West Seattle, Washington
08 Monday
(Photo courtesy Charlie G)
FIRST REPORT, 10:48 AM: Beach Drive SW is closed in the 5400 block right now while Seattle Fire crews stand by until Puget Sound Energy arrives to take care of a natural-gas leak. Radio communications describe it as “small.” No injuries reported. (P.S. Thanks to the readers who texted photos and info – 206-293-6302 any time!)
11:51 AM: Thanks to Davis for texting an update – the road has reopened.
(Belted kingfisher, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
Your options for tonight range from storytelling to music to neighborhood involvement, and beyond! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TRAFFIC, WATER TAXI REMINDERS FOR TONIGHT: Mentioned in the daily transit/traffic roundup BUT if you missed it there – two stadium events tonight, the World Cup qualifying match and the Mariners’ game, and that means an estimated 60,000 people in the stadium zone. If you decide to avoid the roads by taking the West Seattle Water Taxi, the county announced last week that it WILL run an “extended schedule” tonight.
STORYTELLING: Monthly event at Chaco Canyon Café with workshop and open mike, 6 pm, details in the calendar listing. (3770 SW Alaska)
FEET FIRST FUNDRAISER: Tuesday Tune-Up raising money and awareness for Feet First, 6:30-9 pm tonight at Salty’s on Alki. (1936 Harbor SW)
MIDDLE COLLEGE HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION: West Seattle’s graduation week (full schedule here) continues tonight at 7 at The Hall at Fauntleroy, with the ceremony for Middle College High School‘s High Point branch. (9131 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE SYMPHONY: Season-finale concert of the West Seattle Community Orchestras‘ WS Symphony tonight at 7 pm, Chief Sealth International High School; details in the calendar listing. (2600 SW Thistle)
FROM ST. PETERSBURG TO WEST SEATTLE: The St. Petersburg Men’s Ensemble from Russia performs tonight at Peace Lutheran Church, 7 pm, details in our calendar listing. (39th/Thistle)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm tonight, it’s the monthly meeting, with summertime event updates on the agenda. Public welcome, as always; lower-level meeting room on the south side of Admiral Congregational Church. (California/Hill)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm tonight, all are welcome at the regular board meeting, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. (9131 California SW)
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
It’s not in view on that bridge camera, but the day starts with trouble on the westbound bridge, a semitruck fire. (Added postcommute: Photo from Cheri:)
(back to original story) It’s near the Harbor Island exit, according to one reader report, and affecting westbound Route 21 buses, according to a Metro alert.
6:12 AM UPDATE: The truck IS visible right now on the bridge camera that points westbound, at the exit in the foreground:
6:22 AM UPDATE: Westbound traffic is getting by, and if you look closely, you can see a tow truck has arrived. No lingering eastbound effects.
7:24 AM UPDATE: As noted in comments, and as you can see in the camera view above, the truck has been towed. Metro has sent an update that Route 21 westbound is back to its regular route.
7:39 AM NOTE: Almost forgot till a question came in via Facebook – the county announced last week that the West Seattle Water Taxi IS running an “extended schedule” tonight to handle the soccer and M’s games. And note that travel through SODO this evening will be affected by the two stadium events.
Out of the WSB inbox tonight, looking ahead to West Seattle High School‘s graduation ceremony Wednesday:
For WSHS Graduates and families: The WSHS music department will be offering concessions before and during the graduation ceremony on Wednesday June 12th. We will have hot dogs, chips, snacks and beverages. We also have a limited number of flower and candy leis to purchase for the graduates. Flower leis are $25 and candy leis are $10. All proceeds will go directly to the WSHS music program.
The WSHS ceremony is at 5 pm Wednesday (June 12th), Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle). Our full list of local graduation ceremony dates/times/places is here.
Note the promise on the poster for June 22nd’s Morgan Junction Community Festival:
If you went last year, you’ll remember why: That brought the first rainout in its history. Some of the activities happened despite the showers that were eventually followed by a long-running downpour (and then, too late to save the day, some sun):
That was the rain-dampened Bark of Morgan last year. For this year’s “rain or shine!” festival, the Morgan Community Association‘s bringing it back, hoping it’ll be in bright sunshine (as the festival has been OTHER years). There’ll be a pooch parade at 2 pm, followed at 2:15 by competitions for Cutest Puppy, Best Trick, Best Owner/Dog Lookalikes. Here’s the schedule (PDF).
