1:44 PM: Our peninsula’s biggest party of the year, West Seattle Summer Fest – today through Sunday – has started! Here’s our view from the Info Booth at California/Alaska:

See the Mobile Apparel booth in the center of that view? That’s where you can get your customized Summer Fest T-shirt. Other festival merch is on sale here, on the west side of the Info Booth:

Also here on the south side of the Info Booth right now – Seattle Police Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Satterwhite with some free items including steering-wheel locks (3:03 pm update – they’re out but there’s more at the precinct):

Alice Kuder is on the east side of the Info Booth this afternoon, talking about her Just In Case Preparedness Services and the free scavenger hunt she’s presenting next month, Summer Scramble:

South of the intersection, you’ll find all the festival food (with reusable ware) – aside from what the year-round food/drink businesses are offering at (and/or in front of) their venues. In Junction Plaza Park, where the West Side Stage will have music starting at 4 pm (the main stage, north of SW Oregon, near the Post Office, gets going at 3 pm; buskers are playing music at other spots too). West of California/Alaska is the Kids’ Zone, lots of free fun as well as the inflatables (for which you need a day pass or individual tickets – you can pay online too).

2:56 PM: Most of the inflatables are actually in the parking lot behind KeyBank – if you look down SW Alaska, you’ll only see one, and the ticket booth. Also on Alaska by the lot entrance – the West Seattle Arcade game zone:

Elsewhere in festival-land, it’s almost time for the main-stage music to start, up on California SW north of Oregon:

Music is also happening inside Jet City Labs (a few steps north of Easy Street) – proprietor Derek Moon has a DJ lineup all weekend:

Or you can keep shopping – remember, this all began as a sidewalk sale way back when, and many year-round merchants have tables outside their shops, like Three Little Birds (with a guest appearance by their sister store Alair):

That’s on the east side of California south of Alaska. At the very south end of the festival zone, we found a visiting vendor with a sense of humor:

3:39 PM: Also on the Alaska-to-Edmunds section of California, one of the festival’s face painters – we just got a question about where to find them (answer: midblock raised crosswalk):

4:32 PM: Music has begun on both stages – the West Side Stage (sponsored by West Side Music Academy) is in Junction Plaza Park, north of the food vendors – we stopped by while Nathan Shafi was playing:

Among the bands scheduled for that stage in the next few hours – local faves The Potholes are playing at 6 pm. Up at the Main Stage north of Oregon (which is also where you’ll find the Beer Garden – featuring non-alcoholic specialties too), it’s Bexley right now.

Music on that stage runs until 11 tonight; vendors are open until 8 pm-ish. Some are bringing a taste of other parts of the city – like Pike Place Nuts, on the south block, with sweet and savory nuts:

5:25 PM: Summer Fest is powered by volunteers – among them, the school communities that are running the Kid Zone. Explorer West Middle School is there today – we said hi to Dawn:

Explorer West is a WSB sponsor, as are the two schools you’ll find in the Kids’ Zone this weekend, Tilden School and Hope Lutheran.

Meantime, we’ve talked a lot about music – but you can immerse yourself in books at the festival too! Not just by visiting Pegasus Book Exchange, but also via the Author Event Network‘s festival booth – they’re back this year to spotlight independent authors and their books. Among them, West Seattle’s own Susan Kemp, who has just published “The Time Philosopher,” sequel to her previous book “Climate Machine” – she’s in the network booth all three days of the festival (here’s the full list of who’s there):

5:51 PM: As usual for the first day of the festival, evening’s arrival brings a bigger crowd. The food zone, where you’ll find festival faves like elephant ears and cotton candy as well as dinner fare, is developing lines. The music is about to heat up too – we’ll be at the West Side Stage at 6 for The Potholes; Mikey Moo takes the Main Stage right about then. And if you haven’t been to The Junction yet, the temperature has been perfect all day – 15-plus degrees cooler than earlier this week, just a bit breezy.

6:19 PM: Some video from the start of The Potholes’ set:

They’re performing again at noon Sunday, also at the West Side Stage in Junction Plaza Park (just northeast of the food vendors).

