West Seattle, Washington
05 Friday
After leaving from Alki Statue of Liberty Plaza just after 8 this morning, Don Wennerlind (front of photo) and more than a dozen friends are off on a 40-mile journey to a spot just south of Sumner in Pierce County.
Actually, 40 1/2 miles … 81 total round trip … which is important because today is Don’s 81st birthday, and for six years now, he tells us, he and a group of friends have celebrated by biking the number of miles equal to his age. The first birthday ride, “there were three of us,” he told us at Alki this morning; today, as you see in the top photo, the entourage is closer to five times that. They know each other from spinning classes at the West Seattle Family YMCA (WSB sponsor), one participant explained. We heard about this from Clemens Pera, who knows Don as “Coach” – no wonder, since, as he explained, Don taught athletics for many years and “is one of the founding fathers of the Special Olympics.” Oh, one more thing: “Last year, (Don’s) biking prowess included riding the STP, his birthday ride, and a senior race, which he won, all in a week and a half.”
(Canoes on the shore of the Salish Sea, photographed just after 8 this morning)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
TRIBAL JOURNEY RESUMES: The canoes that landed at Alki Wednesday afternoon as part of this year’s Tribal Journey are set to head back out sometime between now and 10, according to a security guard we talked to at the beach this morning.
TUNNEL FORUM: Bring your questions/answers about Seattle Referendum 1 – the tunnel-related measure on the August 16 ballot – to the West Seattle High School Theater tonight, 6-7:30, for what may be the only forum in the city dedicated just to this issue. Presented by the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce and hosted by its board chair Dave Montoure, with 2 panelists from each side, discussion and audience Q/A moderated by WSB editor Tracy Record.
METRO’S FUTURE: Bring your comments about the proposed $20/year fee and/or the threatened service cuts to the last of three public hearings before King County Council members, 6 pm, Burien City Council chambers (4th and 152nd) – here’s our preview.
SHOP LATE THURSDAY: Another edition of Shop Late Thursdays in The Junction, till 9 pm; the list of participating businesses can be seen here.
CAMP LONG ADVISORY COUNCIL: You’re invited to bring park concerns/questions to this meeting, park lodge, 7 pm (more info here)
ALKI COUNCIL: Alki Community Council meeting, 7 pm, Alki UCC, agenda items including this weekend’s Alki Art Fair
‘THE TEMPEST,’ OUTDOORS: GreenStage’s 23rd Season of Shakespeare in the Park kicks off its West Seattle presence at Lincoln Park with “The Tempest”, directed by Michael D. Blum begins at 7 pm (both nights).
LIVE MUSIC: Gin Creek plays blues, rock, and Americana at The Poggie Tavern (4717 California SW), 9:30 – 11:30 pm. … Dvod, Olive Juice, and Werebearcat! at Skylark Café and Club (WSB sponsor, 3803 Delridge Way SW), starting at 9 pm ($5 cover) …
Both of West Seattle’s major community meetings on Wednesday night tackled the topic of Metro Transit‘s potential cuts. In our video above, County Councilmember Joe McDermott talked about it at the joint meeting of the Southwest and Delridge Neighborhoods District Councils in High Point, listing the West Seattle routes that Metro says are doomed if either the County Council or voters don’t agree to a $20/year fee to cover its budget gap. McDermott has said he’ll vote for the fee, but if five fellow councilmembers don’t do the same (so far, four have committed), it won’t take effect without voter approval.
Concurrently Wednesday night, at the Morgan Community Association meeting at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), a Metro rep who was there mostly to talk about West Seattle RapidRide – still scheduled to debut in September 2012 – began with a recap of the fee-or-cuts situation. The proposed fee is scheduled to go to a County Council vote next Monday, she said, but first, the last of three public hearings on Metro’s future is tonight (Thursday) at Burien City Council Chambers (4th SW/SW 152nd), and there’s some talk that it could draw hundreds, as did the previous hearing, last week at the County Council chambers downtown.
If you haven’t been to one of the hearings and can’t make it to this one, you can still officially send a comment on Metro’s future and what you would like to see – use this form on the county website.
