West Seattle, Washington
29 Friday
(photo added 5:05 pm – one of the many officers who were there before sunset, thinning out some now)
Checked this out after a phone tip: There’s a sizable King County Sheriff’s Office presence on 35th just north of the strip mall at the northeast corner of Roxbury (map). So far, we’ve been told it’s “warrant service.” Checking with KCSO (this is in the city limits but no Seattle Police in sight – so it’s clearly a county case) to see if there’s any more info. No traffic effects, though the operation is quite eye-catching if you’re driving by. 5:16 PM UPDATE: Some of the officers have left, but right now the “search” part of the reported search warrant appears to be under way – from the street, you can see that officers are inside conducting an extensive search. 5:36 PM UPDATE: Just got a call back from Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart. He confirms it’s a drug case but, since it’s still ongoing, doesn’t have info on arrests or what’s been seized, yet. The house is in the city limits but since KCSO “developed the case,” as he put it, they’re the ones handling it.
ORIGINAL 2:09 PM REPORT: Thanks to the WSB’ers (including Bruce, who sent the top photo) who sent word of that rollover crash, which is the reason for the “heavy rescue” call in the 8600 block of 35th SW (south of Thistle; map). Avoid the area. 2:16 PM UPDATE: Here’s what we’ve found out at the scene – 1 person has been taken to the hospital. Two vehicles involved, as you see in the photo. No word yet on the circumstances. 35th is closed between Thistle and Trenton (the crash is closest to Cloverdale); side streets are closed in the blocks leading up to that area as well. 2:25 PM UPDATE: Police tell us at the scene that a few other cars may have been hit, but not as badly damaged – they are still trying to sort it all out – so don’t expect the scene to reopen quickly. 2:47 PM UPDATE: This WSB photo from Christopher Boffoli shows you how far north of the scene 35th is closed:
We have more information, too. The person who was hurt was in the flipped car and is not believed to have life-threatening injuries. That vehicle apparently didn’t see the gray vehicle, which was trying to make a left turn into a driveway on 35th, and they collided; three other cars were hit in the ensuing spinouts, though damage was not major and no one in those cars was hurt. As soon as the damaged vehicles are cleared, police tell us, the road will reopen, though there are a few things (like flattened tires) that are making for slower going in the tow effort. We’ll keep checking on the scene so we can update when everything’s open again. 3:25 PM UPDATE: 35th is clear and open again. Meantime, another photo from Christopher shows one of the other three vehicles that were hit:
4:09 PM UPDATE: Video from Christopher as the police and firefighters investigated and cleaned up:
And an ironic side note: One of the stations that responded to this crash, FS 32 in The Triangle, apparently had been training/practicing earlier in the day for this kind of situation – nearby resident Sharonn Meeks had noticed the activity and sent us a note even before the crash. The practice car was still at the station when Christopher went by afterward to check it out:
ADDED LATER: Our video of the flipped car being turned upright for towing. Not an easy job.
First, the arrest. Seattle Police announced tonight that 26-year-old Shane Carlson is back in custody; he’s the suspect wanted in connection with more than 30 medical- and dental-office break-ins around the city, including West Seattle. Police released his photo in November; tonight, this SPDBlotter update says he’s been arrested in Eugene, Oregon. Meantime, two Crime Watch reports came in today – first, from Elizabeth in Westwood:
Last night, the Village Square condos across from Westwood Village were hit again by a car prowler. We were notified by the association president around 11:00pm, and it had just happened – he was inside for maybe half an hour before he left again and noticed the glass. The driver side window was smashed and the back seat was pulled out to get to the trunk. After we were hit the last time (see here: westseattleblog.com/blog/?p=21064), we stopped keeping anything in the car, so there was nothing to take. A neighbor actually saw the guy, and said he was mid-height, Caucasian, kind of chubby, and had dirty blond hair pulled into a ponytail and was driving a green sedan. The cops said a guy matching this description has hit a number of cars in the area, so be on the lookout.
