West Seattle, Washington

19 Monday

48℉

Spotlight Stories


  • WS5K

    WEST SEATTLE 5K: See & hear how it went

  • Sports

    PLAYOFF TIME: 2 local teams head to state

  • Salmon

    SO LONG, SALMON: Halfway through the season

West Seattle coyotes: Admiral-area sighting
May 3, 2009 10:28 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Coyotes | West Seattle news | Wildlife

As at least one group in attendance at today’s Sustainable West Seattle Festival reminded, the preferred philosophy for dealing with coyotes and other urban wildlife is coexistence, not panic or fear. That said, some find it helpful to know what’s seen where. So here’s the report Kathleen sent us last night about a coyote sighting in Admiral:

We are dog-sitting a little terrier and were surprised (Saturday) afternoon with a coyote that ran into the yard. It didn’t harm the dog, as my husband ran after the coyote, who easily cleared a 6 foot fence and ran into the neighbor’s yard. We live at 51st and Pritchard, one block north of Admiral. I wanted you to know because pets left unattended might be at risk.

Previous coyote reports published on WSB (some with photos) are archived here, newest to oldest.

Share This

Pickup truck hits house, tree in Fauntleroy
May 3, 2009 9:38 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

That photo is from Dwight, in the 4300 block of Brace Point (map), who explains:

Our house got rammed by a ’99 Dodge Ram 1500 v8. We live in the middle of the block so it seems rather odd that someone would swerve, take down a 12ft maple and hit the house.

Fence is gone, too.

The tree you see in the photo is supposed to be where the bumper of the truck is, despite looking like it’s planted on the corner of the house.

Checking on injuries; no medic unit was dispatched, which suggests if anyone was hurt in this crash (which happened just before 8 pm), it wasn’t major. We also received photos from Carlos — this one’s a bit blurry but it provides another angle:

ADDED 9:55 PM: We asked Dwight if anyone was hurt:

No one and no critters were hurt. No windows or doors were blown so we’re lucky. We’re very lucky to have had such a large tree on the corner of the lot; otherwise we’d be missing a large chunk of the house. That tree took the brunt of the assault, and the trunk was large enough to help ground the bottom of the truck before it hit the brick.

Share This

Flu update: Another 6 suspected cases announced today
May 3, 2009 6:18 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Health | Swine flu

In what’s becoming a daily update from Seattle-King County Public Health, the latest announcement says 6 more probable cases of swine flu have been reported, bringing the total number of likely cases in the county to 22. Health authorities also have changed their recommendations for how schools should handle news of a case of this flu – read on for the latest details:Read More

Share This

Skillet in West Seattle, week 2 and early outlook for week 3
May 3, 2009 4:17 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

We mentioned this briefly in our as-it-happened coverage of the just-concluded Sustainable West Seattle Festival (first report/photos here, a wrapup with more photos/video later) — Skillet Street Food drew a crowd to Seattle Lutheran High School‘s parking lot today (here’s the saga of how they wound up there) – thanks to Jake for the photo above, taken around 11:15; several other reports indicate they ran out of food before 2 pm. So will they be back next week, given that this was billed as a trial run? We just checked with Skillet’s Josh Henderson and Seattle Lutheran’s Bil Hood; Josh says he hopes so but needs to check with SLHS first, and Bil also said they’ll confer tomorrow – so stay tuned for word then. In the meantime, show your favorite West Seattle restaurants some love (three of them are WSB sponsors, we should note – Skylark Club and Cafe, Cafe Revo, and Ama Ama Oyster Bar and Grill), as we plan to do tonight.

Share This

Also happening now: “Ask the Doctor” at Fauntleroy Church
May 3, 2009 3:14 pm
|    Comments Off on Also happening now: “Ask the Doctor” at Fauntleroy Church
 |   West Seattle news

Sorry we didn’t see the e-mail on this earlier this morning – till 4 pm at Fauntleroy Church, Dr. Jill Cook is leading an “Ask the Doctor” workshop – at which Little Pilgrim School will be raffling off the quilt we told you about the night we spoke at Fauntleroy Church earlier this spring — there’s still time to drop by and hear about some hot health topics (including The Flu — we’re expecting another county update on that shortly, by the way).

