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Spotlight Stories

Christmas Eve crashes: Car through fence in Highland Park; Fauntleroy & Oregon collision
December 24, 2015 10:42 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | Triangle | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

ORIGINAL REPORT, 10:42 PM: An unpleasant Christmas Eve surprise for a Highland Park household – a driver crashed through their fence in the 8600 block of 20th SW and partway down the embankment into their yard. Our photo shows the car and the driver of the tow truck that pulled it up the embankment shortly after we arrived. No injuries reported; the car’s driver was being evaluated for possible DUI.

ANOTHER CRASH, 10:55 PM: Now another crash, with traffic effects: Southbound Fauntleroy Way is blocked at Oregon because of a multi-car crash. Injuries are reported.

11:53 PM: That crash cleared shortly after we arrived in the area. No major injuries. SFD crews at the scene did have to deal with a person reported to be “in crisis” – per the scanner, a “nude man” approached firefighters, who quickly found a blanket for him. It’s not clear whether he had anything to do with the crash.

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Scenes from West Seattle Christmas Eve 2015, night and day
December 24, 2015 8:05 pm
|    Comments Off on Scenes from West Seattle Christmas Eve 2015, night and day
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

On this Christmas Eve, we have a few scenes to share – first, from West Seattle Lights, the music-synched show at 3908 SW Charlestown:

Tonight is special – with free hot chocolate served up starting at 6 pm.

That’s Debbie, who described herself as “sidekick” to WS Lights mastermind Jim Winder, who we talked into posing for a photo while we visited.

He was busy answering questions about the lively display – including one about how he knows how many lights are involved – “do you count them?” we heard him asked. Why, yes, he does. West Seattle Lights continues through New Year’s – see the schedule here (running late tonight, until midnight!) – and you’re invited to show your appreciation by helping out the two nonprofits it benefits, West Seattle Food Bank and Northwest Parkinson’s Foundation. You can bring nonperishable food to drop in the bin in front of the house and/or donate money to WSFB and/or NWPF via the WSL website.

*************

If you were out and about before sunset – last-minute shopping was busy as ever. Especially grocery shopping, which is where our anonymous Arbor Heights correspondent found this elf and her folks:

Check the reindeer socks on 3-month-old Veda, spotted at Roxbury Safeway. Also this morning, shoppers at Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor) were serenaded:

West Seattle Christmas Eve photo to share? editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks as always!

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West Seattle Crime Watch: No holiday for car prowler(s)
December 24, 2015 7:44 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Crime Watch: No holiday for car prowler(s)
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Just a reminder to not leave anything in your vehicle because car prowlers don’t take the holiday off – and if you have visitors, remind them too. We have one West Seattle Crime Watch reader report, from Steve in the 2700 block of 37th SW:

My 2003 Toyota Camry was car-prowled sometime between 10 pm last night and 5:30 am this morning. When I went out to the car at 5:40 the glove box was open and stuff strewn around, but they didn’t take anything! They left my registration and insurance, my cell phone charger, my business parking pass. Either they didn’t go into the trunk or decided to not steal (a relatively heavy box containing a present for a relative). I can only guess that they got spooked and left quickly.

We’re hoping for a quiet holiday for all. If news does break, though, we remain on call – text or voice, 206-293-6302.

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How the Water Taxi will factor into Viaduct closure: Remember October 2011?
December 24, 2015 3:14 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

With the Highway 99 tunneling machine restarting, WSDOT has been loudly banging the warning drum about the anticipated two-week Alaskan Way Viaduct closure, once the machine starts digging beneath it. Remember, we survived a one-week closure four years ago during the demolition of its southern mile in October 2011. As part of that, the West Seattle Water Taxi got heavier usage than ever:

(WSB photos, October 2011)
Some runs were at capacity. But this time around, the run will have a bigger new boat, as the M/V Doc Maynard is scheduled to finally take over next month. We asked Rochelle Ogershok from the county Transportation Department what’s being discussed so far to maximize the Water Taxi during the anticipated closure, potentially as soon as March, and that was the first thing she mentioned:

Specific to West Seattle the following plans are:

Vessel Schedule and capacity: The Winter Water Taxi schedule will be operated with increased capacity on commute hour sailings. Doc Maynard has a capacity of 278 passengers as compared to 147 passengers on Spirit of Kingston. This is an increased capacity of 786 passengers in the morning and 917 in the afternoon.

