West Seattle, Washington
18 Monday
From 11 am to 1 pm tomorrow, many eyes will be on Delridge Way SW as the first Find It, Fix It Community Walk in West Seattle travels along about a mile of the busy arterial. It’s happening one year into the mayor’s program, which describes each walk as “a gathering of community members, City officials, and the Mayor to help identify issues that affect the safety and aesthetics of a neighborhood.” In addition to the mayor and community advocates, Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Tim Burgess are also expected, according to a council tweet. A group of residents has spent many weeks planning for this, and some events are already scheduled – we mentioned the Nature Consortium-led beautification project (volunteers appreciated!) – and the Delridge P-Patch has announced that it will host a Cider Social 1-4 pm, starting right after the walk, which ends at the garden. You don’t have to register to be part of any or all of this – either be part of it from the start (11 am, Louisa Boren STEM K-8, 5950 Delridge Way SW) or join along the way (should be hard to miss). See you there!
It’s #9 on the new West Seattle Bridge-Duwamish Waterway Corridor “action report,” but the 5-way intersection at West Marginal/Chelan/Delridge/etc. has been in line for improvements since long before the report came out. One of the people who’s been closely involved, West Seattle Bike Connections president Don Brubeck, shares the photo and an update on what’s happening at the intersection today:
Work is beginning on Chelan 5-way intersection short-term improvements. SDOT electricians were out this morning, working on installing rapid-flashing beacon lights at the blind corner at the bridge pier where the Delridge Way right turn lane to Spokane St Bridge crosses the West Seattle Bridge Trail. They will install sensors for bikes and pedestrians to trigger the beacon. Other safety improvements include pavement markings to increase bicycle predictability, and bicycle ramps to minimize conflicts at this complex intersection.
Rapid-flashing beacon lights are a relatively new arrival in West Seattle – they’ve gone up this year at California/Dakota, Holden/11th, and in the school zone in the 5900 block of Delridge Way. As for the 5-way intersection plan, you can find out more at the WSBC website, and remember, a discussion of the entire corridor’s future – all modes and a multitude of issues – hosted by City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, is planned for October 19th, 6:30 pm, at the Sisson Building in The Junction (California SW & SW Oregon).
10:37 AM: That photo is from last Sunday night at an apartment building in the 6500 block of California SW in Morgan Junction. We went there twice that evening to ask about a police presence that lasted for several hours, and were told both times that it involved the death of a child but that it was not being investigated as a homicide. That has since changed. As first reported this morning by our regional partners at The Seattle Times, a 20-year-old woman is in jail, arrested on Thursday for investigation of homicide. The Times quotes the suspect’s boyfriend as saying he is the father of the 17-month-old boy who died. Seattle Police media relations Officer Lauren Lovanhill tells WSB that she has no further comment so far, but that they are gathering information. We’ll also find out more after the suspect appears before a judge at the downtown jail later today. So far, online records don’t show any felony criminal history for her. If this continues to be treated as a homicide case, it would be the first one in West Seattle since the still-unsolved shooting death of Stephen Jeffries Jr. on New Year’s Eve 2013.
10:53 AM: A short item has just been published on SPD Blotter, saying the toddler’s father called 911 on Sunday after finding his son “unresponsive in his crib” and that medics were unable to revive the child.
3:51 PM: The suspect waived her court appearance, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, so the hearing was held without her. According to court documents made public in connection with the hearing, the suspect is not the victim’s biological mother; she and her 2-year-old son (by another man) had been living with the victim and his father at the apartment for the past half-year or so. The court documents say the victim was at Children’s Hospital for something unrelated one week earlier when a CPS referral was made because of “bruises and scratches,” but the father reportedly attributed it to “normal toddler activity,” the police report says, and the child was sent home with him. Last Sunday afternoon, he told police that he had left his son with his girlfriend while he went to the store. When he got back, he found his son dead in his crib and called 911. The Medical Examiner determined two days later that “abdominal trauma” was what had killed the toddler. Under questioning by detectives, court documents say, she admitted kicking him in the abdomen twice after getting mad at him and her son for fighting over a toy. The first kick, she told police, knocked him down, and she kicked him again; a short time later, she discovered he wasn’t breathing. The probable-cause documents also say a couple who stayed with the suspect and her boyfriend earlier in the month reported seeing the woman display unusual anger toward her boyfriend’s son whenever the toddler cried. Today’s hearing resulted in an order to set her bail at $1 million; prosecutors have until early next week to file charges.