Another round of reminders about big events this weekend (besides The Parade) …
Late-in-the-day rain canceled last weekend’s West Seattle Outdoor Movies opening night (“Ferris Bueller” is rescheduled for August 27th), but so far things look good for THIS Saturday, when “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” is planned for the courtyard screen next to Hotwire Online Coffeehouse (WSB sponsor, 4410 California SW). Movie’s at dusk; free, but bring a few dollars for concessions and a raffle, both benefiting nonprofits, and of course bring your own blanket/chair. It’ll be a great followup to whatever you spend Saturday doing – maybe first the parade, then an afternoon at the beach, full of art and music:
That’s the MoodSwings Jazz Band, scheduled as the first of 29 music acts on the schedule for the two-day Alki Art Fair this Saturday and Sunday. Music starts at 10 o’clock both mornings, continuing till 8:30 pm on Saturday and 7:15 pm Sunday – two stages, so it’s pretty much nonstop. Other activities – besides admiring and buying art! – include a chance for kids to help create a composite mural, with Charley Danner (who facilitated a different round of painting with kids during a CoolMom event at Alki earlier this year) – Art Fair organizers say each participating child “will be given a space on the mural to create a painting.”
As an Alki Art Fair co-sponsor, we’d love to see you at the beach both days this weekend, but here’s something else we’re also co-sponsoring that’s worth taking a break to be part of on Sunday:
It’s WestSide Baby‘s big “Stuff the Bus” diaper-drive day this Sunday. Your diaper donation counts extra, because if WS Baby gets 50,000 diapers, that’ll mean 100,000 more donated by Huggies. Don’t forget that the location has changed – go to Viking Bank (40th/Alaska) on the east side of The Junction, 10 am-2 pm on Sunday, to drop off your diaper donation!
*** More weekend previews later today…***
The “no parking” signs are up, looking ahead to Saturday, when the American Legion Post 160-presented West Seattle Grand Parade will not only close California from Admiral to Edmunds (the parade starts a block south of Admiral, at Lander), but also will restrict parking on that stretch and some side streets near the start of the parade route, starting at 7 am. There’s one big difference this year – Post 160 had to pay thousands of dollars for signage that the city used to handle, so community sponsors have pitched in, and you’ll see them acknowledged in big new banners. But otherwise, parade coordinators told us at the official pre-parade lineup meeting (that’ll be a separate preview story!) that the restrictions are pretty much the same as in years past, and if your street is affected, the signs are now in place (the one in our photo is at the start of the route by Lafayette Elementary). The pre-parade staging also is minus the former back parking lot of Admiral Safeway, but some of the vehicles that used to queue up there, like convertibles with Hi-Yu Senior Court candidates, aren’t a factor this year since the competition has moved to the fall (you’ll still see current royalty on the Hi-Yu “Sparkling Seattle” float). So who IS in the parade, you ask? Some old favorites, and new additions – more on that tomorrow! It all starts at 11 am Saturday, southbound on California from Lander to Edmunds (here’s the map),
(Photo courtesy Debra Herbst, taken @ Seacrest this evening)
We hear the West Seattle Water Taxi is getting a sizable turnout for its extended service tonight with two big events downtown. Checking its website, we noticed ridership stats are published for the first half of this year – here’s the screengrab of the table:
It should be noted that the first two months of 2010 (April and May – year-round service didn’t start till 2011) were reported as significantly down from the year before; we are still checking the archives for other longer-term comparisons.
4 PM: We’ve confirmed another business has signed up to move into the new retail building on the northwest side of the new Admiral Safeway site: Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt, which sells self-serve fro-yo and toppings. They are Los Angeles-based and internationally franchised, with only one other location in the Seattle city limits right now, on Queen Anne, but another coming to University Village. We’re awaiting comment from company HQ for additional details (such as, estimated opening), but one point of note from the Menchie’s website — it appears the Western Washington shops they have right now are all open till fairly late at night, 10 or 11 pm. That’s the second tenant publicly confirmed for the new retail building; first one, as reported here in April, is Umpqua Bank.
5:10 PM: Just added a photo of the under-construction building where Menchie’s and Umpqua (and other/s) will be located. A Menchie’s spokesperson tells WSB they expect to be open in September.
Thanks to Pat for the photo taken in Westwood, 8600 block of 31st SW, where neighbors wondered what brought out so many Seattle Police cars as well as King County Sheriff’s Office deputies. SPD told us it was a KCSO case; sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. John Urquhart says they were trying to arrest someone on a county warrant for second-degree assault: “He didn’t want to come out so we talked to him for a while and then went in and got him.”
