West Seattle, Washington
09 Saturday
If you use surface eastbound Spokane Street – take note of repair work that SDOT has just announced for next week:
On Monday and Tuesday, January 7 and 8, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) will be making repairs to the two left lanes (the far left Bus Only lane and the adjacent left lane) eastbound on Spokane Street just east of Fourth Avenue S. Then work on Wednesday through Friday, January 9 through 11, will shift to the two right hand lanes eastbound on Spokane Street at the same location just south of Fourth Avenue S. The lanes will be coned off to traffic in the work zone. The north/southbound crosswalk on the west side of the intersection will be closed to pedestrians during work hours of 9 a.m.to 3 p.m. each day. Motorists can expect some congestion approaching the intersection and should slow down as they move past the SDOT work crew.
We’ll note this in our daily Traffic/Transit Tracker next week, too.
Are you a decisionmaker? Stickler for the rules? Love sports? We might just have the perfect part-time gig for you. A West Seattleite is now our region’s softball Umpire-In-Chief – and shared the announcement, including a recruiting call (they’ll train you!):
West Seattle’s Kayleen Dunson has been appointed the softball Umpire In Chief (UIC) for the entire Seattle-Tacoma region. It’s her job to train the nearly 200 softball umpires in our area who serve both fast pitch and slow pitch leagues. And she’s looking for more umpires to train!
You may have seen Kayleen umpire games at all the local high schools including Seattle Lutheran, West Seattle High, and Chief Sealth, as well as the West Seattle Girls teams that play at Lincoln Park and Fairmount, and the Co-Ed adult slowpitch leagues at Delridge Community Center, and elsewhere.
Kayleen also umpires college softball, including community colleges, and Division III, II and I schools.
“I love umpiring,” Kayleen said. “Not only is it the perfect way to stay involved in the sport I love, but I also see it as my opportunity to give back to a community that I love. Also, it’s a great way to make a little extra money. You get to set your own schedule, work as much or as little as you want, and the training is free – no experience necessary,” she added.
Training sessions for the 2013 season start January 28. All training sessions include both classroom and hands-on experiences to make sure umpires are ready to get out on the field. There’s lots of information at the Seattle Metro Softball Umpires Association (SMSUA) website. Or feel free to contact Kayleen here: umpkayleen@outlook.com.
“We’re hoping to train about 40 new umpires this year and I would love to see some friendly, familiar, West Seattle faces in the crowd.”
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
Good morning – time to keep an eye on traffic again. And time for ANOTHER warning that all weekend long, from 10 pm Friday to 5 am Monday, the first closures will be in place for the I-5 Spokane Street Interchange Vicinity Special Bridge Repair project – you will NOT be able to get to the West Seattle Bridge from southbound I-5, nor from Beacon Hill/Columbian Way. More info here. Now, on with Thursday, and thanks in advance for any info you share if problems arise – on the roads, buses, bike paths, water, sidewalks, wherever, if it’s related to getting around.
12:33 AM: Have just received two reports of this, one a text, and then this e-mail from Chas in Gatewood:
no images – but sitting upstairs looking west (past my computer screen) just saw a giant green fireball enter over what looked like Kitsap peninsula – green streak coming from high in sky (limit of window) turning yellow and ending in large (5 times apparent diameter of moon) green fireball just above what looked like the mountains – couldn’t really tell how far it was except for the brightness and detail suggested it was relatively close (within hundred/or so miles)
about 3 minutes ago for timing (like 12;20 or thereabouts)
We had heard of a possible meteor shower tonight. Looking it up now.
12:48 AM UPDATE: Thanks to “Meteorologist Patrick” (as we know him) Kelly – who mentioned via Twitter that it’s the Quadrantid meteor shower, which Space.com is covering here. This WashingtonPost.com story has details too – apparently the shower is peaking right now (convert the WP times to three hours earlier, of course).
12:55 AM: Someone at the National Weather Service saw it too:
Forecaster here observed a bright fire ball falling from the NW at 1220am. Possible meteor! @westseattleblog observed this as well.
