David DeSiga just shared that photo of Air Force One taxiing at Boeing Field (and spectators – they don’t just turn out for those six blue F/A-18s!) – and we got a phone tip with the reminder that motorcade shutdowns of I-5 can lead to West Seattle Bridge backups too (as is apparently the case right now). Per KING5, President Obama‘s quick visit is scheduled to end some time after 3 pm today.
Polling places may be history but one Election Day tradition lives on … signwaving at busy intersections. We checked out 35th/Fauntleroy and the Fauntleroy overpass to get a Primary Morning overview, and, in addition to State Sen./King County Council candidateJoe McDermott, we found three candidates in the election’s most-watched race, with a sign-waver on behalf of the fourth:
At left, that’s Marcee Stone at 35th/Fauntleroy – while on another corner at the intersection, Mike Heaveyhad a costumed campaigning companion:
(Why a lion, you ask? It was a little loud for conversation along the bridge entrance, but we’ve got a message out to inquire.) Then to the north, on the Fauntleroy pedestrian overpass, Joe Fitzgibbon swiveled for a smile while maintaining the wave:
If you’re a candidate and plan to sign-wave during the pm commute – let us know – we’ll likely be back out on patrol. Meantime, MAIL YOUR BALLOT (procrastinators that we are, we are heading to the Post Office right now ourselves)! Infolinks, including the online voters’ guide, are here. (Advertising disclosure: The Heavey, McElroy, and Stone campaigns are running paid political ads on WSB.)
Seems a crash we tweeted about overnight turned out to be a lot worse than it looked at the time, judging by the wreckage visible early this morning (thanks to Denice and Doug for e-mailing): Ten parked cars hit, according to police, in the 3400 block of California SW [map] – but only one person hurt: The 37-year-old man who is suspected of being drunk when his vehicle hit those cars. Authorities got the call about 11 o’clock last night; according to Det. Mark Jamieson, the man was reported to be driving northbound on California in the southbound lanes. He was cited for reckless driving and negligent driving along with being “processed for DUI”; he was taken to the hospital with minor injuries, mostly from glass fragments, and was still being treated when the report was filed, so we don’t know if he subsequently was booked into jail. 8:28 AM: Added photos. The driver of the black car was there when we stopped by, retrieving personal items from it before it was towed; she says police told her that hers was the last one hit, so hard that the impact pushed it onto the sidewalk. Note that, as seen in the photo below, the damaged vehicles include a motorcycle.
(We have pledged to always let you know if we alter an image, so please note, we blurred out the otherwise-clearly-visible plate on the red car in that photo.)
Since the new 4th Avenue South offramp from the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct didn’t open to traffic until 10:17 am yesterday, this morning’s commute is its first – if getting off The Bridge at 4th works for you, remember you can turn either north OR south at the end of the ramp (or go straight if you happen to be heading to the City Light yard). … Wherever you’re driving this morning, you will likely see signwaving candidates along the way – this is Election Day, which in the vote-by-mail era really just means “Last Chance to Vote Day.” Your ballot has to be postmarked today OR has to get into one of the county’s last two dropboxes by 8 pm tonight (they’re in downtown Seattle and in Tukwila) … If you’ve got a hunka hunka burnin’ love for all things Elvis, the Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) is THE place to be tonight – honoring The King one day after the 33rd anniversary of his death with a book-signing AND the Elvis Chapel of Love van (as recently seen at the Luna Park block party):
It all starts at The Feedback at 6:30, with biography Gillian G. Gaar signing “Return of The King: Elvis Presley’s Great Comeback” – she’ll also co-host tonight’s trivia at 8. … Speaking of really famous people, we don’t think President Obama is likely to make a West Seattle side trip, but since he’s scheduled to fly into and out of nearby Boeing Field, and planning a Pioneer Square stop before noon, you will want to be on the lookout for motorcades, etc. – here’s how our partners at the Seattle Times previewed today’s presidential visit. … More on the WSB West Seattle Events calendar.
