West Seattle, Washington
19 Saturday
Congratulations to West Seattle Nursery for an award-winning run at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. The report is from WSN’s Marie McKinsey:
The crew at West Seattle Nursery is tired but happy today. Their display garden, “Shaded from Reality,” just won the Founder’s Cup – Best in Show Award at the Northwest Flower and Garden Festival. They also won the Beyond Beautiful Award from Fine Gardening Magazine, and a Gold Medal.
The garden featured a rustic greenhouse in the woods, built using reclaimed windows and other recycled materials. The structure was surrounded by shade-loving plants, including a stunning collection of hellebores, with a stream tumbling over rock near the entrance.
The Show opened on February 15th and closed last night.
It was held at the Convention Center downtown.
7:14 PM: Police and fire are headed for a two-vehicle crash reported at Delridge/Trenton. One texter reports one vehicle is up over the curb and almost into a building. Responders are checking on whether anyone was hurt. Avoid the area for a while.
7:31 PM: That’s one of the cars, currently blocking southbound Delridge; the other is blocking the sidewalk on the southwest corner of Delridge/Trenton. Our crew at the scene was told no one was seriously hurt and police are just waiting for tow trucks to come remove the vehicles.
7:56 PM: Eastbound Trenton is temporarily closed right now, officers have just told dispatch.
A gunfire investigation starts West Seattle Crime Watch:
GUNFIRE INVESTIGATION: Thanks for the tips about police activity at the West Duwamish Greenbelt trailhead off Highland Park Way, just uphill from West Marginal Way. Officers were investigating reports of a man seen firing a gun “into the treeline” just after 3:30 pm. Police told dispatch they found casings on the trail, in multiple locations. One possible suspect was reported detained but we don’t know yet whether they were subsequently arrested. No injuries reported. (Tuesday update: The person was not arrested; he told police he “drove a friend to that location and the friend had brought and fired a gun in the woods,” and no witnesses had seen the detained person firing the gun. Others reported seeing a second person in the area but he was not found.)
Also in Crime Watch, three reader reports – two car prowls and one mailbox prowl:
PICKUP BREAK-IN: From Creighton:
This morning someone broke into my late-model Dodge Ram truck that was parked deep in my driveway in front of my house. I live near Beach Dr & Jacobsen (south of Me Kwa Mooks). They took: the radio, a set of white twin bed sheets (??), and a few hand tools. They left the spare change, other hand tools, and didn’t take the registration. My neighbor’s camera picked up a suspicious video at 5:49 am of an older American (Ranger or Chevy S10?) truck exiting a nearby alley and approaching my house turning off its headlights.
The stealth mode sorta worked, but the truck had a loud untuned engine and bad muffler and squeaky suspension that was noticeable. It had a large box in its bed, and the tailgate down. Earlier this month a 6-foot aluminum ladder I kept near my truck disappeared, but I thought I loaned it to someone…but now suspect it was also stolen and wouldn’t surprise me if this was the same person again. I wanted others to be on the lookout for this rattle-trap bad-guy truck searching for things to steal in the early morning hours. Police report filed, and all things pawn-able or scrap worthy removed from outside my house.
TWO CARS PROWLED: From Peter, also in South Alki: “Car prowl last night, 2-19, between 9:00 PM and 7:00A M this morning. Two cars rifled through, coins taken. Cars were parked on 57th Place SW, just north of SW Orleans St.”
MAILBOX PROWLER: From Kevin in the 3800 block of 34th SW:
At about 12:30 am (Sunday) this prowler opens my mailbox to see if there’s anything in there he can grab. Maybe in light of all the other crime in our area this may be a tip that leads to something else.
The car he’s walking toward is my tan sedan, but the car behind me has been parked there for the last five days and we reported it to police. That car behind me is a white Odyssey minivan with license plates, AWL to start, Washington.
