West Seattle, Washington
22 Friday
Three years after the national chain Rite Aid acquired Seattle-founded regional chain Bartell Drugs, it’s closing some Bartell stores. And employees of the White Center Bartell store (9600 15th SW) are telling customers theirs will soon be among them. We’ve heard from multiple readers who say they’ve been told in recent days that the store will close at the end of the month, and a visit to the store reveals many items on sale at deep discounts. We have inquired with both Rite Aid and Bartell corporate spokespeople via email and phone, but have yet to receive a reply or acknowledgment either confirming or denying. As we reported on partner site White Center Now, the White Center store’s building changed ownership a year and a half ago, purchased for $5.1 million by an LLC associated with a California electrical contractor (we have an inquiry out to the owner as well). King County permit records show nothing on file for the sizable site. When the 4th Avenue Bartell store in downtown Seattle closed in July, The Seattle Times reported that was the fifth Bartell closure in less than a year; since then, one more has been announced. All this is unfolding against a backdrop of financial challenges for parent company Rite Aid.
If you’ve skated at our area’s only roller rink – Southgate, in White Center – you might know manager Katie. She’s fighting cancer, and the rink is hosting a benefit 8:30-11 pm Thursday night (August 31st) to help her win that fight:
Let’s raise some money to help our good friend and manager Katie! This is a 21+ fundraising event. There will be A RAFFLE featuring donations by local businesses and artists! Music by DJ Josh and a special live music performance by MAN PLUS! The admission is $25 and free skate rental. 100% of the admission will go to Katie and will be matched by Southgate.
Katie has been taking care of everyone else and always puts their needs before herself. She will beat cancer and in the meantime let’s raise some money to cover her rent, living expenses, and medical bills!
If you are unable to attend, this is the link to the gofundme: gofundme.com/f/r9kgn-help-katie-beat-cancer
It’s been a year and a half since Chase Bank closed its White Center location in that distinctive round building at 1616 SW 100th. At the time, we reported on partner site White Center Now that Chase planned to put the half-acre site up for sale. This week, a reader asked us about fencing that has gone up around the site, and whether that indicated the building’s future had been determined. Our subsequent research revealed that the site has been purchased by the owner of West Seattle’s Evergreen Learning Center. ELC’s current location at 6007 California SW has long had a redevelopment plan – mixed use with ~50 apartments – so the preschool/child-care center needed a new home. Contacted by email, ELC owner Cassie Ragsdale confirmed that the former bank building is ELC’s future home: “I just recently closed on this location to move Evergreen Learning Center to, since the location that we are currently in will be redeveloped. We are in the permitting stage but are hoping to begin construction this fall. We’re excited to be bringing our school to the White Center community!” This also continues a mini-trend of preschool/child-care renovating and reusing former institutional buildings, such as WorldKids School (WSB sponsor) renovating Fauntleroy’s former Christian Science church as an expansion location.
8:01 PM TUESDAY: Thanks to Alki Resident for mentioning in comments that KCSO has announced Robin’s been found.
EARLIER:
From the inbox this morning two readers report stolen cars:
STOLEN BLUE JUKE: From Candice:
Emailing to report a car stolen from the Admiral Junction Safeway parking lot on Saturday night shortly after midnight.
The car was stolen in a 5-minute window, so it’s likely the lot is being prowled. Apparently several cars have been stolen from the lot lately!
It’s is a dark blue 2016 Nissan Juke with no distinguishing marks/stickers on it. The license plate is CES6149 – reports of any sightings would be GREAT.
UPDATE: This car has been found.
STOLEN GREEN SOUL: Stolen from David less than a block south of the city limit:
Would like to post about my car being stolen over in White Center behind the the Sea Mar clinic on SW 98th street between 14th SW and 15th SW. This was Saturday night of the 22nd occurred between 8:55 pm and 12:15 am. Green 2015 Kia Soul. Had a bumper sticker of “Ms. Kiwi” and green rhinestone license plate frames. License plate CEA9712. King County Sheriff’s Office case number C23024310.
