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Spotlight Stories


  • Arrest

    GUNFIRE ARREST: South Admiral scare

  • Teardown

    DEMOLITION: Alki redevelopment

  • Blue Angels

    BLUE ANGELS’ RETURN: When they’re flying

From partner site White Center Now: Student arrested in gun hoax
November 30, 2010 5:44 pm
|    Comments Off on From partner site White Center Now: Student arrested in gun hoax
 |   Crime | White Center

Just published on partner site White Center Now (whose stories can always be accessed through the “WC” tab atop WSB pages): The King County Sheriff’s Office says it arrested a White Center student after tracing hoax calls to his cell phone. Those calls put two adjacent schools into lockdown. Details here.

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Followup: More TV for the Menashes – plus, lights-on date set
November 30, 2010 4:43 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

Not only is their national-TV appearance coming up on Saturday, as reported here yesterday morning, but West Seattle’s Menashe Family also got a regional-TV spotlight this morning on KING 5’s “New Day Northwest.” The clip above includes anchor Margaret Larson‘s on-set interview with Jack and Josh Menashe, plus a comment from Linda Menashe (seated between Joanna and Jack Jr.) in the audience. Afterward, they were back at work on the display, so we stopped by to ask when they’re planning to turn it on – Josh told us it’ll be this Friday night.

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Well-kept semi-secret? Delridge CC computer lab open!
November 30, 2010 3:36 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

Circulated on a couple of city mailing lists today: A reminder that the Delridge Community Center has a computer lab available for anyone to use, teens through seniors. Lab coordinator Leslie Howle says there’s usually room for more to come use it, explaining:

We provide a free computer lab for teens through seniors to use our 12 computers and access the internet. We offer homework help for teens only from 2:30 – 4 every day and the rest of the time we are open to everyone to drop in and use the lab. We offer very inexpensive classes, some geared for seniors in particular and some for all adults, on computer basics and fun things like Photoshop and building a blog or website. … Beginning in January, we will be expanding our hours and offering the time between 1 and 2:30 for seniors to come use “open lab” time or take a class. We will also be available to help adults with resume writing and job search during that time and in the evenings.

Haven’t been to Delridge Community Center? Here’s a map. And you can check Delridge CC hours on its website.

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Followup: Services for local Realtor Dan Murphy not till next year
November 30, 2010 1:51 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news | West Seattle people

Twenty people have left comments of condolence and memory since word of West Seattle Realtor and Washington State Real Estate Commissioner Dan Murphy‘s death was published here last week. Today, more information: The Seattle-King County Association of Realtors has shared the photo at right along with an obituary noting more details of Mr. Murphy’s life and accomplishments, plus news that a memorial service is not expected to be scheduled until next spring, though letters are being collected now for a memory book. Read on:Read More

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Another key City Hall vote: ‘Multifamily Code,’ townhouses & more
November 30, 2010 12:13 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle news

Even after the vote on the California SW rezoning proposal, we stayed at the City Council’s Committee on the Built Environment meeting because one more item of local note was coming up: A vote on another years-in-the-making proposal, changes to the Multifamily Code – as in, zoning for multiple-unit projects such as townhouses.

When the process began back several years ago, the development climate was very different – even here on WSB, it seemed we were publishing a “teardown-to-townhomes” story every day. Now, development proposals are few and far between, as already-built units sit vacant, and developers struggle with financing. But it’s invariably cyclical, so the process marched on, and the committee just gave its approval to the package of changes (including the one about which local architect Brandon Nicholson had voiced concern a few weeks ago on behalf of a regional architects’ group). A breakdown of what it’ll mean to future projects will have to wait till later; you can read copious details in this section of the city’s website. Next step: Final council consideration on December 13th (which likely also will be the date the full council considers the California SW rezone).

