West Seattle, Washington
20 Wednesday
9:51 PM: Seattle Fire has a fire response in the 4500 block of SW Director Place (map). The building is described in county records as a four-plex.
9:59 PM: Electrical problem, crews on the scene tell us. All over now.
(Photo courtesy West Seattle Bee Festival)
Were you part of history at the first-ever West Seattle Bee Festival last year? Whatever your answer, you are invited to be part of the SECOND-ever WS Bee Festival – now that the date is set for May 4th! Lauren Englund shares the news:
The West Seattle Bee Garden and High Point Neighborhood Association are hosting the Second Annual West Seattle Bee Festival, complete with a Picnic and Parade!
Date: Sunday May 4th, 2014
Time: 11 am-3 pm
Location: High Point Commons ParkPlease share with your school and groups – everyone is invited to join!
Also, great news! We were awarded a Department of Neighborhoods grant this year to fund the event! Want to put something fun together for the parade (bike decoration party, costumes etc)? Or host a game at the festival? Let us know, because we can fund it! Please get back to us by April 4th if you are interested in hosting a craft/game.
More Details:
Parade Start Location: West Seattle Elementary parking lot (6760 34th Ave SW)
Parade Start Time: 11 am (location opens at 10 am to gather; we recommend coming early for face painting and to make a craft!)
Festival Location and Parade End: Commons Park (31st Ave SW and SW Graham St)Want to bring a big group? Awesome, please let us know in advance so that we can be prepared: e-mail Lauren at lcenglund@yahoo.com
Small groups, want to just show up? That is fine, look for people with a ballon to help answer your questions.
Want to craft something in advance, or organize a parade prep party? Fantastic! Please email Lauren at lcenglund@yahoo.com or call 616-502-3182 to get in touch. We will happily help coordinate and can pay for the materials.
Website where updates will be posted: www.westseattlebeegarden.com
Festival will include:
Music
Crafts
Food
Face Painting
VendorsProudly working with Keep High Point Green, and the bees love it! Come see what’s new at the bee garden this year!
WHY?
Because it’s fun and builds community – with the added benefit of supporting bees, pollinators and our environment (and why not come craft something to give Mom for Mother’s Day – wink!).We hope to see you there!
-The West Seattle Bee Garden Team and High Point Neighborhood Association
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the opening of the new South Park Bridge, looks like the wait is going to be a bit longer. The projected opening timeframe for the bridge has been “spring 2014” for a while … but today, the county’s detailed invitation to next week’s South Park slideshow presentation on bridge construction says it won’t open until sometime this summer, after extensive wiring work. A cached copy of the project webpage shows it displaying “Anticipated Opening: Spring 2014” as recently as last Sunday.
The bridge originally was projected to open in fall 2013; as first reported on WSB and partner site The South Park News in fall 2012, that changed because foundation work took longer than planned. We have a request out to the county for comment on what has caused the latest change. The old bridge was closed June 30, 2010, after being deemed unsafe; funding for a replacement wasn’t certain by that point, but was eventually secured, and the new bridge’s groundbreaking was in May 2011.
4:09 PM UPDATE: County Transportation Department spokesperson Rochelle Ogershok says this isn’t the result of a new problem, but rather the re-evaluation of the timeline. Her response, ahead:
Read More
Update on Highway 99 work: No closure tonight, per WSDOT‘s Kris Olsen, nor any night for the rest of this week. They’re now planning to do the striping work on the new Spokane Street Overcrossing south of the West Seattle Bridge on Saturday, while the rest of 99 (in this area) will be closed anyway for the Alaskan Way Viaduct followup inspection.
The city’s deal to buy 5,750 square feet of land to expand Dakota Place Park is one vote away from being final.
On Tuesday, the City Council’s Parks, Seattle Center, Libraries, and Gender Pay Equity Committee, chaired by Councilmember Jean Godden, gave the purchase its unanimous approval. Before getting to the action item, the committee heard from two West Seattleites voicing support, including Lafayette Elementary student Ethan Jones, who said that since he is on the student council, “I know what it’s like to make hard decisions, but fortunately, this isn’t one.” It’s all right at the start of the video above, which features the entire meeting of the committee (whose members include West Seattle-residing Councilmember Tom Rasmussen, who first told us about Ethan’s appearance). Six minutes into the video, the presentation/discussion begins.