10:35 AM: As reported on our partner site White Center Now, SPD is assisting King County Sheriff’s Deputies with a response in the parking lot between 14th and 15th south of Roxbury. At the scene they told us that they’re after a man who had made threats to passersby and who is refusing to come out of a van. KCSO says the man is believed to be experiencing a mental-health crisis. 14th SW is blocked south of Roxbury; 15th was too, but is reported to have reopened; avoid the area.
12:26 PM: We’re back in the area to check on the situation. The lot south of Bartell Drugs is still taped off with a major police presence. 14th SW has reopened, so this situation is now confined to the parking lot.
4 PM: As commenter “Alki Resident” notes below, the person has been taken into our custody since our last check at the scene.
It’s a street party in White Center today, with 16th SW closed to vehicles between Roxbury and SW 100th for the Taste of White Center, benefiting the White Center Food Bank. 32 restaurants and bars are offering $5 “tastes” – some savory, some sweet, like the three cream puffs from Puffy Pandy:
Here’s how it works – find one of the WCFB booths along 16th, and buy $5 tickets, redeemable at the participants of your choice.
You’ll get a map/list with the locations/names of the participating restaurants and bars and what they’re offering. Some non-downtown WC businesses have set up shop in booths on 16th so they can be part of it, like Dubsea Coffee (strawberry lemonade):
The food spans a variety of cuisines – Mexican, Vietnamese, Chinese, Laotian, Salvadorean, American, and vegetarian/vegan options – Lotus Vegetarian Restaurant‘s booth (fried rice, Singapore noodles, egg roll) among them:
Almost all the venues are offering their tastes until 4 pm. A few have later starts – Tomo, offering strawberry/basil kakigori for dessert, is listed as “1 pm until sold out.” Five venues are north of Roxbury in South Delridge: Nacho Mama, Young’s, Meat the Live Butcher, Can Bar, and Mac’s Triangle Pub. Wherever you get your food, tents are set up at multiple spots with tables and chairs.
(WSB photos)
Justin Cline, Ann Magyar, and kids Moss (12) and Ruby (6) have 15 reasons to celebrate today – that’s how many years since their family-owned Full Tilt Ice Cream opened its flagship shop at 9629 16th SW in White Center on June 20, 2008. To celebrate, they’re donating today’s profits to the White Center Food Bank. Community support has always been a hallmark for Full Tilt – this month, for example, in honor of Pride, they’ve been selling rainbow treats:
Though there’s been some upgrades over the years, FT’s White Center shop (they have one in Columbia City, too) still looks as quirky and retro as it did 15 years ago, with classic pinball and gum machines among the (functional) decor. Justin says that when they started (here’s the original announcement), he really couldn’t have imagined they’d still be going after 15 years. So when did you know you were succeeding? we asked. He said that by the second summer – after an understandably lean first winter – he thought things just might work out. Lots of favorite moments along the way since then, including hosting Mudhoney for an in-store concert in 2013:
Full Tilt’s open 2-8 pm today, so you can go wish them a happy 15th and support WCFB while enjoying locally made (their kitchen is in South Park) frozen treats.
(Also published on partner site White Center Now)
(WSB/WCN photos)
With a nonstop slate of entertainment, 100 vendors, sidewalk food and beverage cafés, a kids’ area, and more, we’d call this the biggest White Center Pride Street Festival yet. 16th SW is closed to vehicle traffic on the blocks both south and north of SW 98th. At the north end, DJ Baby Van Beezly was spinning:
At the south end, Aleksa Manila was leading story time by the King County Library System van:
Steps away, there’s wrestling outside Lariat Bar:
At 16th/98th, you’ll find the White Center Pride organizers – we photographed Kyle, Eliot, and Terry:
Stop by their booth to find out more about WC Pride, including the online silent auction to fund future outreach work, and the optional bracelets you can buy for local specials during the festival. P.S. The vendors include community organizations and businesses from West Seattle as well as White Center. And West Seattle Pride events are ahead too – watch this category of our event-calendar listings.
(WSB photos. King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall at Greenbridge event)
Greenbridge Plaza (8th SW just south of SW Roxbury) is one of five places where Public Health Seattle & King County is giving away 100 gun lockboxes right now as part of a Gun Violence Awareness Day event.
