West Seattle, Washington

09 Thursday

72℉

West Seattle news 68952 results

Light rail for West Seattle? See the progress report given to Sound Transit’s executive committee
May 8, 2014 2:49 pm
|      44 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Will West Seattle really get light rail someday?

We have new information today about a study taking a serious look at how it might happen – a precursor to determining if the money, and the will, exist.

It’s in the slide deck above, part of a progress report on Sound Transit’s West Seattle and vicinity light-rail (and more) study, presented to the ST Executive Committee, chaired by King County Executive Dow Constantine. The presentation was given a week ago, but we only heard about it last night, courtesy of Charles B, via Twitter.

To follow up we obtained the slide deck today from Sound Transit, which has the entire meeting on video (not embeddable but you can watch it here – this discussion starts just before the 51-minute mark).

Before taking a look at the toplines – which include four possible light-rail routes and two possible bus routes – consider some context from Sound Transit spokesperson Geoff Patrick, who explains that they represent “high-level, conceptual information on the potential alignments, cost ranges, travel times and ridership levels of future high-capacity transit extensions, including light rail as well as bus rapid transit services.”

The discussion in the video elaborates on what you can see in the slides – among the most interesting points, ST has been studying the possibility of light rail generally assuming a new bridge across the Duwamish River would have to be built for it, instead of assuming it could study one or both of the current West Seattle Bridges for repurposing – not that the latter has been ruled out.

West Seattle is part of what Patrick explains is the “corridor between downtown Seattle, West Seattle, Burien, Tukwila and Renton (called the South King County HCT Corridor Study),” with funding for the study provided by the Sound Transit 2 ballot measure, adopted in 2008, provided funds to complete. It’s under way now, he says, “as Sound Transit moves forward with a process to update its Long-Range Plan, which will update the projects that may be included in future ballot measures.”

For further context, Patrick explains:

When the Long-Range Plan was last updated in 2005, the Seattle Monorail Project was assumed to provide future service to West Seattle. With the cancellation of that project, the Board is expected to consider adding a high capacity connection between downtown Seattle and the West Seattle Peninsula to the plan. In June Sound Transit will publish a Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Long-Range Plan Update, and kick off a public comment process.

That update will be done later this year, and could pave the way for a November 2016 ballot measure if the Sound Transit board decides to pursue one, though it would not be obligated to include anything on this particular route or any other; Patrick says that part of the discussion would likely begin in 2015 – and that there’s a catch: “Sound Transit would need to secure additional authority from the Washington State Legislature for funding sources that could be part of a ballot measure before moving forward with any major package.”

One last word from Patrick at ST: “It is very important to note that the Sound Transit Board would not select a detailed project or alignment until after a public vote providing the engineering and construction funds, as well as completing a detailed environmental process that would involve the public in examining the benefits and impacts of different options.”

This, by the way, is the study that was mentioned last June by former Mayor Mike McGinn when he came to West Seattle for a media briefing on the area’s potential transit future. In all, ST has been studying nine corridors, shown on a map included in our story last June. This is also related to the survey linked here last November, which is reported to have received a strong response from West Seattle.

NEXT STEP: As ST’s Patrick mentioned, a public-comment process for the long-range-plan update is expected to start next month; we’ll publish updates when that happens.

Share This

Update: Small fire at house in 5200 block of Delridge, no one hurt
May 8, 2014 1:53 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
1:53 PM: Seattle Fire has a house-fire-sized response headed for an address in the 5200 block of Delridge Way SW (map). Smoke can be seen from the house. More as we get it.

2:08 PM: SFD tweets that it was a “room fire” and it’s out now. Nobody hurt. Investigators will be working to figure out how it started.

2:14 PM: Our crew at the scene says Delridge is closed because of the fire vehicles, and they expect to be there another 45 minutes or so. The fire apparently started in/on a mattress, and nobody was home, according to the incident commander. (Added: Closure zone is roughly Findlay to Hudson.)

4:27 PM: Added a photo of the aforementioned mattress (what’s left of it). Thanks to everyone who’s provided updates on the road status – as of 4 pm, says Betsy, it’s open (we just drove through, too, to confirm) and the Red Cross is there to help.

