West Seattle, Washington

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Safety 1622 results

Back-to-school week: Sanislo walkers’ unresolved safety issue
September 4, 2008 10:26 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

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We told you a few weeks ago that work was almost done on the new sidewalks leading to Sanislo Elementary School (map) leading to it from the east. On the first day of school, as the photo above shows, the sidewalk was open and in use. But there’s another issue left resolved: Crossing nearby streets safely. Close to the school, student crossing guards are on the job, like Antje Staudt‘s daughter:

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But about a block east, where Myrtle meets busy arterial 16th SW (map) – still no adult crossing guard. We first talked with Antje and other Sanislo parents last spring (WSB coverage here) when the situation came to light: The longtime crossing guard had become chronically ill, and wasn’t replaced — in the midst of a citywide crossing-guard crunch, with dozens of positions open. Sanislo parents and administrators had been working with citywide pedestrian-advocacy group Feet First on the issue; FF says the police department, which administers the crossing-guard program (from central HQ, not from local precincts), hired several new guards citywide but still has no current plan to replace the 16th/Myrtle guard. FF says concerns can be directed to Karen Bye, who runs the guard program, at 684-8984. By the way, while we were in the area Wednesday morning, we noticed police on patrol for traffic violators in the school zone – an alleged violator got pulled over heading north on 16th SW near the intersection:

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The City Council has a Pedestrian Safety committee, but its next quarterly meeting is not planned till December.

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More future “sharrows” sighted on California SW
September 1, 2008 8:58 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

sharrow.jpgWe’ve had two reports today of markings like the ones at left — placeholders for “sharrows” — appearing along California SW (thanks to Scott C and Patt for the tips) in various spots between Alaska and Morgan Junctions. “Sharrows” are meant to remind drivers and bikers that they share the road. They’re already in place on other major routes including Admiral Way and Beach Drive (put in place about this time last year), and the city’s Bicycle Master Plan has them in the works for California SW all the way from College (in North Admiral) to Thistle, along with other streets (here’s the full map of the various bicycle “facilities,” including sharrows and bike lanes, envisioned for West Seattle).

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Mail-thief alert
August 30, 2008 6:37 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from Don, who wants you to be aware of what happened to him:

In the neighborhood due south of Alaska Junction’s Jefferson Square, we discovered that mail had been taken from our box, opened, and gone through, in search of credit card information and anything else of value. The perps tossed the remainder in our yard, which was ironic, as one thing of value turned out to be some expensive train tickets for an upcoming vacation trip. The only thing we actually lost was one of those fake credit-card-like things on a junk-mail come-on from American Express, but we found pieces of the neighbor’s mail near our house as well. When we mentioned this to USPS personnel, they told us to call the police and file a report, and let the local postmaster know as well.

BE ON THE LOOKOUT. These creeps take advantage of unlocked mailboxes and have no problem committing local and federal crimes. They are probably working neighborhoods across the area.

In a later e-mail exchange, Don told us police would not take a phoned-in report because nothing of value was missing. We will be checking with local police leadership after the holiday to see if there is a baseline for reports to be taken in this kind of situation; Don’s filing a report online with USPS, in the meantime.

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Crime/safety update for south WS, including some good news
August 29, 2008 10:32 am
|    Comments Off on Crime/safety update for south WS, including some good news
 |   Crime | Delridge | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police | White Center

Some of what was discussed at last night’s South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition meeting will be of interest to anyone living/working in south West Seattle – including some good news about ongoing issues in the area — so we’d like to point you to the full report we have just posted on partner site White Center Now; you can read it here.

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Reader report: Double trouble at 35th/Roxbury
August 28, 2008 12:33 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

From the WSB inbox:

My name is Cody, and I live on the corner of 35th and Roxbury. Monday morning my car was parked across from the Freedom Church on Roxbury and I had found that someone had flexed my window damaging it and broke in trashing my car and throwing everything out of my glovebox trying to find something. Living in Seattle I’ve learned to keep nothing of value in my car so the only thing they got was a broken iPhone charger :). This morning I walked out to my car parked on 35th and found that someone had side swiped me, taking out my back tail light, and mirror and leaving a nice big white scrape all along the driver’s side. This has not really been my week. I just wanted to let people know to park at your own risk on 35th and Roxbury.

