West Seattle, Washington
20 Monday
(City map of camera/communication system – click for larger, zoomable view)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
While installation of 30 federally funded, Seattle Police-run cameras continues – with 9 up as of the end of last week, according to SPD – who will operate them and who will have access to them is not yet decided.
That’s according to SPD’s Special Operations Bureau commander, Assistant Chief Paul McDonagh, who we interviewed late Friday.
We reported on several key points of the conversation hours after it concluded, in our third report about the cameras; our first one appeared here last Tuesday, with a bit of information about the previously unannounced, unreported installations, after a first round of research followed WSB readers’inquiries.
Then Thursday, our second report included details of the project gleaned from the video archive of a little-noticed City Council committee briefing and vote back in May.
As shown in our Friday coverage, we confirmed that the six cameras we had seen along West Seattle’s waterfront boulevards are only half of the 12 planned for West Seattle; the southernmost camera is also already up, over the southbound RapidRide bus stop at the Fauntleroy ferry dock.
Ahead, full details from our conversation with Assistant Chief McDonagh, which we recorded on video and have excerpted with links to specific points in the conversation:
In his State of the County address today, King County Executive Dow Constantine included a call for “strategies” to prevent gun violence, pointing out that gun-related deaths outnumber motor-vehicle deaths in the county. Here’s the official news release:
King County Executive Dow Constantine today signed an executive order directing Public Health – Seattle & King County to develop innovative, data-driven local strategies for preventing gun violence in King County.
“Gun violence is a public safety crisis. It is also a public health crisis. Locally, we can approach gun violence as a preventable public health problem,” said Executive Constantine, as part of his 2013 State of the County address. “State and federal law pre-empt our ability to regulate firearms, but that should not stop us from thinking innovatively about what we can do within our own authority.”
Tomorrow night – as reported here last week – it’s the regrouping/launch meeting for a Westwood/Roxhill/Arbor Heights community council, 6:30 pm at the Southwest Branch Library (35th and Henderson), in hopes that will help neighbors join together to tackle community concerns including crime prevention. Mat McBride, Delridge Neighborhoods District Council chair, has just sent the agenda – see it here (PDF) or click ahead:
We first told you last night about a little black cat stuck on a power pole at 46th/Andover – not with the intent of putting out a “somebody help!” call, but with the intent of finding its owner, since neighbors had no idea whose cat it was. Nonetheless, an outpouring of concern resulted, in WSB comments and on the WSB Facebook page – and repeated calls to Seattle City Light brought out a crew to help. Our video shows the rescue, just a short time ago – though as you’ll see, the cat did not want to stay with rescuer Aaron!
(Eagle at Alki Point, photographed by Patrick McCaffrey)
Happy Monday! Five highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you will find even more of what’s up today/tonight, and beyond):
WEST SEATTLE COOKING CLUB: The theme for today’s recipes – Thai. 3 pm, Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW), details in our calendar listing.
WEST SEATTLE ELEMENTARY INFORMATIONAL MEETING … for parents of prospective kindergarteners, 5 pm; contact organizers (info in our calendar listing) for location and other details.
BUTTON DESIGNERS AND VOLUNTEERS WANTED! That’s the call to the community from West Seattle Hi-Yu</a>, which invites all to its general meeting at 6:30 pm tonight, St. John the Baptist Church (California/Hanford).
NEW DAISY SCOUT TROOP FORMING: Interested parents of kindergarten/1st-grade girls are invited to find out more at the main school hall of Holy Rosary School (42nd/Genesee), 6:30-7:30 pm, details in the calendar listing.
OPERA PREVIEW/LECTURE: 6:30 pm, West Seattle (Admiral) Library, a free lecture previewing Seattle Opera’s upcoming “La Boheme” – details in the calendar listing.
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
As we start the week, no major traffic alerts in West Seattle, though there is one downtown, affecting those who travel on 1st Avenue South between Pike and Pine – one southbound lane all week, as crews install monitors related to the forthcoming Highway 99 tunnel project. As for the existing Highway 99/Viaduct, there is NO scheduled closure this week. But remember that when we get to Friday night, the intersection of Delridge/Henderson will be closed all weekend as part of the Delridge repaving project. Drive/ride safely!
(Photos by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
Big scare in the 4500 block of 41st SW in The Junction tonight after that truck caught fire. WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli says the resident who reported it said the truck’s wheel/fire appeared to be burning first, and then the front of the truck burst into flames, with an audible explosion.
No reports of injury – SFD’s investigation unit, Marshal 5, was called to the scene to check it out; we’ll be checking to see what they figure out about the cause.
ADDED 11:02 AM MONDAY: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore tells WSB their investigator “determined the 2000 Ford pickup truck’s fire was most likely an electrical fire. The damage estimate is $5,400.”