And from Ian in North Delridge:
Just had a car cover stolen off my car this morning just before 7 am (they were caught on camera). This is at Youngstown on the North end of Delridge. Kind of troubling that somebody would try to steal something would take a little bit of time to grab from a place with 40 people living right above and people right about to get to work. If anyone saw somebody carrying a bulky white fabric object to a car on Delridge right before 7, please contact me or the police. It’s not a high-ticket item, but the car needs protection against the spread of rust, so I’ve got to buy another now when that money would have gone towards the car.
Last but not least, the following was posted as a comment on a Crime Watch story that’s a week old, so you probably haven’t seen the comment. It’s a response of sorts to another comment in the thread, which was itself a burglary report not necessarily related to the original story – that happens sometimes with Crime Watch stories. So for context, here’s the New Year’s Day comment by “jmo“ noting a burglary; and today, from “mom of jmo“:
My daughter posted our burglary while we were away before we returned. 2 Laptops were stolen and my jewelry box. I am thankful that the thieves did not destroy the house. I want to make a proposition to the thieves! You by now have figured out that the jewelry you stole from me has no real value….just to me for the memories some of the pieces hold. There is a large porpoise bracelet…a little unusual, huh?? If you would return the jewelry box and contents to me I will pay you $1000., no questions asked. I would just like to have my things returned. So you figure out how to do it!! Hopefully you read this blog or have a friend who does!! Oh, and by the way..you stole my husband’s electric toothbrush. Don’t use it!!! I would regret anyone catching his disease!! And also, we have 2 large, very mean dogs when someone enters the yard. Lucky for you they were boarded. We are not going to board them again but rather leave them outside when we are gone (don’t worry readers they have warm cover and beds). Thieves, please don’t make the mistake of returning!!
In the past day, we’ve added a few more lost pets to the WSB Pets page (there as a West Seattle-specific resource if you’ve ever lost or found a pet) – and right now there’s a frantic search under way for a deaf Dalmatian, missing in Westwood – photo and contact number here. TUESDAY UPDATE, 2:38 PM: Rupert’s just been found.
METRO TRANSIT SERVICE THIS WEEK: That swing week between Christmas and New Year’s can be confusing. Metro wants everybody to know it’s on “reduced weekday service” through Thursday – see what that means, here – then on Friday, not only will Metro run a Sunday schedule, fares also go up.
CHRISTMAS TREE RECYCLING, AKA TREECYCLING: This week and next, the city has two ways for you to recycle your tree – one via curbside pickup, one via dropping it off at a transfer station. The latter requires a little less pre-processing. Here are all the specifics; the nearest transfer station is just east of West Seattle in South Park – here’s a map.
SOUTHWEST POOL SCHEDULED TO REOPEN … after a weeklong shutdown while the SW Community Center gym floor was being repaired. (Extra public swims are scheduled for the next three days – details here.)
And there’s more on the calendar today – check out the WSB West Seattle Events page.
(Editor’s note: School Board member Steve Sundquist has another community meeting this morning, 10 am at Delridge Library)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
“We all know the line has to be drawn somewhere, but — right across the street?”
So asked one of the 25+ people who crowded into Roxhill Elementary School‘s library Tuesday night to try to find out from Seattle School Board member Steve Sundquist why the Roxhill attendance area in the new Student Assignment Plan has one headscratcher:
When the West Seattle lines were redrawn, for the maps that were finalized with few amendments last month, the western boundary of Roxhill’s attendance area moved several blocks east, and now goes down the middle of 30th SW .. yards from where the school sits on the east side of that street (note the school icon next to the boundary line in the map section shown above).
