West Seattle, Washington
18 Monday
ORIGINAL MONDAY NIGHT REPORT: Police have confirmed somebody shot at a house on Bonair this past half-hour. At least two callers reported hearing the shots in the 1900 block, and one thought they saw flashes, before a vehicle left the vicinity. Responding officers have told dispatch they found two casings and damage to the house’s door and garage. No indication that anyone was in the house when it was shot at. If you have any information, the incident # is 23-118464.
TUESDAY UPDATE: Police now say this was linked to a burglary attempt. They say a “light-colored pickup truck” first rammed “the closed garage door of a house under renovation.” Here’s an SPD photo of the garage door:
The two shots were fired into the air after neighbors “yelled that police had been called.” If you have any information, the tip line is 206-233-5000.
Thanks to Jackie Borg from West Seattle Little League for sending this!
Desmond Hansen painted a new box at Bar-S Little League fields. We’re so excited for the new addition to the fields!
(That’s Mariners slugger Julio Rodriguez, aka “J-Rod,” on the box.)
Another major West Seattle playfield is set to get new artificial turf soon, and the Delridge Playfield project has moved a step closer to construction: It’s open for bids right now. The project includes more than just turf replacement – here’s the overview in the call for bids:
Replace outdated Synthetic Turf including: remove all infilled turf field carpet and infill materials, install new pad system across the playing field surface, replace collector line along the West side with solid collector line and root, replace non-compliant concrete pathways with accessible concrete pathways, replace all dugout gates with accessible gates, replace access staircase with concrete staircase, replace existing drinking fountain with accessible drinking fountain, install new chain-link fence and swing gate.
Additive #1: Improve the Delridge Community Center hardscape entrance and ramp to Delridge Way SW. Additive #2: Improvements at the Northwest corner of the playfield to provide improved access between Delridge Playfield and 26th Ave SW. Additive #3: Improve the ramp at the Southeast corner of the playfield and park lot improvements.
Deadline for bids is May 17th. The playfield website says the project cost is projected to be more than $4 million and that construction is likely to start in July. Also set for new artificial turf this summer, Hiawatha Playfield, which went out for re-bidding earlier this spring, as we reported.
ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: That’s what the Delridge Food Mart (5235 Delridge Way SW) looks like after it became the latest West Seattle business hit by crash-and-grab burglars. Police say they got a call just before 4:30 this morning and that a “vehicle was seen driving into the entrance, allowing two of the passengers to gain access to the store.” The burglars were gone when officers arrived, but SPD says “the suspect vehicle was located abandoned a few hours later.” (It was described in initial radio exchanges as a red van.)
ADDED TUESDAY: We obtained the report narrative from SPD. It says store owners confirmed police’s initial assessment that “a large number of various items had been stolen.” The owners eventually estimated a large amount of cigarettes and vape pens were among the items taken, and that the burglars’ haul was worth at least $10,000 (not counting the cost to repair the damage). The getaway car was a red Hyundai that video showed had been “reversed into the front doors to break them” about four minutes before the 911 call came in and officers were dispatched. Up to four people may have been in the car, but the only descriptive information in the narrative is that one wore a blue and white jacket and held “a white trash bag.” (The narrative also notes that an officer spoke with a store owner “about the possibility of installing small pillars to block vehicles from ramming his front door again since his business had been the target of multiple burglaries.” The getaway car, a 2014 Elantra, was found abandoned in the 4700 block of Cottage Place SW just before 6:30 am. The report says it was registered to someone in Kent but had not been reported as stolen – though it had heavy ignition damage – so SPD was asking KPD to check with its owner, and meantime had the car impounded.
May 13th is not only West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day, it’s also the day for Stamp Out Hunger, the annual door-to-door food drive led by the National Association of Letter Carriers. Partnering with NALC, the U.S. Postal Service sent a reminder today, including:
Donating is easy – customers should leave their non-perishable food donations in a bag near their mailbox on Saturday, May 13, before their letter carrier arrives. Food collected during the drive will be delivered to local Washington community churches, food banks and food pantries for distribution.
Customers can also donate online directly to their local food bank. [Our area is served by the West Seattle Food Bank and White Center Food Bank.]