We first reported the deal a month ago. Parks staffers reviewed the history, saying they had been in negotiation with the owner before, then turned their focus to other Junction-area sites – purchasing two on 40th SW – and then, the owner sold this to a developer. When they were talking to that developer about another site in Ballard, it was explained, he told them he’d be willing to sell the city this one. The purchase, funded by the passed-by-voters-in-2008 Parks and Green Spaces Levy, is expected to close in early April. The city expects to tear down the three unoccupied cottages on the site as soon as possible, but the commercial building will remain until there’s a plan for developing that part of the site, which will take “some creativity,” Parks acknowledged, since the purchase hadn’t happened by the time they factored “land-banked sites” into the next park-funding proposal.
The purchase price of $715,000 is more than the original owner had sought (and more than the current owner paid less than a year ago, as we reported here) and that was the subject of some questioning by City Councilmembers. “How do we know it’s a good price?” asked Councilmember Bruce Harrell. They had two appraisals and it was within that value, said Parks. They also said the previous negotiations had involved a “pre-2007 value.”
WHAT’S NEXT: The full council is expected to vote next Monday (March 24).
That’s a photo of a purse like the one stolen in the 26th/Roxbury attack reported here March 7th – mentioned later by a commenter. We asked the King County Sheriff’s Office for followup information this week, and the photo above came in with this response in the form of a news release from King County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West:
King County Sheriff’s detectives are trying to locate a purse that was stolen from a woman who was attacked and sexually assaulted near White Center earlier this month.
On Friday, March 7th just after midnight the victim was walking eastbound on the south side of Roxbury near 24th Ave. She was approached by a black male who asked her for a cigarette. The victim gave the suspect a cigarette when the suspect suddenly dragged her to a nearby lot where he punched her repeatedly then sexually assaulted her.
After the assault the (attacker) fled, taking the victim’s purse with him. The purse was never located and may have been discarded nearby or possibly given to an associate of the suspect. The suspect was described as a younger black male, early 20’s, about 5’9”, medium build, wearing a dark colored hoodie and jeans. The suspect may have injuries to his hands due to the violent assault on the victim.
If you have information about this assault or the missing purse please call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 (24 hours).
You can also be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 and remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477)
Just in from Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon, one of his periodic e-mails with word of Level 3 sex offenders moving into West Seattle. We have added links to the pages on the sex-offender-info website where you’ll find these men’s photos and other additional information:
In an effort to keep you informed, and in our constant attempts to reduce future victimization, we want to let you know about level 3 sex offenders that have moved into Southwest Precinct neighborhoods in recent weeks.
· Richard Blick, a 61 year-old White male, is a level 3 registered sex offender who has recently moved to the 5600 block of 42nd Avenue Southwest. Mr. Blick is currently under Department of Corrections supervision. [More info, photo here]
· Muche Whidby, a 63 year-old African American male, is a level 3 sex offender who has recently moved to the 6000 block of Lanham Place Southwest. Mr. Whidby is no longer under Department of Corrections supervision. [More info, photo here]
Detective Fields from the Seattle Police Department’s Sex Offender Detail is assigned to check on these offenders and verify their information.
To learn more about these offenders and to see their photos, please visit the King County Sheriff’s Office Sex Offender website and search by their names. You will also find personal safety tips and resources on this site. icrimewatch.net/index.php?AgencyID=54473&disc
If you have further questions about these offenders, contact Michelle McRae of the Seattle Police Sex Offender Detail at 206-684-5581 or e-mail at michelle.mcrae@seattle.gov.
To register to receive an email alert whenever a published offender registers within one mile of your desired addresses, go to (this) link.
After the jump (if you’re seeing this from the WSB home page), Solomon’s e-mail continues with information explaining “Level 3” and how best to protect children:
(Monday morning moonset by Chris Frankovich)
What’s up? All this and more:
DINE OUT TO BENEFIT ALKI ELEMENTARY: Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) is donating part of its proceeds today to Alki Elementary. (9261 45th SW)
‘GET CIVIC’ WITH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOODS DISTRICT COUNCIL: Haven’t been to a community meeting lately? Q/A with City Councilmember Sally Clark, and presentations about grant applications for neighborhood street/park improvements, are two big reasons why. Chair Mat McBride presents other reasons in his personal invite to you to be there tonight and “get civic.” Meeting’s at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
SEATTLE CLASSIC GUITAR SOCIETY: Open mike at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 7 pm. (5612 California SW)
‘THIRD’: Final week for ArtsWest‘s production of Wendy Wasserstein‘s play; curtain time, 7:30 pm. (4711 California SW)
COMEDY AT THE FEEDBACK: 8 pm, Emmett Montgomery headlines the next comedy night at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor), hosted by West Seattle comic Mona Concepcion – details in our calendar listing. (6451 California SW)
EVEN MORE … happening, so go browse our calendar!