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Alert: Possible metal-theft casing?
August 28, 2008 11:23 am
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

Christopher just sent this – in light of this recent discussion, you might want to be on the lookout:

Just a few minutes ago I watched a man walk down my alley (just off
Oregon between 40th and 41st). He was white, thin, in his 20’s, about
5 foot 7, wearing blue jeans, a blue jacket and a baseball cap. He
drew my attention because he seemed to be acting
suspiciously…looking around at my neighbor’s doorways. When I saw
him pick-up and examine a copper garden ornament in a neighbor’s
garden I decided to go out there to see what was up. When he saw me
he put the item down and walked away. I called the SPD non-emergency
number and filed a report while I followed him on foot for a few
blocks until I lost him. He may or may not have driven away in a
small red Chevrolet that was parked at 39th and Oregon. Just wanted
to spread the word. From what I heard, 11 am seems to be prime
burglary time. I’m not sure if he was looking for metal in general or
if he was just opportunistic. Just thought I’d pass this along so
folks can be on the lookout.

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Dog poisonings: Investigation expands, citywide media covers
August 24, 2008 2:02 am
|    Comments Off on Dog poisonings: Investigation expands, citywide media covers
 |   Crime | Pets | Safety | West Seattle news

poisoneddog.jpgSince Friday morning, when we first posted the story of Kate K and her dog Coco — who is recovering from being poisoned in her own yard — the comment thread brought two other nearby residents forward with stories about dog poisonings – and that has animal authorities investigating whether these cases might be linked (at Kate’s request, we e-mailed those two commenters to be sure they saw her note about contacting the investigator). It’s also brought two citywide-media reports – we want to thank the Times for crediting WSB and those commenters in its report today (here’s the link); the other report didn’t. Thanks also to those who shared advice on emergency vets.

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West Seattle metal theft: WSB’er makes a map for you
August 23, 2008 7:45 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news


View Larger Map

Based on this report and the comments that followed, Steve made the map you see above and asked us to share it – it’s open to collaboration (if it happened to you, go here and add your location). Unfortunately, he has extra impetus to see these guys get caught, as he wrote:

I decided to map out the locations of casings and thefts as suggested by the poster “Jana.” In the middle of typing a reply to the post, inviting Jana and other WSB’ers to view the Google map I created, I received a call from home to let me know that we had been hit (Thursday night).

If you aren’t familiar with how to use Google Maps, here’s the user guide. Meantime, we’re sorry to hear about Steve getting ripped off, but grateful for his generosity in making and sharing the map!

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Pet alert: West Seattle dog recovering from poison
August 22, 2008 11:44 am
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Genesee Hill | Pets | Safety | West Seattle news

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That’s Coco the dog, wearing bandages where she needed IV treatment for medications and fluids after an apparent poisoning right in her own yard in the 47th/Genesee vicinity (here’s a map). We first heard from Coco’s owner Kate K very early this morning, and then a followup after they visited the vet – she’s also put up flyers to get the word out (we just got e-mail about one of them) – here’s her story:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Updates from last night
August 20, 2008 12:05 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Prevention Council: Updates from last night
 |   Crime | Safety | Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

We weren’t sure whether to chuckle or cry when we found out last night’s Seattle Police Department Citizen Appreciation Awards event would keep us from visiting the Southwest Precinct to personally report on the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, which we consider a monthly must-cover. Luckily, we were able to draft previous WSB contributor Evan Baumgardner into service for the occasion – and he brought back important info, including an update on a recent business break-in, other West Seattle crime trends, and a request for ideas from YOU – here’s his report:Read More

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Fighting crime: City proposal today; West Seattle CPC tonight
August 19, 2008 10:53 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

