West Seattle, Washington
20 Friday
Five reader reports today – we start with Hilary‘s report of a bizarre vandalism spree in The Triangle, around 38th and Alaska:
Late Saturday night (1/12) sometime between 8:45pm & 12:30am (Sun) somebody hit at least 8 cars with some kind of paint peeling substance – my friend left my house around 12:30 and came back because she had this unknown substance on her hands. We called the police and they came out and did a report, leaving cards on the cars who were affected. Sadly, we did not hear or see anything but maybe someone else did.
ADDED 8:46 PM: From a firsthand report by Jess, who was among the victims says the same thing happened to her car in the same place last Thursday:
… The vandals sprayed some kind of white foamy acid substance across my car that ate the paint all the way to the metal. I have filed a police report with SPD and recommend that anyone else that has experienced this do the same.
(back to original 5:08 pm report) Next, a burglary reported by Brian:
Came home this morning after being out of town for the weekend to find my home in Highland Park burglarized. Someone had forced entry via the back door and thoroughly ransacked the place, stealing several things of value. Police came out and took a report. Have started talking to neighbors but no leads so far. Just wanted to let the blog know so that you can warn/inform other area residents.
And we have three separate reports of mail theft/tampering – read on:
Without an accompanying storm, this morning’s “king tide” only rose to the bottom of the beach steps by the Alki Bathhouse – not high enough to swamp the Alki boardwalk the way the December 17th high tide did, four weeks ago:
But right about the same time we took the top photo this morning, the city was going public with a warning that it won’t take a “king tide” to submerge some parts of Seattle’s shoreline in a few decades, thanks to climate change. Part of the warning involves this map:
(Click image for larger view)
That’s the West Seattle section of a map just made public by Seattle Public Utilities, showing areas where they believe the rising sea level will dramatically affect the shoreline by 2050 – less than 40 years. If you look at it full size and zoom in as closely as possible, you’ll see Harbor Island and the Duwamish River shores are potentially hardest hit (dark blue), along with the immediate Alki/Beach Drive/Arroyos/etc. waterfront. Here’s a closeup of the area northeast of Alki Point:
(See the map for the entire city by going here. Once you have it open, you can zoom way in to see areas shaded light blue for possible 6″ higher, dark blue for up to 44″ higher.)
This is all intended to bring attention to the city’s plan to try to lessen this area’s contribution to climate change, and ways in which they’re asking for your opinion on how to proceed:
(WSB photo from last Wednesday)
Another followup: We just checked back with SDOT about the status of the slide blocking 55th SW a few blocks inland from Alki Beach; neighbors’ tips brought us first word of that slide last Wednesday. SDOT spokesperson Marybeth Turner tells WSB today, “SDOT Street Maintenance crews plan to clean it up tomorrow (January 15), and expect to open the road by late afternoon.” Did they work out whether it was the responsibility of the city or the slope’s owner (who has it listed for sale) to pay for the cleanup? Turner replies, “The question of who pays has not been resolved at this point.”
Just announced by Mayor McGinn: 15 people appointed to the new Community Police Commission, intended to help “promote community confidence in (SPD)” through reforms and priorities. Two names on the list caught our eye on the list: Newly returned Southwest Precinct commander Captain Joe Kessler, who had been working on reforms/ethics during the two years between his two stints here, and Bill Hobson, executive director of the Downtown Emergency Service Center, now building a 66-unit housing complex in North Delridge for formerly homeless people. The announcement, including the full list, ahead:Read More
Thanks to Mark Wangerin for the photo of sanderlings in flight. We’re flying right into a busy week – it’s already been a busy morning – so before things get too much further along, here are highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
TRAFFIC-ALERT REMINDER – OVERNIGHT 99 CLOSURE: One more reminder, southbound Highway 99 between the Battery Street Tunnel and the West Seattle Bridge will close overnight for each of the next four nights (and again Monday-Thursday nights each of the following two weeks) for work on the new SODO overpass, 10 pm-5 am. For other traffic alerts, planned and unplanned, check the daily traffic/transit tracker here on WSB (the link is always atop the BIG STORIES list on the sidebar).
STATE LEGISLATURE: Not happening in West Seattle, but the Legislature’s 2013 regular session starts today, and we thought that would be a good occasion to remind you who your legislators are and how to contact them:
Sen. Sharon Nelson – contact info here
Rep. Eileen Cody – contact info here
Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon – contact info here
WEST SEATTLE PRESCHOOL FAIR: The 4th annual WS Preschool Fair is happening at St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church (California/Spokane, just south of West Seattle High School) 5:30-7:30 pm. Free to families who want to find out about local preschools; children welcome to come along.
