West Seattle, Washington
25 Saturday
(Thanks to Tom for the recent salmon photo from Longfellow Creek)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SPECIAL EDUCATION FAMILIES’ REGIONAL MEETING: 6 pm at the West Seattle High School library, families of Seattle Public Schools students are invited to meet with district officials to talk about special education – more in our calendar listing. (3000 California SW)
‘GIVING THANKS’ COMMUNITY SUCCESS DINNER: 6 pm tonight at Denny International Middle School, Denny families and staff are invited to this special dinner in the Galleria: “Turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, and lots of pie will be served! There will be a winter clothes give-away, community resources, games, raffles, an opportunity to thank our community veterans, and to take a free family picture! Questions and transportation support, please contact Ms. Amaral at 252-8954 or rmamaral@seattleschools.org.” (2601 SW Kenyon)
WEST SEATTLE SEE DOGS: See what it takes to raise a future guide dog! WSSD meets at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), 6:30 pm. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: The Port of Seattle Environmental Impact Statement process for the Terminal 5 modernization project is on the agenda for ANA tonight, two nights before the port’s own public “scoping” meeting. Also to be discussed: Who’ll be ANA’s new leaders? 7 pm, The Sanctuary at Admiral. (42nd SW & SW Lander)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm at the Fauntleroy Schoolhouse board room, business meeting for the FCA board. Agenda includes “tonight’s agenda includes discussion of off-leash dog policies, Endolyne business planter boxes, Endolyne Triangle traffic re-design, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition, City Light properties, and news from the Southwest District Council, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse, and Ferry Advisory Committee.” Always open to the public. (9131 California SW)
The region’s water supply is now almost back to normal. So the request for you has changed to “don’t waste water.” Here’s the latest, from Seattle Public Utilities and its regional counterparts:
Recent rains have improved our region’s water supply. Now cautiously optimistic about water supply conditions, Everett, Seattle and Tacoma are moving to the lowest stage of their Water Shortage Response Plans, the advisory stage.
Conditions no longer warrant being in the “voluntary” stage, in which customers were asked to reduce water use by 10 percent. The advisory stage means that a potential water supply problem may exist. This is still the case due to an ongoing strong El Nino that is expected to bring warm weather through the spring. While in the advisory stage, the cities ask customers to use water wisely by not wasting it.
The three cities thank their customers for helping the region stretch its water supplies to meet the needs of people and fish in this unprecedented year. … “We live in a region where our customers truly understand and value drinking water as a precious resource,” said Seattle Mayor Ed Murray. “When we asked them to partner with us by reducing their water use, they stepped up and responded. I want to personally thank the residents and businesses of Seattle for doing their part.”
… With rain from the Halloween storm, supply reservoirs on the Cedar and South Fork Tolt rivers rose 12 and 14 feet, respectively, and are now at 92 percent of normal for this time of year. The utility continues to provide beneficial flows for spawning salmon in both the Cedar and South Fork Tolt rivers.
The full regional update, and water-saving advice, can be found at savingwater.org.
West Seattle High School‘s PTSA is “Reaching for the Stars” with its annual fundraising auction in just 10 days – Friday, November 20th, at Brockey Center on the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) campus – but they can’t get there without you. Nikki Page from the PTSA e-mailed to say they’re still selling tickets and you can get in at the discounted early rate, $50, if you buy yours by Friday: “Please come and support West Seattle High School!” is their message to you and the rest of the community; here’s where the money goes. You can get your ticket(s) online.
9 AM: As mentioned in our traffic/transit roundup – since the report was from a ferry – orcas are back in the area this morning. Just after 8 am, commenting on one of our stories from last week, Michele reported, “A big pod of killer whales just showed off for the passengers on the 7:50 ferry to Southworth! Huge pod going south!” She didn’t report which side of Vashon they were passing – which would make a difference for visibility from here – but Orca Network regulars say it’s the east side, so they might still be visible from south West Seattle, and of course they’ll have to head back this way eventually. Updates appreciated if you see them! (You can also text our 24/7 hotline, 206-293-6302.) *Just as we were publishing this, we also heard from Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail, who reports researcher Mark Sears confirmed they’re southbound off north Vashon.*
1:30 PM: Per commenters and text, they’re now passing Fauntleroy, northbound.