(Added 5:30 pm: Photo by Jerry Simmons)
2:13 PM: You’ve probably noticed it’s windy, as forecast. But now the National Weather Service says it’s likely to continue at “Wind Advisory” alert level until early Tuesday. Just updated a few minutes ago, the alert is in effect until 6 am tomorrow and says “southwest winds 20 to 35 mph with gusts up to 55 mph expected.” (If you have power, tree, etc. trouble, once you’ve alerted the authorities – 206-684-3000 for power, 206-386-1800 for road hazards like fallen trees – please let us know, 206-293-6302 text or voice – thank you!)
ADDED 6:41 PM: The southwest winds made for big waves at Constellation Park – Dene Miles tweeted some video viewable here. Also note that one more weather alert is in effect, a “Coastal Flood Advisory” for 4 am-10 am Tuesday, with a baseline-predicted 12.7-foot high tide just after 6 am, and the weather possibly still unsettled then.
Keith Hughes, who runs the West Seattle Veteran Center and the emergency shelter hosted inside it, is “Washingtonian of the Day.” Governor Jay Inslee and First Lady Trudi Inslee traveled to West Seattle this morning to present the award in person.
Here’s our video of the short ceremony, in which the governor presented that certificate as well as an apple pin:
There to show their support were community leaders from groups/organizations including the Westside Interfaith Network, West Seattle Chamber of Commerce (which honored Hughes last year as Westsider of the Year), and WS Junction Association.
Before presenting the award, the Inslees toured the center/shelter, housed inside historic American Legion Post 160. With another snap of sub-freezing weather forecast for later this week, we asked Hughes if the shelter has any specific current needs. Here’s what you can donate: Hot-cocoa mix (packets preferred), coffee creamer (powdered type), underwear, T-shirts, and jeans (men’s and women’s) – not a huge amount of those items, maybe a dozen each. The center/shelter is at 3618 SW Alaska. (Added: And as noted in comments, it now has a website.)
Jesse hopes to get these postcards to their rightful recipients:
We got these postcards a few days ago from Andrew addressed to Mary Kay and Mat, and Mom and Dad. There’s no one here in the building by that name, so I figured I would reach out to see if any of the blog readers might know where these go.
The Antarctic trip looks amazing, and wouldn’t want Andrew’s parents to miss out on their postcards!
The erroneous address was on California SW north of The Junction, so maybe the correct one isn’t far. If these were for you, email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com and we’ll connect you.
Thinking about college? You can attend right here in West Seattle. Learn about South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) and its sibling colleges during this series of upcoming events:
The Seattle Colleges District, including South Seattle College, is holding annual Discover Seattle Colleges events late February into early March. Join us virtually or in-person to learn about our programs and services. There will be two in-person open houses at South Seattle College’s main campus in West Seattle (March 7) and our Georgetown campus (March 6). Registration is now open for Spring Quarter, starting April 3, with in-person, online and hybrid courses available.
Online Events – Monday, Feb. 27 – Thursday, March 2, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
In-person Open House – Monday, March 6 – Thursday, March 9, 3-6 p.m.Visit seattlecolleges.edu/discover for dates, topics, locations and sign-up links.
Part I: Online Events ∙ Feb. 27-March 2
The first series is four online events exploring academic programs and career pathways at Seattle Colleges. Each one-hour online event offers prospective students (and their families) a chance to hear from instructors and learn more about the programs that interest them. The events are organized by area of study and include presentations from faculty in academic programs or career pathways in the following areas:
Health and Medical / Education and Human Services: Monday, Feb. 27, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Business and Accounting / Science, Engineering and Technology: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Culinary, Hospitality and Wine / Skilled Trades and Technical Training: Wednesday, March 1, 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Arts, Design and Graphics / Social Sciences, Humanities and Languages: Thursday, March 2, 5:30-6:30 p.m.Part II: Campus Open Houses ∙ March 6-9
The second event series is campus open houses. Prospective students and community members are invited to learn about our programs, take campus tours, and enjoy refreshments, demonstrations and college giveaways. Talk to faculty and staff about your goals and learn more about admissions and student resources.Georgetown Apprenticeship & Education Center, South Seattle College: Monday, March 6, 3-6 p.m.
