West Seattle, Washington
04 Saturday
A big development tonight in the Port of Seattle‘s plan to “modernize” Terminal 5 in West Seattle – and in neighbors’ push for a full environmental review.
The Port announced tonight that it will be creating an Environmental Impact Statement for the modernization project after all. It had not been planning on one – believing, as reps told the West Seattle Transportation Coalition in July, that while it would have bigger ships, it wouldn’t have bigger cargo volume. But neighbors had campaigned for an EIS, even placing roadside signs promoting a website that pointed to a petition, as reported here back in August:
Then, there were hints that the tide on this might be turning, including a mention at this month’s Southwest District Council meeting that a potential tenant with whom the port was talking would have needs beyond what had been anticipated when the port said it didn’t need to do a major review. And now tonight, port reps sent word of the plan for the EIS. A website is already live, with both an “online open house” that you can explore at any time – officially, tomorrow (October 22nd) through Nov. 23rd – and word of a “scoping meeting” set for 5:30-8:30 pm November 12th at The Hall at Fauntleroy. (The process is explained here.)
Shortly after receiving word of the planned EIS from community advocates (thank you), we also received a news release from port spokesperson Peter McGraw. We asked him a followup question on whether this was an indication an announcement of a tenant is imminent; his reply – “We continue to have discussions with potential customers.” You can read the full news release here.
5:44 PM: Thanks for the texts. The state ferry M/V Puyallup has been involved in what Washington State Ferries describes as a “search/rescue” situation off Alki Point. The U.S. Coast Guard says someone might have gone overboard and it’s helping search. The Puyallup’s one of the biggest ferries in the system and serves the Seattle-Bainbridge run.
6:05 PM: The Puyallup is continuing to sail slowly off Alki, changing directions periodically – it’s currently heading westward again, according to VesselWatch. Our crew sees the USCG helicopter circling, too.
6:31 PM: The Puyallup finally went on to Bainbridge Island. One person on board tweets that what/who they were looking for might just have been “a seal.”
10:10 PM: The USCG says the search was officially suspended before 8 pm after Puyallup’s captain confirmed no one was missing.
4 PM: Here’s what’s new in the arson investigation:
Investigators were back in Morgan Junction at midday today, hours after the 2:36 am recycling-bin arson, which has been added to the list of set fires that, as first reported here last night, now dates back nine days. But those investigators weren’t just taking another look at the 40th/Morgan fire that destroyed a bin and charred a fence. We saw them also examining this:
At mid-morning today, two nearby residents called our attention to that spot of burned vegetation on the same side of Morgan as the early-morning bin fire, about a block east/uphill. The SFD call log does not show a callout for it, but neither resident could recall seeing the damage before this morning. So far, Seattle Police haven’t officially added it to the list. But for the overall series of arsons, they are now widely publicizing the $10,000 reward listed on the signs we’ve been showing you – it’s now available for information that solves this fire-setting spree. Here are the locations shown on the map included in their updated SPD Blotter post:
As Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis confirmed to WSB at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, the first fire was set in a trash can on the lawn of a vacant home in the 6500 block of 34th SW. The Seattle Fire log shows that response at 2:40 am Monday, October 12th. Today’s SPD Blotter update says another arson happened at the same time at a nearby bus stop on SW Morgan, where a burning box was found.
Then came the fires set beneath two cars parked next to each other in the 2700 block of SW Sylvan Heights Drive last Sunday morning.
One car’s owner told WSB that the fires were set in some kind of box placed under the cars. That fire callout was at 4:50 am.
On Monday morning at 3:16 am, SFD was called to a waste-bin fire outside the southeast side of the High Point rental-office building at 35th and Holly, a building whose other tenants include a mosque. Though the fire was put out before too much damage was done, you’ll recall it flared up 11 hours later, at 2 pm, bringing a huge response.
The flareup led to serious damage, especially to the building’s mansard-style roof.