You don’t have to wait until summer for a taste of Seafair – you’ll find it at West Seattle Bowl this Saturday, according to Seafair Commodores chief of staff Kathryn Bohot:
Looking for a little Saturday morning fun? Look no further! The Seattle Seafair Commodores will host their 22nd Annual Seattle Seafair Bowl-A-Thon on Saturday, March 22, at the West Seattle Bowl. This event is our yearly fundraiser to secure funds for the Seafair Scholarship Program for Women.
Whether you are an avid bowler or the gutter-ball king or queen, this event is for everyone! It’s always a great time and provides you a chance to support those who want to further their education.
Here’s the details!
o Contribution: $50 per bowler or $250 for a team of 5. Children 12 and under $25.
o What’s Included: Shoes, ball and games (Scores are calculated on your first 2 games)
• When: Saturday, March 22nd
• Time: 9:30 am until Noon
• Where: West Seattle Bowl 4505 39th Avenue SWTo register in advance, contact Kathryn Bohot, Chief of Staff, at chiefofstaff@seattlecommodores.com or call 817-994-6898. We’ll see you on Saturday!
(WS Bridge and Highway 99 views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning. Roads are OK so far. So here we go with today’s notes:
SEATTLE CENTER-AREA ROADS OPEN AGAIN: As of 7 pm last night, Broad St. was open again after the wreckage from the helicopter/cars was cleared; 5th had reopened earlier.
OLSON PLACE PAVEMENT REPAIR: If this project is on track, this will be day 2 for pavement-repair work around the east end of SW Roxbury.
SATURDAY ALASKAN WAY VIADUCT CLOSURE: 4:30 am-7 pm Saturday is the scheduled closure window for the followup inspection of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
1:20 PM UPDATE: No Highway 99 closure tonight or for the rest of the week. The Spokane St. Overcrossing striping work is now planned for Saturday, during the Viaduct closure, per WSDOT.
3:36 PM UPDATE: If you see crews on northbound Fauntleroy Way this afternoon, take note – from SDOT:
SDOT is closing the northbound, curb lane on Fauntleroy SW at SW Webster Street starting approx. 4 or 4:30 p.m. today, as soon as barricades arrive. There is a four-inch depression in the pavement. Crews are investigating the cause before determining how to repair.
(Bobby Swami singles to drive in a run)
The Garfield High School baseball team’s local tour moved on Tuesday to West Seattle High School, where the Bulldogs beat the Wildcats 6-4. Thanks to Greg Slader for the photos above and below and this summary:
Kevin Cuddy pitched three solid innings, holding Garfield to one un-earned run and a 1-1 tie through three. Unfortunately, a five-run fourth inning would prove too much for West Seattle as they suffered the loss 4-6. The team is still working on coming together, but with six seniors, a junior and two sophomores starting the game, positions seem to be set for defense.
(Spencer Elder making the play at second base)
As noted in our report on Garfield’s game against Chief Sealth a day earlier, the GHS roster includes West Seattleites who have been past West Seattle Little League (and other organizations) teammates of boys on the home teams, so there were people in the stands cheering for everybody.
(WSB photo)
West Seattleite Justin Arkills-McLain was the winning pitcher for GHS, as noted in their online wrapup.
9:42 PM: We have been chasing reports of a helicopter for half an hour and have finally found Guardian One over the Greenbridge area. We have just found sheriff’s deputies to ask on the ground – they say it’s a “possible armed robbery suspect” from a White Center business.
10:19 PM: Commenters say the chopper’s gone – we left the area it was circling (the wetland just west of Greenbridge) in hopes of finding the reported robbery target, described as a produce stand, but didn’t see anything on the ground along any of the main business streets. Will follow up with KCSO tomorrow.
10:41 PM: Via Twitter, the Guardian One team says the suspect they were seeking was not found. Description: “… male … about 5’9″, wearing a red hoody, blue jeans, wearing a black beanie.”
WEDNESDAY MORNING UPDATE: KCSO spokesperson Sgt. Cindi West says, “(Last night) at about 8:40 pm at the Best Roasted Corn Stand on the corner of SW 98th and 15 Av Sw: A male suspect walked up to the stand, displayed a handgun and demanded money. The suspect also demanded the employees cell phone. The suspect fled on foot. The suspect spoke to the victim in Spanish. He was described as a Hispanic male, skinny, about 5’8″ tall, mid 40’s and was wearing a red sweatshirt, blue jeans and a black beanie. The victim has seen him in the area before.”