2 PM: We and quite a few others are along Emma Schmitz, hoping to see them soon. One request, if you’re in a car and happen to see this … please don’t idle.
2:13 PM: Saw them! They are off Emma Schmitz, midchannel. Look for the blows, and the small research boat. Visible WITHOUT binoculars! We’ve opened a new story here.
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:48 AM: The morning starts with a rollover crash on I-5 in downtown Seattle. It’s on the southbound side, at the Convention Center, blocking three lanes, but there’s likely some related slowdown on the northbound side too.
6:57 AM: With no major injuries reported, emergency responders have moved the flipped car off to the side, leaving only one southbound HOV lane blocked.
VETERANS DAY TOMORROW: Advance reminder that tomorrow’s a holiday, with schools closed, which will change transportation conditions.
DELRIDGE/HIGHLAND PARK GREENWAY UPDATE: This project continues in eastern West Seattle; the project team sent this update late yesterday:
Crews have installed curb ramps, curb extensions and a new crosswalk just south of where 22nd Ave SW merges with 21st Ave SW. Beginning this week, crew will pour concrete sidewalks on the east side of 21st Ave SW. Additional construction at this intersection will include preparing the west side of the intersection for curb ramps, curb extensions and sidewalk widening. Weather permitting, this work is expected to take two weeks.
Beginning as early as November 16, crews will begin preparing the site at 15th Ave SW and SW Holden St for curb ramp and curb installations, painting the crosswalks on the east and west side of the intersection, and installing pedestrian flashing beacons on either side of the crosswalks. Weather permitting, this work is expected to take three weeks to complete.
Lots of project info can be found here.
7:31 AM: Text tip (206-293-6302) says there’s water gushing onto the road in the 4800 block of W. Marginal Way SW, and cars are going too fast as they hit it.
7:53 AM: WSF says the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth route has reduced capacity today while the Issaquah is out for maintenance.
7:55 AM: Commenters are saying same thing as this tweet:
@kcmetrobus @westseattleblog where is bus 57? No show again for the second day? So Disappointed.
— Rue Ishiyama (@Rueski) November 10, 2015
No alert via text or tweet. Metro said yesterday that the trip cancellation – much-discussed in Monday’s “Traffic/Transit Today” comments – came too late for warning.
8:14 AM: Commenter on a recent orca-sighting story reports, “A big pod of killer whales just showed off for the passengers on the 7:50 ferry to Southworth! Huge pod going south!” Don’t know if that means south into the west or east passage around Vashon Island, but we are now alerted to orcas in the area – keep watch and let us know if you see them!
8:35 AM: Heads up for freeway work overnight tonight, near the West Seattle Bridge exit from southbound I-5:
Up to 3 right lanes SB I-5 at 6th Ave S/S. Forest St. exit closed from 9 pm to 4:30 am for expansion joint repair work.
— WSDOT Traffic (@wsdot_traffic) November 10, 2015
(WSB photo: Shari Sewell at NWH&H’s 2014 Alki Beach 5K)
West Seattleite Shari Sewell has announced she’s leaving Northwest Hope and Healing – which helps breast-cancer patients cope with the challenges of life going on despite their diagnosis. She’s been with the organization 12 years and says, “The Foundation is in great shape, so I figured I’d leave on a high note. I’m looking forward to some time off to relax and figure out what’s next.” Here’s how the organization announced the news, including word of who will succeed Shari:
After 12 years with NW Hope & Healing, Shari Sewell, our talented Executive Director, will be stepping away from her role as Executive Director and from daily operations at NW Hope & Healing. Shari’s passion for assisting breast cancer and gynecology patients will endure in the years to come as a supporter of the NWHH mission. Shari will continue in her role through early December. We are so thankful for Shari’s time and energy developing NW Hope & Healing into a thriving foundation that touches lives on a daily basis.