That video is getting West Seattle a bit of national attention tonight in the ongoing controversy over Target‘s donation to a group backing a Minnesota candidate with a history of opposing gay rights (folding in the “corporate personhood” controversy too). The musical protest took place in the Westwood Village Target store on Saturday, apparently around 11 am; we didn’t hear about it till afterward, and weren’t able at the time to confirm it, but you can tell by watching even just a few seconds of that video that it was shot inside the local store. Thanks to Amy for sending the link tonight. (The Target boycott had been discussed a week earlier in the WSB Forums.) ADDED 10:30 PM: Doing a bit more research on this – the credits attribute it in part to Agit-Pop, which bills itself as a “subvertising agency”. Going to try to see if anyone there will reveal why they chose the West Seattle Target, as opposed to the hundreds and hundreds of others in the U.S. 11:13 PM NOTE: As commenters point out, Agit-Pop has a Seattle office and the co-credited organization Backbone Campaign is Vashon-based, so the WS choice isn’t such a mystery.
ADDED 11:50 AM TUESDAY: Just heard back from Bill Moyer at Backbone, who explains, “Performers were participants in our Localize this! Artful Action Camp. This was the final and the location was chosen because of its proximity.” The Backbone website has the schedule for last week’s camp – you’ll see that Saturday’s schedule included “Flashmob Field Trip.”
Now that last weekend is in the rear-view mirror, a quick look ahead to some of the big events up next weekend:
PICNIC AT THE PRECINCT: Saturday 1-4 pm, it’s the annual street party on SW Webster alongside the Southwest Precinct. Meet your local crimefighters, and many of your West Seattle neighbors whose community organizations do the hard work to help make WS an even-more-awesome place. There’s usually treats, entertainment, high-tech and low-tech police equipment (from bomb robots to horses) on display.
‘THE BIG BONANZA’ IN THE JUNCTION: It’s the second year for this end-of-summer blowout sale around The Junction, with more than 40 merchants participating – 10 am till 5 pm on Saturday, deals galore, and some bonus fun (high-noon water showdown, giveaway drawing, and more). Participants are listed here – and there’s coupons too (find those here – you’ll also be able to pick up preprinted coupons at the Bonanza Central HQ in front of KeyBank that day).
ARTS-IN-NATURE FESTIVAL: Both Saturday *and* Sunday, Camp Long bursts with sounds, sights, movement, and myriad other displays of raw creative energy and joy during this annual festival presented by the West Seattle-based Nature Consortium. Highlights include a special benefit concert with Chris Ballew performing songs from his renowned band Presidents of the United States of America (separate from his festival performance as the also-fabled kids-music mastermind Caspar Babypants). The full festival schedule starts here.
Just noticed something you’ve probably noticed already if you’ve looked to the west or south – despite the bright sunshine, you can’t see the Olympics or Mount Rainier. If you suspected smoke from wildfires including the one that’s been visible at sunset the past two nights – you’re right. This just in from the state Ecology Department:
Smoke from several wildfires burning in Washington and British Columbia is spreading throughout the state.
That trend is expected to continue for a few days. Some clearing of hazy skies is expected later this week, possibly by Wednesday.
“Smoke from a wildfire can travel rapidly, affecting air quality hundreds of miles downwind from the fire’s location,” said Stu Clark, Air Quality Program manager for the Washington Department of Ecology (Ecology). “Smoke pollutes the air you breathe and harms your health, especially if you have existing health conditions.”
The announcement, including advice for people sensitive to pollution, continues after the jump:Read More
The White Center business district is jumping with new eateries – we told you about the Saturday grand opening of 3.14 Bakery and Coffee, and now there’s word that Uncle Mike’s BBQ, 9640 16th SW, has set next Monday as its official opening day. (It’s fed some folks in “soft open” mode already.) More details to come later on partner site White Center Now (thanks to WCN/WSB contributor Deanie Schwarz for the photo and info).
Five West Seattle Crime Watch notes this afternoon … First, from Patricia, 2 stolen kayaks to watch for:
Our two Easy Rider Kayaks were stolen last night off our car along with the racks and locks. We live on 46th Ave SW between Lander and Stevens. Would like people to keep an eye for them. One is hot pink with yellow trim and the other is white with blue trim. They are 16 foot Eskimos.