“SAFER STREETS INITIATIVE”: City Councilmember Tim Burgess posted about this proposal on his blog today; the council’s Public Safety, Human Services and Education Committee, which he chairs, will start reviewing it this afternoon. It’s a 12-point proposal, and you can read it in its entirety here, but these three points in particular caught our eye:

Re-establish one police detective position dedicated to the tracking and analysis of graffiti crime…

Return School Resource Officers to select public high schools and middle schools…

Enact new legislation that imposes civil and criminal penalties when businesses, property owners or property managers knowingly allow criminal behavior to occur and fail to take steps to stop it…

The committee meets at 2 pm; you can see the meeting live via the Seattle Channel, online or on TV @ cable channel 21.

WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL TONIGHT! We tell you about this one every month, before AND after. If you only attend one community meeting a month – this one is worth your time if there is anything about crime or safety in your neighborhood that has you concerned. Not only do you get great information on what’s happening in the area and what to do about problem spots (so-called “nuisance properties”), you also get a chance to directly ask questions of Southwest Precinct police reps who attend the meeting. 7 pm, SWP meeting room (Delridge/Webster, enter the parking lot from Webster).

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Southwest Precinct Public Safety Newsletter: Read it here
August 14, 2008 4:45 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle police

blockpartysign.jpgThe final record-setting tally for registered Night Out block-party events in West Seattle last week (WSB coverage here and here): 217. That’s just part of what’s in Southwest Precinct crime prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow‘s latest public-safety newsletter, along with more details on what you’ll see at this Saturday’s Picnic at the Precinct (1-4 pm, be there!), and an item of interest for people with home alarm systems. Read the newsletter here.

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Crime Watch reader reports: Monday mugging; hit-run crash
August 13, 2008 10:59 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

If you look at the link dates on the WSB Crime Watch page, things were quiet for a long stretch – now that’s changed, at least temporarily. Two more reader reports ahead, along with a reminder about two ways to become a better neighborhood crimefighter:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Casing alert
August 13, 2008 12:02 pm
|      29 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from “a resident on 40th between Alaska and Oregon” (map): The note begins, “Just wanted to let the community know about a guy who was casing our house today …” Here’s the rest, including a precise description of the person:Read More

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West Seattle Crime Watch: From the police-report files
August 12, 2008 3:29 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch: From the police-report files
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

We’re still combing through the past week or so of reports filed and approved at the Southwest Precinct – read on for the noteworthy cases we’ve seen so far:Read More

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One simple way to help make it safer to walk in Seattle
August 12, 2008 7:06 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | Safety

About 500 green survey forms for the city’s Pedestrian Master Plan are in circulation in West Seattle – but only about 100 have been returned. Now’s the time: If you got one, fill it out and send it in; it won’t cost you a cent, since it’s already addressed and stamped. As West Seattle walking advocate Chas Redmond says, “West Seattle has a lot of issues with sidewalks and connections and no-crosswalk streets so it really behooves residents to fill the questionnaire out and simply drop it in a mailbox – post-paid and addressed already.” If you didn’t get one, you can still help; an online version of the survey is linked from this page.

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Councilmember checks into 911 calls that go astray
August 7, 2008 6:38 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

beforefireunits.jpgAfter the Alki duplex fire two weeks ago tonight, someone commented on WSB that their initial call to 911 was routed to Kitsap County. West Seattle-residing City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen read that comment, noting it’s happened to him too, and decided to check into it. He and his staff found out what happens in cases like that, why, and one good way to make sure it doesn’t hold up emergency reporting; they shared their discoveries with WSB – read on:Read More

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Night Out, the night after: More photos
August 6, 2008 9:04 pm
|    Comments Off on Night Out, the night after: More photos
 |   Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

This time last night, thousands of West Seattleites were out in the streets enjoying a summer night with their neighbors, as part of National Night Out. (Previous WSB coverage, with lots of pix, here and here.) Tonight – we have a few more photos to share, thanks to folks who sent pix from parties we didn’t get to. This one’s from the party Michal-Ann says was the “best ever” for the 4700 block of 25th SW:

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That’s a homemade pinata that later yielded its treasure trove of candy. The block also got a visit from the firefighters of Engine 36:

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And that meant kids got an up-close-and-personal look at Engine 36, too:

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From another party last night, Luckie says her block’s turnout was the best ever — they expanded the invitation zone — and they were even visited by “royalty”: two little girls turned up in identical princess garb!

