West Seattle, Washington
13 Sunday
In case you wondered about the “water rescue response” on Harbor Island just before 7:30 this morning, here’s what we’ve learned from a preliminary Seattle Police summary: SFD and SPD responded after a 911 call from someone who reported a man had threatened suicide. They found him at Terminal 18 Park. Police say the man then jumped in the river and started screaming. SFD and SPD sent boats and eventually rescued him from the water. He was taken to Fire Station 5 on the downtown waterfront and then to Harborview Medical Center for evaluation.
If you or someone you know is contemplating self-harm, there’s a 24-hour crisis line at 206-461-3222.
(Western Tanager, photographed in West Seattle by Mark Wangerin)
Five things happening on this cloudy Friday:
ALAIR’S COASTAL CLEARANCE SALE: As we reported two weeks ago, Alair Gift Shop (3270 California SW) is taking over the former Coastal Surf Boutique space next door and having a clearance sale before working to merge the spaces. Today’s the final day, 11 am-5 pm: “Everything is going to be 70% off,” says Alair proprietor Shandon Graybeal.
MORGAN JUNCTION PRIDE PARADE: 5 pm, all welcome to join the Pride mini-parade co-sponsored by Youngstown Coffee Company, HeartBeet Organic Superfoods Café, and Louisa Boren STEM K-8 PTA. Meet up at Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW); more info in our preview.
VISCON CELLARS: Tastings, glasses, bottles available if you stop by the Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) tasting room 5-9 pm.
SEATTLE LUTHERAN HS GRADUATION: 7:30 pm, the Seattle Lutheran High School Class of 2021 celebrates commencement in the school gym. Invitation-only, but you can watch the livestream here.
FAUNTLEROY CHILDREN’S CENTER ONLINE AUCTION: Three more days to bid – through Sunday night. Links and details are in our Monday report.
6:03 AM: Good morning! Cloudy, showery outlook for today.
ROAD WORK
Delridge project – As this week wraps up, next week’s outlook is due out today. SW Thistle east of Delridge remains closed.
SW Yancy – So does SW Yancy west of 28th, with a new projected reopening date of June 19th.
99 Tunnel – Closed tonight for maintenance.
FERRIES/BUSES
No bus changes. For ferries, the Triangle Route is set to get a third boat starting today.
(Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations, @wsferries for major WSF changes.)
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
445th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are the views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: 22nd week for automated enforcement cameras; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends, when the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available for some categories of drivers.)
Here’s a low-bridge view:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
And the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed is working again. The 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Local/state pandemic news:
NEWEST NUMBERS: Here’s the update from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*110,869 people have tested positive, 152 more than yesterday’s total
*1,612 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total
*6,262 people have been hospitalized, 6 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the three totals we are now tracking were 109,995/1,595/6,193.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health dashboard.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 174.8 million cases worldwide, 33.4 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
WEST SEATTLE POP-UP CLINIC: You can get vaccinated 11 am-3 pm Saturday at the new South Delridge Farmers’ Market.
SEEKING OTHER OPPORTUNITIES?: Use this lookup. Or call 833-VAX-HELP.
STATE REPORTS: Three new ones out – outbreaks, “vaccine breakthrough” cases, and virus sequencing/variants.
GOT INFO/PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
The boys’ soccer teams at Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School have both done well this pandemic-abbreviated season. So a lot was on the line in their rematch at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex today, one week after Sealth defeated West Seattle 3-2. But today – the Wildcats took the win, 1-0
Another note – as the last home game of the year for the Seahawks, this was Senior Night for Sealth.
(Both schools’ graduations are this Saturday, at Memorial Stadium downtown.)
Toplines from the Fauntleroy Community Association‘s board meeting online this past Tuesday:
CAR PROWL PREVENTION: Half the respondents in the recent FCA neighborhood-wide survey said they had been hit by car prowlers. So FCA’s been working on an initiative aimed at reducing this. They discovered it’s a nationwide problem and there’s no magic solution, but in collaboration with precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, they’re printing signs that can be left in the car to warn thieves it’s not worth their trouble – “there’s nothing to steal.” FCA will distribute these to the community. No date yet for when these signs will be available. FCA webmaster Bill Wellington suggested making the sign available for home printing via fauntleroy.net.
