West Seattle, Washington
22 Friday
2:06 PM: We first noticed that visible water flow late in the day yesterday, bubbling from a drain at Westwood Village – more like what you’d see during a storm, but of course, the weather remains dry. It’s resulted in the taping off of part of the south-side east/west drive, just east of Target/Game Stop/Ross. We went back at midday today and it’s still taped off, with the water flow continuing, so we’ve contacted Seattle Public Utilities to find out if they’re aware of the problem and if repairs are planned. Meantime, you’ll have to detour around it if you’re driving to/at WWV.
4 PM: SPU spokesperson Ingrid Goodwin tells WSB, “SPU crews were dispatched this afternoon to check out the running water. They determined that the leak is not coming from the City’s pipe, but rather is the result of a leak on private property.” So that means it’s up to the center to fix.
12:15 PM: That was the traffic-camera view a few minutes ago as a collision response blocked northbound Delridge north of the Genesee intersection. This was dispatched as a pedestrian hit by a driver. We haven’t heard anything about the pedestrian’s condition so we’re headed to the scene to try to find out more.
12:20 PM: NB Delridge traffic is being diverted onto WB Genesee, and officers just told dispatch that this will last “for a while.”
12:30 PM: Contrary to that, our crew has been told the street will be reopened shortly – though there’s compounding trouble on the southbound side in the same area (bus-lane repair). The pedestrian, described as an “adult male,” was taken to a hospital for “observation.” No other information on circumstances.
12:46 PM: The northbound lane has reopened. Because of the construction on the southbound side, one northbound lane is being used for southbound traffic.
1:44 PM: SFD says the pedestrian is 87 years old; our contact is waiting for info from the medic-unit crew on his condition when transported. … (Added) SFD says he was in stable condition when taken to the hospital.
This weekend is relatively quiet in West Seattle, but next weekend has big events, highlighted by Alki Beach Pride on Sunday, August 20th. This year for the first time, a street closure is part of the plan, and permit conditions require an advance reminder to the community, so we’re helping get that out. The official notice is here. The street closure will be on Alki Avenue SW from Marine to 60th; the festival will run noon to 7 pm, but the closure will start earlier – with morning setup – and end later – with evening breakdown,
(Photo by Jon Anderson)
Before we get to the weekend – here are highlights for today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar!
GARDEN CENTER OPEN: Need more plants for your garden, containers, etc.? You can shop at the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) Garden Center, open with a wide variety of student-grown plants, until 2 pm. (North end of campus, 6000 16th SW)
SPRAYPARK OPEN: 11 am-8 pm daily, Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) is open daily.
SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS: Here’s the list of local sites where free food is available for kids on weekdays this summer, 11:30 am-1 pm lunch, 2-3 pm snacks.
DELRIDGE AND HIAWATHA WADING POOLS OPEN: Noon-5:30 pm. (4501 Delridge Way SW and 2700 California SW)
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
COLMAN POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm on the shore at Lincoln Park; session schedule here.
CHERRY CONSIGNMENT ANNIVERSARY: This business on the north side of The Junction is celebrating 14 years! Celebration continues through Monday. Open noon-5 today. (4142 California SW)
SCRABBLE CLUB: You’re invited to play 12:30-1:30 pm at Margie’s Café inside the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon).
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: 1-6 pm on the north side of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), student-produced wine by the glass or bottle.
VISCON CELLARS: Tonight’s your next chance to visit Viscon Cellars (WSB sponsor) for wine by the glass or bottle, 5-9 pm (5910 California SW).
KIDS’ NIGHT OUT: Outer Space Seattle (2820 Alki SW) offers a three-hour drop-off, ticketed event for kids 3 to 12, starting at 5:30 pm – more in our calendar listing.
DRAG COCKTAIL HOUR: 6 pm, 21+, at The Locol (7902 35th SW) – meet the queens and kings of Kenyon Hall Cabaret (see below) before the show.