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Update: Myrtle Reservoir Park open, one day earlier than expected
November 30, 2010 11:34 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(Photos added 2:05 pm)
Though Seattle Parks had said this wouldn’t happen until tomorrow, they just confirmed the fence is down at the new Myrtle Reservoir Park today, so it’s officially open to the public, albeit, Parks had warned, in “soft-open” mode (aka, today, soggy open).

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West Seattle Weather Watch: Driving danger = drain reminder
November 30, 2010 10:49 am
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Thanks to Shelley for sharing that photo of a megapuddle on the west side of the 35th/Cloverdale intersection in Westwood. The most recent blast of wintry weather brought down most of local trees’ remaining leaves, and that means drains need attention – the city has repeatedly urged residents to “adopt a drain” and go tend to the ones nearest their homes. If you have removed the leaves and it’s still clogged – here’s the city hotline to call: (206) 386-1800 – more info here. (Any other puddles worth warning drivers about?)

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California SW rezoning proposal passes council committee
November 30, 2010 10:24 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   California Ave upzoning | Development | West Seattle news

(Video of this morning’s entire committee meeting, from Seattle Channel; West Seattle item starts at 21:10)
We’re at Seattle City Hall, where the Council’s Committee for the Built Environment has just – with what chair Councilmember Sally Clark described as some frustration – voted 3-0 to deny the appeal of the California SW rezoning proposal, and send it to the full council for a final vote. That comes 3 years after the emergence of the proposal to rezone a block of California SW between Hinds and Hanford for taller buildings and bigger commercial spaces. The vote followed almost half an hour total of oral arguments from opponents – mostly neighbors who had filed formal appeals – and supporters, including area business/property owner Roger Cayce. Click ahead for details on what preceded the vote (we are progressively adding more details to the story before moving on from City Hall, where we’re also now monitoring the same committee’s forthcoming vote on the Multi-Family Code (which addresses townhouse design – and much more – and has been years in the making):

Read More

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West Seattle Tuesday: Double pickup; rezoning hearing; free movie
November 30, 2010 7:56 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Sanderlings in flight at Alki, photographed by Danny McMillin last weekend)
From the WSB West Seattle Events calendar: If you have Tuesday trash/recycling pickup, you can put out double today since the snow/ice canceled last week’s pickup (same goes for tomorrow) … Good news about today’s forecast: Not as windy as it had been looking – but still breezy, up to 30 mph … At City Hall this morning, the City Council’s Committee for the Built Environment considers the California SW upzoning proposal, 9 am (details here) … Love classic movies? Merrill Gardens at West Seattle (WSB sponsor) invites you to a Classic Movie Afternoon, 1 pm, featuring “42nd Street,” free admission and refreshments, 4611 35th SW … More on the calendar!

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Concerts coming up: Sealth Jazz Night; Bells of the Sound
November 30, 2010 7:35 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

“They take music seriously, but also have serious fun!” says Monica, explaining the photo of Chief Sealth International High School‘s Jazz I group at the recent Mill Creek Jazz Festival. She sent it to accompany this invitation:

Please come join the Chief Sealth community for an evening of Jazz performed by our two Jazz ensembles.

Jazz Night at Chief Sealth
Thursday, December 2nd, 7 pm
Free, but donations always gratefully accepted

The school’s at 2600 SW Thistle. Another concert just announced :

Bells of the Sound performs at 7:30 pm Friday, December 10th, at Tibbetts United Methodist Church (WSB sponsor):

Choirs singing on the Christmas Ship, ballerinas dancing to The Nutcracker, and rain pattering on an umbrella-these are just some of the sounds of Christmas in the Puget Sound. And bells-what would Christmas be without the sound of bells? Bells of the Sound, the premier handbell group in the Puget Sound, will present The Sound of Christmas, a delightful program that offers a new take on several holiday favorites, including O Come, O Come Emmanuel, Pat-a-Pan and Feliz Navidad. Join us as we ring in the season!