New information today about SDOT plans for pedestrian-safety upgrades at the main intersection leading into Westwood Village, 26th/Barton (map). This follows another serious pedestrian-hit-by-car crash a week and a half ago, which led to much discussion here about the area’s safety challenges. The original announcement came from SDOT’s Jim Curtin during a walking-tour visit to the area (WSB coverage here), where he met with Westwood Neighborhood Council’s Donn DeVore, Westwood Village’s Stuart Crandall and Delridge Neighborhood District Coordinator Ron Angeles. Since that visit, Curtin has provided a list not only of the improvements he mentioned that day but also other upgrades in the works – including some at intersections further west, as part of the Safe Routes to School program that is moving on to Roxhill Elementary School. Here’s the full list:
* Short Term – to be installed in the first quarter of 2010:
o Both the east and west crosswalks at the intersection of 26th Ave SW and SW Barton St will be repainted and widened to improve crosswalk visibility for drivers and pedestrians and align the crosswalk markings with the existing curb ramps
o The signal at 26th Ave SW and SW Barton St will be equipped with new “Stop for Pedestrians When Turning” overhead signs
o The signage for the mid-block crosswalk at the Longfellow Creek Trail (just west of 26th Ave SW and SW Barton St) will be upgraded to our new standard fluorescent yellow-green signs
o “Stop for Me – It’s the Law” signs will be installed on SW Barton St on the eastbound and westbound approaches to Westwood Village
o SDOT will review speed limit signage to ensure that SW Barton St is properly signed
o SDOT will enroll the neighborhood in the Arterial Traffic Calming program for SW Barton St – this will start the data collection process to evaluate speeds on SW Barton St
o Westwood Village will paint stop bars at the shopping center exit to provide additional guidance for drivers by designating the location where they should stop
Read on for the “long term” list as well as other improvements recently decided, including those for walk routes to Roxhill:Read More
Sure, you can buy a light-encrusted “reindeer” at the store and plop it in your yard. But how about carving and assembling your own reindeer? That’s what Dave did in Westwood, and proud girlfriend Oleana shares these photos — in progress, above, and here’s the final result:
Oleana explains:
We live in West Seattle and this is our 2nd x-mas here. This year my boyfriend really got into the decorations as in chainsaw, log, actual size reindeer with a 6 ft wreath hung from the trees in our yard. I also just for fun decorated with pink flamingos and a golden egg. It is a holiday scene—in the middle of a quiet neighborhood. Throughout the day I see dog walkers pointing and even coming in the yard to check out the reindeer.
She says he’s made a couple more, too. You can see them at 7926 30th SW (here’s a map).
Got something to sell that holiday bazaar shoppers might be interested in? The Southwest Community Center Holiday Bazaar tomorrow (Saturday) still has room for more vendors, Lisa tells us. $15 for one table, $20 for two, and the fees go to SWCC youth programs. Call 206-684-7638. Even if you’re not interested in selling, there’ll be entertainment and food along with craft activities for kids, 9 am-4 pm Saturday.
It’s one of West Seattle’s most heartstopping intersections to maneuver as a pedestrian – and it’s in an area that’s seen two major car-hits-pedestrian crashes in less than two years, one fatal, another resulting in major injuries. But the 26th/Barton intersection at Westwood Village’s main entrance/exit is about to get some attention, according to SDOT’s Jim Curtin (a West Seattleite), who came out this afternoon to meet with (from left, with Curtin 2nd from left) Donn DeVore of the Westwood Neighborhood Council; Stuart Crandall of Westwood Village, and Ron Angeles, district coordinator in the Department of Neighborhoods‘ Delridge office:
Problems at the intersection were thoroughly discussed in this WSB comment thread following the December 1st crash that left a woman in the hospital, badly hurt. Curtin says some improvements are in the works and will be installed as soon as next month – including “fanning” the crosswalk striping to cover the 16-inch gap between the driveway and the crosswalk here on the west side of the WWV driveway:
Signage also will be upgraded from the current old-style flat orange to the new-style fluorescent lime green:
And yield-to-pedestrian reminder signs may be hung from the overhead cables:
But you won’t see left-turn arrows – Curtin says that wouldn’t solve the problem. You will see the road striping change within the next two years – not to add a striped right-turn lane heading west on Barton into the center, which DeVore asked about, though – Curtin says that the Bicycle Master Plan calls for a bike lane on each side of Barton in that area, so when that happens, the “one (car) lane in each direction” will be a lot clearer than it is now. The work’s not going to happen next year, he says, but is a possibility for 2011. That’s also when Metro RapidRide service is scheduled to begin, and a station is reportedly planned on the south side of Barton near Daystar Retirement Village. “So how do we slow down traffic till then?” DeVore asked. Curtin suggested it’s time to get this stretch of road involved in the Arterial Traffic Calming Program – which would mean gathering some data, for starters, about the speeds and other conditions on that stretch of Barton, as a first step.
