West Seattle, Washington
05 Tuesday
(Photo of J-53 by Mark Sears – NOAA research permit 16163-01)
The baby boom among Puget Sound’s orcas has given new hope to the humans who love them. You’ll hear more about them – and the Southern Resident Killer Whale adults – at The Whale Trail‘s next Orca Talk event, just announced for 7:30 pm December 3rd at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor):
Over the past year, six new calves have been born to the Southern Resident Killer Whales (J, K and L pods). What does that mean for this endangered population – how healthy are they overall? What have we learned over the past year, and what are the most pressing questions still to be addressed?
Join us to hear the latest findings and future research directions, presented by Dr. Brad Hanson, NWFSC lead killer whale researcher.
This is the second in the 2015/2016 Orca Talk series hosted by The Whale Trail in West Seattle. The event also features updates from Robin Lindsey (Seal Sitters), and “Diver Laura” James (tox-ick.org). Come early and share some holiday cheer!
Buy tickets now to reserve your seat. And hurry – this will likely sell out.
Haven’t heard of The Whale Trail before? At the heart of it, as executive director Donna Sandstrom describes it, it’s “a series of sites where the public may view orcas and other marine mammals from shore. Our mission is to inspire appreciation and stewardship of whales and our marine environment. Through our current sites and signs, including two on every Washington State ferry, we reach more than 30 million people each year. The Whale Trail is currently adding new sites along the North American west coast, from BC to California. The Whale Trail is led by a core team of partners including NOAA Fisheries, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Seattle Aquarium, the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, and the Whale Museum.”
Back to tickets for the event – $5 suggested donation; kids free. Go to this Brown Paper Tickets page.
The family of longtime West Seattleite Richard A. Whitney is sharing this remembrance:
Our Hero, Richard Allen Whitney, passed away a True Veteran this past Veterans Day, 11/11/15.
He was born in Seattle, where he attended Highland Park Elementary, Denny Middle School, and Chief Sealth High School.
He was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam in 1967 and served two years. During his tour, he was exposed to Agent Orange and became very ill. He has since then had a liver and kidney transplant and lived beyond the years the doctors expected. He overcame many medical obstacles throughout his life and will be forever a medical miracle.
Whitney met his lovely wife, Liz Whitney, at Marv’s Broiler in White Center in 1981, and they have been happily married ever since!
He is survived by his wife Liz; mother Marie Clay; brother Ron Whitney; daughter and son Shannon and Patrick (PJ) Whitney. He also had the opportunity to meet his five grandkids as well who all adored him! Whitney coached Shannon in softball for more than 10 years as well as coaching SWAC football for PJ. He was very well known around our neighborhood, as all the kids loved to come to his house to play. He was a produce manager for QFC and retired from the Westwood Village store in West Seattle.
He loved his family, camping and the outdoors. He will forever be in our hearts and will be truly missed. There will be a memorial in the spring and his family will have the details posted when available.
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(Five WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:13 AM: Good morning! Still no high-bridge cameras working, but from all the other info sources, no incidents so far.
FROST ALERT: If you will be heading out via a car you park outdoors – you’ll need to do some ice-scraping:
Icy windshield alert. pic.twitter.com/WrtzVDSUwS
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) November 20, 2015
7:59 AM: Traffic alert for tomorrow:
Crews from the Seattle Department of Transportation plan to close one southbound lane on the Alaskan Way Viaduct, SR99, at the south end of the Battery Street Tunnel on Saturday, Nov. 21. The on- and off-ramps will remain open. The crews will repair a guardrail starting at 3:30 a.m. and complete the work before 5 p.m.
BUS STOP CHANGES DOWNTOWN STARTING MONDAY: In case you haven’t already seen Metro’s alerts about Third Avenue – here’s what’s changing and what’s not.
(October 2015 photo of planned charter-school site at 35th/Roxbury)
The organization that’s been planning a charter school in Arbor Heights tells WSB tonight that it’s continuing to move forward, despite the state Supreme Court‘s
decision not to reconsider its ruling against public funding for charters..