MUSIC AT THE MOUNT: Uodate: Providence says this year’s series is just for residents and family members, not the general public.
COFFEEHOUSE MUSIC: Songwriters’ Showcase at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm.
KENYON HALL CABARET: All-ages drag show, 7 pm. (7904 35th SW)
SILENT DISCO AT ALKI: Dance like nobody can hear you (because they can’t)! 7:30 pm, Statue of Liberty Plaza. (61st/Alki)
SUMMER SUNSET SOUND BATH: 7:30 pm at Solstice Park (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW), $35.
LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Room 13, Ritual Killing, Beltline, Dulzura, doors 7:30 pm, music 8 pm at The Skylark – $20-$25 sliding. (3803 Delridge Way SW).
Something to add to our calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Two items too big for the WSB Lost/Found (non-pets) page:
BIKE: From Louie: “Bike found on SW Dakota near 46th Ave SW. Looking for the owner of a one-speed child’s bike. Huffy brand. Call me and identify it. Louie 206-962-1140” (Yes, Louie has checked Bike Index, and is canvassing the neighborhood too.)
BARBECUE GRILL: Tona found this on Thursday:
This barbecue grill (was) in the middle of the street on 46th and Alaska. Wondering if it fell off somebody’s moving truck or if it was stolen and dumped? There is even a roll of paper towels!
It’s since been moved out of the street and its next stop will be “the dump” if not claimed.
6:04 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, August 11th, going into a relatively quiet weekend, at least with regard to planned events …
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
“Becoming sunny,” high in the mid-70s. Today’s sunrise was at 6 am; sunset will be at 8:28 pm.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro – regular schedule – check here for advisories.
Water Taxi – regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service. Check Vessel Watch to see where the boats are.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge – east-end vicinity:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
Thanks to Becky M for that photo of the sky as seen from Alki tonight. We asked @WestSeaWX what type of cloud formation the photo shows. The reply: “A nice comfy blanket of altocumulus clouds.” If you’ve been wishing for a clear sky and warmer temperatures instead, forecasters say you have just a few days to wait, and next week might even bring 90-ish-degree highs.
Three biznotes, all for new West Seattle businesses:
(Photo courtesy The 1994)
THE 1994: Just got email today from the proprietors of this new salon/spa, which has opened in the new South Delridge mixed-use building at 8854 Delridge Way SW. Hanna and Ivy plan an August 19th grand-opening event for The 1994. Hanna, who’s lead aesthetician, tells WSB, “I have worked locally in West Seattle for the last 7 years. I was previously at Flourish Beauty and Spruce Apothecary in West Seattle.” Ivy is lead hair stylist and “was at Cedarhouse in Queen Anne before this. We do haircuts (specializing in curly and coily hair) and color in the salon, and the spa offers holistic skin-care services, hair removal, and lash and brow enhancement services.” Their celebration on August 19th will be 4-8 pm.
NEW STORE: A liquor-license application shows a proposal for a new mini-market in the commercial building at 7356 35th Avenue SW, under the name 35th Local Mart, for a “grocery store (with) beer and wine.” We haven’t yet reached the potential proprietors, but the intersection has had a small food/beverage store before – this is on the northeast corner of 35th/Webster, across from the future GH Pasta & Pizza space that was once John’s Corner Deli.