Tibbetts is at 3940 41st Avenue SW; admission is a suggested donation, $10 adults, $8 children/seniors. Adding this one to the WSB West Seattle Holidays page, where several other concert listings await (make sure we have yours!).

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West Seattle holidays: Junction decor; Hometown Holidays; more
November 29, 2010 11:56 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Several holiday notes tonight: The photo’s from The Junction, as workers put up holiday greenery in the middle of the gray afternoon. When Junction decorating is done, you will see garlands and wreaths as well as the roof-outline lights that are new this year (if you haven’t seen them yet, be sure to go after dark and take a look!). It’ll all be complete in time for this first big Hometown Holidays (co-sponsored by WSB) weekend ahead — Saturday night brings the tree lighting in Junction Plaza Park (5 pm), Sunday brings Santa photos at Donna Ryan Photography ($15 donation goes to WestSide Baby), mule-carriage rides, and the West Seattle Volunteer Recognition Awards (1 pm at Hometown Holidays HQ outside KeyBank – we’re revealing the winners here tomorrow, but come cheer them in a brief ceremony Sunday at 1). Junction Hometown Holidays events are just part of what you’ll find on the WSB West Seattle Holidays page, which is one of two special pages we have this year – we’ve also just added three more listings to the WSB West Seattle Holiday Shopping/Business Guide, a new advertising page for local businesses to let you know more about their special deals, hours, etc., this holiday. Take a look to find out about special late hours and more – for example, one of the new additions, Avalon Glassworks, is offering you a discount for every item you bring in for their food-bank drive (up to 10 items)!

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Why the Morgan Junction McDonald’s is closed tonight
November 29, 2010 8:34 pm
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Four notes came in within the past half-hour asking why the Morgan Junction McDonald’s is closed and dark tonight. We went over to check; a note on the door says it closed at 6 tonight for “equipment upgrades” and will reopen at 7 tomorrow morning.

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3 West Seattle Soccer Club teams are district champs, off to state
November 29, 2010 7:36 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(Photo by Matt Lawrence)
Those are the Cheetahs, a GU-14 team from the West Seattle Soccer Club that’s won the District 3 title and is headed off to the state Recreational Cup championship qualifying round this weekend, as are two other teams, including the BU-19 Sambas:

The third team going to the state qualifying round is the BU-11 Crush (9:13 pm update – thanks to Bill Lange for the photo):

Thanks to Cori Roed for 1st word of this, with the Cheetahs photo, and to Tim McMonigle for sharing the Sambas picture (he’s the blue-shirted coach at left). Tim explains, “These three teams will be competing with the winners of the other districts around the state to be called the best recreational team in their age bracket in the state. A big honor if they make it.” The games this weekend are all quite a ways from home – the Crush plays in Shelton, the Cheetahs in Aberdeen, the Sambas in Vancouver/Camas – but a week later, if any make it to the state finals, they’ll play at Starfire in Tukwila.

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West Seattle Crime Watch: SPD to fight car theft with Twitter
November 29, 2010 6:10 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Seattle Police are about to add a new tactic to crack car-theft cases: This Wednesday, they’ll “unveil how social networking, specifically Twitter, will be employed to combat auto theft and reunite victims with their stolen cars,” promises their announcement inviting local media to attend the unveiling. Currently, most of SPD’s Twitter activity involves links to new updates on SPD Blotter, though they occasionally send updates on breaking news. The auto-theft announcement is set for Wednesday afternoon at the West Precinct; as with most major stories, we’ll tweet about it (with updates here too).

ADDED 6:36 PM: Another new anti-crime campaign, just reported by our friends at KING 5 – signs to put in your car to say “nothing to steal.” If you want to print one yourself, the link’s on the sidebar on this page.