NORTH DELRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COUNCIL: Everyone’s welcome at the NDNC’s regular monthly meeting, 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). Our preview is part of this story published last night.
Something to add to the WSB calendar? Please e-mail us – at least a week in advance, please, and include all information in the text of the e-mail, NOT in an attachment – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
Investigators say they have figured out what caused the fire at a Fauntleroy home at sunset Saturday (WSB coverage here). 
The fire at a two-story home in the 4500 block of SW Trenton is blamed on “a malfunctioning temperature control which operates the heating element of a water bed,” according to Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Kyle Moore. He says it “overheated and ignited nearby combustibles.” Damage is estimated at $50,000, but, Moore adds, “the home had fire, smoke and water damage throughout the main floor and basement.” Nobody was hurt. (If you live in the neighborhood, you might have noticed fire crews responding to the same house again last night – we heard the calls on the scanner; a fire alarm went off, but no new fire was found.)
We’ve found out more about the search that caught attention off Beach Drive last night, involving what looked like a law-enforcement boat searching for something or someone. While Seattle Police told us it wasn’t their boat, it turns out they were involved with the original call earlier in the day – tipster Mike spotted an auto-tweet categorized “water emergencies” in the long ongoing list of SPD “Tweets by Beat” on the WSB Crime Watch page. That gave us an incident number to ask SPD media liaison Det. Mark Jamieson about. He says police got a call around 3:40 pm from someone who described spotting a 10-foot metal rowboat with no one on board. Police decided to look from land. They saw no sign of anyone in distress, and turned the case over to the U.S. Coast Guard for further investigation – that’s whose vessel they say was out searching last night. The Coast Guard public-affairs officer we just called had no record of it, but in the meantime, the folks at Beach Drive Blog – which mentioned the search last night – points out the “rowboat” may have been the one shown on their site five days ago, since the tide’s been high enough to move things around.
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
5:44 AM: We start the week with not only continuing cold temperatures – watch out for icy spots – but also two traffic alerts:
DELRIDGE REPAVING: First full week of Phase 1 work, between Trenton and Henderson. Northbound traffic remains open; southbound is detoured, 24/7.
SOUTHBOUND 99 OVERNIGHT CLOSURES: This is the first of three weeks during which WSDOT will close southbound Highway 99 between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge Monday through Thursday nights, 10 pm-5 am each night, and a shorter stretch of one northbound lane, while they continue to work on the new SODO overpass.
7:17 AM: In comments, 33Pete says the hill down to/up from Harbor Avenue at the north end of California SW is closed because of ice.
7:28 AM: And Metro has just sent a text alert that Route 775, the Water Taxi shuttle in that area, is rerouted and not using the hill – if you’re northbound, it says, use the California/Hill stop; southbound, it says, use the Seacrest stop.
9:56 AM: Another text alert from Metro says Route 775 is now back in service – so we’ll take that to mean the hill is open to all traffic.
After a chilly weekend with beautiful sunsets like the one Michael Copeland photographed, we’re expecting a chilly week – daytime highs mostly in the 30s, according to the newest official forecast – check the current temp near you here. Some clouds expected today, too.
Thanks to 13-year-old Harrison for the downtown-skyline photo from Jack Block Park. Stay warm!
P.S. If you’re looking for the forecast, the current conditions, the tides, the sun/moon times/phases, even the UV index – stop by the WSB Weather page, any time.
Now that author/historian Clay Eals has taken over as the first-ever executive director of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society – parent organization to the Log House Museum – he has a theme: Telling stories. And that’s exactly what he and museum visitors did during Sunday afternoon’s reception celebrating the start of his new role. SWSHS and the museum, after all, are all about the stories of our area’s past, and how to be sure they’re not lost as we hurtle into the future. You can visit the museum Thursdays-Sundays, noon-4 pm, by the way (61st and Stevens, a block inland from Alki Beach).
Five West Seattle Crime Watch notes: First, a reported car break-in at Westcrest Off-Leash Area in Highland Park, near the end of the west side of the lot. A witness wrote:
The car next to me had had the driver’s door smashed and the lady’s purse was on the front seat. Stolen. All her credit cards, etc. … As busy as the parking lot was, with people constantly coming and going, I wonder how they got by with it. It is pretty unbelievable that this could happen while it was so busy! When I got to the park at 2pm the cars were parked on the street all the way up the hill. When I left at about 3:45 lot was still full but street had thinned out a lot. If anyone saw anything suspicious please report it! And please, do not leave your valuables in your car, especially in sight!
