West Seattle, Washington
03 Sunday
If you or someone you know could use a free class to improve English-language skills, Neighborhood House‘s Katie Lewis wants you to know it’s time to register for the one they’re offering starting in January:
Ready to Work is a free ESL class with a focus on job skills. Students must live in Seattle and be 18+. Computers are provided. Sign-ups close on December 20th, as we will be offering English assessments on December 20th and 21st at the Neighborhood House office. Students may complete this interest form or contact me to sign up. katiel@nhwa.org
Here’s the informational flyer, which Lewis notes is also available in languages including Spanish, Tigrinya, Somali, Oromo, Amharic, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Russian – find those links here.
The first of this weekend’s three holiday tree-lighting events in West Seattle happened on the north side of Neighborhood House High Point this evening – the second annual Fruit Tree Lighting. High Point community builder Ella McRae led a cheery countdown:
The tree lighting followed an afternoon festival that celebrated both the arrival of winter and High Point’s new community-designed salmon street murals.
Those are some of the founding members of the new PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) launched for West Seattle Elementary. Elle sent the photo and report:
West Seattle Elementary is excited to announce the launch of its Parent Teacher Organization (PTO): Friends of West Seattle Elementary (also known as FOWSE).
Readers may be surprised to hear that unlike every other public elementary school in West Seattle, West Seattle Elementary did not have an established PTO until the 2022-23 school year. In partnership with the Alliance for Education, a non-profit that supports excellence in education by advancing educational justice and racial equity for students in Seattle Public Schools, and West Seattle Public Schools Equity Fund, WSE has been building the groundwork to establish and govern such a group for several years.
FOWSE aims to support WSE students in their academic success by building a strong community between teachers, staff and families, and providing additional resources through fundraising efforts and volunteers to help close the achievement gap. WSE Principal Pam McCowan-Conyers said, “Establishing a PTO at West Seattle Elementary is a pivotal step to creating an equitable learning environment where parents, teachers and staff partner on how best to serve the unique needs of our students”. The group had its inaugural meeting on November 7th and interested community members and/or parents are invited to attend their next meeting January 9th @ 5 PM at High Point Community Center.
If you’re a parent at the school or community member interested in getting involved with the PTO or simply learning more, visit the PTO website, make a donation here (select ‘Friends of West Seattle Elementary – 23602‘ under group dropdown) or send them an email at friendsofwse@gmail.com for more information.
West Seattle Elementary is in its second year at the former Schmitz Park Elementary while an addition is built at its permanent High Point campus.
If you’re a parent at the school or community member interested in getting involved with the PTO or simply learning more, visit the PTO website, make a donation here (select ‘Friends of West Seattle Elementary – 23602’ under group drop down) or send them an email at friendsofwse@gmail.com for more information.
The report and photo were sent by Coach Al:
Congratulations to the High Point “Hurricanes,” who won 1st place in today’s ‘City Wide Volleyball Jamboree’ held at Miller Community Center, making this coach extremely proud!!
After going undefeated during the season (4-0), today they beat Delridge and Loyal Heights community centers, and then again played Delridge in the playoffs, winning the first & third games to bring home the Gold.
Delridge CC took home the Silver, so West Seattle volleyball was well represented!
As previewed in our traffic alerts the past few mornings, SDOT was out today painting community-designed salmon in the street in High Point. The decorative fish are planned for two “Healthy Street” sections of 31st SW and SW Graham. We went over late today to see what had been completed in the first round of work.
The fish we found are on 31st south of Graham, so it looks like they’ll be working on Graham tomorrow (Sunday, November 13), starting as early as 6 am.
The project is explained here.
10:15 PM: Police are investigating gunfire in High Point. Nobody is reported to have been hurt, so far, but they’re searching for someone. One texter says they’re in the 29th/Morgan vicinity; we’d had other reports from where the gunfire was heard. It is reported to have happened around 9:50 pm. No word of any witness description so far.
10:21 PM: Officers have told dispatch that a home in the 2800 block of SW Morgan “was hit.”
5:20 PM: A Seattle Fire midsize response in High Point has just been upgraded to a full response, in the 6400 block of 30th SW [map]. Updates to come.
5:25 PM: The fire was small and is out already, Apparently a dryer was to blame. firefighters are telling dispatch.