Then came this morning’s fire in the recycling bin in the Morgan-facing driveway of a house in the 6500 block of 40th SW. Police responded quickly, as did SFD, but searching the area was a challenge because of thick fog. We just asked SPD again if there’s any hint of a description of a suspect, person of interest, vehicle, anything – so far, Officer Lauren Lovanhill told us, the answer to that is “no.” If you have any information that might help the investigation, don’t hesitate to call 911 or 800-55-ARSON. And in the meantime, consider taking steps to keep the arsonist(s) from finding an easy target – here again is the flyer that’s been distributed around the area, and was shared at last night’s WSCPC meeting:
You can also see it on SPD Blotter. SPD, by the way, says federal ATF investigators are working with them, and that they are checking other jurisdictions to see if anything else might be linked. So far, none of the fires have led to injuries.
ADDED 8:39 PM: Capt. Davis spoke to the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting tonight, talking about the arsons. No major new information but we recorded it on video so you could hear for yourself:
Seattle firefighters from Engine 37 also were there, and presented the type of information you see above, about keeping your home and its periphery clear of anything that might be a “target” for an arsonist.
–Tracy Record, WSB editor
(2013 West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival trick-or-treating photo courtesy Brian Presser of TouchTech Systems)
The slate is set for this year’s local business-district trick-or-treating:
*West Seattle Junction, noon-2 pm this Sunday (October 25th) during the Harvest Festival (co-sponsored by WSB, starting with “harvest activities” at 10)
*Admiral District, 3-6 pm Friday, October 30th
*White Center, noon on Halloween (Saturday, October 31st)
*Westwood Village, 5-7 pm on Halloween (Saturday, October 31st)
Lots of other Halloween-season events are also already on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, and our traditional one-pager showing them all together is in the final stages, so if you have an event coming up – whether kid stuff, grownup stuff, or all ages – please get us the info ASAP, editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!
Less than a week after their Huling Bowl faceoff (WSB photo/video coverage here), West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International HS meet again tomorrow, at the start of the prep postseason. The game’s at 4:30 pm Thursday at Memorial Stadium downtown.
(Foggy scene on the Sound, photographed from the Alki Trail by Don Brubeck)
Decisions, decisions! Many ways to spend your afternoon/evening. Do something you’ve never done. Maybe it’s on the list. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LUNCH WITH SOMEONE NEW: Noon-1:15 pm, home office/coworking brown-bag-lunch meetup at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor). Talk about your project, your business … get inspired, or at least get some new feedback! (6040 California SW)
NEED AN ORCA LIFT TRANSIT CARD? 1-6 pm, your weekly opportunity in West Seattle – stop by Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. (6400 Sylvan Way)
WEEK WITHOUT VIOLENCE: The first event at Southwest Teen Life Center is 5-6 pm, a chance for reflection to honor loved ones lost to violence. (2801 SW Thistle)
FLY-TYING CLASSES: 6:30 pm at Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor) – details here – check to see if there’s room! (42nd SW & SW Oregon)
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Live, work, play, shop in Morgan Junction? 7 pm in the lower-level meeting rooms at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), 16 items on the agenda – see them all here – from land use to art to politics to safety, just to categorize a few. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL: Live, work, play, shop, study in eastern West Seattle? 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, join reps from the area’s major community groups and organizations for the council’s monthly meeting. Topics include an update on the Delridge/Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway – now under construction – and the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 modernization plans. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: If you haven’t been yet, maybe this is the night. 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), this month’s WordsWest Literary Series lineup features Ruby de Luna and Stephanie Timm, on “Writing Meant To Be Heard (Literally).” Full details on the WW website; for even more backstory, check this out. (5612 California SW)
NEW TIME FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT FAMILY FRISBEE: 7 pm tonight at Walt Hundley Playfield, join West Seattle Ultimate Family Frisbee for the weekly pickup game at a new time. (34th SW & SW Myrtle)
IF IT CLEARS UP … LOOK FOR METEORS! Late tonight (technically early tomorrow), a meteor shower’s peaking over us. Alice Enevoldsen explains in this special edition of Skies Over West Seattle.