After word tonight of the court’s denial of motions for reconsideration, we contacted a spokesperson for Summit Public Schools, which has been planning for almost a year to remodel the church/ex-supermarket property at 35th/Roxbury into Summit Atlas. The response:
Today’s news does not change Summit’s plans to move forward with opening Summit Atlas in West Seattle. We are hopeful the legislature will make this right for our kids.
In fact, more than 400 students, parents and educators from Washington’s public charter schools participated in a day of action in Olympia on Thursday, urging legislators on both sides of the aisle to fix the glitch that allowed the state Supreme Court to rule against the more than 1,100 kids currently enrolled in charter schools.
Summit students participated in a civics lesson, toured the Capitol, rallied on the lawn, met with legislators and testified in front of the Senate.
Summit students, families and staff learned on the drive home from Olympia that the state Supreme Court denied both Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s and the Washington State Charter Schools Association’s motions to reconsider the unfair September ruling.
We remain hopeful that our state legislature will ultimately do the right thing for our students.
While we are disappointed in the court’s decision, this does not change our promise to keep our doors open and continue to provide a free, high quality, personalized high school experience that prepares every student for college. We look forward to being able to offer West Seattle students and families this important public school choice.
The West Seattle school, planned to eventually be 6th-12th grades, would not open before next fall; the Summit students mentioned in the response would have been from one or both of the schools opened in Tacoma and Seattle’s International District earlier this fall. We broke the news of the charter-school plan in early January when it turned up in the city’s online files; in June, the site was purchased by Washington Charter School Development for $4.75 million with the intent of remodeling it to house the first Summit Atlas students.
Two updates from the world of West Seattle food and drink:
PECOS PIT BBQ UPDATE: Nine months after we first told you a Pecos Pit BBQ restaurant was planned for the former Beni Hoshi Teriyaki spot at 35th/Fauntleroy, we have another update. Spokesperson Nick Nordby says the restaurant is expected to open in spring. They’re still working on outdoor deck seating and a drive-through (exiting onto Genesee, according to a document in the city file) as well as indoor seating. Nordby says founders Ron Wise and Debra Wise have teamed with Salty’s (WSB sponsor) proprietor Gerry Kingen to expand, starting with this location, but serving “the same famous Pecos Pit BBQ found on 1st avenue for decades, along with some new habit-forming options. Offerings include our traditional pork, beef, and chicken sandwiches in a decidedly sloppy style, plus beef brisket, and hot links,” along with “stuffed smoked potatoes … and a ‘Walkabouts Bowl’ filled with the meat of your choice plus cheese, cold slaw and sauce” and salads. You can even buy bulk, smoked meats including Pecos pork, beef brisket, turkey legs, and smoked chicken.” They’re aiming for a full liquor license, he adds. No word yet how soon work will start.
WESTSIDE PUBLIC HOUSE GOES DARK: We haven’t been able to directly confirm that Westside Public House at California/Edmunds in The Junction is gone, but all signs point that way. The pub at California/Edmunds hasn’t been open since Sunday night – just days after its first-anniversary celebration – and a peek through the windows reveals most furnishings gone. Its website and phone line are both down. No message on the door, no message on the still-up Facebook page, but its Tuesday night trivia provider posted on their FB page that they got word it had closed after Sunday night. The pub’s year in the space followed three years by A Terrible Beauty; before that, Table 35 was there for 10 months and Ama Ama for 21 months. (WSB file photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The GameStop robbery was happening just as this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting was wrapping up. So keep in mind that Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis was speaking about trends before that – almost presciently. His briefing preceded the night’s guest speaker, Metro’s chief of Transit Police.