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And from one of the parties we DID get to, Susie‘s block, one more photo – all 16 kids on the block posed for a group shot:

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Beach Drive Blog, meantime, has not only a party photo, but also a recipe.

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West Seattle Night Out report #2: Pictures from you
August 6, 2008 1:17 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | Pigeon Point | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

In report #1, we showed you the pix we took and posted while traveling around West Seattle 6-9:30 pm last night to visit Night Out parties. Only made it to a dozen of the 32-ish stops we’d hoped to visit – next year we’ll split up AND recruit reinforcements! But luckily pix are starting to come in from places we didn’t get to – like the Pigeon Point party with almost 100 participants — Pete Spalding, shown below with Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler, sent some pix:

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Capt. Kessler and other precinct leaders made the rounds to other Night Out events around West Seattle; we’ve heard of at least a few other sightings. Back to Pigeon Point, here are three other shots Pete sent – note they had Fire Department representation too – in this next photo, Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council president Matt Swenson is in the foreground, with longtime neighborhood volunteer Ed Doyne in the center:

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Now, from Arbor Heights, State Sen. Joe McDermott sends a photo of Joy and Anna, whose karaoke number he found himself introducing when he stopped by their neighborhood’s block party near 100th/California:

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Speaking of music, here’s that video we promised with the jam by the 40th Street Band, headlining the Fairmount Springs block party we featured in our first report:

Video thumbnail. Click to play
Click pic to play video

And we have a block-party report from Arbor Heights Elementary teacher Mark Ahlness, who shows us what happened in his Gatewood neighborhood:

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Mark also shared this report:

OMG what a beautiful night! At the corner of SW Elmgrove and 39th SW we had our annual Night Out. We were definitely feeling the absence of co-host for so many years Wilma, but husband Wally, son Ed, and neighbors carried on. We wished Wilma a speedy return from the hospital – sent her a banner and a group “Hi” picture tonight. Our local fire department spent some time with us again – a tradition we really appreciate and enjoy.

Here’s the banner they made for Wilma, followed by the visit from Engine 37 (which is getting a new station at 35th/Holden – city status reports say construction starts soon), and the group shot Mark mentioned:

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Next chance to meet neighbors and local law enforcers: Picnic at the Precinct, Saturday 8/16, 1-4 pm at the Southwest Precinct (Delridge/Webster; map).

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Night Out 2008: Liveblogging our stops
August 5, 2008 6:04 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

(refresh and/or scroll to the bottom for frequent updates as we report Night Out ’08 in West Seattle from the road!)
More than 30 stops in three-plus hours, can we do it? We’re going to try! Just before 6 pm, we left WSB headquarters in Upper Fauntleroy, headed north. First stop, a North Admiral bash that sounded like it would start on the early side of the time frame – many folks warned us they wouldn’t get going before 6:30 because everyone needed to get home from work and get settled. Updates in this post as we get them …

6:16 PM UPDATE: That party on Prescott is just getting going – with a giveaway for emergency preparedness supplies – but we’re going to have to change our route; there’s a big callout to 2615 SW Barton, near Westwood Village, “fire in building,” we’ve even seen engines heading out from this side. So we’re heading back to south West Seattle to check it out.

6:21 PM UPDATE: Probably not too huge – scanner says Ladder 11 has just been dismissed from the scene. We’ve had to sit through three lights from Avalon to turn left on 35th – should have taken Delridge.

6:32 PM UPDATE: Looks like a fire truck at Daystar across from Westwood Village, way back on the south side. Getting out to investigate, no smoke visible or other signs of a major emergency. We have Highland Park Night Out parties on the list so we’ll just go there next if nothing’s seriously wrong here.