South Seattle College Main Campus (in West Seattle): Tuesday, March 7, 3-6 p.m.
Seattle Central College and North Seattle College also have open houses this weekInterested participants are invited to attend all events. Learn more and sign up on our website at seattlecolleges.edu/discover.
Family and friends will gather March 4th to remember Maarten Verburg, and are sharing this remembrance with his community:
Martinus “Maarten” Verburg, 56 years old, of Seattle, passed away on February 13, 2023 following a nearly year-long battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Born in Santpoort, Netherlands to Martinus and Henrica Verburg, Maarten is survived by his wife Marcy Mabry, son Yoeri Verburg (Hoofddoorp, Netherlands), bonus children Jessica and Jakob Rugland & bonus mom Jeanie Larson (Seattle), sister Annette Verburg (San Juan Capistrano, CA), brothers Kees (Sen) Verburg (Hechtel-Eksel, Belgium) & Frans (Mary) Verburg (Lichtenvoorde, Netherlands), nieces and nephews Tom (Olivia), Sebastiaan, Maaike, and Sabine Molloy, Kerenza, Karst, & Kevin Verburg, and Jordan, Kai, & Ciara Verburg, countless good friends from his travels around the world, and the WS Naz church community who welcomed him with open arms and love. A Launch Mission Manager at ISISpace, Maarten dearly loved his colleagues and never lost that childlike joy of getting to launch satellites on rockets.
Maarten loved all things where he could use his imagination: playing piano, saxophone, & bass guitar, photography (he had all the patience to wait for just the right shot), drawing, painting, cooking, songwriting, and poetry. From backpacking, hiking, skiing, biking, kayaking, running, ice skating, swimming, Maarten loved anything active outdoors. He loved working with his hands, from construction, to landscaping, to getting on the floor and playing Legos. His love of travel and animals began as a child, when he spent a few years in South Africa. Making friends around the world taught Maarten that we all have more in common than not.
Maarten was such an extrovert but also very humble. He’d be the first to admit that he was imperfect and didn’t have all the answers, and he did not suffer fools gladly. But Maarten did have two guiding principles: Never Give Up On Anyone, and Do Good & Don’t Look Back.
A funeral service will be held in his honor at 10:00 am PST on March 4 at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene. Reception following at the church and at our home next door. Maarten appreciated a good whisky – we’ll raise a glass in his honor.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made for the completion of Maarten Park, a park for gathering the community adjacent to WS Church of the Nazarene and our home: gofund.me/f54126ac
Deepest thanks to Maarten’s care team at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and UW Medical Center, including Dr. Ryan Cassaday, Heather, Christen, Lindsay, Jonelle, Kayelin & Ruth (UW 8SA), and countless nurses and staff who supported Maarten with kindness, caring, tenacity, and for allowing Maarten’s humor to shine through amidst the fight. That Maarten was only in hospice care for 4 days is but one testament to their honoring him.
(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)
(Bald Eagle photographed along Harbor Avenue by John Skerratt)
Good morning and welcome to Monday, February 20th, Presidents Day. Here’s what you should know:
TRANSPORTATION
Transit – No Water Taxi service today; Metro is on a regular weekday schedule; here’s the Sound Transit holiday plan
Traffic cameras – Here’s our page of West Seattle-relevant cameras; the citywide map is here
Parking – No charge today for pay-station spaces on city streets in neighborhoods with them
OTHER SERVICES
Schools – Closed
Libraries – Closed
Parks facilities – Here’s what’s closed and what’s open
Mail – Holiday for most USPS facilities/services
Banks – Holiday
WEATHER
Windy and rainy, high near 50. (And looking back – two years ago, we were coming out of a big snowfall!)
EVENTS
Check the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar – highlight for tonight is 7 pm comedy at Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way) – check here to see if any tickets are left.
