West Seattle, Washington
21 Thursday
The photo and coyote-sighting report are from Diane:
This morning once again, there was a raucous squawking of crows in the Delridge P-Patch. When we looked around, we saw a coyote run through the garden and walk into the picket-fenced yard alongside Cottage Grove Park.
We were harvesting peas from the Giving Garden plots. We’ve already harvested and donated over 250 pounds of produce to White Center Food Bank this growing season.
Congratulations to the gardeners on their generous gifts! Meantime, what the crows did is more or less what you are advised to do when you see a coyote, for your sake and theirs – scare it away. As always, we share this informational link with specific advice.
Last night was a busy night for community-group meetings. We made it to Fauntleroy (story here) and Admiral (story to come), but for coverage of the Westwood-Roxhill-Arbor Heights Council, we point you to this thorough summary just published on the WWRHAH website by council secretary Joe Szilagyi. Topics included how to advocate for a safer SW Roxbury, one Arbor Heights neighborhood’s push for a traffic circle (here’s their online petition), and asking the city to help the county stave off those potential Metro cuts. Watch WWRHAH’s website and Facebook group for TBA info on the August meeting.
Motorcycle noise, car-share parking, and Lincoln Park were among the topics discussed at last night’s Fauntleroy Community Association board meeting. Toplines ahead:
Multiple WSB readers sent word of Internal Revenue Service agents at Admiral Pub this morning, seen there as early as 7:30 am. Here’s what we have found out so far: A WSB crew has gone there twice to try to get information – the first time, we saw one man with IRS-CI on his jacket. He said he couldn’t comment but added he believed the pub would open as usual today. No vehicles or agents were visible outside at the time, but after another reader reported seeing agents carrying out boxes around 11 am, our crew went back; the agents were gone by the time we got there. Local U.S. Department of Justice spokesperson Emily Langlie tells WSB only that this is “an ongoing matter” and that there will be no further comment. The person who answered the pub’s phone also would not comment except to say they will indeed be open today.
After we reported Sunday on the stolen pickup spotted by WSB reader James, whose 911 call led to two arrests (one in his photo above), police reported finding the truck full of stolen items. And they have just published an SPD Blotter update with 70 photos of some of the items, in hopes of getting them back to their owners. Here’s just one of the photos, showing some of the items, which range from camera equipment to jewelry to books and more:
Too many photos for us to republish the other 60-plus here – so please go directly to SPDB to have a look.
Meantime, both suspects, a 20-year-old man and 33-year-old woman, remain in the King County Jail, as noted in our Monday followup, and we’ll have another update later when the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office announces its decision on new charges against them. Both already had prior warrants out for their arrest.
5:18 PM UPDATE: King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office spokesperson Ian Goodhew tells WSB charges were filed against either suspect today because they did not receive the case from police as a “rush file.” That means the $20,000 bail set for each has been dropped – the law sets a deadline for releasing suspects if they are not charged. However, each suspect still has unresolved warrants, and that means her bail is now at $15,000, his at $10,000, according to their current statuses on the jail register; we will be watching to see if that changes. Goodhew says, “We are following up with SPD and asking them to get us the cases ASAP so we can evaluate and file if possible.”
Just got word from Seattle Parks that Highland Park Spraypark will not open today. They have had parts on order to fix a problem that has shut it down at least twice since its official opening a week and a half ago, and in the meantime, a “temporary solution” stopped working, so it’s closed until the parts are installed. The parts have arrived and the installers will be at the spraypark tomorrow morning; whenever they’re done, the spraypark will open, but they don’t know how long that will take. Parks spokesperson Joelle Hammerstad says the problem is a malfunctioning “electronic filter control valve (with) a leak in the pressure line.”
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Happy Wednesday! One early reminder to share today – tomorrow (Thursday) night at 6 pm is when the roads in the heart of The Junction close for West Seattle Summer Fest setup; California from Genesee to Edmunds, and Alaska from 44th to 42nd. There will be bus reroutes too – check your route here.
1:11 PM UPDATE: Thanks to tipster P for word of a big crash on northbound I-5 just north of the West Seattle exit. Blocking lanes, says WSDOT via Twitter – so avoid I-5 for a while if you’re heading north.
