West Seattle, Washington
25 Monday
Rainy Friday commute ahead. Above, the eastbound West Seattle Bridge view; below, the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct view:
7:07 AM: You can see more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page. Looking ahead to the weekend, no major projects on the routes through/from/to West Seattle, but if you’re heading off-peninsula, check out SDOT‘s citywide weekend preview here.
8:01 AM: Still no major incidents. WSDOT reports most major routes are slower than usual.
The family of West Seattleite Mary Jane Holtan shares this remembrance and announcement of her upcoming memorial:
Mary Jane Holtan, 75, passed away on March 20th, 2014.
A Memorial will be held on April 5th at 4 pm at Alki United Church of Christ, 6115 SW Hinds.
Mary was born in Rapid City, South Dakota, to Ralph and Alice Platt, on April 27, 1938. She went to school at Mt. Si High School in Snoqualmie.
She married Oryland (Bud) Holtan on May 7th, 1960. Mary is preceded in death by her husband, her parents Ralph and Alice Platt, and her two Brothers James Platt and David Platt.
She is survived by Dean Holtan (son), Sheila Holtan (daughter-in-law), Janice Platt (sister-in-law), and several nieces and nephews.
Donations may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in Mary’s name online (here).
(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After an abbreviated Wednesday session in which the ailing defense team “powered through” the proceedings, as Judge Theresa B. Doyle put it, she granted their request to put the Morgan Junction murder trial into recess Thursday for an extra day off, so it resumes on Monday.
The defense is likely to rest its case next week after calling witnesses including defendant Lovett “Cid” Chambers‘s wife Sara Chambers.
Wednesday’s testimony started with vocabulary and ended with testing
The former Rocksport bartender who says she clashed with shooting victim Travis Hood over his use of the N-word was back on the stand as the day began.
11:38 PM: Happened to hear this on the scanner – Guardian One was in the vicinity and volunteered to help check out a call police were en route to, a possible prowler sighting/possible shots heard in the 30th/Roxbury vicinity. Now we’re hearing that sheriff’s deputies told police the shots were in White Center county territory to the south, involving someone firing a gun after an incident involving a car. No report of injury. The helicopter isn’t seeing any evidence of a prowler so might not be around for long.
ADDED 12:10 AM: A texter on the county side of the line says deputies are still out looking for evidence of the reported gunfire, in the 28th/104th vicinity.
ADDED 12:31 AM: Our texting tipster adds that deputies did find shell casings in that area. But still no indication of any shooting victim or damage. The deputies arrived on the scene quickly, he says, because they were in the area for canvassing related to the ongoing search for the Roxbury rapist.
Just in via text (206-293-6302), that photo of a sign mentioned today by several readers, who said the operators of the Taqueria El Antojo food truck posted it, telling customers they have to leave the Morgan Junction spot where they’ve been parked for the past six months, by the Short Stop market and adjacent cleaners north of Morgan Junction Park. The property is expected to become an expansion site for the park – the city’s been working for about two years to buy it – but county records do not show a finalized sale. If we hear about a new location for the truck, we’ll mention it – please let us know if you see it first.
Two reminders tonight:
SATURDAY SALE BENEFITING CO-OP PRESCHOOLS: As announced a month ago, the big consignment sale benefiting South Seattle Community College Cooperative Preschools is on for Saturday (March 29th), 9 am-1 pm, with more than 100 consigners participating, at the VFW Hall in The Triangle (3601 SW Alaska). Lots of advance info on the official Facebook page. We also got word today that Mountain to Sound Outfitters across Alaska will have a free barbecue for shoppers starting at noon that day – hot dogs, turkey dogs, veggie dogs.
MONDAY = DAY 1 FOR WS COMMUNITY GARAGE SALE DAY REGISTRATION: The 10th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day is coming up Saturday, May 10th – coordinated by WSB again this year – and we start signups next Monday, March 31st. If you’re new to West Seattle, this is a day of sales all over the peninsula, from single homes/apartments to group sales to school/team/organization sales, all depends on who signs up! Watch here and on the official WSCGSD website at westseattlegaragesale.com for the link when the form’s ready on Monday.
Since the West Seattle Transportation Coalition was formed six months ago, it’s been led by volunteers who were careful to reiterate their status as an interim board. Now, they have an official board – still volunteers; while technically there’s an election ahead in May, the deadline for applying has past, and 10 candidates emerged for 11 spots (the 11th will remain unfilled TFN), so the vote’s a formality. Meet the board here and see the issues the WSTC plans to tackle on the road ahead, starting with its next meeting – all welcome – 6:30 pm April 8th at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center.
