West Seattle, Washington
17 Sunday
Two notes today:
SNAPDRAGON’S SUNDAY POP-UPS: Two people brought this to our attention today (including Aaron, who sent the photo) – Vashon Island’s beloved Snapdragon is doing a Sunday pop-up in the corner spot of the ground floor of the Senior Center of West Seattle, focused on their specialty “rustic pastries” and chai. The SC’s executive director Amy Lee Derenthal says they’re there Sundays through August to see how it goes, and might take the space on a more full-time basis until the SC redevelops it into the center’s new entrance.
SUMMER SUNDAYS IN THE ALLEY: This is a new Sunday happening 10 am-4 pm, also throughout August, in the alley behind Carmilia’s (4528 California SW) – 10 am-4 pm, you’ll find food, music, shopping, and fun. First word of this came from a popular West Seattle treat provider, Lovely and Dapper Desserts, which will be there this Sunday (August 6th) with their mini-cakes.
(Added: USS Barry and fireboat Leschi)
12:31 PM: Now in view from Alki, the Seafair Parade of Ships, sailing past West Seattle on the way to the downtown waterfront. Participants as announced:
US Navy: USS Barry (DDG 52), a guided-missile destroyer homeported in Everett
U.S. Coast Guard: USCGC Robert Ward (WPC-1130), a cutter based in Los Angeles, and USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563), a buoy tender (note: MarineTraffic.com IDs suggest the USCGC Wahoo [WPB 87345] is in the parade instead of or in addition to Robert Ward)
Royal Canadian Navy: HMCS Edmonton (703), HMCS Yellowknife (706), HMCS Nanaimo (MM 702)
The fireboat Leschi is greeting them, too:
12:47 PM: Approaching Duwamish Head. TV and Coast Guard helicopters in the area, too.
1:19 PM: The ships have passed West Seattle and are now downtown-bound, while we head back to HQ. As noted above, USCGC Wahoo sailed instead of USCGC Robert Ward; SPD’s Harbor 2 kept watch after it.
2:10 PM: Photos added, ours unless otherwise credited, like this one from Gary Jones at Alki Point – he noted the USS Barry was flying the flag of Hawai’i until swapped out just before the parade started passing West Seattle’s shore:
Information on touring the visiting ships this week is here.
Though SFD has already closed out of a crash call reported on the Highland Park Way hill about half an hour ago, two texters report the hill is blocked, so avoid the area for a while.
Texter reports brown water in North Admiral. Anyone else? If you’re seeing it, be sure to report to Seattle Public Utilities at 206-386-1800 – it’s often fire-hydrant testing, but sometimes it can be first indication of a problem.
Thanks to Theresa Arbow-O’Connor for the photo of last night’s moonrise. Tonight at 9:24 pm, the Full Sturgeon Moon – second of this summer’s four supermoons – will rise. Before then, here’s what’s happening, starting with two major events:
ELECTION DAY: Your deadline for voting on City Council District 1, County Council District 8, School Board District 6, Port Commission Position 5, and the Veterans, Seniors, Human Services, Seniors Levy is 8 pm tonight if you’re using a King County Elections dropbox (here’s the list/map – West Seattle has three) or sooner if you’re sending your ballot by USPS mail (ensure it gets today’s postmark). Tonight’s first and only round of results should be out by 8:15 pm.
NIGHT OUT: Hundreds of block/building parties tonight, part of a nationwide event celebrating community and focusing on safety. General hours are 5-9 pm – be aware that many non-arterial streets will be closed to vehicle traffic for the duration.
Also today/tonight:
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open 11 am-8 pm. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
LOW-LOW TIDE: Out to -3.5 feet at 11:09 am.
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.
SEAFAIR PARADE OF SHIPS: Around noon (time approximate), one U.S. Navy ship, three Royal Canadian Navy ships, and two U.S. Coast Guard cutters will “parade” past West Seattle’s Elliott Bay shores, headed toward downtown, where they’ll be open for tours later in the week as part of Seafair. Our preview lists the specific ships.
E.C. HUGHES WADING POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm. (2805 SW Holden)
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL OPEN: Noon-7 pm. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
COLMAN POOL OPEN: Also at Lincoln Park, this outdoor salt-water pool is open noon-7 pm daily through Labor Day. See the session schedule here.
CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon): “Are you looking for a new activity to keep your brain sharp and clear? The Senior Center Chess Club welcomes both novice and experienced players. Join us at 1:30 p.m. for lessons, short tutorials, and chess for all levels of expertise.” (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t have your own.
STORYTIME IN THE GARDEN: 6 pm stories and activities for kids at the Delridge P-Patch, weekly throughout the summer starting tonight. (5078 25th SW)
PLAY ALONG IN THE PARK: The West Seattle Community Orchestras welcome you to play music with them one last time tonight, at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) – 6 pm easy music, 7 pm intermediate music. Audience welcome too! More info in our calendar listing.
WEST SEATTLE TAE KWON DO CLUB: First August lesson, 6 pm at High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW), all levels welcome.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm, you can play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
MORE TRIVIA: Three places to play Tuesday nights – 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW); also, 7:30 and 8:30 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at The Lodge (4209 SW Alaska).
BELLE OF THE BALLS BINGO: Play bingo with Cookie Couture at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 8 pm. Free, all ages!
You can look into the future any time via our event calendar – if you have something to include on it, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Family and friends will gather August 10 to celebrate the life of Harry Langen. Here’s the remembrance being shared now with his community:
John Henry (Harry) Langen, Jr, beloved husband, father, grandfather and great-grandfather passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of July 5, 2023. Harry and his twin brother Charlie were born in Boston, Massachusetts on April 28, 1930 to John and Catherine (Mahoney) Langen. John Sr. was a career Navy man and the family lived in a number of places across the U.S., moving to Bremerton, WA in 1943, where his father was stationed at Bremerton Naval Shipyard. Harry attended Bremerton High School, where he met the love of his life, Gloria Mary Strattman. They both were members of the graduating class of 1948 and were married on September 9th, 1950. In 1953 Harry and Glo moved to West Seattle, where they made their home, raising 6 children.
His artistic talents were always an important part of his life and he started his career as a sign painter. It didn’t take too long for him to realize climbing up on billboards to paint was not for him and he began studying technical drawing at Edison Technical School (now Seattle Central College) on Capital Hill. In 1952 he took a job as a draftsman at Boeing Airplane Company. Harry would remain at Boeing working as a draftsman and engineering illustrator on a variety of both military and civilian projects, including the SST (Supersonic Transport), 747 passenger jet, and the B-1 Bomber. Retiring on January 1, 1990.
Harry enlisted in the US Army in 1948, eventually serving 30 years in the Army Reserve and attaining the rank of Command Sergeant Major. After basic training, he was assigned to the Reserve Unit of the 6th Army’s Training Division based in Bremerton, WA. He was later assigned to the 104th Infantry Training Division based at Fort Lawton in Seattle, with 2-week active duty posts at Fort Lewis, WA; Fort Lawton, WA, and the Mojave Desert. The 104th Infantry headquarters was eventually relocated to Fort Ord, California, preparing new recruits for deployment to Vietnam. Harry’s Reserve Unit then began reporting to Fort Ord for their required annual 2 weeks of active duty.
During his trips to Fort Ord, Harry’s artistic nature became enchanted with the natural beauty and rugged shoreline of the Monterey Peninsula, where Fort Ord is located. Glo began accompanying him for his two active-duty weeks. She in turn fell completely in love with the area, the small town of Carmel, California, as well as the history and beauty of San Francisco.
Thus began a tradition of the Langen vacations in Monterey, California, both as a couple’s getaway (sans children) or as a road trip down US 1 with all the kids, where many memories (and beautiful watercolor paintings) were made.
Marriage, family and the Catholic Church were central to Harry’s life. As founding members of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Harry and Gloria were active in the parish throughout their many years; involved with liturgical committees, teaching CCD, developing church decorations, and singing in the choir. They were recognized for their legacy with a seat of honor on the OLG 50th anniversary show car in the West Seattle Grand Parade.
A constant throughout Harry’s life was creating and sharing his art. Not having any formal art training, he developed his skills through self-study and workshops with many of the Northwest’s well-known artists. He originally began working with watercolor, then evolved into other mediums such as stained glass, silkscreen (serigraph), pen, stick ink, fabric art, and then came pastel. It soon became his media of choice, relishing the challenge of understanding the medium and the joy of working in it. A self-described “people person,” he always took pleasure in sharing his art, whether in casual conversation, teaching classes or through in-person demonstrations. A member of several Northwest art organizations, he particularly enjoyed his time spent with Artists United.