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Never-ending pup season brings 1st winter Seal Sitters training
November 29, 2010 6:01 pm
|    Comments Off on Never-ending pup season brings 1st winter Seal Sitters training
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Photo of Queen Latifah is by, and used with permission of, Robin Lindsey)
Seal-pup season is usually over by now, but West Seattle-based Seal Sitters are still seeing pups hanging around local shores – including the one nicknamed “Queen Latifah, who has hauled out now for 50 days straight!” according to Seal Sitters’ Robin Lindsey. As a result, they’re presenting a training session for volunteers next week, first time they’ve ever done one in winter. The training session will be 6:30-8:30 pm Thursday, December 9th, at Camp Long Lodge; current volunteers are “welcome and encouraged to attend as well,” according to the announcement, which also requests RSVP (you can contact Seal Sitters through their website at www.sealsitters.org).

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Traffic alert: Spokane Street Viaduct westbound closure tonight
November 29, 2010 4:19 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Spokane St. Viaduct project | West Seattle news

From SDOT, which says this might be a two-night closure:

The contractor working for the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) to widen the Spokane Street Viaduct will close the westbound lanes of the structure tonight and tomorrow night. Crews plan to work from 10 p.m. tonight until 5 a.m. tomorrow, November 30 and if necessary also work from 10 p.m. tomorrow, November 30 to 5 a.m. Wednesday, December 1, to completely remove temporary supports under the structure. During this work, southbound I-5 traffic will be directed to the Forest Street exit to access surface streets. Northbound I-5 traffic and westbound traffic from Columbian Way will be detoured to surface streets at Sixth Avenue South.

The Spokane Street Viaduct is the section of the east end of the West Seattle Bridge between I-5 and Highway 99.

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South Seattle Community College wine tasting/sale December 3-4
November 29, 2010 3:01 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Announcements

Just announced by South Seattle Community College:

Holiday Wine Tasting & Sale
Award-winning, student-produced wines featured.

Friday, December 3, 12 – 7 pm
Saturday, December 4, 12 – 4pm

Northwest Wine Academy
Wine & Welding Building
South Seattle Community College
6000 16th Avenue SW
(206) 764-7942

South Seattle Community College’s Northwest Wine Academy invites the public to celebrate the holiday season with a festive wine tasting and holiday bazaar. Featured student-produced vintages include a 2009 Late Harvest Viognier, and two reds, the recently-released 2009 Field Blend (Rhone Blend) and 2008 Well Red (Merlot/Cabernet). Also available for purchase will be the 2009 Rousanne, a bronze award winner at this year’s prestigious Tri Cities Wine Festival.

Unique holiday baskets with an assortment of wine, holiday goodies and wine accessories make the perfect gift. And, for the first time, you can also purchase staff-recommended wines for holiday celebrations – a Beaujolais Nouveau and a Moscato d’Asti.

All wines are discounted 20%.

South Seattle Community College’s Northwest Wine Academy is a first-of-its-kind program in Western Washington and offers three associate degree and certificate programs – Wine Making, Wine Marketing & Sales, and Food & Wine Pairing. The Academy complements the college’s highly regarded and award-winning Culinary Arts program and the new bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management program. .

The event is free and open to the public. The Northwest Wine Academy is located on the South Seattle Community College campus across from Bernie’s Bakery. Parking is available in the North entry parking lot.

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Jade West Café followup: Message from the Wongs
November 29, 2010 1:46 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Two weeks after that “For Lease” sign went up at West Seattle’s Jade West Café, finally confirming its chef/owner Wah Wong would not be coming back, we have a long-sought update from the Wong family. Wah’s wife Salina Wong replied to one of our messages with an update to share with the community. The update includes good news for their son Jason, who lost a leg after a drunk driver hit him and his dad outside their Beacon Hill home almost a year ago:

Wah had recovered from his injuries after intensive rehabilitation and heavy medication closely monitored by the medical teams of Harborview MC and Group Health. In May 2010, Wah underwent a surgery due to the infection caused by the metal implants embedded in his injured leg. He went through an 8-week procedure of home care IV medication and finally recovered. He began relearning how to walk, slowly but surely. Our primary concern for Wah is his health, and in doing so, Wah has decided to retire from Jade West Café—along with his passion for cooking. He will surely miss serving his customers, chatting with his regulars, and being part of the West Seattle community.