Shari has put her heart and soul into this organization, but she’s ready to hand the reins to a new leader and take a well-deserved break. Kristina Dahl will take over as ED in December. Kristina looks forward to building upon NWHH’s solid foundation so that, together, we can assist more women than ever before.
Shari says, “I’m proud of what we’ve done and they way we’ve done it. I’ve exceeded my goals for the organization so it’s time for me to focus on the next chapter of my life. NW Hope & Healing is on solid ground and I’m excited to see where it goes.”.
The Board of Directors is grateful for her devotion, leadership, and commitment to the organization. Shari has been a vital force behind our Healing Programs, which have reached 10,000 women in the last 15 years, to help them get back on track financially while they deal with the physical and emotional effects of breast cancer. Please join us at our wine tasting at the Georgetown Ballroom on November 18th as we raise a glass to thank Shari, toast to her success and celebrate new beginnings.
If NWH&H has not directly touched your life or that of someone in your family, you might still have been part of their work by running or walking in the summertime Alki Beach 5K Run/Walk – here’s our coverage of this year’s event; Shari’s successor Kristina spoke at the 2013 Alki Beach 5K. NWH&H also presents other benefits/celebrations including the annual “Style” fashion show (next one April 28, 2016).
Five reader reports tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch:
CAR STOLEN FROM APARTMENT GARAGE: Robert hopes you will be on the lookout for his car:
My car was stolen Sunday morning at around 9 am from 4730 California Ave SW. I’ve already filed a police report, etc. I’m hoping to get readers to keep their eyes open. It’s a blue 2012 Mazda3 hatchback. License plate WA – AHJ1794
He says it was taken from inside the garage, and he’s working with management to check for surveillance video.
BURGLARY: From Delaney in Arbor Heights:
We had a break-in last week (Thursday, November 5). Because over $500 worth of goods was stolen and someone illegally entered our property, it was classified by the SPD as a felony burglary. Someone climbed in our bedroom window while we were at work and stole about $2,000 worth of small electronics and jewelry, as well as a backpack to fit it all in and transport back to their den of thieves. Nothing else was broken or damaged.
She adds, “We have a GIANT privacy hedge which I’m sure made it that much easier for them.” (That indeed is the type of thing discouraged by CPTED – Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design – principles – follow the link for tips.)
ANYBODY MISSING THIS BIKE? Melissa spotted this “Magna mountain bike” on Cambridge between 20th and 21st Ave SW:
ANYBODY MISSING THIS TOOL BOX? Jake says his wife found it in a planting strip near their Gatewood home, “presumably dumped judging by the damage. Hoping to reunite it with the rightful owner. Holding on to it for now, I plan to drop it at the local precinct if no response.”
You can reach him at jake.daniel@gmail.com. By the way, we checked with Robert, the teacher who lost many items in a recent car prowl, including a tool tote. This is NOT his. But even more of his stuff has turned up – some of his teaching materials were found by another WSB reader, so he has them back! Wherever you are, please watch out for stuff that might have been dumped by thieves, and let us know so we can get the word out there.
PHONE SCAM ALERT REMINDER: From Carol: “Just wanted to give a heads-up that in the last 2 days, we’ve had 3 phone calls on our land line telling us that we are being sued by the IRS and that we should phone back immediately for help. I know this is a SCAM and just wondered if anyone else in West Seattle is also getting phoned?” This scam can take many forms, as reported here back in February.
CASE UPDATE: The man arrested in connection with Sunday morning’s West Seattle mugging, found in a Fiat stolen in a Saturday night carjacking on Queen Anne, wasn’t booked into jail until this afternoon, after a short hospital stay. So he won’t have a bail hearing until tomorrow.