5:28 PM: Some of the units are being dismissed. No report of injuries.
5:50 PM: Just talked with firefighters as they were packing up. They confirmed the dryer was the problem, and that no one was hurt.
Those are some of the two-dozen-plus vendor booths surrounding the meadow at High Point Commons Park (3201 SW Graham, south of the Bee Garden) this afternoon, first time the Makers’ Art Market has set up in this location. Each booth holds a different artist/creator/small business. We talked to three during our brief visit – Emily and Cole screen-print their Thic Boyz insulation items in their West Seattle garage:
Sally‘s business Beyond the Curls offers organic and vegan hair-care products, as well as accessories:
And Dr. Kari Logan is selling a variety of her Mae Botanicals body-care items
Other vendors (see the list here) have a variety of products including ceramics, cards, and jewelry. Early holiday shopping? Year-round gift-giving? Treating yourself? Whatever the reason, you can go browse and buy until 5 pm today.
7:11 AM: Most units sent on a “full response” to 30th SW near Raymond have been dismissed, We’re on our way over to see if we can find out what the original call was about.
7:22 AM: We’re told by police and fire at the scene that this involves a man who was threatening to set a fire in a domestic-violence situation. The suspect has been arrested. Both SPD and SFD continue to investigate.
11 AM: SFD says one person suffered minor injuries, a woman in her late 40s who was treated at the scene.
Sunday looks like the best day this weekend for outdoor events, and we have a few to preview. First – the Makers’ Art Market at High Point Commons Park on Sunday afternoon. This market has brought together dozens of local artists, crafters, and other creators at other locations, most recently Alki, but this time they’re teaming up with the High Point Open Space Association to bring the market to the park. More than 30 local makers and small businesses are participating. It’s a family-friendly event, too. The park is at 3201 SW Graham, and the market is set for noon-5 pm Sunday (October 23).
Another weekend with multiple shootings around the city. What will it take to break the pattern? An event Tuesday at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond) seeks to broach that subject. All are welcome to attend – here’s the announcement, if you haven’t already seen it in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
Join us for a panel presentation and conversation about changing the narrative around gun violence.
The impact of gun violence continues to be felt throughout the nation and in Seattle. The Office of Arts & Culture, in partnership with The Seattle Public Library, is organizing this speaker series to address and combat the effects of gun violence on our communities. This second event in the series will feature Rosette Royale, local journalist and editor, and a panel of local artists: Dalisha Phillips, Bruce Leroy, Chamel Simmons, and Rell Be Free.
The lecture series, comprised of performance, presentation, and discussion, will integrate arts and cultural elements to change the narrative around gun violence. Additional events in the series will be offered at locations across the city with different speakers and activities through October 2022.
Tuesday’s event, titled “Art, Artists, and the Narratives of Loss and Resiliency,” is set to start at 6 pm.
When the addition that’s under construction at West Seattle Elementary in High Point was first planned, Seattle Public Schools said it would be built without having to temporarily relocate the school. Then that changed, and the district decided to relocate WSES for the 2021-2022 school year, to the former Schmitz Park Elementary campus in west Admiral. With less than a month to go until the 2022-2023 school year begins, we asked the district about the project’s status, and learned that WSES will now spend a second school year at Schmitz Park. District spokesperson Tina Christiansen says the project was delayed about three months by the concrete strike. It’s expected to be complete this winter, but the school won’t move back until the following fall, Christiansen says, because, “The school leadership decided the school community would be better served by waiting until fall to move in rather than moving mid-year.” Plus: “The added time is allowing for replacement of the glazing in the existing building, which wasn’t originally planned.” She says the WSES community has been aware of all this since spring but they hadn’t planned a wider community announcement until later this summer. The $28 million project will add 12 classrooms to WSES.
4:05 PM: That’s Seattle’s chief librarian Tom Fay, and he’s at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond) for a conversation with whoever shows up. It’s the first in a series of “Community Conversations” around the city with the Seattle Public Library‘s new chief. You have until 5 pm to stop in and speak up. You can also answer an online survey to share your thoughts about SPL’s future.