Water Taxi Dock Access: The Marine Division is coordinating with the City of Seattle on parking options along Harbor Ave and Don Armeni boat launch similar to what happened during the 2011 closure. Those actions included:

*Additional all-day street parking along Harbor Ave.
*Additional parking at Don Armeni Park

We are also investigating the feasibility of operating larger shuttles to accommodate more passengers.

Again, specific plans have not been finalized – we will continue to coordinate with WSDOT and City of Seattle on closure details and will share with riders as this information becomes available.

The extra spaces at Don Armeni went fast during the October 2011 closure:

Meantime, the state is promising ongoing information about the expected closure via this WSDOT webpage. The real test of the tunneling machine will come when it resumes work early in the New Year.

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FOLLOWUP: Two bidders for West Seattle’s years-delayed Fire Station 32 rebuild
December 24, 2015 11:17 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Triangle | West Seattle news

(From Fire Station 32 “schematic design” packet dated August 2013, by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson)

When the Fire Facilities and Emergency Response Levy went to Seattle voters in 2003, it included a full rebuild of West Seattle’s Fire Station 32 – projected at the time to be complete by the end of 2007. As we first reported back in October, after numerous schedule revisions and then a decision to rebid the project, construction hasn’t even started yet, though the units and crews were moved out of the original station more than 10 months ago. But there;s new hope the work will get going in a few months, now that it’s received two bids as of this past Tuesday’s deadline. Howard S. Wright bid $11.6 million and MJ Takisaki bid $12.7 million. City documents say the project is budgeted at $18.6 million, with $3 million of that spent so far. Now that bids are in, we asked Julie Moore from the city’s Finance and Administrative Services Department what happens next:

The next step is for City Purchasing and Contracting Services (CPCS) to ask the apparent low bidder to submit a Supplemental Bidder Responsibility Criteria (SBRC) form. Capital Development and Construction Management (CDCM) will review the completed form. If CDCM finds the contractor meets all required criteria, it will then ask CPCS to award the contract to the bidder, starting the contract-execution process in which insurance and bonding information and all other requirements will be reviewed by CPCS before the contract can be executed. If there are no surprises during this process, we anticipate final execution of the contract could take place before the end of February.

The city already has a building permit for the new station, which will be built on the same footprint as the current one at 37th/Alaska, with work expected to take about a year. Until it’s ready, temporary FS 32 remains on the future city park site on 40th SW between SW Alaska and SW Edmunds.

P.S. Looking at the two bidders – Howard S. Wright built the Space Needle, and more recently, for SFD, Fire Station 39 in Lake City. MJ Takisaki worked on the recent upgrade of Fire Station 26 in South Park.

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Merry Christmas Eve! West Seattle Holiday Guide notes for today/tonight
December 24, 2015 10:20 am
|    Comments Off on Merry Christmas Eve! West Seattle Holiday Guide notes for today/tonight
 |   Holidays | West Seattle news

(Menashe Family Lights panorama by Mike Swartz)

Christmas Eve is here. Here’s how to find lots of info you might find useful:

RESTAURANTS OPEN TODAY/TOMORROW: Our list is here.

GROCERY-STORE HOURS TODAY/TOMORROW: Our list is here.

Those two lists have proven to be of the most interest over the years, so we devote a significant amount of time to gathering the information (which generally requires a lot of phone calls). For the next two lists, we put out an open invitation, “send us your schedule and we’ll include it,” so if there’s someplace you don’t see, it’s because they didn’t send theirs:

CHRISTMAS CHURCH SERVICES: In the guide, if they sent their schedule.

COFFEE FOR TODAY/TOMORROW: Same.

Also in the guide:

LAST CHANCES TO SEE SANTA: Three today.

HOLIDAY LIGHTS: Our guide has a list including West Seattle Lights (3908 SW Charlestown), where they’ll be offering hot cocoa tonight, starting at 6. Throughout the season, WSL collects food for the West Seattle Food Bank, so bring something to drop in the bin! (And/or donate to WSFB and the NW Parkinson’s Foundation via the WSL website.)