If you see news – including traffic trouble – please call or text 206-293-6302 when you can do so safely – thank you!
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
District 1, including West Seattle, will elect a new City Councilmember this year, since Lisa Herbold has decided not to run for a third term.
Three people have formally announced campaigns so far, and it’s early, so more are likely. Rather than wait until late in the campaign to interview them, we decided to help ensure you have a better chance to get to know the candidates, by interviewing them multiple times, starting with an early “chat.”
So starting tonight, we’ll feature a City Council Candidate Chat for at least the next three Sundays (beyond, if and when additional candidates make announcements). We’re starting with more of a get-to-know-you kind of conversation; first up is Rob Saka, a Delridge resident who is the most-recent candidate to jump into the race.
We sat down with him at Delridge Community Center, a place Saka says is near and dear to his heart, not just because he lives in the area, but because he and his family – including three young children – have spent a lot of time there.
Our entire half-hour chat, unedited, is recorded on video:
If you don’t want to, or don’t have the time to, watch/listen, here’s our summary of key points:
As noted here Saturday night, both West Seattle High School teams have made it into the state tournament. Tonight, we know when and where they’ll play their first games. As announced by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, here’s the schedule:
GIRLS: Tuesday (February 21st) 7 pm, at WSHS vs. Central Kitsap
BOYS: Saturday (February 25th) 8 pm, at Bellevue College vs. winner of Tuesday’s Everett–North Thurston game
Both are open to the public, with admission charges.
As shown here last night, Seattle Aquarium beach naturalists were out at Constellation Park, helping people explore responsibly at low-low tide. Tonight we have photos of some of the wildlife they saw – the first three photos are from Rosalie Miller: Above, a painted anemone; below, northern kelp crabs:
And a rough piddock:
We don’t have the ID on this one, but Molly Al-Jawad sent the photo:
Tonight’s low-low tide, -2.5 feet at 10:18 pm, will be just as low as the one that brought explorers out last night. Meantime, you can watch this page later this year to see when the beach naturalists will be out during the summer daytime low-low tides.
Today was scheduled to be the last day for answering the city survey that kicked off work on the South Delridge Action Plan. However, checking its start page reveals it’s been extended through February 28th. We discovered that while preparing to write a preview about community council HPAC’s monthly meeting coming up this Wednesday (February 22), which will include guests discussing the SDAP, described a month ago as intended “to develop a vision for the future of South Delridge, which includes parts of neighborhoods such as Westwood, Roxhill, Highland Park, Delridge, and White Center … (to) help the City support community and focus investments in the coming years.” If you haven’t already answered the survey, go here to find links in 4 languages; attendance info for Wednesday’s 7 pm online HPAC meeting is here.
As we reported Thursday night, a city rep told the Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council that the Harbor Avenue RV encampment area was scheduled for a sweep (aka “remediation”) late this month. Driving through the area at midday today, we noticed “no parking” signs along both sides of Harbor from Fairmount to Spokane, for next Thursday-Friday (February 23-24), and a closer look at the mandatory explanatory notices on some of them attribute the restrictions to “RV remediation”:
Most of the half-dozen-plus RVs scattered along that stretch of Harbor also have been tagged – the orange squares were in view on front windshields.
(WSB file photo)
While much of Seattle’s only river, the Duwamish River, has been pressed into service as industrial “waterway” over the decades, some stretches retain remnants of its original wild beauty. In all its roles, the Duwamish can be a source of inspiration, and a writer who grew up in West Seattle wants you to know about a writing workshop he’s leading soon – not in WS but not far away. Here’s the announcement:
This winter Simon Wolf will offer Place Based Poetics: Writing with the Duwamish River, a workshop through Hugo House, an essential literary community in Seattle. The course draws on documentary and ecopoetic work that has preoccupied Wolf for the past three years, including his University of Washington Bothell MFA thesis, Charging. That project drew from Seattle settler history texts, family migration stories, and reflections on urban experiences, with the Duwamish River as a grounding line through every element. In his current work he questions his preconceived notions of nature and explores new ways of approaching the Duwamish River through writing, research, and his work in land restoration.