Eastbound SW Barton is closed at 26th – the east entrance to Westwood Village – because of an accident. Police at the scene tell us a pedestrian crossing Barton was hit by a car and has been taken to the hospital. 10:22 AM UPDATE: Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen tells us the victim is a woman in her 60s, taken to Harborview Medical Center “with life-threatening injuries.” 11:06 AM UPDATE: Police at the scene tell us they have spoken with the driver, who told them she had visibility problems – that “the sun got in her eyes.” History note – this is the same area where 55-year-old Teri Soike was hit and killed in February of last year (WSB coverage here); that crash happened at night, in the rain. 4:12 PM UPDATE: SPDBlotter has now published a summary of this incident with a few more details, including which way the car was turning and which way the woman was crossing – read it here.
Three reports to share this time – first one’s a case of watchful neighbors getting a suspect off the street:
Fairmount Springs coalition of Block Watchers (about a hundred on our list) had a success story last week by reporting a local known problem person who had no reason to be in the neighborhood. The ever-vigilant block watch captain on 41st confronted (the man), who had a very dumb reason to be in the neighborhood (Thanksgiving at a vacant house) and reported him to the police. Thanks to SPD, they showed up and arrested (the man), who is now in jail on numerous charges. This guy has been seen lurking in yards and slowly driving his red Merc down alleys in our neighborhood and is suspected of being the source of some local crime.
According to King County Jail Register records, this is the fifth time this year the man’s been in jail – this arrest came just three weeks after his most recent release. He’s being held for alleged failure to appear to face previous charges, including harassment, trespassing and pot possession. Meantime, we have two more reports to share – a car break-in, and suspected casing – those two reports, just ahead:Read More
Note the barrel in the foreground of our shot from Santa’s House in Westwood Village – it’s not just a place for the little ones to share their holiday wishes, it’s also a place for you to help make somebody else’s holiday dreams come true – Santa photos are free with a nonperishable food donation; there’s also a diaper drive for WestSide Baby, and giving trees large and small:
Noon-4 pm, Saturdays and Sundays till Christmas, you’ll find Santa in his own storefront on the Westwood Village breezeway across from 24 Hour Fitness. (Santa photo opportunities start in The Junction next weekend; info on that, and lots more holiday happenings, abounds here.)
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Julie Enevoldsen of Friends of Southwest Branch Library:
Friends of Southwest Branch Library invite all ages of board game enthusiasts, casual players, and anyone interested in learning a board game to our next two Board Game Sunday Afternoons, December 6th and January 10th, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. in the meeting room upstairs at the branch (9010 35th Ave. S.W.).
Members of the Friends plan to bring a variety of board games and will be available to assist with learning to play them. (Examples? At our last Board Game Afternoon, people played a Catan game, a Ticket to Ride game, and a couple of word games and two-person strategy games.) If you have a board game you’d like to play or teach, please feel free to bring it.
Families with children old enough to enjoy board games are welcome; we request that parents consider their child(ren)’s temperament in deciding whether they would enjoy this event, and plan to attend with their child(ren). We are unable to provide child care for this event.
To let us know you’ll be attending, what games you’d like to play, learn, or bring, or for questions, please contact us at swt-friends@wlonk.com. Drop-ins are welcome, but we can plan better if we know you’re coming!
This event is sponsored by the Friends of Southwest Branch Library – which had a pilot Board Game Afternoon earlier this fall.