Relatives and friends will gather this Friday afternoon to celebrate the life of John Picinich. Here’s the remembrance shared by his family:
John Antonio Picinich, 76, passed into eternity on Friday, July 5, in Susak, Croatia. He was born in Susak, Croatia, on September 14, 1936, to the late Antonio and Gaudenzia Picinich. John was a longtime resident of and business owner in West Seattle. He is survived by his wife of 3 years, Debra Kohler of FL; previous wife Rita Michelotti, of West Seattle, and his children, Marina (Matt) Bovenkamp, Gina (Steve) Evans, Nello (Michelle) Picinich; 10 grandchildren (Micah, Ariana, Rebekah & Siena Bovenkamp; Rachel & Hannah Fox; Benjamin, Landon, Maia & Amelia Picinich), and siblings Tony Picinich and Karmela Kurilic.
John was a loving father and husband. He enjoyed his work and had a passion for boating. He loved his homeland of Susak. He was a friend to all and loved by many. His charismatic personality will be missed.
An open-house celebration of his life will be held on Friday, July 12, from 3-5 pm at Hope Lutheran Church, 4456 42nd Ave SW.
(WSB publishes obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)
(Photos by David Hutchinson)
Quite a sight Tuesday morning east of Alki Bathhouse – a test run of sorts for the still-in-progress sculpture that Seal Sitters is bringing to the boardwalk’s east end:
Seal Sitters is happy to announce that Turnstone Construction has completed the site preparation work of our Year of the Seal: Sentinels of the Sound sculpture project. The day began with the placement of a number of large rocks at the site. These rocks are modeled on the Blakeley Formation, which can be seen at low tide at Constellation Park south of Alki Point and on Bainbridge Island.
Georgia Gerber (at left-center in photo above with Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey) arrived with her almost-completed sculpture of a harbor seal mother and pup to assist with the final adjustment of these rocks. The sculpture was then returned to her studio on Whidbey Island for the finishing touches. It will be installed at the site in mid-late August. Turnstone employees then completed work on the simulated beach scene by early (Tuesday) afternoon. They will be back (today) for final cleanup and removal of the construction fence.
Seal Sitters wants to thank Turnstone Construction for an excellent job
Speaking of art, Seal Sitters has launched an art and essay contest for K-5-age kids – read about it on the group’s Blubberblog site.
The speech that King County Executive Dow Constantine gave at the Rotary Club of West Seattle‘s weekly lunch Tuesday was really two speeches. For the first 11 minutes, it was largely a recap of achievements in his first full term, as he approaches a re-election bid, without a major, campaigning-all-out opponent. For the seven minutes after that, he turned to the disappointment of being left by the Legislature without a means to avoid cuts in Metro service when two temporary funding sources run out next year without – at this point – replacement. Constantine talked about the rise in West Seattle bus ridership “going down the drain because the State Legislature just walked away without doing anything about transportation.” But, he said, a regional coalition will “continue to push (for a transportation-funding solution) because we don’t have an alternative.” A transportation-funding package made it out of the State House before the Legislature’s second special session ended last month, but it hit a dead end in the State Senate.
ROTARY NOTES: The West Seattle club’s new president Len Burton-Hardin (right) is in his first month of presiding, after an installation banquet two weeks ago. In a message to club members, he declared that the theme he has chosen for his year is “Celebrating Us,” in honor of Rotarians’ ongoing community efforts including the holiday-season Children’s Shopping Spree. The club also participated in the recent West Seattle Relay for Life cancer-fighting fundraiser and is gearing up to present another edition of the Kiddie Parade preceding the West Seattle Grand Parade on July 20th (details here).
Our West Seattle Crime Watch roundup tonight includes reports from the past few days, right after a followup. First, a followup on the Beach Drive flag theft first reported here Friday: Citywide media has picked up the story, including this KING 5 report Sunday and ongoing discussion on KIRO Radio’s Ron and Don Show – here’s their update posted tonight. Ron & Don and their listeners have put up a reward now totaling $1,500. Meantime, we exchanged e-mail again today with Sharon Kennedy, who originally reported the theft to us; she said they are amazed at the community kindness, including:
And get this, a UPS driver came over yesterday, knocked on the door and said that his father died in Vietnam, and he wanted to give Duff his father’s flag from his casket!
Makes me tear up to write this, so overwhelmingly generous!
Meantime, their flag is still out there – somewhere.
Now, the new Crime Watch reports, starting with this one received today from Jeff:
My truck got broken into a few nights ago in Arbor Heights. My wife and I have had vehicles broken into in the past, but this time is more than just a feeling of violation. Whoever broke into my F-350 pickup decided to punch the lock, and when they did so, not only did they destroy the plastic unit that surrounded the lock cylinder, but they also dented my door. The cost to fix this far surpasses the funds that I have.