Share This

Two days away from West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day 2014!
May 8, 2014 12:09 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

That’s what 280+ garage sales, all sizes, all over West Seattle, look like before you zoom out on the map! This Saturday (May 10th) is THE day – the 10th annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day. It’s grown into the largest one-day event of its kind in the region, befitting West Seattle’s status as the city’s largest neighborhood. Some updates/reminders:

*Current forecast: Improved! Partly sunny. (WSCGSD has had good weather each of the past five years; the first year after we took it over, 2008, there was a morning shower and then the weather cleared.)

*How to find sales that list item(s) you’re looking for: Go to the map page; to the left of the top of the list of sales on the map’s right side, click SEARCH; in the dialog box that opens, you’ll see “name” – click that and choose DESCRIPTION instead, then put a search term (such as, tools) in the box, and the list will sort to just the sales whose descriptions (listings) mention the word you were looking for. Or, open the printable map and use your browser’s “find” feature to look for a certain word (or street, or …).

*Sale sizes: The majority of WSCGSD sales are individual neighborhood sales, and we hear every year about how delighted sellers and buyers were to meet neighbors they hadn’t met previously (or hadn’t seen in a long time). There are also two official group sites – Hotwire Online Coffeehouse/Ginomai in The Junction (sale #60 on the map) and C & P Coffee Company between Alaska and Morgan Junctions (sale #213 on the map) – that offered space to individual small-scale sellers.

*Shopping as a good deed: We’ve been talking about the sale-day donation drives (such as your chance to join the WestSide Baby Kids’ Shopping Squad) but you can also help local organizations/schools by shopping at benefit sales, which include Delridge Grocery (sale #30), Log House Museum (sale #138), Scout Troop 284 (sale #186), West Seattle High School (sale #69), Masonic Family (sale #1), Straight Blast Gym scholarship fund (sale #26), Lincoln Park P-Patch (sale #236), West Seattle Eagles benefiting charities (sale #54), Taproot School (sale #216), South Seattle College Landscape/Horticulture Program (sale #31), American Cancer Society (sale #83), Breathe Deep Seattle (sale #91), JDRF Beat the Bridge (sale #120), Humane Society (sale #206), bake sale benefiting WS Baby (sale #255), Chamwino Connect (sale #169), Bella Mente (sale #198), and some other nonprofits at the Hotwire Coffee/Ginomai courtyards (sale #60).

More updates ahead – again, it all unfolds 9 am-3 pm this Saturday; map (online AND printable [PDF] versions) here.

Share This

Development reviews, school-safety projects, parade, podcast, more: What the Southwest District Council discussed and heard
May 8, 2014 10:30 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Southwest District Council | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Southwest District Council‘s increased focus on development/land-use issues was a key topic of its monthly meeting last night, along with the plan for neighborhood organizations to pursue a higher profile in this year’s West Seattle Grand Parade, and an SDOT briefing on Safe Routes to School-related projects in the council’s area of emphasis (western West Seattle). Wondering what might be coming to a school zone for you? Read on for full details, including a look at the city’s list:

Read More

Share This

West Seattle Thursday: WS Art Walk night; 4439 41st SW comment meeting; more from the calendar
May 8, 2014 9:00 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Thursday: WS Art Walk night; 4439 41st SW comment meeting; more from the calendar
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Pacific Starflower at Lincoln Park, by Dennis Cheasebro, shared via the WSB Flickr group)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and previously published previews/announcements, five events of note for today/tonight:

GREENING YOUR AUTO-REPAIR BUSINESS: Last-minute registration is open until 10 am for the 11 am-1:30 pm workshop to help auto-repair shops get greener. Workshop at Our Lady of Guadalupe, including lunch and a tour of Swedish Automotive (WSB sponsor). Go here for details, including the signup link. (35th/Myrtle)

TOTEM-POLE TALK AT CHAMBER LUNCH: Featured speaker at today’s monthly West Seattle Chamber of Commerce meeting is Clay Eals, executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum, talking about the historic Belvedere totem pole that is about to go up at its new home on the museum’s east side. If you don’t already have lunch reservations, call the Chamber to see if there’s any last-minute room. The Kenney (WSB sponsor), lower-level meeting room. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)

WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: Dozens of venues welcome your visit 6-9 pm to see their newest art displays, most of which will have the artist on hand to meet you, and often free refreshments too. Here’s the map/venue list for this quarter:

Browse the official website at wsartwalk.com for artist/exhibit info.