A “For Lease” sign was put up last week at Jade West Cafe with the intention to reopen the shop as soon as possible. We started receiving phone calls from many interested parties and we are specifically looking for a chef who is capable of carrying on the legacy of Wah’s Café. When a new tenant is chosen, we will inform you.

As regards to our son, Jason, he is also recovering from the injuries and doing well. He strives to walk with his prosthesis progressively. We are very proud of him being so positive, determined, and courageous to move forward to a better life. With God’s will and blessings, he has humbly accepted a job offer from The Boeing Company as a product review engineer. We all wish him tremendous success, good health, and a bright future.

Please accept our sincere gratitude for all the heartfelt love and thoughtfulness from everyone in West Seattle who continuously offer support and keep our family in their prayers. Without your support, we cannot have gotten this far.

Cordially,

Salina Wong & Family

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Myrtle Reservoir Park ‘soft opening’ set for Wednesday
November 29, 2010 12:28 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Seattle Parks just sent word the fence at Myrtle Reservoir Park (35th/Myrtle/Willow; map) will come down on Wednesday. This park has been in the works for four years and has had some speed bumps along the way, including a series of public design meetings in 2008 that grew contentious over the possibility of a skatepark on the site (long since dropped), and a multimillion-dollar problem last year that extended the time needed for Seattle Public Utilities to finish covering the reservoir itself – the project that created the park site in the first place. (The dispute over the waterproofing problem eventually went to court; we’re checking on its status.) The new park has a viewpoint, pathways, and a playground, among other features; this September story took a closer look with a video tour.

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Midday notes: Comcast outage; windy forecast; school donations
November 29, 2010 10:19 am
|      36 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | West Seattle weather

Three quick notes:

COMCAST OUTAGE IN WEST SEATTLE: Via Twitter, the cable company confirms an outage here – affecting 2,500 homes and businesses, though we don’t have an exact area yet (aside from one affected customer’s e-mail mentioning they’re at 36th/Juneau). Comcast says crews are working on it, and the cause might have been a “fiber cut.” (10:58 am note – They’re now “splicing cable” but no estimated time for restoring service. … 1:58 pm update: Service is coming back, as both Comcast and a commenter indicate. Comcast says the cause “appears to be a bullet hole through a fiber line.”)

WINDY FORECAST: No special alert yet but the National Weather Service is expecting a windy day around here tomorrow, with gusts possibly as high as 45 miles per hour.

HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY DONATIONS SOUGHT: We already have the school’s holiday bazaar this Saturday on the Holidays page, but a new event’s been added to it, and your donations are needed. From the school:

Highland Park Elementary 4th and 5th graders need your help! On January 19th they leave for Camp Seymour for three days and two nights. In order to keep costs affordable for the 125 students they are holding a ‘Rummage Sale’ in conjunction with the Highland Park PTA Holiday Bazaar on Saturday, December 4, from 10 to 3pm. For this sale to be successful they need donations of gently used household items such as dishes, pots and pans, knick knacks. tools, books, small furniture, toys, etc. You can also make a monetary donation to help defray the costs for some of our students who would not otherwise be able to attend. The cost per student is $60. If you are able to help in either way please contact Ryan Schaedig at 206 252-8240 or rwschaedig@seattleschools.org.

