West Seattle, Washington
23 Monday
(WSB photos/video)
The job of being a U.S. Postal Service letter carrier is very different from what it used to be.
So say leaders of their union, the National Association of letter Carriers, in explaining why they’re determined to fight for a better contract in upcoming negotiations, and trying to be loud about it. The union held rallies around the country today, including one outside the Westwood Village Post Office, where a cold steady rain fell throughout, stopping almost the exact moment the rally ended.
More than 70 people defied the rain at the peak of the hour-long rally, even musicians identified as “the last Letter Carrier Band on the West Coast,” with their contributions including “Solidarity Forever“:
More fiery was a pep talk by April Sims, president of the Washington State Labor Council. They also heard words of support from a speaker introduced as a community-relations director from Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson‘s office, Matt McIntosh.
But the strongest words came from officials of the carriers’ own union, NALC Branch 79. One who described himself as a 20-year veteran said, “This job’s not for everyone … “it’s no walk in the park” – 10 miles a day, hundreds of stairs, 70-pound parcels, and double the rate of assault risk that carriers used to face. (The rally began with a moment of silence for a letter carrier shot dead while on his delivery route in Georgia.) “The systems that support us are being broken … Letter carriers used to be seen as a pillar of society.” Now, “we put our lives on the line, we put our bodies on the line.” There’s high turnover in the early going, they said, because most carriers are hired on as “non-career” despite doing the same work; the union wants that to change. They also want to see higher pay for all, including new hires, and including more-robust cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) – there was frequent derisive reference to “diet COLAs.” They also suggested USPS could save money by cutting some management jobs, contending that having “four supervisors for a 40-person station” is too much.
The rallying chant was, “First-class service, first-class pay.” Branch 79 financial secretary C Moline said the union waited until a year into the last round of talks before making noise, but this time would be different. They exhorted members to talk to their co-workers, wear a union T-shirt and button, and don’t let up the pressure: “This is day one.” With that, a group shot concluded the rally:
The union says contract negotiations are scheduled to start this Wednesday (February 25).
(WSB photo, March 2025 rally outside WWV Post Office)
Just got word of a rally outside Westwood Village Post Office on Sunday morning. The National Association of Letter Carriers is starting contract talks and planning rallies outside dozens of post offices Sunday. Our tipster explains, “Our union is beginning negotiations for our next contract with USPS. Our branch for the Seattle area is having our rally at the Westwood post office and would love to see folks out supporting our local mail carriers!” (Here’s what the union says it’s “fighting for.”) The rally will be one of seven in our state and is set for 11 am. It’s been eleven months since a rally outside the same post office, attended by more than 100 people, in opposition to feared privatization of the Postal Service.
Thanks to Rick for the tip. People in the Westwood Village vicinity have received notice of an online community meeting about the upcoming work to repave SW Barton in the bus-layover zone, and that revealed the bus-reroute plan for the project – now expected to start in April – is already out. In short, SW Trenton will see most of the rerouted buses:
Route 21 to Westwood Village
Route 21 buses leaving Westwood Village (southbound) will turn from 35th Ave SW onto SW Trenton St.
The bus will continue traveling eastbound on SW Trenton St, with three more stops:
-SW Trenton St east of 35th Ave SW
-SW Trenton St at either 29th or 30th Ave SW
-SW Trenton St just west of 25th Ave SW, on the north end of Westwood VillageRapid Ride C-Line to Westwood Village
C-Line buses will turn off SW Barton onto 35th Ave SW (northbound), then travel eastbound on SW Trenton St.
The bus will continue travelling eastbound on SW Trenton St, with three stops:
-35th Ave SW and SW Trenton St
-Between 29/30th Ave SW Trenton St
-The last stop will come after turning southbound on 25th Ave SW, just south of SW Henderson St.Leaving Westwood Village on the Rapid Ride C-Line or Rt. 21
Catch the Rapid Ride C-Line or Rt. 21 bus toward downtown Seattle at the southbound bus stop on 25th Av SW just north of SW Barton St (at the southeast corner of Westwood Village):
(See the color-coded legend here.)
If you are driving a car in the area –
Roads will remain open for at least one lane at a time during construction. Access to driveways to the Westwood Village shopping center will remain open.
If you are walking or rolling on the sidewalk –
The sidewalk next to Roxhill Park will be closed during construction.
We first reported on the project in March of last year, when its environmental checklist appeared in a city bulletin. Those documents explained pipeline and peat-removal work that would be part of the project, which at the time was expected to happen last fall, repaving the longtime “layover” zone in concrete pavement meant to stand up better to heavy bus usage.