COMMUNITY MEETING FOR 40-APARTMENT JUNCTION PROJECT: If you’re interested in local development, particularly in The Junction area, you’re urged to attend tonight’s community-petitioned comment meeting for the 40-apartment, 5-parking-space project at 4439 41st SW, whose neighbors – including several local churches – say it’s too big for its block. Here’s our preview; the meeting’s at 7 pm, upstairs at the Senior Center of West Seattle. (California/Oregon)

‘HAIR’ AT ARTSWEST: 7:30 pm, groove to the classic musical “Hair” at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor). Here’s how to get tickets. (4711 California SW)

MORE FOR TODAY/TONIGHT … can be found on the calendar’s home page, here.

Share This

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday updates
May 8, 2014 7:08 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:08 AM: On commute watch as usual, and nothing out of the ordinary so far.

7:18 AM: Via Twitter, Paul reports police are back on the bridge for bus-lane enforcement again today.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Gunfire at 29th/Cambridge
May 8, 2014 12:34 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Busy night for police. Now they’re at the scene of a confirmed drive-by shooting – no injuries – in Westwood. Per scanner, they have found shell casings at 29th and Cambridge, which maps to just west of Roxhill Park.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Another hit-run, with 3 wrecked cars
May 7, 2014 11:38 pm
|      36 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(WSB photos by Tracy Record unless otherwise credited)
11:38 PM: Just back from North Admiral, where another hit-run crash has left three cars with major damage, and police searching for suspects. It’s also closed California SW near SW Atlantic (map). The car at right apparently smashed into the parked vehicles at left – pushing them into and onto the sidewalk, with a tree taken out and underneath the minivan at left:

Then two people inside the car that wound up totaled in the middle of the street got out of it and ran. Debris was strewn everywhere – hood, bumper, lights, more (and a beer can) – and an SDOT crew was standing by for cleanup after the vehicles are towed.

A K-9 team was helping in the search (as you can see in our Instagram video clip).

A bystander told us a witness saw people get out of the car and run, and tried to chase them. Meantime, one nearby resident told us this stretch is often used for racing.

(Photo by unidentified texter)
12:21 AM: Via Twitter, Philip says the road is open again, though debris remains, and that the car that caused the crash has been towed.

(Photo courtesy Andrew, who says skid marks suggest a 3rd vehicle narrowly missed)
2 AM: We haven’t been able to find out yet if the suspected driver was ever found; will update whenever we do get that information. We did want to thank everyone who texted, phoned, e-mailed, messaged, and shared photos.

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Driver smashes stolen car into Constellation Park railing, runs
May 7, 2014 9:41 pm
|      26 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Close call in the Constellation Park area south of Alki Point this evening after a driver smashed this car up onto the sidewalk and into the railing. Shiy shared photos via the WSB Facebook page, saying the driver spun out and almost hit a stroller, then ran away. Southwest Precinct Lt. Paul Leung confirms it was a hit-and-run, adding that the car turned out to have been stolen, and that police believe there’s a “good possibility that the driver got picked up by another stolen vehicle.” Shiy said the driver appeared to be intoxicated – and shared this photo showing a beer carton in the car:

The 911 log says this happened around quarter till seven.

ADDED 10:30 PM: The photo above this line was shared by Larry – gives additional perspective about where this happened.

Share This

West Seattle businesses: Meeples Games sets May 17th opening
May 7, 2014 7:56 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Photo courtesy Laura Schneider)
Three months after we brought you first word of Meeples Games, a gaming café/store opening upstairs at Charlestown Center (3727 California SW), proprietor Laura Schneider is just a week and a half away from officially opening its doors. Here’s the official announcement with details, received tonight:

Meeples Games, a new tabletop game store and cafe, is hosting a family-friendly Grand Opening celebration on Saturday, May 17, 2014. Newly released board games and family favorites will be demonstrated by Meeples Games staff. Visitors can play or watch a Magic: the Gathering tournament which will be going throughout the day.