I’ve included a picture to show what I’m describing, but the image does not clearly illustrate the damage that occurred during the destructive break in. I’m hoping that whoever damaged my vehicle might see this and realize the financial hardship they create on a family that just wants to buy enough diapers, formula and pay the mortgage on time. I know there are kids out there that sometimes participate in damaging activities. Maybe he or she will think twice after reading this.
Carl had a bicycle theft, car prowl, and even (briefly) lost dog over the weekend:
(Saturday night) there was a car prowler in our neighborhood that left the neighbor’s papers on our front lawn and stole my daughter’s bicycle. I suspect the same thieves left open our side gate, which is how the dog got out. … Here are the details as submitted – abridged – to the Seattle PD:
A purple women’s Schwinn 21spd bike with a large (replacement) seat was stolen from the front porch last night. Also found at the property were papers from a neighbor’s car suggesting evidence of a car-prowl that occurred over night. The papers were returned to the neighbor at [7500 block of] 28th Ave SW at 10:20 AM. No further information or identifying details of the stolen bike are available, save that it is in used – not new – condition.
Their dog, at least, returned even before we could post an announcement on the WSB Lost/Found Pets page. But the bicycle theft was particularly painful, Carl says, happening right before his daughter’s birthday.
Jennifer shared this bizarre note left by someone who had to walk down an off-the-beaten-path driveway in the 10200 block of Marine View Drive to get to the door – and she says the note bore no relation to anyone in her home or any property with which they’re associated:
This is a note we received on 7/5/2013 between 10:45 AM and 11 AM.
Police report filed. A neighbor did get license plate and make and description.
Hispanic Male. Clean Shaven. Dark Black Hair. 5’10”. Stocky Build. Vehicle: 4 door sedan, Maroon / burgundy. No Bling
License Number: 819Z–Our property … is tucked down OFF of MVD and the perp. is able to see into 3 plus properties by leaving us a bogus “neighborly” note. Just a heads up… Please post so folks in Arbor Heights and elsewhere are notified of such scams for scoping out break in options.
And Andrew has found a bicycle, possibly stolen:
I found a bike in an area of tall grass over at the intersection of 14th and Kenyon in Highland Park. Not sure if it was stolen or if the owner ditched it.
(November 2012 photo by Nick Adams for WSB: Sam Reed refereeing during 1st-ever Sealth Alumni Game)
Another change in the top ranks at Chief Sealth International High School: Athletic director and activity coordinator Sam Reed announced tonight that he is leaving for a new job in another school district. He gave us permission to republish this excerpt from the announcement, sent via e-mail to the Sealth community:
I hope this e-mail finds you well and that you and your families are enjoying your summer to date. I’m writing to say that I have made the difficult decision to accept a new opportunity that will take me away from Chief Sealth International High School.
At that time I will begin my next challenge, this time as the Assistant Director of Student Life for the Tacoma School District. In that role, I will oversee athletics and ASB for the District’s 5 comprehensive high schools and 10 middle schools. Ultimately the lure of a new and larger challenge outweighed the reality of losing that day-to-day contact with the students – and for those that know me well, you know how hard of a decision this was.
In my absence I have left my recommendations for a short-term succession plan with building leadership. I trust that people will be in place come the start of Fall sports and the beginning of the school year.
I cannot express enough how special my six years at Sealth were. This was so much more than a job for me – and many of you and your children played a large role in that. My family and I live (and will continue to live) in this community and we have genuinely enjoyed our time as Seahawks. The kids and this community continually amaze me, and they have given me far more than I have given them. Still, I am very proud of the work that we have done together, and leave with confidence that a strong foundation has been laid for the next generation of students and athletes.
Reed’s departure follows the resignation of two-year principal Chris Kinsey (whose successor was announced last week) and the retirement of longtime assistant principal Lupe Barnes. This past year, Reed also served in a regional role as Metro League president.
This year’s primary election is August 6th, four weeks from tonight. Tomorrow night, our area’s largest political organization, the 34th District Democrats, has one more round of endorsements to make, for one position on the Burien City Council and three on the Seattle School Board. (Endorsements already made are listed here.) The meeting also will include a review of the legislative session that’s just concluded with two special sessions, featuring updates from all three 34th District legislators, Sen. Sharon Nelson and Reps. Eileen Cody and Joe Fitzgibbon. The public’s welcome at the meeting, which starts at 7 pm Wednesday (July 10th) at The Hall at Fauntleroy (9131 California SW).