We also have a couple other break-in and theft reports from the past few days – including one in which the burglar(s) made off with items large and small, including … an ice-cream bar … and another one in which an item left behind might have been loot from an EARLIER burglary. Read on:Read More
RIVERSIDE HISTORY WALK FEATURING FRANK ZUVELA and JUDY BENTLEY
Tour Scheduled for Saturday August 28, 2010 – 10am
First generation Riverside resident Frank Zuvela will lead an interpretive walk through local history. Walk the old neighborhood of Riverside on the northwest side of the Duwamish River, below Pigeon Point and over the hill from Delridge. Settlement origins go back to the people of the Duwamish tribe, which were later settled by Croatian immigrants in the early 1900’s. They formed a multi-ethnic neighborhood of European immigrants where Duwamish camps and longhouses had once been. As the Duwamish River was straightened and dredged, the residential community of Riverside co-existed with manufacturing and shipbuilding. The tour is sponsored by the Southwest Seattle Historical Society and one of the most popular walks… an easy pace is set, with frequent stops and tales from Riverside of the past sixty years. Seattle poet and writer Richard Hugo wrote of his fascination with this community of fishermen in The Real West Marginal Way.
Donation requested… or free attendance with a new museum membership!
Meet in front of Global Diving on W. Marginal Place, the northern end of 17th.
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For more information about the this and upcoming events, please visit www.loghousemuseum.info
New information today about the chase and crash (WSB coverage here) that first caused quite the spectacle through Highland Park (and points southward), then closed SW Roxbury at 8th SW for more than four hours Sunday afternoon/evening. We spoke with King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jim Laing, who shared details from the preliminary report: It started when deputies tried to pull over a vehicle at 156th and 1st S, and instead of stopping, it took off. = apparently, Sgt. Laing says, because the driver not only had a $10,000 warrant out for his arrest (related to a protection order), but also because he was under the influence of drugs (both of which, according to the report, he confessed when finally arrested). After a pursuit that led all the way into Highland Park and then back south, a deputy tried the so-called “PIT Maneuver“ to stop the car – and it worked. Along the way, though, according to Sgt. Laing, three patrol cars had front-end damage, and three citizens’ cars were hit, with minor damage – the early version of the report didn’t say where that happened (though one of them has added a comment following our original story). The only person hurt was the suspect, taken to Harborview Medical Center with minor injuries. Sgt. Laing adds a postscript: There was a second person in the car but as all this was unfolding, that person wanted out – so they hit the driver repeatedly, till he slowed down so the passenger could get out of the car.
3 months earlier than expected, the first major component of the Spokane Street Viaduct Widening Project is officially open to drivers, now that a morning media tour and ceremony are over. The 1st vehicles were project trucks, at 10:17 am, applauded by the SDOT onlookers; the first “unofficial” driver came just a few minutes later:
The $42 million ramp starts with one lane at the top, though it’s wide enough for two once the entire SSVWP is done, according to project manager Stuart Goldsmith; by the time you get to the bottom, there are three lanes – one left turn (south), one to go straight or turn right, one turning right. More to come! (P.S. Apropos to the fact some refer to it as the “Costco” ramp since it provides a direct route from The Bridge, a Costco rep was in the crowd to watch.) ADDED 11:47 AM: Prior to our complete followup later with more details and a look ahead – a few images from the “media tour” pre-opening, all by Christopher Boffoli:
That’s the view from the top of the ramp, looking back at West Seattle (obviously those barrels are gone now). Next, the view looking down toward 4th Avenue:
And the crew putting finishing touches on the traffic signals, up till the last moment:
In addition to City Councilmembers Tom Rasmussen and Sally Clark, plus County Councilmember Jan Drago and SDOT boss Peter Hahn, WSDOT’s leader for the entire Alaskan Way Viaduct Replacement Project, Ron Paananen, was there to help cut the ribbon and say a few words about the role this plays in “viaduct replacement” – with an extra path downtown for West Seattle drivers. We talked to CM Rasmussen about that too.
(The “south portal” section of the Viaduct/99 project itself also has an offramp in the stadium vicinity, just before the entrance to what WSDOT still refers to as “the proposed deep-bore tunnel.”)