EDITOR’S NOTE: For everyone who’s wished they had advance alert of an upcoming meteor shower/eclipse/etc. – and/or wondered “What’s that bright ‘star’ up there?” – this is for you; West Seattle’s own Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen, famous for her solstice/equinox sunset watches among other things, has offered to write periodic “Skies Over West Seattle” previews. Here’s the first!
By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog
Even with our cloudy skies and immense light pollution, there is hope for skygazing in West Seattle. As with everything, what you need is to be ready to take advantage of opportunities when they arise. I’m here to offer some suggestions for what to do with those opportunities.
The easy part is to not forget to look up. It is easy for us to bend our heads towards the ground all the time: reading our phones, the news, and watching to make sure we don’t step in puddles. When you get out of the car or off the bus, take a second to turn your face up to the sky. Just before you go to bed, as you’re locking up, glance out the window, or step out for a moment, and see what’s up there.
Beyond that, the winter skies can be truly beautiful. There are many extremely bright stars, and recognizable constellations like Orion are high in the sky and up most of the night. The cold air of winter is also more still than the warm, roiling air of summer. This makes the stars appear more crisp. In astronomical parlance this is called “good seeing.” When it is clear out these situations together make the night sky breathtaking, even from the city.
SUNDAY, 7:27 PM: That’s a cat in a tough spot in the rain – and since nobody seems to know whose it is, and it’s been up there for many hours, we went to check it out so we could crosspost on the Lost/Found Pets page. (We used a flashlight for a spotlight to get a photo – that’s the clearest one we have.) It’s sitting atop the stub of an old utility pole that’s fastened to the top of a newer one on the southwest corner of 46th and Andover, and the neighbors who e-mailed us earlier say nobody knows whose it is. If you are missing a relatively small black cat in that general area, you might go have a look. Food and water is waiting below if the kitty manages to get itself down. Otherwise, we have already forwarded the concerned neighbors the advice we’ve received repeatedly: Call a tree service. (The neighbors certainly would welcome any other suggestions.)
MONDAY MORNING UPDATE: As of 8:30, when we went by, still there:
See the comments for more extensive discussion of who’s done what and who’s suggested what. As mentioned there, we (and others) are checking with Seattle City Light – whom at least one neighbor says was called on Sunday.
9:54 AM UPDATE: The cat’s down, thanks to City Light.
Ready for a wardrobe refresh? This might be the ticket: A benefit women’s-clothing swap coming up three weeks from today in West Seattle, presented by and benefiting Early Days, a support organization for moms of babies. Read on for the official announcement:
We’ve been keeping an eye on – and getting questions about – the former Meander’s/Jade West space north of Morgan Junction at 6032 California SW. For a while now, a piece of paper in the window has read simply “Harry’s,” but we’ve had no luck reaching anyone there. Finally – a little more information has turned up in the window: The piece of paper has changed to the one you see above, reading “Harry’s Chicken Joint, opening soon.” That dovetails – or chicken-tails – with what Rick “The Psychic Barber” Cook (whose new location is nearby) told us recently, reporting that he had spoken to the owner, who told him “it will be a sort of homestyle eatery with the main focus on fried chicken and plans to be open late February.” (Just found a Facebook page too, though it has little beyond the address and phone number, where we’ve left a message.) More info soon as we get it!
4:51 PM UPDATE: Just talked, briefly, to Bruce from Harry’s – he says they’re not likely to have the sit-down restaurant open till next month because they’re doing some interior renovations, but right now they’re planning on something interim for February: Takeout chicken for patrons of nearby Beveridge Place Pub (which doesn’t make its own food but allows food to be brought in), starting within a week or so if all goes well.
ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:43 PM: Relatively quiet weekend so far in West Seattle Crime Watch – not just in reader reports, but also via the other ways we monitor police responses (thanks to those who have texted/e-mailed about various sightings of multiple police cars – nothing that has turned out so far to be anything of major note, but we continue to watch for reports). We do have a bicycle-theft report this morning: David says the photo above is a bicycle similar to the one stolen from the porch of his home near 32nd and Trenton overnight, between 10 pm and 4:30 am, “a Magna “Grand Ledge” mountain bike, w/ broken left hand gear cable and round bell on right side handlebar.” The same household was hit by bike thieves a few years back, and a WSB reader spotted the stolen bike, so the victims are hopeful that might happen again. (In many cases, police explain, criminals steal bikes as transportation to another crime scene – so you might find a stolen bike in an area where one or more cars were prowled/stolen.)
11:38 PM UPDATE: Bike’s back, David writes in the comment section, thanks to Guy, who spotted it near California/Admiral tonight. Another reminder that our peninsula is one big neighborhood – so something that is stolen or lost might turn up miles away *(5, in this case) – report it to police, tell your Block Watch, but then let us know too so the word can get out peninsula-wide.
