TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Wednesday watch, with early trouble

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

5:38 AM: We’re launching early this morning because it’s already a troubled morning commute:

-Texter says a car spun out on the eastbound West Seattle Bridge and is blocking the left lane. No injuries reported (no Seattle Fire dispatch).

-If you take northbound I-5 from points south of the West Seattle Bridge, it’s closed because of a deadly crash overnight at Michigan.

-The Vashon Water Taxi is canceled again this morning (as it was last night) because of strong wind.

Watch out for road ice – temperatures are below freezing this morning.

6:12 AM: Another reader says the crash on the bridge is still blocking the two left lanes. It’s out of camera range, and SDOT hasn’t tweeted about it, so if you’re on a bus or otherwise in a passenger seat and you have an update (tow truck on scene or …) please comment.

Also, SFD is responding to a crash on NB 99 at Henderson – that would be south of the bridge. And Metro says the NB I-5 crash at Michigan is continuing to affect transit routes, even ones miles from the scene.

6:23 AM: The crash is near the crest of the EB West Seattle Bridge. Meantime, most lanes have reopened at the scene of the deadly NB I-5 crash at Michigan

6:41 AM: Thanks for the update in comments – bridge crash is reported to have cleared. And all lanes on NB I-5 at Michigan have reopened after that crash investigation (original incident was at 2 am). The SFD call for the NB 99/Henderson crash has closed.

7:21 AM: New problem! SDOT says a stall in the NB Battery Street Tunnel is backing up The Viaduct.

Meantime, there’s a medic response on the SFD 911 log as 38th/Alaska.

7:27 AM: SDOT says the Battery Street Tunnel stall has cleared, but as always …”residual delays” will remain for a while.

8:08 AM: It’s been such a busy morning, we forgot to mention that – as far as we know – another day of streetlight work on the west end of the bridge is scheduled today between 9 am and 4 pm. Details here.

YOU CAN HELP! Camp Fire HQ in West Seattle collecting hats, socks, gloves

Camp Fire Central Puget Sound, headquartered in West Seattle, is inviting you to help with a donation drive to keep people warm. From Nicole Collin:

One of our Camp Fire groups is hosting a Hat, Sock and Glove Collection Drive to benefit the Seattle “Street Youth Ministries,” a local non-profit that assists homeless youth and young adults in the University District.

Our office is one of the drop-off locations for donations and we would love to get the word out. The drive ends February 17th.

More details are on the Camp Fire website, including the group’s wish list. The HQ here in West Seattle is in the office park at 2414 SW Andover in North Delridge (map), and you can drop off donations 10 am-4 pm weekdays (except next Monday, when they’ll be closed for MLK Day).

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen car; vehicle break-ins; possible loot found; more

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight:

INVESTIGATION AT RITE-AID: After reader questions, we went to the Junction location to look into this police response:

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Between talking with police and hearing scanner traffic, here’s what this boiled down to: They had received a report that someone seen in the store resembled a suspect in a robbery at another drugstore in the region. They were questioning someone when we stopped by; we don’t know the resolution, but did want to mention what the response was about. 9:51 PM UPDATE: We talked with precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith at tonight’s Fauntleroy Community Association meeting. He said the person was arrested in connection with three incidents he referred to as “pharmaceutical thefts,” two in West Seattle, one elsewhere.

STOLEN CAR: Sometime between Friday night and Monday noontime, Vi‘s black 4-door Nissan Maxima was stolen from an apartment parking lot behind the Staples store at Westwood Village. License plate BBY1722 in a Car Pros frame:

–It has a broken antenna, with about 8 to 10 inches left of it on back right trunk!
–Left rear red reflector part taillight half broken out.

