live music, including Jade Teather, who was up while we were there:
My wife runs a home bakery business, Verdant Crumb, and we sometimes leave customers orders’ in our driveway in a shelving unit if customers are late picking up their order.
It seems like someone mistook this for a free shelving unit, and mistakenly grabbed it from our driveway Saturday at 6:15 pm, when we were out of the house. It would be great if we could have an announcement, and have our shelving unit returned, as it was never meant to be given away, and was in our driveway.
The person who took it appeared to be in a black Infiniti JX35 SUV. They did knock on our door, but we were not home.
We are at 4621 SW admiral Way, across from Alki Mail. If the person is willing to return the shelving unit, they can contact: valerie@verdantcrumb.com
All the day’s orders already had been picked up, so no baked goods were taken along with the unit.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: Open every Sunday year-round on California SW between Oregon and Alaska, 10 am-2 pm, now in full spring produce-and-products season – asparagus, lettuce, greens, microgreens, peppers, mushrooms, cabbage, beans, garlic, fruit, more – and many options for baked goods, cheeses, meats, fish, poultry, fresh- and pre-prepared foods, nuts, condiments, pasta …
MASTER GARDENERS AT THE MARKET: If you have a gardening question, you can get an answer from a Master Gardener! Their weekly clinics at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market continue today, 10 am-2 pm. (Look for their booth toward the south end of the market.)
WEEKEND SINGALONG BRUNCH: 10 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW), sing to hits of the ’80s, ’90s, ’00s and enjoy a buffet breakfast – if this morning is sold out, look at dates ahead.
SPRAYPARK SEASON: Daily splashing continues at the Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm.
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need a tool but don’t need/want to, or can’t, buy it? You’ll probably be able to find it at, and borrow it from, the Tool Library, open 11 am-4 pm on the northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
POTTERINGS TURNS 1: Noon-4 pm, first-anniversary celebration at the co-op pottery studio at 3400 Harbor SW (east side of building, ground floor) – the free mini-classes are booked up but stop by to see the studio, enter drawings, congratulate proprietor Lora Radford!
WELCOME ROAD WINERY: You’re welcome to hang out this afternoon at this West Seattle tasting room (with a patio!) open 2-5 pm, kids and dogs welcome. (3804 California SW; WSB sponsor)
LA County Librarian and Director, Dr. Skye Patrick and Long Beach Public Library Director, Cathy de Leon will appear in conversation with actor, author, and activist George Takei in celebration of One Book, One Coast.
The largest book club on the West Coast wraps up with a special event with George Takei, author of “They Called Us Enemy.” The discussion will explore the experiences that led to the creation of his memoir, what it means to be a good neighbor and citizen in the face of overwhelming challenges, and how shared books and stories build stronger communities.
FOOD BANK BENEFIT AT C & P: 3-5 pm C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), collecting money and food for the West Seattle Food Bank.
Organizing, or helping with, an event that we could add to the WSB community calendar – whether one-time or recurring? Please email the basic details – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
By Torin Record-Sand
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Thursday night’s Southwest Precinct Advisory Council spotlighted current public-safety issues for West Seattle – especially looking toward a busy summer season, not only the usual safety concerns on Alki, but also the large amount of visitors expected to come to Seattle from all over the world for the FIFA World Cup soccer matches. SPD leadership from both the West Seattle/South Park precinct and downtown headquarters joined SWPAC community lead Ella McRae and other community reps for the meeting held at Delridge Community Center.
Southwest Precinct commander Captain Krista Bair began the meeting with an update on crime statistics for both the city and the precinct. Year to date, she said there was a 5% crime increase for the city overall compared to last year, though the SW Precinct jurisdiction is down 6%. There were, however, two areas with a specific uptick in activity: both Highland Park and High Point have seen an increase in gunire incidents, with 34 incidents of shots fired year to date in the precinct area. “We believe Highland Park is being used as a shooting range, as it’s got a major greenbelt. High Point, we don’t know what’s going on.” She noted that, regarding gun violence, the precinct is continuing to collaborate with various city administrators, agencies, and other departments within SPD including the Gun Violence Reduction Unit to work on tackling the problem.
She continued with a discussion on the directed patrols that SPD has set up to focus on hot spots such as the (currently closed) shelter and parkin the 35th and Alaska area, Don Armeni Boat Ramp, West Seattle’s two largest high schools, and other areas. While she noted the ongoing success of these programs, with short staffing for SPD, she said more involvement from the community on resolving crime issues would be helpful. “SPD is continuing to hire and get more officers on the street, but until we do that, we gotta do what we can with what we have – it’s a team effort, we really need you guys to come up with some ideas as well.” she said. “In all of West Seattle, including South Park, we have at any given time about 10 officers working that whole area. That is not ideal.” She emphasized that for community issues which are not emergencies, it is best for community members to utilize alternative resources, such as the non-emergency line, or submitting videos to the SPD website.
Next, SPD Captain Dan Nelson provided an update on ongoing preparations the department is taking for the upcoming FIFA World Cup. He said the city is expecting 750,000 extra tourists. The games will start on June 15th, and last until July 6th, and during this time many new precautions are being put into place, mostly in the Stadium District. He said SPD’s main goals are enhanced patrols for highly crowded areas, an emphasis on preventing crowd injuries and deaths, and facilitating, coordinating, and keeping fan activity lawful.