The course considers, “How can we write poems from a river? How can this river be the line that guides us through the violent past of Seattle? Part Seattle history, part eco-poetics, we will read excerpts of history texts and discuss poets that engage rivers, industry, and pollution in their work. Students will practice incorporating research into their poetry, will visit the river at least once, and leave class with two river poems.”
Registration is open. Hugo House members receive a discounted rate for the class, which meets in person at Hugo House Tuesdays 5 to 7 pm from February 28 through March 21, 2023.
Wolf also hosts a free monthly Writing Circle at Blue Cone Studios, on Capitol Hill, in Seattle that meets the last Friday of the month from 6-8 pm. Participants are invited to read and discuss poetry, make work together, and to share work in progress — all are welcome!
As noted here last month, the State Legislature has relaunched its page programs after a pandemic hiatus. Another local student has just completed a turn in Olympia – here’s the announcement we received:
(Photo courtesy Washington State Legislative Support Services)
Rowan Wohlf, a student at Chief Sealth International High School and South Seattle College, served as a page earlier this month in the Washington State House of Representatives. Sponsored by State Rep. Emily Alvarado, D-West Seattle, Rowan is the child of Nikki Wohlf and Ken Wohlf of Seattle.
Pages assume a wide variety of responsibilities, from presenting the flags to distributing amendments on the House floor. Pages support the efficient operation of the Legislature while also receiving daily civics instruction, drafting their own bills, and participating in mock committee hearings.
This year’s legislative session runs into April and applications for the page program are still open – find the info here.
(Luna/Anchor Park, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Here’s what’s happening on day two of this three-day Presidents Day weekend:
ONLINE RELIGIOUS SERVICES: We’re continuing to update these – see today’s lineup here.
ANIMATED CAFE STORY TIME: 9:30 am in the building next to the coffee stand’s lot at 4518 Fauntleroy Way SW. Sign up in advance here.
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the market offers winter 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)
MOUNTAIN TO SOUND OUTFITTERS SALE: The Presidents Day Weekend Sale is on at Mountain to Sound Outfitters (WSB sponsor) – get gear and apparel for snow sports, with lots of time left in this year’s season – some items up to 40 percent off! Open 10 am-5 pm today. (3602 SW Alaska)
DONATION DRIVE: Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds) is hoping you can donate to today’s drive – drop off items in the front courtyard, 11 am-3 pm:
The pantry is bare! There is a critical need for donations of non-perishable food for our unsheltered neighbors.
Donations of food, clothing, and outdoor gear are distributed through the Westside Interfaith Network (WIN) Saturday lunch, hosted in White Center.
ART POP-UP: Danish artist Bjoern T.M. Larsen‘s pop-up shop in the Senior Center of West Seattle corner space (California/Oregon) is oen 11 am-5 pm.
‘FAT SUNDAY’ PARTY: Free music and food – Mardi Gras-style – at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill), and everyone’s invited, starting at noon; details in our calendar listing.
FIXTURE/FURNITURE SALE: From the inbox: “Doll Parts Collective (newly relocated to 4832 California SW) is having a fixture/furniture sale at their old location (4448 California SW) today 2/19 from 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm. They have furniture, clothing racks, small display items, and some deeply discounted home goods; even a few free items. Need a piano, anyone? Things are priced to sell! Also, in case you missed it, they’re now open at their new spot seven days a week, 12:00 pm to 6:00 pm.”
‘SMOOCH A POOCH’: Adoptable dogs at a fundraiser for Beloveds 3-6 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW).
NEED FOOD? White Center Community Dinner Church serves a free meal (take-away available) at 5 pm Sundays at the Salvation Army Center in South Delridge (9050 16th SW).
YOGA, MEDITATION, GONG BATH: Presented by Inner Alchemy 7 pm at Move2Center (3618 SW Alaska), $35.
