West Seattle, Washington
19 Tuesday
Followup information is just in from Seattle Public Utilities regarding the now-over Waste Management strike (here’s the Teamsters‘ ratification announcement), and it answers the question we’ve received most frequently since last night – yes, you still have a few days to take trash/yard waste to transfer stations for free. Here’s the full news release from SPU:
Teamsters Local Union No. 117 recycling drivers voted this morning to end their strike against Waste Management, and garbage and food/yard waste collections have resumed across Seattle. The city of Seattle thanked both parties for reaching an agreement. At least partial collection of recycling materials is also expected today.
The mayor said city inspectors are on the streets today, checking for garbage, food/yard waste and recycling that went uncollected yesterday. Fines will be assessed against the company for materials that were missed yesterday. No fines will be levied for materials missed today.
The mayor also announced that, through Sunday, Seattle residents serviced by Waste Management can continue to drop off up to six bags up to six bags of either garbage or yard waste in any combination at the transfer stations — for free. Yard waste should not be in plastic bags. Recycling drop off is always free.
Residents can put out any extra materials that were previously missed, on their next regular collection day, through next Wednesday.
If your collection is missed, please report it.
The mayor also announced that, through Sunday, Seattle residents serviced by Waste Management can continue to drop off up to six bags of either garbage or yard waste in any combination at the transfer stations — for free. Yard waste should not be in plastic bags. This free service will last through this Sunday. Recycling drop off is always free.
Check SPU’s website for station hours, and webcam links. The South Transfer station will be open until will be open until 9 p.m., tonight and Friday.
SPU will provide updates as needed. Customers with solid waste service issues or concerns may call the Call Center at (206) 684-3000.
(Photo of 2011 ‘Wine in the Woods’ participants, courtesy Nature Consortium)
You can still join the Nature Consortium for fun at Camp Long this month, even though – as first announced at their annual brunch – the Arts in Nature Festival is skipping this year. At 7 pm August 10th – one week from tomorrow – you’re invited to “Wine in the Woods,” a fundraiser for future editions of the festival. The NC’s announcement explains:
In addition to wine tasting, Wine in the Woods will feature performances and installations by previous Arts in Nature Festival artists. There will also be an opportunity to donate directly to the Arts in Nature Festival and other NatureC programs. After sunset, follow luminaria on a trail through the forest to a campfire and desserts.
The full lineup for the night – including the musical acts and appetizers to accompany the wine – is described here. You can buy your $45 ticket online.
(Great blue heron during low tide on Alki on Wednesday; photo by Patrick Linville)
Notes for the day/night ahead:
RECYCLE/YARD-WASTE DRIVERS’ STRIKE DEAL: As reported last night, Waste Management and its striking drivers reached a tentative deal, and the drivers have a ratification vote this morning. After that, we hope to find out more specifics for everyone who missed pickups during the weeklong strike. In the meantime, if you were supposed to have Wednesday pickup, you are urged to LEAVE YOUR CARTS OUT because the city is still taking inventory; if you have Thursday pickup, put your carts out – garbage-truck drivers, who had walked out in support of the recycle/yard-waste strike, are back on the job now, but the other pickups’ schedule isn’t firmed up yet.
BLUE ANGELS: Today’s the first of four days the Blue Angels will roar through Seattle skies for Seafair, with I-90 bridge closures as a result. Today’s the day with two closures: 9:45 am-noon and 1:15-2:30 pm. All four days’ closures are listed here. As for what exactly they’re doing during today’s practices, Seafair spokesperson Melissa Jurcan explains:
The U.S. Navy Blue Angels #s 1-4 will take off at 10 am … from Boeing Field near the Museum of Flight for circle and arrival maneuvers in preparation for the Boeing Air Show. They will be in the air over the city getting familiar with the area. At 11 am #s 5-6 will take off for a look at the South Lake Washington event site. The I-90 Bridge will be closed between 9:45 a.m. and noon.