I had my toddler’s bike in back seat, visible but w/a larg sweatshirt over much of it. Also had a rolled rug there. It’s trunk had Many toys, a CARS pillow, Kylo Ren scooter, helmet, car toddler and booster seat, among several other items. So much lost…

CAR BREAK-INS: From Tiffany: “My husband and son were at basketball practice (last night) at the Fauntleroy Y. When they came out at 6 pm, our car along with 4 other cars had windows smashed. Thieves took my sons back pack and lunch box, go figure. Cops were called, but they said they wouldn’t come and should just file a police report online.”

FOUND ITEMS: A reader “recently found a CD/DVD case FULL of about 200 movie DVD’s on my property. Looks like a potentially abandoned car prowl stash.” Here’s a photo:

They weren’t able to turn it over to police, so they still have it in possession, so: “If the owner can identify one of the first 8 or 16 titles in the case, I’d be satisfied that it’s theirs and return it to them. There is also a page of handwritten sheet music inside the case as well that they can identify to take possession.” If this is yours, contact us and we’ll forward your info.

FROM THE SPD REPORT FILES: A narrative published today has information about a break-in at Marination Ma Kai last Saturday at Seacrest Park. The officer wrote that a proprietor opening the business on Saturday “saw that a bench that sits in front of the business had been moved … the window behind the bench was open and and unknown person had entered the business through the window.” The burglar(s) apparently had gone through the area around the cash register, but nothing was in it but some “loose coins,” and those weren’t even taken.

West Seattle scene: Wind-fueled waves

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4:32 PM: Thanks to David Hutchinson for the photo – north wind and a 12-foot tide slapped the Alki promenade with big waves this afternoon. Can’t guarantee the north wind will return, but even-higher “king tides” are expected, peaking Saturday (6:49 am) and Sunday (7:27 am) mornings at 12.9 feet.

4:45 PM: Another photo arrived shortly after we published this – from Theresa, also near Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza:

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ADDED 8:10 PM: More photos! This one’s from Robert Spears:

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And from Aaron Whitmore:

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How to cut $74 million? Here’s what Seattle School Board will look at Wednesday

Seattle Public Schools has warned of a potential $74 million budget gap because of underfunding from the state and the so-called “levy cliff,” both explained here. At a special School Board meeting tomorrow, a long list of ways to make up that gap will be discussed, including larger classes and smaller staffs. It’s now available online – here’s the slide deck:

(You can also see it on the district website here.) The presentation also includes a list of schools are ranked through an equity list the district could use to protect some of the highest-need schools from some of the cuts. Among West Seattle schools, Denny International Middle School ranks highest there.

The board will not be taking final votes on any of these proposed budget cuts tomorrow – it’s a work session, starting at 4:30 pm at district HQ (3rd Avenue S. and S. Lander). The meeting is open for public observation but not spoken comments, so if you have comments for them, you can e-mail schoolboard@seattleschools.org. P.S. While board work sessions aren’t usually streamed, the agenda says this one will be.

More battery-powered buses for Metro

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(King County photo)

40 feet long, with a range of 25 miles, and a 10-minute charging time. Those are the baseline stats for the additional battery-powered Metro buses announced today, following up on the testing announced back in 2015. King County Executive Dow Constantine says Metro is buying “up to 73 all-electric battery buses from Proterra at a cost of up to $55 million, starting with 20 buses totaling $15.12 million. Charging stations to support the initial orders of those buses will range from $5.5 million to $6.6 million.” The first eight will go into service this year, likely in Bellevue. But that’s just part of the plan, according to the news release:

As part of today’s announcement, Metro will acquire up to nine long-range electric buses from different manufacturers to test the battery technology with a range of about 140 miles. With this approximately $7 million acquisition, Metro is challenging the industry to produce buses that can travel farther. Metro also is calling on the industry to develop 60-foot long buses, better able to replace the articulated buses that make up 55 percent of its fleet.

That’s the length of many buses you see in West Seattle – RapidRide, Route 120, Route 21, among others. Read today’s announcement in its entirety here.