If you have Crime Watch information to share – once it’s been reported to police! – e-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com – if it’s breaking news (big police response somewhere RIGHT NOW, etc.), text/voice-call us 24/7 at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
MONDAY, 6:14 PM: Though the West Seattle Chipotle restaurant is *not* one of the ten linked to patients in the Pacific Northwest E. coli outbreak, it and the chain’s 42 other restaurants in Washington and Oregon remain closed. But both the state Health Department and Chipotle ownership are indicating they’re moving toward reopening. Today was the 10th full day of closure for most of those restaurants, including the one in The Junction, and the state has continued to provide daily updates: As of this afternoon’s update, 27 cases have been confirmed in Washington, including 10 people who were hospitalized, none of whom ate at a Chipotle any more recently than October 24th. The update also says the first round of test results from Chipotle food samples has not turned up any E. coli, so they haven’t linked it to any particular food yet. The chain has its own page detailing what it’s been doing in the meantime, but says it doesn’t know when it will get health authorities’ permission to reopen. (WSB photo: Sign that’s been up on Chipotle’s door in The Junction since October 31st)
TUESDAY, 10:55 AM: Chipotle says it will reopen the restaurants, this one included, “in the coming days.” We’ll be checking daily on the West Seattle location, which opened two months ago today. (As of just after 11 am Tuesday, its regular opening time, it was still closed.)
The newest round of election results is out – and Shannon Braddock is still ahead of Lisa Herbold in the City Council District 1 race, though now by fewer than 100 votes:
Braddock – 49.99% – 11125 votes
Herbold – 49.57% – 11030 votes
(For comparison, here’s the final count from last week.) Next count, 4:30 pm tomorrow. The county’s full results list says 24,699 ballots have been counted in the District 1 race, and its most recent ballot-return statistics say 27,512 ballots were ready to count from this district, which suggests more than 2,800 ballots are yet to be counted.
(WSB file photo: ‘Wall of buses’ along Roxhill Park, across from Westwood Village)
It’s been two years since the Westwood-Roxhill Community Council started seeking safety improvements along the Roxhill Park section of the Westwood-area “transit center” – particularly lighting. We’ve covered walking tours of the area going back to the end of 2013, where WWRHAH leaders including co-chair Amanda Kay Helmick pointed out the safety issues. In January of this year, Metro told WWRHAH that they had procured a $170,000 county grant for lighting and ADA sidewalk upgrades to the area – but it hasn’t happened yet, so Helmick just followed up again, with various people in the loop, including King County Executive Dow Constantine‘s transportation adviser Chris Arkills, who investigated and then forwarded this update from Metro’s Paul Roybal:
Thank you for your inquiry about the status of King County Metro’s project to construct sidewalk and lighting improvements at the Westwood Village C Line Terminal. Over the past several months, Metro’s preliminary design work has included:
· coordination with the City of Seattle to address technical design issues,
· completion of federal environmental review requirements, and
· identification of City of Seattle permitting requirements.Certain project elements, including the lighting improvements, trigger requirements of the City of Seattle Street Improvement Permit process. This process requires additional coordination with various City departments, and is typically completed in a three- to six-month time frame. Concurrently, Metro is actively working with the City of Seattle to identify options to reduce the construction duration once permitting is complete. Metro’s design team now estimates that construction will be complete in mid-2016.
Some of the other problems pointed out by WWRHAH in the 2013 walking tour have already been addressed.
If you’ve noticed work on, and just off, Beach Drive just south of Constellation Park – here’s what’s going on. From the King County Wastewater Treatment District:
Construction has begun across the street from King County’s 63rd Avenue Pump Station. The pump station is located on the waterfront at the intersection of Beach Dr. Southwest, Southwest Spokane Street, and 63rd Ave. Southwest, in West Seattle.
The work will include upgrading the existing connections from three private homes to the county’s pipeline.
What to expect:
· The sidewalks in front of the three homes will not be passable while the work is ongoing.
· There should only be minimal impact to traffic.
· All work will be done from 8:00am to 5:00pm M-F.
· The work is expected to take up to 2 weeks.
(WSB photo from Sunday)
On the third day of cleanup at an oil-contaminated White Center stormwater-retention pond, we’ve just obtained the newest information from state Ecology Department spokesperson Larry Altose:
Workers made progress on Saturday and Sunday, rescuing oiled waterfowl and removing oil from the pond near 13th Avenue Southwest and Southwest 100th Street in unincorporated King County.