A new group has just formed to oppose the 40-apartment, 5-parking-space building proposed for that site at 4439 41st SW in The Junction. We’ve written about it twice in the past four weeks – first, here, when we discovered March 4th that the original townhouse proposal for the site had morphed into an apartment building, and then last week, when the comment period was extended. The group invites you to a meeting at 7 pm tomorrow (Friday, March 28th) at Holy Rosary:
Led by a group of neighbors, the newly formed group, Residents of the Junction will have a meeting to discuss apodments being built in our neighborhoods.
Neighbors in the Junction area of West Seattle are meeting Friday night, March 28, at 7:00 pm at Holy Rosary School’s meeting hall, located at 4142 42nd Avenue SW to rally support in blocking the development of 4439 41st Avenue SW, currently a single-family home, into an apodment complex with 40 – 300 square feet each- units and five parking spaces. (Project #3015444).
All in our community who are interested and/or affected by this, and other, development in our community are welcome to join us at the meeting.
The objectives of the community meeting are as follows:
· summarize the shared concerns to create a group letter/petition to the city (planning, council, Mayor, etc.).
· identify a critical path for the group to pursue, once the comment period is over.
· identify areas of expertise and resources within the group and assess what additional resources are needed.
· identify other neighborhood groups who have expertise in organizing opposition to over development of our neighborhoods.
· identify research for various group members to conduct and report at an agreed upon next meeting time.
If there is adequate response, it would be great to grow the size of the group through active recruiting and get the appropriate professional expertise to make the apod style development in our community infeasible.
One note – while the neighbors’ announcement refers to this as “apodments,” that’s a trademarked term for one brand of microhousing, and while this project is proposed as small apartments, so far as we can tell from the online plan set, they are not technically microhousing – they have individual kitchens.
(WSB file photo of The Kenney)
The Kenney (WSB sponsor) has announced a new “investment lender relationship” that, it says, allows the center to “remain a nonprofit, charitable organization.” Here’s the news release we received with the details:
A new investment lender relationship has been established for The Kenney. The Kenney has been seeking a new lender and/or sponsor to provide a stronger financial footing for The Kenney. Through that process, Seattle Healthcare Investors, a limited liability company, was formed, which is now the lender for The Kenney.
The new lender purchased the debt and outstanding note from the previous lender, which is exiting this sector of financial investing. This was a mutually-agreed upon transaction between the new lender and The Kenney board of directors.
PRESERVING THE PAST. PREPARING FOR THE FUTURE:
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of The WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled recently by Southwest Precinct officers – generally cases that (usually) have not already appeared here in breaking-news coverage or West Seattle Crime Watch reports, but that might at least answer the question “what WERE all those police doing on my block?” Or on the bridge, or the beach, or …
*Intruder #1: Responding to reports of a man staggering and weaving near Palm SW and Edgewood SW (map), an officer saw a suspect inside a fenced yard. The officer parked the car but the suspect had disappeared. Because the gate was locked, the officer climbed the fence and noticed the front door was partially open. He announced himself at the door and informed the resident of what was going on. The homeowner opened — and then quickly closed — a powder-room door and said, “He’s in there.” The man, a 28-year-old Des Moines resident, was handcuffed. No other suspects were discovered. He was booked into king County Jail for investigation of burglary.
*Intruder #2: After knocking loudly, a glassy-eyed man opened a screen door and tried to enter a residence in the 2300 block of Alki Avenue. The female resident slammed the door and called 911. When officers arrived she saw that he was lying on the ground in front of a nearby residence. He gave officers a false name, couldn’t remember where he was or how he had gotten there. He was incoherent and repeatedly referenced “Navy Seal Team Six” but told officers he was not on any medication. An ID check on a credit card and with the man’s birthdate identified him as a bi-polar man from a previous incident who had been off his meds and was sent to Harborview for suicidal behavior. A neighbor had seen the man try to gain entrance to an apartment laundry room and then try to start a grill with his lighter. The suspect was transported for a mental-health evaluation.
7 more summaries ahead, including a followup to last week’s High Point helicopter-and-ground search, and a 4-year-old left alone:
(WSDOT aerial of slide zone, via Flickr)
Here in West Seattle, 65 miles away from the agonizing search of the slide zone in and around the Snohomish County town of Oso – 25 dead, 90 missing – you might wonder what you can do to help.