As noted in our daily preview and calendar, the giveaway is happening until 5:30 pm, in partnership with YMCA Alive and Free. PHSKC’s announcement explains:
Safe firearm storage is the best way to reduce the risk of unintentional shootings and injury, and prevent firearms from being stolen and misused by others. In order to help increase safe firearm storage, Public Health runs the Lock It Up program. Everyone who owns firearms can take action by locking up their guns. For more information about gun lockboxes and related resources, visit Public Health’s Lock It Up program webpage.
That page includes a list of retailers where storage/locking devices are available if you miss today’s giveaway.
That flag led the Youth Mini-Parade following the White Center Pride flag-raising last night at the parklet outside Mac’s Triangle Pub (Delridge/Roxbury/16th). It was a gift from WC Pride to the Community School of West Seattle, meant to replace the one stolen from CSWS earlier this week (as reported here in Crime Watch). Our coverage of the flag-raising and parade is on partner site White Center Now.
P.S. White Center Pride, a nonprofit, is raising money via an online silent auction starting Saturday morning – preview the items here. You can also preview the items during tomorrow’s street festival in downtown WC.
(WSB/WCN photo, 2021)
This year’s first major Pride celebrations start tomorrow. White Center Pride is raising the flag at 6:30 pm Thursday in the mini-park outside Mac’s Triangle Pub (Delridge/Roxbury/16th). Immediately afterward, three local schools are co-presenting a youth-led mini-parade walking through the heart of the WC business district – here’s the announcement:
Community School of West Seattle, White Center Pride, Explorer West Middle School, and The Bridge School are coming together to put on a Youth Pride Mini-Parade following the 6:30 PM White Center Pride Flag Raising at Triangle Park on June 1, 2023. All are welcome to join the celebration!
See the mini-parade route here. White Center Pride’s other events include a street festival on Saturday (June 3rd), 11 am-11 pm, with part of 16th SW closed to vehicle traffic; see the schedule here. And there’s a pre-funk tonight at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW) – drag cabaret and Pride skate; details here.
(WSB photos. Above, from left: Bahini Buvaneswaran, Liliana Gaxiola-Cuerpo, Elsa Benavides, Nancy Woodland, Shariffa Sabrie, Christina Monteith, Mai-Chi Kelly, Heidi Walker, Barbara Harris-Bojang)
A lot of clowning around today at the Educare Early Learning Center in Greenbridge. They were participating in Red Nose Day, which raises awareness and money to help little kids. “A few years ago, my brother walked into a restaurant to meet me with a big red nose on his face. I burst out laughing and then went in for a hug,” recounts one of the participants, West Seattleite Nancy Woodland, executive director of Learning Communities Foundation. On behalf of Educare Seattle, she picks up the story from there:
The Red Noses are eye catching, goofy and fun. For Educare Seattle, they are a connection point to joy and a meaningful way to illuminate the importance of early learning, especially for families facing poverty.
More than 110 children enter Educare Seattle each day to engage in learning through child-care and preschool programs designed to ensure the littlest among us have access to high quality learning with a “whole family” approach. Children are greeted by teachers who look like them, honor their stories and celebrate their traditions. Parents and caregivers are recognized as their children’s first and most important teachers and have access to family support services and leadership opportunities in equal proportion.
“Partnering with a parent for resume’ support, basic needs assistance like diapers or gas funds or to gather their input for a staff hire is an integral part of our program design. It’s not an add-on or an extra because nothing is more important than centering the child and recognizing that the grown-ups surrounding them, each of them, is a part of that child’s story,” says Mai-Chi Kelly, Family Advocate. “Here, parents have power and voice and always have.”
Programs like these benefit from Comic Relief’s annual Red Nose Day campaign, now in its ninth year, raising life-changing funds to help end the cycle of poverty and ensure children are safe, healthy, educated and empowered across the U.S. and around the world. The campaign’s iconic Red Noses, symbolizing hope and positive change, are on sale nationwide starting today at longstanding Red Nose Day partner Walgreens.
Please consider stopping by Walgreens to pick up a Red Nose. Please donate directly to Comic Relief here, where funds will be collected nationally and distributed through partners or, as Educare Seattle’s story is being gathered to be shared over the coming year, invest in local early learners at Educare Seattle here.