— NWS Seattle (@NWSSeattle) January 3, 2013
1:39 AM: West Seattle’s own NASA Solar System Ambassador Alice Enevoldsen has shared some info in comments, starting here. She suggests that anyone with a west-facing surveillance camera should check to see if it caught anything around 12:20 am (and if you have any kind of image, still or video, please let us know, would love to add it to the story – thanks!).
(Story updated Thursday afternoon with documents for each road-project proposal)
(California Avenue section in need of repaving, per city-grant application)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
A new year brought new leadership for the Southwest District Council, as it met at a new time (earlier – 6:30 pm) in a new location (Southwest Teen Life Center).
New co-chairs Karl de Jong from the Admiral Neighborhood Association and Susan Ruppert from the Genesee-Schmitz Neighborhood Council presided over the biggest turnouts in a while, with more than 20 people on hand, including visitors making presentations about road projects proposed for city grant money – including repaving a stretch of California SW.
Read on for details of the proposals, which took up most of the meeting.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli)
ORIGINAL REPORT, 6:08 PM: In March of last year, we reported that a stretch of Harbor Avenue including the Alki Tavern‘s site was up for sale, listed for almost $4 million. Tonight, the tavern has announced via Facebook that it’s closing:
Well, it’s finally true… After 38 years the Alki Tavern will be closing on March 17th… St Patrick’s Day. Let’s make these last 3 months unforgettable!
King County property records show transactions including the tavern site within the past two weeks. We’re following up to find out more.
(Inside Alki Tavern tonight)
ADDED 7:17 PM: WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand has just spoken with Alki Tavern manager Gill McLynne, who is the son of its current owners (and has a brother working there too). He confirms that they’re moving because of a pending project, and says the family does not plan to try to re-create the Alki Tavern somewhere else – you can’t duplicate something that’s one of a kind. So between now and St. Patrick’s Day – a closing day they chose because of their Irish heritage, and the fact it was always a big day at the tavern – watch for some special celebratory nights so people can come by and say goodbye, including, he said, nights to honor some of the former bartenders and servers. He estimates as many as 300 people have worked there over the years. Since it’s a family-run business with many regular customers, it’ll be sad to say goodbye, he said, but he and his family will work to make the final few months special for the regulars as well as for the whole neighborhood.
ADDED 9:36 PM: County records show the sale spanning two transactions on December 21 and 24, with Salty’s Properties listed as selling the entire site to YMSA Co. Ltd. for $3.2 million in one transaction on the 21st (the same day YMSA registered with the state, listing its company directors as two people with addresses in Korea), and the tavern owners’ interests deeded to Salty’s Properties for $392,000 on the 24th. We could not find any specific development proposal filed online so far for any part of the site, though there were land-use consultations in fall of 2011; the land is zoned for up to 65 feet (six stories).
One of our resolutions for WSB in the New Year is to make the site even more useful. Part of that means more visibly showcasing some of WSB’s most popular features. 
Among them: The WSB Forums‘ “West Seattle Jobs Offered” page. We have long offered FREE “help wanted” listings there for West Seattle/White Center/South Park-area companies/employers (that includes families seeking child-care help and other such jobs) – and even without promotion, it’s consistently one of the top five most-viewed pages on WSB. So starting today, the “Jobs Offered” page has its own link on our row of tabs under the sunset header photo – clicking the JOBS tab will take you directly to the section of the forum where you can see the latest listings and/or post a new one (you have to sign up for a Forum account first, but it’s quick ‘n’ easy). No “job wanted” listings, please – just “job offered” – thanks, and we wish all businesses (and job applicants) a successful 2013!
South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) is famous for its food and beverage programs (among other things), so there’s no surprise its Gifts from the Earth benefit on January 26th features a lineup of star chefs and well-known wineries. Just out of the WSB inbox, the official announcement – read on:
While announcing today that his Lower Queen Anne location is closing after 12 years, Easy Street Records owner Matt Vaughan reiterated that West Seattle is NOT going anywhere. The announcement about Queen Anne is on the Easy Street website, where Vaughan explained that the Queen Anne landlord wanted a longer-term lease than he was ready to commit to. However, as reported here in February of last year, Vaughan also noted in today’s announcement about Queen Anne that, here in West Seattle, he DID recently renew long-term:
We recently signed a new 15-year lease at our original store in West Seattle, where we will carry on the Easy Street tradition of great in-stores, yummy breakfasts, tasty vinyl, and overall, an excellent selection of music.