(Photo taken in Westwood area this week by Michael Zaton)
Weekend’s almost here! First, a lot happening this Friday – from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
FREEBIES AT EX-WESTSIDE CAMPUS: 10 am-3 pm at the former Westside School (WSB sponsor) campus at EC Hughes in Sunrise Heights, it’s a giveaway of school furnishings they haven’t been able to donate already, as previewed here. First-come, first-served. (7740 34th SW)
DROP OFF YOUR ART FOR SOUTHWEST LIBRARY SHOW: The annual Southwest Library Community Art Showcase is about to begin, and today is the second of three days you can drop off your work (and/or upload your song/s!) to be part of it. The library’s open 10 am-8 pm. Details in our preview. (35th SW & SW Henderson)
WORDS, WRITERS, WEST SEATTLE: 5-7 pm, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society-presented literary series starts its third year, tonight featuring Stephanie Guerra:
Words, Writers & West Seattle presents … from Avenue Collection on Vimeo.
Meet and hear from her at Westwood Village Barnes & Noble. (2800 SW Barton)
CORNER BAR AT HPIC: Starting at 6 pm, the monthly night o’fun at Highland Park Improvement Club – DJ Evan at 6, Dub Lounge International with live reggae at 7:30. (12th SW & SW Holden)
FREE FAMILY NIGHT AT THE Y: 6-8:25 pm at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) in The Triangle, EVERYONE is welcome:
Invite your friends and neighbors for a free evening of family fun! Play on the mats, swing on the rings, climb and slide on the inflatable obstacle course, run on the track and go swimming. Get your family moving together! FREE AND OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY. Non-members, please bring a donation for the West Seattle Food Bank.
6:00 – 8:00 pm – gym & running track
7:35 – 8:25 pm – open swim in the pool
(36th SW & SW Snoqualmie)
ART & MUSIC TRIVIA: 6:30-8 pm, it’s “Drink ‘n’ Think” art and music trivia at Admiral Bird. (California SW & SW Admiral Way)
FIVE BUCK BAND: 7-9 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), pop ‘n’ rock, ’60s-’70s plus some of what’s new. (5612 California SW)
HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Two games on the peninsula – West Seattle High School is home at Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) tonight vs. Roosevelt, 7 pm, which is also when Eastside Catholic visits Seattle Prep at West Seattle Stadium.
BLUES & BOOGIE-WOOGIE: That’s what you’ll find at Kenyon Hall tonight, 7:30 pm, with Orville Johnson and Casey MacGill. (7904 35th SW)
HERE’S WHAT ELSE IS UP: See it all on our complete calendar.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. So far, no incidents in the area. Two notes:
BRIDGE REPAIR WORK POSTPONED: The road-repair work that was to close one lane each way toward the Fauntleroy end of the West Seattle Bridge from tonight through Sunday has been postponed, Seattle Public Utilities says. No new date yet.
MONDAY ADVANCE ALERT: The city sends early word that – if you weren’t already well aware – the Seahawks are on Monday Night Football this coming week, so the stadium zone will be very busy Monday evening. 5:30 pm game.
…AND BEFORE THEN: The city’s official weekend preview reminds us that the Mariners are closing the season out at home, 7:10 pm tonight, 6:10 pm Saturday, and 12:10 pm Sunday, while the Sounders host L.A. at 6:40 pm Sunday.
11:38 PM: If you’ve been having trouble with Comcast service tonight in Seaview or Morgan Junction – it’s not just you. We’ve heard from people via all our channels with problems in those areas. Since Comcast itself doesn’t have a publicly accessible official outage map so far as we can tell, it’s important that you call to report it if you’re affected … let us know what you hear back in terms of a fix. While this doesn’t seem to be as widespread as the infamous June 1st outage, this is the largest number of reports we’ve received since that one.
7:51 AM: Some have theirs back, as noted in comments below. At least one person says on Twitter that theirs came back – then went away again.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Big Band)
This Saturday, enjoy the music of the West Seattle Big Band – and dance if you want to – to make a difference in the fight against multiple sclerosis! Here’s the announcement:
You can make a difference, and enjoy live music from the West Seattle Big Band at the same time! The third annual Dance MS is being held at the West Seattle Senior Center (4217 SW Oregon) on Saturday, October 3rd, from 7-10 pm. Come ready to dance, or just to listen to some great music.