The Washington Department of Ecology is coordinating the response, in cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks. Ecology has hired a spill response contractor and a wildlife rescue organization for the cleanup.
The spilled material appears to be about 50 to 100 gallons cooking oil that entered the pond via the county stormwater drainage system. County and Ecology staff have been tracing storm drains to search for the source of the spill. No additional oil has entered the lake since a citizen first reported the spill late Friday afternoon.
Cooking and other edible oils, while less toxic to wildlife, still cause environmental harm. When birds contact the oil it coats the feathers so that the animals lose insulation and buoyancy. Oil damages habitat for other aquatic life, reducing oxygen levels and creating physical impacts on the water surface and shoreline.
Crews from Focus Wildlife International have captured 14 oiled birds, four mallard ducks and 10 Canada geese. The birds received initial treatment near the scene in the organization’s special trailer. They were transported for further treatment at the Progressive Animal Welfare Society’s Wildlife Rescue Center in Lynnwood.
Workers hope to capture approximately 20 other oiled birds, some of which have flown to other ponds, lakes or fields in the area. No wildlife deaths have been reported.
Meanwhile, other workers continue to tend oil spill cleanup materials placed in the pond to collect the oil, which has spread into a slick over much of the surface. Crews succeeded in preventing oil from draining out of the pond, which flows into nearby Hicklin Lake.
The cleanup has reduced the amount of oil seen on the pond over the past two days. Ecology’s contractor will measure the amount of oil recovered in cleanup materials to better determine the size of the spill.
The on-site response effort, which involved 25 people on Saturday and 18 on Sunday, continues to step down to about 9 responders today.
Our first report, on Saturday, is here; our Sunday followup is here. As we’ve noted previously, this county-owned area of unincorporated King County had already been the subject of extensive cleanup efforts – focused on the land, rather than the water, because of problems with encampments and drug use during the non-rainy months – here’s a report from last month, published on our partner site White Center Now.
(Seagull and snack, photographed at Alki by Matt Olson)
Welcome to the brand-new week! Busier-than-usual Monday – here are the highlights, primarily from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
NEXT ROUND OF ELECTION RESULTS: Around 4:30 pm – often earlier – King County releases the next vote count, which includes an update on the too-close-to-call City Council District 1 (West Seattle/South Park) race. Watch for it here (and here on WSB, too).
PHYSICAL THERAPY NIGHT: 5:30-7 pm at West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor), “complimentary individual assessment with Lora Clothier, owner of Biojunction Therapy.” (2753 California SW)
TILDEN SCHOOL OPEN HOUSE: 6-8 pm, interested parents are welcome to come see Tilden School (independent K-5 education; WSB sponsor) and meet its staff. (4105 California SW)
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Second Monday, so it’s the regular monthly meeting night for the NDNC, 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE BIKE CONNECTIONS: Special night this month – 6:30 pm tonight at HomeStreet Bank (WSB sponsor) in The Junction, help WSBC look ahead to 2016 priorities. (41st SW & SW Alaska)
EVENING BOOK GROUPS: Two tonight at local libraries – 6:45 pm at Southwest Library (35th SW & SW Henderson), the group will be reading “The Imperfectionists” by Tom Rachman; 6:45 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW), the group will be reading “Kafka on the Shore” by Haruki Murakami.
CHECK OUR COMPLETE CALENDAR for even more of what’s up today, tonight, and beyond.
Just in from Fauntleroy Creek steward Judy Pickens:
(Photo courtesy Nathan Franck)
On Oct. 21, science students from Our Lady of Guadalupe School sampled Fauntleroy Creek for aquatic insects to understand how much food is available to salmon fry and how clean the water is. The insects in the lower creek will have another year to grow because the salmon watch closed today with no fish. That means the lower creek will have no “home hatch” of hungry fry this winter. Very few coho made it back to Puget Sound this fall from the Pacific.
