As reported here early this morning, our area’s first homicide victim in more than a year ad a half was a 28-year-old man shot in High Point; our area’s previous homicide victim was a 15-year-old boy shot in High Point. Between those two deadly shootings, there have been not only shootings with physical injuries, but also incidents with damage and/or close calls that have terrified residents. Even before today’s murder, a community event was planned in High Point next week to address gun violence, “It Takes a Village,” hosted by DNDA in collaboration with other organizations – here’s the announcement they sent us today:

It Takes a Village will occur August 18th, 5:00-7:30 pm, at Neighborhood House in High Point.

It Takes a Village is a community seminar presented in collaboration with the Seattle Housing Authority, Seattle Police Department, and Seattle Public Schools. The event will feature a presentation by Fahima Mohamed, DNDA’s High Point Youth Coordinator, highlighting findings from surveys of local youth and parents/caregivers about the impact of gun violence in the neighborhood.

Following the presentation, representatives from participating organizations will take part in a panel discussion, providing an opportunity for community members to ask questions, share concerns, and learn about available resources and support services.

To conclude the evening on a positive note, attendees will be invited to enjoy ice cream and participate in a basketball dunk competition, helping bring the community together after a conversation on an important and challenging topic.

Neighborhood House is at 6400 Sylvan Way SW. To RSVP for this event, go here.

P.S. This is separate from the SPD-hosted “Our City, Our Safety” meeting this Wednesday (August 12), 6 pm at Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW), but some of the same issues will likely be discussed there too.

SUNDAY 12:24 PM: The image is from Kevin Freitas, who first sounded the alarm about a hornet nest on the north side of 40th/Alaska last Wednesday. By Thursday he said he’d spoken to a Puget Sound Beekeepers Association member who indicated they’d likely “take care of it” at some point. But it’s still there, according to other readers, who also suggested a wider warning, so we’re mentioning it now.

P.S. Hornets and wasps may be worrisome but if you see or have a bee swarm, it’s not, and a PSBA member would likely be interested in relocating those.

MONDAY 12:13 PM: By multiple accounts, including OP Kevin, the nest has been killed and removed.

(CARE Department photo)

Starting tomorrow, the crisis responders who are part of the city’s CARE public-safety department are expanding their hours citywide. Here’s the announcement:

Effective tomorrow, August 5, the Seattle CARE Department’s Community Crisis Responders (CCRs) will operate from 6:30-1:00 AM daily, citywide. Current citywide service is from 12:00-10:00 PM daily.
This expansion into the early morning and late night hours addresses a significant need for community support during windows of time when our call data shows the highest volume of calls that crisis responders can support, including welfare checks, requests for resources, and assistance with people who are experiencing a crisis. Approximately 84% of the responders’ most common call types come in between 6:30-1:00 AM.

By sending highly trained and unarmed mental health professionals to these events, the CARE Department helps the City of Seattle address underlying needs and connect people in need to long-term solutions. So far this year, crisis responders have responded to 6,279 calls, compared to 7,136 for all of 2025.
The public can continue to call 911 or the City’s non-emergency line (206-625-5011) to request the CCRs, including for welfare checks, referrals, and resources. Call-takers will determine the appropriate response based on the scenario.

The flashing beacons at the 63rd/Beach Drive crosswalk are now activated, reports Pooja, who sent the photo. They were installed but not activated last month because of restriping work that still had to be done, SDOT told us at the time. The poles for the lights went up six months ago, but SDOT had to wait months longer for the “equipment and materials.”

By Macey Wurm
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

More than six months after we broke the news about an RV lot/tiny-house village planned for 7201 2nd SW in southeast West Seattle, construction has yet to begin.

We’ve been driving by the site looking for signs of impending construction; the photo above is what we saw Tuesday afternoon – nothing in sight. But the Low-Income Housing Institute, which has a $3 million contract to open the site, insists that construction is imminent.

As we’ve reported, the site now called Glassyard Commons would host space for 72 RVs and 20 tiny homes, with the RV residents allowed in if they agree to eventually give up their vehicles.

The project is “religiously sponsored” by New Hope Missionary Baptist Church, in theory making the permitting process more efficient by not requiring the government-owned land to be re-zoned. So far though, the project does not seem to be moving with the speed originally expected, with an original projection that it would be open before the Seattle World Cup matches (the last of which was two weeks ago).

That plan had changed by May, when our observation that construction had yet to start led us to reach out to Marta Kidane, LIHI’s community engagement manager. for an updated projection. She then confirmed that the site wouldn’t be open until after the World Cup. The new estimate at that time: the end of the summer. Also at this time, Kidane mentioned that the construction permit, water-service application, and electrical-service application have “preliminary approval and will be issued soon.”