6:35 PM UPDATE: “Food on the stove,” the verdict from firefighters. Nothing to see here, moving along.

6:40 PM UPDATE: Adding a photo of organizer Meredith from the North Admiral block party:

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6:46 PM UPDATE: We’re in Highland Park, where Dina and Blair Johnson of the Highland Park Action Committee let us know about their block party. Photo to come, before we head to another HP stop. 7:02 PM UPDATE: First photo is from the party on the Johnsons’ block; next two, from the 8600 block of 12th a few blocks away, where Michelle tells us it’s the third year they’ve had a Night Out party, and this year several new families have just moved in and are participating.

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Saw yet another party in the middle of the street in Highland Park as we headed back westward; snapped a quick pic, will use that later.

7:08 PM UPDATE: Now we’re in Fauntleroy, to check out a block party a few blocks east of the ferry dock. An SPD car is parked here — we know some of the folks from the precinct are out making the rounds tonight. (Added a few minutes later …) Here’s who we found at this party — Officer John Nark, standing with neighbor Will Castillo; the party was outside the home of John Bartell:

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7:18 PM UPDATE: We’re in Arbor Heights now – southwestern most stop on the tour, party at 102nd and 44th. After that, Westwood. We’ve driven by two locations that unfortunately aren’t quite up and running yet – we’ll get back this way later if we can, but in the meantime, heading north toward Morgan and Fairmount. Here’s the Arbor Heights party we visited:

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7:34 PM UPDATE: Still in Westwood, checking out the party Kelly told us about, off Thistle, just a few blocks west of Denny Middle School and Southwest Community Center. They’re having fun at this one – check out the pig pinata, and the cards for “Know Your Neighbor Bingo”:

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7:42 PM UPDATE: Now we’re near 31st/Myrtle, just east of Our Lady of Guadalupe, south of High Point playfield, where Ingrid invited us to stop by for pix. We passed by Mars Hill Church-West Seattle and they seem to have quite the gathering going to – we’ll catch a photo later if it’s still happening when we head back this way. Here’s a photo from Ingrid’s party – tiki torches and barbecued ribs; lucky the weather is matching the tropical motif:

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7:55 PM UPDATE: Now we’re in Morgan Junction to check in on a neighborhood-radio test that’s happening as part of Night Out. More on that shortly.

8:21 PM UPDATE: We’re stopping now at one of the biggest block parties yet – Fairmount Springs, just off Fauntleroy, in the 5600 block of 40th SW. Live band and all. Photos in a moment – but first, Ron Zuber, heading up the neighborhood radio test a short time ago from his deck in upper Morgan Junction – beautiful sunset:

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More later on how the test went – there were about half a dozen neighborhood reps stationed all over West Seattle testing to see if they could communicate neighborhood-to-neighborhood with simple handheld walkie-talkie-type “family radios,” in case of catastrophe. After that, on the way from Ron’s house to Fairmount Springs, we caught this flyby on cam – coincidence, or Night Out special feature?

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8:33 PM UPDATE: Stopping now in the 42nd/Brandon vicinity – here’s a photo from Fairmount Springs, featuring the 40th Street Band (got them on video too, will post that later):

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8:42 PM UPDATE: From 42nd/Brandon – first a group shot, then Susie and husband holding rare commodities – West Seattle Hard Core bumper stickers (It’s a Bridge, Not a Freeway and West Seattle Hardcore) – they gave us some to take home – thanks!