Share This

Update: Police helping investigate Admiral house fire
May 3, 2009 11:32 am
|    Comments Off on Update: Police helping investigate Admiral house fire
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Just got an update from Seattle Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen on the fire we covered overnight (original WSB report here) in the 1700 block of 44th SW: She says Seattle Police Arson and Bomb Squad is helping investigate — the cause so far remains “undetermined.” The house was vacant and for sale; damage from the fire totals $430,000 — $400,000 to the house itself, $10,000 to its contents (not much was inside since nobody was living there), $10,000 each in damage to the exterior of the two neighboring houses. No one was hurt in the fire, which broke out around 3 am; our earlier report includes the story of the first person on the scene, neighboring resident Craig, who took the photo you see above.

6:34 PM: Added that shot taken late today, from the rear alley (the same spot from which the photo of the burning house was taken), also showing some of the exterior damage to the house on the left side of the photo. After we mentioned in our earlier story that we couldn’t find the listing, several local Realtors kindly found it and sent it – the address isn’t the same as the one listed in county records – but it’s the same house; it was listed as for sale at $499,000 and said a sale was “pending.” No new updates regarding the fire’s cause.

Share This

Sustainable West Seattle Festival: Reporting live, till 3 pm
May 3, 2009 9:53 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Sustainable West Seattle | West Seattle festivals | West Seattle news

(scroll down for the latest photos and updates)

(Sustainable West Seattle president Bill Reiswig)
Till 3 pm today, West Seattle Blog headquarters moves to the Sustainable West Seattle Festival in The Junction. Above is a photo sent via Twitter by festival organizers, who’ve already “tweeted” lots of great info and photos (follow SWS at @sustainablews – or check the updates via the Web at twitter.com/sustainablews). We’ll be adding our own soon. Our table is by the east side of the Wells Fargo drive-through (where we were last year), west of the “main stage.” We’ve got the first 200 copies of the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day map – which doesn’t go live online till tonight or early tomorrow (if you think you’ve seen a map online already, it’s from a previous year, because this one is NOT yet published online). Great weather for a festival, lots of booths, entertainment, panel discussions (we’re on one at noon) – see the schedule, site layout, exhibitors list, all here. More to come!

10:26 AM UPDATE: Congressman Jim McDermott is speaking on the nearby main stage right now. Great weather, lots of people and lots of incredible exhibitors.

A highlight for kids of all ages – costumed characters – including not just one, but two “Bagmonsters” crafted from plastic bags …among other characters:

We’re right across from Camp Long, Longfellow Creek Watershed, Duwamish River Cleanup Coalition, Nature Consortium booths … more of the great groups working to keep West Seattle green, and in many cases make it even greener through their restoration work. By the way, if you pick up a festival program while you’re here, it’s good for reading later – several articles by festival participants including us, talking about the topic that will be the subject of a panel we’re on at noon, “Sustainable Community Through Media” – one of the most important parts of WSB is YOU – without your presence, your collaboration, your ideas, your news tips, your event announcements, your photos, there wouldn’t be much here. Meantime, we’re also monitoring the SWS Twitter feed, from which this photo of the “backyard chickens” booth comes:

Over at the main stage next to us, CoolMom is about to put on a puppet show.

11:50 AM UPDATE: Pete Spalding, president of the West Seattle Food Bank board, just stopped by. (added later, here’s a photo of Pete in the WSFB booth)

He told us Friday night’s Instruments of Change fundraiser WSFB was a smash hit – sold out, more than 200 people, former Mayor Norm Rice gave a great speech, and the “dessert dash” led by County Council Chair Dow Constantine raised $11,000. (Pete adds that WSFB served more people last month than in any other month in its history.) Constantine just spoke here at the festival:

Also here – Mayor Greg Nickels:

12:52 PM UPDATE: Just back from the media panel, with Kery Murakami from Seattle Post Globe (former P-I employees who started up a new news site), Chuck Taylor (formerly of crosscut.com), and Jonathan Lawson of Reclaim the Media. Great discussion – and thanks to the folks who came to listen (Yes Magazine was tweeting it – see highlights at twitter.com/yesmagazine):

Thanks to Jake for that photo of us on the panel – from left, Chuck, Kery, me (WSB editor TR), Jonathan – next photo is our iPhone snap of the audience area:

We thought we’d added this earlier but apparently not – some of what else is happening in The Junction – the Skillet trailer at Seattle Lutheran High School (we’ll be checking after today whether it’ll be back next week – this was on a trial run basis):

They’re there till 2 pm, and there are some menu changes from what’s online – including a pulled pork sandwich instead of the fried spaghetti sandwich. And if you’re walking that way from the heart of The Junction, drop by the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) courtyard for the Furry Faces Foundation plant sale to raise money for animal rescue – they’re there till 4 pm.

Now back to the Sustainable West Seattle Festival – here till 3 pm in and around Wells Fargo in The Junction (44th/Alaska, across from the Farmers’ Market) – two stages with panels and performances, lots of great places to learn about living sustainably.

1:51 PM UPDATE: Just talked to Gene, who’s tweeting today for @sustainablews – check out that Twitter feed not only for festival notes, but also some photo links. Meantime, more of our photos – WSB sponsor Clean Air Lawn Care is here (that’s owner Adam):

And of course, lots of different ways of getting around, sustainably:

The Westenders Scooter Club is one of dozens of exhibitors here. Meantime, we’re almost out of West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day maps but the map will be online late tonight/early tomorrow, in printable and clickable forms! And we’ve had many more great conversations – political candidates have stopped by our table including mayoral candidate Michael McGinn and West Seattle-residing City Council candidates Dorsol Plants and David Ginsberg.

3 PM UPDATE: The festival’s ending, though some festivalgoers are still lingering as things wrap up – we have some folk music over at the main stage – festival coordinator Brian Allen‘s running around pointing participants to an afterparty:

Congratulations to Brian and everybody at Sustainable West Seattle for putting on another huge, successful, fun festival. We’ll be jumping back into the news stream. Look for a followup report later tonight with more photos and video from today’s festival. P.S. Stu Hennessey (Alki Bike and Board), another of the Sustainable West Seattle leaders working hard on the festival, stopped by to say they want to say again how much they appreciate the local business support in this area for and during the festival. And speaking of business support, we mentioned earlier that WSB sponsor Clean Air Lawn Care is here – spotted a couple more of our sponsors along the way – Mural Apartments (just about open, across from Jefferson Square):

And also, Envision Homes:

Some of the people who stopped by to talk with us asked what they can do to support the continued growth of 24/7 community news, information and discussion at WSB – our #1 request, support our sponsors; close behind, keep sharing your news tips, photos, announcements, stories, etc. – you can reach us any time, a variety of ways – all listed here (but most importantly, make sure our number is in your cell-phone list so you can call if you have an urgent sighting or question – 206-293-6302). More photos and video from the festival later!

Share This

Happening today: Viaduct, Farmers Market, SWS Festival, Seeger
May 3, 2009 7:06 am
|    Comments Off on Happening today: Viaduct, Farmers Market, SWS Festival, Seeger
 |   Admiral Theater | Alaskan Way Viaduct | West Seattle Farmers' Market | West Seattle festivals

(photo by Janna Silverstein)
The top deck of the Alaskan Way Viaduct will be full of people instead of cars this morning – the northbound section will be closed to traffic approximately 9-10:30 am, according to WSDOT, for the March of Dimes March for Babies. By the time it’s over, back on this side of the bay, The Junction will be bustling for two reasons:

(photo by JayDee)
Tulips are just part of what you’ll find at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, 10 am-2 pm. Here’s the fresh sheet. And across the street, it’s the second annual Sustainable West Seattle Festival:

That video is from the festival opening by Duwamish Tribe members last year – and this year, the Duwamish will do the honors again. 10 am-3 pm, there will be TONS going on — performances, discussions, demonstrations, involving dozens of organizations and businesses from all over the area, focused on community resilience (here’s the official program). WSB will be there – look for our table near the main stage (here’s the layout) along the east side of Wells Fargo – we’ve got the first 200 copies of the West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day Map, first come, first served! Then about an hour after the festival, it’s the start of the Pete Seeger 90th birthday celebration at the Admiral Theater:

The event has two main components – a documentary screening at 4 pm (“The Power of Song,” which includes that video clip), a “hootenanny” with performances and singalongs at 7 pm. See our preview here.