COMMUNITY MEETING: This is now set to be held online three weeks from tonight, at 6:30 pm Monday, March 2. Register here to get the link.
Got a parent or grandparent who’s thinking about moving? Or maybe you are?
Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) offers the chance to “Love Where You Live” and will show you why at an open house this Saturday (February 7). Visit between 11 am and 1 pm and explore the grounds on a guided tour, while learning about move-in incentives. Got questions? Get answers! Village Green lifestyle options include both independent living and senior living
Last week we reported on damage to the outdoor mailboxes at both West Seattle Post Offices – The Junction here, Westwood Village here. At week’s end we sent followup inquiries to the USPS’s regional media liaison Janella Herron, who replied today. She wouldn’t comment on whether either or both of the incidents involved theft or just vandalism, saying only that “Damage to both boxes (was) outside of retail hours.” She said the incidents had been referred to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. As for a timeline for replacement or repair, “Repair or replacement of these out-of-service collection boxes is based on availability of replacement parts / products and I am unable to provide a timeline.” The Junction box has since been removed, but the Westwood box was still in place when we went by this afternoon and may even be in service, as it was no longer taped closed nor marked with the OUT OF SERVICE sign that had been placed on it by Friday afternoon (photo above).
We reported last month that the proprietors of the new UPS Store at Westwood Village announced they planned to soft-open this coming Monday, January 5. They’ve sent us an update saying they’ve had a slight delay and are now hoping to open a week later than that, on January 12. As noted in our mid-December report, it’s their fourth UPS Store in the region, and they plan to offer a variety of services (including the always-in-demand shredding).
One day after we reported that the West Seattle Junction Post Office‘s outdoor mailbox is out of commission again, looks like the one at the Westwood Village Post Office is too. So reports Cindi, who sent the photos a short time ago and explains:
Just as I drove up they were in the middle of taping up the box at Westwood; somebody vandalized it and they have just discovered it.
The lock picture is where they started to try and pry off the drop chute.
While Cindi was there, workers were emptying mail out of the damaged box. We already had an inquiry out to USPS about the Junction box; we’ve added an inquiry about this too. It also was recently returned – in November – after 2 1/2 months away because of a break-in.
(Photo courtesy Tami Lindquist)
Meet Tami and Michael Lindquist. They’re about to open a branch of The UPS Store in the Westwood Village breezeway, their fourth in the region. We first told you back in March that the shipping-and-more business was going to open there; now they’re almost done with construction in the space, and contacted us with an update. They’re expecting to soft-open on January 5. Here are the services they plan to offer:
Domestic and International shipping
USPS shipping Services
Packaging
Notary service
Printing services
Document scanning
Document Shredding
Laminating
Binding
Printing
Faxing
Passport and ID Photos
Amazon Returns
Happy Returns
Other returns
Package Reciving
Personal Mailbox Rental
Office and mailing supplies
We asked about their days and hours too:
We will be open 7 Days a week:
Monday-Friday 8:00-6:30
Saturday 9:00-5:00
Sunday 10:00-3:00
The Lindquists say this will be their fourth UPS Store; their first three are in North Seattle, Lynnwood, and Everett. “We have been store owners since 2020 and we are excited to be opening this center in Westwood Village.” West Seattle had a UPS Store, under different ownership, in Jefferson Square until 2023.
Four reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
ARBOR HEIGHTS GUNFIRE: Right around the end of the Seahawks game, as usual, some set off fireworks to commemorate the victory, so 911 was dealing with some callers who thought they heard gunfire. In one case, apparently they did. Police reported finding at least one shell casing in the 10700 block of 35th SW. No reports of injuries or property damage.
STOLEN BLACK TACOMA TRUCK: The photo and report are from Christina:
Our 2017 black Toyota Tacoma was stolen overnight from 9000 block of 39th Ave SW near SW Barton between 12:00 AM-7:00 AM on 11/23. Plate: C53336H. VIN: ——-3136. Stickers: Seahawks (rear window) West Seattle Eagle, Teamsters. Broken glass on scene likely smashed rear window. SPD case # 25-343674
Call 911 if you find it.
HOME BURGLARY ATTEMPT: From Richard in Westwood:
Shortly before 400 am I heard noises that I thought were that of a raccoon. I went downstairs to investigate and heard someone trying to break through my high-end security door. I called 911 and the police came and did an area check and found nothing.
Shortly after 700 am I went outside and found extensive damage to the security door. Not only did they break metal parts of the latch, but they used fire to try and melt parts of the door and lock mechanism. I called the police again and the officer said it looked like a very professional job and that he had not seen one like it before. The lock held but the door may need to be replaced. Case number 25-343575.