While all non-perishable donations are welcome, foods that are high in protein such as canned tuna, salmon, beans, and peanut butter are most needed. Canned fruits and vegetables, whole grain, low-sugar cereals, macaroni and cheese dinners, and 100% fruit juice also top the list of most-needed items.
The food drive is held annually in late spring because most of the food banks’ donations are received and distributed between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
This will be the 31st year for Stamp Out Hunger, which resumed last year after a pandemic hiatus.
1:55 PM: Thanks for the tip. SFD and SPD are in the 2400 block of Harbor Avenue SW, near the 7-11, for what was dispatched as a “rescue extrication” call. SPD says the street is closed in both directions. We’re on our way to find out more.
2:01 PM: SFD has already closed the call. They’re working to clear the road and letting the Water Taxi shuttle through, but not other traffic.
2:14 PM: Flipped-car crash, as our photo (and the one Angela has posted in a comment below) shows. We’re told at the scene that the driver hit a parked car and flipped.
2:21 PM: Harbor is open again, police just told dispatch.
4:55 PM: SFD tells WSB that the driver, a 53-year-old woman, was in stable condition when taken to Harborview by AMR ambulance.
Thanks to James Bratsanos for the photos of a cluster of fishing boats south off Alki Point today. Online research suggested they’re likely looking for lingcod, and state Department of Fish and Wildlife spokesperson Chase Gunnell confirmed it: “Yes, May 1 is the annual lingcod fishing opener for recreational anglers in Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and Strait of Juan de Fuca. Rockpiles and reefs off Alki Point and Blake Island are popular fishing spots for these predatory and delicious bottomfish.”
Gunnell also notes you can find out more about lingcod fishing here.
(WSB photo, April 22)
If you dropped off recyclables during Fauntleroy Church‘s spring Recycle Roundup on Earth Day, here’s the tally, reported today by Judy Pickens:
450 people took advantage of 1 Green Planet‘s free, responsible recycling. The day’s take of just over 14 tons of recyclables brings the total since these roundups began, in 2010, to more than 336 tons. The fall event will be on Saturday, September 23.
(Sunday’s sunset – photo by Greg Snyder)
Here’s the list for the rest of today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ONLINE BIDDING: Now open for the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s fundraising auction, as previewed here. Everybody can bid, not just people attending the in-person gala Friday!
BABY STORY TIME: Baby Story Time is back, noon-12:30 pm Mondays at Southwest Library (9010 35th SW).
MONDAY MOVIE: 1 pm at Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon), “Terry’s Greatest Movies You’ve Never Heard Of,” today featuring “Stage Door.” Free popcorn! Contact SCWS to register in advance.
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: We usually make note of this weekly meeting, but this week it’s been canceled, so it’s not happening today.
FREE INDOOR PLAYSPACE: Free Toddler Gym weekday afternoons at the Salvation Army Center (9050 16th SW), ages 2-6, 3:30-5 pm.
CRAFTING AND CREATIVITY NIGHT: 6-10 pm at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
OPEN MIC: Weekly BedHead Open Mic 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, even first-time players. $5.
FAUNTLEROY MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation event at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
ALKI MEDITATION: Free twice-monthly Dharma Community meditation, 7-8:30 pm at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds).
PLAY TRIVIA! Three options on Monday nights for playing 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!
9:23 AM: For a third day, transient orcas are off Seattle shores – just got word from Kersti Muul that the same groups are southbound, already past Discovery Park on the north side of Elliott Bay. Let us know if you see them!
9:27 AM: Kersti adds that they’re visible from Luna/Anchor Park, and the water’s calm, so the viewing conditions are good.
Family and friends will gather May 24th to remember Kenneth Hesselbalch, and are sharing this remembrance with the community:
Kenneth “Kenny” Hasselbalch was born on June 29, 1968, in Huntington Beach, CA. He was one of five children of Anna and Knud Hasselbalch, immigrants from Denmark. The family first moved to Canada and then to the US in 1961. Kenny and his younger brother Frank were both born in CA. They moved to Seattle in 1974, where their brother Ely Delos Santos was adopted.
Growing up in West Seattle, Kenny spent his life near Puget Sound. An excellent mariner, fisherman, and storyteller, Kenny – AKA Kelp Cod – enjoyed his time on the water. His boat the “Ms. Dori” could be seen launching at Don Armeni at Alki Point where he would converse with the fish checker to see where the best catch was. Known for his smoked salmon, which he often gave away along with the pots full of Dungeness he was always pulling.