Thanks to the tipster who forwarded the e-mail announcement: Wax On Spa, which bills itself as “Seattle’s original waxing spa,” is about to open in The Junction, its . No telltale paper-covered windows gave this one away – its entrance will be on the alley east of California SW, north of SW Alaska (same entrance at 4546 California SW as WSB sponsor Fitness Together). According to the e-mail announcement, they’re opening Friday and will have reps at the nearby northeast corner of California/Alaska during Summer Fest on Saturday. The announcement also says – in the spirit of at least one competitor – “liquor license coming soon”; the state filing says it’ll be a “snack bar” license, meaning beer only. Wax On also has locations in Belltown, Capitol Hill, Fremont, Portland, and Boulder, Colorado.
A two-car crash at 46th/Andover (map) this past hour left one car upside down, and sent two people to the hospital. That’s what WSB’s Katie Meyer, who also took our photo, reports from the scene.
Both were transported via private ambulance, indicating the injuries weren’t believed to be life-threatening. The flipped car had collided with a van, though the circumstances aren’t known.
HomeStreet Bank will have its first West Seattle branch within a few months when its purchase of the AmericanWest Bank branch in The Junction closes. The deal for HomeStreet to buy that branch – which was Viking Bank until AW bought that company in 2011 – and an AmericanWest branch in Bainbridge Island has just been announced. Ahead, the official news release:
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
More than 100 people packed a room at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center for a meeting about community “safety issues” – heavy on concerns but light on specifics.
Opening last night’s meeting, Heather Hutchinson from High Point community management described the reason behind it as a “diverse set of issues” – from car egging to “definitely more big parties happening in Commons Park” with disturbing debris afterward to “larger groups of teens wandering and really sort of engaging in … (behavior including) knock-down-drag-out fights” to “drugs, people seeing drug sales, people thinking they’re seeing drug sales,” to “some real sense that maybe there’s gang colors being worn …”
But before opening the floor to comments and questions, she asked attendees not to get specific about units or addresses.
“It’s not a homeowner or a renter issue,” stressed Seattle Housing Authority community builder Shukri Olow from SHA. “it’s an ‘everybody’ issue.”
When you’re wandering West Seattle Summer Fest (co-sponsored by WSB) this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, don’t miss GreenLife, the sustainability expo that’s tucked in the lot north of Technical Analysis and east of the Chase drive-thru. Sustainable West Seattle and West Seattle Nursery present GreenLife; this year its stage is sponsored by Alki Bike and Board, whose proprietor Stu Hennessey has just released the full three-day schedule of GreenLife demonstrations, from bicycling to cooking to gardening to chicken-raising, as well as sustainable energy, and more! See the schedule here – or embedded below:
West Seattle Summer Fest GreenLife 2013 schedule
As for the rest of Summer Fest – quick links here:
*Summer Fest music lineup
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors directory (use the column titles to sort alphabetically or numerically)
*Summer Fest vendors/exhibitors map (PDF; we’re not listed because you’ll find WSB in the Information Booth for the 6th consecutive year)
*Summer Fest kid zone is on Alaska WEST of California, where the food used to be
*Summer Fest food zone is on Alaska EAST of California (sort the vendor list by “location” and click ahead to the pages starting 151 and 176 for the “F” as in “food” entries – earlier in the list, note a few “Sidewalk Cafes” too)
*Other specialty areas – GreenLife is back on the south side of the festival area; Art Dive is back on the north side
*West Seattle Farmers’ Market will be ON during Summer Fest, 10 am-2 pm as always
Festival hours will be 10 am-8 pm Friday and Saturday (with music running later) and 11 am-5 pm on Sunday.
(UPDATED 4:32 PM with charges, and charging documents’ mention of suspect seeking a possible SSCC student)
11:25 AM: The South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) community has received a memo from president Gary Oertli saying the man arrested in North Seattle last week with incendiary devices and maps to local colleges including SSCC has no known ties to the school, and that there is NO “active threat” to the campus. Here’s the memo sent by Oertli on Monday, forwarded to WSB today by a reader:
As some of you might have heard, there is a developing news story that broke late last week with a connection to our campus. Authorities have confirmed that there is not an active threat to our campus.
At this early stage, the connection to our campus is unclear, but here is what we do know:
Ø Police arrested Justin (Miles Jasper) on July 3, and found maps to several colleges, including South Seattle Community College. Our records confirm that he is not nor has he been a student at South.
Ø Jasper appeared in court on July 5 for a probable cause hearing. During the hearing, his bail was set at two million dollars and he remains in custody.
The Seattle Police Department and the F.B.I. have been in contact with campus security. As this story continues to develop, we will continue to keep you posted.