In addition to his art, Harry and Gloria were active members of the Westside Wheelers Square Dance Club for many years as well as spending much of their annual vacation time camping with their extended family and friends.
In 2012, Gloria and Harry sold their longtime family home and moved to the Bridge Park Retirement Community in West Seattle, where he played an active role in the community and once again shared his passion for art by conducting art classes for the residents.
Harry was proceeded in death by his beloved wife, Gloria, his sister Francis, his brother Charles and his grandson Joshua Waleryszak. He is survived by his children, Judy Waleryszak (Tom (d)), Mike Langen (Alyson), Cathy Olson (Frank (d)), Teresa Langen Earl (Ken), Margaret “Peggy” Langen, and James Langen (Andrea), six grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.
A funeral mass in celebration of Harry’s life will be held at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Thursday, August 10th, 2023 commencing at 10:00 AM. A reception will follow in Walmesley Center. Interment will be at Holyrood Cemetery that afternoon.
To share your condolences and memories of Harry, please visit emmickfunerals.com/obituary/John-LangenJr
(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)
6:02 AM: Good morning. It’s Tuesday, August 1st.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Sunny, high in the upper 70s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:47 am; sunset will be at 8:44 pm.
ROAD WORK
We didn’t get to check on whether the “quiet zone” project along West Marginal indeed started Monday, but if not, it’s imminent – here’s the announcement from last week.
NIGHT OUT
Tonight hundreds of non-arterial street sections around West Seattle will be closed to traffic for a few hours for the annual Night Out block parties; times usually vary but the general window is 5 pm to 9 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!
One week ago tonight, we reported on two incidents of confirmed gunfire in West Seattle. Turns out there was a third gunfire incident that night, and charges are filed against the suspect, who is jailed in lieu of $500,000 bail.
39-year-old Daren Atwood is charged with firing a rifle he wasn’t supposed to have, shooting twice into a neighbor’s home near Fairmount Ravine. Police found a bullet that had pierced that house’s walls just feet from where the residents were sleeping. Court documents say Atwood is not supposed to have guns because of a protection order resulting from a conviction for fourth-degree domestic violence; he signed a declaration of non-surrender, saying he didn’t have any guns, though the new court documents say he apparently has owned the rifle since at least 2015. When police made contact with Atwood last Tuesday morning, after the neighbor had called about the gunfire, Atwood reportedly told them someone had tried to shoot him. He consented to a “security sweep” of his house, police say, and that’s when officers found a bolt-action rifle that had been recently fired.
The circumstances of the case are reminiscent of a previous gunfire-related arrest of Atwood on which we reported in 2014, when a SWAT team was called in and five schools sheltered in place because of gunfire in the same neighborhood. Eventually police found Atwood, who claimed he had fired shots because someone was after him; no one was injured, but cars had bullet damage. Atwood was then charged with a misdemeanor that eventually was dismissed. Now after last week’s incident, the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged him with second-degree unlawful firearm possession, unlawful firearm discharge, and reckless endangerment. He is scheduled to answer the charges at an arraignment hearing August 9th.
Almost two months after the City Council rejected a proposal to match city law with the new state law about public drug use, Mayor Bruce Harrell is out with his plan. It’s the result of the committee he formed after that vote (the members are listed here). At the heart of it is city legislation that the mayor’s announcement says would:
-Codify state law and make public consumption of illegal drugs a gross misdemeanor in the city of Seattle.
-For the first time in the City’s history, designate diversion and treatment as the preferred approach to addressing substance use issues – connecting people with care and responding to a public health crisis with evidence-based health solutions.
-Define a new threat of harm standard – differentiating between drug use that threatens others versus the individual alone, recognizing the real and perceived danger of consumption of illegal drugs in public places, and aiming to support safe and welcoming neighborhoods by reducing public use.
The aim is not to jail drug users, according to Harrell, who is quoted in the announcement as saying, “Success will not – and cannot – be measured on how many people cycle through jail; instead, our focus is on improving connections to lifesaving treatment and expanding program options to better meet the needs of those with substance use issues.” So what would the mayor’s proposal mean for law enforcement? The announcement says he’ll issue an Executive Order next week “providing guidance to Seattle Police Department officers on how the law should be applied, further detailing threat of harm standards, and defining tools to collect and analyze data to measure success.”