P.S. If you’re interested in Christmas Eve swimming, Southwest Pool has two sessions this afternoon.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Thursday watch, Christmas Eve edition
December 24, 2015 7:34 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Another quiet pre-holiday commute so far. Today’s one transit change: Metro is on a “reduced weekday” schedule.

SPEAKING OF HOLIDAY SCHEDULES … coffee, restaurant, grocery-store hours for today and tomorrow (and more) are in our West Seattle Holiday Guide.

WEATHER … The forecast for Christmas morning still includes possible snow showers, but not today.

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FOLLOWUP: Here’s a local organization accepting last-minute toy donations for Christmas gifts
December 23, 2015 9:07 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

We published a question earlier today, on behalf of a reader who asked, and anyone else who might be wondering: Who’s still accepting toys for Christmas gift donations in our area? Alice Braverman replied:

Navos, a nonprofit organization located in West Seattle and Burien, serves the most vulnerable children and youth in our community. Our clients include school-age children who have been removed from their homes due to neglect and abuse as well as older youth with serious mental health issues. We also serve all ages of low income children and youth with outpatient services in their homes and in over 40 schools. We would be pleased to accept donations of toys to distribute to our clients. We can arrange to pick them up tomorrow morning before noon if anyone in our community would like to donate to Navos and the children we help. Contact us at development@navos.org. Community support is vital to sustaining our programs and services so thank you for your consideration.

If you know of anyone else also still accepting toy donations (or other gift items) tomorrow, please e-mail us and/or comment.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Punch-in-mouth robbery suspect charged, bail doubled; also – car-prowl loot to look for
December 23, 2015 5:31 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reports, starting with a followup on the Friday robbery/attack first reported here on Tuesday:

ROBBERY/ATTACK SUSPECT CHARGED: 19-year-old Diego Allejundro Gonzalez is now charged with first-degree robbery, accused of attacking a 67-year-old Highland Park woman last Friday and stealing her glasses. Along with filing the charge, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office asked that Gonzalez’s bail be doubled, to $150,000, and the jail register indicates that it has been. The charging documents make the same allegations we published here last night from the police report and probable-cause paperwork – that Gonzalez first tried to break into a house, then attacked the woman as she walked home from visiting her husband at a care facility, punching her in the face twice and running off with her glasses.

The case summary confirms that he is on probation from his plea bargain earlier this year related to a vehicle theft (bargained down to car prowl) and DUI case, saying he was “placed on 24 months probation and was ordered to not possess alcohol to obtain a substance-abuse evaluation and follow all treatment recommendations, and to commit no further law violations. By his egregious behavior in this case, the defendant has shown he is not willing or able to comply with such court orders.” Prosecutors also say he had one juvenile conviction, at age 17, for harassment. The robbery charge incorporates the physical-violence component of the current case.

Meantime, the donation drive that the victim’s friends launched to help her pay for repairing the dental damage done in the attack passed its goal within hours, and was closed. We’re hoping for a followup soon on how she’s doing. We will also track this case through the system.

*************

Also in Crime Watch, we’re including this reader report with some time sensitivity:

STOLEN BY CAR PROWLER(S): From Angelene:

My car was broken into last night on the 4500 block of 42nd Avenue SW. It has been reported to the police. Very unique items were stolen, and I am hoping you can post them in an effort to locate them if selling is attempted:

2 Canon 5D Mark 2 bodies
1 Tamron 24-70 lens
1 50 mm 1.4 lens
1 large leather camera bag

These are pretty obscure professional kitchen knives and unless you read Japanese, might be hard to identify. However, they look like really nice kitchen knives and there aren’t usually a lot of them floating around outside of a few niche shops.

Black canvass and leather kitchen knife bag by Boldric containing
1 Singatirin Honyaki 240mm Chefs knife (crappy yellow laquered wood case”
1 Moritaka Aogami 210mm Chefs knife (“no hand grab” sticker on wood case)
1 Watanabe Kaibou Deba 210 butcher knife
1 Richmond Honesuki 165mm butcher knife
1 Yoshikane SKD 95mm paring knife
1 Sakai Yusuke 180mm petty knife
1 Blue Thermopen probe thermometer
1 Small .1x600g digital scale with Thomas Hammer Coffee sticker on top

Angelene said they will of course be watching various websites in case these turn up, but wanted to get the word out locally too.