Share This

Update: Vacant house burns in North Admiral
May 3, 2009 3:29 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle fires | West Seattle news

(photo by nearby resident Craig, added 4:32 am)
ORIGINAL 3:29 AM REPORT: On our way to check out a “fire in single-family residence” call in the 1700 block of 44th SW (map). Crew on scene just reported on the scanner the fire is “under control.”

3:40 AM UPDATE: As our crew arrives on the scene, Fire Department spokesperson Dana Vander Houwen has just updated the SFD media line: She says it’s a vacant house that was “fully involved” in flames when crews arrived around 3 pm; they took a “defensive position” as a result. Property records say this is a 101-year-old 3-bedroom house. About the same time we were listening to the media line here, our crew on the scene got an in-person briefing from Vander Houwen — she says the house is for sale (we haven’t found a listing online, though) and confirms nobody was home when the fire started; she also says the houses on both sides were evacuated to be on the safe side, but are not damaged, and nobody is hurt. It’ll be a while before investigators can go in to figure out how it started. We’ll add video to this story in a bit.

4:19 AM UPDATE: In this clip, you see/hear the start of Vander Houwen’s briefing until we veer off onto the firefighters pouring water on the still-smoky house:

The station she mentioned as “just down the street” is Fire Station 29, which indeed is just three blocks southwest. Meantime, we got this note from area resident Craig:

I was the first one on the scene of the house fire in north Admiral. I woke up to the light smell of smoke, and thought, “who’d be having a fire right now?”

I decided I’d best look out the window, and it was a dense fog. In shorts and barefoot, I ran up to the next block and found flames coming out a basement window of a house in the 1700 block.

I can’t tell you how surprised I am at how well people sleep! I made a lot of noise and a neighbor across the street eventually came out and called 911.

The house that burned is an old house that had just been remodeled. They had split the lot and built a tall skinny house on it last year. Both houses have been for sale for a long time.

He also says one of the adjacent houses IS damaged – and he sent the two photos we’re adding at the top and bottom of this story:

We’ll keep checking with SFD till they determine and announce the fire’s cause.

11:36 AM UPDATE: The Fire Department says the cause is undetermined but police are helping investigate. We have started a new story with more information that’s just be released; see it here.

Share This

What should Parks do with Manning/Admiral site? Your turn
May 2, 2009 10:01 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

As reported here in March, that city-owned parcel at Manning and Admiral just north of The Bridge, known for its big sequoia, is no longer proposed to be sold off as surplus property – City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen helped facilitate a deal for the Parks Department to take it over. As he mentioned when first announcing that, a public meeting will provide your big chance to have a say in what happens to it and what you’d like to see done with it – and that meeting is set for next Tuesday, 7 pm, Hiawatha Community Center. The city originally bought the 14,400-square-foot site as bridge right-of-way in 1961.

Share This

Flu update: 6 more potential cases in King County
May 2, 2009 8:17 pm
|    Comments Off on Flu update: 6 more potential cases in King County
 |   Health | Swine flu

The daily update from King County Public Health came in a little while ago, so for everyone following the saga, the latest is: Six more potential cases, one of which was already suspected – three from Seattle: a 12-year-old and 14-year-old who haven’t been hospitalized, and an 80-year-old who has been, but is now out of the hospital. Read on for more details in the official news release:Read More

Share This

Heard the rumbling? B-17 flies over West Seattle (and beyond)
May 2, 2009 6:08 pm
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle video

WSB photojournalist Christopher Boffoli took an amazing flight today and is sharing that video as well as photos and a story – he says you might have heard the rumbling since the plane was flying over this area too:

Photos and story by Christopher Boffoli

The large vintage plane you might see over the skies of West Seattle this weekend is a newly restored World War II era B-17 “Flying Fortress” named the Liberty Belle. The bomber will be making flights through the weekend from Boeing Field and can be seen up close behind the Museum of Flight.