West Seattle Chamber of Commerce members and guests were at Westwood Village tonight as WSCC president/CEO Patti Mullen and WWV manager Stuart Crandall cut the ribbon for Santa’s new digs in the original Wyatt’s Jewelers [WSB sponsor] storefront across the breezeway from 24 Hour Fitness during the chamber’s After-Hours event tonight. Santa listened to holiday wishes, too – including the ones shared by Rick Jump from White Center Food Bank and Nancy Woodland from WestSide Baby:
Rick asked for enough food to feed the 1,000 people his agency (which serves part of WS too) will see in the next week; Nancy asked for enough diapers to make life pleasant for the hundreds of little ones whose families get help through her agency. (WC Food Bank REALLY needs turkeys, by the way – their website has info on how to donate – they’ll be there on Saturday this week too; while WestSide Baby has specifics on its site too.) As for the rest of the event – Wyatt’s proprietors Joni and Kirk Keppler opened their new storefront in the heart of the center (by Chico’s, north of Barnes & Noble) to visitors:
Other Westwood Village merchants participated too (with treats from eateries Giannoni’s Pizza, Eats Market Cafe and Sub Shop), as the shopping center gets ready for the holidays. Back to Santa, we’ve got his schedule on the new WSB West Seattle Holidays page; he’s all about doing good in the community – photos are free with a food donation, there’s a Giving Tree for the Salvation Army, a place to drop off diapers (preferably sizes 3-6) for WestSide Baby, and gift wrapping is free but anything you donate will go to local nonprofits. More Chamber info, by the way (disclosure – WSB is among the many local businesses that are members), at wschamber.com.
It’s all over – Bob Warden went into Southwest Community Center with his concealed weapon (backstory here), a parks security staffer came up to him and asked him to leave, he left, now he says he’s got grounds to sue. Big media circus, of course, including TV, newspaper and new-media crews. Here’s the TV contingent (photo added 12:58 pm – sorry we didn’t get the photojournalists’ names, but at left and right, reporters Theron Zahn from channel 4 and Chris Daniels from 5):
Adding more shortly, video and photos. The reason Warden said he chose SWCC at noon was because they were having the Dogs in the Hood show; as of 12:30, the people and dogs who showed up for the show left when they saw all the commotion. (Photo above – TV reporters asked to see his gun, after he’d been asked to leave; when he entered the center, it was under his jacket.) ADDED 12:55 PM: Here’s video as we followed Warden entering the center, after spending about 15 minutes talking with the media outside, then leaving as he’d said he would if asked:
(Despite what you heard him say there toward the end of our clip, he had sent a letter to the city Parks Department informing them he’d had a gun, so you could say they DID know.) Police were standing by inside the center but did not get involved at any point.
With Warden was one of his young-adult children, Casey. A few people showed up to support him, including a man who worked the media sidelines handing out pamphlets for the Museum of Flight, where he said he was a docent. We asked Warden if he’d be going home and starting to draw up legal papers immediately; he said, no, he’d probably watch some sports.
It started as an assault-with-weapons call – then it “closed” on the Fire Department 911 log – which means either a false alarm/unfounded report OR medical attention’s not needed. WSB contributing journalist Christopher Boffoli is on the scene and says it looks like the latter – tons of police near the Bank of America at Westwood Village, yellow tape, and what appears to be a body on the ground. More as we get it. 1:11 AM UPDATE: Police tell Christopher they are “95 percent sure” the person died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, so homicide detectives are NOT coming out to the scene.
From tonight’s Southwest Healthy Youth Partnership meeting at Madison Middle School: First up on the agenda, the future Westwood Village liquor store, and concerns about its proximity to Seattle Public Schools-owned Southwest Athletic Complex (as shown in Google Street View above – field’s south side at left, back side of future store location at right). Westwood Neighborhood Council‘s Donn DeVore recapped conversations he’s had with State Liquor Control Board reps and said the location seemed to be a done deal before anyone in the community heard about it. If that’s so, a few attendees suggested, perhaps productive next steps would be to work to keep signage off the stadium-facing side of the building and to talk with police about patroling behind that building (also home to medical offices and Staples); Westwood neighbors say they’d been noticing an increase in empty malt-liquor bottles around 26th/Trenton and fear the liquor-store move could increase that. Delridge District Neighborhood Service Coordinator Ron Angeles offered info about other West Seattle meetings addressing such concerns – like the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council (also held tonight – our report is coming up) and the South Delridge/White Center Community Safety Coalition (this Thursday, 6 pm, St. James Place). In other efforts, it’s almost Red Ribbon Week, which will be marked at local high schools, including (as mentioned here this morning) with special decals on helmets during the West Seattle High School–Chief Sealth High School football game Friday night; next week, students at Madison will make posters about positive choices. The Healthy Youth Partnership also is working on arranging a teen-drinking presentation by West Seattle/Vashon addiction/mental-health expert Stephen Brogan. Want to get involved with SWHYP? Contact Renae Gaines – rtgaines@seattleschools.org.