INDUSTRIOUS FITNESS FOLLOWUP: Last Friday we reported that Industrious is coming to the ex-Village Woodworks space in The Junction, almost five months after we first noted a fitness studio was planned there. We sent an inquiry to the company and franchise owner Bret replied. Our big question – what style of fitness? “All class participants get a dedicated workout station for the entire class. We call the station ‘The Halo’ and the system has Patent Pending with the USPTO. Industrious believes in Functional Fitness, commonly known as CrossFit, and that is at the core of our programming ideology. As an example, on certain days, people can expect to do a lift like Back Squats followed by a CrossFit workout, and on other days participants can expect to do Bench Press, followed by interval training with dumbbells, barbells, boxes, and kettlebells. On other days, it might be a long sweaty interval piece on rowers, runners, and bikes.” Bret lives in West Seattle and says he previously founded, owned, and operated a Crossfit studio in the Chelan area, then moved to Seattle and worked for Industrious; now he’s its first franchise owner. “Our grand-opening date is scheduled for November 1, 2023 – and our permit was issued by the City in late July. We are starting construction in Mid-August. We plan to hold class workouts on our grand-opening day and then hold an afterparty somewhere on the block (location TBD) to get to know each other and celebrate the milestone.”
(Rendering by Mahlum Architects – north side of school)
4 PM: The ruling is just in on the appeal of seven of the nine zoning exceptions (“departures”) sought by Seattle Public Schools for the rebuild of Alki Elementary. City assistant hearing examiner Susan Drummond, who heard the case July 25th (WSB coverage here), denied the appeals of six of the exceptions – but granted the appeal on arguably the most fervently argued point, the plan to rebuild and expand the school with no off-street parking. From the 11-page decision:
The Appellants met their burden to demonstrate that the impacts the neighborhood would bear from no on-site parking has not been sufficiently considered in relation to the site’s unique and constrained conditions. Appellants also met their burden to demonstrate that it is not necessary to eliminate all parking to meet educational needs. The approach exacerbates the difficult parking and circulation issues already present in the immediate area even without the expansion. The parking analysis was completed during an extraordinary time-period that does not reflect current or expected conditions. This issue should be revisited, with further thought given to how to improve the balance between school needs against the parking and circulation challenges the area faces.
As the appellants – four nearby residents – pointed out (and is also noted in the decision), Alki’s parking crunch is so intense, the area has a city-imposed “parking overlay” in which one and a half spaces must be provided for every residential unit built.
So what happens now? The decision concludes, “The decision is returned to the Department for proceedings consistent with the Examiner’s decision.” That would be the Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI), whose original decision to grant the nine requested zoning exceptions is what was appealed (two of the nine – the new school’s height and a driveway configuration issue – were no longer at issue at the time of the hearing). We’ll be following up with SDCI and other parties.
6:07 PM: We asked the appellants via email for their thoughts. This is from Shauna Causey:
We were up against lawyers hired by Seattle Public Schools and it felt like an impossible situation but in the end, I’m glad the hearing examiner listened to the community.
I started an online petition before the hearing and 492 people responded in just 48 hours asking they reconsider the plan to remove ALL on-site parking. Some of the comments from the petition were shared during the hearing. From elderly who live near the school who have already had a tough time with ambulances reaching them, families with special needs who use ADA parking, to bus drivers, teachers, and parents at Alki Elementary who are frustrated, to seal sitters who help on the beach who felt like they could no longer volunteer if the accessibility and parking situation gets any worse. The community response and personal stories and comments were truly overwhelming.
Right now, most teachers have parking on-site. The new plan would come close to doubling staff (from current staff numbers) with zero parking — all just one block from the beach. It’s hard to believe this plan was even approved in the first place.
9:22 PM: Here’s context on how much parking would be required without a zoning exception – another section of today’s ruling, which refers to some of the evidence and testimony presented:
The code requires 48 parking spaces. With the removal of all on-site parking, the School is proposing no parking. Current on-site parking allows for over 20 parking spaces and the lot is “always completely full” with the parking space “well used.” As the striping is old, there is not an exact parking space number. This parking is coupled with a space to the north (but owned by the City) which can accommodate about 27 vehicles and is used for school events.
A paved surface with room to park about 20 vehicles is located on the south side of the school buildings and is accessed from a driveway at the south edge of the site on 59th Avenue SW. Much of the parking lot striping has faded, but historical aerial images indicate the area has been used for parking 20 or more vehicles. This area is also used for trash and recycling container storage and pick up.