(A grant from a previous Comic Relief Red Nose Day funded playground improvement at Educare Seattle so more STEM-based lessons can occur outside, rain or shine. The project was completed today.)
Educare Seattle is an innovative early learning center in White Center. Families meeting “income and circumstance” criteria receive childcare and attend preschool in a setting built on four pillars that combine to lead to a racially just and humanizing learning system.
Now in its fourteenth year, the Educare building at 625 SW 100th holds Educare, Heritage Head Start and Seattle Preschool Programs. The White Center Community Development Association holds its Kaleidoscope Play and Learn programs there weekly.
Relaunching now that doors can be open again, staffing levels are starting to even out and new faces with big ideas are reconnecting to plan for the future.
Woodland adds, “Even with 13 years working at WestSide Baby, I didn’t realize there was a magical place several blocks away.” The WestSide Baby model focuses on provides basic needs for children without connecting 1:1 to the families and children. “Connecting with WestSide Baby’s new Executive Director, Michelle Hankinson, this week just drove home that White Center is home to incredible nonprofits and the pandemic sent many into crisis management mode. It’s time for us all to reconnect in service to children and families.”
Email her at nwoodland@learningcommunitiesfoundation.com if you’d like to learn more about board leadership opportunities, event support, sponsorship opportunities, or even just to see the program for yourself. She adds, “As I checked in with my brother about the Red Nose memory today, he said ‘I noticed it because it was goofy but I bought it because I saw it was connected to something good. The fact that it made folks laugh was an added bonus.’”
In White Center tonight and West Seattle tomorrow, you have opportunities to see, hear, and support student musicians:
TONIGHT AT FULL TILT ICE CREAM: Thanks to Peter for the tip on this. At 7 pm at Full Tilt Ice Cream in downtown White Center (9629 16th SW), Teenage Graffiti – whose members are Madison Middle School students – perform with Wall Drugs. Peter says the show is free but donations are appreciated.
(Kassa Overall’s NPR Tiny Desk concert last month)
FRIDAY NIGHT AT EASY STREET RECORDS: ESR proprietor Matt Vaughan says this is one you don’t want to miss. Maybe you haven’t heard of Kassa Overall yet – but Vaughan says his rise is exactly why student music education needs to be fought for:
This Friday, Easy Street Records will launch the release of ANIMALS, a new album by Seattle native and visionary drummer, producer, and rapper Kassa Overall with an exclusive daylong event.
The day will culminate with a live performance at 7 pm, featuring local musicians and friends along with talented local youngsters, including students from the recently canceled jazz program at Washington Middle School, where Kassa attended.
Entry is guaranteed with an ANIMALS record. The limited edition clear vinyl can be purchased at Easy Street Records [in person or online].
If somehow you haven’t been to Easy Street, it’s on the northwest corner of California/Alaska in The Junction.
Two reader reports in Crime Watch this afternoon.
CAR-WASH ASSAULT: This happened in White Center but the victim’s mom wanted to get the word out widely:
I just wanted to make readers aware that there is risk of assault at the Car Palace car wash [10450 16th SW]. Two weeks ago, my 19-year old daughter was getting coins from the bill changer at the car wash. It was about 10 am.
She was groped from behind by a man who was about 5’5″ with dark hair. He was filming himself groping her with his camera. When she yelled, he took off running. She was so upset that she unwisely leapt into her car to follow him.
She followed him in her car to a nearby street where he hid under a bush. She then called her dad, who called the police. They saw the man enter a house nearby. They waited for 3 hours for the police, or in this case the sheriff, but no one came. There is currently just one car assigned to White Center.
Last night, the sheriff’s deputy came to interview my daughter. They cannot interview the suspect until the single deputy gets a partner for safety reasons.
At the very least, we’d like to warn other women that Car Palace may not be safe when you are alone, even in broad daylight on a busy street.
(Update: Incident # C23017252.) We’re checking on the KCSO staffing situation, as they recently assigned a new “storefront deputy,” according to briefings at the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council, which we cover monthly for partner site White Center Now.