We received this announcement from the organizers of the Water and Spirit Bike Ride:
We are excited to let you know about the 4th Annual Water and Spirit Bike Ride! This year the ride will start and finish at Salty’s on Alki! This event is coordinated by St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church, West Seattle.
*4th Annual Water and Spirit Bike Ride*
Date:
Saturday, August 13, 2011 @ 7:00 AMStart and Finish:
West Seattle
1936 Harbor Ave SW, Salty’s on Alki BeachOnline Registration (closes Friday, August 12, 2011 @ 9:00 PM)
Brief Description:
Get ready to Ride! Mark the date on your calendar now for this spectacular ride on Puget Sound beginning and ending at Salty’s on Alki Beach, in West Seattle. The 40 mile ride includes three ferry crossings, a farmers market and some of the finest scenery in the Northwest. Ride registrations and sponsorships raise funds for Family Promise of Seattle and Scholastic Journey.Registration Fees:
Adult $30.00
Family $50.00
Youth or Student $20.00 (Age 16 and older) Child $10.00 (Under age 16 riding with registered Adult)Registration and Bib Pick Up:
6:15am – 8:30am
At Salty’s on Alki BeachCash or Check:
Please bring cash or check if you plan to register on the day of the ride.Ride Start:
Participants check in and begin ride at Salty’s on Alki Beach.
Start ride by 6:30am to take first ferry to Bremerton.
Start ride by 7:30am to take second ferry to BremertonFerries leave Seattle Terminal at 7:35am and 8:30am.
The Ride:
Salty’s to Seattle Ferry Terminal 5 miles. (ride time 30-45 minutes)
Bremerton Ferry crossing time 60 minutes.
Bremerton Loop 14.25 miles. (ride time 40-90 minutes)
Kitsap Transit Foot Ferry crossing time 15 minutes.
Lunch and relax at the Port Orchard Farmers Market
Route to Southworth Ferry 13.5 miles. (ride time 45-120 minutes)
Southworth Ferry to Fauntleroy crossing time 30 minutes.
West Seattle beach ride to Salty’s on Alki 7.5 miles. (ride time 30-45 minutes)Ride Finish:
The finish line is at Salty’s! Celebrate, share ride stories, enjoy the view and refresh!Additional Information:
This is an organized fun-ride to support local non profits, take in beautiful scenery, laugh with friends and enjoy a fantastic day of biking around Puget Sound. All ferry rides are included with registration. Come join us and help make this years ride a ride to remember!!Register online today on the 2011 Water and Spirit Ride website.
Please share this event with your friends! :) Thank you for your support!
1:59 PM: This afternoon on Alki (thanks to Dan for the tip!), the Blue Heron Canoe landed ahead of other tribal canoes that are expected as part of this year’s Tribal Journey, in which Native Americans from all over the Northwest are canoeing to a rendezvous hosted by the Swinomish in the La Conner area of Skagit County. Michael (didahalqid) Evans of the Snohomish skippers the Blue Heron (and can be heard, according to tradition, asking for permission to land). The rest of the Blue Heron’s itinerary is listed on its website. Other canoes are expected at Alki — as reported here, Linda Blackinton shared news of the Samish‘s plans to launch from here tomorrow morning — so if you’d like to see them, keep an eye on the beach (we will too).
5:17 PM UPDATE: Just went back to Alki, and as of around an hour ago, we counted 15 canoes:
Journey participants are all expected to join the Swinomish next Monday.
7:08 PM UPDATE: Alki photographer David Hutchinson shared photos from the canoes’ arrival:
ADDED THURSDAY MORNING: While at Alki for a different story early today, we asked the security officer guarding the canoes when they were scheduled to take off. “Between 9 and 10” was his reply.
n discussion following last Thursday night’s late-night incident at Camp Long, which led to the 
IFriday morning SWAT situation outside a Delridge home (our most recent followup is here, including the full police narrative), members of the park’s Advisory Council suggested those with questions/concerns should come to the council’s next meeting. And now, David Kipnis sends word that the meeting is tomorrow (Thursday) night, 7 pm. He says the agenda will include a discussion of the incident. The meeting will be at the Camp Long Lodge (city photo at right), where the advisory council meets every third Thursday, all welcome.