Meeples Games employees are all game players and enjoy sharing their favorites with customers. Special selections marked with “A Meeples’ People Favorite” showcase staff and customer selected games. “Game tables and a lending library are permanent features of Meeples Games,” says owner Laura Schneider. “We want to be a community store where people feel comfortable to come in, play games and hang out.”

Meeples Games stocks a variety of game types; tile-laying, role-playing, board games, card games, dice games, and miniatures. Space is available for drop-in, meet-up, and tournament play. The café offers espresso, sandwiches, pretzels, healthy snacks, and beer on tap.

The Grand Opening schedule runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on May 17th with raffles, game demonstrations, and tournament play throughout the day. The detailed event schedule is available on the Meeples Games’ website.

With grand opening just a week and a half away, Schneider has big milestones ahead, including sign installation tomorrow and continued stocking of the café and menu planning; their espresso will be from True North Coffee Roasters.

Share This

Congratulations: South Seattle College Honor Roll students celebrate, with surprise appearance by ex-Seahawk
May 7, 2014 7:06 pm
|    Comments Off on Congratulations: South Seattle College Honor Roll students celebrate, with surprise appearance by ex-Seahawk
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) celebrated its Honor Roll students’ achievement today – with a reception that featured a surprise guest speaker.

South Seattle College held its annual Honor Roll reception this afternoon recognizing students from the the President’s List (3.8 GPA and above) and the Dean’s List (3.5 GPA and above) for the Fall and Winter Quarter. Nearly 1200 students earned this recognition. The Brockey Center was packed with students, family, and supporters for their achievement.

Recently retired member of the Seattle Seahawks Marcus Trufant addressed the crowd and not only congratulated the students but also encouraged them to continue their success on their academic journeys.

Share This

Recognize this shoe? County trying to solve gruesome mystery
May 7, 2014 5:05 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

You might have heard about a shoe that washed up on the downtown waterfront … containing a foot. Above, that’s a photo of the shoe, which the county is distributing in hopes of finding out whose foot that was. Since it was just across the bay from here, we’re publishing the photo here too:

To assist in identifying a missing person, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office is releasing a photo of a shoe found along Seattle’s waterfront on May 6, 2014. The shoe was on a human foot, and they were turned over to the Medical Examiner’s Office by employees of the Port of Seattle’s police department.

The shoe is a New Balance athletic sneaker, men’s size 10-1/2, white with blue trim. This model of shoe was first available for sale in April 2008. A black, cotton Hanes brand sock was also on the foot. The sex, age, ancestry, and stature of the individual are not known.

Anyone who is aware of a missing person known to have worn this type of shoe is asked to call the King County Medical Examiner’s Office at 206-731-3232, ext. 1. Additionally, anyone aware of a missing person who has not been reported is asked to file a missing persons report with the appropriate local law enforcement agency.

Share This

West Seattle Wildlife calendar created with Mark Wangerin’s photos, to benefit Chief Sealth IHS
May 7, 2014 2:29 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Ever think the wildlife photos featured on WSB might make a nice calendar? Turns out that one of the photographers who kindly shares his work here, Mark Wangerin, is making one! He has donated thirteen of his West Seattle wildlife photos, some of which you might have seen here, to be published in a 13-month calendar for 2015, with proceeds benefit environmental programs at Chief Sealth International High School, where Wangerin used to teach. Though 2015 seems far away, advance orders are welcome right now to jump-start the printing process. The calendar is 14″ x 14″, on heavy stock, wire-bound, shrink-wrapped, $14.99 from Mark House Publishing online (no relation, says photographer Mark). Above is the back page showing the photos featured in the calendar (which also is available at bulk rates, the publisher says).

Share This

Update: Fire crews back at twice-burned house in 10000 block of 39th SW
May 7, 2014 11:40 am
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   Arbor Heights | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

11:40 AM: A sizable Seattle Fire response has headed back to the 10000 block of 39th SW, scene of two fires at one house in a little more than a week. (update) First crew on scene says “no fire, just smoke” – so they’re putting water on it.