8:01 PM: There’s a major “heavy rescue” response on the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct right now around 4th Avenue South. A texter tells us a car is on or into the divider, so it might be affecting westbound traffic too. More as we get it.
8:15 PM: From SFD via Twitter:
Heavy rescue EB West Seattle Freeway at the gore point. Car on 2 wheels. Firefighters extricated patient in critical condition
— Seattle Fire Dept (@SeattleFire) March 19, 2014
We’re at the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting right now – look for the wrapup later. Two things to report right now:
WONDERED WHAT WAS UP AT 16TH/HOLDEN TONIGHT? Big police response there around 6 pm – couldn’t find out anything at the time, but we asked Southwest Precinct Operations Lt. Ron Smith here at the WSCPC meeting. He says it was an operation involving Bellevue Police and a suspect who lives in West Seattle – and when they made a request for assistance from SPD, it was misinterpreted as a “help the officer” call, which means “everybody rush there, an officer’s in trouble.” So there was a big but not-needed response for a bit. We’ll be checking with Bellevue PD tomorrow to see if they can tell us more about what they’re doing over here – we do recall a case or two in the past.
(added, 10:56 pm) BELLEVUE POLICE IN HIGHLAND PARK AGAIN: We won’t be able to find out until tomorrow if this was related, but not far from 16th/Holden, the Bellevue SWAT team served a warrant tonight:
One of the people who tipped us e-mailed about seeing that van go by around 9:30: “They stopped between the 7200/7400 block of 16th Ave SW (west side) … lights on … SWAT team in motion. We heard, “police search warrant, open up” (several times). 10 minutes later we still heard those same police requests (have to assume backup was also on the west side of this house).” Might just be a coincidence, but this is the same general vicinity where Bellevue Police made an ID-theft bust last year.
(back to original report) STOLEN CAR: Ashley reports, “My car was stolen from my driveway last night between midnight and 6 am. 6300 block of 42nd Ave SW. It is a white Hyundai Tucson. Michigan plates. 1FRN69. I already reported it to police, but I thought other people might be able to help as well.” Call 911 if you see it.
Don’t just sit there – ‘get civic’! That’s the message we were asked to share with you by Mat McBride, chair of the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council, in advance of its monthly meeting tomorrow night:
After reading multiple comments about civics education (and lack thereof) for both kids and adults on WSB, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council decided to engage. It’s not uncommon for City Councilmembers to attend our meetings, but usually it’s to announce a particular initiative. As our political climate is changing we feel that inviting all of our councilmembers to attend is important for two reasons: for them to get to know (better) the eastern half of our beautiful peninsula, and to get to know You (the people they work for). Our first representative in this series is Sally Clark, whose bio and committee info can be found here.
District Council meetings are always open to the public. But I want to specifically encourage you to take this opportunity to lean in. Having a personal, intimate conversation with your elected, policy-making representative is both powerful and empowering. All ages are welcome (one of my fondest memories is of a young man – working on a civics merit badge – who came to a DNDC meeting and had a great dialogue, with again, Sally Clark). So bring your questions, bring your ideas, and get engaged. Get civic.
Here are five more reasons to do that: The newest applications for the Parks and Neighborhood Streets Fund, which DNDC will review tomorrow night before making recommendations to the city on which to prioritize for potential funding. These are community-member-proposed projects and they’re not big enough to trigger further levels of meetings/feedback so this is when to take a look. The application docs are linked below:
*Rapid flashing beacons for 11th/Holden
*26th Avenue SW Greenway crosswalks
*5950 Delridge Way crossing
*Planning/design study for Puget Boulevard Trail
*Roxhill Park improvements
*SW Juneau staircase improvements
Check out the council at 7 pm Wednesday (March 19th), Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW).
Though the Morgan Junction murder trial was called off for the day, we stayed at the courthouse for a plea hearing in another West Seattle case. Indeed, the three men charged in the Arbor Heights and Fauntleroy street robberies last August 21st have just appeared before King County Superior Court Judge Carol Schapira to plead guilty as charged: 
22-year-old Hassan I. Abdirizak, 19-year-old Abdulkamir A. Ahmed, and 22-year-old Najib A. Aden. Each was charged with two counts of first-degree robbery and one count of attempted first-degree robbery – for a Beacon Hill incident the same night as well as the two in West Seattle.