All Blue Angels jets will return to Boeing Field and be on the ground for a short time. Following that #s 1-6 will take to the air for a practice performance over Lake Washington. Again, the I-90 Bridge will be closed between 1:15 pm and 2:30 pm for this practice.
OTHER TRAFFIC ADVISORIES: Tonight’s alerts are the same as the last three nights – 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between the Battery St. Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge; the bridge’s eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. will again be closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow. (See the day-by-day/night-by-night closure list here.)
LOW TIDE: Still low enough for good tidewalking – and you might see sights like the heron above. 11:35 am, -1.9 feet (here’s this month’s chart).
SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA: Tonight you’re invited to the series’ second of six free Thursday night shows presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association – bluesy Mark DuFresne performs on Hiawatha Community Center‘s east lawn, 6:30 pm. KING 5‘s Jim Dever emcees. Bring your own chair(s)/blanket(s), picnic, etc. (Hiawatha is at 2700 California SW, but the east lawn faces Walnut.)
YOUNG WRITERS: A second night of readings at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor; 5612 California SW) 6:30-8 pm, more details here.
MAKE YOUR OWN MUSIC: Join the Thursday night drum circle at Alki’s Statue of Liberty, 6:30 pm.
‘SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE JR.’: The second show of this production starring summer students is at 7:30 pm at ArtsWest in The Junction.
Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports: First, a resident who requested anonymity says her husband came home from work to discover their home in the 3000 block of 45th SW had been burglarized. Someone broke a window and locked their dogs outside while stealing various valuables. She says a neighbor saw a black SUV around 3 pm that might have been related to the break-in.
And Ryan on 46th between Dakota and Andover says his car was broken into either late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning. He notes the prowler broke the street-side rear passenger window.
One more reminder that Night Out – a chance to close your (non-arterial) street and gather with neighbors to talk about looking out for each other – is next Tuesday, 6-9 pm, and Seattle Police hope to have all interested participants signed up by the end of the week – go here. (And if you’re having a block party, let us know too – editor@westseattleblog.com – we’ll have photographers making the rounds again to catch some of the West Seattle street scenes.)
While we were covering the Seafair Parade of Ships from on board the USS Bunker Hill (here’s our report, with video), many were enjoying the view from the shore, and shared their photos so we could show them to you. Above, Mandi spotted the flag-waving man atop the Alki seawall. Further west, along the open beach, Anne from Ventana Construction (WSB sponsor) says they were en route back from a job site when they caught sight of the fireboat Leschi:
When it moved further into the bay, West Seattle photographer Jim Clark got this view:
And he photographed some of the flyovers too:
P-3 Orion, we believe. Back to the ships – Gary Jones caught them passing Alki Point, starting with the one your editor here was on, the USS Bunker Hill:
The USS New Orleans was the third U.S. Navy ship in the parade:
And toward the end, the Nanaimo, from the Canadian Coast Guard, had a USCG escort:
Mary K spotted a stand-up paddleboarder watching the USS Halsey go by:
Tomorrow through Sunday, you can tour the U.S. Navy ships that were in today’s parade – tour hours are 9:30 am-3:30 pm Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and noon-3:30 pm on Sunday. The Bunker Hill is at Pier 48 south of Colman Dock downtown; the Halsey is at Pier 66 downtown (Bell Street); the New Orleans is at Pier 90 in Magnolia. More info here.
Just out of the WSB inbox – a tentative agreement in the recycling/yard-waste truck drivers’ strike (supported by garbage-truck drivers) that started a week ago:
Following a confidential meeting between the parties’ lead negotiators, Waste Management and Teamsters Local 117 announced that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new 6-year contract.
Teamster leadership and the bargaining committee will fully recommend that members approve the new contract at the ratification vote scheduled for 9:00am on Thursday, August 2, 2012 at the Union Hall in Tukwila.
Note:
Garbage drivers will return to work in the morning and begin servicing their regular Thursday collection routes. However, due to the timing of the ratification vote, recycling and yard waste collection will be limited.Please see www.wmnorthwest.com for more information.