Volunteers have been keeping watch for three weeks, since just after this year’s drumming/singing/welcoming gathering. The spawner turnout has varied wildly in the 20-plus years since restoration work made Fauntleroy a salmon creek again. Last year, 19 were counted; the year before, none; the year before that – 2012 – set a record with 274. West Seattle’s other salmon creek, Longfellow, has no formal count, but we’ve had several reports of sightings.
(Six WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:14 AM: No major incidents on the routes through/from West Seattle right now, but if you use 4th Avenue to get into downtown, be advised there’s a crash at Royal Brougham Way – SDOT says it’s on the southbound side, but that still could cause some slow going until it’s cleared.
ALERTS: Morgan Junction sidewalk work is set to continue today – here’s our coverage from Thursday, when it began; right now crews are on the north end of the block, west side of California, just south of Fauntleroy, but the businesses ARE open – and the ones in this building all have access from the lot behind the building … Thanks to the texter who told us about weekend work that closed 21st SW near Sanislo Elementary; we’re checking on its status today.
7:57 AM: The 4th Ave. crash is cleared. Still no other incidents reported along WS commuters’ main routes.
8:17 AM: In comments, we have two reports of Route 57 missing a trip. No text or tweet alerts from Metro in this area so far this morning. And this is also from a Route 57 rider, via Twitter:
@westseattleblog @kcmetrobus – group is standing at the 49th and Charlestown stop with no bus and no alert
— Nancy Wright (@NEW_Seattle) November 9, 2015
Also tweeted, C Line trouble – no bus at 7:45, says Nate, and then:
@kcmetrobus @westseattleblog A bus finally got here… and it's full… 50 ppl still waiting at Junction. Didn't take a single rider.
— Nate (@GnaytJohnson) November 9, 2015
Metro had acknowledged when we visited the local “bases” for this story that not all missed trips were resulting in alerts. So please keep letting us know what you’re experiencing, so we can keep track for followups – on weekdays, commenting here on the daily traffic/transit story is ideal, but you can also e-mail us at editor@westseattleblog.com.
12:33 PM: Metro explains via Twitter:
@westseattleblog @MikeLindblom Sorry. A #57 trip canceled for no operator, then partially filled, but didn't learn until too late for alert.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) November 9, 2015
A tree played a big role in the Southwest Design Review Board‘s latest look at mixed-use Junction project 4532 42nd SW.
(From the project “packet,” a rendering of building massing if the tree were kept)
The meeting was a second round of Early Design Guidance for the newest proposal for the site right behind Capco Plaza – 6-stories, ~75 apartments, 3,813 sq.ft. of commercial space, offstreet parking for ~63 vehicles (though this is in an area where projects can be built without any parking because of the proximity of “frequent transit”).
This location was approved for a different project under different ownership back in 2009.
9:41 PM: In case you heard them too, 911 has received calls about possible gunshots or fireworks heard from north Arbor Heights to Sunrise Heights (and we heard them here in Upper Fauntleroy). Nothing on the scanner at this point indicates a particular location, and no reports of anyone hurt anywhere.
P.S. If you were among those reporting something similar in north/northeast West Seattle around 2:30 am today – the final classification on the police log was “noise disturbance,” meaning they never found evidence of gunfire – no shell casings, no property damage, no victim(s).
10:25 PM: Comment consensus: Fireworks. (Police haven’t reported finding any evidence of gunfire, either.)
Yes, that’s a thunderstorm heading this way. Several people have mentioned seeing and hearing it (thanks to MetPatrick for first word); the National Weather Service has a “short-term forecast” about it, too. It won’t last long but there’s more stormy weather on the way, according to the NWS, which has a “Special Weather Statement” for bouts of strong wind and heavy rain, starting Tuesday night.
ORIGINAL SUNDAY NIGHT REPORT: This reader report from Dan turns out to have been part of a crime spree that police say started and ended outside West Seattle:
My wife was mugged this morning around 10:30 am on SW Alaska Street and 37th by a man showing a gun from his waist. The man grabbed the purse that was hanging from my wife’s shoulder and flipped her to the ground and pulled the purse away from her.