As we’ve seen in Crime Watch reports, “busy area” is no deterrent – criminals know how to act fast, and often without attracting much notice.
Another car break-in report from this weekend – Mo says this happened early Saturday, near Roxbury/Delridge (city side):
Between 1 am and 7 am … someone smashed in the passenger window of our car parked in our driveway. This is our old car that we use for the dogs and all things outdoors – pretty nasty inside.
What is odd to us is that they didn’t take the stereo. Other than that there was nothing of any value in the car. They instead just made a mess and rifled through a tub of spare bike (spandex) clothing in the back.
The biggest pain is dealing with the broken window.
Two notes from Sunday night, regarding sightings we were called/texted about:
*Boat apparently searching off Beach Drive in the early evening – Seattle Police tell us it wasn’t theirs. No active search/rescue operations by anyone. We have a few more places to check later this morning. (Added later: SPD Lt. Alan Williams later told us he learned it was the Coast Guard. Still working to find out what the incident was about.)
*Notable police response at 29th/Raymond – Scanner traffic described it as a domestic-violence incident; a juvenile suspect was taken into custody.
One note from Saturday: We got a question about possible gunfire heard Saturday afternoon. No additional details but the SPD call map does show a “weapon discharge” call around 4:14 pm Saturday in the 6900 block of Delridge Way. (No related injuries were reported.)
Are West Seattleites more law-abiding than drivers in the other three areas of the city with speed-ticket cameras in school zones? Our partners at The Seattle Times have a story tonight with the numbers from the first almost-two-weeks of ticketing by the Fauntleroy Way camera near Gatewood Elementary and three others elsewhere in the city; the West Seattle camera was responsible for 435, the lowest total, less than a third of the 1,510 tickets attributed to the camera near Thurgood Marshall Elementary.
It’s the season for signups. The latest announcement is from West Seattle Girls Softball:
West Seattle Girls Softball registration is now open for the 2013 spring season! West Seattle Girls Softball is a local nonprofit organization and is fueled by its dedicated volunteers. WSGS goals are to ensure that its players have the best possible experience playing fast-pitch softball. We hope to build both team sportsmanship and individual sportsmanship, all while having fun. We teach the basics and build skills as players continue with the program. WSGS looks forward to giving all girls ages 6-15 who are interested in learning the game a chance to build self esteem and learn about sportsmanship. We try to place players onto teams that will be most beneficial to their needs. No previous softball experience necessary.
Sign up online – and/or get more info – at westseattlegirlssoftball.com; WSGS also is on Facebook, here. (Other local leagues’ registration announcements are in our sports archive, here.)
Three notes this afternoon from North Delridge, and two relate to that photo. It’s an aerial view of Youngstown Flats, the 26th/Dakota apartment building whose developers (who provided the photo) now say the almost-200-unit project is 90 days from expected completion in the first week of April. “It’s almost over!” wrote Legacy Partners’ Steffenie Evans in a note to area residents. The crane is expected to come down “within a few weeks,” she adds; workers are currently painting and installing fixtures to finish the apartments’ interiors. Youngstown Flats also will incorporate 14 local artists’ work inside and out, from sculptures to lobby decoration. And sidewalks and landscaping is getting under way along Dakota.
In the lower right of the photo, you see part of the city-owned grassy area known as the Dakota Street Right-Of-Way – an undeveloped street end. As reported here last month, the North Delridge Neighborhood Council is getting a $52,200 city grant for improvements, to make it more of a mini-park and to enhance its access to Longfellow Creek. Area businesses are contributing to the project – including maintenance promised by Youngstown Flats – and now NDNC needs something from you. The city wants the group to ask for community input on the mini-park’s design and materials, so if you have any thoughts on it, now’s the time to speak up! Here’s the park plan for your review. NDNC says even simple comments of support would be great. And if you don’t want to post a comment here, you can also have a say at one of two meetings this week at which it’ll be discussed: NDNC’s monthly meeting tomorrow (Monday, January 14), 6:30 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW), or the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council on Wednesday (January 16), 7 pm, same building.
Speaking of tomorrow’s NDNC meeting – you’re invited, as always. Other agenda items, according to NDNC’s Kirsten Smith, include the council’s support for other community-grant applications, a visit from School Board rep Marty McLaren, and community crime issues. The meeting room is near Youngstown’s north entrance.
(Nankai’s Zhang Yuheng with the ball)
Photos by Nick Adams
Story/video by Tracy Record
for West Seattle Blog
It’s not your ordinary high-school basketball game when you make your entrance greeting your opponents as warmly as your teammates …
(Sealth #11: Zoe Haywood)
… hugging them afterward …
… or when the mayor shows up, shows off ball-spinning skills to the home team’s principal, then stays for the whole game…
(Mayor Mike McGinn with Sealth principal Chris Kinsey)
… or when lion dancers take the floor before tipoff.