These Boeing-designed planes were best known for their bombing runs from England to Germany throughout the War and were famous for their ability to withstand damage from both enemy fighters and from flak guns on the ground and yet continue to fly. Still, the bombing runs were incredibly dangerous. Of the 12,731 B-17s built, exactly 8,007 were lost in combat and almost 25,000 airmen died.

Casualty figures were extremely high during the first few years of the War, until the Allies eventually were able to design longer-range fighter escorts to protect the planes from the Luftwaffe. By studying B-17s that crash-landed, the Germans were able to learn how to exploit the weaknesses of the aircraft. But the sheer number of successful bombing missions by Flying Fortresses had a devastating effect on the German war machine.

The crews of the B-17s were able to defend themselves with .50 caliber machine guns mounted at several positions on the aircraft, including a tail gunner and a man in a turret on the belly of the fuselage. The planes were not pressurized and the long flights could be very loud and cold. The airmen wore electric flight suits to keep warm in temperature that could reach 50 below. Some crew members were killed when their oxygen tanks froze at high elevation. The name Flying Fortress was apparently coined by a Seattle Times reporter in the early 40’s. The moniker caught on and Boeing eventually copyrighted it.

The B-17 in town this weekend, the Liberty Belle, was built in 1945 in Burbank, California under contract by the Vega Aircraft Corporation, a part of Lockheed. Because it was completed at the end of the War, this B-17 never saw combat. It was initially sold for scrap but was rescued by a collector who then sold it to engine maker Pratt & Whitney which used it for many years to test engines. It was eventually sold to private collectors, changing hands a number of times over the years. While on display at an air museum in the 1970’s it was damaged by a tornado. The current owner spent more than $5 million meticulously restoring the B-17 to flight condition. Fewer than a dozen B-17s are still airworthy.

Much of the aircraft is in original condition, through some modern avionics and navigation equipment has been added. The Liberty Belle was actually flown to England last year, following the same route and landing at the airfields used by the B-17’s during the War.

The story of Christopher’s flight, ahead:Read More

Share This

Happening now: Body Bar anniversary bash (with marching band!)
May 2, 2009 5:21 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle businesses

Not quite parade weather right now but at least these marchers have hats! If you saw them in the north end of The Junction about an hour ago – but didn’t know what they were there for – maybe you missed the listing in the West Seattle Weekend Lineup, where we mentioned the Body Bar day spa’s first-anniversary bash, east side of California just north of Genesee. The party kicked off with Ingraham High School’s Drum Line, photographed by Lora Lewis from Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor), which was on the “parade route” toward the Body Bar:

The Body Bar party’s continuing till 8 pm, with food, beverages, music, and free chair massages.

Share This

Latest on Scatt the cat: Attack survivor out of the hospital
May 2, 2009 1:02 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Pets | White Center

Just posted at partner site White Center Now, the latest on the church cat that survived a vicious attack.

Share This

Skillet Street Food in West Seattle: At Seattle Lutheran tomorrow
May 2, 2009 11:39 am
|      12 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

UPDATE – If you’re looking at this on Sunday, we’ve got a short update in our Sustainable West Seattle Festival running coverage – see that here

Update on the Skillet saga: Bil Hood at Seattle Lutheran High School just told WSB that the school will let Skillet Street Food try their parking lot (on the northeast edge of The Junction, 41st and Genesee; map) tomorrow, and Skillet’s agreed. If you’re just joining this saga now – Skillet takes its Airstream trailer to neighborhoods around the city to cook, sell and serve semi-gourmet food, and announced a few weeks back that it wanted to come to West Seattle for a few hours on Sundays. A parking spot near the West Seattle Farmers’ Market was announced, then rescinded. Skillet wound up making its West Seattle debut in the courtyard near Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) last Sunday, with what proprietor Josh Henderson described as its most successful opening day ever; then on Thursday, Hotwire’s Lora Lewis announced that her landlord had rescinded permission for Skillet to be there. SLHS then made contact with Skillet, and they’ve agreed to give it a try tomorrow. One important note from SLHS: You won’t be able to park IN the lot – so walk up as a side trip from your Sunday visit to the rest of The Junction, where the Sustainable West Seattle Festival will be under way 10 am-3 pm tomorrow in addition to the Farmers’ Market 10 am-2 pm.