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West Seattle Monday: Back to work, back to school …
November 29, 2010 6:30 am
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Monday: Back to work, back to school …
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Sunday photo from aboard the Washington State Ferry Klahowya, courtesy of Cheryl)
Apropos to this morning’s featured photo, tonight is the periodic Washington State Ferries community meeting for ferry riders along the run that includes West Seattle (Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth). But you’ll have to take a ferry (or drive the long way around) to get there – it’s in Port Orchard, John Sedgwick Junior High (map), 6:30 pm. … If you drive Highway 99 on the north side of downtown, ramp closures during the day today and overnight tonight might affect you – check out the details here … Nothing on the West Seattle Holidays page for tonight, but take a minute to browse ahead to later this week – TONS going on. (And if you have events/holiday services/giving opportunities that you don’t see listed there, please let us know!)

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West Seattle Christmas lights: Menashes’ TV showcase Saturday
November 29, 2010 5:20 am
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Holidays | West Seattle Christmas lights | West Seattle news

Work has begun on this year’s edition of West Seattle’s biggest, brightest Christmas lights — the Menashe Family display in the 5600 block of Beach Drive. We stopped by Sunday afternoon, as the front yard bustled with family and friends (plus the cherry picker), while the back yard held more components of the famous light show:

Inside, Linda Menashe showed us the photo postcard created to share the news of the display’s upcoming TV showcase. You might remember that last year, The Learning Channel sent a crew to document both the decorating, and the official switching-on of the show; here’s our video of one take, as family and friends loudly cheered the throwing of the switch:

Again, that was DECEMBER 2009 – the lights for this year are NOT on yet. As we reported a year ago, they said it would be part of a TV program this season – and indeed, as the Menashes’ postcard proclaims, they’ll be on TLC (Comcast channel xx) at 9 pm this Saturday night, December 4; the online listing says the show’s called “Invasion of the Christmas Lights 2,” and Linda Menashe says their share of it will run about 10 minutes. She has fond memories of the crew that spent a week in and around her house – “our basement was filled with the most gorgeous film equipment!” – and also told us that TLC found the family by discovering a past WSB report. Back to this year’s display – Linda’s daughter Joanna Menashe showed us some of this year’s new additions, like a holiday horse:

Other animated characters awaited in other nooks and crannies:

If all goes well – Joanna says now that she and her siblings are grown up, the decorating work goes a lot faster than it did when they were kids! – the lights will go on midweek. And then on Saturday night, her mom told us, the family will gather at son Jacob‘s house to watch the TLC show. Meantime, as per WSB tradition, we’d love to hear from you about other bright local lights displays – share the info (and photo if you get one) – thanks!

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West Seattle coyotes: High Point close encounter; 2 others
November 28, 2010 11:57 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

Just in from Wendy Hughes-Jelen, most recently of the Kitty Cornered kitten-raising saga, a High Point coyote close encounter tonight:

Late-night dog walkers on Graham at High Point Dr [map] were followed by a coyote after the courtesy patrol followed it down an alley. It looped down a walkway and came back to follow us on our block. Sophia and I ran for the porch and Steve ran it off. I am a country girl and believe in coexisting with wildlife; however, this life is more urban than wild and the coyote did not show the appropriate shyness or fear of 2 humans and a dog on a short leash. If I used an 18 foot flexi leash like most people do and also we were not aware of where our dog was and where the coyote was things could be different. Courtesy patrol is what pointed it out to us as it stood at the mouth of an alley we had just passed 30 seconds before and the car came around the corner toward us and caught it in its lamps. It was large for its breed and clearly hunting.

(Sophia is the Hughes-Jelens’ Italian greyhound.) Meantime … 2 other West Seattle sightings reported in the past few days. From Shannon on Friday afternoon:

I was just doing dishes and spotted a coyote hanging out in Greg Davis park through my window at 1pm today. He isn’t spooked by passing cars or my dog barking. Just a heads up to all the dog walkers that use those trails and park. It’s the corner of Brandon and 26th. [map]

And from John at 51st/College (map) early Wednesday afternoon:

FYI: Just saw a very healthy-looking coyote emerge from the greenbelt and walk down the street before ducking under our neighbor’s hedge.

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