The hard-surface area north of the building is City of Seattle Property … but is also used for school-event parking. Historical aerials indicate the surface can accommodate about 27 parked vehicles.
Public school parking requirements are based on new assembly space (commons and gymnasium) rather than daily school day demand, so do not necessarily account for day-to-day needs. For Alki, the calculation is based on the 3,800 square feet of dining commons and excludes the 6,000 gym square foot gym as total gym space is not being increased.14 If included, 123 spaces would be required. For private schools without assembly space, one space per each staff member would be required (75 spaces).
We’ll be contacting SDCI and SPS tomorrow to find out about what will happen next as a result of today’s ruling.
ADDED FRIDAY AFTERNOON: SPS says only, “The district is reviewing the ruling.” (We’ll check again next week.)
Thanks to Brian for the tip: The Solstice Park tennis courts will be resurfaced soon. And that work will include adding pickleball lines to three of the six courts. Though the work was scheduled to start next week, Parks tells us the start date may slide because, “The contractor who will doing this project is currently working on resurfacing the courts at Volunteer Park, which has been delayed some this week due to the change in the weather. It has to be dry for the surfacing to dry or cure properly between the layers of color.” Once the Volunteer Park work is complete, Parks says, then the Solstice Park work can begin. Meantime, regarding the plan to add pickleball stripes to three of the courts: “It will be the north three courts so that the Lock Box we plan to install will be easily accessed from the north court gate. We will be purchasing 6 temporary nets there to be used at Solstice Park.”
P.S. While researching this, we noted that the city is still proceeding with a plan to add “dedicated pickleball sites,” including Hiawatha; while that plan suggested there would be community “engagement” this month about that, Parks told us it’s now more likely to happen this fall.
You have probably heard about the deadly wildfires on the island of Maui, with at least 36 people reported dead so far. (Check the Honolulu Star-Advertiser here for the latest.) Here’s one way you can help survivors: Marination restaurants will sell “Musubi for Maui” this weekend (August 12-13) at all locations, including Marination Ma Kai at Seacrest (1660 Harbor SW). All proceeds from the sale of $4.50 musubi this weekend will go to the Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement Match Fund and the Maui Rapid Response Mutual Aid Fund. (Anybody else fundraising to help with this disaster in Hawai’i? Please let us know!)
With the final Environmental Impact Statement – and final routing/station-location decisions – for West Seattle light rail expected next year, Sound Transit continues with field work. We don’t always get advance notice, but ST has sent word of a new round that’s about to start on the north end of the West Duwamish Greenbelt:
Starting as early as Monday, August 14, Sound Transit plans to conduct up to three geotechnical borings on the W Duwamish Greenbelt, a City of Seattle greenspace located between the Pigeon Point neighborhood and the West Seattle Bridge (see map).
Sound Transit is in the planning phase for the West Seattle Link Extensions project. This work, along with other investigations throughout the project corridor, is necessary to plan and design potential light rail alignments being studied in the environmental review process.
To study soil and groundwater conditions, a drill rig is used to bore vertically into the ground while collecting soil samples. Following the collection of soil samples, a monitoring device is installed which will be used by crews to monitor water levels on future visits. Water level readings will be taken every few months as the design phase progresses. In accordance with all local regulations, the 4- to 12- inch diameter borings will be installed carefully to avoid soil erosion and dirt or mud from leaking into surface waters, wetlands, and drainage systems. Following the completion of the work, any exposed soil will be reseeded with a native seed mix.
The ST alert (see it here) says this work will be complete by Monday, September 11, with all work to be done weekdays, between 7 am and 5 pm, no road closures expected, though the bike/pedestrian path might be closed “intermittently” for up to 15 minutes at a time while they’re moving equipment.