Share This

One week till West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day!
May 2, 2009 11:35 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Community Garage Sale Day

9 am-3 pm next Saturday, May 9th, it’s the fifth annual West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day (second year WSB has coordinated it; it was created by a now-defunct nonprofit community group, Megawatt, which organized it the first three years). Mapmaking is in its final throes as we speak – some copies will be available at the WSB table near the main stage at tomorrow’s Sustainable West Seattle Festival, and then it’ll be available online for you to view/print no later than Monday morning) and it looks like the unofficial final count is 183 SALES! Soon as we get that map done, we’ll talk more about the highlights and specifics. Remember there are contests — with prizes! — again this year, for “most unusual item” and “most creative sign,” but you will have to send us your photo(s) afterward to enter (garagesale@westseattleblog.com). Help get the word out: Print this poster and tack it up at work, school, telephone pole. We’ve distributed some but the more the merrier!

Share This

West Seattle scene: Prom night on a bicycle built for two
May 2, 2009 10:21 am
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Seen around town | West Seattle people

Eric Shalit sent us this photo late last night; things were a little busy then but we want to share it now. It’s his son Max Shalitmontagne and date Fiona, “heading off to the Garfield High School Senior Prom … on a tandem bike (courtesy of Aaron¹s Bike Repair).” They rode from West Seattle to Pacific Science Center for the occasion. Eric adds, “Max is 100% car-free by choice. He rides about 200 miles a week, commuting and having fun. Max loves cycling!”

Share This

Happening today/tonight: Multiple ways to reach out and help
May 2, 2009 5:31 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   How to help

(photo added 10:47 am from Furry Faces hanging-basket sale, courtesy Lora at Hotwire, who notes Teri from Furry Faces has two canopies to keep shoppers/basketmakers dry!)
They include fundraising rummage sales for West Seattle Montessori School (WSB sponsor; sale is at the nearby American Legion Hall) and Arbor Heights Elementary, a barbecue at West Seattle Thriftway to raise money to fight breast cancer, Furry Faces Foundation‘s hanging-basket plant sale in the Hotwire Coffee (WSB sponsor) courtyard to benefit animal rescue, the Rainbow Girls‘ car wash at White Center Albertson’s, and the West Seattle Lions Club‘s sock hop at the Seattle Lutheran High School gym to benefit a scholarship fund. More information on all those events – and what else is happening today/tonight – click here to jump directly to the Saturday section of the West Seattle Weekend Lineup.

Share This

Updates: Police search for suspect(s) after shooting on Alki
May 1, 2009 7:43 pm
|      163 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news | WS breaking news

(scroll down for newest information and photos)

(top photo by David Hutchinson, middle was via cameraphone by Patrick Sand, third is a screengrab from Seacrest-area webcam showing medic unit there for shooting victim)
ORIGINAL 7:43 PM REPORT: We know for sure that there’s a major police response on Alki, an assault with weapons call on fire/medics, and there’s a lot of talk about the Pepperdock. Roads also are being blocked off. According to the scanner, police are looking for a suspect described as a black male, late teens, close-cropped hair, black T-shirt, with a black handgun, last seen running “southbound through Whale Tail Park,” possibly with at least one other person – didn’t catch that description. No word yet whether anyone has actually been hit/hurt by gunfire. We’ve got someone on the way there, while we’re also monitoring the scanner and e-mail/phone/etc. info here at WSB HQ. Police are reported to be talking to “multiple witnesses” – one has told police, according to the scanner, that three black males ran through the south end of Whale Tail (near the “Big Toy” play structure) after the shooting, two reported to be wearing “red wife-beater tank tops” and one “carrying one,” reportedly then getting into a “black SUV.”