11:52 AM: Our crew on scene says the smoke is mostly coming from the back of the house (added, photo showing new fencing in back):

No flames seen so far, as noted previously.

12:09 PM: For reference – the first fire was on April 29th; second one, early Monday morning. The cause of the first one has yet to be determined; one of the home’s two residents, both said to be in their 70s, was still in the hospital at last report.

4:42 PM: As AG notes in comments, SFD announced this afternoon that overheated wiring caused the original fire on April 29th and that “residual embers” were to blame for the flareups today and two days ago.

Share This

3 days until West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day! Printable list/map now available, too
May 7, 2014 11:11 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Community Garage Sale Day | West Seattle news

A quick West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day update, with a longer one in the works for this afternoon: This Saturday (May 10th) is THE day, 9 am-3 pm, with 280+ participating sales of all sizes, all over West Seattle, from Alki SW in the north to SW 110th in the south, Arbor Heights in the southwest to Pigeon Point in the northeast, the Log House Museum in the northwest to South Delridge in the southeast, and so many neighborhoods inbetween. The online map – each sale numbered and marked, clickable so you can read its “listing” – has been viewable/browsable here since last weekend; now, the printable edition is available too, a 17-page PDF (including nine pages with all 280+ sale listings in classified-ad style). Get it here (it’s also linked in the text above the online map). This is the 10th annual WSCGSD; we’re honored to have coordinated and presented it since the 4th edition in 2008, and your participation keeps making it better every year – this year with lots of giving opportunities, not just for sellers interested in donating leftovers, but also for shoppers who want to help out by purchasing and donating items on wish lists like this one and this one. More later!

P.S. Even if you’re not participating in WSCGSD, please remember that Saturday is also the Stamp Out Hunger food drive, also always on the second Saturday in May – please leave a bag of nonperishable food by your mailbox/mail slot for your letter carrier to pick up!

Share This

Video: Bike To School Day gets Alki, Schmitz Park Elementary students on two wheels
May 7, 2014 10:25 am
|    Comments Off on Video: Bike To School Day gets Alki, Schmitz Park Elementary students on two wheels
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Video and photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
Group photos in bright West Seattle sunshine this morning for at least two groups of local Bike to School Day participants. Above, our video from 59th/Alki, where two “bike trains” met up before the final few blocks to Alki Elementary. One was led by (below right) Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda:

No casual biker, he:

Both Alki bike trains joined into one for the group photo (with, as you’ll hear in our quick video clip above, a shout of BIKE TO SCHOOL! before heading across Alki Avenue and up 59th to school:

Alki teacher Terry Kegel, who organized the day’s events, planned special student awards including Most Visible and Safest Biker.

About half an hour after the Alki “bike train,” Schmitz Park Elementary students who rode to school in four groups gathered at the flagpole for a group photo:

Their bicycles, temporarily parked nearby:

May is Bike Month in our area for all ages – and the next major event is Bike To Work Day on May 16th, one week from Friday, with “commute stations” that morning as always, including one in West Seattle and two in White Center.

Share This

What’s up, now till nighttime, for your West Seattle Wednesday
May 7, 2014 9:31 am
|    Comments Off on What’s up, now till nighttime, for your West Seattle Wednesday
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Thanks to Lynn Hall for sharing the view of paddleboarders and a state ferry off Alki before dusk last night. Speaking of Elliott Bay, that’s where our daily calendar toplines begin today:

SHRIMP SEASON, DAY TWO: Today is the second of two days the state is allowing shrimp fishing on Elliott Bay, and it’s busy! It’s on until 3 pm, so note that it will be extra-busy around Don Armeni until and after then. (Thanks to Carolyn for the reminder.)