Kenny worked in the world of finance, first at Merrill Lynch with his Father-in-law Jack Blondin, and later at Morgan Stanley, where he earned the title of First Vice president. He was a long-time member of the Seattle Bond Club and a past president. He was Chairman of the Father Mallahan Endowment Board at Holy Rosary Church.
He was a member of the Seattle Yacht Club and part of the Sports Fishing Committee. He spent over 30 summers at the SYC cabins on Cortez Island, where he dropped shrimp pots, caught salmon, and gathered oysters.
Kenny was a talented cook who put on many gourmet fundraising dinners and was known for his crab boils benefiting charities dear to his heart such as the Experimental Education Unit-Haring Center and Holy Rosary School. He learned the love of cooking from his mother; the two of them prepared magical meals together.
Kenny had a passion for music with a beautiful singing voice. He played guitar and found solace in music. He was a lover of symphony and the theater. He was an avid sports fan, always supporting the Mariners and Seahawks. He enjoyed golfing and organized many tournaments.
The love of Kenny’s life was and forever will be his daughter Doriana, now a Junior at Chapman University in Orange, CA. He and her mother, Christina, raised Dori in West Seattle, where she attended Holy Rosary School and later Bishop Blanchet High School.
He will be remembered for his generosity, willingness to help those in need, quick wit, and contagious smile. He will be missed.
Kenny passed away on January 20 surrounded by his family and close friends.
He is preceded in death by his parents and his brothers Frank and Ely. He is survived by his daughter Doriana, her mother Christina, and his sisters Conny (Randy) and Susan (Mike) and his brother Kim (Lori) and his many nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held in his honor at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, May 24th, at Holy Rosary Church in West Seattle (4210 SW Genesee) with a reception to follow at the school hall across the street. We look forward to seeing you.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mary’s Place: marysplaceseattle.org
To share your condolence and memories of Kenny, please visit his online memorial at: emmickfunerals.com/obituary/Kenneth-Hasselbalch
(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)
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, May 1st.
WEATHER & SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
TRANSIT
Metro – Regular schedule, but trip cancellations are still happening. Metro is no longer tweeting cancellations, so you’ll have to sign up for email or text alerts if you’re interested in them.
Water Taxi – Now on the spring/summer schedule.
Washington State Ferries‘ Triangle Route continues on the 2-boat schedule but with the chance of sailing cancellations, so check here for alerts/updates and see Vessel Watch for boats’ locations. Also: Peak-season surcharges for some vehicle fares start today.
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 camera at the top:
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 – another route across the river:
Highway 99: – the 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: Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if 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!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
With two weeks left until the formal filing period for the August 1st primary, seven people have registered campaigns for City Council District 1, and six are actually campaigning.
We’ve already brought you introductory “candidate chats” with five of those six – Rob Saka (February 19th), Maren Costa (February 26th), Phil Tavel (March 5th), Preston Anderson (March 12th), and Stephen Brown (March 19th). Tonight, the most-recent candidate to join – Jean Iannelli Craciun. We wrote on April 20th about her campaign’s “soft-launch.” On Friday, we sat down with her at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse – like the others, this was a half-hour “get to know you” chat:
If you can’t, or don’t want to, watch the conversation, here are the toplines:
It’s playoff time for two high-school spring sports.
BOYS’ SOCCER: Here’s the Metro League bracket. West Seattle High School (6-4) opens play tomorrow at Ballard, 4:30 pm. Winner of that game will be Chief Sealth International High School (8-5)’s first playoff opponent, Wednesday at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle), time TBD.
BASEBALL: Here’s the Metro League bracket. Chief Sealth (11-8) hosts Ballard at NCSWAC at 7 pm Wednesday, and the winner of that game will face league-leading WSHS (17-1) on Saturday, 4 pm at Steve Cox Memorial Park (1321 SW 102nd, White Center).
After Saturday’s visit to Elliott Bay, Kersti Muul reports, orcas are back in the area – seen heading southbound off Discovery Park a little over an hour ago. Let us know if you see them!
If you have questions about recent incidents, summer enforcement at the beach, or anything else involving local police, the date is set for the next Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council meeting: 6 pm Thursday, May 11th. The agenda’s not set yet but will include time for Q&A with precinct reps. You can attend either in person at the precinct, 2300 SW Webster, or online; we’ll have the connection information on our calendar soon.