7:53 PM UPDATE: A Twitter report says the shooting victim is actually at Seacrest – which explains why the fire/medic call is to 1600 Harbor, while the police search is up at the beach.

8:05 PM UPDATE: Co-publisher Patrick Sand is now at Alki – he is seeing K-9 officers searching in the Alki Elementary playground area – also, officers are diverting traffic southward, from the 60th/Admiral area. We also have a Twitter report that traffic headed toward Alki on Harbor Avenue is being diverted southbound onto Fairmount at Salty’s.

8:17 PM UPDATE: Added another photo atop this report, this time, showing police cars blocking Alki Ave near 59th. No word yet of any arrests. No word yet on the shooting victim’s condition, either, but the medic unit that was at Seacrest has headed off for Harborview Medical Center.

8:25 PM UPDATE: Via scanner – police are reopening Alki Ave to traffic, because they are “done processing the scene.” (A moment later, that was confirmed by police at the scene, who apparently will share some more information soon about exactly what happened.)

8:33 PM UPDATE: Alki’s David Hutchinson just sent more scene photos:

A Seattle Police media officer is on his way to the scene to brief media (us included), so we should have some new details when he arrives.

9:17 PM UPDATE: Officer Jeff Kappel has just briefed the media and Patrick called in with details: The victim, male in late teens, was outside Pepperdock with friends when someone opened fire from behind, shooting multiple times. No apparent argument or clash before the gunfire. Victim managed to make it across the street to the grassy area by the beach, friends then loaded him into a car and headed north on Alki Ave, police intercepted the car by Seacrest, which is where they then got him into a medic unit and took him to Harborview, where he’s being treated for what’s described as life-threatening injuries. Also: A second car was following the one with the shooting victim and friends; it has at least one bullet hole in it, so was impounded. All the people with the victim have been taken downtown for questioning as witnesses. K-9 search of immediate neighborhood didn’t turn up anything. But investigators will be at Alki “all night.” (We have the police briefing on video and will upload it as soon as Patrick gets back to HQ.)

9:49 PM UPDATE: Listening to the media-line recording that has since been updated, the circumstance has changed slightly — the person who opened fire was outside the Pepperdock but the victim was across the street, on the beach side. Police say that “homicide and gang detectives” will be at the scene investigating for some time to come. Still no information on the victim’s condition aside from the earlier report of “life-threatening injuries.”

10:30 PM UPDATE: The police summary is now on SPDBlotter – read it here. And here’s the entire, unedited four and a half minute briefing given at the scene by Detective Jeff Kappel from the media unit:

(video not available due to blip.tv shutdown)

5:15 AM SATURDAY: No new updates from police regarding the victim’s condition or any arrests. We did get a note from a witness describing what he saw and wanted to share that:

A friend and I were walking East/North on Harbor toward Slices, passing just in front of the mexican & thai restaurants (just west of Pepperdock) when the shots were fired (my friend heard 6 – 8, I heard more… like 10). My friend and I ducked behind the small trees there while some folks eating on the patio started heckling us for being spooked over some “fireworks.” As my friend and I got to the cross street, I saw what looked like two kids running south on the street (I’m 25… so they seriously looked like “kids”). There was a bit of confusion in the area as most people naively assumed fireworks was the cause of the disturbance, but as we crossed the street toward Slices, people were still looking back at the scene. Across the street in the grassy area, an african american male was down with his friends surrounding him. The boys looked thuggish (if anything could be said for the gang energy on Alki). These boys loaded their friend into the back of their black chevy impala (license plate 706 **K), and flipped a U-turn on harbor ave and screeched away. As you know, sunny friday’s are not conducive to speedy exits. They nearly ran over a family crossing the street while they tore off down the street. I saw a few of their friends run off down another street, but they could have just been running toward their car. The police arrived a few minutes later.

i spoke with an employee at Slices and she saw the shooter. She desribed him as a “kid” and thought it was a cap gun because he was firing “wildly” and it didn’t look like he was aiming at any thing as he was “shooting wildly” and “laughing.” What a scary scene.