In the meantime, this is an excellent reminder to re-visit our Emergency Action plan on our website … It is also important to update your contact information, if you have not signed up already, on Campus Alerts for immediate updates on campus emergencies or unplanned closures. The link is provided here.
Campus safety is paramount to our community. At this time, there is no action required and our campus will continue to operate normally. We are working hard to continue to keep our campus a safe place for our students, faculty, and staff.
We contacted college communications director Kevin Maloney for comment today and he says that coincidentally, SSCC has a delegation at emergency training offsite today – planned long before this happened: “Myself and 12 others from South, including President Oertli, are attending a three-day class taught by FEMA to continue our emergency planning education. While we have planned on attending this course for months, the incident of last week stresses the importance of this course and previous training.”
Meantime, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says there’ll be a decision by this afternoon on whether to file charges against Jasper, who is jailed in lieu of $2 million bail. We’ll update this story when that announcement is made, and will watch developments to see if there is any additional information of West Seattle relevance.
4:36 PM UPDATE: Jasper is now charged with four felonies – two counts of possessing a stolen firearm, one count of possessing a stolen vehicle, one of possessing an incendiary device. The charging documents provided by the KCPAO do briefly mention that when police first found him in North Seattle in a truck stolen from an acquaintance in Montana, Jasper told them he was in Seattle “searching for an old friend who he thought was in the welding program at South Seattle Community College.” The “old friend” is not named, and no other part of the charging documents reference SSCC or anything else related to West Seattle.
West Seattle Christian Church‘s preschool has closed, and tomorrow they’re having a public “clearing out” sale, selling preschool-aged curriculum items, supplies,and furniture, according to Pastor Dan Jacobs.
Cash or check only, 10 am-2 pm Wednesday at 4425 41st SW. He says the church hasn’t yet decided on the future of the former preschool space.
(Photo by Mark Wangerin)
Six community meetings are in the West Seattle spotlight for today/tonight:
WEST SEATTLE ROTARY: Noon at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor), King County Executive Dow Constantine is the featured speaker at today’s meeting of the Rotary Club of West Seattle. Public welcome. (1936 Harbor Ave. SW)
GREENWAYS MEETING IN HIGHLAND PARK: 6 pm at Highland Park Improvement Club, this SDOT-hosted meeting features more information about proposed routes for “greenways” in southeastern West Seattle – here’s our background story from last month, including a map. Come find out more and offer your thoughts on which option(s) would work best. (12th/Holden)
WESTWOOD-ROXHILL-ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 6:15 pm, Southwest Library. As noted on the WWRHAH website, the agenda includes safety on SW Roxbury and adopting bylaws for this new council. (35th/Henderson)
WEST SEATTLE SEE DOGS: 6:30 pm at The Kenney (WSB sponsor). Find out what it’s like and what it takes to raise a guide puppy. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
ADMIRAL NEIGHBORHOOD ASSOCIATION: 7 pm, lower-level meeting room at Admiral Congregational Church. Got a question about your property-tax assessment? County Assessor Lloyd Hara is the featured guest at tonight’s ANA meeting, which will also include updates on ANA’s participation in last week’s 4th of July Kids’ Parade post-parade event and the plan for the upcoming Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series. (California/Hill)
FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: 7 pm, Fauntleroy Schoolhouse. Agenda includes followups on a wide range of community concerns, including traffic and park issues and the public-safety meeting that’s being planned for fall. No meeting in August, so tonight’s the last one until September 10th. (9131 California SW)
More on the calendar!
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
Headed for the heart of the commute, and all’s well so far.
12:27 AM: Southbound Highway 509 just south of Cloverdale – between West Seattle and South Park – is closed right now because of a rollover crash. We don’t know details of the crash, but Seattle Fire units originally responded for a “heavy rescue” and Seattle Police units are being asked to help the State Patrol block off the area.
12:34 AM UPDATE: According to scanner traffic, a “mid-size car” rolled multiple times, and came to a rest with a 28-year-old man pinned under the car; he was quickly extricated by fire/rescue crews, but does NOT appear to have any serious injuries. He’s now being taken to a hospital to be checked out.
6:51 AM UPDATE: The official State Patrol media update is now available and as a commenter noted, it says two cars were involved, one hitting the other while both were traveling “at a high rate of speed.” The driver of the car that rolled, a 2003 Nissan 350, is now described as a 21-year-old Seattle man, taken to Harborview Medical Center; the other driver, a 22-year-old Seattle man, was booked into King County Jail, and the 2000 Daewoo Nubira he was driving was impounded. The WSP says the road was closed for five hours.
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