This comes as ST has been asking some property owners for access to their property for other field work. We heard from some residents who were concerned about what would happen if they refused to grant access to ST, and also whether the field work locations indicated some decisionmaking prior to the final EIS’s release. We took those questions to ST spokesperson Rachelle Cunningham, who replied:
We ask for permission to enter properties in the project corridor to gather information necessary for the environmental review and design of the alternatives we are studying. The fieldwork data informs the development and analysis of alternatives being studied in the environmental review process and helps us better understand the conditions of the land as well as any potential impacts the project could have on the built and natural environment.
The right of entry requests are voluntary, so it is up to the property owner whether they want to sign. If we don’t receive an agreement from a property owner, we will look to gather information from the public right-of-way.
We’re conducting fieldwork throughout the project area. It is possible that we have not yet contacted some properties that we may contact in the future. If any property owner or tenant has questions about potential impacts to their property, we encourage them to reach out to our team at wsblink@soundtransit.org and we will schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss their property in relation to the current design.
It’s been a year since the Sound Transit Board voted on a “preferred alignment” for West Seattle, with the light-rail line now planned to open in 2032, after five years of construction. At the most recent public briefing in West Seattle, at May’s WS Transportation Coalition meeting, ST reps said the final EIS would be out no sooner than the second quarter of 2024.
Tonight’s major events include the West Seattle Art Walk, with The Art of Music. Here’s the venue map/list for this month:
To see which artists are featured, and who’s having receptions, go here. Hours vary by venue but generally start as early as 5 pm and continue as late as 9 pm.
This month again features The Art of Music, free performances 6-7:45 pm at three venues: Epiphany of Time in The Junction in front of KeyBank (SW corner of California/Alaska), MoonGirl in the Admiral District at Soprano’s Antico Pizza and Pasta (2348 California SW), and Natalie Paige in Morgan Junction at Whisky West (6451 California SW). For more about that, go here.
Another big event tonight:
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS REGIONAL COMMUNITY MEETING: As we’ve been reporting, the district is beginning a process that’s expected to lead to school closures/consolidations to deal with a budget deficit and declining enrollment. This month it’s having regional community meetings to define “well-resourced schools,” and tonight’s the meeting for West Seattle and South Park, 6 pm in the commons at Madison Middle School (3429 45th SW). Here’s our report from yesterday on how the Tuesday “central region” meeting – identically formatted, says SPS – went.
Also happening today/tonight:
GLASS FLOAT HUNT: As of late last night, seven remain to be found, and then the other 50 will be hidden in time for the second round of searching to start Saturday morning. (Backstory here.)
UNDERSTANDING MEDICARE: 11 am presentation at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon).
SPRAYPARK OPEN: Daily operations continue through Labor Day at Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale), 11 am-8 pm.
SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS: Here’s the list of local sites where free food is available for kids on weekdays this summer, 11:30 am-1 pm lunch, 2-3 pm snacks.
HIAWATHA WADING POOL OPEN: Noon-5:30 pm. (2700 California SW)
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
COLMAN POOL OPEN: Also at Lincoln Park, noon-7 pm – here’s the schedule of sessions.
DROP-IN ASSISTANCE: Neighborhood House has resources to help with a variety of things – noon-1:30 pm today, drop in to talk about transportation and passports. (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com to see where they’re playing today.
THURSDAY FOOD-TRUCK POP-UP: 4-8 pm at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW), Home Bites will be visiting.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: Also at HP Corner Store, meet up at 6:30 pm for a 3-mile run!
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at The Good Society (California/Lander) at 6 pm for a 3-mile run – more in our calendar listing.
THURSDAY NIGHT CORNHOLE: Go play at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW), 7 pm.
Look ahead any time with our calendar!