(Photo courtesy NOAA Fisheries, Vancouver Aquarium, “taken by UAV from above 90 feet under NMFS research permit and FAA flight authorization.” Mother ID’d as J16 with calf J50)
New information today about Puget Sound’s endangered orcas – thanks to an aerial study done via drone – and NOAA says, among other things, what they found brings “hope for the population.” Here’s the news release we received this morning:
A NOAA Fisheries research team flying a remotely operated hexacopter in Washington’s San Juan Islands in September collected high-resolution aerial photogrammetry images of all 81 Southern Resident killer whales that showed the endangered whales in robust condition and that several appear to be pregnant.
Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements from photographs and has proven to be a powerful method for understanding the health of whales and other wildlife. Researchers can readily identify individual killer whales from the distinctive shape of their dorsal fin and saddle patch from the air or water, allowing them to track the condition of individual whales over time. Following analysis, individual growth and body condition from this year will be compared to previous photogrammetric assessments in 2008 and 2013 to assess changes.
The thousands of photogrammetry images collected to date provide important baseline information about the condition of the whales as a warm El Nino climate pattern takes hold along the West Coast following more than a year of already unusually warm ocean temperatures. El Nino and warm ocean conditions have in the past led to declines in salmon, the favored food of Southern Residents.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:28 AM: No incidents in/from West Seattle so far this foggy morning. But the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth state-ferry run is without its largest boat again; M/V Issaquah is out of service for repairs.
7:38 AM: Crash reported at Fauntleroy/Raymond, blocking the northbound side.
7:51 AM: Update from WSF: “The Issaquah is out of service until further notice due to necessary repairs. The route will continue to run on the 3-boat schedule without the Issaquah’s sailings until further notice as well. Currently, the 7:55 am from Southworth, 8:15 am from Vashon, 8:45 am from Fauntleroy, and 9:20 am from Southworth are cancelled.”
8:05 AM: Just checked the Fauntleroy/Raymond crash scene. The vehicles are off to the side, so no traffic effects, though the SPD vehicles in the center turn lane might be a bit of a distraction. No injuries reported.
(WSB photos)
3:12 AM: A recycling-bin fire wouldn’t usually draw an immediate Seattle Police response – but the recycling-bin fire just after 2:30 am alongside a house on SW Morgan, just west of 40th SW, happened within a mile of the unsolved recent arsons.
The fire marshal has just arrived to investigate, and police we talked to on the scene emphasized it was too soon to declare this related, but they’re taking no chances – as we learned at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, three small fires, at least one in a trash container, are also being scrutinized in the ongoing investigation – those date back as far as October 12th, before the Sylvan Ridge car arsons last Sunday and the High Point office building arson on Monday.
There’s heavy fog in Morgan and Gatewood right now, complicating things for officers looking around the area (a searchlight was shone on our car as we headed away eastbound). We’ll update when there’s more information.
8:07 AM: The now-too-familiar sign is up on the charred fence by the burned bin – ARSON, with the hotline to call if you have any information for investigators – 800-55-ARSON. Or, call 911. (Photo added.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
No arrests yet in the West Seattle arsons.
But new information did emerge at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting.
Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis said that in addition to the two major early-morning arsons Sunday and Monday – the two cars in Sylvan Ridge and the High Point office building – investigators are also looking at three earlier small fires.
Those date back to a trash can fire outside a vacant house on 34th near Morgan (photo above) on October 12th (but the list they’re focusing on does NOT include the “campfire” outside the former Red Star Pizza).
He also said that SPD and other agencies – including ATF investigators – are devoting a major amount of resources to solving this. And he distributed the arson alert that we published here last night after residents reported getting it via door-to-door visits from firefighters.