The photo and report are from Jordan, who works at Sky Printing (35th/Fauntleroy), and thinks this is more likely to be a dumped/stolen item than merely lost, because of what’s not in it.
I found this Coach wallet outside of our shop, along with a bunch of business cards and receipts, but no cash or credit cards or IDs. The wallet is in good shape; we’re keeping it in our lost and found.
Contact the shop if it’s yours.
(WSB photo, July 2020, post-Tug closure)
According to a liquor-license application, the former home of the Tug Inn may return to its tavern roots. The tavern-license (beer/wine) application for 2216 SW Orchard is in the name of Deluxe Beer Bar and Grill. We haven’t succeeded in reaching its prospective operators yet, but we did reach the owners of Bee’s Plumbing, which bought the site in 2020 and moved their business in until outgrowing it and moving to the former South West Plumbing location in North Delridge. They tell WSB they’re “in the process of renting the old bar out to a company who is going to open a restaurant.” (They’re already renting part of the site to a towing company.)
(2022 Seafair Parade of Ships photo by Long Bach Nguyen)
This is Seafair‘s big week, and some of it will be visible from West Seattle. On Wednesday, expect Blue Angels fly-bys before the U.S. Navy demonstration team arrives at Boeing Field around 1:30 pm, but first, there’s the Seafair Fleet arrival tomorrow (Tuesday, August 1st), passing West Seattle’s Elliott Bay shores on their way to “parade” past the downtown waterfront. Today, Seafair has announced which ships are participating:
US Navy: USS Barry (DDG 52), a guided-missile destroyer homeported in Everett
U.S. Coast Guard: USCGC Robert Ward (WPC-1130), a cutter based in Los Angeles, and USCGC Henry Blake (WLM-563), a buoy tender
Royal Canadian Navy: HMCS Edmonton (703), HMCS Yellowknife (706), HMCS Nanaimo (MM 702)
The ships are due along the downtown waterfront at 1 pm so their West Seattle pass should be in the noon hour; you can usually get a good view anywhere from the Alki promenade to Seacrest Pier. Later this week they’ll be open for tours at three downtown locations – on Pier 46, Terminal 66, and Pier 68; the schedules are on the Seafair website.
While the canoe families who arrived at Alki on the Journey to Muckleshoot have moved on to the host tribe’s community center for a week of around-the-clock protocol, most if not all of the canoes are heading home. Alki photographer David Hutchinson sent these three images, reporting, “When I checked around 11:30 AM today, there were still 34 tribal canoes on Alki Beach. They were in the process of leaving, with some being carried down the beach to the water and others being loaded onto boat trailers along Alki Ave.”
Some are/were paddled to Don Armeni Boat Ramp to be placed onto trailers there, as shown in one photo from our Sunday coverage.
12:16 PM: Waiting till the last minute to vote? It’s not just you. The week’s first updates on ballot returns for tomorrow’s primary election are in, and turnout remains small – here in City Council District 1, 16.5 percent of ballots have been received as of this morning, just a sliver over the countywide turnout of 16.3 percent. It’s a short ballot – just five decisions to make:
–City Council District 1, eight candidates (no incumbent)
–County Council District 8, three candidates (no incumbent)
–School Board District 6, three candidates (no incumbent)
–Port Commission Position 5, three candidates
–King County Veterans, Seniors, Human Services Levy
The optimal way to turn in your ballot is via a KC Elections dropbox, with three in West Seattle (plus one in White Center, one in South Park, and others around the county – here’s the list/map), which you can do up until 8 pm Tuesday night; if you’re sending it via USPS mail, do it early enough tomorrow (if not today) to assure it’ll have an August 1st postmark. If you’re still looking for info, our overview is here (and there’s been another City Council candidates’ forum since then – our coverage is here). If you’ve just arrived, you can still register to vote – here’s how.
2:49 PM: KCE is updating the received-ballot numbers every two hours (here). D-1 is now up to almost 18 percent.