12:25 PM: The 48th Avenue SW straightaway through Seaview toward Genesee is about to get bumpier – on purpose. SDOT confirms that the four sets of speed bumps – one per block between SW Graham and SW Brandon – are scheduled to be installed today, in the places where the road was recently painted (as shown in our Tuesday photo above) to show their planned placement. According to SDOT’s Rick Sheridan, “There will be a total of 16 cushions installed – four from curb to curb on each of the four blocks. The speed cushions are designed to calm traffic while still allowing buses and emergency vehicles to maneuver without difficulty. We plan to carry out the installation today, however, the department is still awaiting the delivery of materials needed for the work.”
5:21 PM UPDATE: Went back to 48th SW to check:
We found an SDOT crew working on part of the road, but it looked like repairs, not installation. Maybe tomorrow.
One of the few things that will actually be settled by the August 16th ballot is Seattle Referendum 1 – since most of the ballot otherwise is comprised of primary races, narrowing candidate fields to the top two.
“Settled,” of course, is a relative term here.
Technically, Referendum 1 asks you to approve or reject Section 6 of City Ordinance 123542, related to Seattle’s role in the 99-tunnel plan. The “section” is what remains after a separate court fight.
Symbolically, it has been pointed out that this may be Seattleites’ only chance for a public vote on something related to the tunnel.
Or is it a potentially meaningless vote?
That’s part of what we’ll discuss at what appears to be the city’s only all-tunnel pre-election forum, happening right here on the peninsula tomorrow night, as the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce presents a public forum, moderated by your WSB editor, Thursday at 6 pm, West Seattle High School Theater. Two reps from each of the two major groups campaigning on the issue – pro-tunnel Let’s Move Forward and anti-tunnel Protect Seattle Now – will be there; you’ll have a chance to ask your question after the first round of opening statements and moderated discussion. Hope to see you there.
Tonight, you’ll find Cindi Barker at the quarterly meeting of the Morgan Community Association, in her role as information coordinator. Like many leadership positions in neighborhood councils, it’s an unsung-hero role – no glamour, no glory, no pay, lots of hard work. But last night, as much as she shies from the limelight anyway, Cindi was in it for a brief moment at intermission of the West Seattle Hi-Yu Concert in the Park, as West Seattle Grand Parade co-coordinator Dave Vague (above left) presented her with the Orville Rummel Trophy for Outstanding Service to the Community, which she’ll carry in Saturday’s parade:
We wrote about the award’s history last year, after WSB was announced as its 2010 recipient. Parade-hosting American Legion Post 160 has presented it each year since 1984, a half-century after its namesake, then-Post Commander Orville Rummel, founded in 1934 what was originally called the Hi-Yu Parade.
Cindi works as a manager in Boeing’s 777 program, and spends copious hours of her “free time” in community volunteer work. Perhaps her most visible current role is with West Seattle Be Prepared, the groundbreaking neighborhood-preparedness effort that for the past three-plus years has set the bar for other parts of the city, setting up volunteer-led “neighborhood hubs” that will help coordinate communication and calls for help if the unthinkable ever happens. Below, Cindi is at left with Sharonn Meeks during a “hub” drill last fall:
Cindi’s history as a volunteer in community service goes back more than a quarter-century, including advisory committees such as the citywide Parks Levy Oversight Committee and the local Southwest Precinct Advisory Committee, neighborhood-planning roles with the City Neighborhood Council as well as MoCA – a long list of committees and roles with detail-oriented work whose results will last for years – the roll-up-your-sleeves-and-dig-into-the-details work that is particularly unglamorous, since you can’t point to a specific project and say “I did that!” (not that Cindi would anyway). She also has worked with youth, mentoring the Robotics Club at Chief Sealth International High School for several years. And she helped found Boeing Women in Leadership almost a decade ago.
After she accepted the award last night, we asked for her reaction. “Very cool!” she said – then quickly adding, “Nothing happens without everyone else” – in other words, no matter what you’re coordinating or leading, you can’t do it unless there are others to pitch in. Exactly what you would expect to hear from Cindi, whom we first met when WSB began to focus on community news more than four years ago. She’s practical but also resolutely cheery, no matter how tough the task. So look for her winning smile toward the start of the parade route (California SW from Lander to Edmunds) on Saturday morning, starting at 11 am, and give her a cheer. The unsung heroes have so few chances to receive one. She’s been in the parade before – appropriately enough, with an entry honoring volunteers.