WEST SEATTLE FOOD: Taqueria La Original arrives in The Triangle

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Thanks to Matthew for the tip via Twitter: A new taco truck has set up shop on the West Seattle Produce lot at 4722 Fauntleroy Way SW, the spot Beloved Mexico left in November 2015. We just talked with Abacu at Taqueria La Original. He says he’ll be there 10:30 am-10 pm, seven days a week.Here’s the temporary menu:

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Beloved Mexico had been there five years when it closed, citing factors including competition and the fact the site was slated for redevelopment. While the CVS drugstore project that was on the drawing board then has since been canceled, we broke the news just before Christmas of a new project planned for the site, two apartment buildings

VIDEO: 360-degree look at West Seattle storm runoff, and something you can do about it

That’s the newest 360-degree video from “Diver Laura” James – once it’s playing, use your cursor to “grab” it and explore the view from all around. What you’re seeing is stormwater runoff near Seacrest Park, emerging from an outfall during Sunday’s downpour. It’s part of Puget Sound’s pollution problem, and as we’ve discussed here many times before, there are things you can do to lessen it. Among them – if you drive a motor vehicle, make sure it’s not leaking! This year you have another round of chances to attend a free workshop to learn how to do that. The Seattle workshops are at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Puget Ridge, next one less than two weeks away, on Saturday, January 21st – you can register here, or for one of the nine monthly workshops later in the year, click the arrow next to the SSC location on this page.

HEALTH: Navos affiliating with MultiCare

January 10, 2017 10:41 am
|    Comments Off on HEALTH: Navos affiliating with MultiCare
 |   Health | West Seattle news

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(Navos’s West Seattle campus – King County Assessor photo)

Navos, which has inpatient and outpatient facilities at its campus in West Seattle, just announced it’s affiliating with Tacoma-based MultiCare Health System, saying this will “create the largest behavioral-health provider in Washington state.” It’s not a purchase or takeover, according to Navos spokesperson Alice Braverman; Navos is keeping its name as an “independent affiliate.” From the news release:

… Together, MultiCare and Navos will offer individuals more options for getting the care they need in Puget Sound communities and across the continuum of behavioral health care. MultiCare and Navos will work to integrate behavioral health and social services in settings where people already receive medical services, including primary care clinics, mobile outreach clinics, schools, offices and the home, which will help to address the region and state’s pressing need for behavioral health services.

… Current patients of both organizations will see little change and will continue to receive excellent care from the providers they know and trust in the same locations they visit now.

Navos started as Highline Mental Health Association, changing the name to Navos in 2008; MultiCare’s history is here. Their affiliation will require regulatory approval.

West Seattle Tuesday: From meetings to meditation, and more

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(Barred owl, photographed in Fauntleroy Park by John Traweek)

From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

‘TRY IT TUESDAY’: Everyone is welcome at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) today as its grand-opening celebration continues – come try the Y for free, all day and until 10 pm! Details here. (36th SW/SW Snoqualmie)

DREAM DINNERS FOR BEGINNERS: 5:30 and 7 pm tonight at Dream Dinners West Seattle (WSB sponsor), first-time guests can find out how DD works and then make three dinners at a special price. Our calendar listing explains how to sign up. (4701 41st SW)

WESTSIDE SCHOOL LOWER SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6-7:30 pm, “meet our teachers, administrators, current parents, and students” at Westside School (WSB sponsor). (10404 34th SW)

HOPE LUTHERAN PRESCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6:30-8 pm, families are invited to visit and learn about the play-based preschool at Hope Lutheran School (WSB sponsor) – details here. (4456 42nd SW)

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, with the agenda including “the Schoolhouse Centennial Celebration, the Fauntleroy Community Parking Subcommittee, an update from the West Seattle Police Precinct, and updates on the Endolyne Triangle, City Light substation, ferry system, and SW District Council.” (9131 California SW)

ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at The Sanctuary at Admiral, with an agenda including – as previewed here and here – a discussion of the proposed HALA rezoning and an introduction to the proprietors of in-the-works restaurant Arthur’s. (42nd SW/SW Lander)

FREE COMMUNITY MEDITATION GATHERING: 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center – details in our calendar listing. (4408 Delridge Way SW)

HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL HOME GAMES: The West Seattle High School boys host Bainbridge, varsity game at 7:30 pm (3000 California SW); the Chief Sealth International High School boys host Garfield, varsity game at 7:30 pm (2600 SW Thistle).