A first-of-its-kind Seattle Opera production will feature young local singers. The official announcement:
West Seattle youth (L-R above) Wilder Cufley, Zane Cufley, Sarah Rosoff and Monique Allen are have been cast in Seattle Opera’s upcoming production of Our Earth and are pictured here with the four principal soloists (L-R) Thomas Thompson, Rachel DeShon, Sonia Perez, and John Coons.
Our Earth is Seattle Opera’s first-ever three-part opera for young audiences. The first performance in the series, Heron and the Salmon Girl, will premiere on Sunday, February 10, at Town Hall at 2 pm. Seattle composer Eric Banks has written three brief operas, with libretti by Irene Keliher, all set in the Pacific Northwest. They tell the story of local animals and people—including people who can transform into salmon!—and an ecosystem in danger. The Opera soloists play the human and animal characters and the Youth Chorus represents the waves of the Puget Sound. Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (which organized last weekend’s Southwest Seattle Super String Saturday at Chief Sealth International High School) performs the score:
Seattle Opera also partnered with The Nature Conservancy to inform the plot and characters – which include a hungry orca, a helpful heron, a grumpy fisherman, and a girl whose brother is in trouble in the big city. They all set off to find out what happened when the salmon fail to return to sea one spring. Later on in the trilogy, the characters continue their quest into a river valley and all the way up into the watershed, atop a forested mountain. Find information about the premieres of the second and third Our Earth opera here.
Next Sunday’s performance will also feature Seattle Youth Symphony performing with former Seattle Opera Young Artist Adina Aaron singing Wagner’s Wesendonck Lieder and Siegfried Idyll. Tickets are $10 for youth under 18 and seniors, $20 General Admission. To purchase tickets, please visit www.SeattleOpera.org/OurEarth or call 206.389.7676 or 800.426.1619.
(Lincoln Park owl, photographed by Patrick McCaffrey)
A few Super Bowl spotlights are among the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar highlights we have for you today:
WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY SOCCER: Pickup game this morning and every Sunday morning, 7:30 am, rain or shine, at Delridge Playfield.
CASPAR BABYPANTS AT SSCC: The college’s cooperative preschool program is raising money via this morning’s benefit concert by Caspar Babypants at Brockey Center on campus, 10 am, details in our calendar listing.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, year-round, at 44th/Alaska.
SUPER BOWL AT MARINATION MA KAI: New place to watch – since it just opened last fall, this is Marination ma kai (WSB sponsor)’s first Super Bowl Sunday at the Seacrest Boathouse restaurant/bar, and not only is there a big screen (and a view), they’re offering a special bar menu – see it here.
SUPER BOWL AT FEEDBACK LOUNGE: Big plans for the big game at The Feedback (WSB sponsor; 6451 California SW):
You asked for it and we’re giving it to you – a Super Bowl Party on both our new 10-foot BIG SCREENS, hosted by TOM HUTYLER, the voice of Safeco Field. We’ll also have a $7 all-you-can-eat Chef Wade buffet ($5 if you bring in non-perishable food items for the West Seattle Food Bank), half off top shelf spirits during half-time, a raffle with big prizes and lots more!
SUPER BOWL AT CHRISTOS ON ALKI: Here’s the lineup at 2508 Alki SW:
We have added another TV in the bar/restaurant! Game sound will be on as well! There will be several specials going on all day that are listed below:
**HAPPY HOUR ALL DAY (food & drinks)
** $2.75 Coors Lights, $4 Fireballs, $ 5 Touchdowns, $ 4 Ouzo
**Free raffle prizes
**$10 Large 1-topping pizzas
NOT INTO FOOTBALL? GO TO THE THEATER! At 3 pm, you can catch the matinee performance of “Shirley Valentine” at ArtsWest (WSB sponsor) in The Junction.
…OR ENJOY MUSIC AND COFFEE: Also at 3 pm, the G-Cleft-tones perform live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor; 5612 California SW), till 5 pm.
Chris Dormaier had reason to beam this afternoon – a big turnout to help her celebrate the 15th anniversary of SoundYoga (WSB sponsor). Sound Yoga offers a wide range of classes, from early morning “Get Up and Go!” to monthly Restorative Yoga sessions, and more, as detailed here. Chris is also a certified Krishnamacharya Healing Yoga Foundation Teacher Trainer.
Tonight we know where and when all four varsity basketball teams from Chief Sealth International High School and West Seattle High School will start postseason play:
GIRLS
Monday – Chief Sealth @ Bainbridge, 6 pm
Tuesday – West Seattle @ Cleveland, 7 pm
BOYS
Monday – Bainbridge @ Chief Sealth, 6 pm
Monday – West Seattle @ Nathan Hale, 7 pm
Thanks to CSIHS’s Sam Reed (who’s also Metro League president) as well as WSHS boys’ head coach Keffrey Fazio and girls’ head coach Sonya Elliott for sharing updates this afternoon.