(WSB photo from May ‘media tour’ of Spokane Street Viaduct’s new 4th Avenue South offramp)
In a few hours, you’ll have a new option for getting off the Spokane Street Viaduct – the West Seattle Bridge section between 99 and I-5 – its new eastbound offramp at 4th Avenue South. The photo above is from the “media tour” of the then-almost=done offramp, back in May; it shows your options at the end of the ramp – left, to go southbound (toward Costco etc.) on 4th; center, to turn right/northbound or head into City Light’s facility across the street; right, right turn only, toward downtown. A made-for-media event, complete with another tour, is set for 9:15 this morning, and when that’s done, it’ll be open to traffic – we’ll keep you up to date. … That’s not even the only “media tour” of the day – this afternoon, we get a sneak peek at the work the visiting artisans are doing at the Seattle Chinese Garden on the South Seattle Community College campus (our partners at the Seattle Times have published their preview story this morning) … Two events at Southwest Library Branch today – Baby Story Time at 11:30 and Afternoon Book Group at 2 pm … Sustainable West Seattle‘s annual potluck is at Lincoln Park at 7 pm (more details on SWS website) … and don’t forget to VOTE! It’s your last full day/night to do so; tomorrow at 8 pm, the vote-counting begins. Here’s all the info you should need to make sure you get your vote in.
Just after sunset Sunday, smoke from the Mt. Hopper forest fire curved gently over the southern Olympics – a shadow of its show the night before. Still, it was almost a symbolic sight after another record-setting-heat day in our area – 96 degrees was the high at Sea-Tac Airport, according to this update from the Seattle Times (WSB partner), which also reports that meteorologists do not expect tomorrow’s record to fall – 98 degrees, in 1967 – tomorrow’s more likely to be in the low 90s. And after that, it’ll start moving back toward normal, according to the newest forecast.
WSB Forums member HanPhotog posted this morning about hearing what sounded like four gunshots in the Alki area early today. As we replied shortly afterward, there’d been no report of anyone being shot, and the police-info maps did not indicate any confirmed gunshot calls. But tonight, we’ve heard directly from someone else who says she found shell casings:
At 3:45 am this morning, there were 6 shots fired on 56th Ave SW close to the cross street of Alki [map]. We woke up to the sound and the flash of light of the gun being fired. One person in my house heard a car speed off after the shots. We called 911 and police responded, but without sirens. We could see them patroling the neighborhood, and spoke to one officer briefly, but since no one had seen the car and there were no sounds of anyone being hit, the police could only scan the streets and alleys looking for suspicious activity. An hour after the shots, when we had started to settle down, we heard someone open our gate at the front of the yard and walk along the house and then open the gate at the back yard. We called police again but again, all they could do was survey the neighborhood. We hadn’t actually seen the person. This morning I found 6 gun casings in the street in front of my neighbor’s house and turned them in to police.
ORIGINAL 7:12 PM REPORT: Incident near Uptown Espresso in The Junction is causing traffic trouble. Details to come.
7:27 PM UPDATE: We’re told this all started with a fight/argument between two people – while police wouldn’t confirm much to us at the scene, witness Mark e-mailed this report:
Just before 7 pm, a scuffle with no real contact started in front of the Uptown Espresso at Edmunds and Erskine. From a distance it was just posturing and yelling. One of the guys in the fight stormed off. Then a small white car, looked like a Suzuki Samurai or Geo Tracker (white, convertible) pulled out in a hurry, a girl yelled at the people in the car and smacked it. The car then sped toward, and hit the guy that stormed off. Hard enough to knock him feet over head in the air. And they drove off. Shortly thereafter emergency folks showed up.
Police do confirm one person was taken to the hospital. The roads in the area are open again.
ORIGINAL 6:23 PM REPORT: Traffic alert in south Highland Park/north White Center: Roxbury is blocked both ways at 9th, 8th is blocked both ways at Cambridge. A crash here earlier is believed to have involved some kind of pursuit that scanner info linked to reckless driving. On the east side of the scene, Roxbury is blocked at 7th. Detours onto side streets are a mess; avoid the area.