POLICE UPDATE: Sgt. David Terry of the Southwest Precinct said thefts remain the highest crime category in Fauntleroy, which otherwise is what he calls “the safest area” in the precinct’s jurisdiction: Ten thefts in all for the month of April. Traffic violations are the biggest problem, one attendee said, pointing to a crash the previous night at 45th/Wildwood as the latest example:
We’ve been reporting on Swedish switching sites in West Seattle. Today we got word that they’ve set official moving dates for when they’ll start service in the new locations: Internal Medicine opens in its new location at 4744 41st SW on June 21st; Primary Care opens in its new location at 4100 SW Alaska on June 28th. We first reported last fall that Swedish was taking over the SW Alaska space; the official news of moving the two groups into two new locations came in March. (That’s also when we reported that Swedish’s former West Seattle location at 3400 California SW is being taken over by Virginia Mason Franciscan Health.)
6:08 PM: By this time tomorrow we might see rain – so get out now and enjoy the sun – this month’s West Seattle Art Walk is on!
(WSB photos by Torin Record-Sand)
Leonardo Lanzolla is one of the artists you can meet tonight. He’s at Fogue Gallery (4130 California SW) until 8 pm with his exhibition “All Creatures Great and Small.”
We’re stopping at a few other venues, so we’ll add more photos later. You can map your own West Seattle Art Walk route, with stops for art as well as for various establishments’ food/drink specials, by checking the official list/preview here!
6:56 PM: Julia Douthwaite Viglione is at West Seattle Grounds (2141 California SW) until 8 pm:
She’s showing her quilts, which are on display all month long, plus having an 8 pm drawing for a free quilt and offering this game:
Participants will find a long table marked with blue tape outlining a 5×3 grid and a pile of 10” sewn quilt squares in various textures and colors and patterns. People will lay out the squares in their own designs, take a photo; voilà – an e-quilt! Then you’ll join the drawing for a real quilt on the same design, in the “WIN YOUR QUILT” drawing. (The winner will receive the very quilt they’ve designed, in 6-8 weeks.) A creative, fun time guaranteed.
And one more stop – Mystery Made (4312 SW Oregon) in The Junction:
John Keatley is showing some of his renowned photography, also until 8 pm.
The space in the foreground at Hudson Square (4850 California SW) on the south edge of The Junction is about to become West Seattle’s first comic-book store since Arcane Comics closed 10 years ago. The new store will be called Tails To Astonish, and proprietors Shaun and Nicole Duff hope to open one week from tomorrow (Friday, June 18th.) Shaun explains, “Tails To Astonish is a comic book, collectables, and toy store. We are really proud of the fact that we will be West Seattle’s ONLY choice for new and vintage comics.” Why a comic-book store? “I used to work a boring office job; the pandemic really had me looking at my life, and what I REALLY wanted to do. I had sold comics at various shows previously, but this will be the first brick and mortar store.” Hours for Tails To Astonish are likely going to start with 11 am-7 pm Tuesdays-Saturdays and 10 am-4 pm Sundays. Access is up a flight of stairs from the California streetfront but there’s an accessible option too. (P.S. Tails To Astonish borrows its name from a legendary comic-book series and a tribute to the couple’s two cats.)
Today is the first day without the city-run vaccination hub in West Seattle, but Seattle Fire‘s Mobile Vaccination Team will be back in two days for a pop-up:
The new South Delridge Farmers’ Market was announced 2 1/2 weeks ago. It’ll happen on the second Saturday each month through November.
(WSB file photo of Cathlamet and Sealth near Fauntleroy dock)
The wait is over. Washington State Ferries says a third boat will return to the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route tomorrow. This is more than a month later than WSF’s original plan; in May, they announced that a vessel shortage would delay three-boat service at least a month. According to WSF’s announcement, “The Cathlamet will join the Sealth and the Kittitas on the route. Please note the third vessel will operate for 8 hours a day on weekends, not 16. Customers should check the online schedule for updated sailing times.”