Coming up this Saturday, an intriguing presentation at West Seattle’s Southwest Community Center, just announced as part of the city’s Youth Violence Prevention Initiative – read on for details:Read More
(Photo added 9:54 pm)
ORIGINAL 9:45 PM REPORT: A crash described as car vs. pole — “heavy rescue” on the 911 log – is closing Barton at 30th (just west of Westwood Village – here’s a map), all lanes according to the scanner. The collision has cut power to part of the area, also per the scanner. 9:54 PM UPDATE: Just added a cameraphone photo. Fire/rescue crews are trying to get into the vehicle by cutting its top off – it’s on its side against the pole – we don’t know how many people are inside or what condition they are in. 10:08 PM UPDATE: Commenter Conrad has a different line of sight than our crew and says they’ve gotten the driver into an ambulance. 10:21 PM UPDATE: Our crew confirms one man’s been taken to the hospital; since it was by ambulance rather than SFD medic unit, that usually indicates injuries were not life-threatening. Power’s still out around the intersection. Seattle City Light has arrived. 10:38 PM UPDATE: Barton is partly reopened (and should be fully reopened shortly); the power’s back on; the wreckage will be cleared before long.
11:04 PM UPDATE: Lt. Ron Smith at the Southwest Precinct tells us the driver has a minor injury and that investigators are looking into the possibility of DUI, though, he confirms, the driver did indeed tell police (as Conrad reported in comments) he had swerved to avoid a dog.
The first full week of the month means the start of the calendar of monthly recurring community-group meetings – starting with two this Wednesday, North Delridge Neighborhood Council (6:30 pm, Delridge Library) and Southwest District Council (7 pm, South Seattle Community College [WSB sponsor] board room). One of West Seattle’s neighborhood councils recently regrouped – here’s the story of how, and what’s next:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Donn DeVore just moved to Westwood last year, but didn’t want to just sit back and see what happened with his neighborhood and its community group.
After finding out that the Westwood Neighborhood Council hadn’t met in months, DeVore coordinated a regrouping meeting of sorts a week and a half ago.
With him were members and leaders, old and new. In the photo above, that’s Donn; to his left, Pablo Lambinicio, the first person to lead the WNC; not pictured but sitting on his other side were Ron Angeles, longtime Delridge Neighborhoods District coordinator for the city, and Steven Fischer, longtime WNC leader, particularly through the months of struggle to get Seattle Public Schools to pay attention to neighborhood concerns over the Denny Middle School-Chief Sealth High School co-located campus project.
DeVore and Lambinicio both told their stories as the meeting began.
Bad weekend for more than half a dozen car owners in one local condo complex – hit by two nights of break-ins, and nowhere near the break-in report we had here earlier. Read on for the story:Read More
When local pilot Long Nguyen sent a few more West Seattle aerials the other day, we knew this one would be perfect for today’s preview mentioning that the Westwood Neighborhood Council is meeting for the first time in several months – what you see above (click for a larger view) is Westwood Village in the foreground, with Southwest Athletic Complex, Southwest Community Center, and the Sealth-Denny project beyond. SWCC (2801 SW Thistle) is where the WNC is meeting tonight, 7 pm; here’s the flyer. What should be in the Seattle Public Schools 2010 levy measure? Be at Madison Middle School (3429 45th SW) at 6:30 pm to discuss. More politics today too – West Seattle Democratic Women present a debate between City Attorney Tom Carr and challenger Pete Holmes during their 11:30 am lunch meeting at West Seattle Golf Course (4470 35th SW); call 206-938-5706 this morning to see if there’s still room. And tonight’s the High Point Library (35th/Raymond) reading by “Crow Planet” author Lyanda Lynn Haupt (6:30 pm). Even more on the WSB Events calendar – see for yourself here.
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