THERE’S MORE! See our complete calendar page to find out what else is up today, tonight, tomorrow, beyond.

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Tuesday updates

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

6:48 AM: Good morning! Once again this morning, the trouble is all outside the city – icy roads reported in the South Sound and on the Eastside. It’s been raining most of the night but we’re still a few degrees above freezing. No incidents in/from West Seattle so far.

BRIDGE WORK TODAY/TOMORROW: Today’s the day SDOT is scheduled to start streetlight-repair work on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge. The 9 am-4 pm work is set for today and tomorrow, as announced last week. 9 am-noon, crews will be on the west side, closing the Admiral Way exit. 1-4 pm, they’ll be on the east side, closing the curb lane, “from approximately where the roadway turns in and out of West Seattle to the Delridge Way SW onramp.”

MLK Day of Service next Monday: 3 West Seattle events – any others?

January 9, 2017 9:29 pm
|    Comments Off on MLK Day of Service next Monday: 3 West Seattle events – any others?
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

9:29 PM MONDAY: Next Monday is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Day and many observe the holiday as a Day of Service, with volunteer work. So far we have three opportunities on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for that day – a 9 am-noon work party in the Fauntleroy/Juneau triangle and two 10 am-2 pm work parties – one on Longfellow Creek, and another in the West Duwamish Greenbelt. Each of those links will take you to info about the event and how to be part of it. If there are other opportunities in West Seattle on MLK Day, we’d like to add them to the calendar too – please send us the info ASAP, editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!

ADDED 1:03 PM TUESDAY: One more! From Lina:

Celebrate MLK Day with King County Parks staff and neighbors as we work to improve the health of White Center Heights Park. Event is 10 am-2 pm and we will be learning about the plants and animals of the park, digging out blackberry and planting native trees and shrubs. Please contact Lina Rose for more information – lina.rose@kingcounty.gov, 206.491.5014

HALA REZONING: Admiral Neighborhood Association discussion tomorrow

(Direct link to draft Admiral Urban Village rezoning map)

As reported here last week, more “community design workshops” are coming up to talk about the Housing Affordability and Livability Agenda draft proposals for rezoning, including one for Admiral on February 11th. To get ready for that, tomorrow’s Admiral Neighborhood Association meeting (7 pm Tuesday, January 10th, The Sanctuary at Admiral [42nd/Lander]) will include an informational discussion with West Seattle community advocate Deb Barker. She co-led the peninsula-wide, community-organized HALA briefing back in November. Come to the ANA meeting to find out what’s being proposed and how best to understand it and comment on it before the proposals get much further down the road.

P.S. City Councilmember Lisa Herbold‘s newest online update has the latest information on the timeline. As she told us during our “first year in review” interview published last week, this is all expected to play out over most of 2017.

UPDATE: Teen turns up in ER after shooting – apparently accidental – here

4:14 PM MONDAY: Just found this while going through police reports looking for the newest ones published with narratives:

A 17-year-old girl showed up in a hospital emergency room on Saturday afternoon with a gunshot wound. East Precinct police were dispatched. They talked to the victim’s boyfriend, who they found “pacing outside the emergency room.” The report says he told them it happened in his car at 27th SW and SW Cambridge [map]. He and his girlfriend were in the car with friends of his; one friend, he said, had a gun and while saying “something similar to ‘we’re going to be brothers for life’,” racked the slide on his pistol, and it fired, going through the front passenger seat and through the girl’s chest. They drove to the hospital. Police talked to the girl just before she was taken into surgery and reported that “she made statements consistent with the gunshot being accidental.” They found a bullet hole, bullet, and blood in the car, which was impounded. Police later met with the man whose gun fired; he was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for investigation of assault.