The Easy Street Queen Anne location’s last day of operation is January 18; Vaughan writes that a Chase Bank branch is moving in. (Before Easy Street, you might remember the Queen Anne storefront as having been home to Tower once upon a time – we do.)
In sharing this photo today, Jon Anderson described the big beautiful bird he photographed at Don Armeni Boat Ramp this morning as “our resident brown pelican.” Beginning to look that way, since it’s going on a month since the first sightings. (Not long after we received Jon’s photo, we spotted the pelican ourselves, and we’ll add some of our photos later to the WSB Flickr gallery – *added* here’s one of them:)
P.S. After a previous mention of the pelican, we heard from International Bird Rescue, which asks that if you see one with a blue band – which this one does NOT appear to have – please report it to them, as they are tracking hundreds of pelicans they’ve rehabilitated and released since the species came off the endangered list in 2009, and IBR says some have been spotted even further north, in British Columbia.
The holidays are over, but the opportunities to give to people in need continue year-round. Here’s one of your first opportunities of 2013: West Seattle Autoworks (WSB sponsor) is hosting a drive to collect blankets to help homeless people stay warm during these below-freezing nights. Co-owner Todd Ainsworth says his wife Dianne came up with the idea and plans to take the blankets to the Nickelsville encampment here in West Seattle and to the Union Gospel Mission (which helps people in South Park and White Center as well as operating its shelter downtown). The official collection time for the drive is this Saturday (January 5th), 9 am-3 pm, but Todd tells WSB they will also accept blankets dropped off during regular WS Autoworks business hours before then – or even after. They’re on the southwest corner of 35th/Webster (map).
(Mt. Baker, as seen from 35th/Myrtle on New Year’s Day afternoon; photo by Karen Derby)
Slowly revving back up to post-holiday reality … as is the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, from which most of today’s highlights spring:
TRASH/RECYCLING/YARD WASTE – AND CHRISTMAS TREES: Reminder that again this week, because of the Tuesday holiday, Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday city pickup is on a one-day delay (so if you get Tuesday service, it should be picked up today, etc.). And you are welcome to put your Christmas tree out at curbside, or take it to the transfer station, free through January 13th – here again are details on that.
SSCC’S WINTER QUARTER BEGINS: Today is the first day of winter quarter at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor). Many other area schools (including all Seattle Public Schools) don’t go back till next Monday.
THREE LOCAL STORY TIMES … today/tonight in West Seattle, at your local public libraries. See them all on the Seattle Public Library Calendar of Events!
SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL – NEW TIME, NEW LOCATION: The monthly meeting of reps from community councils and other organizations around western West Seattle is now at 6:30 pm on first Wednesdays, at Southwest Teen Life Center (2801 SW Thistle). As previewed here last week, tonight’s agenda includes presentations by applicants for city grants to fund traffic-safety (and other) projects. Come see what your neighbors are proposing – public’s welcome.
TRIVIA AT SKYLARK: 7 pm, weekly trivia with Brittanica is back at Skylark Café and Club (3803 Delridge Way SW). Here’s how it works.
MONA CONCEPCION AT COMEDY UNDERGROUND: As previewed here on Tuesday – Mona’s the only West Seattleite in a showcase of new comics at Comedy Underground in Pioneer Square at 8 tonight (our preview included a link to buy a ticket online for half the door price).
LIVE MUSIC: Tonight’s listed venues include Benbow Room and Locol.
(added) BONUS PHOTO: Thanks to Pamela Neithercott for sharing views from Alki Point – including an eagle headed for the knoll:
(Live view from the east-facing WS Bridge camera; see other cameras on the WSB Traffic page)
Still on holiday break till next week? Lucky you! Overall, we know it’s back-to-work day for more than a few people today, so we are resuming the daily traffic/transit trackers. As a refresher – this is the spot for updates if needed on not only the morning commute, but traffic trouble throughout the day and into the evening, if there’s any – and a place to talk about what you’re encountering, whether you’re driving, riding the bus, bicycling, walking, taking the Water Taxi, a state ferry, etc.
TRANSIT SCHEDULES: Back to normal, including Metro.