7:02 PM: Vendors are here until 8, so you still have time to scope everything out in the mellow evening air. Here’s the evening view from the Info Booth:

Continuing to wander the vendor rows, we said hi to Vanessa at WSB sponsor Camp Crockett:

Camp Crockett’s places for your pups include spaces from Upper Morgan to North Delridge – but you can find out about them right here in The Junction during the festival, another bonus of visiting Summer Fest – learning about dozens of local businesses (including the year-round Junction merchants) all in one place. Another WSB sponsor, Mode Music Studios, is here – Lindsey‘s in the house this evening talking with people about their lessons and camps:

And if you still haven’t tried Papa Tony’s Hot Sauce – a Farmers’ Market fixture – Tony himself is here:

8 PM: The vendors are wrapping up (food booths usually stay longer, and of course the year-round restaurants/bars are open too) since it’s official closing time (except for main-stage music, which continues until 11ish). We’re rolling up the info booth too, but continuous coverage will continue Saturday – back tomorrow at 10 to start Saturday!

ADDED SATURDAY: WSB contributor Jason Grotelueschen sent this photo of Easy Street’s Matt Vaughan introducing The Long Winters‘ closing set:

Jason says Matt declared Roderick “the Mark Twain of Seattle.”

(P.S. – if your business, organization, performing group, etc. is doing something this weekend at Summer Fest – tell us about it, via text at 206-293-6302 or email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!)

Share This

WEST SEATTLE COYOTES: Daytime chicken-chasing and other sightings

July 12, 2024 12:06 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

More coyote sightings, first one sent by Amy on Thursday:

Just saw a coyote chasing my chickens. Keep your pets indoors! We live between the Pathfinder trails and the Duwamish Longhouse. Still waiting to see if my scattered flock returns….

Since we weren’t able to publish that immediately, we checked back later, and Amy updated us:

The chickens are mostly okay. They came out of hiding about an hour later. One of them had bite marks and needed stitches, but will recover. The attack happened around 10:00 AM. I’m not letting the chickens or my cat out unsupervised any time soon.

Rose De Dan thinks her cat might have encountered a coyote, perhaps the one captured on her Wild Reiki Spa video from the Belvidere area last Saturday:

I love and respect coyotes but do not want to see one hunting at the Wild Reiki Spa near dawn. The coyote doubles back; he’s hunting something, maybe a rabbit. The two sets of glowing eyes on the mid-left are my two foster cats watching the action from the window. I am worried; former outdoor-only stray cat Tamerlan came home dirty and injured around 10 p.m. last night (no bites, but a possible muscle strain and fall, perhaps from fleeing a coyote). I am glad I can warn the neighbors to keep their cats in at night and not leave their dogs unattended in the backyard. This is a very healthy coyote and pets don’t stand a chance.

And Sally reported this Wednesday sighting:

I’d never seen a coyote in person, so I guess today was my turn.

I saw it come from SW Holly, at the south edge of South Seattle College. It started to run out onto 16th Ave SW, but ran back to the curb to avoid getting hit by cars. It had a small animal in its mouth, but I couldn’t tell what it was – could have been a cat. All I saw was that the prey had dark gray, brown, white stripe-y soft texture. To me, it really looked like the back of a barred owl, though I couldn’t imagine that a coyote would manage to catch an owl? This was around 6:45 am.

As we’ve noted many times before in our 15-plus years of coyote-sighting reports, coyotes have a varied diet – nuts and berries as well as wildlife (squirrels, rats, etc.) and yes, some unattended pets. We publish sightings periodically for awareness, not alarm; even if you don’t live near a greenbelt, they’re likely in your neighborhood. Learn about them here.

Share This

Summer Fest, outdoor Shakespeare, soccer, sales, more for your West Seattle Friday

July 12, 2024 10:45 am

| 0 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

That scene outside Easy Street Records this morning is a reminder of West Seattle Summer Fest‘s origins – it began as a Junction-wide sidewalk sale decades ago. Some of the year-round merchants continue with sidewalk sales during the festival, which starts today and leads off our highlight list:

WEST SEATTLE SUMMER FEST AT A GLANCE: Official festival hours are 1 pm to 8 pm, with mainstage music and the beer garden continuing later. The festival stretches along California SW from the main stage (in the Post Office vicinity between Genesee and Oregon) to Edmunds, and along SW Alaska from the Kids’ Zone (California to 44th) to the food zone (California to 42nd). The schedules for both music stages (the smaller West Side Stage is in Junction Plaza Park) are here; the food/drink info (including Beer Garden menus – non-alcoholic too) is here; the vendors (etc.) list is here; the Kids Zone info, including advance inflatable ticket/pass purchase, is here. We’ll be covering the festival nonstop while on Team Info Booth all festival; see you there!