After the jump – the full list of Orville Rummel Trophy winners, from 1984 through Cindi:Read More
It’s sunny in Cheney! That’s where the West Seattle Little League 10-11 All-Stars are in the state championship tournament, and Lisa Stencel shared the photo with news that they’ve won their first two games and are playing again today. Good luck! Meantime, some of what else is happening today/tonight, from the WSB West Seattle Events calendar:
EVENING TRAFFIC ALERT: Tonight’s the night with the Sounders-Manchester U game plus the Katy Perry concert at KeyArena bringing tens of thousands of people into downtown – so if you need to get around, maybe consider leaving (or going to, if you work nights) work early. Here’s the official city advisory; and remember, the Water Taxi is running into the evening tonight.
TRIBAL JOURNEY CANOES: We learned earlier this week, as reported here, that some of the Tribal Journey canoes will paddle from Alki Beach on Thursday – but you may see some today, if “no parking” signs we noticed along the beach on Tuesday are accurate; they marked off a spot east of the bathhouse starting THIS morning and continuing into tomorrow.
NEED FACEBOOK HELP? “Basics of Facebook” class at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon St, also August 24th and 26th), 9:30 – 11:30 am. Cost $10 members, $15 non-members, per series. Prepayment required. Must have a valid e-mail address for class.
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: 2nd week of the High Point Market Garden Farm Stand, 4-7 pm, 32nd Ave SW and SW Juneau. This is a weekly Farm Stand selling seasonal fresh organically grown produce right in the garden where the produce is grown. Accepts Basic Food EBT cards. More details here; our story from last week is here.
KAYAK THE DUWAMISH: Tonight’s the next in a series of community tours of the Duwamish River, 5:30-8:30 pm. RSVP to Alki Kayak Tours (206) 953-0237. Tours cost $45 per person, plus a requested $5 donation per person to support Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition educational programs. All equipment, instructions, and guiding provided; children under 18 must be accompanied by parent/guardian. More info here; meet at Terminal 107 Port Park (4700 West Marginal Way SW).
HOME LOANS 101: FINANCING YOUR DREAM: Next in the series of free workshops sponsored by Savvy Seattle Women, Deanne Sposari, Senior Loan Officer for M & T Bank, will give you the latest information about how to obtain a home loan. Plenty of opportunity for Q & A during this casual, yet quick-paced workshop. Wed., July 20, 6 – 7:30 pm, Prudential Northwest Realty office in Jefferson Square, 4700 42nd Av SW, Suite 600. Attendees are encouraged to bring business cards and use this as an opportunity to network with other local business people and potential clients. Free refreshments, too!
COMMUNITY MEETING #1: Southwest District Council and Delridge District Council have their annual joint meeting, 7 pm at High Point Neighborhood Center, agenda includes potential Metro Transit cuts (with King County Councilmember Joe McDermott expected to speak), Highline Medical Group (WSB sponsor), and whether the Gathering of Neighbors will or won’t happen this year.
COMMUNITY MEETING #2: Morgan Community Association quarterly meeting, 7 pm, The Kenney, 7125 Fauntleroy Way SW. Agenda scheduled to include:
Rapid Ride Status
SDOT: Fauntleroy Expressway retrofit
Murray Pump Station update
Lifelong Recreation Advisory Council
West Seattle in Motion
Whale Trail
MoCA Bylaws Update
Candidates for City Council
Today (Wednesday) will be Day 3 of pre-jury-selection motions and other business in the murder trial of Bryce Huber and Brandon Chaney, two of the four men charged in the February 2009 West Seattle shooting death of Steve Bushaw. (The other two have pleaded guilty and are expected to testify.) Tuesday brought about two hours of courtroom activity. Big headline: Jury selection isn’t likely to start before Monday – among other things, all sides agreed that a new group of jurors is more likely to yield people who can stay through a trial that will last weeks rather than days. Superior Court Judge Joan DuBuque is asking for a pool of more than 60. Otherwise, evidence and motions were discussed on Tuesday afternoon, including cell-phone records for defendants and witnesses. Observed Huber’s lawyer Anthony Savage, “We have a three-page document here that’ll strike you blind if you try to read it.” Prosecutor Jeff Baird came with a sheaf of charts that apparently show timelines with arrows, horizontal lines, and photos, to help visualize the cell-phone trail. Then came the discussion of what evidence will be admissible – for example, the home-invasion robbery that is alleged to be the reason why Huber allegedly wanted Bushaw dead, and the marijuana dealing in which both were allegedly involved. Said prosecutor Baird: “I think everyone knows by now that marijuana is in a state of quasi-legality in Seattle, and other parts of the country, and does not rise to the level of crimes that require close police attention. I don’t think anyone would hold it against Mr. Huber or for that matter Mr. Bushaw that they happened to buy marijuana and sell it on a small scale to their acquaintances.” Proceedings are scheduled to resume at 9 this morning.