(File photo, courtesy Flutes in the Forest)
Before we get to what’s up for today/tonight, here’s a “set your calendar” note – Flutes in the Forest is returning this year! Here’s the announcement we received to share with you:
FLUTES IN THE FOREST continues in 2023 with free outdoor classical music concerts. Enjoy the sounds of the JBC Rose Flute Trio on Saturday afternoon, August 19, from 2:00-3:00 pm in Schmitz Park. Jennie Goldberg, Barb Cotton, and Carolyn Hoppe-Denend will play classical music from various eras as well as arrangements of popular tunes.
Bring your own chair or blanket; stay as long as you’d like. Enter Schmitz Park off SW Admiral Way and SW Stevens Way. Walk the paved road 300 feet to the sound of flutes in the forest. Plenty of street parking along SW Stevens.
6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, August 10th.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Mostly sunny, high in the mid-70s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:58 am; sunset will be at 8:30 pm.
NEW SPEED CUSHIONS
On SW Thistle near Chief Sealth International High School.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro – regular schedule – check here for advisories.
Water Taxi – regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service. Check Vessel Watch to see where the boats are.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also up at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low Bridge – east-end vicinity:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
11:52 PM: Police have reported finding at least two shell casings so far while checking out 911 calls about gunfire north of Lincoln Park. One caller near 47th and Othello reported seeing shots fired, dispatch told officers. No reports of any injuries so far, and we haven’t heard a description of vehicle(s)/person(s) involved.
12:02 AM: Police just told dispatch they’ve found nine 9mm casings.
4:15 PM: SPD summary adds the detail that a witness reported seeing “a speeding white ‘boxy’ SUV.” If you have any information for police, the case number is 23-228204.
Right next to Constellation Park/Charles Richey Viewpoint is a bit of public land that’s actually separate – known as Shoreline Street End #7, technically the end of SW Spokane Street. Volunteers are invited to join in restoration work there this Saturday morning – here’s the invitation:
A community effort supported by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and Friends of Street Ends to restore approximately 11,000 square feet of right-of-way for shoreline access, views, and habitat: The project is located at Shoreline Street End #7, SW Spokane St, in West Seattle (3555R Beach Dr SW). The site is one of 141 Shoreline Street Ends designated by Seattle City Council.
Goals
• Improve and maintain shoreline access and views
• Enhance shoreline habitat
• Build partnerships and encourage stewardship through community partnersWork party will focus on removing invasive plants, spreading mulch, installing new plantings
Work Party Dates
August 12th, 2023 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
Spokane St SWTo RSVP for Work Part!es:
seattle.gov/trees/events.html
206-615-1668 | TreeAmbassador@seattle.gov
6:46 PM WEDNESDAY: Police are asking for help finding that car. They say it was stolen from a man found shot to death near 1st/Walker in SODO around 3:30 am Tuesday. They said little about circumstances initially, but now say the 52-year-old victim was a ride-share driver, apparently killed in the process of a carjacking. And they said tonight that the car was seen in West Seattle shortly afterward (where in WS, they didn’t say, but we’re asking). The SPD update tonight says, “The vehicle is a light blue 2014 Toyota Prius with Washington license plates BEP3940. Also, the vehicle has one mismatched rim. All other rims are silver in color.” Call 911 if you see it.
ADDED FRIDAY: SPD has arrested a suspect, an 18-year-old woman taken into custody in South Lake Union on Thursday afternoon. We don’t yet know if she has a West Seattle link but will watch for documents in the case.
6:06 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a “water-rescue response” to the 3500 block of Beach Drive SW for what’s reported as possible sailboat trouble – a person reportedly outside their 12-to-14-foot sailboat trying to get back into it a few hundred yards offshore. SFD and SPD are responding by land and sea.
(Added: WSB photo)
6:10 PM: Some land responders are heading to the Fauntleroy ferry dock in case someone is rescued and needs to be brought to shore.
6:13 PM: Rescuers say they are seeing a person clinging to the side of a sailboat about 500 yards offshore – the boat is upright but the person’s still not in it.
6:16 PM: SFD has rescued the person from the water, and they’re arranging for a separate crew to deal with the boat.