WEEKEND RAMP CLOSURES: One month ago after first word of the Spokane Street Interchange Vicinity Special Bridge Repair project, the first closure weekend is almost here: 10 pm this Friday 1/4 through 5 am next Monday 1/7, two ramps will be closed – Columbian Way (Beacon Hill) to West Seattle Bridge, and Southbound I-5 to West Seattle Bridge. Here’s the detour map. Again, that’s this coming weekend.
This year, something new for West Seattle Little League – online registration. 
Here’s the official announcement, from Laurie Rasmussen:
West Seattle Little League baseball registration has begun!
West Seattle Little League is excited to announce that we will be offering ONLINE REGISTRATION as well as our traditional IN-PERSON REGISTRATION for the 2013 season. To register online go to westseattlelittleleague.com and click the “Register for 2013 season” button. The in-person registration will be held at the West Seattle High School Library on Tuesday, January 15, and Thursday, January 24, from 6 pm-8 pm. West Seattle Little
League’s website has more information regarding registration and the items needed to register your child.If you have any questions, please e-mail playeragent@westseattlelittleleague.com
(Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
As the first day of 2013 comes to an end, a closer look at some of the people who started it with a brisk tradition – West Seattle’s annual Polar Bear Swim on Alki. Though hundreds dashed into Puget Sound together, for each one, it was a very personal type of triumph. Above, Andrew Kurtz‘s fist-pump; next, Lisa Hayden‘s spirited wave as she emerged:
Charlie Duncan and Steve Douglas were pumped up even before they went in:
More of WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams‘ Polar Bear Swim scenes – before, during, and after – ahead:
(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
7:41 PM: Another crash under investigation right now – this time at California and Spokane, with the driver possibly having left the scene after reportedly hitting parked cars and shrubs. On the way to check out.
7:46 PM: The suspect being sought in connection with the crash is described as blonde, male, wearing a dark hoodie, and jeans, last seen headed west on SW Spokane from the California vicinity.
8:01 PM: Our crew at the scene says the vehicle is a white pickup truck with equipment of some kind in the back. Police say it’s NOT a stolen vehicle. It went up into the bushes in front of an apartment building in the 3400 block of California, after hitting two vehicles out front. No injuries reported (unless the driver, who hasn’t been found yet, turns out to be hurt).
(This photo and next one by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
10:35 PM UPDATE: WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli went back out to the scene while the truck was being towed. He caught that scene (above) and also found police checking out one of the other damaged vehicles:
Christopher talked to one of the building’s owners, who said that they had just redone the landscaping, but at least the truck didn’t hit the building. Towing the truck, meantime, was a challenge, the driver told him, because the front axle was broken and a tree was in the way, so, Christopher explains, “He had to hook up the front and gingerly pivot the truck around, going back and forth. He finally got it out just around 9:30. SPD had southbound California closed for a bit but it is open now. As of 9:35, SPD said they still did not have the driver in custody.”
4:47 PM: What is reported to be a 2-car crash has Delridge blocked by the Southwest Precinct and Home Depot. According to scanner traffic, four people are hurt. We’ll have a crew at the scene shortly and will update.
(Added: This photo and next two, by Tony Bradley)
4:53 PM UPDATE: Police tell us the Mercedes was reported as stolen, with the suspected thief possibly linked to a burglary; that car hit the BMW, which was not involved. The suspect was among the injured.
5:13 PM UPDATE: Delridge is blocked all the way from Webster to Orchard. Meantime, a commenter wondered if the stolen Mercedes in the crash is the same one reported in our earlier Crime Watch report – our crew confirms it does appear to be the same make/model/color (late ’80s, 4-door, green) but we haven’t confirmed.
5:29 PM UPDATE: The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad is on scene, and that would tend to mean the closure will last a while – probably a few hours. Meantime, police have provided more details: They started trying to stop the Mercedes on 35th; it headed south on Morgan/Sylvan Way, then after entering Delridge, fishtailed and hit the BMW. Police confirm, as we reported earlier from scanner traffic, that the suspect, who was alone in the stolen car, and the three people from the other car are all at Harborview Medical Center.