11:22 PM: Delridge is closed southbound in the 5900 block after a car hit parked cars and flipped. No major injuries reported.
11:48 PM: Added a photo. Neighbors say the parked car next to which the flipped car is seen is one of two cars it hit.
12:10 AM: WSB’s Christopher Boffoli talked to police; the driver did not have to be taken to the hospital. Police wouldn’t elaborate on the circumstances of the crash but were seen giving the driver a citation. Here’s what the car looked like after a tow truck righted it:
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
No word of any arrests yet, but the police report “narrative” from the Saturday night North Admiral stabbings is available online. Many details are redacted in the online copy – not just names but some places – which we are denoting below with asterisks. Read on:Read More
Only two weeks till this year’s Night Out Against Crime, Tuesday, August 2nd. Still time to register your block party so you can close the street, providing it’s not an arterial. Here’s where to sign up.. You can also check out the Night Out page on Facebook – find it here. And if you wouldn’t mind us stopping by your party as we travel around that night trying to get to as many as possible, please send us the address (here’s how to reach us) before party night, and let us know who to ask for! Also note the city is inviting people to map their parties by adding them to a calendar – this is the first time ever for that – once you’re in the calendar, there’s a map on the city Night Out page showing locations that have been added!
7:24 PM: If you’re not already among the 100 or so people here – c’mon over to Hiawatha’s east lawn. The West Seattle Big Band is playing what Jim Edwards quipped is the “Hi-Yu FALL Festival Concert in the Park” (added, that’s Jim with the mike in the center background, in the next photo):
And the program so far has included songs evocative of the weather, like “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” The concert’s scheduled to continue till about 8:30, and we’ve even seen sunbreaks. Bring a blanket to sit on and another one to wrap yourself in, and you’ll be fine (and a dollar for a Hi-Yu fundraising button – the royalty and volunteers are here). We’ll add more photos later as well as video.
ADDED EARLY WEDNESDAY: A sample of the sounds:
More outdoor music ahead for West Seattle this summer – even if you might need a sweater to enjoy it! – the Summer Concerts at Hiawatha series presented by the Admiral Neighborhood Association (co-sponsored by WSB) start July 28 (full schedule here), and Friday Night Summer Concerts at the Mount start August 5 (full schedule here). Back to Hi-Yu – cheer the float, royalty, and volunteers in this Saturday’s West Seattle Grand Parade, 11 am, California SW from Lander to Edmunds.
7:19 PM: Thanks to those who tipped us (206-293-6302, voice or text any time) about a big police presence at the Super 24 on Delridge within the past hour. Police at the scene tell us there was a report of a road-rage incident, involving someone waving or pointing a gun out of a car. They pulled over the suspect; no injuries reported.
ADDED 12:19 AM: Here are more details in a summary published on SPD Blotter:
On July 19th, just after 4:30 PM, a 29 year old male suspect was involved in a traffic dispute with another driver. Both vehicles had just exited the West Seattle Bridge onto Delridge. The suspect raised a semi-auto handgun and pointed it at the victim. The victim fled and called 911. Officers responded but the suspect vehicle had left the area.
Just before 6:00 PM, an officer from the Southwest Precinct located the suspect vehicle, a black 1997 Mercedes Benz, at a gas station in the 5400 Block of Delridge Way SW, occupied by two males and a female. The occupants of the vehicle were taken into custody without incident. The suspect admitted to officers that there was a handgun in the driver’s door compartment and gave officers consent to search the vehicle. Officers recovered the 9mm pistol, a loaded magazine, and a box of ammunition. The 29 year old suspect was arrested and booked into the King County Jail for Investigation of Harassment. The other occupants were identified and released.