The event also includes a small live auction, and several silent auction items, ranging from coffee at C&P to vacation packages to drum lessons. All of the event proceeds will go toward the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, since event expenses are either covered through the band or donation.
You may know the West Seattle Big Band from our connection to the Seattle schools: while we perform for events such as weddings and concerts throughout the Seattle area, rather than taking pay, musicians in the band donate any income back to assist school band programs, primarily in the West Seattle area.
Dance MS strays from the band’s mission statement, but holds a special meaning for the group. In 2012, our piano player Brooke Yool was diagnosed with MS. She asked for the band’s support and arranged the first Dance MS in 2013, and the event was a huge success.
So, we ask for your support to make the third Dance MS even more successful than the first two. In order for this to happen, we ask you — the local community — to help us in the fight against MS.
Come down to the West Seattle Senior Center on Saturday, October 3rd. Doors open at 7, and we’ll be going strong until 10. Suggested donation is $15. Hors d’oeuvres and soft drinks are included. You may buy tickets online at dancems.org , or you can reserve your spot by email or phone at brooke@dancems.org or 206-659-9391. Tickets will also be available at the door.
Earlier this week, one of our West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports featured video of a package thief, carrying the loot down the street. So what can you do to prevent, or at least deter, someone like him? The newest newsletter from the Southwest and South Precincts‘ Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon answers that question (ADDED AT END – a new reader report of local package theft):
Package thefts are crimes of opportunity. Thieves will follow or watch for FedEx, UPS, US Mail and other delivery trucks and then target a home after a delivery is made. Often packages are simply left at the doorstep of the home and in plain view of the street. Package thefts from doorstops and front porches during the day usually increase between the months of October and January. There are steps you can take to be proactive in keeping your package safe from theft. To reduce the chances of being victimized by package delivery thieves, we offer the following advice:
Tracking and Delivery
Last night, we published Laura‘s reader report about would-be car thieves who tried repeatedly – and failed repeatedly – to get away with her classic all-original 1972 Chevy Malibu. She now has the video from her Harbor Avenue building’s surveillance camera. First, they pull up to “assess the scene,” as Laura puts it:
Then, this clip is a compilation “a compilation of three trips to the car. And they’re in order. On the last one he’s trying to hotwire it. You can see the dome light flickering.”:
It all happened, Laura says, between midnight and 1 am this past Tuesday. If you have a tip for police, the incident number is 15-341205.
P.S. You might have seen Laura and her car at last month’s West Seattle Car Show:
Another independent local West Seattle business is celebrating an anniversary: Today marks five years since West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) opened! Co-proprietors Chris Christensen (left), Todd Ainsworth (right), and staff took a quick break for an anniversary photo and are sharing this message: “It’s hard to believe it went by that fast! We wanted to say thanks to all of our customers and the local businesses that we’ve forged relationships with over the years. We can’t be happier that we can live and work in West Seattle and be a part of the community!” West Seattle Autoworks is at 7501 35th SW, corner of SW Webster.
From the Nature Consortium, which is looking for volunteers to help with this during the two-hour Saturday period that coincides with Mayor Murray‘s visit for the “Find It, Fix It” Walk:
Let’s Beautify Delridge!
Saturday, October 3rd at Delridge Way SW & SW Findlay Street in West Seattle
11 am-1 pmJoin us this Saturday, October 3rd for Mayor Ed Murray’s visit to Delridge for the Find It Fix It Community Walk. Find It Fix It is a campaign to help improve neighborhoods one block at a time.
We’re proud to announce that this year Nature Consortium has been selected to lead two neighborhood beautification projects along Delridge Way Southwest.
These curbside plantings on Delridge & Findlay are in need of extra care. Four planting strips were installed last year by SDOT in response to community request, but they have not been maintained and are now overgrown with weeds. This spot is an eye-sore and does not reflect the pride and care of Delridge area residents.
You are invited to join your neighbors on Saturday to beautify Delridge! We will be removing weeds, placing weed barrier fabric and mulching the planting strips. Saturday’s event will be the first step in a longer term effort that will provide raised planter beds for neighbors to garden and will result in a plan/schedule for maintenance of these mini public spaces. Tools and snacks provided.