Aside from the high-profile arson investigation, the major crime categories “have taken a slight dip” lately, he added, particularly robberies, which he noted have dropped almost to zero since the arrest of “an individual who got picked up in one of our other precincts.” And he mentioned again that the precinct has a watch list of more than 80 repeat offenders, about 20 of whom have been arrested. Working with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to be sure they stay in jail once arrested, though, is a challenge, he acknowledged.
The one specific category for which he offered numbers, burglary, is at 387 year-to-date, compared to 418 in the same period last year.
And then – seguing into “neighborhood concerns” – came the case of one specific burglary attempt that had happened just hours before.
By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog
There are currently eight active meteor showers over our heads (which is more common than it sounds), from which you can expect to see about 4 meteors per hour, though if you happen to catch the peak you might see as many as 30 per hour.
Around 5 am or earlier on the next three mornings — October 21, 22, and 23 — will be the peak of the Orionids Meteor Shower. Given good viewing conditions, you can expect to see about 10 meteors per hour, up to 20 meteors per hour during the peak times. These meteors will seem to radiate from just above and to the left (east) of the constellation Orion, high in the south:
(Radiant of the Orionid meteor shower. Starfield from Stellarium)
Around 6-6:30 am on October 22nd will be the peak of the Epsilon Geminids. You might see as many as 2-3 meteors per hour. Watch for these radiating from the constellation Gemini, just a little farther east and higher in the sky than the Orionids.
Also, 5:30 am-6:30 am on October 22nd is the peak of the Leonis Minorids, which adds up to another 4-10 meteors we might per hour before dawn on the 22nd. These will be radiating from the constellation Leo, about halfway up the sky in the east (great chance to look at Venus, Mars, and Jupiter as well).
The other five showers are even more minor, each with rates of between 1-3 meteors per hour, though some of those can be fireballs/bolides. The American Meteor Society has a report of a fireball from last night, which could easily be one of these meteors. Those showers are the Southern Taurids, the Gamma Piscids, the Eta Taurids, the October Luncids, and the Tau Cancrids.
To set your expectations for the coming evenings, with these three showers happening at the same time we have a chance at a few very nice shooting stars this week, especially if you’re up early in the morning watching the skies. This isn’t one of the biggest meteoric events of the year, but meteor showers vary.
RESOURCES
Meteors: Meteor Activity Outlook October 17-23 (All dates and times are from this source).
Stellarium: free planetarium software for your home computer, or Android device. Bring up the sky for anywhere in the world, any time and date in history or the future.
Clear Sky Chart: the astronomer’s forecast for the next couple days. Cloud cover, darkness, and “seeing” which is how nice it is to view the stars, all on one handy chart.
WHO IS ALICE?
The suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are Alice’s own and not those of any organizations to which she belongs. You can find more about astronomy from Alice at alicesastroinfo.com or on Twitter as @AlicesAstroInfo and Facebook.
(Added 6:21 pm: WSB photos)
4:50 PM: Police are dealing with a possibly armed person in crisis at a residence in Arbor Heights, and as a result, they’re blocking off traffic, including SW 106th – we’re not sure exactly how far west of 35th, but avoid the general area.
5 PM: Our crew checking on the nearby road closures reports helicopter activity. First it was Guardian One, then a TV helicopter.
5:13 PM: We still have a crew in the area watching for word of a resolution to this. They and others are being kept at a distance. Again, SW 106th is blocked off for several blocks from 35th west.
5:19 PM: The person is reported to have come out of the house and is in custody. An ambulance is going in. That doesn’t mean anyone’s been hurt – usually in situations like this it’s so the person in crisis can be evaluated.
5:30 PM: The person who came out of the house is being placed in the ambulance.
5:40 PM: Our crew at the scene just talked to SW Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, who says they’re still sorting out exactly what started all this, but they hope to have the area opened up again shortly. A relative has been allowed into the house to make sure three dogs in there are safe, and police have been dealing with parents arriving to get their kids at a nearby day care that was being “held in place” until everything was resolved. They also are reported to have retrieved what was described as an inoperable .22 from the house. Again, no injuries reported to anyone in the situation. Police deal with things like this more often than you might realize; we’re reminded of an incident in Gatewood we covered just nine days ago, also resolved without injury.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
What’s the rush?