GARAGE BREAK-IN: This report was sent by Brian:
Our home was also targeted in Seaview on Friday night. Someone broke our car window in the driveway and stole / used garage door remote to gain access to the garage. Nothing apparently stolen other than the remote (maybe intent on coming back? Who knows).
After 2 1/2 months, Westwood Village has a drive-up/ride-up/walk-up mailbox again. It was damaged beyond usability in an early-September break-in; every time we’ve passed through WWV, we’ve been looking for a replacement to appear. Went through the center tonight for the first time in at least a few days, and just noticed the replacement is in place. It’s still a lot quicker than the year and a half the USPS took to replace its counterpart in The Junction,
SPD announced this afternoon that they arrested five people, ages 38 to 65, during an “organized retail theft operation” at the Westwood Village Marshalls store on Wednesday. Here’s their summary:
On the afternoon of Oct. 8, patrol officers and detectives in the General Investigations Unit (GIU) conducted an operation at a retail store in the 2600 block of Southwest Barton Street, which suffers a significant amount of theft.
Detectives teamed up with loss-prevention employees to identify and apprehend suspects they caught stealing. Ultimately, five suspects were arrested for shoplifting.
One of the suspects had an additional misdemeanor theft warrant and a felony warrant for narcotics. Officers placed another suspect, who was with one of the arrestees, into custody for a robbery warrant. Police booked him into SCORE jail.
Police booked three suspects into the King County Jail.
Officers identified and released one of the suspects. He, and all of the suspects, are permanently trespassed from entering into the store.
Police recovered $460 in stolen merchandise.
“This was a team effort and could not have taken place without the hard work by GIU detectives, patrol, and partnership with the loss prevention employees at Marshalls,” said Sergeant Austin Davis. GIU detectives will handle all of the follow-up investigations.
We’re checking with city/county prosecutors to see if any had hearings this afternoon.
Thanks for texting the photo! A crew is at work today on what the texter dubbed the “Starbucks sinkhole,” a spot in the parking-lot street surface by Westwood Village‘s standalone Starbucks that we recently described as “undulating.”
(Added: Photo sent by Chris Frankovich)
Some preliminary work was apparently done sometime in the past week, because a few days ago it had a small asphalt patch and was a little less, well, undulating. The center also had sinkhole troubles toward its southwest end, near the J.Crew Factory store. The entire area – including the park to the south – is on a historic peat bog, and the public street between the center and park (SW Barton) is slated for peat removal and repaving sometime soon, as announced earlier this year.
At the Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex courts, the Westside Pickleball League is just wrapping up the tournament that kicks off their fourth season, Rally on the Rock. Co-founder Rosina Geary told us more than 130 players were registered to compete!
They spanned a variety of age groups:
Play began around 9 am and was still going strong when we dropped by at mid-afternoon:
As noted in our original 2023 report on the league, they partner with and support high-school athletics – not just pickleball! Proceeds from this tournament are benefiting the swim team at Chief Sealth International High School; Sealth athletes served as volunteers helping out today in various roles too.
Geary says Westside Pickleball League serves more than 300 players every week. You can find out more via their website.
Thanks for the tip and pics! Westwood Village is about to see its second grand opening of the month. Eight months after we first told you a J.Crew Factory store was on the way, it’s opening this Thursday (September 18) at 10 am, according to signage at the store.
The clothing store took over the spaces that formerly held GameStop and Bronz’d. According to the company website, it’ll be open 10 am-8 pm daily except Sundays, when it will close at 7 pm.
After Tuesday’s report on a break-in at the Westwood Village Post Office‘s curbside mailbox, we followed up with the USPS today on its status – and also asked what’s up with the long-promised replacement of the one at the Junction Post Office.
(WSB photo, Tuesday)
USPS regional spokesperson Zachary Laux answered both questions. Regarding WWV, he said, “The damaged Westwood Village box will be removed from the street as it is beyond repair. A replacement box will be ordered and installed as soon as possible.” Eleven months ago, the box was replaced in less than a month. But it’s been more than a year and a half since the box in The Junction was stolen, and no replacement yet, though we noted that a reader said the staff told him it was finally close, which Laux also said: “Maintenance staff is awaiting one more component before the California Ave. collection box can be securely replaced.” (If you happen to be nearby when it arrives for reinstallation, please text us – 206-293-6302 – thanks!)