Thanks to John Skerratt for the photo of canoes that landed on Alki Sunday for the Paddle to Muckleshoot journey (WSB coverage here) and remain there while canoe families share a week of protocol at the Muckleshoot Community Center in Auburn. Here in West Seattle, highlights for today/tonight include:
LOW-LOW TIDE: It was out to -3.1 feet at 10:20 am, so it’s still way out right now (and even lower the next two days – here’s the chart).
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.
WADING POOLS OPEN: Noon-7 pm. Today’s scheduled pools in West Seattle: EC Hughes (2805 SW Holden) and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW).
COLMAN POOL OPEN: This outdoor salt-water pool at Lincoln Park is open noon-7 pm daily through Labor Day. See the session schedule here.
LEARN TO PHOTOGRAPH ISS SOLAR TRANSITS: West Seattleite Kevin Freitas‘s free 2:30 pm event for interested photographers has moved to Magnolia because the International Space Station‘s path moved, but you’re still invited – info including location map is in our calendar listing.
LEARN BASIC CARPENTRY SKILLS: Skillshare event at The Heron’s Nest, 4 pm – more info in our calendar listing. (4818 Puget Way SW)
COMMUNITY PADDLE: Monday nights all summer long, get out on the water with Alki Kayak Tours, 6 pm. (1660 Harbor SW).
CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
OPEN MIC: Weekly BedHead Open Mic continues at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (4201 SW Juneau), 6:30 pm – info in our calendar listing.
D&D: Open D&D starts at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), all welcome, first-time players too. $5.
FAUNTLEROY MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
PLAY TRIVIA! Here are three Monday night options for trivia – 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MONDAY MUSIC: Live music with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar ? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Next Sunday on the Constellation Park side of the Alki Point Healthy Street (63rd/Beach), a special event is planned by the organization Outdoors for All, which provides options for people with disabilities to ride bikes. We’re spotlighting the announcement today in case you haven’t yet seen it in our Event Calendar:
We will be hosting a free adaptive bike demonstration for people with disabilities at Constellation Park/ Beach Drive Healthy Street on Sunday, August 6 from 10 am-2 pm.
We have all sorts of adaptive bikes available including recumbent trikes, hand-powered cycles, and tandems – we can get almost anyone on a bike!
More info: outdoorsforall.org or email taylorm@outdoorsforall.org
In partnership with SDOT, Outdoors for All offers free adaptive bike/trike rentals May through September from its headquarters in North Seattle – here’s more info on that.
10:10 AM: Norskgirl posted in a comment on another story a short time ago: “I’m stuck in stop and go traffic on southbound exit from I-5 to West Seattle freeway. Extremely slow, lots of waiting. Long line of cargo trucks virtually blocking lane waiting to exit to docks. Cars unable to merge due to blockade caused by volume of trucks. Recommend avoiding SB I-5 to West Seattle.”
10:14 AM: We’re seeing this on the westbound low bridge, too – here’s a framegrab from SDOT’s camera:
We should note that part of the ongoing “modernization” work at Terminal 5 includes a plan to double “on-terminal” truck-queuing space from 100 trucks to 200 trucks.
11:24 AM: We asked Northwest Seaport Alliance spokesperson Melanie Stambaugh if there was a particular problem to blame. Her reply: “Our operations team spoke with the terminal and there was a technical issue on terminal this morning. The issue has been resolved and trucks should begin moving again.”
Earlier:
6:02 AM: Good morning. It’s Monday, July 31st.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Sunny, high in mid-70s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:45 am; sunset will be at 8:45 pm.
ROAD WORK
The “quiet zone” project along West Marginal could start today – here’s the announcement from last week.
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!
As happened in Gatewood and in North Admiral, neighbors sprang into action Sunday night to fight an apparent fireworks-sparked fire in South Delridge.
(Added: Photo posted in comments by Matt)
A reader texted us this report of the story behind an SFD callout around 8:30 pm Sunday:
(There) was a fire by 15th SW and SW Cambridge. Lots of smoke and Fire Dept wasn’t on scene yet. Was heading home from Proletariat Pizza and saw all the smoke that was stopping traffic on Roxbury. A neighbor was using a hose on the south side and I grabbed the hose from the house on the north side neighbor and we put water on the fire until firefighters arrived. Those guys are awesome! Clearly caused by a fireworks mortar flipping sideways pointed at the trees. The first person getting water on the fire definitely saved the house and maybe the adjoining houses. Thanks, buddy!