Records viewable online through the Seattle Services Portal currently show a construction permit awaitings “corrections,” an electrical permit that has been issued, and a minor utility permit that has been issued in recent months at the 7201 2nd Ave SW address.

After observing that construction has yet to begin, we just followed up again with Kidane for an update. As of now, Kidane says, construction is expected to begin this month with a target of opening the site in November.

This report is from Patricia:

This person was stalking two women who were unaware at 9:15 AM this morning. (Leering and pacing their movements, Example, they stopped, he stops, they go faster, he walks faster.) They were alerted and he became agitated. He got on the bus at Admiral in California heading south. Just want folks to be aware, especially women and young girls. Please be aware of your surroundings.

She sent a photo of the person, which you can see here if you choose to click (note that he is making a lewd geature, so view at your own risk). SPD report # is 26-204268.

Once this weekend’s festival is over, and once next weekend’s parade is past, The Junction will see some curb-ramp work at a busy corner. SDOT sent word today that crews will be replacing the curb ramp on the southeast corner of California and Alaska, hoping to complete the work between Tuesday, July 21, and Friday, July 24. The work will include some temporary sidewalk and lane closures; here’s the document for the “traffic control plan.” We’ll be following up Monday regarding the reason for the replacement.

Two texters reported new street-safety installations:

That photo accompanied a report that SDOT had painted new crosswalks at 49th/Alaska, west of The Junction. Another texter reported a crew installing new speed bumps at 31st/Holden – we went over for a photo:

We actually found two new sets of speed bumps – that one just west of 32nd/Holden, plus the set just west of 31st/Holde.

(WSB photo, Saturday)

Five months after the poles were put in place for a new flashing-beacon crosswalk at 63rd SW and Beach Drive SW, the lights were finally installed Saturday, as reported here after we happened onto the crew at work that day. THey told us the beacons wouldn’t be usable until final striping of the crossing, though, and the crew didn’t have the timeline for that. So we followed up with SDOT and got the reply today:

The crosswalk at 63rd Ave SW and Beach Drive SW will be moved about 15 feet to the south so it lines up with newly built curb ramps. The flashing pedestrian beacons cannot be activated until the crosswalk is moved and all related signs and pavement markings are installed.

The remaining work includes installing the crosswalk in its final location, adding lane markings and bike lane markings on the street, and installing pedestrian crossing signs.

At this time, the week of July 13–17 remains our best estimate for completing the remaining work and activating the beacons.

After the beacon poles were installed, the project experienced delays in receiving some of the materials and equipment needed to complete the crossing improvements and prepare the system for activation.

For five months, the poles for flashing beacons at the new 63rd/Beach Drive crossing have been in place (here’s our January update), awaiting the beacons. We’ve checked in periodically with SDOT, and they’ve replied repeatedly that they were waiting for the equipment to arrive. That’s finally happened; WSB contributor Anne Higuera noticed the crew at work while passing through the area a short time ago and stopped to ask about the project’s status and get a photo. They told her that the beacon should be operational today, but the activation buttons will be bagged because the striping has to be finished. We don’t have a timeline for that but will check with SDOT on Monday. It’s been a year and a half since this was announced as a “2025 project.”

1:54 PM: As previously reported, some City Councilmembers including District 1’s Rob Saka recently urged Mayor Katie Wilson to change her plan for leaving stadium-area surveillance cameras turned off unless there was a “credible threat.” Just out of the inbox, the mayor says she’ll order them turned on:

Today, Mayor Katie B. Wilson released the following statement on FIFA World Cup safety:

“Earlier this week, I received an updated briefing from the Seattle Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation on the current global and local threat environment. The breadth and depth of intelligence gathering that informed the briefing identified general but credible threats to safety and security during the games. While not unexpected given an event of this magnitude, this information has persuaded our law enforcement, emergency management, and FIFA security partners that we should be operating at a heightened risk level. Given this information, the Stadium District cameras will be activated during the FIFA World Cup tournament.

The safety and security of residents, visitors, and fans is our highest priority, and I understand that many community members are deeply concerned about privacy, civil liberties, and the appropriate use of public safety technology. I share those values. While I have decided to have the cameras ready to help us quickly establish situational awareness near the stadiums if needed, we will continue honing our policies and protections to safeguard the data these videos capture.

I have tremendous confidence in our law enforcement, emergency management, and FIFA security partners. Together, we have developed a strong thoughtful plan that prioritizes both public safety and the positive experience of everyone attending these events. Seattle is ready to welcome the world. This summer, people from across the globe will experience our city, our neighborhoods, and our values firsthand. The world will celebrate Juneteenth and Pride Weekend with us. We look forward to showcasing the very best of Seattle while ensuring a safe, memorable, and successful World Cup for all.”

4:05 PM: Councilmembers have been issuing reaction statements one by one, no opposition so far. Here’s what Councilmember Saka said.