That was just one of many questions asked in a short but contentious meeting last night at the EC Hughes school building in Sunrise Heights.
The meeting itself was an afterthought for Seattle Public Schools. When SPS went around the city earlier this month for three meetings on a package of relatively small boundary changes for its attendance-area (aka “neighborhood”) school maps, the package didn’t address the fact that SPS was planning to move Roxhill Elementary into the Hughes building, after expansion and renovation.
First official word of that came when we asked the district on September 30th what the plan was for recently vacated-by-former-tenant EC Hughes, resulting in this WSB story.
But in the following week, when the aforementioned three meetings were held, there was nothing in the presentation about Roxhill/Hughes. And though the boundary changes that were discussed at those meetings were in south West Seattle, the local meeting was held in the north, at Schmitz Park Elementary.
Then, after at least one Roxhill parent pushed for more information about the changes that moving the school to Hughes would bring, the boundary-change map changed again, and last night’s meeting was added. The SPS website notes that the information about Roxhill and Hughes was added October 13th – less than a week before that meeting.
But the biggest changes now proposed for the “Growth Boundaries” map – originally approved by the School Board two years ago, and with this and other amendments going to the board tomorrow night – would affect a third school:
Three reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon:
CAR-PROWL LOOT TO LOOK FOR: From Janet:
Someone broke into our car in the 6000 block on 42nd between Monday night and Tuesday morning and stole a GPS and 3 big bright blue bags containing ‘Begin with Books’ for kids that we had borrowed from the library. And a French 1 dvd, ‘Little Pim’ Eating and Drinking.
If anyone sees this, could they please return them to the library on our behalf? We were told that the thieves might just throw them in the bushes so we be in the lookout for them once they realize the bags had books in them.
MORE CAR PROWLS: From Barb:
3 of my neighbors have had their cars broken into at overnight in the last 4 weeks. 6900 block of 37th Ave SW. One of the cars was actually unlocked and the registration to the car was stolen. Another neighbor reported he found some of his missing items down the block. Seems like we have some bad mojo in Gatewood happening between the car prowls and the fires. Please let people know to be on the lookout for anything strange.
BREAK-IN: From Patricia:
Just want folks to know that there was a break-in (Monday) in North Admiral – during the day. Perpetrators barged through a chain ‘hold’ device on the door, and then broke the glass of an inside entry door with a hammer. Stole a bike, checkbook (later tried to cash a check at Bank of America in the main Junction), and also jewelry. Reported to police.
Finally, an **update**:
SFD AT TONIGHT’S CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL MEETING: Update from West Seattle Crime Prevention Council president Richard Miller about tonight’s meeting – Seattle Fire Engine 11’s crew has just been confirmed as the guest. Got a question about SFD? Come ask. And bring your neighborhood crime concerns for local SPD. 7 pm, Southwest Precinct, Webster/Delridge.
While artist Jesse Link worked on that West Seattle Junction mural, we published a few in-progress looks (starting October 8th) … and realized we hadn’t been back in a few days to see if it’s finished. It is! (If you haven’t seen it “in person,” it’s on the south side of the almost-done apartment building at 4535 44th SW. It’s his second West Seattle mural in less than two months, after the bear on the north side of Shack Coffee in Luna Park.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After more reports of yellow or brown water in West Seattle homes in recent days, we have followed up again with Seattle Public Utilities, as promised.
Discolored-water reports are usually specific to one neighborhood and one situation – maybe fire-hydrant use, or a pipe break. This page on the SPU website usually covers those short-lived situations. We first checked with SPU, which provides the city’s water supply, when we started getting reports almost a month ago from neighborhoods scattered around the peninsula. (Our first report from September 25th is here; our second, on September 30th, is here.)