Charges have just been filed against the man who police thought was inside a Delridge home last Friday morning, leading to hours of SWAT-team presence that all traced back to an incident at Camp Long on Thursday night. 
20-year-old Jory Lee Preston is charged with two counts of domestic-violence assault, one 2nd degree and one 4th degree. The charging documents refer to two incidents: First, the Thursday night incident in which he allegedly pointed a gun at his 17-year-old ex-girlfriend; and also, the previous Monday (July 11th), Preston is accused of “confront(ing) the victim at a park in West Seattle, angry with her that she was hanging out with other guys. He grabbed her and attempted to force her into his vehicle and threatened to push her in front of a moving vehicle.” He had been held on $100,000 bail, but prosecutors are asking to have that raised to $250,000, saying in the documents, “The gun in the July 14, 2011, incident was not recovered, but when the SWAT Team made entrance into his residence they recovered a rifle, a loaded revolver and a shotgun and shotgun ammunition, and a large knife. In February 2011, the Seattle Police Department responded to a 911 report that the defendant had threatened to kill his step-father. According to the police report, when police responded to the scene, they took the defendant into custody and … recovered several firearms from his bedroom.” The probable-cause section of the charging documents, based on the police report, say that Preston and the victim broke up last March, and say that the July 11th incident happened at Me-Kwa-Mooks on Beach Drive, but was not reported to SPD until that afternoon. The charging documents also include an extensive account of how police say events unfolded at Camp Long and then during the SWAT presence at Preston’s Delridge residence; we will add that to this report a bit later – there are a lot of witness and victim names to excise. (Friday photo courtesy of Amanda)
ADDED 10:26 AM: The transcript of the “probable cause” narrative by police – we transcribed it from the documents that accompanied the charges filed yesterday, as they were not in a “cut-and-paste”-enabled format. Names aside from the charged person have been excised, as have addresses, license plate numbers and other identifying information. This begins with the Camp Long incident and carries through the overnight SWAT standoff, quoting those who were inside the house as saying they didn’t open up because they thought police would “go away”:Read More
(10:22 PM – 2 more photos, including SBX and stand-up paddleboarders!)
(Photo added 1:46 pm, courtesy of Toni)
As first reported here Monday morning, the Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX) that’s been so prominently visible from Harbor Island’s Vigor Shipyard for the past two months is making a short trip today. As scheduled, around 1 pm it headed out into Elliott Bay. It’s scheduled to be out for about six hours of testing while the floating offshore-drilling ship Kulluk is maneuvered into Vigor at the end of its long tow from Dutch Harbor, Alaska.
ADDED 2:29 PM: Kathy Olson shared this photo from Seacrest:
Our friends at MyBallard.com have photos of the Kulluk as it was under tow earlier. (added 3:11 pm) Here’s CL’s photo as the Kulluk rounded West Point into the bay:
We don’t have formal word on this, but one report we encountered while researching all this yesterday indicated that the work on the Kulluk is scheduled to take at least seven months. Meantime, SBX was expected to be out for at least six hours today, so if you want to see it out and about, you might get to see it moving back toward the shipyard before dark.
ADDED 6:22 PM: Thanks again to everyone who has been sharing photos of the sights at sea – again, SBX is NOT leaving permanently, it’s been here two months and was expected to be at Vigor at least three. First photo, WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand got a view of the Water Taxi with the SBX behind:
This one’s courtesy of Rebecca Nelson (editor of RavennaBlog.com but passing through via ferry):
Our original tip about these marine moves came from her. She also spotted a sailboat near a Coast Guard vessel enforcing the 500-yard keep-away-from-SBX zone:
Might add a few more later.
9:52 PM UPDATE: The SBX was still out in the bay when we passed by after the Hi-Yu concert, a little more than an hour ago. And we have this photo courtesy of Debra Herbst:
We believe those would be the Tuesday night stand-up paddleboarders from Alki Kayak Tours, with extra sights this evening.
ADDED 10:22 PM: David Hutchinson shares the view of the Kulluk in one of the late afternoon/early evening sunbreaks:
As Shell told WSB in a statement yesterday, they hope to use the Kulluk to drill in the Beaufort Sea next year, off Alaska’s northeasternmost coast.
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