ADDED 9:54 AM TUESDAY: We now have the probable-cause document from the 18-year-old suspect’s bail hearing Monday afternoon. He is a Rainier Valley resident and was released on personal recognizance. The document says that he told police a different story about the gunshot – that he got into the car, noticed a gun on the floor, picked it up with the intent of throwing it out the window, and that, he said, was when it went off. He said he then gave it to his brother, who also was in the car, and told him to get rid of it, adding that he doesn’t know what happened to the gun. He has no criminal record in online statewide files.

West Seattle Crime Watch, park edition: Bicycle found; car windows smashed

Two West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon, both from local parks:

stolen-bike

RECOGNIZE THAT BICYCLE? James Lohman from Seattle Parks sent the photo, saying the bicycle was found while Parks was cleaning up an abandoned camp “on the back side of Camp Long right off Brandon Street.” Now they’re looking for the owner. If it’s yours, or if you have a lead on whose it might be, you can e-mail James at james.lohman@seattle.gov.

WESTCREST WINDOW-SMASHING: This report is via e-mail from Amy:

Yesterday, 1/9, after exploring Westcrest Park to earn their “local explorer badge” for Cub Scouts, my husband, 6 year old son and four other families came back to find all of their cars with smashed windows! This happened around 2:00 at Westcrest Park in the upper parking lot. All cars were rummaged through, but no personal belongings were taken. The police were called, but at this time there are no leads. There are no security cameras at the park even after all the improvements the city has put into Westcrest recently. It’s sad that now 5 families have to repair the damage at our own expense…just imagine all the good things the Scouts could have done with this amount of money! What started out as a fun nature lesson for the kids turned into a frustrating and frightening experience.

OPEN AGAIN! See what’s new inside reopened High Point Library

January 9, 2017 2:07 pm
|    Comments Off on OPEN AGAIN! See what’s new inside reopened High Point Library
 |   High Point | West Seattle news

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(WSB photos unless otherwise credited)

The High Point Library (35th/Raymond) is open again after five weeks of renovations and additions. So we just stopped by to see some of what’s new. Above – the new “accent wall” highlights what’s been added to the kids’ area. In the foreground of our photo is a new filtered computer station also added to the kids’ area, and a new tablet to use. One big – and yet small – feature you’ll see everywhere … new outlets to plug into … your laptop, your charger cord, whatever.

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The outlets are at tables, in activity rooms, even inbetween added “soft seating” on the adult side (photo above). In the lobby, you’ll see a new digital display letting you know what’s coming up at the library – visible through the entrance door even if you pass by when the library’s closed:

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And at the desk – a self-checkout station that is now fully accessible:

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Those are just some of the additions/upgrades! When we stopped in shortly after opening time at 1 pm, some patrons had already arrived to check things out, including Sydney, enjoying the kids’ area:

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Thanks to Sydney’s dad Jon for that photo – and thanks to Lisa and Ken on the library staff for showing us around. They point out that a few things have yet to be completed – and a few items are still on the road, expected to arrive later this week, delayed by bad weather back east; the meeting room by the entrance has some new connectivity features that are still being worked on, too. You can read more about the renovations/updates here, including your invitation to join City Librarian Marcellus Turner at the High Point branch for an official celebration on January 29th.

UPDATE: Dead sea lion finally removed from West Seattle beach

ORIGINAL REPORT, 12:58 PM: About a week and a half ago, Seal Sitters FYI’d us about another dead sea lion on a local beach, just in case anyone asked, saying they had notified Seattle Parks, since in this case, it’s their beach, so it’s their problem. It was in a fairly high-profile place – Seacrest, near the West Seattle Water Taxi dock. It’s still there, according to several people who asked us about it in the past few days, so today we inquired with Parks to see what their plan is.