Local eateries will participate again in the Bite of Morgan during the festival, and organizers have several food trucks lined up too. We’re still awaiting final word on that lineup and on the music schedule, but wanted to remind you for starters to save the date – Saturday, June 22, 10:30 am-7 pm in and around Morgan Junction Park (on the west side of California, half a block north of Fauntleroy). WSB is a festival sponsor again this year and we’ll be reporting “live,” so we look forward to seeing you there.
Activity at the former Sharon’s Westwood Florist shop at 35th/Kenyon, including that sign, caught the attention of WSB’ers Catherine, Jissy, and Felicia, who e-mailed to ask about it. The answer turned up in a recent state liquor-license-application filing, with a “beer/wine specialty shop” license sought for The Tap Station. Among the applicants: Names we recognized from the team behind Locöl, in its third year next door. So we contacted Kyle Duce to ask about the plan for the neighboring store; he says it’ll offer more than beer and wine:
I have teamed up with my Chef/GM of Locöl- Charlie Worden – and will be creating a TO-GO “Tap Station”- a wine/beer/retail Shop that will have 8 local wines on tap and 8 local beers on tap. These will be available by growler fill or in any vessel and will be charged accordingly by the ounce. Tap Station will also have a bottle/can beer selection as well as bottled wine.
As far as the retail side, we plan on having (pre-packaged/local) grab and go food items for household use, camping, picnics, etc… Tabby Cat Pickling Company and Doolie’s Hot Sauce, to name a few. We are in the works of having a house olive oil and balsamic fill station that will allow you to fill for home use and be charged by the ounce. We plan on using this separate location as an educational space on all the bounties the NW has to offer. I wanted to create a space that would compliment Locöl and offer a quick in-and-out experience for people cruising home for a BBQ or a spot that the neighborhood could come in and get educated on all the things we love about the NW.
I look forward to bringing all these ideas together in a beautiful rustic space that will be inviting to the neighborhood and offer the same level of passionate, unpretentious service and neighborhood focus that we founded Locöl on!
How soon, you ask? Duce says they’re “looking at opening in the next couple months.”
4:30 PM: Don’t know yet if it’ll be solved quickly or not so quickly, but heads-up since we’re going into pm commute time – a WSB team member heading north on California toward Morgan Junction says the California/Fauntleroy intersection signal lights seem to be having trouble. Headed off to check.
5:45 PM: Apparently not so quickly – word via Twitter is, it’s still not working properly. Avoid the intersection TFN.
7:19 PM: Just went through – signal working, city crew still working on the cabinet.
(WSB photo from Saturday morning)
Two days after two West Seattle women found a fellow runner unconscious, badly hurt, along the road through Fairmount Ravine, three updates, including an event planned to show support for the victim and for residents who have long been concerned about safety in that area:
THE VICTIM: The 54-year-old victim remains in intensive care at Harborview Medical Center, where she has been since Saturday; Harborview says she is in serious condition. As we first reported that morning, she was found on Fairmount Avenue, near the underside of the Admiral Way Bridge, around 7 am. Police suspect she was hit by a vehicle, or someone in or on a vehicle, but one thing known for sure – whomever did it, just left her there.
THE INVESTIGATION: We checked with SPD a short time ago; nothing new to announce, they tell us, but they want to renew this call:
Anyone with information about this incident or who may know the identity or whereabouts of the suspect, or if you saw any vehicle in that area between 6:00 a.m. and 7:00 a.m. [Saturday 6/8] please call Detective Korner at (206) 684-8927. Anonymous tips are welcome.
You also can call 911 with any information.
THE RUN: The two Good Samaritans who found the victim have organized a community gathering and run for this Saturday morning to show support. Here’s the announcement from Athena Frederick and Julie Ambrose:
In light of the horrific event on Saturday, June 8th, we are hosting a Run to REFLECT….
We will meet at the bottom of Fairmount (on the Alki Beach side near Salty’s) starting at 6:30 am. Please bring some type of reflective gear, object, caution cone, etc. to donate (you may be able to retrieve it after Saturday, but not guaranteed). We will be placing these reflective items along the side of the road going up through Fairmount. Please feel free to bring them even earlier than 6:30am. Businesses that would like to donate any reflective type gear, please contact us. We are doing this to raise awareness over the weekend for drivers to SLOW DOWN on that stretch of road.