Here’s one answer, hatched overnight on social media by one of West Seattle’s most-prolific fundraisers, Tracy Dart: This Sunday, support West Seattle for Oso, WS4OSO for short. Local businesses are jumping in to offer various ways you can help by shopping at their stores and/or dining/drinking at their restaurants/lounges; volunteers will be circulating in neighborhoods including The Junction to collect money; and other ideas are percolating. Best thing you can do right now is “like” the Facebook page that Tracy set up early today: facebook.com/ws4oso – or at least go there to see who’s participating so far (full list to come before Sunday). If you use Twitter, follow the hashtag #WS4OSO. If you are not much for social media, no worries, we’ve pledged to publish updates here. More to come!
ADDED 12:06 PM: Minutes after we published this, the first official news release arrived, including an early list of participants, and how to reach Tracy if you would like to join in:
Thanks to James Bratsanos for that view of a state ferry (update: the new Tokitae, on sea trials!) in the mist off Blake Island this morning. Looking ahead to tonight – five options between 6 pm and 11 pm, from here to the other side of the Duwamish, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SPRING FLING IN THE JUNCTION: 6-9:30 pm, special shopping event in The Junction, with six businesses participating, including longtime WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits. Details in our preview from earlier this week.
SOUTH PARK BRIDGE: 6 pm at Napoli Pizzeria, come see and hear the latest on the new bridge, now projected to open this summer, including a photo slideshow. Details toward the bottom of the county’s latest construction update. (8600 14th Avenue S.)
WHALE TRAIL: Tonight – what you DON’T know about whales, including how they evolved, in the latest talk presented by The Whale Trail at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm. (5612 California SW)
DELRIDGE NIGHT OUT: 7-11 pm, music at Skylark Café and Club to benefit the Delridge Grocery Cooperative. Details here. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
DUWAMISH ROWING CLUB FUNDRAISER: Not happening IN West Seattle, but the rowing club serves West Seattle as well as South Park and Georgetown, and is inviting you to a movie-watching benefit tonight, 7 pm at Georgetown Stables – “Blondie Goes to College” – also food, beverages, a drawing, and more fun. Info in our calendar listing. (980 South Nebraska)
(Editor’s note – turns out this is FRIDAY night!) VAUDEVILLE! Sourdough Slim’s Wild & Woolly Vaudeville Show with Eric Simmons, 7:30 pm at Kenyon Hall. Details in our calendar preview. (7904 35th SW)
More on our calendar!
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has announced this year’s Westside Awards recipients, who will be honored at a breakfast event one week from today. From WSCofC CEO Lynn Dennis and chair Nancy Woodland:
The Westside Awards Breakfast honors three local businesses and one individual who demonstrate success and innovation that contribute to this thriving economic region.
The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce received more than 80 nominations, setting an all-time record of participation. We are thrilled to share the news about our 2014 Westside Award Winners. As is to be expected, this decision was difficult because we have so many truly outstanding businesses, non-profits and individuals working in and supporting the West Seattle community.
Good morning. We start with the eastbound West Seattle Bridge view and the northbound Alaskan Way Viaduct view:
You can see more cameras, and other info, on the WSB Traffic page. Updates here if there’s trouble.
West Seattle High School‘s soccer team is back on the field today, playing at Nathan Hale, after another win on Tuesday, 4-2 over visiting Cleveland HS. Our reader correspondent (who also shared the photo – thank you!) reports, “It started off rough with a downpour of rain for the first half. But after halftime, the Wildcats came back strong with the next two goals winning the game.” Here’s the scoring list. Today’s match is between early conference leaders – Hale and Westside both have two in-conference wins.
“I think we need to take a look at that.”
We heard that response a few times during our recent one-on-one interview with Mayor Ed Murray, including when we asked about a development-related issue that has roiled some neighborhoods around the city, including here in West Seattle: No offstreet parking required for housing built within a few blocks of “frequent transit.” That’s led to plans including the just-approved 6917 California SW 30-apartments, no-parking-spaces building whose land-use sign drew a frustrated scrawl last fall:
The no-parking (or handful-of-spaces) trend has been especially noticeable in the medium-sized projects lately, such as 40 units and 5 spaces at 4439 41st SW. But even as the city says “OK, there’s frequent transit, you can do it,” the transit agency – Metro – is warning of cuts. So, we asked the mayor, what does he think about the city allowing parking-free projects without being able to guarantee transit availability?
Previous installments in our Q/A with the mayor:
Question #1 – West Seattle Bridge traffic
Question #2 – SPD’s not-yet-activated surveillance cameras
Question #3 – About that alley vacation …
(Photo of SSCC team tweeted by @airsafe)
Back in January, we shared the story of South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) Aviation Maintenance Technology students who had formed an all-woman team determined to go to a national competition in Las Vegas. After school and community support put some wind beneath their wings, they worked hard to practice, and this week it’s showtime – they’re in Las Vegas at the Aerospace Maintenance Competition. We’re waiting to hear how they did in their events these past two days, but just the act of getting there was a celebration-worthy success.