12 years after Panda Express first considered Westwood Village, and two years after they got serious about it, the fast-American-Chinese-food chain is finally hours away from opening. We heard tonight from their PR team and it seems both this banner …
… and the Thursday grand-opening announcement are correct. The company says the WWV Panda Express is soft-opening tomorrow (Wednesday, September 3) and having the gala grand opening on Thursday (ribbon-cutting, T-shirts for the first 88 in line, music from the Japanese taiko-drum band Inochi Taiko). Ongoing hours will be 10:30 am to 10 pm.
P.S. If you’re not a frequent WWV visitor and don’t know this offhand – PE is just north of the QFC, on the east side of the center, where Pet Pros used to be.
Thanks to the reader who texted that photo. According to a sign on the Westwood Village Post Office drive-up/ride-up/walk-up mailbox, it’s been broken into. That leaves West Seattle without this type of mailbox again, as the West Seattle Junction Post Office mailbox still hasn’t been replaced, two years after it as stolen (though a reader recently told us the Post Office staff there told them replacement was finally imminent). The Westwood box was absent for three weeks last year for unspecified “repairs.” We’ll be checking with USPS regarding the plan for this one.
The facade signage is gone and that hand-lettered sign on the door confirms that the only Rite Aid-owned West Seattle drugstore NOT converting to a CVS is officially closed. We first reported two months ago that the Westwood Village Rite Aid store would be closed as of today; the center’s owners have listed the space as available for lease, but no hint of a new tenant so far.
Of the other three Rite Aid-owned West Seattle drugstores, the former RA on California SW has already converted to a CVS; the two Bartell Drugs stores are set to do so within the next two weeks. Meantime, the South Delridge Walgreens – kitty-corner from the closed-and-sold ex-White Center Bartell store – is set to close September 10, as we first reported earlier this month.
When last we checked in with Panda Express regarding their yet-to-open Westwood Village restaurant, they were hoping for an early August opening, barring construction delays. That’s come and gone, so we asked about their revised timeline. A company spokesperson replied, “Our opening date keeps shifting … The newest Seattle location now has a tentative opening date sometime the week of Sept. 8.” It’s been in the works for almost two years.
12:43 AM: Police and fire are responding to what’s reported to be a stabbing at or near Westwood Village. The victim is at a bus stop in the area. The attacker is described as a white man, blond hair, dressed all in black, 5’9″, heavy build, last seen running westbound on SW Barton, or possibly into Roxhill Park.
12:47 AM: The victim is reported to have a stab wound to the abdomen. Police are calling in a K9 team to help with the search.
1:11 AM: Based on what the K9 team is finding, the search has expanded southward. No word on the victim’s condition, meantime.
1:50 AM: The track grew cold so the K9 search – with a team borrowed from King County SO, since SPD had none available – has ended.
9:04 AM: SFD says the victim is a ~30-year-old man who was in stable condition when taken to the hospital.
NOON: SPD says the victim – who had “several severe lacerations to his hands, upper chest, and left leg” – told officers he was asleep when the attacker stabbed him. If you have any information, call the SPD tip line at 206-233-5000 and refer to case 25-237023.
Westwood Village‘s End-of-Summer Festival was just getting started when we ran over for some photos a little while ago. Chalk artist Anne had just finished the chalk lettering to welcome people into the festival zone in the northwest corner of the parking lot, west of the Post Office:
Several booths are set up for old-fashioned carnival games:
Players get tickets they can redeem for prizes including backpacks:
Balloon artist Brenna is ready to make custom creations:
And there’s a cotton-candy machine with pink or blue options:
Everything’s free, with a DJ providing the soundtrack, and it’s set to continue until 2 pm.
Families having a tough time affording school supplies can take advantage of a giveaway with 500 backpacks Friday afternoon at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle).
It’s happening during a 3-6 pm family-fun celebration also offering barbecue, bouncy houses, and more, in partnership with organizations including the nonprofit 1World1Sky. No pre-registration necessary.
That’s a Panda Express-provided image of what the chain calls its “Panda Home” interior concept, and that’s what they say you’ll find when their Westwood Village location opens. The image was part of a reply we received from a company spokesperson today, after our latest inquiry about their opening timeline. It’s going on two years since we first reported Panda Express was going into the former Pet Pros space, and that in turn was 10 years after a different Westwood Village proposal that was ultimately scrapped. The company spokesperson tells us today, regarding when they’ll open, “We’re currently looking at the first week of August (pending any construction delays of course). Once open, this location will employ nearly 40 people and boast the latest Panda Home design. Inside, customers will find a distinctly American Chinese design that bridges the East and the West with red lanterns, a moon gate portal and vibrant Chinatown signs.” The spokesperson notes that this is one of three stores they’re opening in Western Washington in the next few months; the other two are in Silverdale and Lake Stevens. The nearest one to West Seattle is in Burien.
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