Three weeks later, we’ve continued to get questions – and comments like this one, where a West Seattleite was startled by discolored bath water – so we inquired again. As this comment pointed out at the end of last week, there’s a new bit of information, which we’ve confirmed with SPU:
A memorial service is planned in West Seattle on Saturday for Dean Kermit “Kerm” Franks, 97. Here’s the remembrance his family is sharing:
Dean Kermit “Kerm” Franks, a longtime West Seattle resident and retired vice principal of West Seattle High School, died of natural causes October 16 in West Seattle, supported by his extended family. He was 97, and had been a resident of The Kenney retirement community since 2005.
He was born January 23, 1918 in Coldwater, Kansas, the third of four children born to Willard and Tulu Franks. He graduated from the University of Kansas in 1940.
He met his future wife, Esther Faye Anderson, while teaching high school in Eudora, Kansas. They were married in February 1942, ten days before he was drafted into the Army. His service was in Alaska, and when the war ended the couple decided to settle in Seattle. They started a family and Kerm began a 30-year career with Seattle Public Schools. He earned his Masters and Doctor of Education degrees from the University of Washington. He took early retirement in 1975.
From 1961 to 1975, Kerm and Faye co-managed the Seabeck Conference Center on Hood Canal. They are remembered fondly as “Uncle Kerm” and “Auntie Faye” by the many former staff members, who were high-school and college youth at the time. For more than 25 years beginning in 1963, Kerm and Faye hosted a series of exchange students from Europe, Asia and Central America. They also traveled to a number of countries, visiting the families of their student guests.
The couple built a cabin at Lake Cushman, near Hoodsport, Washington, in 1976. They spent summers there, encouraging visits from family and friends. Kerm was physically active until near the end of his life, enjoying hiking, berry picking, swimming, square dancing and handyman projects. He was still chopping wood at the cabin into his 90s.
Kerm was an active member of Tibbetts United Methodist Church in West Seattle, where he served in volunteer administrative positions.
Faye died in 2012, after 70 years of marriage. His son, David, died in 2013. He is survived by daughters Marsha (Mike) and Candace (John); son Dean (Cynthia); 7 grandchildren; 11 great-grandchildren; 4 nephews and 3 nieces.A memorial service to celebrate his long life will be held next Saturday (October 24th) at 10 a.m. at Tibbetts United Methodist Church, 3940 41st Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116. Memorials may be sent to Tibbetts Church, or to Seabeck Conference Center, 13395 Lagoon Drive NW, Seabeck, WA 98380.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
If you usually access the West Seattle Bridge via Fauntleroy Way, and you’re planning on going off-peninsula this weekend, you might consider an alternate route because of these lane closures, just announced:
Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) is conducting roadway panel replacement on the West Seattle Bridge/Fauntleroy Way SW Expressway ramp heading eastbound and westbound. From Friday, October 23 at 7:00 pm to the evening of Sunday, October 25, crews will repair the roadway following an emergency sewer repair project in the same location. The inside eastbound and inside westbound lane will be closed during this time and drivers should allow extra time for their trips due to possible congestion in this area.
This work was originally scheduled for early October, then postponed.
First – thanks to Guy and Joy Smith on Alki Point for the photo from this past weekend, which they ID as Common Mergansers: “We’ve learned from watching and reading that they’re normally in rivers and lakes, but in spring and fall they spend time in salt water if it’s on their migration route. They fly fast and swim fast and have the habit of all swimming in the same direction with their heads under water when looking for fish. When they dive, they dive as a group. They have serrated teeth on their bills for holding the fish. They nest in tree cavities and the chicks jump out when they’re still covered with down.”