Captain Nelson also emphasized that the increase in patrols around the stadium area would not take away from other precincts in the city, especially at a time when SPD is facing staffing issues (as Capt. Bair had noted earlier). “None of the officers around the stadium area are pulled from other parts of the city,” he said. Much of the response would come from mutual aid provided by other state and federal agencies. (He also noted the federal agencies coming to assist with the area would not involve ICE in any capacity.)
Some discussion on preparation returned to the issue of Mayor Katie Wilson‘s policy on keeping surveillance cameras off by default for the World Cup (recently covered here when District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka called for Wilson to turn them on). Captain Nelson clarified that, despite the policy, the cameras still can remain an important tool. “Wilson’s vision is they will remain off without a credible threat, but they can be turned on a moment’s notice when needed.” he said.
He said that more information can be found on SPD’s website, which has a full page dedicated to their efforts for FIFA.
When it was time for comments from community leaders and members, those mostly focused on ongoing issues with homelessness in West Seattle. Specifically, members brought up issues with an increased presence in areas near the Alaska Junction, and ongoing issues with RV encampments near Puget Ridge. The response from SPD officials was that the increased presence was not related to FIFA preparations, and as always, they were continuing to look into it. Unfortunately, they noted, there was not much they could do with the returns of encampments or RVs. “The problem as you’ve seen is when they leave and then they come back – we don’t have the capability to prevent them from coming back, except when you report it to us.” said Precinct Captain Bair. She noted the difficulty of removing encampments surrounded the fact that they involve multiple agencies, such as Parks and SDOT, and responses had to be prioritized not just for West Seattle but across the city. She recommended, all the same, that if neighbors are concerned about ongoing matters they should continue to report it – daily, if need be.
Other community discussion centered around ongoing issues with street racing, crime, and general traffic on Alki and Harbor Avenue – including hotspots like Don Armeni. Members of the community were concerned that, especially with the upcoming World Cup, there would not be enough resources to deal with these problems. Captain Nelson noted that they are working on plans for this. “As far as coming up for strategies, we are organizing additional officers for the area. We can definitely pivot and come up with a coordinated response.” he said.
The meeting also featured an appearance by Cindy Wong, who is the relatively recently hired Deputy Chief of Staff for SPD. She introduced herself as a long-time Seattle resident and government participant, who most recently had worked for former Mayor Harrell’s cabinet as chief of his public safety team. She said that coordination between city agencies is a major responsibility of hers.
(WSB photo: From left, Capt. Dan Nelson, Cindy Wong, Jennifer Satterwhite, Ella McRae, Matt Brown, Capt. Krista Bair)
Also of note: This was the last West Seattle meeting for Matt Brown, who has served as Crime Prevention Coordinator for the Southwest Precinct while Jennifer Satterwhite was on maternity leave. With her return, he will become a Crime Prevention Coordinator for the West Precinct downtown.
WHAT’S NEXT: The SWPAC meets every few months; we’ll publish the announcement when the next one is finalized. Meantime, one key date for neighborhoods is a little over two months away – this year’s Night Out is Tuesday, August 4, and you can register your block party now for clearance to close your (non-arterial) street.
One event, four options, one week away! The 2026 edition of Loop the ‘Lupe is happening next Saturday (June 6) at Walt Hundley Playfield (34th SW and SW Myrtle), and you still have time to register. Here are the four events and five start times:
11 am: Elite Wave: Loop the Lupe Obstacle Course 5K
11:40 am: Family Wave: Loop The Lupe Obstacle Course 5K
12 noon: Loop the ‘Lupe 5K Fun Run
12:15 pm: Silver Saunter
1 pm: Kids’ Dash
Registration links for each of those can be found on this page – where you’ll also find a link you can use to save $5 per event if you register for Loop the ‘Lupe and this year’s Float Dodger 5K (presented by West Seattle Runner [WSB sponsor] preceding the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 18) together! One more reminder that Loop the ‘Lupe is Seattle’s only obstacle-course 5K, but as shown above, you have other options if you don’t want to do the obstacle course. (Proceeds from Loop the ‘Lupe, whichever option you choose, benefit the community work done by Our Lady of Guadalupe.) And if you just can’t do any of the events this year, you’re welcome to come to the field, cheer the participants, enjoy music (and the food/beverages that’ll be available for purchase).
We first told you back in mid-April about Shannon and Jon Felix‘s plan to retire from the glass-art business after 23 years of running Avalon Glassworks in West Seattle’s Luna Park business district. At the time they didn’t have a closing date set yet. Now they do: June 30. Starting that date, the retail and glass-blowing space will close, but they’ll continue selling inventory online after that until it’s gone. Also for sale: The studio equipment.
When we talked with the Felixes in April, they were offering the business for sale as-is, but so far no takers, so they’re focusing on selling the equipment “either in-place or you-haul.” Here’s a list of what they have:
You can reach them at glasssales@avalonglassworks.com to find out more. And again, Avalon Glassworks is still open for a month at 2914 SW Avalon Way; retail hours are noon-4 pm Thursdays through Sundays.
(Weekend photo from Alki, by Bob Burns)
(Thanks to Penny for the weekend sunset pic)
(WSB file photo. No outdoor cap tosses this year!)
(WSB/WCN photos)
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(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
(Photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
(WSB photo: From left, Capt. Dan Nelson, Cindy Wong, Jennifer Satterwhite, Ella McRae, Matt Brown, Capt. Krista Bair)
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