FREE CO-WORKING DAY: 9:30 am-5 pm at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor)’s new location. Bring your laptop and lunch; enjoy good company, fast Internet, free coffee/tea – details here. (6040-B California SW)

TODDLER STORY TIME: Toddler in the house? Get her/him out of the house and into the library for today’s story time, 10:30 am at Southwest Branch Library. (35th/Henderson)

EARLY DAYS DROP-IN SUPPORT GROUP: Noon-2 pm, parents of babies are welcome to come talk about this unique stage of life, at Nurturing Expressions (WSB sponsor) – details in our calendar listing. (4746 44th SW, Suite 201, just buzz @ the door)

HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY PTA: 5:30 pm in the school cafeteria, with the agenda including officer elections and a variety of year-end activities. (1012 SW Trenton)

DANCE! The ever-popular Lauren Petrie provides the music. You bring your feet. 6-8 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle. (California/Oregon)

SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: 6:30 pm, the council with reps from community groups and orgs around western West Seattle meets at the Senior Center of WS. Agenda includes the latest on the West Seattle Land Use Committee that SWDC is shepherding, and an SDOT briefing on Safe Routes to School projects in the area. (California/Oregon)

MISCARRIAGE SUPPORT GROUP: A West Seattle woman is launching a group to talk about an experience shared by so many yet discussed openly by so few, meeting at her home at 7 pm tonight – details in the calendar listing.

Share This

Congratulations to Roxhill Elementary’s first Math Olympiad team!
May 7, 2014 9:00 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Congratulations to Roxhill Elementary scholars who just did what no other students from their school had done before. Roxhill’s Jeanette Hitch shares the photo and report:

On Saturday morning, 12 fifth graders from Roxhill traveled up to Lake Stevens to participate in the Math Olympiad competition. The team was coached by Roxhill’s math-intervention teacher, Brent Hester. This was the first year that Roxhill students have competed. The student “mathletes” competed in teams of four students, against 26 other teams.

There were two parts to the competition — a long question which the students had one hour to work on, and several shorter questions. Our Roxhill Stars placed first in the long question category and placed third in the short question category.

More about the state-wide Math Olympiad competition can be found on the Washington State Mathematics Council‘s website here.

Share This

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch; Bike To School Day
May 7, 2014 6:12 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
As we keep an eye on this morning’s traffic and transit, midweek is when we usually would start reminding you about major road-work projects for the weekend. Nothing’s scheduled for West Seattle or adjacent routes, but if the Eastside is in your weekend plans, take note that the westbound 520 bridge will close all weekend for work on its under-construction replacement.

BIKE TO SCHOOL DAY: Today’s the day, and we know of at least two West Seattle schools organizing special rides to school. We’ve already mentioned the plan for Alki Elementary, which will have Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda along for one of its bike trains, both of which are scheduled to meet just before 8 am at 59th and Alki, so please be extra watchful in that area; we also got word that Schmitz Park Elementary is participating again, with multiple rides being led to school. Any other local schools participating today? Please let us know (editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302) – thanks!

8:10 AM: Added a photo of one of the Bike To School groups waiting for another one at Alki in the sunshine. By the way, Safe Routes to School (biking, walking, etc.) projects in West Seattle are part of the discussion at tonight’s Southwest District Council meeting, 6:30 pm, Senior Center of West Seattle. (More later in a separate report on this morning’s Bike To School events.)

Share This

High-school baseball: West Seattle HS Wildcats on to postseason
May 7, 2014 4:18 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

(Larry Jensen on the mound; photo by Greg Slader)
With a 5-3 extra-innings win over Bishop Blanchet on Tuesday, the West Seattle High School Wildcats varsity-baseball team is off to the postseason, reports Greg Slader:

The Wildcats offense was ready to go, but fell behind 0-3 in the first three innings as the Blanchet Braves took the early lead. Pitcher Larry Jensen toughened up and shut them down that rest of the way. Larry threw 113 pitches through eight innings, holding Blanchet to just those three runs as the defense made play after play. Meanwhile the offense heated up and the team keep adding runs until it was tied at the end of seven innings. In the top of the eighth with two base runners in scoring position, Spencer Elder (photo below) tripled down the line and West Seattle went on to win 5-3!

West Seattle Wildcats finish the season 10-4 in league play and will face the #4 seed in the Metro playoffs. Next game is Saturday, 10 am @ Steve Cox Field in White Center, The opponent will be decided (today) as Prep, Blanchet & Lakeside face a three-way tie for the final two spots in Metro.