CAR-THEFT ATTEMPT: The photo and report are also via email:
On May 21, my car was vandalized in an attempted auto theft on 56th and Alki (and is not functional as the result of an attempted theft and damaged ignition). Attached is a picture. The car was parked outside my residence, and I feel showing this information on West Seattle Blog is instructive for others. A police report was filed.
We’ll add the report number when we get it. (UPDATE: It’s 23-139708.)
(WSB/WCN photo, June 2022)
Again this year, White Center Pride is inviting neighbors far and wide to a daylong block party – this time set for noon to midnight June 3rd. WCP asked us to publish their call for volunteers, vendors, and performers:
White Center’s annual Pride Block Party is less than two months away! We are looking for volunteers, entertainers, and vendors to celebrate with us. On June 3rd , we will block off 16th Ave SW between Roxbury and SW 100 th St, and fill the street up with music, shows, wrestlers, local businesses, food and beer gardens, and our first ever kids area with the White Center Library’s book mobile, face painters, storytellers, and more.
Please visit our website at whitecenterpride.org/white-center-pride-festival to learn
more. We need volunteers to assist with all types of activities for the day. We are also looking for local businesses to help fill out the street with booths and food trucks. And finally, we want to put out the call for entertainers that want to celebrate our region’s LGBTQIA+ community. Any questions, feel free to email info@whitecenterpride.org. Thank you!The White Center Pride Committee
501c3 Nonprofit
It’s National Fish Sticks Day (sort of). But you don’t have to go eat battered, fried seafood to celebrate. You can also buy one or more tickets to game(s) played in White Center by the DubSea Fish Sticks, now exactly two months from their home opener. Here’s the announcement:
The DubSea Fish Sticks summer collegiate baseball team launched its single-game ticket sales for the 2023 season this morning as part of National Fish Sticks Day.
The team hosts their events at Mel Olson Stadium, which is located inside King County’s Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center and is nicknamed “The Fryer.”
The team is known for their crazy antics, including throwing out a ceremonial first fish, where the honoree flings a fish toward home plate instead of a baseball. During non-league games the team also runs an open raffle for a random fan to sign a one-day contract and lead off in the game for the Fish Sticks as the “Fan Batter of the Night.”
The Fish Sticks recruit players from colleges across the country to come and play for the months of June and July. The 2023 summer roster is composed of players from thirty different colleges. The players report in late May and play with the team to hone their skills and hope to one day play professionally.
“We’re not in the baseball business, we’re in the fun business, where there happens to be a baseball game going on. Our goal is that this is the most fun you’ve ever had inside a baseball stadium. From the music, great food, beer and crazy promotions, this will be something you’ll never forget,” exclaimed General Manager Justin Moser.
Single-game tickets for DubSea Fish Sticks games are only $12, and Opening Night on Saturday, June 3rd, is expected to sell out quickly. Flex Ticket Packs with options ranging from three to ten games packages are also available. The team will host 26 home games this summer, including every Saturday night from June 3th – July 29th. The team will host the Battle for West Seattle, a charity softball game celebrating the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s 100th anniversary. They have also been selected to host the MLB JR Home Run Derby Regional Competition, where winners will go on to compete at T-Mobile Park as part of All-Star Week.
The Fish Sticks also partner with youth organizations and nonprofits to run ticket fundraisers at every game and sell discounted group packages.
You can find more information and secure your tickets for Opening Night at The Fryer online at GoFishSticks.com/tickets.
(Rendering of new WCFB HQ)
The White Center Food Bank – which also serves south West Seattle – has announced a milestone in its journey to a new headquarters: Construction is beginning at the site (10016 16th SW; map), six months after the location was revealed. WCFB spokesperson Jefferson Rose says a construction wall went up today, and explanatory banners are expected to go up on Monday. The WCFB has to move from its longtime home at 8th/108th because a new building, to include affordable housing and a community “hub,” is going up at that site. At the new site, Rose says they’ve already done some demolition, and what starts now includes “mostly interior work to build out the grocery store, offices, and lobby area” as well as getting the warehouse space ready to use. All that is expected to take about six months. You can read more about the new WCFB headquarters – and donate to the project and/or the WCFB’s plan for a new site for its giving garden – by going here.