Starting at 7 am, we will run a 5K on Alki to show our support of the 54-year-old woman and her family. Please invite friends, family and join us to either “light up Fairmount” OR for the 5K run or walk. Hope to see you there and my thoughts & prayers go out to the victim and her family!!
Here’s the Facebook event page, which you can use to contact them if you’re a business interested in donating the items mentioned above, or if you have questions, or just to RSVP (though that’s not required).
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
Another short-lived fire call this morning is wrapping up right now in the 8600 block of 13th SW (map). The incident commander tells us a propane barbecue appears to be to blame for a small fire that damaged the back of the house. No injuries reported.
1:18 PM UPDATE: From SFD’s Kyle Moore:
The cause is a BBQ left on all night. It ignited the deck and the side of the house but the flames did not get into the home. The damage estimate is $30,000. The homeowner was home and tried to fight the fire with a garden hose after calling 911.
(Added 12:14 pm: Video of this morning’s council “briefing” meeting)
FIRST REPORT, 10:29 AM: Seven City Councilmembers are sending Mayor McGinn a letter asking him to close the “Nickelsville” encampment by September 1st. News of this first emerged this morning during discussion at the first of the two regular Monday meetings of the full council. We have just obtained a copy of the letter, which is signed by all councilmembers except Nick Licata and Mike O’Brien. It asks the city’s Human Services department to come up with a plan to “provide immediate targeted outreach and engagement services” to those living at the encampment, “along with immediate provision of shelter, housing, and other services,” to prepare for closing the encampment. This comes two days before Nickelsville is scheduled to be discussed at the Housing, Human Services, Health, and Culture Committee, which Licata chairs. We’ve asked for reaction from the mayor; his office hasn’t seen the letter yet. (We’ll add the letter here shortly.)
10:40 AM UPDATE: Here’s the letter:
2:21 PM UPDATE: We asked for a comment from the Highland Park Action Committee, which asked the city to close the encampment – which moved back to West Seattle two years ago – before summer:
We appreciate the council finally recognizing that the illegal encampment known as Nickelsville is not a good model for how our City should be treating our homeless. While we wish we had seen this letter and strong leadership over two years ago, we applaud that someone in our City government is finally seeing that this encampment has an unsustainable vision. We encourage the Mayor to respond quickly, preferable with a sooner move-out date in an effort to honor the community’s request. We would also like to see the Human Services department pay regular visits to our greenbelt throughout the summer to offer the same outreach, services, and provisions to the people living there.
3:22 PM UPDATE: And now a statement from the mayor, saying that unless a council majority changes its mind, he will expect the camp to be cleared by 9/1 and will evict anyone still there:
appreciate the work of Councilmembers Licata and O’Brien for working on expanding legal options for encampments, which built upon the work of an advisory task force I assembled in my first year in office. For some time we have delayed enforcement of the law against encampments on industrial lands while the City Council examined these proposals to provide more opportunities for legal encampments in the City of Seattle. In light of the City Council’s clear statement of intent that they will not expand encampments further, and that they expect Nickelsville to clear the property by September 1, motivated in part by the desire to sell this property to Food Lifeline, I have no further basis to not enforce the law.
We will provide additional services, including extended winter shelter hours through the summer. Absent a change in direction by the City Council, by September 1 we expect the property to be vacated and we will follow the City Council’s direction to evict those who remain.
Just in case you heard/saw the big response – the initial call in the 8800 block of 20th SW (map) was for a possible house fire, but crews got there and discovered what Seattle Fire spokesperson Kyle Moore describes as a “rubbish fire” that was put out quickly.
1:21 PM UPDATE: Moore says the fire “was caused by improperly discarded smoking materials. The smoking materials ignited nearby combustibles and the porch. The damage estimate is less than $1,000. No one was home at the time of the fire.”
(Steller’s Jay, photographed in May by Mark Wangerin)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here are three highlights for tonight:
OPEN HOUSE/FOOD BANK BENEFIT: The Westhaven Apartments invite community members to come by 5-8 pm for an open-house event including food, drink, karaoke by the pool, giveaways, and more, with more than a dozen local businesses participating. No admission – bring non-perishable food donations for the West Seattle Food Bank. (2201 SW Holden)
NDNC MEETS IN THE PARK: In summer months when the weather’s nice, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council holds its meetings outdoors – so tonight, you’ll find them at Greg Davis Park at 6:30 pm. The agenda will focus on opportunities for neighborhood connections. (26th/Brandon)
EVENING BOOK GROUPS: This month’s evening book group at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW) is reading Ursula K. LeGuin‘s “The Left Hand of Darkness” and meets tonight at 6:45 pm. That’s also meeting time for the evening book group at Southwest Library (35th/Raymond), where this month’s book is “Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet” by Jamie Ford.