(WSB photos)
11:28 AM: Police are at 29th SW and SW Henderson [map], investigating a report of multiple shots fired from a passing car. No injuries are reported but police have found at least one shell casing and are blocking the street in the area while they investigate. A preliminary description of the vehicle: Black BMW.
11:41 AM: Photos added. Police at the scene tell us they have now found four casings (that’s one of them in the photo above this line). This happened midblock, in the 8800 block of 29th. Still no additional descriptive information confirmed.
12:09 PM: At least one car was hit by a bullet (above).
3:05 PM: More information from the preliminary police summary: “Witnesses reported that a black or gray BMW was (northbound) in the 8800 block of 29 AV. SW chasing another vehicle, possibly a Volvo. A suspect was seen shooting a handgun from the passenger window at the vehicle it was chasing.” Police recovered “six small-caliber shell casings” in all.
Thanks to Laura James for the report and photo:
After dominating the Metro League for the past two months, the incredible Chief Sealth girls’ wrestling team put an exclamation point at the end of their season with a resounding team win at the Metro championship tournament last weekend! We also honored our awesome seniors from the girls’ and boys’ teams: Hazel Dahlquist, Mariajose Estrada, Michael Laudermilk, Erick Mejia, Owen Murray, María Pérez, Khalia Tenari, Renaeh Ureste, and Dominic Novito (who joined us this season from West Seattle High School).
Next up: the boys’ Metro tournament on Friday at Ingraham High School. Both teams are led by Head Coach Maurice Dolberry and Assistant Coaches Daron Camacho, Sergio Lopez, and Joey Richards.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
With 5 weeks to go until primary voting begins, our area’s biggest political organization – the 34th District Democrats – met online last night to make their endorsements. It took almost five hours, even with a decision late in the evening to delay one set of endorsements until next month.
Toward the meeting’s start, chair Carla Rogers acknowledged the event had brought a boost in membership (only those who were members by last month’s meeting could vote), surmising that was mostly because of the King County Executive race. Membership was announced at 548, and the onscreen counter showed attendance last night peaking at close to 400. At the start of the night, group leaders gave a pitch on staying engaged even after the vote.
A few notes first: The 34th legislative district includes West Seattle, White Center, Vashon/Maury Islands, and part of Burien. The group requires candidates to identify themselves as Democrats to be eligible for endorsement nominations, even for nonpartisan positions. To win endorsement, 60 percent support was required; if nobody got that on the first ballot, the top two votegetters went to a second ballot, and if neither got 60 percent, the remaining options were dual endorsement or no endorsement (the latter happened in one big race). There were up to four speeches for each candidate nominated – potentially two in favor (including the candidates themselves if the original nominator gave them the floor), two against.
Rogers said the meeting recording will be posted online within a few days. We watched it all in real time, 6:30 pm until almost 11:30; here are our toplines:
(Photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor, from aboard the West Seattle Water Taxi)
A busy Tuesday list:
LAPS WITH LOU: Second and final day for the pandemic version of retired PE teacher Lou Cutler‘s annual fundraising laps at Pathfinder K-8 to help Make-A-Wish. No spectators this year but donations/pledges welcome – you can do that here.
LIGHT RAIL: The Sound Transit board’s System Expansion Committee meets online at 1:30 pm, with topics including the review of the dramatically increased cost numbers that are factoring into forthcoming “realignment” decisions, possibly delaying or downsizing West Seattle’s light-rail plan. The agenda includes info on how to watch/comment.
WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE: 4 pm online, it’s the monthly meeting for updates on the bridge closure, repair plans, and related issues such as low-bridge access. Semi-new topic this time: Bridge-replacement planning. See the agenda here; watch the livestream here.