For more information, contact Lizzie Zemke at 206-923-0853 or email Lizzie@naturec.org
Happy second anniversary to Second Gear Sports (WSB sponsor) in Morgan Junction! The shop invites you to help celebrate by shopping a big sale this Saturday and Sunday (October 3-4): “We get so much support from our community that this year we are doing something really special … a HUGE ‘GARAGE SALE’ with hundreds of items up to 50% off (plus a few ‘give us your best offer’ items).” Coffee and doughnuts for shoppers. Never been to Second Gear Sports? As explained here, it’s “dedicated to providing the community with high-quality, discounted sports and recreational gear, and offering customers an outlet to reduce, reuse, and recycle their gently used sporting goods.” SGS is open 10 am-6 pm on Saturday and 11 am-5 pm Sunday at 6529 California SW. P.S. Check out the new wall of Seahawks gear! (Above, WSB photo from August: Second Gear Sports proprietor Mark Bremen)
Thanks to the residents who let us know about doorhanger notices they received this week – like the one at right – with news of an all-day water-service outage this Sunday (October 4th). They wondered how widespread the outage would be, and thought it merited wider mention, in case somebody who’s affected misses the notice, and in case it might affect visitors/customers of the homes/businesses. So we checked with Seattle Public Utilities whose spokesperson Elaine Yeung replied:
This is not an SPU construction project but SPU crews are installing multiple new ¾” taps services as well as a water main line valve for a private development. This work will have a fairly large shutdown involving 130 customers (including businesses) on 44th Ave SW from SW Dakota St south to SW Edmunds St and Rutan Pl SW. All customers who will be impacted by the shutdown will have received a door hanger with the date and time of shutdown.
So far, everyone we’ve heard from has been given a time frame of 8 am-4 pm. (If you’re a business in the area and this will affect your operation/hours at all on Sunday, please let us know so we can include that information when we mention this again in our daily preview on Sunday.)
(Right-center, Doug Marsano from KC Wastewater Treatment District, talking with residents)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Beautiful view.
Ugly smell.
The latter is what some Beach Drive-area residents say they’re still dealing with, and some find it difficult to believe it’s just rotting sea lettuce. So they’ve been talking to the King County Wastewater Treatment Division, which sent reps out Wednesday afternoon to talk with neighbors.
KCWTD took the complaints seriously enough to run tests in its system, looking for a telltale gas that would be present if something was getting out of the system and into the air. They didn’t find it, they told the neighbors:
The tests were conducted by King County odor investigators using gauges installed inside four manholes near your homes that detect the presence of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) gas. H2S gas smells like rotten eggs and is usually what causes people to notice odors coming from the sewer. If the sewer system was creating odors, the gauges would detect extended periods of time when heavy concentrations of H2S were present in the manhole that could escape to the environment.
Testing began on Thursday, September 24 and continued through Sunday, September 27. County odor investigators reviewed data from the gauges Monday, September 28. There are no indications that increased levels of H2S gas were present at any of the four manholes during the four-day testing period.
That wasn’t much consolation – some say the stink is worse than anything they’ve experienced in years, even decades along/near the shore. “It was unbearable this morning,” said one neighbor.
Joining KCWTD community liaison Doug Marsano for the gathering along the sidewalk across from Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook, in the late afternoon sunshine, was marine biologist Kim Stark, who works on water-quality issues with the county Department of Natural Resources.
She said this area’s not alone in the smelly siege – areas north of Elliott Bay have been dealing with it too, including Carkeek.
While skeptical neighbors wondered how it could continue through high tides and low, stormy weather and sunshine, Stark explained that the water is warmer this year, and that’s fueled the sea lettuce’s growth.
It’s not just pieces of sea lettuce on the shore, she added – mats of decaying sea lettuce, kelp, and other marine matter have been floating offshore, creating literal hotbeds of odor generation.
So what can we do about it? one neighbor asked.
Right now, the county reps said, not much. State permits would be needed to remove what’s rotting. And those would take a while. They mentioned the community of Dumas Bay in South King County, where the city of Federal Way got involved. And, as Beach Drive Blog (whose owners were also at the meeting) reminded readers, Fauntleroy Cove dealt with this for years, too, though we haven’t heard much lately.
In the WSB archives, we found a 2008 mention of a company that was expecting to remove sea lettuce in Fauntleroy and Dumas, to turn into biofuels.
(Published on WSB, September 2008: State Ecology Department photo of test sea-lettuce removal in Dumas Bay)
Our further research revealed that the company, Blue Marble, has long since changed its focus and moved to Montana, so it’s not an option now.