5:47 PM: A few notes from the conversation, for which about a dozen people showed up: The Southwest Branch, one of two in West Seattle that had closures last week because of the heat, will be fully air conditioned by next summer. The afterschool homework-help program is expected to come back this fall. In a discussion of how libraries and users dealt with the pandemic, an attendee noted that the curbside service was greatly appreciated – as were ebooks.
(WSB photos/video)
A first tonight for the West Seattle Big Band – a concert at High Point Commons Park. This was the return of the annual summer Concert in the Park for the first time since 2019, but the traditional venue – Hiawatha Community Center‘s east lawn – isn’t available this year, so that called for a new venue. WSBB director Jim Edwards admitted he didn’t know what to expect, or who, but by our informal count, at least 100 people showed up to enjoy the evening and the music. You can see the spectators as well as the band in our recording of the concert:
For an hour and a half, the Big Band enthralled the crowd with classics like “In the Mood,” “All of Me,” and “Fever” – some instrumental, some featuring vocalists Jenaige Lane and Jeff Carter:
The WSBB musicians spanned a wide age range tonight – including Henry, who’s also drum major for the West Seattle High School Band:
The brass included director Edwards trading in his baton for his trombone:
The Big Band also plays gigs for hire and donates the proceeds to help student musicians. So, as Edwards told the crowd, if you need a band for an event, contact them!
(Friday night photo by Kersti Muul)
As discussed in comments following coverage of last Friday’s hit-run that killed a bicyclist, another West Seattle hit-run at almost the same time Friday night sent a pedestrian to the hospital – a woman pregnant with twins. Today we heard from the victim’s brother-in-law, Matt, who was there when it happened at 34th/Myrtle:
On Friday evening, between 7:15 and 7:30, myself, my wife, our baby, and my sister-in-law were going for a walk. My sister-in-law is 30 weeks pregnant with twins. We were walking up 34th Ave by Hundley park and were crossing the intersection of 34th and Myrtle street, where there is a roundabout. While we were in the crosswalk, we heard a car come speeding up 34th. The car cut the roundabout and made an illegal left. The car was going at least 50 mph or more would be my guess. My sister in law was just behind us as we were walking. My wife ran forward with our baby to avoid being hit, but the car ended up hitting my sister in law and she flipped over the hood and landed on the ground. Some of the passengers got out but then jumped back in and the car sped off. The ended up stealing her phone that had fallen on the ground. Emergency services quickly got there and took my sister-in-law to the hospital. She has sustained injuries. The twin babies seem to be okay for now.
It was a black car, smaller sedan … The windows were tinted extremely dark, so you could not see inside at all. The men that got out were all Black, late teens or early 20s. The license plate of the car is CDM3—. The police were given all the details, but I’m still waiting for a detective to be assigned to the case. The incident number is 2022-183326.
Matt says his sister-in-law is still in the hospital, transferred to OB care after initial trauma care at Harborview.
(WSB photo, 2018 Concert in the Park)>
Another beautiful evening is forecast for Tuesday – clear and warm. Spend part of it outside enjoying live, lively music from the West Seattle Big Band, bringing back its annual Concert in the Park. New location this year – High Point Commons Park (3201 SW Graham) – since Hiawatha’s closure means it’s out of the mix as a concert venue this year, even for outdoor shows. This is an annual free concert that the WSBB performs for the community – you’ll see and hear about 20 musicians, directed by Jim Edwards, performing classic songs, both instrumental and vocal arrangements. (Never seen them? Check out video of past concerts.) The WSBB is celebrating its 25th anniversary, founded by West Seattle High School alumni in 1996 (here’s the backstory). They donate their time at other shows throughout the year to support local students – this one, however, is free, so bring a picnic dinner, blankets and/or chairs, and enjoy the Concert in the Park starting at 7 pm Tuesday.
6:48 PM: Thanks for the tips. The big police response at 34th/Morgan was because of a person in crisis outside the Stewart Manor. He was believed to have possibly had a knife. Police have just ended the standoff and taken him into custody after using a beanbag round. The scene should be clearing soon.