More on the calendar!
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Monday! It’s the last week of school for most local students. For bus riders, it’s the first weekday since the Metro and Sound Transit “service changes” went into effect on Saturday – here’s a reminder of what they involve.
By Megan Sheppard
On the WSBeat, for West Seattle Blog
This edition of the WSBeat contains summaries written from reports on cases handled in the past several weeks 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?” It’s actually two rounds of WSBeat, due to various delays in getting the first one published; we start with the most recent round:
*A 30-year-old Kent resident grabbed a flag from a Fauntleroy area yard, marched through the streets and down to the ferry landing, where she managed to disrupt the 5:00, 5:40, and 6:00 p.m. sailings. She explained that someone was after her and going to kill her. She was arrested for pedestrian interference. A search turned up a packet of meth. She was transported to Harborview for a mental evaluation.
*In other flag news, a Westwood-area resident reports that someone stole a gay-pride flag from her yard on the 25th.
*Magazine sales crews were in the area on the 25th, and several Admiral-area residents experienced some uncomfortable encounters, accusing one man of “verbal aggression.” Officers found both the suspect and his “boss” and notified them that they needed city permits in order to sell door-to-door. The officer also told the salesman that he needed to change his sales skills. (Note that a prominent “No Soliciting” sign is one of your best deterrents to these incidents, according to law enforcement.) One of the sales crew members is also suspected in the theft of mobile phones, an Ipod and a wallet from a home in the Morgan Junction area. She was seen on surveillance video trying to use one of the stolen credit cards at a local grocery. She is a black female, 25-30 years old, and wears a gray hooded jacket and a pink knit beret-style hat. She remains at large.
That little video clip made mostly on Alki this weekend is part of a local show of support for families caught up in a bureaucratic crisis in Bosnia. We heard about it from Boris Popovic, who describes himself as a longtime Seattle resident previously from Bosnia, and shared the clip. In a nutshell, there’s a Bosnian government impasse over new rules for issuing official ID numbers – JMBG (the acronym you see in the clip) – and babies born in the months since this impasse began can’t get ID documents, which even kept one family from taking their baby out of Bosnia for an urgently needed operation.
This all reached a head with a blockade of the parliament building in Sarajevo – this New York Times story explains it all. So around the world, Bosnian expatriates and others who support them are making videos and photos, like Boris and his friends, usually featuring that acronym JMBG. We asked Boris how people could show support, and he replied: “Pictures of non-Bosnians with the initials would be priceless, as people don’t expect it (“Another American for JMBG” could be the caption they make). They could post them at one of the many FB pages being born as we speak. Here is one I think that has done a very nice job growing and keeping folks together and keeping what they do practical:
https://www.facebook.com/Ja.BiH.JMBG“
West Seattle’s newest soccer team is playing its first game of the season right now at Delridge Playfield. AC Seattle is part of the Women’s Premier Soccer League (WPSL), with many of its players visiting from Italy (we put out the call last spring for home-stay families to host them). They’re playing the Spokane Shine tonight, and “shine” was the word for the early-evening sunshine as spectators took their “seats” on the slope over the field:
AC Seattle got off to a lead fast.
They’re doing play-by-play on Twitter, and as we get ready to hit “publish” on this story, AC-Seattle is leading Spokane 4-0. We’ll update when the game’s over; your next chance to see the team play is 7 pm Thursday (June 13) at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), vs. Emerald City FC.
10:08 PM UPDATE: And that was the final score – AC Seattle 4, Spokane Shine 0.
P.S. The goalWA.net website has been covering AC Seattle as they got ready for the season, and published this sweet story Friday about some help from a young West Seattleite.
Seattle Districts Now, the group backing an initiative to have most Seattle City Councilmembers elected by district, say they have enough signatures to make the ballot. 
They just issued a media alert saying they’ll be at the City Clerk’s Office on Tuesday with more than 45,000 signatures, 50 percent above the 30,000 required. If that meets the verification test, the proposal would be on the November ballot. As explained on the SDN website, they want seven councilmembers elected by district – West Seattle would be one of those districts (here’s the map) – and two at-large; right now all nine are elected at large. An elect-by-district proposal that went to voters as a city-charter amendment 10 years ago was rejected, 54 percent no, 46 percent yes.