Here’s what else is happening, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS: Multiple locations and varying times in West Seattle – here’s the list.

SSC GARDEN CENTER: Plants await you at the north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus, until 3 pm.

MOON ROOM SUMMER SALE: 20 percent off today through Sunday, in the store (5902 California SW; WSB sponsor) and online at moonroomshop.com – open 11 am-6 pm today, 11 am-5 pm Saturday and Sunday!

HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open 11 am-8 pm. Free! (1100 SW Cloverdale)

WADING POOLS: Open today – Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm; Delridge (4501 Delridge Way SW) and Hiawatha (2700 California SW), noon-5:30 pm.

COLMAN POOL CLOSED TO PUBLIC: Swim-meet closures today and toorrow for the outdoor pool at Lincoln Park – otherwise here’s the usual schedule.

VISCON CELLARS: The tasting room/wine bar is open tonight for wine by the glass or bottle – 5-9 pm – at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).

FISH STICKS BASEBALL: Tickets remain for tonight’s 6:35 pm game vs. the Gumberoos at Steve Cox Memorial Park – it’s Flashback Friday, to 2014! (1321 SW 102nd, White Center).

JUNCTION FC SOCCER: Second-to-last home match for the first-season team, 7 pm at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle) – ticket link and other info in our preview.

KENYON HALL CABARET: All-ages monthly drag show at Kenyon Hall (7904 35th SW), doors at 7, show at 7:30.

SHAKESPEARE IN THE PARK: Abbreviated “Backyard Bard” version of “All’s Well That Ends Well“ at 7 pm, High Point Commons Park (6400 Sylvan Way SW), free, presented by GreenStage.

AT THE SPOT: Fridays are Live Artist Showcase nights at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), 7-10 pm.

REVELRY ROOM DJ: Festival special DJ lineup! (4547 California SW)

AT THE SKYLARK: Doors 7, music 8, with Karismata, The Sejongs, Kuwaisiana, $10 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

YOU SKATE, THEY PLAY: “Make It Loud!” at Southgate Roller Rink (9646 17th SW), roller skating to live bands, featuring Catica, Mr. Dinkles, Tongues *FREE BAR SHOW*. $18 cover, $5 skate.

What are we missing? If you have something else to add to our event lists and calendar, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Share This

UPDATE: Power outage in The Junction

July 12, 2024 9:29 am

| 8 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news

9:29 AM: Thanks for the tips. More than 300 customers are without power in The Junction, and the City Light map shows the outage overlapping much of the West Seattle Summer Fest zone (the festival is scheduled to start at 1 pm). We have a team member in the area now and he’s trying to find out more.

9:43 AM: So far the businesses we’ve found, north of Alaska (working our way south), all have power. And the festival crew tells us the food/drink booths run on generator power, so they will be up and running regardless. Please let us know if you’re in The Junction and ARE affected – thank you!

9:56 AM: As commenter Darren says below, and as we discovered at one business (Elliott Bay), power is reduced but not entirely out (Elliott Bay for example has 110 but not 220). The outage map now attributes this to “bird/animal contact.”

10:22 AM: The number of customers affected has dropped on the map to 143, less than half the original number.

1:14 PM: We’re at Summer Fest now, and so is City Light. Meantime, Junction 47 is still suffering effects of the outage, including – as noted in comments – the Junction Starbucks, which is closed until the power’s back.

7:23 PM: The map shows the outage resolved sometime since we last checked hours ago.

Share This

YOU CAN HELP: Get your West Seattle Food Bank raffle ticket(s) at Summer Fest

July 12, 2024 9:04 am

| 0 COMMENTS

| How to help | West Seattle news

The start of West Seattle Summer Fest today also brings the start of the West Seattle Food Bank‘s famous annual raffle – here’s the announcement explaining how to get your ticket(s)!

We are thrilled to announce the start of our Summer Raffle ticket sales! This year, we have an exciting lineup of prizes and a fantastic way for everyone to be a winner while supporting our community.

A total of 500 tickets are up for grabs, each priced at just $10. Everyone’s a winner! Each ticket stub entitles the holder to a one-time 10% discount at each of the five participating restaurants: Phoenecia, West Seattle Grounds, T2 Wine Cellers, Seattle Sorbets, and Soprano’s Antico.