Meet Matt and Mason. They’re halfway through transforming what was a barbecue joint in downtown White Center into the new incarnation of Tim’s Tavern, the live-music hotspot they operated in North Seattle until a year and a half ago. We talked to them about what they’re planning (following up on the announcement a month ago) for this restaurant/bar/7-nights-a-week music venue. If you haven’t already seen the story on our partner site White Center Now, read it here.
A multi-location food drive to benefit the White Center Food Bank – which also serves south West Seattle – has just days to go, and organizers at White Center Pride hope you’ll donate – or donate again! Dropoff locations are in south West Seattle and White Center. Here’s the reminder we received today:
We are just a little over a week away from wrapping up our winter food drive for the White Center Food Bank. As of mid-February we had collected over 600 lbs. of shelf-stable food. We are hoping to push that number up to 1000 lbs by the time we finish the drive.
Here’s the direct link to the needs-list info mentioned at the bottom of the graphic.
2:32 PM: Big response under way for a shooting in White Center. It’s reported to have been a drive-by shooting near the Hung Long Market shopping center at 9988 15th SW, with one person who has at least two gunshot wounds. The Guardian One helicopter is joining the search for what’s described so far as a “light brown Chevrolet” seen headed north on 15th. Updates to come.
3:02 PM: Our crew at the scene says the shooting appears to have happened right outside the aforementioned market. The victim, who was described as conscious, is being taken to a hospital.
3:15 PM: Southbound 15th has reopened. Investigators at the scene aren’t commenting.
5:52 PM: KCSO will tell us only that the victim’s injuries are not life-threatening, and that no one is in custody.
If you’re eligible for vaccination against monkeypox, another community clinic has been announced – noon-4 pm Sunday at the (otherwise not yet open) Lumber Yard Bar in White Center. Public Health – Seattle and King County at first circulated the wrong sign-up link but the correct one is available now (even though the landing page says COVID, not monkeypox) – start here. They also say they’ll be able to handle some walk-ins. The Lumber Yard is at 9630 16th SW.
King County Elections will send your general-election ballot later this week. Though you’ve probably heard a lot about local and national Congressional races, as we noted here, your ballot will have a lot more to decide – including King County Proposition 1, which raises money for land conservation/acquisition by restoring an existing levy to the original rate that’s been reduced by various state actions. Five months after announcing it at White Center Heights Park, County Executive Dow Constantine returned there this morning with this area’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott (like Constantine, a West Seattleite) and other supporters from around the county to ask for a “yes” vote. Here’s our video:
In order, the speakers were:
-King County Councilmember Joe McDermott
–Paul Winterstein from the Issaquah Alps Trails Club
-Executive Constantine, who stressed that the quest to preserve green space is “racing to keep up with population growth, racing to keep up with environmental changes”
-Sammamish Mayor & Former DNR wildland firefighter Kali Clark, whose observations about the relevance of land preservation to wildfire prevention were timely for obvious reasons
-King County Open Space Equity Cabinet member Sarneshea Evans, who observed that too many KC residents don’t live close to green space
-Zazueta Family Farm owner/farmer Guillermo Zazueta, who told the story of starting his organic permaculture farm earlier this year (Constantine had explained that the measure would preserve farmland as well as other types of green space)
-King County Councilmember Rod Dembowski, who declared that Prop 1 is “incredibly affordable (and) incredibly meaningful”
As noted when the ballot measure was announced in May, it would add about $2 per month to the taxes of a median-priced King County home. Supporters say tens of thousands of acres of land have been identified for potential acquisition/preservation; we asked what percentage are in urban areas – here’s the written response from the campaign:
Of the 45,000 acres targeted for acquisition as part of the Land Conservation Initiative, 10% are for urban open space and regional trails.
Since 2016, 30% of LCI acquisition dollars (all sources) have been spent on urban greenspaces and regional trails.
Since 2020, 25% of Conservation Futures funding has been awarded to match waiver projects in opportunity areas (those projects meeting specific criteria for need)
Read a summary and/or the full text of Prop 1, as well as statements for/against, by going here. Once you get your ballot, you’ll have until November 8th to vote and turn it in.
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