DEMONSTRATION: From organizer Scott:
Black Lives Matter sign-waving
Thursday June 10, 4 to 6 pm, corner of 16th SW and SW Holden
Come build awareness & stimulate actions to tear down the systems that have oppressed Black lives for over 400 years on this continent. Hold signs, meet neighbors, and stand for racial justice. Scott at Puget Ridge Cohousing, endorsed by Hate-Free Delridge. Signs available.
SOCCER: West Seattle High School vs. Chief Sealth International HS in boys’ soccer, 4:30 pm at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: More venues have in-person receptions this month, and the list of food/drink establishments supporting the Art Walk with specials has grown! 5 pm is the official start but at least one participant has an event starting earlier, so peruse the list of participants, artists, and locations in the official June Art Walk preview.
WORDS, WRITERS, SOUTHWEST STORIES: 6 pm online, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s speaker series presents Julie Harrison on “Sticky Subject: The History of Sugar.” Registration required to get the link.- go here.
GRADUATION: The first of four in the next three days for high schools in West Seattle – the first graduating class for this area’s only charter school, Summit Atlas, gets their diplomas at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), 6 pm. As with all of this year’s ceremonies, it’s by-invitation, limited spectators.
Something for our calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
6:07 AM: Good morning! Today’s forecast holds some sunshine and some clouds. The two blended for this cool view on Wednesday – thanks to Dan Ciske for the photo:
ROAD WORK
Delridge project – Striping/lane configuration work near Delridge/Dakota, work on the west side of the Delridge/Barton/Henderson intersection, and utility work along Delridge between Holden and Thistle – here’s the full weekly update. We also finally got an answer from SDOT – the east side of Thistle/Delridge is not close to reopening.
SW Yancy – In that same update, we also have the latest on this – reopening of SW Yancy west of 28th is now not expected before June 19th.
99 Tunnel – Closed Friday night for maintenance.
FERRIES/BUSES
Regular schedules today.(Watch @kcmetrobus for word of bus cancellations, @wsferries for major WSF changes.)
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
444th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are the views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: 22nd week for automated enforcement cameras; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends, when the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available for some categories of drivers.)
Here’s a low-bridge view:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
And the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are bridges opening for boats or barges? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed is working again. The 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings also are tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.)
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
Tonight’s local/state pandemic updates:
MAYOR ANNOUNCES MILESTONE: Visiting the West Seattle vaccination hub on its last day, Mayor Durkan announced that Seattle is the first big city to see 70 percent of people 12+ fully vaccinated. The city provided this chart:
The mayor thanked West Seattleites for their part in reaching the milestone.
VAX HUB BREAKDOWN: We went back at day’s end to see the hub start getting taken apart.
The crew there told us 245 people got shots on the last day.
GOVERNOR’S UPDATE: A few hours after the mayor’s West Seattle visit, Gov. Inslee mentioned the city’s achievement in his briefing (here’s the video). He also said that federal vaccinations – Defense and VA – have now been added to the state’s total, so that’s 150,000 more people, and the official tally is up to 66.4% with at least one shot, so the 70% threshold for reopening might be reachable before June 30th after all.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*110,717 people have tested positive, 152 more than yesterday’s total
*1,609 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total
*6,256 people have been hospitalized, 17 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 109,857/1,590/6,173.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find all the numbers, county by county, on the state Department of Health dashboard.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Thanks to Duncan Dorris for the photos – just before sunset, a submarine was in view off west-facing West Seattle, northbound in Puget Sound.
(WSB file photo, Lincoln Park wading pool)
The city has finally announced this year’s plan for wading pools and sprayparks. Here’s which ones in West Seattle will be open, and when. From the citywide announcement:
Seattle Parks and Recreation is opening wading pools and sprayparks this summer from Saturday, June 26 to Monday, September 6. In all, 15 locations around Seattle will be available seven days a week to provide fun, activity and relief for kids, parents, and guardians this year.
Wading pools operate when there is no rain in the day’s forecast and the air temperature is expected to be 70 degrees or higher. If unsure, you can call the Wading Pool Hotline for same-day updates at 206-684-7796. The recording is updated by mid to late morning each day.