“We are extremely pleased that we reached an agreement on a new contract that delivers a solid compensation package to our hardworking and professional drivers”, said Robin Freedman, spokesperson for Waste Management. “Although regular drivers will be back on their routes tomorrow it will take time to fully recover from this unfortunate situation. We appreciate the community’s patience during this time.”
“Teamster drivers work hard and deserve fair compensation for the important work that they perform,” announced Tracey Thompson, Secretary Treasurer for Teamster Local 117. “We are pleased to have negotiated a contract that recognizes the professionalism of our members.”
More to come.
THURSDAY NOTE: Still awaiting additional details; we’ll start a separate story page whenever more information about the strike’s aftermath is made public today.
Five weeks from today, school starts. But there’s still a whole lot of summer left to enjoy – and today, blue sky and bright sun graced a high-profile work party at the garden on the Denny/Sealth campus. Above, new Seattle Public Schools superintendent José Banda joined Seattle Storm guard Svetlana Abrosimova in getting some plants in the garden’s raised beds. That was just one of the tasks tackled today:
And we do mean tackled. As in football. Participants included former Seahawks – like Forey Duckett:
And school leaders too – here are Sealth’s principal Chris Kinsey and vice principal Lupe Barnes with superintendent Banda:
Sustainability was the theme here – new planting beds were built from recovered cedar, for example; both schools are certified Washington Green Schools. And after a few hours, everybody was ready for a “zero-waste lunch”:
The produce was all grown in the Denny/Sealth garde and consumed with compostable utensils.As big as this was, it was actually just a prelude to an event next month, the nationwide “Green Apple Day of Service” sponsored by the Center for Green Schools at the U.S. Green Building Council on September 29th.
(“Live” traffic-cam image from the spill site)
2:21 PM: This one is likely to have a West Seattle Bridge domino effect, so beware – a haz-mat spill involving a truck has closed all lanes of northbound I-5 at I-90, and there’s no estimate yet as to how long the cleanup will take. Our partners at the Times are tracking it here.
3:28 PM: Two lanes are now open.
4:41 PM: The warnings about surface streets are true. We are in a jam on SB 4th and NB looks worse.
8:47 PM NOTE: The final State Patrol media report on this says I-5 was fully reopened before 7 pm. The spill totaled two gallons of what WSP described as “sodium borohydride and sodium hydroxide solution.” No injuries were reported.
1:04 PM: We’ve been on board the USS Bunker Hill for four hours – and finally it’s showtime. After a day that has so far included a leisurely cruise through the bay, a bit north, a bit south, with a naturalization ceremony along the way – 17 active-duty servicemembers from 13 countries, now brand-new U.S. citizens – the Seafair fleet is turning off Beach Drive to head for Elliott Bay and the Parade of Ships/Flight (remember, you’ll see aircraft too). The sailors are taking their places to line the deck. You should get a good view from Alki and Duwamish Head if you’re not heading downtown, which is the official parade-viewing spot 1:45-2:15 pm. The guided-missile cruiser Bunker Hill, by the way, is at the head of the fleet, with the guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey right behind, then the amphibious-transport dock ship USS New Orleans, plus US and Canadian Coast Guard participants too. As of 1:10 pm, we’re passing the heart of Alki.
1:31 PM UPDATE: Passing Seacrest right now. Just added video from a few minutes ago, as we passed Alki. The “official” parade time along the downtown waterfront is 1:45-2:15 pm; then the ships dock, and there are tours the next four days.
1:53 PM UPDATE: Now passing the north end of the downtown waterfront. Some great sights along the way – big crowd watching from the West Seattle Water Taxi, for example, with a Coast Guard escort. (video added)
On board, a whistle sounded every so often, and the sailors changed their stance – at ease, at attention, saluting, then back at ease just after the Bunker Hill passed Pier 66.
2:19 PM: After the downtown pass, the ships are all headed in now to dock – this one is at Pier 46, not far south of the Water Taxi dock (Pier 50) and Colman Dock. Will add more visuals later – and thanks to everyone who has sent photos from their viewpoint on shore! We’ll be checking those too.