11:15 AM SATURDAY: The latest official police “update” as of a few minutes ago was, “no new updates.” Just in case you were wondering. (5:37 pm note – we’ve been checking but still no updates)

Share This

Video: Dedication of future officers’ memorial site in West Seattle
May 1, 2009 3:50 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | West Seattle police | West Seattle video

The presentation of the colors opened the ceremony at noon today at Dignity Memorial/Forest Lawn in High Point, with dozens of police officers and community members gathered for a groundbreaking. We reported a week ago about the plan for this site — Forest Lawn is donating it for the construction of what will be Seattle’s first freestanding memorial to officers who lost their lives in the line of duty. The ceremony was brief; speakers included West Seattle’s highest-ranking law enforcer, Southwest Precinct Captain Joe Kessler:

The line of SPD cars nearby was another sign of the police participation:

Also in attendance, representatives of groups that assist the families of fallen officers. Forest Lawn officials explained that the idea’s been in the works for three years, sparked by ongoing collaboration with SPD chaplains, whose leader John Oas was part of today’s event, and helped with the ceremonial groundbreaking:

Forest Lawn will now embark on fundraising to help cover the cost of designing and building the actual memorial; they’re hoping it will be ready for a big dedication ceremony around this time next year. (Forest Lawn has another big event coming up, by the way – 2 pm May 25th, the annual Memorial Day ceremony; here’s our coverage from last year.)

Share This

Admiral Adopt-a-Street tomorrow: Pitch in, get treats!
May 1, 2009 3:40 pm
|    Comments Off on Admiral Adopt-a-Street tomorrow: Pitch in, get treats!
 |   Environment | How to help

admiralogo.jpgOne more event tomorrow — Admiral Neighborhood Association president Mark Wainwright reminds us that tomorrow’s the day for neighbors to gather outside Metropolitan Market at 9 am to launch the quarterly Adopt-a-Street cleanup. Supplies provided, free treats, plus a chance to do something to make your neighborhood look better (like the North Delridge Neighborhood Council and Chief Sealth High School PTSA did along Delridge Way LAST Saturday!).

Share This

Flu update: 5 King Co. schools now closed (none in West Seattle)
May 1, 2009 2:56 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Health | Swine flu

King County health authorities just finished a short briefing on the flu situation. One more case of suspected swine flu is now reported, a 9-year-old patient, and because of that, an additional school has closed in King County, Midway Elementary in Des Moines, but no more Seattle Public Schools closures were announced, beyond the current three (Madrona, Stevens, Aki Kurose), none of which is in or near West Seattle. Perhaps the most important thing Dr. David Fleming said: Right now this flu seems to be behaving like “regular” flu – different levels of severity, but no worse than the seasonal outbreaks. Also participating in the news conference was Mayor Nickels, who noted that the city’s Emergency Operations Center has been activated to help track the flu outbreak. And authorities again stressed, the most important thing you can do is to stay home if you feel sick. We’ll add more info here when the official roundup from today’s briefing is available.

ADDED 4:53 PM: As promised, we’re adding the official roundup. It also includes word of a new flu hotline – 877-903-KING – and the total number of schools in King County closed because of the flu situation is now five (so we have changed our headline):Read More

Share This

West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Sustainable WS Festival edition
May 1, 2009 2:44 pm
|    Comments Off on West Seattle Weekend Lineup: Sustainable WS Festival edition
 |   Fun stuff to do | WS culture/arts | WS Weekend Lineup

wswllicon3.pngSunday’s the big 2nd annual Sustainable West Seattle Festival in The Junction (which is sponsoring, and co-sponsored by, WSB) – and that tops another long list of things to do, places to go, etc., with West Seattle Montessori School (WSB sponsor) and Arbor Heights Elementary having rummage sales (get in the spirit for NEXT weekend’s West Seattle Community Garage Sale Day!), marching drummers in The Junction … more than 40 events in the full West Seattle Weekend Lineup, brought to you by Skylark Cafe and Club:Read More

Share This