… or when your band plays two national anthems:
Or, when you’ve crossed an ocean to get to the gym! That’s the big reason why hoopla and hoops mixed at Chief Sealth International High School‘s gym on Saturday night, with the girls basketball team from Sealth’s sister school Chongqing Nankai, in Seattle’s Chinese sister city, joining the Seahawks for a “friendship game.” While it was close in the early going, the Nankai girls pulled away and eventually won 57 to 40. Here’s video of the final minute-plus:
Far more than just the basketball action will put this game in the history books. See why, with more photos and video, ahead:
(Evidence of how cold it is: Mark‘s icy photo from Alki)
With cold, dry weather and stagnating air, a Stage 2 burn ban has just been announced for King County – and that means no woodburning unless you have no other source of heat – no beach fires, either. Details:
The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency is issuing a Stage 2 burn ban in King, Pierce, and Snohomish counties to protect residents from worsening air quality. The bans are effective at noon, Sunday, January 13, 2013 and remain in effect until further notice.
Overnight, many areas around the Puget Sound reached air pollution levels of “UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS”, especially in areas where wood burning is common. Agency forecasters expect the current cold, dry, and stagnant weather conditions to extend well into the week. The Clean Air Agency will continue to closely monitor the air quality and weather situation.
During a Stage 2 burn ban:
No burning is allowed in ANY wood-burning fireplaces, wood stoves or fireplace inserts (certified or uncertified) or pellet stoves. Residents should rely instead on their home’s other, cleaner source of heat (such as their furnace or electric baseboard heaters) for a few days until air quality improves, the public health risk diminishes and the ban is cancelled. The only exception is if a wood stove is a home’s only adequate source of heat.
No outdoor fires are allowed. This includes recreational fires such as bonfires, campfires and the use of fire pits and chimineas.
Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.It is OK to use natural gas and propane stoves or inserts during a Stage 2 burn ban.
The Washington State Department of Health recommends that people who are sensitive to air pollution limit time spent outdoors, especially when exercising. Air pollution can trigger asthma attacks, cause difficulty breathing, and make lung and heart problems worse. Air pollution is especially harmful to people with lung and heart problems, people with diabetes, children, and older adults (over age 65).
(Note: The Seattle Parks Department prohibits beach fires at Alki and Golden Gardens during the burn ban.)
Our next generation of leaders is already out there making a difference – and some training and mentoring can help them go even further. Tara Luckie from the Rotary Club of West Seattle says they’re hoping you can suggest candidates for such support:
The West Seattle Rotary Club seeks your help in identifying and nominating West Seattle qualified and interested candidates to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards Seminar (at no cost to the student or school). The conference will be held at Pacific Lutheran University February 28th- March 3rd, 2013.
RYLA is an intensive leadership training conference and workshop. The program has been carefully designed to provide basic leadership training and experience for young people from Western Washington and Canada. The program will include lectures and discussions with skilled and prominent leaders, as well as recreation, good food, and fellowship.
We are seeking student applicants who have demonstrated a desire and some ability as a responsible leader of others. These students don’t necessarily have to hold student body leadership positions. What we do suggest is that those that apply for RYLA have high character and a constructive attitude, and are in a position to learn and benefit from this experience.
Please help us by selecting qualified students, have them fill out the application by January 29th, 2013 and forward the applications to Rotarian Tara Luckie at taraluckie@gmail.com. Tara will then send more detailed information to student(s) on their application status.
Find the application here.
(Sorry, no “seahawk” photos available, but this bald eagle photographed at Alki Point by Danny McMillin seems to be in the appropriate spirit)
Happy Sunday! We know rooting for the Seahawks in their division-title game against Atlanta is at the top of most lists. So, first, here’s our updated list of who told us they’re open early for game-watching and/or early food takeout/delivery:
Pioneer Coffee
Christo’s On Alki
The Bridge
West Seattle Eagles
Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor)
Beer Junction
Elliott Bay Brewing
Beveridge Place Pub
OutWest Bar
Zeeks Pizza (WSB sponsor)
Mac’s Triangle Pub
Pegasus Pizza
Alki Tavern
For the specific times – and other details (specials, etc.) if the venue shared that info – check out each listing on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar. (If you don’t usually use the calendar page – mouse over the right side of any line to show a “plus” sign on which you can click; that opens a preview, with a “read more” link if you want to see the listing’s full page, usually including address, map, and more.) Any place missing? Please add it in the comments.