5:24 PM: Finally back home – quite an operation to back up a battleship into a city dock. Adding a few more of our visuals to this, and checking everything else that’s come in.
As the walkout by Waste Management‘s recycling/yard-waste/garbage truck drivers starts its second week, the city says it’s taking action – “possible fines” for WM, plus a request for tweets about missed pickups, and extended hours at transfer stations. Here’s the full city news release:
At a City Hall news conference this morning Mayor Mike McGinn announced that city inspectors will begin assessing possible fines to be imposed on Waste Management for non-collection of garbage, recycling, and food and yard waste, with funds to be returned to the public in the form of bill adjustments. The fines could reach as high as $1.25 million per day.
“This service disruption is creating a hardship for residents and businesses, and we expect Waste Management to fulfill their contract,” McGinn said. “We will be looking for every missed collection by Waste Management and with the public’s help we will hold them accountable. I urge both sides to return to the table to reach a mutually acceptable solution.”
With Waste Management’s one week grace period over, Seattle Public Utilities inspectors will begin fanning out across Seattle looking for missed collections and assessing possible penalty fees. Wednesday customers have been asked to keep any uncollected carts out until Thursday, August 2. Any uncollected carts will be recorded for fines — up to $1.25 million a day — to be issued to Waste Management.
The public can report missed collections through the following ways.
Each of the next three nights will bring a chance to enjoy music or a movie outdoors:
THURSDAY – SUMMER CONCERTS AT HIAWATHA: Mark DuFresne brings his bluesy sound to the stage on Hiawatha Community Center‘s east lawn tomorrow night at 6:30 pm. KING 5‘s Jim Dever emcees. And as always, the show’s free – BYO chair(s)/blanket(s), picnic, friends/family. The Thursday night concert series is presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association with co-sponsors (listed on the right side of this page) including WSB.
FRIDAY – SUMMER CONCERT SERIES AT THE MOUNT: Danny Vernon‘s “Illusion of Elvis” is back as the opening act of this free outdoor concert series.
(August 2011 photo of Danny Vernon @ The Mount, courtesy Bill Bacon)
You’ll find live music each of the next four Friday nights on the north side of Providence Mount St. Vincent‘s campus (4831 35th SW). Dinner/drinks can be purchased starting at 5:30 pm if you’re interested; the music starts at 6.
SATURDAY – ‘LION KING’ AND MAGIC SHOW @ WEST SEATTLE OUTDOOR MOVIES: Third Saturday night movie of the summer already at Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor)’s courtyard (4410 California SW)! “Lion King” is the featured film – here’s the original 1994 trailer:
Louie Foxx will make magic happen as the preshow entertainer. Plus, a free barbecue provided by West Seattle Christian Church. The movie’s at dusk (9:30-ish), preshow 7:30 pm, but come earlier, stake out your spot, make a night out of it. And bring a few bucks for concessions provided by WSB sponsor PB&J Textiles (benefiting WSCC’s well-building project) and raffle (benefiting West Seattle Helpline).
Yesterday was the day set as the deadline for remaining businesses to clear out of the buildings that will be demolished, likely within weeks, for the Equity Residential project at 42nd/Alaska/California in The Junction. 
Thanks to Brian Presser from TouchTech Systems for the photo at right, showing the note put up by one of the last to leave. Here’s who’s gone where, in the last wave of departures (these three were in the building across from Jefferson Square on 42nd):
–Young At Art plans to open next week in a new location at Fauntleroy and Raymond (longtime past home of PB&J Textiles (WSB sponsor).
–Ron’s Cobbler Shoppe is “closed forever,” as the note at right reads, no new location.
–Well Medical Arts will reopen next week at 9025 35th SW.