He ran into the alley by Lien Veterinary and took off in a car that, according to police, was stolen. Thanks to my wife’s strong yelling for help and assistance from various people from the Link apartments who called police and took photos of the getaway car. Later we were driven by the police to a crash scene on Airport Way south to identify the mugger, who had crashed the car head-on into a transit van. Thanks to the kindness and quick response by SPD to apprehend the mugger and the SFD attending to my wife.
According to an earlier post on SPD Blotter (which didn’t catch our attention previously because it doesn’t mention West Seattle), the stolen vehicle was from a carjacking last night in Queen Anne.
ADDED MONDAY AFTERNOON: We’re working to find out if the suspect is due for a bail hearing today; he apparently went to the hospital for treatment of injuries before being booked into jail. Here’s a section from the police-report narrative detailing what SPD says happened between the robbery here and the crash on Airport Way:
While patrol units were conducting an area check for the suspect, Officer Novisedlak #5884 observed a vehicle with the matching plate traveling eastbound on the West Seattle Bridge. As the vehicle drove past (the officer) on the bridge, he broadcasted that the driver appeared to match the description of the suspect. (The officer) then followed after while waiting for sufficient units before initiated his lights and sirens to conduct a stop on the vehicle. Once sufficient units arrived with (the officer), he attempted to conduct a stop on the vehicle at 7th Av /James St. The suspect then refused to stop his vehicle by accelerating at a high rate of speed while continuing eastbound on James St. The suspect then continued to evade Officers by driver for several blocks as Officer followed after with lights and sirens. The suspect vehicle later stopped after colliding with another vehicle while driving the wrong way up the I-5 off-ramp to Airport Way. The suspect then exited the vehicle and was taken into custody without incident. The suspect was transported from the scene to HMC for treatment for unknown injuries.
(WSB photo, November 2014)
Early word so the news gets around: Eastridge Church is again giving away turkeys and bags of groceries on the Saturday before Thanksgiving – this year, that’s November 21st – no proof of need required. It starts at 9 am outside the church, which is on the southeast corner of 39th SW and SW Oregon, and continues while supplies last – more information here.
2:54 PM: Two traffic alerts right now as of just before 3 pm – we’re getting multiple reports of a backup on the westbound high bridge – apparently a lane closure without warning, but SDOT says it’ll be reopened shortly. Meantime, the Battery Street Tunnel has been closed both ways for a crash response.
3:01 PM: SDOT says the lane closure was for “maintenance.” Meantime – not related so far as we know – the BSTunnel remains closed TFN.
7:03 PM NOTE: The tunnel did finally fully reopen by 5:30.
As promised, we went back this morning to the White Center stormwater-retention pond where the state and its contractors are cleaning up what’s believed to be a cooking-oil “spill” (yes, as has been pointed out, it could also have been intentional dumping) and rescuing oiled birds. The Canada goose caught while we were there late Saturday was the first bird captured for cleanup, a state Ecology Department spokesperson told us today, right before they caught a second one:
(Aside from a honk of protest, the goose didn’t resist.) Oiled feathers impair a variety of vital functions for birds, as explained here, including waterproofing and temperature regulation; we learned at the spill scene yesterday that rescued birds would be warmed on site and then transported to PAWS for rehabilitation. We expect to find out more tomorrow about where the investigation of the spill stands and how the birds are doing.
Related to the previous traffic-alert story: Here’s a number to save to your phone in case you happen onto a road emergency such as a downed tree, downed power lines, dangerous debris. If it’s a city road, call 206-386-1218. That is the SDOT Street Emergency hotline and it’s staffed 24/7. We had previously referred people to a different SDOT number, but verified with a department spokesperson this week that 206-386-1218 is the number (someone mentioned to us that they had reported a downed tree via the Find It Fix It application, but then found out that’s NOT for emergencies). For more information on non-emergency maintenance issues, check out the resources here, and pothole reporting is here, as is the map you can check to see if one’s already been reported.
P.S. If it’s a matter of imminent danger, of course, you can of course always call 911.
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