Other highlights today:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm as always, 44th/Alaska in The Junction.
MEET THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY’S NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: At the Log House Museum (61st/Stevens), noon-4 pm today, it’s a chance to meet and hear from the Southwest Seattle Historical Society’s new executive director Clay Eals. Just drop in – or make plans to be there at 2 pm for the program. Details here.
DUWAMISH LONGHOUSE ANNIVERSARY: The Duwamish Tribe‘s longhouse at 4705 W. Marginal Way SW celebrates its fourth anniversary 1-4 pm today, including refreshments and a free concert from 2-3 pm by Northwest Native flutist & storyteller Paul Cheoketen Wagner. The Longhouse’s message: “Support the ancestors — donations in support of the continuing operation of the Longhouse are always welcome.”
HIGH POINT LIBRARY ‘SUNDAYS ARE SPECIAL’ CELEBRATION: If you missed the news last week, all Seattle Public Library branches are now open Sunday afternoons, thanks to funding from the library levy passed by voters last year. And each of the newly reopened-on-Sunday libraries will celebrate that status sometime over the next few months; 2-3:30 pm today, visit the High Point Library (35th/Raymond) to join in the “Sundays Are Special” event (detailed here).
ROBB BENSON AT SKYLARK: All-ages live music, starting at 3 pm, Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way).
LOTEM NAMLING AT KENYON HALL: Tibetan storytelling, musician, and activist Loten Namling performs at 6 pm at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW). Here’s our preview from when his tour stop here was announced.
WEST SEATTLEITES PERFORM WITH GARFIELD JAZZ: 7 pm, the Garfield High School Jazz musicians – including West Seattleites – are in concert, but note it’s a different location from the original announcement – now at the Rainier Valley Cultural Center. There’s a map in our calendar listing.
Earlier this week, we published the saga of the large Lincoln Park driftwood stump taken to Alki Beach by a Seattle Parks crew. Tonight – more Lincoln Park driftwood on the move, but this time it’s via the “king tides.” The photos show one of the logs carved by artists on the LP beach last year. Karann MacNealy spotted it on the beach just north of Cormorant Cove, in the 3600 block off Beach Drive, today, and shared the photos.
After last month’s “king tides,” it turned up in front of an apartment building just north of there – Keith sent a photo on December 22nd, but we didn’t get around to publishing it. When the tide started rising again this week, we asked him if it was still there – he checked, and it was gone; then Karann reported spotting it today. (So did David, who posted photos on the WSB Facebook page.) But the next few days are bringing another round of “king tides” – 13 feet, before dawn – so no guarantee it’ll still be there tomorrow!
(Photo by Karen Fejta)
Beautiful sunset, but now, a treacherous night – it’s already below freezing just after 8 pm, and the National Weather Service still has a special weather statement out about the cold weather. So far we’ve heard of at least two trouble spots for drivers/riders – the hill down to Harbor Avenue from the north end of California SW, and a few patches on the bridge. Anywhere the icy spots from last night/this morning melted, it wouldn’t have taken them long to re-freeze tonight. Let us know if you know of any other spots that people should be warned about.
4:35 PM: Crews are en route to a house-fire call in the 4500 block of SW Trenton, which is about a block east of Fauntleroy Way. More shortly.
4:44 PM UPDATE: Lots of smoke from the back of the house when we arrived, not much now. No flames visible.
4:55 PM UPDATE: The incident commander tells WSB the fire started in a back bedroom. They’re not sure yet how it started; they’re still checking to make sure it didn’t extend into the walls, attic, etc. No report of injuries at this point; two people who were home at the time are reported to have gotten out safely. Added above this update, a photo from neighbor Emily, with a wider perspective than ours.
International high-school basketball tonight – and updates on last night’s games – in this roundup. First, the Sealth and Nankai (China) teams are getting ready for tonight’s international friendship game:
They had a clinic at Sealth this morning, with former Sonics player James Donaldson as a guest expert:
Tonight’s event is more than basketball – there’s also a lion dance and mayoral greeting – tickets on sale when doors open at 6 at Sealth’s gym.
Meantime, Sealth, WSHS, and Seattle Lutheran all played varsity basketball games last night – girls and boys – reports ahead:
Thanks to Gary Jones for sharing today’s marine-mammal sighting: Harbor porpoises! Not rare, experts say, but certainly not reported as open as their larger cousins (orcas, etc.) Last harbor-porpoise report we published was the sad saga of one found dead on Alki last March. According to this 2011 research, they were common in the area back in the 1940s, then dwindled, then started making a comeback.
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