Other moves/closures already reported here recently include (east to west) AAA will reopen in the former AT&T Wireless space in Jefferson Square; Rocksport Bar and Grill has closed permanently (and had an auction last week); Super Supplements moved to Morgan Junction, Sound Advice moved to the lower level of the Senior Center of West Seattle building; Classic Barber Shop moved to 5040 California SW; Suite Arrangements moved to the Fauntleroy Way storefront next to West Seattle Produce; Rubato Records planned to take an interim space in the Antique Mall of West Seattle; and Mind Body Spirit moved to 3258 California SW. Several businesses moved months ago, including The Beer Junction; it’s been more than a year since the first closure, the city Neighborhood Service Center that used to be next to Rocksport. Equity told WSB last month that demolition could start as soon as August 10th.
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(Harbor seal, photographed by Gary Jones)
Here’s some of what’s ahead on what should turn into a sunny Seafair Wednesday …
WASTE MANAGEMENT STRIKE UPDATE: Toplines as new information continued developing into last night – If you have Wednesday pickup, the city says, DO take out your cans today; Waste Management says it expects to at least provide trash pickup with substitute drivers. As of today, you also can take trash to the city transfer stations (South Park is the closest one) for free, TFN. For more strike-related news, here’s the latest roundup from our partners at The Seattle Times.
TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERTS: From our list of this week’s planned closures, tonight’s alerts are the same as the last two nights – 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge; the WS Bridge’s eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. is closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow.
DENNY GARDEN PARTY: As reported here earlier this week, the Denny International Middle School garden will get some TLC today from volunteers and visitors including students, professional athletes, and new Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda. The event is scheduled 10 am-1 pm.
SEAFAIR PARADE OF SHIPS/FLIGHT: Before the Seafair fleet parades past the downtown waterfront 1:45-2:15 pm, you should be able to see the ships passing West Seattle a bit earlier in the afternoon. Again this year, aircraft are part of the event, so watch for flybys (Coast Guard helicopters and more). We’re participating in the media ridealong aboard the USS Bunker Hill, and will report from onboard before and during the parade (watch the WSB Twitter and Facebook pages for photos, too).
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: Your weekly chance to buy fresh organic vegetables yards from where they were grown – 4 to 7 pm today, 32nd and Juneau.
SOUTH PORTAL WORKING GROUP: This every-few-months meeting has state, city, county, Port, and citizen/business/community reps taking a look at what’s ahead for the south end of the Highway 99 work as well as other related projects; public’s welcome – it’s at 4 pm in the Sound Transit board room on South Jackson downtown.
YOUNG WRITERS: Come listen to their work at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor; 5612 California SW) 6:30-8 pm, as explained here.
‘SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK LIVE JR.’ OPENS: 7:30 pm tonight at ArtsWest – info here.
More on the calendar…
Andy Horner is the new president of the Rotary Club of West Seattle, elected to lead the 75-member club until next July. 
He is the Senior Supervising Manager of Tukwila-headquartered Leavitt Machinery USA, one of the Northwest’s largest privately owned full service multi-line dealers of materials-handling equipment. The West Seattle Rotary was chartered in 1947 and meets every Tuesday at Salty’s on Alki (WSB sponsor). A news release from the club quotes Horner: “West Seattle has a long-standing tradition of producing great results in the local community as well as developing Rotary leaders for Rotary District 5030. This year’s Rotary International theme is ‘Peace Through Service,’ one of which I am very excited to be a part of. When you bring peace to someone through your service efforts, it returns such a wonderful feeling of self-worth. Rotary has connected me to a great group of individuals and community leaders who care about their neighbors, those less fortunate, and most importantly, making a difference in the world though their commitment to service above self.” His past roles in the club include Community Service Chair, President of the West Seattle Service Foundation, and 2011 Rotarian of the Year. P.S. Special events upcoming for WS Rotary include the Wine and Chocolate Auction, scheduled for September 7th (register here).
During this year’s West Seattle Summer Fest coverage, we brought you the tale of “Guns ‘n’ Hoses,” a Wing Dome-presented hot-wing-consumption contest pitting police against firefighters. As reported during Summer Fest Day 2, the SPD team won, which meant a $250 check, handed over this afternoon to (and at) the West Seattle Food Bank. Along with WS Food Bank executive director Fran Yeatts and WS Wing Dome GM Andy Pattalochi, our photo shows, in uniform and from the winning team, Officers Stewart, Belgarde, and Morris.