LOCAL CRIME TRENDS: Busy month since last meeting. Headline – the arrest of a suspect in the serial arsons, which were Topic 1 at the previous WSCPC meeting. Robberies are up – “the individuals are like zombies, they activate themselves and they’re committing everything under the sun, car prowls, robberies …” In particular, he mentioned, car prowls are up “and I know (West Seattleites) are sick of it.” He reiterated the top advice – don’t leave ANYTHING in your vehicle. Nothing at all. “I just can’t stress enough – take (your stuff) with you.” Every time something is found inside a car, that encourages thieves to come back. Alki, High Point, North Admiral, and Pigeon Point are the hottest spots for car prowls right now: “The numbers right now aren’t horrific, but they’re horrific enough that people are being affected.” Parks get hit hard, too.
The briefing segued quickly into attendee Q/A: First one was a question about the neighborhood crime stats on the SPD website, wondering why they all use different scales, meaning that if you compare areas, one might look worse than it really is. Capt. Davis said they’re aware of that and hoping to find a way to work with it.
Next Q brought up the West Seattle Crime Watch saga of someone who put their stuff in the trunk and was prowled while shopping at Westwood Target. Capt. Davis acknowledged that some car prowlers do just break in on spec, basically. “It is really, really tough right now and about all we can do is something like an operation we did earlier this year – we identified more than 100 individuals that we deal with over and over again, and arrested a lot of the individuals who are prolific in this area. When we (did that) we saw every category of crime drop. .. But as soon as they get out of jail, we see that activity spike up again.” Now, he said, they’re working with prosecutors and judges to try to urge them to keep the criminals behind bars – and for longer. “That’s what we’re after right now – sometimes it takes time, but it’s well worth it.”
Asked about car thefts, he talked about use of the license-plate reader to detect dropped-off stolen cars.
Two people who identified themselves as first-time WSCPC meeting-goers said that they had just moved to West Seattle a few weeks ago and were trying to figure out how to stay safe and wondered if there was any reason that repeat offenders’ mugshots weren’t made available.
New information today in the case of the 30-year-old man arrested at an Arbor Heights house Tuesday night on suspicion of robbing the Westwood Village Game Stop store earlier that night. His bail is set at $100,000 after his appearance in a jailhouse courtroom downtown this afternoon. And the probable-cause documents say police suspect him and a 39-year-old relative – who is not in custody – of committing this robbery, and are investigating them in connection with three other robberies/major thefts in the past six months:
With the election headed for certification next Tuesday – after which a recount will surely follow in the City Council District 1 race – today’s results have Lisa Herbold gaining three more votes over Shannon Braddock:
Lisa Herbold – 12,437 – 49.73%
Shannon Braddock – 12,409 – 49.62%
A few hundred ballots with problems (unverified signatures, for example) are still being dealt with. In all, about 28,000 ballots were turned in by District 1 voters, who number almost 61,000, and that’s a ~45% turnout. You’ll notice by doing the math, more than 2,000 did not vote in this race at all; 164 are tallied as write-ins, though the county doesn’t report whose names were written in.
The updated-daily WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide includes a full list of what’s happening for WS Junction Hometown Holidays this year (we’re again among the co-sponsors), and there’s something new: On tree-lighting night – Saturday, December 5th – SW Alaska will be closed in front of Junction Plaza Park, so you’ll have more room to gather around the tree and park to enjoy the ceremony! It’s been elbow-to-elbow for years now, and the park itself is fairly small, so this is a big move to make room for more people to join the fun. Music, caroling, and more – full schedule TBA – 5 pm on the 5th. Also this year, that same night will bring a rolling Holiday Party at Junction stores, 4 pm-8 pm, with sips and snacks and specials all around, so come prepared for shopping and fun before and after the tree lighting.
1:39 PM: Just got this text:
Flock of big white swans (tundra?) swimming off Arroyos heading north. Big white with long black bills, very beautiful, local birders will want to see them. I am at Seola Beach so they already passed us – couldn’t get a picture, they are majestic, someone should try for a good photo from maybe Brace Point if they get up that far.
We’re going to go look, though, given our odds with orcas, that’s no guarantee.