Both of these incidents happened around midnight and we followed up with police today:
ADMIRAL SAFEWAY ATTACK: Two employees of Admiral Safeway were assaulted by a group of people, and one – a 36-year-old man – was taken to the hospital. Police say the two were attacked when they “interrupted suspects who were trying to push a motorized handicap scooter down an upper-level stairwell.” The attackers left in “multiple vehicles” before officers arrived. If you have any information, call the SPD Violent Crime Tip Line at 206-233-5000 and refer to incident 23-227148.
EXPLOSION: This was reported a few blocks west of The Junction, in the 4400 block of 48th SW. SPD says officers “found evidence of a fireworks explosion” as well as “minor property damage.” A reader says it happened in the alley behind a neighbor’s house: “The explosion put a hole in the bottom of the garbage can and blew the lid into the yard of the neighbor to the South and damaged the house next to the cans.”
Thanks for the texts about the sizable SFD response in the 5600 block of 42nd SW (we were in an unrelated interview at the time). We’ve just gotten to the scene, where we’re told that someone was doing tree work in a yard when he suffered a “medical episode” requiring SFD to safely bring him down. He was taken to a hospital.
If you’re planning to go to Seattle Public Schools‘ meeting at Madison Middle School tomorrow night (Thursday, August 10th), you might want to take a look at that video. It’s the district’s recording of its first meeting in the series, last night at Garfield High School. These are the meetings that are supposed to help the district define “well-resourced schools” so it can decide which schools to close/consolidate (which, administrators reiterated last night, will NOT happen THIS school year – but might start in the school year that begins in fall 2024) as it grapples with a nine-digit budget shortfall.
The district’s video does not capture the full scope of the meeting because – after opening remarks by chief of staff Bev Redmond and superintendent Dr. Brent Jones, then ground rules from assistant superintendent Dr. Rocky Torres – most of the rest of the meeting consisted of discussions at individual tables, each with a district facilitator and several participants. There was nothing geographically specific about the remarks or questions – so though last night was supposed to be the “central” region meeting, as administrators acknowledged, it was intended to be identical to what’ll happen in the “southwest” region meeting tomorrow, and beyond. The district’s camera crew(s) did not record any of the table discussions, cutting between wide shots once the discussions were under way. We plan to record some of them tomorrow night (the district’s original media advisory said cameras would be prohibited, but we challenged that and they backed off).
Last night, all tables were directed by Dr. Torres to discuss the same questions, and none was sensitive or personal; the questions were along the lines of “What are your favorite things about your child’s school building?”, “How can we make resources/services at each school stronger?”, and “What kind of programs do you and your student value the most and why?” They promised other means of feedback/engagement beyond these meetings, and said everything would be funneled into a plan that Dr. Jones is tasked with presenting in November.
THURSDAY MEETING: It’s in the commons at Madison (3429 45th SW), starting at 6 pm, and the district says it too will be streamed via YouTube.
(2022 photo by Matthew Olson)
West Seattle wildlife biologist Kersti Muul wonders if anyone else is seeing or hearing the birds whose calls she heard earlier today:
Much to my surprise this morning, I had what’s called overlapping/and multiple ‘keer’ calls of marbled murrelets at 0750. A friend heard them also at 0830 and says she’s been hearing them for about a week.
They were flying ENE from 5627 Beach Drive -ish and directly over the house, low.
This is of interest for many reasons, and I’d like to know if anyone is seeing or hearing them, especially on that inland trajectory. Catching them in flight is next to impossible. If anyone can record them, that would be even better!
They are endangered, and on an exponential decline in Washington. They do hang out off West point sometimes, but nest sparsely on the peninsula. They only nest in old growth.
Here are some sounds. Call number two is what we were hearing this morning.
The marbled murrelet is of particular interest to Kersti, as she spent the summer surveying them on Tiger Mountain after receiving a certification in April.
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