So far, Parks spokesperson Christina Hirsch tells us, “We have been monitoring the situation and exploring possible options for removing the animal. The beach location is extremely difficult to access with trucks and heavy-lifting equipment because of the retaining wall. We currently don’t believe it is feasible to safely access the site to remove the animal — which we estimate weighs several hundred pounds. For now, we believe the best option is to let nature take its course and for the animal to decompose and/or wash back out to sea. We have signs at the site warning people to stay back.” The highest tides of the month are coming up next weekend, 12.9 feet on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

P.S. If you see a marine mammal on a local beach – alive or not – Seal Sitters’ hotline is 206-905-SEAL.

2:52 PM: Parks spokesperson Hirsch just sent this update after speaking with the Southwest-region crew:

This afternoon, staff were able to manually push the sea lion out into the water with large garden rakes. We had staff members waiting in the water with a large bag to catch the animal. The bag was then manually brought to the edge of the beach and a hoist was used to place it on a truck for disposal.

West Seattle development: 1307 Harbor SW project closer to construction at ex-Alki Tavern site

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(Rendering from final design packet for 1307 Harbor SW project)

Almost four years have elapsed since the Alki Tavern closed, with its former building and others in the 1300 block of Harbor Avenue SW deteriorating behind a construction fence. The mixed-use project planned for the site got final Design Review approval almost a full year ago. You might be wondering what’s taking so long before work gets going at the site.

There is progress to report – today’s city-circulated Land Use Information Bulletin included this notice of two more approvals for the project, currently described on the city website as “a 6-story structure containing 15 residential units above retail, restaurant, office and custom and craft work in an environmentally critical area,” with offstreet parking for 27 vehicles. (The “craft work” was described during the Design Review process as “design prototyping … (for a) garment manufacturer.”)

But city notices don’t answer the question of “when will work start?” – so, after seeing today’s notice, we contacted a member of the project team, West Seattle architect Tim Rhodes, to ask about the project status. His reply:

The Master Use Permit has been published and we are in the process of getting final permit forms from/to the City of Seattle. We hope to start construction once the final building permits and utility and street use permits are issued.

The process is slow due to on-going construction volume in Seattle. Our client very much wants to have permission to demolish the existing structures and clean up the site to eliminate the old structures, graffiti and remove the illegal occupants who continue to occupy the structures despite all measures taken to make the existing building off-limits.

His firm Rhodes Architecture and Light and Miller Hull Partnership have been working together on the project. We first reported the project site’s sale to Korea-based YMSA Co. Ltd. in January 2013, months before the project proposal itself appeared in city files.

7 possibilities for your West Seattle Monday

January 9, 2017 9:00 am
|    Comments Off on 7 possibilities for your West Seattle Monday
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

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(Killdeer, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Welcome to a new week! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, highlights of what’s happening today/tonight:

HIGH POINT LIBRARY REOPENS: After a five-week closure, at 1 pm, the doors (and book drop) will be open again at renovated High Point Library, as previewed here again last night. (35th SW/SW Raymond)

WEST SEATTLE PRESCHOOL FAIR: 5:30-7:30 pm at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, as previewed here. (3050 California SW)

PHYSICAL-THERAPY NIGHT: 5:30-7 pm, stop by West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) for a free injury assessment by Biojunction Sports Therapy – details in our calendar listing. (2743 California SW)

GATEWOOD PTA TALKS PUBLIC-SCHOOL FUNDING: 6:30 pm at the Gatewood Elementary cafeteria, as previewed here last night. All welcome. (4320 SW Myrtle)

2 EVENING BOOK GROUPS: Two local library branches have their monthly book groups tonight, both at 6:45 pm. At Southwest (35th/Henderson), “Boys in the Boat” by Daniel Brown is this month’s book; at West Seattle (2306 42nd SW), “The Other Language” by Francesca Marciano is this month’s book.

WEST SEATTLE BOOSTER CLUB: At West Seattle High School tonight, this group supporting the school’s athletic programs and students has its next meeting, 7 pm. (3000 California SW)

EVEN MORE for today/tonight … on our complete-calendar page.