6:14 PM UPDATE: Photographer Tony Bradley – whose photos we’ve added to the story – confirms the license plate on the stolen car. Meantime, SPD Blotter now has an item; the number of victims differs from what we were told at the scene and heard in medical-radio traffic, but the report does add one detail: The burglary from which the stolen car’s driver was said to be fleeing was in the 4200 block of SW Graham – just a few blocks from where the car was taken this morning.
7:15 PM: Went by the scene a few minutes ago, and Delridge was still blocked, except for allowing cars to leave Arco/Home Depot/etc. and head northbound.
LATE-NIGHT P.S.: The road has fully reopened.
Voting started today in the KJR Radio “Battle of the Bands” competition – and Chief Sealth International High School is this year’s only Seattle entry. Above, Sealth’s official video – watch it for the choreography as much as the music! This is the third year that Sealth is competing, and they’re hoping to top their previous finishes (2nd last year, 6th in 2010) – because the big prize is $10,000, which goes a long way for a school program. Look for Sealth on this KJR webpage, where you can vote daily from now through the 18th.
Resolved to laugh more in 2013? Here’s a chance to work on that, while supporting an up-and-coming West Seattle comic. Mona Concepcion is the only West Seattleite in a showcase of what she describes as “some very cool, new Seattle comics, including me!” at 8 pm tomorrow (Wednesday, January 2nd). It’s not in West Seattle – no comedy clubs here (yet) – but it’s not far; Comedy Underground is at 109 S. Washington in Pioneer Square on the south side of downtown. And if you buy your ticket in advance – here’s the link – it’s $5, half what it’ll cost you at the door. Mona was a funny writer long before she went into stand-up comedy; her website kirida.com has been on the WSB “Blogs” link-list page for years.
A brazen car theft – stolen though someone was right next to the car – tops the New Year’s first West Seattle Crime Watch report roundup. From Carlos:
This morning around 8:35 am, my daughter’s used car (1988 4-door green Mercedes 300E, license plate # AFV7311) was stolen right in front of my wife, who was warming it up; the key was on as she was defrosting the windows, she was on the passenger side. A car with two men drove past the house (42nd/Findlay) and the passenger got out and walked on the street, jumped in the car and drove off. It’s an old car, but my daughter needs it for school. If anyone spots the car, please call the Seattle Police Department (case number 13-000485).
Reach them via 911 if you see it, as advised in the SPD @getyourcarback tweet about this case.
Two other Crime Watch reader reports – both from Lincoln Park – after the jump:Read More
Sunny again this year for West Seattle’s traditional Polar Bear Swim on Alki – with hundreds heading into the xx-degree water for at least a quick dunk. Our first report features community-contributed photos – above, by David Christensen, who explained that his wife “decided this was the year to join the polar bear plunge. … It was 32 F at the time.” (Water temperature in the 40s.) Next, from Russ Walker‘s Flickr gallery, what happens AFTER everybody runs into the water:
And another scenic view of swimmers on the run back to the beach, courtesy of Pat Binns:
Also, Andrew Jacobs was there for the first time, and just e-mailed to let us know you can see his splashy – literally – photos here. Thanks, all, for sharing (and if anyone else wants to add to this roundup, editor@westseattleblog.com)! Meantime, contributing photojournalist Nick Adams was there on assignment for WSB, and you’ll see his work in report #2 later today. Happy sunny start to 2013!
What a way to start the year – sunshine! If you are looking for our lists of restaurants/coffee shops open today/tonight, they’re on the Holiday Guide page, along with what else is up today, and atop the “Big Stories” list over on the sidebar. Metro is on a Sunday schedule; no Water Taxi. Then tomorrow, everything starts creaking back toward full speed again (except schools – most don’t resume till Monday).
(Photo by Nick Adams)
From anywhere it was in view, the Space Needle held all in thrall for seven minutes as 2013 arrived.
(Photo by Nick Adams)
No rain, no fog, just chilly air and cheers as fireworks of many colors blossomed in the New Year’s first moments.
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
The end of 2012 meant the end of the Needle’s 50th anniversary year.
(Photo by David Hutchinson)
The fireworks tradition, meantime, is in its 3rd decade, having begun in 1992.
(Photo by Nick Adams)
| Comments Off on Traffic alert: Repair work next week on surface Spokane Street