The neighbors vowed to organize and see what they can do about ensuring removal is an option next year – researching and applying for permits, for starters. In the short run, cooler weather – and most importantly, cooler water – seems to be their main hope of relief from the nose-wrinkling nuisance, but that might take another month.
We’ve heard from a few people reporting an explosion of some type shaking them up in eastern West Seattle – particularly Riverview – early this morning. Thanks to Jeff for pointing out a specific call on the Seattle Fire 911 log – 500 South Myrtle (map), on the east shore of the Duwamish River, directly east of Riverview (and South Park), which cross-references to Seattle Boiler Works, had a short-lived SFD response for a “minor explosion” just before 7 am. We haven’t yet reached SFD to ask about injuries, but the call was closed out (meaning emergency personnel all left) in less than an hour.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
No incidents so far this morning, in West Seattle or on the primary outbound routes. But we do have a bus-trip cancellation:
Transit Alert – Route 57 to downtown Seattle due to leave 44th Av SW & SW Alaska St at 7:06 AM will not operate this morning.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) October 1, 2015
Our followup with Metro, originally scheduled for last Thursday but postponed because of the Aurora Bridge crash, is now set for today – any specific questions or observations, please comment or e-mail us – thank you. By the way, video of the City Council meeting at which the cancellations were discussed is finally up, here.
BRIDGE WORK THIS WEEKEND: If you missed the announcement – road repair following Seattle Public Utilities sewer work is scheduled to start 7 pm Friday and continue through Sunday, closing the inside lane in each direction on the Fauntleroy end of the bridge.
8:52 AM NOTE – TRAFFIC TALK: So far, still no incidents. So we’re mentioning that a participant in the WSB Forums has opened a general “traffic talk” topic, if you’re looking for a place to discuss (and/or vent) not tied to a daily issue/incident – find it here.
Just in via text (206-293-6302, 24/7), our first coyote report of the fall:
Just spotted a large coyote in the street on SW Thistle, near the alley between 24th & 25th Ave. I slowed down thinking it was a stray dog, then watched it go into the walkways in between the apt buildings there. Just want to spread the word since it’s in a highly populated area.
As also noted in our exchange with the texter, that’s across the street from the stretch of Longfellow Creek that runs east of the Chief Sealth International High School/Denny International Middle School campus. But coyotes can turn up anywhere, whether a greenbelt is nearby or not – just browse our eight-plus-year archive of sighting reports for ample evidence of that. When you see one, do your best to scare it away – more for its good than yours – as explained here.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports: First, off Harbor Avenue, two people tried to steal Laura‘s 1972 all-original Chevrolet Malibu Monday night/early Tuesday morning. She got this image from the building surveillance system:
Here’s what Laura found inside the car:
She continues, “They made three different passes at the car between 12 and 1 am but inevitably could not start it due to a bad carburetor. … As you can see there is substantial damage. With classic cars, even if insurance covers the cost of damage, you can’t always restore the value once something has been repaired.” She’s hoping to get clearer images from the system soon, but for now, she wanted to get the word out and warn others.
The second report is from Westwood, where another Laura reports her car was broken into:
This morning I discovered my car had been prowled in my driveway near 22nd Av SW and SW Barton. No forced entry, kids probably forgot to lock it. A red bag with a Chinese design was taken. Motion sensor lights did not deter this thief, and the dog must have slept through the whole thing.
Thanks to Ann Anderson for the photo. This is why California Way was closed for a while earlier this evening between Hamilton Viewpoint Park and Harbor Avenue – a collision between a King County Water Taxi shuttle bus and a pickup truck. Ann says that according to the SFD crew on scene, no one was hurt. Police were awaiting tow trucks as of last we heard, so the road should be clear by now.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
After our report on Monday night’s Seattle Public Schools levy briefing in West Seattle, a commenter asked a key question: Since the district is saying it plans to reopen E.C. Hughes Elementary (7740 34th SW), in part with money from one of those levies, why isn’t it shown in the district boundaries that are now drawn up through 2020?
Today, we got the answer: “We are considering moving the Roxhill Elementary School program to the E.C. Hughes building,” district spokesperson Tom Redman told WSB today.