Share This

Last call for GiveBIG, on until 11:59 pm: 70+ local organizations
May 6, 2014 8:46 pm
|    Comments Off on Last call for GiveBIG, on until 11:59 pm: 70+ local organizations
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

8:46 PM: A bit more than three hours to go in this year’s GiveBIG one-day donate-a-thon organized by The Seattle Foundation, which has “stretch dollars” to add to donations made to participating nonprofits until 11:59 tonight. Around the city/region, people are answering the call:

If you missed it earlier – or saw it and forgot to go back and do something about it – here once more is the link to the page we put together with 70+ participating LOCAL nonprofits, working in West Seattle, White Center, and/or South Park. Show one or more some $ love if you can, with the knowledge each dollar will go further!

1:20 AM: And the final regional tally:

Share This

West Seattle Crime Watch: Police arrest 1 after Admiral burglary
May 6, 2014 5:32 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(Photo courtesy Rhonda Porter)
5:32 PM: A police search right now in the heart of the Admiral District is reported to be related to a burglary, according to scanner traffic. After texts about the search, we’ve sent a crew that way to find out more in person. We’ll add info as we get it.

5:45 PM: Radio discussion indicates police are looking for a specific potential suspect who lives in the area they’ve been searching.

(This photo and next one by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
5:58 PM: Police have detained the person they were looking for.

6:13 PM: A witness has been brought to identify the suspect; police tell us they’ll be looking for the stolen items next. The burglary was reported to have happened just a few blocks away.

6:43 PM: Southwest Precinct Lt. Alan Williams confirms the suspect was arrested and that the investigation is “ongoing.”

ADDED WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON: More details from the police report, which we obtained via SPD media relations. It started with a woman calling police at about 5 pm to say a strange man was in her house and had just left headed southbound on 45th SW. She said he was standing in the kitchen when she came home and told her he had been passing by and had seen “three teenagers in her house and chased them off,” according to the report. He also gave the woman his first name, age, address, phone number, and allowed her to take a picture of him with her cell phone. Looking at that photo, an officer apparently familiar with the suspect zeroed in on his address and matched a prior mugshot to the cell-phone photo. They found him at his residence and arrested him; he gave them permission to search for stolen property and didn’t find any.

Returning to her residence with police, the victim pointed out “long-handled garden tools that had been laid out very neatly for unknown reasons” and then inside, “numerous shopping bags that had been filled with random items from different ares of her house.” She also thought a rifle belonging to her roommate was missing. The roommate later told police two rifles and his wallet were missing.

The mystery of the three possible teenage suspects wasn’t solved, but the man was booked into jail for criminal trespass and an outstanding warrant for failing to appear in connection with earlier theft charges.

Share This

Election 2014: Final Prop 1 results; looking ahead to I-118; mayor to announce ‘proposal to save Metro’
May 6, 2014 5:29 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The final results are in from the April 22nd vote on transit/roads-money Proposition 1:

No – 239,834 – 53.95%
Yes – 204,734 – 46.05%

The county says that’s a 39 percent turnout – a bit more than the predicted 38 percent. The final precinct-by-precinct breakout is out too (not mapped yet), earlier than expected. (Added 9 pm, a map by Oran Viriyincy, who gave us permission to use it – you’ll have to grab it and drag it to get West Seattle centered up, and from there you can zoom all the way in to your precinct – mouse over a precinct to see its vote results:)

(back to original report) Earlier breakouts showed Prop 1 would have won if it had been a Seattle-only vote, which has heartened supporters of what is now Seattle Initiative 118, a property-tax increase to raise money for Seattle bus routes. They have four weeks to gather enough signatures to get it onto the ballot, and today they announced a list of endorsements, including West Seattle’s two state House reps, Rep. Eileen Cody and Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon. If they get enough signatures, they’re aiming for the November ballot, which still could leave enough time to stave off planned bus cuts; for example, the four routes that Metro says it will “delete” in West Seattle are not proposed for that “deletion” until September of next year.

ADDED 7:21 PM: After The Stranger reported that Mayor Ed Murray asked a legislator to pull his support for I-118, the mayor’s office tweeted that Murray is getting ready to announce his own plan:

Share This