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VIDEO: Highway 99 tunneling machine travels 8 feet, builds ring
December 23, 2015 5:07 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Alaskan Way Viaduct | Transportation | West Seattle news

Another Highway 99 tunneling-machine update from WSDOT before the holiday: The video above shows the machine building the tunnel’s 160th ring. (The music you hear isn’t a holiday feature, WSDOT says, explaining in the YouTube caption that it’s a safety alert.) The full online update says in part:

… In all, Bertha has excavated 8 feet of tunnel since STP restarted the machine early Tuesday. STP crews – which have been working long hours in the weeks leading up to the machine’s restart – will take a break over the holidays before resuming tunneling in the first week of January.

When work resumes, crews will mine through the concrete wall of the access pit and into the native soils that will serve as the next stage of STP’s testing process. This section of the tunnel route – like the 1,091 feet that came before it – is protected by underground walls that were built to hold the ground in place while crews continue to test the machine.

Bertha will mine toward an underground block of concrete approximately 450 feet north of the access pit. This area is the third and final protected maintenance stop, or safe haven, that STP built prior to the start of tunneling. According to the STP’s most recent schedule, the machine will spend up to one month at the safe haven while crews perform maintenance and make final adjustments before tunneling beneath the Alaskan Way Viaduct. …

The update also includes a reminder of the two-weeks-or-so Viaduct closure planned when that happens.

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West Seattle development: New mixed-use proposal with 125 apartments at 4754 Fauntleroy Way SW
December 23, 2015 2:29 pm
|      55 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

(King County Assessor’s Office photo of southern part of proposed development’s site)
For the first time in seven months, a major new development proposal for West Seattle has appeared in city files. This one is for the southeast corner of Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Edmunds, across from the south end of under-construction megaproject The Whittaker, and immediately south of the planned CVS drugstore site. This project’s official address is 4754 Fauntleroy Way SW and its site plan was just filed this week. It’s proposed as a seven-story, mixed-use building with 125 apartments over ground-floor commercial space and 90 offstreet parking spaces, on two parcels totaling 18,000 square feet, the southernmost of which currently holds the Capitol Loans pawn shop; the site is zoned NC3-85. This will have to go through Design Review – no date yet, as this is a very early-stage proposal that just appeared in the system. The site-plan document shows Caron as the architecture firm on the project. This would mean redevelopment for three of the four corners at that intersection (counting the 4-story, 50+-unit proposal at 4801 Fauntleroy, the southwest corner).

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HOLIDAY GIVING: Anyone still collecting last-minute donations?
December 23, 2015 2:05 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news

Most of the gift drives we had featured in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide are over now, so that the recipient organizations have time to get everything wrapped and delivered for Christmas. So after getting a reader note asking what to do with unwrapped, unopened toys, we’re asking you: Anyone still in need of donated items for Christmas gifts, toys or otherwise? If so, please let us know what/who and when/where dropoffs can be made. You can e-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com – we’ll add to the story – or, you can comment below. Thanks!

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From the ‘in case you wondered too’ file: State ferry Puyallup going in for a ‘closer look’
December 23, 2015 1:00 pm
|    Comments Off on From the ‘in case you wondered too’ file: State ferry Puyallup going in for a ‘closer look’
 |   Seen at sea | Transportation | West Seattle news

Thanks to Lynn Hall for the photo of Washington State Ferries‘ M/V Puyallup under tow eastbound in Elliott Bay this morning, headed to Vigor on Harbor Island. It’s been three weeks since Puyallup left service on the Bainbridge Island route after reported propeller damage. We checked with WSF to see if today’s sighting was a sign it’ll be back soon. Short answer: No. Longer – WSF spokesperson Ian Sterling tells WSB, “It’s going in for a closer look and repair of the damage caused by striking something under the water a few weeks back (likely a chain or cable). Between that and scheduled maintenance, we don’t expect it to be back in service for a number of weeks.” If all goes according to schedule, though, the Seattle-Bainbridge run will be back to full capacity in about a week or so, which is when M/V Wenatchee is scheduled to return, after sea trials following maintenance work at Vigor.