The grand draw will take place on July 31st, with the first prize being a $150 gift card for West Seattle Junction. The second prize is a $100 gift card to Hotwire Coffee, and the third prize is a $50 gift card to Sound and Fog. Winners will be notified by phone.

Tickets can be purchased at WSFB’s Summer Fest booth, Float Dodger 5K booth, or by visiting the food bank on weekdays between 9 am and 3 pm. All proceeds from the raffle will be directly utilized to support our mission of keeping our neighbors fed and housed. We look forward to your participation in this exciting event!

We’ll add the exact booth locations a bit later (most booths line California SW between Oregon and Edmunds); Food Bank HQ is at 35th/Morgan

Share This

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER, ROAD WORK: Summer Fest Friday!

July 12, 2024 6:00 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, July 12. Street closures and bus reroutes for West Seattle Summer Fest in The Junction are in full effect this morning. California is closed from Edmunds to Oregon and Oregon to Genesee; Alaska is closed between 44th and 42nd. This page has bus reroute notices from Metro.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

The forecast: Still sunny, high in the low 80s for the entire festival and at least several days beyond. Today’s sunrise was at 5:24 am, while sunset will be at 9:04 pm.

ROAD WORK

*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project has begun; here are more specifics. Fairmount Avenue is now closed under the bridge for the duration of the project, likely into early 2025.

*SDOT’s Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.

*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch.

TRANSIT NOTES

Metro today – Summer Fest reroutes as mentioned above, otherwise a regular schedule; check for advisories here.

Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.

Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route, and the unscheduled third boat may should be back, per WSF.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS (Apologies if SDOT hasn’t fixed them yet)

Low bridge: Here’s the main view:

Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:

High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):

1st Avenue South Bridge:

MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.

BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.

If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Alki carjacking (updated)

July 11, 2024 11:12 pm

| 29 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL REPORT, 11:12 PM THURSDAY: Police are investigating a carjacking reported just under an hour ago in West Seattle. The carjackers are reported to have arrived in a 2013-2014 Lexus hatchback with no plates; they’re described as “two unknown-race men, 20s, 6 feet, about 220 pounds, wearing masks.” The stolen vehicle is described as a white 2019 Porsche Cayman. Police were pursuing for a short time but last saw the car headed southbound on 35th SW, around Barton. (added) The carjacking happened at 53rd/Alki. If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 24-191246.

UPDATE, 11:14 AM FRIDAY: We asked SPD about this – here’s their report summary:

Seattle police responded to the area of 53rd Avenue Southwest and Alki Avenue Southwest for the report of an armed robbery/carjacking. The incident occurred at about 10:25 p.m. The victim, a 26-year-old man, reported he was opening the trunk of his Porsche Cayman when he was approached by two suspects demanding his car keys. One of the suspects was wearing a face mask and said he had a handgun. The suspect grabbed the keys and drove the Porsche southbound on Alki Avenue Southwest. The second suspect left in a second car, a Lexus, in an unknown direction. Other Seattle police officers spotted the suspect driving the stolen Porsche on Southwest Avalon Way and tried to conduct a vehicle stop, but the suspect drove away from police at a high rate of speed and officers lost sight of the vehicle near 35th Avenue Southwest and Southwest Barton Street. The victim had minor injuries and was treated on-scene. It does not appear the vehicles have been recovered at this time.

Share This

WEEKEND PREVIEW: West Seattle Junction FC’s final two home matches this Friday and Sunday

July 11, 2024 10:06 pm

| 0 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(Photo by Earving Marquez, courtesy Junction FC)

In addition to West Seattle Summer Fest, other big events this weekend include the final two home matches of the first season for West Seattle Junction FC. They’re playing rival clubs Midlakes United (7 pm Friday) and USL League 2 defending champion Ballard FC (1 pm Sunday). They’re offering merch deals for both, and that’s not the only bonus features for attendees, per Junction FC’s preview:

Leading up and through the (Friday) match, fans will get 30% off all of Junction FC’s West Side Best Side merchandise, including select t-shirts, flags, hoodies and scarves. Additionally, Friday’s game will be Román Torres Foundation Night. The former Seattle Sounders legend will be in attendance signing autographs and selling his book, with all the proceeds going toward his foundation. Fans can learn more about the foundation online.