(Click image for larger view)
Meet the West Seattle Little League‘s champion teams, who received their trophies at the end-of-season barbecue celebration at Bar-S Playfield today: At left, the players and coaches from the Majors Division champion Orioles; at right, players and coaches from the Minors Division champion Dodgers. Thanks to Porter Hammer and Laurie Rasmussen for the photo; they also have shared information about and photos from the two teams’ respective big wins:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
We’ve heard it before – yet people appreciate hearing it again:
What happens when you call 911? What can you do to make your call most effective?
The West Seattle Block Watch Captains’ Network devoted its most recent meeting to the topic – with answers to those questions and many more, as well as other insights.
Special guests from the Seattle Police Department 911 Call Center (WSB file photo at right) were Communications Section Operations Lieutenant Dave Proudfoot, and 911 Center training coordinator Rob Montague.
Lt. Proudfoot acknowledged, “We’re customer-service-oriented but it’s not the same as in the restaurant business.” He said he’s aware that sometimes operators are terse, almost too efficient, and that’s by design:
2:31 PM: Seattle City Light is still trying to find out what caused a power outage affecting more than three dozen homes along Arroyo Beach Drive right now. The SCL outage map shows 40 “customers” affected; one customer usually equals a home or business, but that’s an all-residential area. While the map estimates restoration time as midnight, keep in mind that until they know what caused it, that’s just a guess and it could be fixed much sooner.
4:57 PM: City Light map says the number of homes affected is down to a dozen.
Back in March, we wrote about AC Seattle, a new women’s soccer team including athletes visiting for the summer from Italy. Somehow time got away from us – and their first game is almost here, we are reminded by e-mail that arrived a short time ago. 7:45 tonight, AC Seattle makes its WPSL debut against the Spokane Shine. (Read more about AC Seattle here.) Coached by Antonio Cincotta, AC Seattle invites fans to the game at Delridge Playfield (Delridge/Alaska); the team also plays Thursday night, vs. Emerald City FC at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle). P.S. We’re checking on ticket info – prices, etc. – and will add it when we get a reply.
Mayor McGinn breakfasted at West Seattle’s Chelan Café today with a small group of community activists, including Pete Spalding, who shares the photo. Spalding, whose current involvement includes the Southwest Precinct Advisory Council, Pigeon Point Neighborhood Council, Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, and citywide Parks and Green Spaces Levy Oversight Committee, explaining that he and Chas Redmond (in the top photo) initiated the invitation. Redmond’s current involvement includes the City Neighborhood Council and Morgan Community Association. Also at the table were Mat McBride, chair of the DNDC; Dorsol Plants and Michael Taylor-Judd, both currently involved with the North Delridge Neighborhood Council (and both former candidates for City Council), while Plants is with Spalding on the levy Oversight Committee; and Marty Westerman from the Fauntleroy Community Association. (The participants may well be involved with other groups – this is just what we know from our recent community coverage.) Spalding says, “We discussed a wide range of West Seattle issues during the two hours.” Any specific announcements or revelations? we asked him via followup e-mail. “We spent a lot of time talking about peninsula-wide transportation issues, a number of issues around the Department of Neighborhoods, and our desire to see the city spend more time, effort, and money on West Seattle issues.”
(From left: Ian Bell, Gevin Wood, Nathan Williams)
By Keri DeTore
Reporting for West Seattle Blog
Ever wonder what a film producer actually does?
Longtime West Seattle resident and filmmaker Gevin Booth would be happy to tell you. He is producing the movie “The Servant” here in Seattle and in Eastern Washington. And his work got under way long before the actual filming begins.
Among other duties, Booth explains, the producer is in charge of “getting the money, putting the pieces together so the director’s creative vision can happen, finding the cast, crew, locations, catering and looking at costume design. I’m creating an environment where the director can focus on the actors, cameras, and scene, and doesn’t have to worry about lunch arriving at noon.”
Booth adds that he and co-producer Ian Bell are “juggling 12 plates constantly, making sure nothing breaks.” All this juggling is for “The Servant,” a feature film written by local filmmaker Nathan Williams, described by Booth as “thought-provoking cinema. It’s interesting, entertaining and contemplative with philosophical implications.” And, he says, with “political, religious, and supernatural themes, but is actually none of those things.”
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