11:59 AM: SFD and SPD are responding to 42nd/Oregon. Updates to come.
(WSB photo)
12:04 PM: Initial dispatch was for a woman with a gunshot wound. Police are questioning a man. This is at the AJ Apartments.
(Texted photo)
12:17 PM: The woman is reported to have an abdominal wound and is being taken to Harborview. We were a block away when the response happened and are at the scene waiting to talk to police.
12:33 PM: Police tell us the man they were questioning is under arrest. They are not commenting on whatever they’ve learned about the circumstances so far.
1 PM: Listening back to dispatch audio now that we’re back at HQ, the initial report was that the man and woman knew each other and that he claimed he shot her because she “came at him with a knife.” Dispatch also was told that neighbors retrieved the gun and were turning it over to police.
1:55 PM: SFD says the victim was in critical condition when transported.
6:26 PM: Via SPD Blotter, police added a few more details, confirming “there was a disturbance, involving a knife and a firearm,” showing a photo of the gun, and describing the shooting victim as 24 years old and the arrested suspect as 29 years old.
MONDAY AFTERNOON: The suspect remains in jail; we’re checking on whether he will have a probable-cause/bail hearing today.
TUESDAY UPDATE: The man arrested Sunday has been released from jail.
(Photo courtesy SWSHS)
A “music tour of West Seattle” in that classic car is just one of many “unique local experiences” that’s being auctioned as a benefit for the only organization devoted to local history – not just to remember the past, but also to learn lessons for the future. Some bidding starts online tomorrow! Here’s how to be part of it:
Each year, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society auction brings together the best of West Seattle business, art and experiences to raise funds to meet its mission to preserve local history through education, preservation, and advocacy.
This year, the Historical Society’s online auction opens on Monday, May 1 and closes Thursday, May 4. The auction is open to the public and features West Seattle gifts, experiences, and art. All funds raised go directly to the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and the Log House Museum. Bidders can register for free online at loghousemuseum.org.
The auction, which was previously held in-person during the SWSHS Annual Gala, moved online in 2020. As the organization began to meet in person again, SWSHS board and staff wanted to keep most of the items available through the online auction so it could reach a wider audience.
Available items include walking tours with local historians, a private viewing of Doc Maynard’s letters with historian Phil Hoffman, tickets to local events including the West Seattle Garden Tour, Wine Walk, and Rainbow Bingo, overnight stays at the famous Easy Street Beach House, original art, and gift certificates for dozens of local businesses, restaurants, salons, and more.
Select items will be offered during a Live Auction at the society’s Spring Gala on May 5 at Salty’s on Alki. Priceless experiences, including an opportunity to create your own Husky Deli Ice Cream Flavor, a Music History Tour of West Seattle (in a vintage Cadillac no less!), a private tour of the West Duwamish Greenbelt with Duwamish Tribe Council member Ken Workman, and more are available only during this event.
The Spring Gala and the auction are the organization’s biggest fundraising events of the year, bringing in critical income to support both the operations of the Log House Museum, but also its historical collection – including two recent acquisitions, signage from the Original Bakery that closed in March and bound volumes of the West Seattle Herald from the 1920s-1940s.
The Southwest Seattle Historical Society preserves local history through education, preservation, and advocacy. The Historical Society owns and operates the Log House Museum, a landmarked building located off of Alki Beach. The Historical Society’s service area includes communities across the Duwamish Peninsula.
You can bid online starting tomorrow even if you’re not going to Friday’s gala (more on that event here).
Family and friends will gather May 10th in memory of Leon Ferrari. Here’s the remembrance they’re sharing with his community:
Leon Chester Ferrari was born on June 5, 1927, to Chester and Germaine Ferrari in Seattle.
He went to be with our Lord on November 14, 2022. Leon was a gentle spirit who will be remembered for his kindness, quiet demeanor, great sense of humor and generous spirit. He was preceded in passing by his mother and father and sister, Suzanne Mayfield.
Leon grew up in South Seattle and later moved to West Seattle. His heritage was of French / Italian. He was a long-time member of the Sons of Italy Italian Club Fedele Lodge, where he attended regularly and developed many lifelong friends.