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: The police-report summary says they first got a call at 3:06 pm:
Officers arrived and located the suspect in an agitated state holding a stick and claiming to want to fight the reporting party. The suspect was observed while the victim was contacted. The victim reported that the suspect had approached his apartment door brandishing a knife while making threats to kill the victim and causing damage to the door. Probable cause was established for felony harassment. The suspect was advised he was under arrest, but he retreated further into a contained rear fence area. The suspect produced a knife and waived it at officers while stating he wanted to fight and was planning suicide by cop. After verbal communications broke down, HNT was requested. A lengthy standoff ensued until the subject’s behavior escalated. After breaking a window with a large rock, the suspect removed his belt and held it as a whip in one hand while waiving the knife around in the other. The suspect began cutting himself with the knife causing multiple lacerations to his torso and arm. In an effort to take the suspect into custody, a less lethal launcher was used resulting in a type II Use of Force. The suspect became compliant shortly thereafter and was taken into custody without further incident. The suspect was transported to HMC for medical treatment before being booked into KCJ.
(HNT = trained officer[s] from the Hostage Negotiation Team.)
In the past hour and a half, firefighters have been working to extinguish a fire at a house near 32nd SW and SW Juneau in High Point. SFD says one person was home at the time and got out OK, but one firefighter suffered what are described as “minor injuries.” Some of the initial large response has been dismissed, but the incident log shows 10 units still on scene, including fire investigators working to find out how this started.
7:20 PM: Thanks for the tips. Police are investigating another case of car-to-car gunfire right now – they’ve found “rifle casings” at two scenes, both in High Point, one on SW Graham and one on SW Morgan (both at the intersections with Lanham). No victims reported so far. Police are blocking traffic on SW Graham at 34th and to the east of there. Updates to come.
7:29 PM: Now police are saying there’s only one scene with casings, Graham/Lanham. According to dispatch, differing descriptions of the cars involved. (added) They’re also checking Sylvan/Holly.
7:45 PM: Photos added of markers showing where casings were found. Our crew talked with some of the witnesses who say they saw gunfire from a white car, and that a red car might have been involved too.
ADDED FRIDAY MORNING: Police say this incident and the earlier one in Sunrise Heights might be related. Their summary of this one says, “Witnesses advised that a red sedan was following a white sedan from behind, heading Westbound on SW Graham St. Witnesses said occupants from both vehicles were firing shots. Officers located evidence of a shooting from Lanham Pl Sw and SW Graham St. Officers also found evidence of a shooting at the west side of the intersection of 35 Ave Sw/SW Graham St. Officers continued to canvas the area and found property damage on an unoccupied vehicle.” If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 22-106623.
If SDOT sticks with the originally announced schedule, this could be the last update on the so-called “driver report card” signs in High Point, installed in hopes of raising awareness of the need to stop for pedestrians at intersections, whether they have marked crosswalks or not. Above, the 34th/Morgan marked crosswalk had a 26 percent stop rate in this week’s check, down 1 percent from last week. The unmarked crossing on Sylvan Way was up one percent:
We’ll be checking on Monday to see if the signs will indeed be moved elsewhere after this week. The original announcement suggested Rainier Beach would be next.
From Neighborhood House, word that this class still has openings:
The Ready to Work ESOL and job skills program is still enrolling for spring quarter. Students must live in Seattle and be 18 or older. Class is in-person at Neighborhood House AND on Zoom. Computers and hotspots are provided. This class is for people who want to get a job in the next 6 months. Classes started this week. Reach out to Katie to ask questions or sign up: 206-335-6170 or katiel@nhwa.org.
Week 4 of what the city says is a six-week experiment – two signs in High Point displaying results from a weekly check of how many drivers stop for pedestrians. Above, the Sylvan Way count is up to 17 percent, for an unmarked crossing, from last week‘s 11 percent; below, the 34th/Morgan marked crosswalk takes a drop to 22 percent from last week’s 43 percent.
According to SDOT, the percentages are from a hand count done by student interns working with Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association. After six weeks, the signs are supposed to be moved elsewhere in the city.
It’s the third week for what SDOT says is a six-week pilot program tallying whether drivers are stopping for pedestrians. The two signs in West Seattle are updated on Fridays with results of a count taken by student interns earlier in the week. Above, the sign at the 34th/Morgan marked crossing shows 43 percent this week, up from 28 percent a week earlier; below, 11 percent at the unmarked crossing on Sylvan Way near Sylvan Heights, up from 10 percent a week earlier:
After six weeks here, SDOT says the signs will be moved elsewhere in the city, as it gets rolling on a two-year safety campaign.
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