Almost five months after being charged with trafficking in stolen liquor, Puerto Vallarta Restaurant owner Eduardo Morales-Cardenas has pleaded guilty to two charges. We have been checking the online files weekly and found out today that he appeared before Judge Monica Benton yesterday afternoon to enter the pleas: Guilty to one count of first-degree trafficking in stolen property, guilty to one count of attempted trafficking in stolen property. In the documentation, he acknowledges buying what he said he knew was alcohol stolen from Safeway and QFC; he was arrested last September, but charges weren’t filed until November. Morales-Cardenas is scheduled for sentencing on April 11th before Judge Carol Schapira; the prosecution, which says they found no prior criminal history for him, is recommending a sentence of 364 days in work release/electronic home detention.
Checking on the status of the others who were charged at the same time, accused of stealing and selling liquor in the same case, here’s what court documents show: One co-defendant, Eric Olson, also pleaded guilty yesterday and will be sentenced at the same April 11th hearing; a 43-month sentence will be recommended. Another, Amber Vincent, pleaded guilty last month to organized retail theft and trafficking in stolen property, and was sentenced to three months of work release; Shaye Glenn-Nitschke also pleaded guilty last month, to one charge, and was released from jail because he’d served more time than he had been sentenced to. A fourth defendant, Michael Jensen, is scheduled for a plea hearing next week.
Two West Seattle stores focused mostly on phone sales are taking stock today after overnight burglaries. We heard this morning about the AT&T store in Morgan Junction getting hit, and before we could publish a story, we found out that Sound Advice, the Verizon dealer in The Junction, had an overnight break-in too. So far, it appears that store suffered the most extensive losses – virtually cleaned out, manager Mike Ellis told us when we stopped in a little while ago, even the monitor in the window that played promotional videos. They are open, but it’ll take them a day or so to recover on inventory; they are still taking stock. As for the AT&T store, Seattle Police spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson told us it too was taking stock after initially reporting a window was broken and about half a dozen phones taken from a display. Jana tweeted this photo after passing by early this morning:
No word so far if the two break-ins are believed to have been the work of the same burglars; in both cases, as you can see in the photos, they smashed glass doors to get in.
That backhoe, recorded on video by neighbor Sara, brought the final chapter today to what once was Fraker’s Grocery at 4808 SW Alaska, vacant and slumping for years, but the source of many warm memories, as discussed in comments on past stories:
We first reported last December that it was slated for demolition so a single-family home could be built.
The lot was split off from the house next door a few years back. Former proprietor Dean Fraker died in 2009 at the age of 87.
Just a week and a half until your chance to enjoy student artists’ work – performing arts, visual arts, culinary arts – in the third annual West Seattle High School “Taste of the Arts” benefit. It’s set for Saturday, April 5th, with the visual and culinary arts awaiting you 6-7:30 pm that night in the St. John’s Episcopal Church hall next to WSHS, and then the Westside Drama performance of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at 8 pm in the school theater. See the official flyer here for full details; meantime, you can buy tickets online now, here.
After cutting trees as part of a soil cleanup at two of West Seattle’s six “surplus” ex-substations, over the objections of community advocates including the WS Green Space Coalition, City Light said it would try a different technique at the Fauntleroy and Genesee Hill sites – “vactoring” contaminated soil in a way that WSGSC was told should make cleanup possible without destroying the trees. Thanks to a reader tip, we learned this work is happening at the Fauntleroy site (just around the corner from the Endolyne business district-let) right now. Meantime, as noted in our most recent report, the Green Space Coalition is continuing to advocate for a larger community role in determining the sites’ future – rather than what has been the usual past path of seeing them sold for housing development. City Light has said it could send disposition-plan legislation to the City Council – which has the final say – as soon as the third quarter of this year.
You might have noticed preparation for this work – and now we have details: SDOT is putting in curb ramps at two spots on Harbor Avenue SW:
Starting the week of March 31, Seattle Department of Transportation crews will be installing curb ramps at two locations with marked crosswalks on the Alki Trail in West Seattle. The curb ramps will improve safety and accessibility for everyone using these crosswalks.
One of the crosswalks is located at Harbor Avenue Southwest and California Way Southwest. The other is a midblock crosswalk on Harbor Avenue Southwest near the Don Armeni Boat Ramp. The crews expect to complete the work by the middle of April.
The city’s announcement continues ahead: Read More
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