7:50 PM UPDATE: See comments for at least one witness report so far. We spent some time at the scene last hour – and saw at least three dented/dinged police cars, Burien and SeaTac, with one dripping fluid from its undercarriage, another needing a tire change, while the investigation team did its work. The vehicle that apparently sparked the pursuit – at least, one that matches the description put out on the scanner – was still at the scene too (in the photo we added above), all of this on the south (eastbound) side of Roxbury. Going back shortly to see if it’s reopened yet. 9:47 PM UPDATE: Open again. Thanks again to everyone sharing eyewitness reports in the comments section; we hope to get official details (including total damage to law-enforcement vehicles) from King County Sheriff’s Office in the morning.
Just two days left to vote in the primary election.
But one West Seattleite who’s running for office isn’t on your ballot.
Even before the 2010 election season has kicked into high gear, former Highland Park Action Committee chair Dorsol Plants has declared his intention for 2011.
He turned a lot of heads with his City Council Position 4 run in 2009 (that’s when we snapped the photo at right) – almost 18,000 people voted for him in the primary (third place, so David Bloom made it to the general election ultimately won by Sally Bagshaw) — and cites a still-burning city need for change, so he’s trying again.
He hasn’t had a big campaign kickoff, but word’s gotten around.
Every week, courtesy of Gretchen Montgomery @ Square One Books (WSB sponsor), we get the lists of her independent West Seattle bookstore’s 5 best-sellers in each of 4 key categories:
Hardcover:
1. Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson
2. Star Island by Carl Hiassen
3. Burn by Nevada Barr
4. Four Fish: The Future of the Last Wild Food by Paul Greenburg
5. Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
Paperback:
1. Half the Sky by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn
2. Miss Hargreaves by Frank Baker
3. Dead in the Dregs by Peter Lewis
4. Under the Dome by Stephen King
5. War Dances by Sherman Alexie
Children/Young Adult:
1. Red Pyramid/The Kane Chronicles #1 by Rick Riordan
2. Star Wars/The Clone Wars Character Encyclopedia by DK Publishing
3. How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills
4. The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger
5. The Very Fairy Princess by Julie Andrews and Emma Hamilton
Teen:
1. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
3. Mockingjay (Pre-orders) by Suzanne Collins
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
5. Whisper by Phoebe Kitanidis
Square 1 Books is in Jefferson Square. And next week – before, after and during the West Seattle Junction Association-presented Big Bonanza multi-merchant sale – Square 1 is offering 40 percent off just about everything in the store, starting Thursday.
Dogs and owners are lining up in the shade outside West Seattle Thriftway as the photo shoots continue for CityDog Magazine‘s third annual Cover Dog Search, which visits a few locations around the region before coming up with a lineup of finalists you can vote on. The past two years, the winning Cover Dog has been from West Seattle – first Cohen, then Murphy. (High Point’s renowned Italian greyhound Sophiahas been on CDM too.) We’re told they’ll be there today till about 3 pm – bring pet food for a donation drive on behalf of West Seattle Food Bank (which collects and distributes pet food as well as people food)!
Cut-up pieces of colored paper lay scattered on the floor, as kids constructed a variety of handmade paper airplanes and rockets and took them for test flights outside the library doors.
This summer, the library has teamed up with the Museum of Flight to create a summer program that helps kids around the community express their creativity while learning about aviation. A communications officer at the Delridge Library, Cheresse Thoeny, noticed that “we… [had] …a lot of boys in this neighborhood” and wanted to find something “interesting to kids of all different ages” to bring the community together.
Our two Easy Rider Kayaks were stolen last night off our car along with the racks and locks. We live on 46th Ave SW between Lander and Stevens. Would like people to keep an eye for them. One is hot pink with yellow trim and the other is white with blue trim. They are 16 foot Eskimos.
then closed SW Roxbury at 8th SW for more than four hours Sunday afternoon/evening. We spoke with King County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Jim Laing, who shared details from the preliminary report: It started when deputies tried to pull over a vehicle at 156th and 1st S, and instead of stopping, it took off. = apparently, Sgt. Laing says, because the driver not only had a $10,000 warrant out for his arrest (related to a protection order), but also because he was under the influence of drugs (both of which, according to the report, he confessed when finally arrested). After a pursuit that led all the way into Highland Park and then back south, a deputy tried the so-called 
Even before the 2010 election season has kicked into high gear, former 
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