… Sunday afternoon’s game will double as Fan Appreciation Night, where all remaining merchandise will be on sale, as well as special giveaways and surprises throughout the duration of the match.

Tickets are available online for $10 for both matches, which will be played at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle).

Share This

VIDEO: Music, dancing, more in The Junction during July’s West Seattle Art Walk and Summer Fest Eve 2024

July 11, 2024 6:16 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle Art Walk | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

6:16 PM: In the heart of The Junction, the streets are closed and you can truly Walk All Ways, in more areas than usual … it’s Summer Fest Eve, with setup starting for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday festival.

Some signage is hinting at what’s ahead, such as reusable cups, plates, etc., for all festival vendors this year (as previewed here):

As usual, Summer Fest Eve coincides with the July West Seattle Art Walk. That’s happening all over the peninsula, but Junction venues are in an extra spotlight because of Summer Fest Eve. Among tonight’s artists, Bonnie Katz Sailors is showing her work at Fitness Together-West Seattle (4546 California SW, upstairs; WSB sponsor), the studio she used to own:

Preview other artists with shows/receptions tonight by going here. Most Art Walk events are happening at least until 8 pm; here in The Junction, one big event is the “flash mob” DancePowered practice at California/Alaska around 7 pm. The Art of Music – three venues around West Seattle with mini-concerts – has a Junction show at Verity CU (4505 California SW) with Birch Pereira and the Gin Joints until 7:45 pm.

6:46 PM: Artist Billy Kincaid is in the house at West Seattle Windermere (4526 California SW):

7:15 PM: No sign of dancers … Summer Fest Eve does evolve sometimes! The Dip has started their set in Easy Street, though.

UPDATE: 8 pm dancing, we’ve just learned!

9:07 PM: Adding video now that we’re back at HQ. First – the DancePowered megamedley:

Here’s another angle of the first 3 1/2 minutes. DancePowered’s leader Jennifer Cepeda is in the beanie:

As an encore, the dancers brought bystanders into the circle to dance – we even spotted one with a pup:

You can see the official performance at noon Saturday during the second day of West Seattle Summer Fest. The festival runs 1-8 pm Friday (music and beer garden until ~11), 10 am-8 pm Saturday (music and beer garden until ~11), 10 am-5 pm Sunday. We’ll be joining the Info Booth crew for the 15th year; say hi if you’re in the Walk All Ways vicinity!

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Rally for Relocation, supporting local businesses in light rail’s path

July 11, 2024 4:55 pm

| 23 COMMENTS

| Sound Transit | West Seattle news

4:55 PM: The Rally for Relocation is happening now, in support of businesses that are expected to have to move because they’re in the path of West Seattle light rail’s likely routing and station locations. Their message is not anti-light rail, but rather, they want better relocation compensation, and they want to ensure customers will keep coming even as all this results in a few years of uncertainty. They’re marching back and forth along Delridge, from Ounces to the Andover corner, intermittently – chanting “SUPPORT LOCAL BUSINESS” – with a rally/speeches planned at Ounces around 6 pm.

ADDED: We asked two of the business owners, Laurel Trujillo of Ounces and Jordan Crawley of Alki Beach Academy, about the message they hoped the demonstration would convey:

Crawley is also a member of the 34th District Democrats‘ board and is moderating the “Transit Town Hall” they’re co-presenting with the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce on July 23.

Share This

Fireworks damage repaired at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex

July 11, 2024 4:19 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(Sunday photo courtesy Brandon Sparks)

Sometime last weekend, before Sunday’s Junction FC match, people setting off fireworks did damage to the synthetic turf at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex. The field was cleared for play, but Seattle Public Schools had to fix the damage. We inquired with the district Monday morning about the damage and the repair plan, and finally received a reply this afternoon:

Seattle Public Schools aimed to prevent issues like this by activating the LED field lights (low-energy bulbs) from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. from July 3 through July 7. Despite these efforts, turf damage still occurred. Repairs to the synthetic turf at the Nino Cantu SW Athletic Complex were completed on July 8. This damage did not require us to close the field or cancel events.

Our security department welcomes any tips regarding the damage. If you have information, please contact 206-252-0707.

The field is used by private groups as well as area schools. Junction FC, meantime, has the final home matches of its season on Friday and Sunday (we’ll have more on that tonight).