(NWSA photo)
When Seattle and Tacoma port commissioners meet Tuesday (August 1st) as Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members, updates on West Seattle’s Terminal 5 are a big part of the agenda. A year and a half after the first “modernized” berth at T-5 opened to cargo traffic, construction continues on its second berth, now expected to be ready early next year. At Tuesday’s meeting, a vote is planned to finalize leasing the second berth to the same operator as the first, SSA Terminals. Rent to start will be almost $2 million a month, according to documents attached to the meeting agenda, including the lease. Terms of the lease also include obligations on both sides for various components of the project, including two new cranes that SSA has ordered, now expected to be delivered in October, plus a six-acre container-storage yard expansion. The total cost of modernizing both berths, some of which is covered by grants, is now estimated at $454 million, according to a general T-5 progress report that’s also planned at the NWSA managing members’ meeting, which starts at 11:30 am Tuesday and will be viewable online.
Hundreds of West Seattle streets will be closed for block parties on Tuesday night (August 1st), this year’s Night Out. It’s a nationwide night for community-building, with a focus on safety and preparedness, and a great chance to check in with your neighbors if you don’t get to chat much over the course of the year. You can see some of the areas where parties are planned by looking at the map on SPD’s Night Out page. If you’re not participating in a Night Out party, be careful when you’re traveling between 5 and 9 pm Tuesday night, as those are the hours for most street closures. P.S. If you’re having a party and wouldn’t mind us stopping by for a photo, email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Two reader reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:
STOLEN GRAY RIO: From Alyssa:
Hoping to get the word out that my boyfriend’s gray Kia Rio hatchback was stolen in front of my house on 42nd Ave SW near SW Graham. Last had eyes on it around 7 pm Friday night and found it missing right before noon Saturday. There was glass and the ignition box lying in the road. If anyone has any information, please call SPD and reference case no. 23-216571.
Car (similar to this) has a faded RockyMounts two-bike bike rack on the back (similar to this).
SEEKING HIT-RUN WITNESSES/SUSPECT: From Jon:
On Friday, my parked car was sideswiped at 4:14 pm while parked on the 2700 block of 49th Ave SW, resulting in a large scratch from the rear quarter panel to the driver’s door.
After reviewing security camera footage, I am particularly interested in talking to the driver of the silver Ford Fusion (2010 era), which passed my car then, and the two cyclists who witnessed the event. I am willing to return the side mirror cap which fell off the other vehicle to the driver of said car in exchange for insurance info!
My email is jonowen@hotmail.com
4:57 PM: Thanks for the tips. A power outage centered near Delridge/Orchard is only affecting 26 customers but at least one store – Sherwin-Williams – is among them, as is the traffic signal at that intersection.
9:40 PM: Not fixed yet, per SCL map.
1:12 AM: Just checked again; power’s back.
This year’s Alki Beach Pride is set for August 20th, but a big event in preparation for ABP is happening next Saturday. Here’s the announcement sent to us to share with you
Seattle PrideFest has shared their gigantic 130 ft by 70 ft Pride flag to be unfurled and held by 40+ LGBTQ volunteers on Alki Beach as a celebration of Alki Beach Pride, West Seattle’s biggest Pride event happening, later in August (Sunday, August 20th). Here is a video of the flag in Yakima so you can see how big it is!
This gigantic Pride flag has been used at Seattle’s Pride celebrations and has traveled to many Pride events throughout the state of Washington, including the Tri-Cities and Spokane, which were its most recent stops. This will be the first time the flag will be in West Seattle!
We’re looking for LGBTQ-identifying West Seattle residents of all ages to come and help us out! Meet at Alki Playground/Whale Tail Park at 10:30 am Saturday for a practice run and photo ops. Then we’ll fold it up and take it over to the beach for the ceremony. There will be drone footage and photos taken with the Seattle skyline in the background for this historic event.
-Saturday, August 5th at 10:30 am for practice at Alki Playground (59th/Lander)
-11 am to 12 pm for the ceremony on Alki Beach
-40+ volunteers needed that are LGBTQ+
-Post-ceremony celebration will be held at Arthur’s restaurant 1 pm to 3 pm
-Allies are totally welcome to come and celebrate!There’s no need to sign up, just show up!
The August 20th Alki Beach Pride celebration includes a street party and outdoor movie.
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