Here’s a link to a map to see which wading pools or sprayparks are near you.
WADING POOLS that will be open from noon to 7 pm each day of the week:
Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
Open from noon to 5:30 pm each day of the week:
Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW)
SPRAYPARKS that will be open from 11 am to 8 pm each day of the week:
Highland Park (1100 SW Cloverdale)
For the rules – and the list of wading pools/sprayparks that will be open off-peninsula – see the full announcement.
(Photo by Jerry Simmons)
Two days until Friday’s Pride mini-parade in Morgan Junction, organized by the proprietors of Youngstown Coffee Company and HeartBeet Organic Superfoods Café, with the Louisa Boren STEM K-8 PTA. Here’s what’s happening on Friday (June 11th): Meet up at Morgan Junction Park (6413 California SW) by 5 pm. The organizers say all ages are welcome: “Wear your festive Pride gear and bring supportive signs for our transgender youth.” This is happening rain or shine, with “skates, bikes, strollers, and dogs welcome.” Not a street-closing event; participants will proceed up the sidewalk on California to Findlay, cross the street, and loop back to Youngstown and HeartBeet, where they’ll have Pride specials with proceeds benefiting Lambert House.
New info on two long-term east-west road closures – the results of separate, unrelated projects – that we’ve been tracking:
SW YANCY CLOSURE WEST OF 28TH: This closure is part of the Rise at Yancy Street supportive-housing project for local nonprofit Transitional Resources. TR CEO Darcell Slovek-Walker has just sent word that the contractor says the street is now scheduled to reopen June 19th – one week from Saturday.
SW THISTLE CLOSURE ON EAST SIDE OF DELRIDGE: This closure is part of the SDOT repaving/utilities project preparing for Metro Route 120 to become the RapidRide H Line in fall 2022. The SDOT project team says it is still closed because “we are currently evaluating a slight design change to the southeast corner which will require us to keep SW Thistle St closed to through traffic. This evaluation may result in some additional work in this area. If a design change is needed, we will follow up with more specific details on this work and the schedule.”
(WSB photos, video)
2:37 PM: With hours to go until the city’s West Seattle vaccination hub at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex closes, firefighters and others working there had a celebratory barbecue lunch.
They also got a visit from Mayor Jenny Durkan, who said Seattle has become the first city in the U.S. to have 70 percent of its eligible population fully vaccinated, and thanked West Seattleites for their part in it:
The Seattle Fire acting captain who’s been heading the testing and vaccination program, Brian Wallace, was there too:
He told us the site has given 51,000 shots and done 80.000 tests (it began, you might recall, as a test site). It’s open until 5:30 pm (2801 SW Thistle) if you suddenly decide it’s finally time to get vaccinated. The city’s closing its Rainier Beach and Lumen Field vaccination hubs too but continuing with the drive-thru site in SODO as well as Mobile Vaccination Team pop-ups (including one coming up soon in Delridge – stand by for details).
6:30 PM: We went back just before official closing time at 5:30 pm. They told us 245 vaccinations had been given on this last day. And then, it was time for breakdown:
Somebody played farewell-themed songs on a speaker as the work went on.
(Added: Photo of cranes being loaded for departure, courtesy Port of Seattle)
Want to watch the four big new cranes for Terminal 5 arrive off West Seattle? The Port of Seattle says they are expected here this Sunday, three weeks after leaving China. They are super-post-Panamax cranes, 316 feet tall with 240-foot outreach booms, so – like the four cranes shipped to Tacoma two years ago – it’ll be quite a sight. Port spokesperson Peter McGraw tells WSB that the arrival of Zhen Hua 36, carrying the cranes, is expected by noon Sunday. The Northwest Seaport Alliance – the joint Seattle-Tacoma port authority that’s overseeing the T-5 project – says the first “modernized” berth at T-5 will open early next year; the cranes will belong to the berth’s tenant, SSA Marine.
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