Leon served his country in the Korean War from 1950 – 1952, where he obtained the rank of Corporal in the US Navy. He also worked for a short time at Boeing as a riveter and then for the US Post Office for many years.
Leon loved to walk in his West Seattle neighborhood, where he developed many lifelong friends. Leon never married or had children; however, he was close to his family of cousins in West Seattle and Spokane.
We are all better off having known Leon.
A service will be held at Tahoma National Cemetery on Wednesday, May 10th, 2023, at 2:30 pm. 18600 SE 240th Street, Kent, WA 98042-4868.
Donations may be made in lieu of flowers to any of his many charities: Ronald McDonald House Charities of Western Washington; Make-A-Wish Foundation of Washington; American Heart Association NW WA; Northwest Harvest; International Fund for Animal Welfare; or Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.
(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)
(Another look at Friday’s sunset – Lincoln Park photo by David Dimmit)
Highlights for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
ONLINE RELIGIOUS SERVICES: We’re still updating the online list – see today’s lineup here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm; the market offers spring produce as well as flowers, cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages (from kombucha to beer/wine), nuts, more. Here’s today’s vendor list. (California SW between Oregon and Alaska)
SCREEN-PRINTING CLASS FOR TWEENS AND TEENS: 10 am at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW), free – info in our calendar listing.
WEST SEATTLE ROCK AND GEM SHOW: Day 2, 10 am-5 pm at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds), free admission – not only a show and sale, but also kids’ activities and demonstrations.
MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: Singer-songwriter Bryan Bielanski at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 3 pm.
PUGET SOUNDWORKS CONCERT: 3 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW). “Down to Earth” is the theme for what’s described as “a concert that celebrates the beauty of our planet and a call to action to protect our home. The concert will feature spoken-word performances, classic protest songs, and climate anthems that reflect the challenges of the ongoing climate crisis.’ Ticket info is in our calendar listing.
TIM’S TAVERN: 5-8 pm at the new Tim’s Tavern in White Center (16th/98th), Shakin’ Sunday with Johnny7 and the Black Crabs. More info here.
END THE WEEKEND PEACEFULLY: Inner Alchemy offers Kundalini Yoga, Meditation, Breath Work, and Gong Bath from 7-8:30 pm at Move2Center (3618 SW Alaska). RSVP/fee info is in our calendar listing.
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: 9 pm to 1:30 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).
Have an event – one-time or recurring – to add to our calendar? Please email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Our two days of almost-summery weather are ending, and clouds are due back tomorrow, with a slight chance of rain. So if you didn’t go to the West Seattle Rock and Gem Show today, you might consider visiting tomorrow. The big community room off the Alki Masonic Center‘s lot is brimming with sights to see:
The West Seattle Rock Club has presented this show for more than half a century – though that’s just a blink in the geological time that many of these specimens represent:
Demonstrations, activities, and a chance to learn about rocks are all part of the event. If you want to take home a souvenir, here’s one option:
The venue is on the northeast corner of 40th and Edmunds. Admission’s free, and show hours are the same tomorrow as they were today – 10 am to 5 pm.
Out walking in the Seacrest/Don Armeni area tonight, we noticed this crowd aboard the Water Taxi for an evening run to downtown. This is the second weekend of the year that the WT is on its full spring/summer schedule, including Friday and Saturday nights. Last scheduled run of the night is 11 pm from West Seattle to downtown.
5:45 PM: Thanks to Kersti Muul for the tip: “Transients are on the edge of Elliott Bay. Southbound, visible from Alki. Mid-to-east in channel.” Let us know if you see them!
5:57 PM: Kersti says orcas are now “milling” off 64th/Alki.
6:03 PM: Another texter sees them from 62nd/Alki and says they seem to be moving east in the bay. (Texted photo added – thank you!)
ADDED 8:32 PM: And two more photos just in, courtesy of Robin Sinner, who explains: “The 2 orcas were off 64th and Alki at 5:45 pm. Walked fast to Constellation and caught a close pass at 5:53pm. Could hear them breathing! This was most likely T123 pod of 3. Big Male is T123a Stanley.”
Just a refresher – transients are not endangered, and eat other marine mammals, particularly seals and sea lions. They’re an entirely separate population from the Southern Resident Killer Whales, who ARE endangered and primarily eat fish, especially salmon.
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