2:35 PM: Struck out on the bird search, too. We went down to a viewpoint near Brace Point – no unusual birds in view. A little choppy with the wind out of the north, too. But a beautiful afternoon to visit the beach anyway!
Six ways to spend your West Seattle Thursday night (see MORE on our complete calendar):
LINCOLN PARK NORTH PLAY AREA RENOVATION: 5:30-6:30 pm open house at Southwest Teen Life Center – come see what’s possible and offer your ideas too. (2801 SW Thistle)
COMMUNITY THANKSGIVING DINNER: One week before the holiday, break bread with the SW Teen Life Center crew, 6:30 pm (right after the aforementioned open house, same address). **From the WSB Holiday Guide**
4106 DELRIDGE AT DESIGN REVIEW: Tonight’s the last scheduled Southwest Design Review Board meeting of the year – 6:30 pm, mixed-use 4106 Delridge Way SW goes back to the board. At the Sisson Building. (California SW & SW Oregon)
MORGAN JUNCTION SHOPPING EXTRAVAGANZA: As previewed here earlier this week, what began as the third annual Ladies Night for Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor) has broadened to include three other Morgan Junction businesses – My Three Little Birds, Lika Love, Nurture By Nature. Start at SGS and get your “passport”; more info in our calendar listing. (6529 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE TIMEBANK: 6:30 pm potluck, 7 pm meeting at the Senior Center of West Seattle, learn about timebanking and get involved if you’re not already! (California SW & SW Oregon)
ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL’S ANNUAL MEETING: 7 pm in the parlor at Alki UCC, with the agenda including:
1) SPD Operations Lt.. Ron Smith w/ intern about Alki Policing Plan; SPD’s letter of support for Constellation Park; Beach Drive resident SDOT upcoming Street Fund application; public disclosure application for Block Watch membership
2) Approval of September Minutes
3) Election of Officers and Board for 2016
4) Approval of letter draft to Seattle Parks about summer volleyball activity concerns
5) Perch Project Update (SolTerra) by Action Alki Alliance
6) Water Taxi Route Update
(6115 SW Hinds)
Photo of the leaves-on-driveway starfield courtesy Yel0Rose, via the WSB Flickr group
Washington State Ferries sends word that it’s canceling some runs this hour on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route because M/V Cathlamet needs repairs, through at least the 11:55 trip from Fauntleroy. This boat was in the #3 spot, so check the schedule here for other times that might be affected. We’ll update when more info’s available.
After other proposals surfaced and stalled in recent years, the mixed-use project making its way through the city system for 35th and Graham in High Point has just hit another milestone: Official application for a land-use permit, as announced in today’s edition of the city’s Land Use Information Bulletin. This means a two-week public-comment period has opened.
(From the second Early Design Guidance meeting’s information packet)
After two Southwest Design Review Board meetings – find the reports here – the project at 6058 35th SW is now proposed as two 4-story buildings, with a total of 102 apartments, 10,000 square feet of commercial space, and an underground garage with 109 parking spaces. The notice is here; you can use this form to send in a comment – December 2nd is the deadline. Meantime, this project, currently named “Upton Flats,” still has to go back to the Design Review Board at least one more time; no date yet.
P.S. This development only covers a fraction of the sprawling vacant space at 35th/Graham, specifically the 35th SW frontage and part of the corner; the rest of the site is still planned for an 11-building, 52-unit townhouse development, under the address 3420 SW Graham, shown in the image above, to the east of the 6058 35th SW buildings.
One more quick reminder so word can circulate to those in need: Once again this year, the Saturday before Thanksgiving will bring the annual Eastridge Church giveaway of turkeys and bags of groceries. You don’t have to sign up or show anything – it’s available to all comers while supplies last. The line forms outside Eastridge, which is on the southeast corner of 39th SW and SW Oregon, and the giveaway starts at 9 am Saturday (November 21st). Read more about it on the church website.