None are West Seattle residents. Aden has been out of jail since November, while Abdirizak and Ahmed have remained in custody. Months ago, there was talk they might face charges in robberies elsewhere in the city, but as part of the plea bargain, no additional charges were or will be filed, and each pleaded guilty to the three original charges. Prosecutors will recommend what equals a 68-month (just over five and a half years) sentence – the top end of the “standard” range for 1st-degree robbery – for each one when they are sentenced, followed by 18 months’ community custody (probation). The sentencing hearing is scheduled for 1 pm April 18th.
Two community meetings tonight that we want to mention before it’s too late:
FAUNTLEROY ‘FOOD FEST’: Bites from local eateries are an incentive offered by the Fauntleroy Community Association to get nearby residents to its annual membership meeting, part information fair, part mingling opportunity, part election, as previewed here, all starting at 6 pm at The Hall at Fauntleroy. (9131 California SW)
WEST SEATTLE CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL: WSCPC is scheduled to hear about crime trends from new precinct commander Capt. Steve Wilske, and you’re invited to ask about neighborhood concerns. Also, special guests from SPD will talk about recruitment and background checks, as previewed here. 7 pm, Southwest Precinct. (Delridge/Webster)
Two traffic updates, both about Highway 99 closures: First, WSDOT‘s Kris Olsen tells WSB there will be NO 99 closure tonight – the next one is tentatively scheduled for 9 pm Wednesday night-5 am Thursday, East Marginal to Atlantic for Spokane St. Overcrossing re-striping/realignment. Also, WSDOT’s Laura Newborn confirms that the time frame for Saturday’s Alaskan Way Viaduct inspection-followup closure is 4:30 am-7 pm.
11:56 AM: WSDOT assistant secretary David Moseley, who runs Washington State Ferries, has just announced he is leaving after six years. The announcement is in an early edition of his e-mail newsletter, which usually arrives on Fridays. No word yet on a successor.
12:32 PM: Transportation Secretary Lynn Peterson promises a “national search” for the next WSF boss.
Monday, the judge was out sick; today, a prosecutor is – so, no court again today in the Morgan Junction murder trial. Whenever it resumes, the prosecution’s final expected witness, Seattle Police Homicide Unit Detective Tim DeVore, will be back on the stand. 69-year-old Lovett “Cid” Chambers is on trial in the January 2012 shooting death of 35-year-old Travis Hood. If you’re catching up on our coverage, our report on Thursday’s proceedings (the most recent day of testimony) includes links to all previous stories.
(LATEST: KOMO helicopter crash victims identified; federal investigators on scene)
(Photo courtesy Jennifer, taken from crane in the area)
7:51 AM: If you are headed downtown, stay far away from the Seattle Center area – a helicopter is reported to have crashed, and there are fires on the ground, including at least two cars. KING and KOMO TV report it is a helicopter they use in a partnership – both of them are located in the area, KOMO right across the street from Seattle Center. Scanner indicates at least one person injured on the ground.
7:59 AM: Video uploaded by Alex McBurney shows the fire likely moments after it happened. Firefighters at the scene are working on extinguishing the fire as well as getting to any patients. Scanner also indicates authorities are now notifying aviation authorities – NTSB, FAA. We have heard discussion of one person hurt but have not heard other news of casualties. All regional news sources are of course covering this – we just want to reiterate, stay away from that area. We haven’t heard yet the full parameters of what’s blocked off, but Broad Street, 4th and 5th in that area for sure. For context, see the photo in this tweet by Seattle Times (WSB partner) reporter Brian Rosenthal – note the 5th/Broad McDonald’s in the background:
A helicopter appears to have crashed into two cars just outside the Space Needle. Massive police and fire response. pic.twitter.com/PPm8WfAVFF
— Brian M. Rosenthal (@brianmrosenthal) March 18, 2014
Street closures will continue for hours, if not – as one TV anchor just suggested – days. The helicopter is widely reported to belong to KOMO, which is right across Broad St. from the south side of the Needle.
8:16 AM: Seattle Fire has just tweeted that two people are confirmed dead at the scene. You can follow SFD’s Twitter stream here; SPD’s Twitter stream here. (You don’t need to be a Twitter user to see tweets via the web.)