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West Seattle scene: WSHS Basketball Mini-Camp 2015 success!
December 23, 2015 12:28 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle scene: WSHS Basketball Mini-Camp 2015 success!
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Thanks to West Seattle High School boys’ basketball head coach Keffrey Fazio for the photo and report:

West Seattle HS just finished up the annual WSHS Wildcat Winter Mini Basketball Camp. 65 kids came for a two-day basketball camp for grades 4th through 8th. Keep a look out for the next WSHS basketball camp!

Speaking of WSHS basketball – both the boys’ and girls’ varsity teams are undefeated and leading Metro League 3A so far this year. While the girls are off this week, the boys play at home tonight vs. Thomas Jefferson High School at the WSHS gym, 6:30 pm (with a C game at 3 pm and junior varsity at 4:45 pm).

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West Seattle Wednesday: Poems, stories, music, Santa, more…
December 23, 2015 11:13 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Brightly lit house at 34th SW & SW 114th in Arbor Heights. Thanks to Kelly for this photo and also to Steph for the tip!)
The list of lights is in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide, which continues on through listings for New Year’s Eve/Day, and yielded some of what you see below (as did our year-round Event Calendar):

ILLUSIONS OPEN HOUSE: Until 7 pm today, it’s the annual Illusions Hair Design (WSB sponsor) Holiday Open House: Buffet, last-minute stocking-stuffer ideas, & more. (5619 California SW)

MUSIC AND SANTA AT THRIFTWAY: Special holiday events at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) – pianist Keith Terhune at 2 pm; Santa Claus, 4-8 pm; Gary Benson on guitar 4:30-7:30 pm. (Fauntleroy/California/Morgan)

POEMS AND STORIES: Poetrybridge‘s monthly poems-and-stories event at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor) features Cara Mbaye and Benjamin Schmitt. Plus, community microphone! 7-9 pm. (5612 California SW)

MOONLIGHT LOW-TIDE WALK: Along with the afternoon “king tides” – which switch to morning in a few days – did you realize the tide’s way out at night this week? -2.0 at 9:18 tonight. Even lower on Christmas Eve and Day (which brings the full moon).

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YOU CAN HELP! Straight Blast Gym’s ton-and-a-half (or more) food drive
December 23, 2015 10:12 am
|    Comments Off on YOU CAN HELP! Straight Blast Gym’s ton-and-a-half (or more) food drive
 |   How to help | West Seattle news

Many holiday-season giving drives have wrapped up by now, so that donations can get to their recipients by Christmas. But not this one, which stretches into the New Year: Straight Blast Gym of Seattle (WSB sponsor) is challenging us all to help build a ton-and-a-half mountain of donated food, and it continues through mid-January, as you can see in the Instagram caption above. The timing will be especially helpful as nonprofits often hit a valley after all the pre-holiday drives are done. SBG is at 5050 Delridge Way SW – can’t miss the brightly painted building! – if you’re too busy to get there before Christmas, make a plan to stop by during the quiet time before New Year’s.

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Holiday swims: Southwest Pool plan for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve
December 23, 2015 9:31 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

The folks at our area’s only year-round city-run aquatic facility, Southwest Pool, asked us to let you know they will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve for:

Adult and Senior Swim 12-1:30 pm
Senior Water Exercise 1:30-2:30 pm

The pool’s closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. Its full holiday schedule is online. The overall holiday schedule for Seattle Parks facilities is here.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Christmas Eve-Eve Wednesday watch
December 23, 2015 7:08 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning! Quiet so far. Looking ahead:

TRANSIT CHANGES FOR CHRISTMAS EVE/DAY: Metro will be on a “reduced weekday” schedule tomorrow (Christmas Eve) and a Sunday schedule on Christmas Day (Friday); the Water Taxi will not operate on Friday; Sound Transit Route 560 will be on a weekend schedule Friday.

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ELECTION 2016: Republican governor candidate Bill Bryant ends his Port Commission career with Rotary Club of West Seattle speech
December 22, 2015 11:46 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Port of Seattle | Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Before Bill Bryant becomes a full-time candidate for governor, he had one last thing on his to-do list as a two-term Seattle Port Commissioner: A speech to the Rotary Club of West Seattle.