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
LATIN SUNDAYS: DJ at The Benbow Room (4210 SW Admiral Way), starting at 9 pm.
SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: 9 pm to 1:30 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).
Have an event to add to our calendar? Please email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
9:14 PM: Police are investigating an armed robbery reported at the strip mall on the northeast corner of 35th and Roxbury less than half an hour ago. We haven’t heard the business name mentioned over police radio, but a texter says it was the smoke shop. So far officers have told dispatch that the robbers were described as two Black men in black jogging suits, at least one armed with a black handgun, who got away in a white 4-door Hyundai Elantra, apparently with a third person. No injuries reported.
9:30 PM: This may be related to at least two subsequent robberies mentioned by dispatchers, both south of Seattle, in White Center and North Burien, both with similar suspect/vehicle descriptions.
As mentioned in our Event Calendar and daily preview list, Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists are out at Constellation Park right now, helping people explore what’s in view because of the nighttime low-low-tide. Thanks to Sara for sending photos!
They’re scheduled to be out until 10 pm – just look for the canopy, and the people on the beach, at 60th and Beach Drive.
But tread lightly – low tides like this one expose sealife that’s usually submerged.
P.S. The naturalists won’t be out, but tomorrow night the tide will be just as low at 10:18 pm, -2.5 feet.
Though their victories last night earned them berths in state-tournament competition no matter what, West Seattle High School‘s girls’ and boys’ basketball teams each had to play one last district game this afternoon at Bellevue College. Both scores are now in: The girls won, beating Eastside Catholic, 60-57, taking fifth place in the district; the boys lost to Rainier Beach, 71-58, finishing sixth. Seedings for the state tournament are due to be announced tomorrow afternoon, so that’s when we should know where and when both teams will play their first games in state competition, which begins Tuesday.
5:20 PM: Thanks for the tips. As of about half an hour ago, Seattle Public Utilities is handling a water problem on Puget Ridge. It’s centered near 17th/Myrtle, according to SPU’s map. Though the map also projects a restoration time of 10 pm, we offer the same caveat as in power outages – those estimates are really just guesses, so could be much sooner or much later. If you’re having trouble and you’re not in the area shown on the map, call SPU at 206-386-1800 and be sure they know you’re affected too.
7:39 PM: We went to Puget Ridge and tried to find any SPU crews working around 17th/Myrtle; no luck. Water in the street, more than would be residual from the last round of rain, was in evidence on Myrtle between 16th and 17th, though.
The Senior Center of West Seattle‘s corner ground-floor space at California/Oregon is hosting another pop-up shop. If you haven’t been yet, you have through tomorrow to go browse the art of Bjoern T.M. Larsen, who tells us a bit about himself and his work:
I’m a Danish artist locally residing in Seattle.
I studied art in Venice (Italy) and within decades I was able to build my own unique style by using iridescent Acrylics and resin on Canvas. I won several Art Festivals (Art Shoreline Festival 2020), I sell originals, prints of different sizes, and greeting cards.
With me there is Lucia, an Italian jewelry and candle maker.
Larsen’s pop-up is open until 5 pm today and again 11 am-5 pm tomorrow (Sunday, February 19th).
Next Saturday (February 25th) is the day – you’re invited to the Polar Plunge “winter beach party” at Alki, benefiting Special Olympics Washington. Even if you don’t plan to participate in the plunging, you can stop by to watch, play beach games, contribute, and/or enjoy food trucks, a beer garden, and liv music. As explained by Special Olympics, the event is to raise money “that directly goes to providing athletes with year-round opportunities to train and compete, as well as receive free health screenings and leadership training … (ensuring) that over 7,500 Washington children and adults with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities have the opportunity to participate at no cost to them.” Events start near Alki Bathhouse (60th/Alki) at 8 am next Saturday, with a costume contest at 12:10 pm (the crowd gets to judge), and “polar plunging” beginning at 1 pm. Individual and team registration starts here.
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