9:33 AM: During a news conference just before 9 am, SFD confirmed that the people who died were both on the helicopter. One person hit on the ground is in the hospital. And they are still looking for someone who got out of their pickup truck and left the scene, just wanting to make sure s/he is OK. Your editor here worked at KOMO 1991-1999 and like everyone else sends thoughts and prayers to the families, friends, and co-workers of the victims, who have not yet been publicly identified. We’re moving on with today’s West Seattle news – the regional news outlets are all over this; just again keep in mind that the area will be closed to traffic, likely into tomorrow, so if you have to go anywhere near Seattle Center/Space Needle, expect detours. We will update our daily traffic watch if there are any official overviews on those.
10:18 AM: Mayor Murray will have a news conference at 10:30 – you should be able to see it live at seattlechannel.org. Meantime, apologies if you have had trouble getting into our site – interest in this story brought in a traffic crush; our server managers have opened a few more floodgates so it should be more accessible.
10:57 AM: The Times quotes KOMO as identifying one of the victims as longtime photojournalist Bill Strothman. Longtime KOMO anchor/reporter Connie Thompson (a West Seattleite) remembers him in a tweet:
So many fond memories Bill Strothman. So many adventures. Our hearts break more than words can express. pic.twitter.com/0JJLEnCGXU
— Connie Thompson (@ConnieKOMO) March 18, 2014
The pilot has been identified (update) as Gary Pfitzner. Here is a KOMO story about them.
LATE-NIGHT NOTE: All the roads in the area reopened by 7 pm, less than 12 hours after the crash, according to SDOT.
(Latest bridge and Viaduct views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
Two advisories to start the morning:
OLSON PLACE PAVEMENT REPAIR: Today’s the day SDOT plans to start three days of work fixing the pavement in the Olson/2nd vicinity, around the east end of SW Roxbury. Here’s the original announcement.
ANOTHER HIGHWAY 99 CLOSURE: WSDOT also has another announced closure of Highway 99 between East Marginal and Atlantic for the Spokane St. Overcrossing project’s finishing touches just south of the West Seattle Bridge, 9 pm tonight-5 am Wednesday. (We’ll be verifying this with WSDOT before day’s end, as they have noted it’s weather-dependent and also that there’s a chance the work could be done sooner than expected. We’re also checking with WSDOT today to verify details of the announced closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct for a followup inspection this coming Saturday, March 22nd.)
7:47 AM – DOWNTOWN EMERGENCY: A helicopter is reported to have crashed near the Space Needle/Seattle Center and that’s what the black smoke is downtown. We’re going to break this out separately. Avoid that area.
8:21 AM: Here’s our separate story – all regional news outlets are covering this too; it is reported to have been the KOMO TV helicopter – Channel 4 is right across Broad Street from the crash scene. KIRO and KING also have their headquarters a couple blocks away.
12:59 PM – HIGHWAY 99 UPDATES: *No* closure tonight, WSDOT now says. Tentatively scheduled for tomorrow night. Meantime, the time frame of Saturday’s Alaskan Way Viaduct closure is confirmed for 4:30 am-7 pm.
3:02 PM – SEATTLE CENTER UPDATES: 5th Avenue has reopened. Part of Broad, including the crash scene, has not. This SDOT tweet has the latest.
(Garfield pitcher Owen Vickrey, WSLL alum)
The visiting team was almost a second home team when the Chief Sealth International High School Seahawks opened its baseball season at Roxhill on Monday afternoon. Four of the visiting Garfield High School Bulldogs, as noted in this Garfield-penned online wrapup, are West Seattle Little League alums – winning pitcher Owen Vickrey, catcher Alex Chase, rightfielder Justin Arkills-McLain, and centerfielder Derek Billey. Derek’s father, Garfield assistant varsity coach Dan Billey, alerted us to the this, meaning much familiarity on the field not only during this game, but also when Garfield goes on to play West Seattle HS on Tuesday, since the two on-peninsula teams have former WSLL teammates too. But back to Monday’s game; final score was Garfield 11, Sealth 6.
(Sealth 3rd base, Merle Rowan-Kennedy, WSLL alum)
Chase led Garfield with 5 RBIs:
(Garfield catcher Alex Chase, WSLL alum)
Today’s WSHS-Garfield game is at 4 pm, and Coach Billey notes that too will feature former WSLL teammates turned friendly rivals. He coached many of them along the way starting when they were about 6 and moving on up through state Little League All-Star tournaments in their 9-10, 10-11, and 11-12 days. So head on over to Hiawatha for today’s 3:30 pm game and cheer for everybody.
P.S. Speaking of WSLL, its pre-season jamboree is this Saturday at Bar-S Fields on Alki Point.
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