(Photo by Gary Jones)
The Seafair fleet started arriving this afternoon for tomorrow’s Parade of Ships/Flight – and many stopped to watch along Elliott Bay shores, including the photographers who shared these images. Above, that’s the guided-missile cruiser USS Bunker Hill (we’ll be on board tomorrow since it’s the official media-ridealong ship), one of several ships visiting this year.
(Photo by Doug B)
After the parade tomorrow, 1:45-2:15 along the downtown waterfront (should be visible from Alki/Duwamish Head/Harbor Avenue shoreline a little earlier), the ships will be open for tours Thursday-Sunday – hours and locations are on this Seafair webpage.
(TOPLINES: Some got “surprise” pickup today; if you have Wednesday pickup, city says PUT YOUR CANS OUT, and WM says it WILL have home service in Seattle; also, starting tomorrow, you can take trash to transfer stations for free)
(Photo added 2:26 pm, WM truck turning east on Thistle from California after pickups)
2:01 PM: Though we haven’t been able to get official comment on this so far, we’ve received scattered reports of residential trash pickups in West Seattle today (described by one commenter as a “surprise”) – so if you are a Tuesday customer and you happen to be home, you might consider putting out your trash/recycling, even though the official advisories from both the city and Waste Management said not to. More as we get it.
ADDED 3:11 PM: According to The Seattle Times (WSB partner), starting tomorrow you will be able to take trash to one of the city’s two transfer stations (nearest to us is South Park) for free – with some fine print (here’s their story).
3:37 PM: Seattle Public Utilities has now sent a news release with details on the free dropoffs – and other strike updates, including advice that WEDNESDAY pickup customers should put their cans out tomorrow; read on (plus, added 10 pm, Waste Management’s statement saying it expects to serve Seattle neighborhoods tomorrow):Read More
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Tomorrow, the Junction development at, and known as, 4724 California will mark a milestone, officially applying to the city for its Master Use Permit.
That step was enabled by its preliminary approval from the Southwest Design Review Board at the Early Design Guidance meeting two months ago (WSB coverage here). And while its second, and potentially final, design review isn’t expected till fall, the project team has just put together a look at how its design is evolving as of this “waypoint.”
The update was shown to and discussed with a small group of community members late last week. After hearing in advance about the planned informal discussion, we requested, and received, permission to cover it. In addition to a look at the in-progress design, we also learned new details about the overall plan and timetable.
11:09 AM: Just touching down now at Boeing Field, after a flyby. More shortly.
11:28 AM: Our Blue Angels flyby video is up, shot from the parking lot north of the Boeing Field tower starting as soon as one of the handful of others watching from here shouted “OVER THERE!” They subsequently landed and taxied two by two to the Museum of Flight, where a ceremonial Seafair welcome awaited. Their official practicing doesn’t start until Thursday morning; we always recommend coming to the MoF at least once during Seafair weekend to watch the takeoff – optimal for the full practice show Friday afternoon, or the official performances Saturday and Sunday. The MoF itself offers special events Friday-Sunday (read about them here) and it’s not far from West Seattle – take the 1st Avenue South Bridge north to the Michigan exit, turn right on East Marginal, head south past Boeing Field to the museum. Our other favorite Seafair Blue Angels-viewing tip is to go to Lake Washington on Friday, when admission is free, to see both the airshow and the early hydroplane action.
2:15 PM P.S. – Some of the Seafair Navy fleet ships are coming in this afternoon too, prior to tomorrow’s official “Parade of Ships/Flight” starting in the 1 pm hour. We’ll have a separate story with photos a bit later.
The daily look ahead:
TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERTS: From our list of this week’s planned closures, tonight’s alerts are the same as last night – 99/Alaskan Way Viaduct is closed southbound 9 pm-5 am between Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge; the WS Bridge’s eastbound offramp to 1st Avenue S. is closed 10 pm tonight to 5 am tomorrow.