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Next stop, 5400 block of 45th, invited by Kristina – and then we’re going to see if the Junction Neighborhood Organization block party’s still in full swing before it gets too dark …

kristinaparty.jpg9 PM UPDATE: Our camera doesn’t handle dusk too well so the photo you see at left is the best one we have of the 5400 block of 45th; we’re in the Admiral District now, hoping flash will work for one of the parties still going at this semi-late hour, in the neighborhood where Admiral Neighborhood Association president Mark Wainwright lives. Meantime, speaking of neighborhood-association leaders, JuNO president Erica Karlovits was at her group’s gathering in The Junction; they’re collecting signatures on some of those petitions we told you about last week (which also got a writeup on Slog today). And that party is where we met Zukor the puppy (not sure if we’re spelling the name right – nobody there really knew for sure – Zukor belongs to a partygoer’s roommate, we were informed!):

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9:17 PM UPDATE: Turns out that wasn’t Mark’s party – we were a block or two off (eyes failing in the dimming light), and we found Al Vincent and his neighbors – also in a tropical mood (as are parts of Al’s house, see photo below right):

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Bonnie in the WSB Forums is asking how to sign up for next year – as we replied there, just keep an eye on the Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention webpage (and of course, on WSB too, as we will give you lots of advance notice – and you can find the crime prevention link any time from the resources at the bottom of our Crime Watch page) – you can sign up online to close off your (non-arterial) street for a block party on Night Out, which is usually the first night in August. We didn’t make our unrealistic goal of hitting all 30-plus parties at which we would have been welcome – but we got to as many as we could – and we welcome you to send us your pix of your party, wherever it was, as we will post more pix as we get them! Meantime, we’ll wrap up this part of the coverage with another beautiful sunset photo, taken by Brian Hawksford from Fauntleroy:

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Night Out tonight: Send us YOUR pix, too!
August 5, 2008 3:52 pm
|    Comments Off on Night Out tonight: Send us YOUR pix, too!
 |   Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

nightout.jpgThanks to more than 30 neighborhoods who’ve e-mailed to say they’re OK with WSB stopping by for Night Out block-party pix tonight – we’re plotting our travels at this very moment in hopes we can get to them all – But if we don’t, or if you didn’t e-mail to give us permission to come by, we would love to put up photos you send us – be sure to include the general neighborhood ID info (nearest intersection is fine), names of people in the pix are preferred but optional – editor@westseattleblog.com is the best address; thanks, have a great time tonight, and if you’re online, check back here for our frequently updated coverage as we make the rounds! (P.S. Crimefighting info is available year-round at the crime-prevention page on the Southwest Precinct website.)

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Night Out tomorrow: More than crimefighting and celebrating
August 4, 2008 9:00 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Neighborhoods | Safety | West Seattle news

By this time tomorrow night, dozens of neighborhoods all around West Seattle will be finishing up, or cleaning up after, their Night Out block parties – more than 200 registered for the right to block off their (non-arterial) streets, nightout.jpgaccording to what we heard from Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Benjamin Kinlow a few days ago. (And thanks to everyone who e-mailed us when we asked to hear from block-party-throwers who wouldn’t mind WSB showing up for a photo or two – we hope to see many, hopefully all, of you tomorrow night!) But one other thing worth noting – while the main purpose of Night Out is to get people together to celebrate neighborhood solidarity and raise awareness about safety and crimefighting, more than half a dozen areas of West Seattle are also participating in a test of radio communications in case of a disaster or other major emergency – they’ll be doing a relay of sorts using simple walkie-talkie-type “family radios,” to see how well information could be relayed neighborhood to neighborhood across the peninsula if necessary. This is a spinoff from some of the emergency-preparedness events we told you about a few months back; we’ll let you know how the test goes – and we’ll be posting in-progress updates on Night Out tomorrow as we travel around West Seattle! (Just found out it’s the nationwide event’s 25th anniversary.)

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West Seattle Crime Watch reader report: Park car break-in
August 1, 2008 6:30 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Safety | West Seattle news

Out of the WSB inbox, from Michale:

Just thought your readers should know that my car was broke into at the Westcrest dog park yesterday around 5 PM. My passenger side window was smashed out and the door frame bent. This was in the North parking lot. A couple of days ago, there was glass from another car window that had been smashed out. I should have taken the hint and parked somewhere else! I just want to warn other readers that this is happening at the dog park lately and be advised to make sure there are no valuables in the car. This seems to be a smash and grab. The thief did not take the time to go through my car, but simply reached through and grabbed a saddle bag – luckily for me it was empty.

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