P.S. This is part of a long list of Thanksgiving-related events/info in the WSB West Seattle Holiday Guide.
(Five WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
The high-bridge cameras aren’t working yet, so they’re still not back in our array of camera views. Meantime, no major incidents in or from West Seattle right now.
The Seattle School Board has approved the final revised list of “bell time” changes for next school year. First, the announcement, followed by the current and future times for all schools in this area:
The Seattle School Board voted 6-1 Wednesday evening, to adopt a Transportation Service Standard that would revise arrival and departure times for the 2016-17 school year. The changes to bell times will authorize the superintendent to implement the cost-neutral plan as recommended by the Board, allowing minor modifications as necessary for implementation. Additionally, the district reviewed recent community feedback and made the following adjustments:
· Change #1: Adjust all tiers 5 minutes earlier
· Change #2: Add a modification that allows the Superintendent to decrease the number of 3rd Tier schools if “actual routing during spring 2016” can adjust schools while maintaining the no cost option. We will be asking for schools to volunteer to be considered (through the principals) as we realize this may be considered disruptive by school communities and they may not wish to go through this process. Any changes would be announced prior to the end of the school year.The recommendation reflects Seattle Public Schools’ extensive community and stakeholder outreach over the past year. This is in response to a resolution approved by the School Board in March of 2014 in response to ongoing discussions between School Boards and Superintendents since 2008, around the benefits of shifting to later start times for adolescents.
“We will become the largest district in the country to make this switch, and hopefully we will set a trend,” said Board Director Sharon Peaslee. “This is a historic moment.”
The Resolution directed the Superintendent to determine feasibility, costs, impacts and logistics of shifting to later start times for adolescents, for implementation in the 2016-2017 school year, while continuing to simplify the transportation standards and align them with the Student Assignment Plan. The Bell Time Analysis is the outcome of this directive.
Transportation costs will increase in 2016/17 due to enrollment growth, boundary changes and Special Education program service updates. That amount is estimated to be $182,500.00.
It’s a big change for many local schools. From the citywide list in the last pages of this district document, here are the West Seattle times, now and next year (note that these are the actual start/end times, not the bus arrival/depart times that bookend them in the doc, and also remember that “this year” refers to this school year (2015-2016), while “next year” refers to next school year):
HIGH SCHOOLS
Chief Sealth International HS
*This year – 8:40-3:10
*Next year – 8:45-3:15
West Seattle High School
*This year – 7:50-2:20
*Next year – 8:45-3:15
MIDDLE SCHOOLS
Denny International MS
*This year – 7:50-2:20
*Next year – 7:55-2:25
Madison MS
*This year – 7:50-2:20
*Next year – 8:45-3:15
K-8 SCHOOLS
Louisa Boren K-8 STEM
*This year – 9:30-3:40
*Next year – 9:35-4:05
Pathfinder K-8
*This year – 8:40-3:10
*Next year – 8:45-3:15
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Alki
*This year – 8:40-2:50
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Arbor Heights (at Boren this year, new building next year)
*This year – 8:40-2:50
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Concord
*This year – 9:30-3:40
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Fairmount Park
*This year – 8:40-2:50
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Gatewood
*This year – 8:40-2:50
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Highland Park
*This year – 8:40-2:50
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Lafayette
*This year – 9:30-3:40
*Next year – 9:35-3:45
Roxhill
*This year – 9:30-3:40
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Sanislo
*This year – 9:30-3:40
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
Schmitz Park
*This year – 8:40-2:50
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
West Seattle
*This year – 8:40-2:50
*Next year – 7:55-2:05
It’s been four years since a district transportation-plan change pushed Concord, Lafayette, Roxhill, and Sanislo to 9:30 am start times; we covered Sanislo’s fight against it. Now, three of the four will be moved to the district’s near-universal 7:55-2:05 elementary schedule – all except for Lafayette.