Share This

VIDEO: West Seattle briefing by group that wants to pause ST3 projects – including this one – not yet under construction

July 11, 2024 3:19 pm

| 79 COMMENTS

| Sound Transit | Transportation | West Seattle news

Even if you voted for West Seattle light rail – and the rest of ST3 – eight years ago, it’s OK to change your mind. So said John Niles, co-founder of Smarter Transit, which had a media briefing at Jefferson Square today to call attention to its quest to put the brakes on ST3. The group has launched an online petition seeking to pause planning for Sound Transit projects that aren’t already under construction, and to ask the Legislature to make Sound Transit’s board – currently comprised of various regional elected officials – directly elected. But Niles says they’re not planning a ballot initiative or lawsuit – they’re hoping that people will “rise up” and demand that this be stopped. He was one of the speakers at the briefing this morning – here’s our video, which started with Smarter Transit member Conrad Cipoletti, a West Seattle resident who says he lives car-free but thinks people need to take a second look at the light-rail plan before it’s too late, because of its financial and environmental costs:

Speakers also included people who aren’t Smarter Transit members but did voice various concerns about the project, including business owners whose current locations face demolition if the current proposed routing and station locations are finalized – the group provided aerials of what’s currently in the future stations’ locations:

(Images courtesy Smarter Transit/Guenther Group. Above, Junction station’s proposed location)

(Above, area near Avalon station’s proposed location)

(Delridge station’s proposed location)

Though she has reiterated that her business is not anti-light rail, Laurel Trujillo of Ounces in North Delridge was among the speakers (hers and other area businesses are hosting in a coincidentally timed “Rally for Relocation” 4-7 pm today). Other participants included West Seattle resident Kim Schwarzkopf and Marilyn Kennell of Rethink The Link, a group which thinks – as does Smarter Transit – that more buses would cover area’s transit needs without a multibillion-dollar construction project. Kennell and others held signs declaring themselves BIMBYs – advocating for more “buses in my backyard.”

The Smarter Transit petition is here; the group says the goal is to present it to the Legislature. Meantime, as for the project itself, Sound Transit is expected sometime in the next few months to release the final Environmental Impact Statement, after which its board would vote on final routing and station locations.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Alki Elementary rebuild/expansion challenger announces decision about what’s next after losing appeal

July 11, 2024 1:03 pm

| 31 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Rendering of new Alki Elementary entrance on north side of school)

As we reported July 1, a deputy city hearing examiner has ruled against area residents’ appeal of the Alki Elementary rebuild‘s zoning exception for parking. That means the city’s decision to approve a zoning exception for the 15-space redesign – 33 spaces less than what zoning requires – is affirmed. The appellants’ only potential avenue to challenge that would be via taking it to court within three weeks of the decision. So will they? We inquired immediately after the ruling, and have finally heard back from Steve Cuddy, an Alki resident and lawyer who led the appeal by Friends for a Safe Alki Community. Cuddy tells WSB, “I do not personally plan to appeal the Alki Elementary case further. It is possible that others in our ‘Friends’ group may decide to appeal to Court, but so far no one has, and I would be surprised if anyone does.” If no challenge emerges, that clears the way for the city to finalize the permits for the project to build a larger new Alki Elementary on the same site (3010 59th SW) where the original school was demolished a year ago. (The old school’s capacity was 371; the new school is designed for 500, plus two preschool classrooms estimated to potentially hold 40.)

The appeal was argued in a three-day hearing that we covered in the Hearing Examiner’s chambers downtown in May and June; we recapped the backstory here, with links to hearing coverage. The wheels were set in motion for this appeal when the same deputy examiner, Susan Drummond, ruled in favor of a different group’s appeal of the original plan, which had no offstreet parking (while dismissing that group’s appeals of several other zoning exceptions).

Cuddy’s response to our request for comment arrived in a long letter explaining the most recent challenge; you can read it in its entirety here. He cites what he considers “positive results” of the appeal, despite the outcome: “The members of our group who filed the first successful appeal gained 15 off-street parking spots, which will be available to more safely accommodate ADA and special needs students than the dangerous on-street parking for them that was originally proposed by the School District. -The second appeal forced the School District to finally admit that Alki Elementary’s past traffic and parking problems were serious, and that its previous traffic management arrangements at the school were inadequate and dangerous. As a consequence of that admission, for the second appeal, the District created a draft traffic management plan in advance of school construction. I do not believe this has ever happened before. The District’s draft traffic management plan has significant problems … but it is at least an advance start on what will be a difficult task.” He says “continued community involvement” will be vital as the project proceeds. If permits are granted soon, the school could open in fall 2026, by which time Alki will have spent three years in temporary quarters at the former Schmitz Park Elementary.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Assault investigation; business burglarized; abandoned car