NO RESIDENTIAL TRASH/RECYCLING/YARD WASTE PICKUP EXPECTED TODAY: As noted here, that’s what both the city and Waste Management say as the strike enters its seventh day. As for tomorrow – the city says, go ahead and put your cans out and keep them out till the end of THURSDAY.
BLUE ANGELS ARRIVE: The first of the seven Navy jets to arrive for Seafair came in on Monday morning, and today, the other six are scheduled to land at the Museum of Flight around 11 am. Their practice flights are Thursday and Friday, with the official airshow on Saturday and Sunday; the I=90 closure times for Thursday-Sunday are part of our day-by-day traffic alert list for the week.
ONE WEEK TILL ‘NIGHT OUT’ – PICK UP MATERIALS FOR YOUR BLOCK PARTY! From the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains Network:
WSBWCN has scheduled another opportunity for people to pick up materials to hand out at their Night Out events. It’s from 11 AM until 1 PM (today) at the Southwest Precinct. We’ve gathered materials from Seattle Police Department, Seattle Neighborhood Group, Seattle Office of Emergency Management, King County, West Seattle Be Prepared and the West Seattle Blockwatch Captains’ Network. More details here.
If your block party isn’t registered for Night Out yet – go here.
LAFAYETTE PLAYGROUND MEETING: West Seattle’s most populous elementary school is moving into the next phase of its long-running playground improvement project, and invites the community to get involved in discussion about transformation of “an existing asphalt dominated playground into an ecological schoolyard.” 6:30 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW); more details in the calendar listing.
More on the calendar!
(UPDATED TUESDAY AFTERNOON with cause of fire)
2:29 AM: If you’ve been hearing the sirens, there’s a fire response at apartments in the 9100 block of 45th in Fauntleroy (map). More to come.
2:36 AM UPDATE: The fire is “tapped,” according to the scanner. It’s in the end unit of a garden-style apartment building.
2:55 AM UPDATE: Firefighters have been working to make sure the fire hadn’t spread beyond the apartment where it began. As for whether anyone was hurt, the incident commander is deferring comment until the public-information officer arrives.
3:47 AM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore says a woman was found dead inside the apartment where the fire broke out – after the fire was knocked down, firefighters found the body of what Moore described as an elderly woman, about 10 to 12 feet inside. (added) Here’s his briefing, unedited:
They’re still trying to find out what started the fire; so far, Moore said, it appears to have started in the living room, which is where the victim was found. He said she was a longtime resident of the second-floor unit, to which the fire was contained. The fire was called in by neighbors, who, according to Moore, banged on the door to try to see if the woman was OK – but got no reply.
4:32 AM: One more note – the address of the building has been corrected from the original dispatch; it’s in the 9000 block of 45th SW, not the 9100 block. We’ll update this story later when there’s new information from investigators.
2:02 PM UPDATE: Investigators say the fire was started by “improperly discarded smoking materials.” Here’s the update on SFD’s Fire Line site. Cause of death and identification will have to come from the Medical Examiner, possibly later this afternoon.
The trailer is for its PBS premiere this fall … but you can see the award-winning film “Love Free or Die” in West Seattle next week. St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church plans a screening, followed by a community forum on marriage equality, at 6:30 pm Thursday, August 9th. Read on for the invitation:Read More
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes this evening. First, a burglary today at Melissa‘s home:
At around 2 PM this afternoon our house at 36th AVE SW and Cloverdale was broken into. Our window at the side of our house was lifted and then shattered. The intruders had gloves on; when the officer dusted for prints there were only prints from gloves and the officer suspects there were at least two intruders based on his findings. Luckily for us as soon as they set off our motion detector off the alarm sounded and they left our house through our front door, leaving it wide open. The police did respond within 30 minutes. I am not sure what more we can do to protect our home short of getting a guard dog; we have an alarm, an alarm sign in the front of the house that is clearly visible and a smaller dog. Please be on the lookout for suspicious activity or those that don’t belong in our neighborhood and call the police if you do see or suspect something.
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