Thanks to the Denny International Middle School parent who shared this e-mail sent to the school community tonight:
This afternoon, two of our 8th-grade scholars reported to us that they were approached by a man in a red Sports Utility Vehicle who called to them to get in the back of the vehicle as they walked home from school yesterday. The scholars did the right thing by running away and telling an adult at home and at school. Seattle Police have been informed.
As a precaution, we reminded our scholars this afternoon about safety tips for walking to and from school. We would appreciate your help by having a similar conversation at home. The walking-safety advice includes:
GENERAL SAFETY TIPS
Pay close attention to your surroundings, avoid “automatic pilot.”
Walk with a purpose; project an assertive, business-like image.
Use common sense; plan your route to avoid uninhabited parks, parking lots, garages and alleyways.
Stick to well-lit areas.
Develop a plan before you see trouble. Crossing a street or entering a store may get you out of a potentially bad situation.
If a car follows you or beckons you while you are walking, do not approach it. Instead, turn and quickly walk the opposite direction.
Consider wearing clothing and shoes that you can move freely and quickly in, especially when walking or waiting for the bus.
Carry minimal items; overloading yourself can make you appear vulnerable.
Always plan your route and stay alert to your surroundings. Avoid shortcuts. Walk confidently. Scan your surroundings and make eye contact with people.
Avoid walking alone at night. As much as possible, walk or travel with a friend, even during the daytime.
As always, thank you for your help and partnership!
Sincerely,
Jeff Clark, Principal
That’s the e-mail in its entirety, with no location-specific information regarding where the incident happened; Tweets by Beat notes a “lewd conduct” call not far from the school, at 28th SW and SW Elmgrove, but we likely won’t be able to check that directly with police until tomorrow morning.
By Patrick Sand and Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog co-publishers
Exactly one year after the board of the Senior Center of West Seattle grappled publicly with whether to remain independent or be absorbed into the countywide Senior Services, it is moving toward a change in relationship, though perhaps not as sweeping as first considered.
At its regular monthly meeting last Thursday night, the Senior Center board discussed the possibility of offering a lease to Senior Services (which is renaming itself Sound Generations on January 1st).
(WSB photo of Itto’s front door, this morning)
Six months after we brought you first word of Itto’s Tapas coming to 4160 California SW, its official grand opening has just been announced:
We are FINALLY having our Grand Opening! We are so excited to be in West Seattle where the neighborhood has shown its support with encouraging words, kind drop-ins, and overall excitement! Thank you all for the supportive energy. This has been a whirlwind of lessons learned and now all we think about is giving West Seattle our best. We can’t wait to feed you!
We are having our Grand Opening this Saturday, the 21st of November. Itto’s is named after our owner’s mother, and we thought it would be a blessing to honor her spirit by inviting you all in on the anniversary of her passing.
We will have our full menu and specialty drinks rolling! If you want to glimpse our menus, you can check out our Facebook page. To keep the energy up, we will have one of our favorite local belly dancers, Nadira at 10 pm!
Thank you again for all of your support! Looking forward to seeing our neighborhood in full force!
Itto’s is in the ex-Firefly space on the northeast corner of California SW and SW Genesee.
Eleven more ballots were added to the Seattle City Council District 1 vote totals before today’s results came out a short time ago – five for Shannon Braddock, six for Lisa Herbold, who now is 25 votes ahead:
Lisa Herbold – 12,428 – 49.72%
Shannon Braddock – 12,403 – 49.62%
As noted previously, the election is now down to ballots that have problems such as signature verification; if that happened to your ballot, there’s still time – until the election is certified next Tuesday – for you to fix it and have your vote count. If you haven’t checked on yours, you can do that here – but this is important: The last message it will give is that your ballot “will be counted.” It will never say “has been counted.” If it says “will be counted,” that means you’ve been verified.