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Monday watch

(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)

(Click any view for a close-up; more cameras on the WSB Traffic page)

7:01 AM: Good morning! While some areas outside Seattle – especially the South Sound – are having trouble with icy roads this morning, our temps have stayed above freezing. No problems reported in or from West Seattle so far.

COMING UP THIS WEEK: A few things you should know –

*The streetlight-repair work on the west end of the West Seattle Bridge is now scheduled for 9 am-4 pm Tuesday and Wednesday, as announced last week:

Westbound work will occur between 9 a.m. and noon on these days, and will require the closure of the Admiral Way exit. Motorists who would use this exit are asked to consider taking the Harbor Ave SW/Avalon Way SW exit instead.

Eastbound work will occur between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on these days, during which the eastbound curb lane will be closed. The closure will extend from approximately where the roadway turns in and out of West Seattle to the Delridge Way SW onramp.

7:48 AM: As noted in comments, an earlier note here about an SPS early dismissal this week was in error. So the next change in schedule is not until NEXT MONDAY – no school for MLK Day.

8:20 AM: Headed downtown for a story this morning, so here’s a bridge report from the passenger seat: Sluggish just before the crest of the high-rise, but now moving OK as we head toward the 4th exit. The 99 exit lane is backed up to before the crest. Probably fairly normal but we’re not out in the commute traffic that often.

8:41 AM: We’ve had this problem with 4th before – getting there via the bridge is relatively speedy, then once off the bridge, it can be a crawl to actually get into downtown, and that’s how it’s going right now.

White Center Food Bank executive director Rick Jump announces retirement

Just announced late tonight – the longtime executive director of the White Center Food Bank, which serves part of West Seattle too, is retiring. Rick Jump‘s message:

To the clients, donors, volunteers, and staff of the White Center Food Bank and to the greater
White Center Community:

I have lived in White Center for 35 years; raised my children here, forged lifelong friendships, built partnerships, and helped to grow the White Center Food Bank for the past twelve years. It has been both my professional and personal passion to help support the most vulnerable in our community.

It is a unique place – one built on community, diversity, and resiliency despite the many challenges we have faced.

I am proud to call White Center my home.

This is why my decision to retire as the Executive Director of the White Center Food Bank is made with a heavy heart. I arrived at this decision after both I and my wife, Judy, have struggled with health issues in recent months. As much as I love this community, after 12 years of dedicating my life to helping others, it is time that Judy and I take care of ourselves.

I leave the White Center Food Bank knowing that it is in good, capable, and caring hands and am excited to see how it continues to grow to meet the needs of White Center now and into the future.

Thank YOU all for being such a wonderful community and for your support of the White Center Food Bank over the past 12 years. They have been some of my most formative and inspiring years of my life.

We have a few followup questions out to WCFB, including when Jump plans to leave and what the process will be for choosing his successor. His list of achievements is long, including winning the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce “Westsider of the Year” award in 2011 (that’s when we took the photo you see above).

MONDAY: High Point Library reopens

January 8, 2017 9:17 pm
|    Comments Off on MONDAY: High Point Library reopens
 |   High Point | West Seattle news

Reminder for Seattle Public Library users: The High Point branch (35th SW/SW Raymond) reopens tomorrow after a five-week closure for renovations, plus additions including “hundreds of new books, DVDs, and CDs for children, teens, and adults.” SPL says both the branch and book drop will be open again as of 1 pm Monday; details are here, including plans for a celebration on January 29th with City Librarian Marcellus Turner in attendance.

UPDATE: Chimney fire at Alki Beach building

January 8, 2017 7:17 pm
|    Comments Off on UPDATE: Chimney fire at Alki Beach building
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

7:17 PM: If you’re wondering about the Seattle Fire crews across from the Bathhouse – the call at 2700 Alki Avenue SW is for a chimney fire. Not a major call – one engine and one ladder truck on scene – but it’s a high-profile location, in the business district, so we’ve received a few texts wondering about it.

8:12 PM: SFD has left and the call is closed.