This has been suggested before, but it raised capacity questions, as Hughes – closed by SPS in 1989, used as an interim/emergency building until Westside School (WSB sponsor) occupied it as a tenant for the past five years – was built to hold about 300 students. Roxhill’s most-recent enrollment estimate is approaching 400. But if the levy plan – augmented with a state grant – goes forward, the idea is to not just reopen Hughes but also to expand it to a capacity of 550.
The Roxhill building is in poor shape, to say the least, and there was a proposal just three years ago to get the “program” out of the building. At that time, the proposal was to merge it with Arbor Heights Elementary in the expanded AHES that’s now under construction. When that was floated during early discussions of the BEX IV levy, both schools’ principals were taken by surprise. But then-Roxhill principal Carmela Dellino said at the time that she had been talking with School Board member Marty McLaren about a different idea – moving Roxhill to Hughes.
Various discussions ensued but in the end, the Roxhill-AH idea went nowhere, and some were surprised that Roxhill didn’t make the preliminary project list for this new BTA IV levy. The idea of moving its program to an expanded, reopened Hughes apparently is the explanation for why it didn’t.
So what would happen to Roxhill’s campus at 30th/Roxbury? “The future use of the Roxhill building has yet to be determined,” Redman told us.
At the Monday night briefing, district officials said the target date for reopening Hughes is fall 2018; so far, no set date for this to come before the board, aside from the BTA IV levy language needing to be finalized, and that’s likely where more details would emerge. If you have a comment or question, Redman says you can e-mail him, tlredman@seattleschools.gov. We’ll be following up on all this in the days ahead.
(May photo by Long Bach Nguyen: Shell’s Polar Pioneer at T-5)
Two days after Shell‘s announcement that its offshore-drilling attempts in the Arctic are over TFN, a decision on a related West Seattle issue is in, though it might be a moot point:
That document spells out how the city Hearing Examiner’s Office has just ruled against the city Department of Planning and Development‘s contention back in May that the Port of Seattle would need a different set of permits to allow Shell’s offshore-drilling fleet to use West Seattle’s Terminal 5.
The fleet had done just that earlier this year, you’ll recall, despite DPD’s contention, which Shell, the Port, and T-5 leaseholder Foss had challenged, with the port calling it “irrational.”
Mayor Murray says he’s “disappointed” but adds that the city will not challenge the ruling by deputy Hearing Examiner Anne Watanabe, who listened to arguments over five days this summer; documents were still being posted to the voluminous online case file as recently as last week.
But Earthjustice, representing four environmental groups supporting the DPD decision, says it might appeal the Hearing Examiner’s ruling. Its managing attorney Patti Goldman is quoted in a news release as saying, “The City got it right when it decided a massive drill rig is not a cargo ship and a homeport for Shell’s Arctic drilling fleet is not a cargo terminal.”
So far, Shell has not said where its rigs are headed after pulling out of the Arctic Ocean. Foss spokesperson Paul Queary told us on Monday that some items remained at T-5 to be picked up, and that fleet-related vessels had some cargo offloading to be done … but whether that would happen here remained to be seen.
Five months after we first told you about the plan for Itto’s in the space formerly occupied by Firefly at California/Genesee in The Junction, it’s close to opening. After seeing the exterior signage taking shape on Tuesday afternoon, we asked if they have a new hoped-for opening date yet – originally, they’d estimated July, but as with so many new businesses, especially restaurants, unexpected circumstances pushed things back. The new estimate: Late October. As noted in our May report, brothers Aziz and Khalid Agour plan Itto’s – named after their mom – to be a tapas-style restaurant, with a variety of cuisines, primarily Moroccan and Spanish.
It’s been a big year for milestone swims. Today, another one: That’s Mark Powell, on the last leg of his summer-long “Swim Duwamish” tour, incrementally traveling 55 miles, along the full length of the Green and Duwamish Rivers, to call attention to how vital it is to our region, and yet how fragile, after decades of abuse. As he swam to Seacrest, he didn’t arrive alone:
The Blue Heron Canoeescorted him in; Duwamish Tribe member Ken Workman spoke traditional words of welcome. See and hear for yourself (you’ll also hear what Powell said about his journey):
And then, celebratory cupcakes:
Powell said he set out to find “the heart of the Duwamish” and was glad to see the waters thick with salmon in some places:
His swims were chronicled on this website, where you can also see videos such as this one showing some of the salmon he saw:
Powell emphasized that you can take small steps to make a difference in the future of the river and all who live in it and by it and who depend on it (here’s one good place to learn “7 simple solutions”).
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