Three notes from last night’s Junction Neighborhood Organization meeting:
EMERGENCY HUB: JuNO has been working on setting up another hub for the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs, closer to the heart of The Junction, and its thousands of apartment residents. Ellen West from the JuNO board is working on the project. While they’ve obtained a city grant to help start and equip the hub, they’ll be looking for donations to cover the rest of the cost. West and JuNO director René Commons plan to talk to some of the new buildings’ managers/owners in hope they’ll want to chip in. West also will be talking with building managers about their emergency-response plans.
STREET LIGHTING: One of JuNO’s 2016 priorities, according to Commons, will be a followup on lighting concerns along the west side of 42nd SW. She’s had a walking tour with a Seattle City Light representative but hopes to keep up the pressure for improvements; JuNO had been working with Councilmember Tom Rasmussen and now will need to work with whomever is elected in the too-close-to-call District 1 City Council race.
CRIME STATS: In the first round of the city’s development of “micro-policing plans,” The Junction was lumped in with a few other neighborhoods, but Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith says that will change, and soon The Junction will be broken out into its own plan area – which also means its own distinct set of crime stats on the new SPD “Dashboard.”
PUBLIC-SAFETY SURVEY: Researcher Jennifer Burbridge, who’s been working with the Southwest Precinct on projects including the micro-policing plans, is circulating one more reminder: If you haven’t already answered the citywide Public Safety Survey, please take a few minutes to do it – start here.
To join the JuNO mailing list for updates on meetings and projects, e-mail wsjuno@yahoo.com.
Thanks to everyone who tipped us about a big police response at an Arbor Heights house last night. We have finally obtained Seattle Police confirmation that the arrest made there was linked to the robbery we covered earlier in the evening at the Westwood Village Game Stop store. A witness to the robbery tells WSB they saw a getaway vehicle and provided its description and license plate to police. Officers found the vehicle at a home near 35th and 104th in Arbor Heights and, with a warrant, searched the house and arrested a 30-year-old man who is now in the King County Jail; the vehicle was towed as evidence. We’re expecting a few more details from police this afternoon, and will add them when available, but after many inquiries today about the AH response, we wanted to publish this as soon as we had confirmation of the link.
Our phone video is the first look at post-cleanup freedom for 13 of the birds captured at the oil-contaminated White Center stormwater-retention pond. A team from PAWS just brought them back to the area and joined state and county reps in opening the carriers and watching them go free. We first reported on the pond problem a week and a half ago; last Friday, the state announced that a WC food-manufacturing business, La Mexicana, had taken responsibility. They say the pond is now clean enough for the birds to return to it safely, but they were released this morning across the street at Steve Cox Memorial Park. As you can see in the video, all 13 brought back by PAWS this morning were mallards; crews have captured 78 in all, a mix of mallards and Canada geese. Four birds did not survive, including two that were euthanized, according to the state Ecology Department.
ADDED 2:20 PM: A few more photos and additional information about today’s release and the cleanup:
Ecology spokesperson Larry Altose says oil-recovery efforts wrapped up at the pond yesterday, as contractor National Response Corporation removed the last cleanup materials. NRC’s subcontractor Focus Wildlife captured the oiled birds and, Altose says, “housed and treated the birds at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society Wildlife Center in Lynnwood,” where, he adds, the state Department of Fish and Wildlife “supplied a bird rescue trailer to provide extra space for the effort.”
Of the 61 birds still in treatment after today’s release, he adds, 27 are mallards and 34 are geese. All four of the birds that died were mallards. A WDFW spokesperson confirmed that this is the largest bird-rescuing operation in our state in some time, in terms of spill recovery.
Meantime, as for the birds released today …
… they were last seen taking a few test flights around the field. If you see oiled or distressed birds, WDFW asks, call 800-22-BIRDS, but don’t “approach or handle the wildlife,” the state asks, adding that “WDFW asks dog and cat owners in the area to keep their pets under control, as oiled birds are less able to escape from animal attacks.”
P.S. In addition to reporting to the state, the federal EPA also tells us they are interested in information about environmental violations – here’s how to report them. (You can also call the local office directly at 206-553-8306.)
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