Meantime, the regular season wrapped up last night – details ahead:
A brand-new shop just opened in downtown White Center – Rat City Records and Relics at 9632 16th SW – and it’s throwing a grand-opening party today/tonight. See our coverage on partner site White Center Now.
Though the Special Olympics of Washington-benefiting Polar Plunge is being held at Lake Union this year, West Seattleites are participating, and one team from West Seattle High School is at Husky Deli in The Junction till about 4 pm to ask you to dive in with some support. If you don’t see this till later, you can donate online by going here. (Or, there’s still time to register to participate in the Polar Plunge, which is happening one week from tomorrow.)
Another highlight in West Seattle High School‘s year of musical milestones: The first-ever Big Band Dance, last night in the WSHS Commons. Thanks to Anne Weglin for sharing photos; above, that’s the WSHS Jazz Ensemble, directed by Ethan Thomas; below, the West Seattle Big Band, directed by Donn Weaver:
Before the bands played, the night began with a round of swing-dancing lessons!
Today’s the second day of registration for West Seattle Soccer Club‘s spring season, and board member Bill Fry contacted WSB to ask that we help get the word out. It’s an 8-game season on Sunday afternoons, starting April 7th (no games on Mother’s Day or Memorial Day weekend), at fields around West Seattle. Details (including age requirements) are on this page of the WSSC website; if you’re ready to register, here’s how.
Our tipster from the recent hit-run that took out a utility pole by 21st/Roxbury (map) reports that one westbound lane is closed there right now while it’s replaced.
As decided in November, starting with the sketch above, “Alki Deep, An Undersea Adventure” is this year’s West Seattle Hi-Yu Summer Festival theme. Now that it’s February, summer’s in view – and there are two ways you can help with Hi-Yu this year. From Regina Arceo-Schulz:
West Seattle Hi-Yu is looking for your button design. This year’s theme is Alki Deep, An Undersea Adventure. If your design wins, you’ll be participating in this summer’s American Legion Parade (7/20) with the West Seattle Hi-Yu Court. Please bring your button drawings (2″ diameter) to the General Meeting, Monday night (6:30 PM), February 4th at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, 3050 California Avenue SW. We will make a decision on the winning design later in the week.
Also, we are desperately short of volunteers for this year’s festival! It is time to begin float construction, enlisting business sponsors for the souvenir book , and procuring items for this year’s coronation and auction night. We have a great Junior Court, with their families, and a small group of diehard volunteers, but we will not be able to continue preparation for the Summer Festival, if we don’t have more help. This is a great opportunity to fill some of our dreary winter nights & weekends working with other interesting & fun West Seattlelites. Please check out our website westseattlehiyu.com or our Facebook page if you are able to help.
Thanks to Mark Wangerin for sharing the photo of a red-breasted sapsucker, seen in the Camp Long/West Seattle Golf Course area. Mark explains, “Sapsuckers drill neat horizontal rows of holes into tree trunks and then return to feed on the sap. They also eat insects.” How industrious are YOU feeling today? Check out the highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you will find many other options too, for today/tonight and way beyond):
SHREDDING FUNDRAISER: As previewed here last night – 9 to noon, benefiting a local team in the Big Climb, 3703 California SW.
FRIENDS OF LINCOLN PARK: Help clear the park of invasives – it’s a big job but volunteers tackle it one work party at a time, and your help means a lot. 9 am start BUT if you get there late, there’s info on a kiosk where to find the group – as explained in the calendar listing.
ALKI COMMUNITY CENTER PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 10 am-noon, come find out more about the preschool at ACC – details here.
‘ICE CREAM FOR BREAKFAST DAY’ AT FULL TILT: It’s International Ice Cream for Breakfast Day. Really! And Full Tilt Ice Cream (9629 16th SW) will celebrate by offering free waffles – provided you buy the ice cream. Opening early for the occasion, 10:30 am.
JERRY CEIS MEMORIAL: While his friends and admirers have already had tribute gatherings, today is the official memorial for Jerry Ceis, a former Seafair Pirate and larger-than-life West Seattleite who passed away earlier this month, 1:30 pm at Alki Bathhouse.
SOUND YOGA’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY: At 2 pm today, a celebration and blessing will mark 15 years in West Seattle for longtime WSB sponsor Sound Yoga (5639 California SW).
MOVIE SERIES: “The Finger” from Argentina is the featured Global Lens Film Screening at Delridge Library, 2 pm – details here.
MOVIE PREMIERE: Local rock movie “Bent Richard” premieres at 7 pm tonight at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor; 6451 California SW), one of the locations where it was shot.
‘ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW’ AT MIDNIGHT: The monthly Admiral Theater midnight show of what’s become an audience-participation classic is tonight.
MORE NIGHTLIFE … local music, local venues, on the calendar!
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