Now – swimming into highlights for the rest of your Tuesday, from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – where you can look ahead days, weeks, months at a time, any time:
FLU-SHOT CLINIC: Need a flu shot? Everyone (West Seattleites ages 4+) is welcome at the 3-7 pm clinic at Chief Sealth International High School. Details in our preview. (2600 SW Thistle)
DINE OUT FOR ‘HOMES OF HOPE’: 5-10 pm tonight at Pecado Bueno in The Junction, all-you-can-eat taco bar with proceeds going to help All Souls Church (WSB sponsor) build a home for a family in need in Mexico. (4523 California SW)
(added) WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL GYMNASTICS FUNDRAISER: Dine at Talarico’s in The Junction today/tonight and a percentage of proceeds will be donated to the WSHS Gymnastics program. (4718 California SW)
FAMILY STRATEGIES! Get inspiration and education 6:30-8:30 pm tonight at Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor) – community welcome for free presentation “Start with What Works: Executive Skills Strategies for Families“; details in our calendar listing. (10015 28th SW)
WEST SEATTLE SHAMBHALA MEDITATION GROUP: Need a little more serenity in your life? 6:30 pm, you’re welcome to join this weekly group at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. Read about the group here. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
NEIGHBORHOOD CRIME CONCERNS? Bring them to Southwest Precinct leadership during the monthly West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting tonight, 7 pm, in the precinct’s community meeting room. (2300 SW Webster)
TUESDAY TRIVIA: 9 pm at the new Parliament Tavern – signups start at 8. (4210 SW Admiral Way)
SIXTEEN LISTINGS IN ALL on today’s calendar – see the rest here.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:22 AM: After a quiet night, it’s routine on the traffic front this morning, in this area, so far.
ADDED 7:47 AM – DELRIDGE/HIGHLAND PARK GREENWAY UPDATE: Construction update from SDOT includes these key points:
… on the west side of 21st Ave SW between 22nd Ave SW and SW Dawson St, SDOT will prepare the sidewalk for widening. Temporary lane restrictions will be in effect, and flaggers will be stationed at either end of the work zone to direct traffic during work hours, 7 AM to 7 PM. Bus zones will not be affected.
This work will take 5-7 days to complete. Crews will return in two weeks to pour asphalt. Throughout this period, SDOT crews will also install speed humps on 21st Ave SW between 22nd Ave SW and SW Dawson St.
The installation of a new storm drain just north of where 22nd Ave SW merges with 21st Ave SW is now complete.
Crew will also begin installing curb ramps, curb extensions, a new crosswalk and a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) just south of where 22nd Ave SW merges with 21st Ave SW. An RRFB is a pedestrian – or bicycle – activated crossing signal that uses irregular flashes to alert drivers that a person is entering the crosswalk.
RRFBs are already up in several other West Seattle spots, from California/Dakota to the Boren school zone on Delridge.
8:46 AM: An SFD engine is headed to an aid call (low-level medical response) at 8th and Roxbury. We’re checking on traffic effects. (Update – NOT a traffic situation; somebody is being tended to on a bus bench.)
Whether it’s the arsons or some other concern that you’d like to ask and/or hear about, we’ve just confirmed that the monthly West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting IS on for tomorrow night (Tuesday, October 20th) at the Southwest Precinct, 7 pm. This is your one guaranteed chance each month to hear local crime trends firsthand from West Seattle police and to bring up anything that’s been going on in your neighborhood. The meeting room is next to the parking lot, which is off SW Webster just west of Delridge Way SW.
If you live on or near 35th SW, in Gatewood, High Point, and some distance north, you might have received this flyer:
In case you hadn’t seen it, we wanted to show you that flyer, sent to us by multiple readers who have received it from firefighters going door-to-door tonight, in the wake of two arsons – the two cars set on fire in the Sylvan Ridge area early Sunday (WSB coverage here), and the fire set early today at 35th/Holly, the Seattle Housing Authority office building whose other tenants include a mosque (WSB morning coverage here; afternoon coverage of the flareup that further damaged the building is here). As of this afternoon, investigators were saying they had NOT found any evidence to link the two cases, so far; no word of any arrests, or even subject descriptions, yet.
Photogenic sunset tonight! The top photo is by James Bratsanos. Next one is by John Bartell:
Thank you! We’ll likely be adding more.
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