July 11, 2024 12:01 pm

| 32 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes:

ASSAULT INVESTIGATION: Several readers have asked about video seen on TV news showing a woman attacked on Saturday at California/Charlestown. As we’ve explained to those who emailed us to ask, the victim texted us at midnight Sunday night saying she had been assaulted on California Avenue SW a day and a half earlier and that her car rolled away and hit other cars. We responded immediately, with a followup question to try to find out more. She did not reply, and has not replied to a followup inquiry. So we don’t have what TV has shown, and without location information could not find a correlatory police report. We did finally get an incident number with the help of a local officer at a community meeting, and this is the information SPD Public Affairs subsequently provided:

On July 6, Seattle police responded to the area of California Avenue Southwest and Southwest Charlestown Street for a report of a road rage incident that turned into an assault. The incident was first reported to dispatchers at about 4:36 p.m. Seattle police were dispatched by the Seattle CARE Department at about 7:26 p.m. (A full timeline is here). The victims, a 22-year-old woman driving a car, and a 26-year-old woman riding in the passenger seat, told police they were turning on to Southwest Charlestown Street from California Avenue Southwest when they inadvertently cut off another driver.

It was reported the suspects in the cutoff vehicle, 2 women, got into an argument with the victims. Then, one of them stepped out of their vehicle to confront the victims. The 22-year-old victim was dragged from the car and then assaulted by both suspects.

The 26-year-old victim passenger said she tried to stop the car from rolling away, but she was attacked by one of the female suspects and pulled out of the car. The rolling victim car hit another car. The occupants of the third vehicle weren’t hurt. The unknown suspects left the scene. The 22-year-old victim was transported to Harborview Medical Center for injuries sustained during the assault. The 26-year-old victim had minor injuries.

The incident is classified by SPD as an Assault 4 and has been assigned to a detective in the Major Crimes Task Force for follow-up. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the SPD Violent Crimes Tip Line at (206) 233-5000.

There is no descriptive information in the SPD account; full reports are only provided with a PDR (which we’re filing), they told us.

BUSINESS BURGLARIZED: Todd at Swedish Automotive (35th SW & SW Kenyon; WSB sponsor) sent this report this morning:

This morning at 5 am – in full daylight – two people in a black Kia Forte drove in, turned around and parked next to the shop.

They exited and tried to get into the nearest door using a large Crescent Wrench-type of tool but only succeeded in destroying a (pretty expensive) security door handle before giving up and quickly driving off.

I’m attaching two photos that I captured from the videos. The visible person has pretty distinctive hair color and clothing, but the other one stays off-camera pretty much. The license plate isn’t readable, but since it’s a Kia, I’m assuming it’s stolen, so maybe somebody local is missing it? Maybe someone recognizes this individual with the dyed hair? It’s a longshot, I know, but the more we make these criminals out there in the public eye, the better chance we have of making them think twice.

Here’s links to 3 of the videos:

Drive up and park

Get out with tool in hand

Two people attempting to get in

The incident’s been reported; we’ll add the number when available.

ABANDONED CAR: Matt is notifying police about this, but in the meantime, perhaps you recognize this car:

There’s an almost certainly dumped/stolen vehicle in the 9800 block of 34th Ave SW. Interior completely stripped (seats gone, hard top gone), tube still hanging out of the gas tank. From my security camera I could just make out 3 vehicles arriving at 1:30 am and 2 of the vehicles leaving around 1:45am. At least 4 people involved. They left the lights on and the passenger side door open; the battery is now dead.

VIN: ———-7067
Plate: BTV1865
Make: Red 1995 Honda Civic del Sol

Share This

West Seattle Summer Fest Eve, Art Walk, more for your Thursday

July 11, 2024 9:46 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

Big night to be out and about in West Seattle – here are two major reasons:

WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: 5 pm “until late,” all over West Seattle, it’s the first West Seattle Art Walk of summer! From North Admiral to Morgan Junction, here’s the list of businesses welcoming you to stop and see art and/or enjoy food/drink specials.