That speech today at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor) brought him full circle, Bryant said, because he announced his Port Commission run at nearby Jack Block Park in 2006.

His run for governor, by contrast, was announced online. And here’s our video of what he told the Rotary Club today:

Bryant delivered more of a valedictory for his 8 years on the commission than a speech looking ahead to what he would hope to do as governor. He said he ran on a platform that eventually spanned four key points:

Read More

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Read the ruling: Judge says city has the right to tax guns/bullets
December 22, 2015 8:04 pm
|      60 COMMENTS
 |   Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The two documents above (and here) comprise a county judge’s ruling today that the city is within its rights to tax guns and ammunition, despite what opponents argued three months ago. Here’s how the city announced today’s court decision:

The City of Seattle has the legal authority to enact a $25 per firearm tax on retailers to mitigate the costs of gun violence, King County Superior Court Judge Palmer Robinson ruled Tuesday.

“The tax imposed by the Ordinance under the City’s constitutional and legislative authority to impose taxes, which is separate from its regulatory authority under its police power, is not preempted by RCW 9.41.290,” Judge Robinson ruled, dashing the NRA’s attempt to overturn the law.

Her ruling aligns with the position argued by the City that “The Ordinance does not limit any person’s right to purchase, sell, acquire, transfer, discharge, or transport firearms or ammunition.”

“I’m gratified by Judge Robinson’s thorough analysis, and congratulate our team of attorneys who argued the case before her last Friday,” City Attorney Pete Holmes said Tuesday. “The NRA needs to butt out of Seattle’s efforts to enact sensible gun safety legislation.”

“The Court got the law absolutely right,” said William Abrams of Steptoe & Johnson, who led the litigation team and appeared for the City pro bono. “Seattle’s right to fund research and education on gun violence was upheld. This time the NRA was unsuccessful in trying to block research on gun violence. The real winners are the citizens of Seattle, whose government can move forward to fund important research on this public health epidemic that affects everyone.”

In a Seattle summer marred by random gunfire, the City Council unanimously approved, and Mayor Ed Murray signed, the ordinance that, come January, will levy a $25 tax on businesses for each firearm sold at retail within City limits to provide a sustained local revenue source for research and prevention programs. In addition, the City will impose a 2-cent tax for every round of .22 caliber ammunition sold and a 5-cent tax for every other round of ammunition sold. A companion ordinance mandates that lost or stolen firearms be reported to the Seattle Police Department.

Of the ruling, the ordinance’s sponsor, Councilmember Tim Burgess, said, “We established the gun violence tax as a legitimate and appropriate way to raise revenue for gun safety research and prevention programs. The NRA and its allies always oppose these common sense steps to shine light on the gun violence epidemic. They have blocked funding for basic gun safety research at the federal level for decades. But in Seattle it is different. Judge Robinson saw through the NRA’s distorted efforts to put gun industry profits ahead of public safety.”

Welcoming the ruling, Mayor Murray said, “Guns now kill more people in the United States than automobiles. Our community will not stand by as so many in our city, particularly young people of color, continue to pay the highest price for inaction on gun violence at the national and state level. For too long, we have had insufficient research and data on gun violence in Seattle to help guide our response. We will now have critical funding to advance our work on gun violence research and prevention.”

Go here to read what the city passed.

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FERRY FOLLOWUP: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth’s 3rd boat is back
December 22, 2015 5:53 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

After a day with just two boats on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run – leading to big backups at terminals – Washington State Ferries says M/V Cathlamet is fixed and about to go back into service, so the three-boat schedule is resuming, with its late departure on what would have been the 5:35 pm run from Vashon to Southworth.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: Woman punched in the face by attacker, needs $3,000 in dental work
December 22, 2015 3:19 pm
|      40 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | How to help | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

A 67-year-old West Seattle woman is recovering from being attacked and robbed while walking back to her house after visiting her ailing husband.

We hadn’t heard about last Friday’s attack until a friend of the victim e-mailed us last night:

She was walking the few blocks home after visiting her husband at a care facility and she was attacked by a random perpetrator. He punched her in the face and knocked her to the ground. She suffered a black eye and had two teeth knocked out, as well as suffering other damage to her teeth. They caught the suspect, but she is now looking at a $3,000 dental bill, and she is retired on a fixed income. We wanted to get the word out and make sure everyone stays safe and is aware of their surroundings.

We’ve since obtained the report that includes details of the incident. Here’s what an officer reported finding after responding to the 911 call from 16th SW and SW Sullivan around 6 pm Friday:

(The victim) was holding her face and blood was coming out of her mouth. She stated that she thought her teeth were broken. (She) stated that she was walking down 16th Ave SW when she noticed a male following behind her. She stated that the unknown male charged at her and punched her in the face with a closed fist. (She) fell to the ground on her right knee and screamed for help. She stated that she had had a full knee replacement in her right knee.

She was now experiencing significant pain in her right knee. (She) stated that after she fell, the male came back at her and punched her a second time in the face. The male then ran northbound down the alley on the west side of 16 Ave SW. (The victim) advised that she was missing a pair of prescription glasses.

When the suspect was found nearby, he had her glasses – worth $500 – in his possession, according to the case paperwork, and that raised the crime level from assault to robbery.

Turned out that officers had found him even before they learned of the attack, because of a burglary attempt nearby – a resident in the 8400 block of 17th SW reported a man “banging and kicking at the back door,” according to the police report, which added that the man was reported to have appeared “extremely intoxicated.” The resident yelled at him to leave, which he did, briefly, returning to kick open the door to a shed behind the house, police say. Officers found the suspect at 17th and Cloverdale a short time later; they happened to be nearby, checking out a report of a hit-run crash that damaged a parked car.

The suspect is 19 years old. His record shows that he last spent time in jail this past March; documents in that case indicate that he was arrested for allegedly stealing a hotel van in SeaTac. He was charged with auto theft and DUI – with tests finding .20 blood alcohol – and then struck a plea bargain, pleading guilty to car prowl and DUI. In June, Judge Roger Rogoff sentenced him to two days in jail plus a one-year suspended sentence. While paperwork in this case doesn’t include a current address for him, he was living on Beacon Hill at the time of his arrest in March. Right now, he’s in the King County Jail, in lieu of $75,000 bail.

Meanwhile, the donation account set up by friends of the victim to pay for her estimated $3,000 in dental work is on this GoFundMe page.

8:08 PM NOTE: After reaching the goal, the donation page has been closed, we just noticed.

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VIDEO: Fire at Cottage Grove Commons on Delridge sends 1 to hospital with burns; SFD finds dead man in building, apparently not related
December 22, 2015 12:21 pm
|      27 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

12:21 PM: Seattle Fire has sent a big response to a possible fire at Cottage Grove Commons, the DESC-owned supportive-housing building in the 5400 block of Delridge Way SW.

12:26 PM: SFD reports that two people are hurt and that the fire is under control.

12:35 PM: Because of the sizable response, Delridge Way is closed for at least a block, between Brandon and Findlay, as Andrew points out in comments and as confirmed by our crew at the scene.

12:50 PM: If you’re seeing/hearing a helicopter in the area, it’s just TV checking this out.

1:12 PM: SFD has just briefed the media on scene, saying one person has gone to Harborview with serious burns; the fire was limited to a mattress in that person’s apartment on the top second floor and the building’s sprinkler system put it out.

The other injured person did not need hospitalization. The Fire Department also says one person was found dead in a nearby apartment, and apparently had died within the past few hours, but that is not believed to have been related to the fire.

2:10 PM: Delridge had reopened and SFD’s fire investigator was on scene when we passed through about 15 minutes ago. We’ll update when there’s official word on the fire’s cause. Though the flames hadn’t spread beyond the aforementioned mattress, SFD says three units had significant damage because of the water from the sprinkler system.

2:50 PM: We’ve added more photos as well as the unedited video of SFD Lt. Sue Stangl‘s earlier briefing.

4:43 PM: If you are in the area and wondering about a new multi-unit response at the building, the 911 log shows it’s an “automatic fire alarm” response.

ADDED EARLY THURSDAY: The Seattle Times reports that the man hospitalized after this fire has died. The County Medical Examiner’s daily media recording lists the death of the 39-year-old burn victim mentioned in the Times’ report but does not specify a location, so we’ll be verifying later this morning. We had checked with SFD on Wednesday to ask about any official ruling on the fire’s cause; not yet, they told us.

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