For details on who’s where, see the venue-by-venue previews on the Art Walk website! Tonight you’ll also find three Art of Music mini-concerts:

They’re all playing 6 pm-7:45 pm. Find info about the musicians – and samples of their work – here.

SUMMER FEST EVE: In The Junction, streets will be closed for festival setup on what’s become known as West Seattle Summer Fest Eve, the night before summer’s biggest party. Along with the aforementioned Art of Music performance, Easy Street Records has a 7 pm in-store concert with The Dip, and a Summer Fest Eve favorite – Jennifer Cepeda‘s DancePowered dancers will practice this year’s flash-mob-style festival performance – approximately 7 pm at Walk-All-Ways. Come down to The Junction tonight and see what else you find!

Meantime, here’s what else is happening for the rest of your Thursday, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

FREE SUMMER MEALS FOR KIDS: Multiple locations and varying times in West Seattle – here’s the list.

SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: Still prime time for summer gardening – so if you need plants, the center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Annuals, perennials, sun, shade, natives, edibles, ground covers … wide variety!

SPRAYPARK: Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) is open every day, 11 am-8 pm, free.

COLMAN POOL: The season continues for this outdoor heated-salt-water pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.

LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Also at Lincoln Park, the 7-day-a-week wading pool is open today noon-7 pm, in the central upper part of the park near the north play area.

DELRIDGE WADING POOL: Also open today, next to Delridge Community Center, noon-5:30 pm. (4501 Delridge Way SW)

HIAWATHA WADING POOL: This pool is also open today, next to Hiawatha Community Center, noon-5:30 pm. (2700 California SW)

WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com for info on where they’re playing today.

NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Tasting room/wine bar now open Thursdays-Saturdays 1 pm-6 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Food too – stop by to sip and nosh!

STRONG BODIES, STRONG BONES: 2:30 pm yoga class at what’s now the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).

HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: Every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight it’s Bella M’Briana.

VISCON CELLARS: The West Seattle winery’s tasting room/wine bar is open 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) for wine by the glass or bottle.

WORDS, WRITERS, SOUTHWEST STORIES: 6 pm online, the Southwest Seattle Historical Society features Shin Yu Pai. Our calendar listing has the link for registering to view this online presentation.

WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy to walk in Lincoln Park – details in our calendar listing.

WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at Good Society (California/Lander) at 6 pm for a 3-mile run.

HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: 6:30 pm, meet at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) for a 3-mile run through the neighborhood. (Walking option, too!)

BLUES NIGHT: 6:30-9 pm at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), every Thursday you can listen to the blues.

TRIVIA: 7 pm at Burger Planet (9614 14th SW).

Planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Share This

CALL FOR VENDORS: 2 more weeks to register for this year’s Admiral Funktion street festival

July 11, 2024 9:01 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from 2023 Admiral Funktion)

The Admiral Neighborhood Association wants to be sure potential vendors – both businesses and nonprofits – know that the deadline is coming up for registering for space at this year’s Admiral Funktion Block Party. It’s happening on California SW north of Admiral Way on Saturday, August 24, 11 am-10 pm. ANA says limited spaces are left, so go here to save your spot before July 25!

Share This

TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER, ROAD WORK: ‘Summer Fest Eve’ Thursday

July 11, 2024 6:03 am

| Comments Off on TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER, ROAD WORK: ‘Summer Fest Eve’ Thursday

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, July 11.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

The heat wave is over, though Wednesday’s 88-degree high was still 11 degrees above normal. The forecast: Still sunny, high in the low 80s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:23 am, while sunset will be at 9:05 pm.

ROAD WORK

*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project has begun; here are more specifics. Fairmount Avenue is now closed under the bridge for the duration of the project, likely into early 2025.

*SDOT’s Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.

*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch.

SUMMER FEST AHEAD

For West Seattle Summer Fest, road closures and parking restrictions start as early as this morning, according to the West Seattle Junction Association – California Avenue SW closes between Edmunds and Oregon and for much of the block north, and Alaska closes between 42nd and 44th. This page has bus reroute notices from Metro. Come stroll in the streets tonight for West Seattle Summer Fest Eve plus the July Art Walk!

TRANSIT NOTES

Metro today – Summer Fest reroutes as mentioned above, otherwise a egular schedule; check for advisories here.

Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.

Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route, and the unscheduled third boat may still be out per WSF.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

Low bridge: Here’s the main view: