West Seattle, Washington
15 Tuesday
12:04 PM MONDAY: Police are investigating a crime spree late last night that likely involved the same three people.
Around 10:15, they got a call about a street robbery/carjacking attempt near 39th/Oregon. According to what police were initially told, three people – described as “juveniles, possibly Hispanic,” all armed – robbed the victim of their watch and phone, and got away in a black Toyota Prius, that turned out to have been stolen in a Kent carjacking.
Not long after that, they answered a call about car windows breaking in the 4800 block of 47th SW and found that had happened to at least two cars, a Kia Sportage and a Subaru Outback – the suspects were described as three young Hispanic men, and a “black sedan” was seen.
Then just before 11 pm, a carjacking was reported in the 1600 block of Sunset Avenue. The three carjackers took a blue Kia Sportage at gunpoint. They were initially described as three “unknown-race males,” wearing black masks. A gray Camry was “caravanning” with the stolen car, and an officer spotted them on Beach Drive a short time later. A pursuit ensued, but he reported losing sight of them around 48th SW and Holly. Not long after that, the stolen black Prius associated with the first incident was found abandoned at 47th/Dawson.
If you have any information related to all this, the robbery was incident # 23-270527, and the carjacking was # 23-270558. The SPD tip line is 206-233-5000.
ADDED 9:09 PM: From Liz in comments: “So our son was in the blue Kia Sportage that was carjacked at 11 pm last night in North Admiral. He and his friend are shaken but doing ok. The police last night were great — I had Apple-airtagged the car, so they livetracked it with me and were pursuing it every time the AirTag updated. The cars were found in south Burien 4 mins after they were dumped — both the Sportage and the Camry were recovered.”
As we first reported on September 3rd, Metro plans to continue seven-days-a-week West Seattle Water Taxi service through the fall and winter again this year (and beyond). County Executive Dow Constantine officially announced it today. One key point in the announcement: No Water Taxi service the weekend of October 14-15, so maintenance can be done to get ready for the winter season.
(Lincoln Park – photo by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, highlights for the hours ahead:
FOR VETERANS: If you need help filing a disability claim, the DAV offers free drop-in assistance 9 am-1 pm. (4857 Delridge Way SW)
LEARN CPR/AED: 2-4 pm at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon):
Come learn adult hands-only CPR and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) use through Seattle Fire Department’s Medic 2 CPR training. The focus of this training will be on contacting 9-1-1, practicing proper compression techniques and how to apply an AED in the event of a cardiac arrest. No previous experience is required. Advance RSVP requested.
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING: 2 pm, councilmembers talk about the week ahead. The agenda explains how to attend or watch.
SUMMER EVENING PADDLING: Monday nights all summer long, get out on the water with Alki Kayak Tours, 6 pm. (1660 Harbor SW).
GET CRAFTY: 6-10 pm, this is “Crafting and Creativity Night” at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.
D&D: Open D&D starts at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW), all welcome, first-time players too. $5.
COMEDY: Monthly “Routine Killers” show at Otter on the Rocks (4210 SW Admiral Way), 7 pm, with headliner Phil Kopczynski. Tickets still available when we checked.
CANDIDATES: Seattle City Council candidates from all districts will be participating in the Seattle Fair Growth forum online tonight, with co-sponsors including West Seattle’s Morgan Community Association. Topics include density, affordable housing, and tree canopy. It’s separated into two sessions; District 1 candidates will be part of the 7-8:15 pm session – you can find the viewing link here.
MONDAY MEDITATION: Free weekly Zen sitting/meditation at the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
BEDHEAD OPEN MIC: Weekly BedHead Open Mic at West Seattle Church of the Nazarene (4201 SW Juneau), 7 pm (signups at 6:30) – info in our calendar listing.
MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA! Three weekly events – 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm with QuizFix at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Live music with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar ? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
9:09 AM: Thanks for the tip! 23 homes in southwesternmost West Seattle have been without power since just before 6:30 this morning. No cause listed yet; we’re checking with Seattle City Light; a screengrab of SCL’s outage map shows the outage location.
3:36 PM: The outage has ended since we last checked the map earlier this afternoon. Here’s what SCL’s Jenn Strang tells us about the cause: “Crews found a blown fuse caused by a tree branch contacting wires near 47th Ave SW and Maplewood Place SW. Additional vegetation management and overhead line crews needed to be called in to clear multiple spots of branches growing into the lines in this area before reenergization.”
6:33 AM: WSF says the Fauntleroy terminal is “out of service due to unplanned maintenance.” WSF says it can’t offload vehicles because of a transfer span problem but hopes to have it fixed within an hour.
6:59 AM: WSF says this is now fixed.
Earlier:
6:02 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, September 18th.
WEATHER AND SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Cloudy start to the day, rain possible, sun later, high in the mid-60s. Sunrise today is at 6:49 am; sunset, 7:17 pm.
TRANSIT TODAY
Metro – Regular schedule; check advisories here.
Water Taxi – Regular schedule.
Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route. Check alerts for changes, and use Vessel Watch to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Henderson), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Orchard, and Delridge/Oregon.
High Bridge – the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
Low-bridge cam:
1st Ave. S. Bridge – alternate route across the river:
Highway 99: – northbound side at Lander.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: See all working traffic cams citywide here, most with video options; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges Twitter/X feed shows whether the city’s movable bridges are opening for vessel traffic.
If you see trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/bay, please text or call us (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities). Thank you!
(Photo by Lynn Hall)
Tonight’s sunset ended the last weekend of summer. Autumn arrives at the equinox moment of 11:49 pm Friday (September 22nd). A few hours before that, educator and expert skywatcher Alice Enevoldsen will lead her next change-of-season sunset watch, starting at 6:30 pm at Solstice Park (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW, upslope). Not only will Alice explain the equinox, she’ll be talking about how to get ready to view the October 14th solar eclipse (partial in our area). Free eclipse-viewing glasses, too!
Starting this weeik, Outer Space Seattle plans to fully relaunch its all-day open-play space on Alki. Here’s the announcement:
Outer Space Seattle’s unfortunately timed opening in December 2019 (just two and a half months before the pandemic) left them in quite the financial predicament. The owners, Caitlin Huertas & Jeannie Hammock, pivoted their business plan by offering learning pods, child care, and preschool. While this allowed them to keep their doors open, they are thrilled to be going back to their original plan — full-day open play and café.
Huertas says, “We were happy to help West Seattle families by offering remote learning pods and child care during the pandemic. But the time has come for us to go back to our original plan: All-Day Open-Play Indoor Playground & Cafe. This also allows us to offer more play opportunities to more families. We have updated our menu, improved our sensory room, and we added sound absorbing panels to help with the noise level. We look forward to seeing everyone at our Grand Reopening this Wednesday, September 20th, 2023!”
Things to know:
-Socks are required for all
-No outside food allowed, but unopened, prepackaged baby food is ok.
-Parents need to stay onsite and supervise their children.
-The menu offers a range of family-friendly foods.Hours:
Monday – Thursday 10 am to 8 pm
Friday 10 am to 9 pm
Saturday 6:30 pm-9 pmOuter Space Seattle is closed to the public on Saturdays until 6:30 pm and all day Sundays for private parties.
They’re at 2820 Alki Avenue SW, between Locust and Cactus.
2:53 PM: Thanks to Kersti Muul for the report: Transient orcas are visible, northbound, from Emma Schmitz Overlook.
ADDED 4:35 PM: New from Kersti: “At least two humpbacks along the line from Alki near Cactus to Eagle Harbor. (Possibly three) heading toward Elliott Bay.”
As we first reported last month, the West Seattle Junction Association is turning what used to be the Harvest Festival into two events starting this year – and the first one is now a week away: The Fall Festival is planned for 11 am-2 pm Sunday, September 24th. It features just about everything you loved about Harvest Fest (except the trick-or-treating, which happens closer to Halloween) – chili cookoff, cornhole tournament, pie-eating contest, live music. (Signup links for the contest and tournament are on this page.) The Farmers’ Market will be on as always, in its usual spot on California SW north of SW Alaska, while the block between SW Alaska and SW Edmunds will also be closed to traffic and will be the site of festival fun. (Meantime, the trick-or-treating celebration is set for Sunday, October 29th, including the traditional costume parade!)
(September 2020 photo by Tony Welch – bridge with stabilization-work platforms)
No commemorations are planned that we know of, just the daily drumbeat of vehicles making the crossing, but we wanted to note that today marks one year since the West Seattle Bridge reopened. The city closed it with just a few hours’ notice March 23, 2020, after cracking left engineers concerned about collapse risk. Stabilization work ensued, followed by repair work, and finally after 2 1/2 years, the bridge was reopened to traffic just after 9 pm Saturday, September 17, 2022. Our coverage of how those 2 1/2 years unfolded is all archived here (reverse-chronological order, as per our publishing format).
Two reports this morning:
ANOTHER BUSINESS BURGLARY: Amber at The Birdhouse in Upper Fauntleroy reports they were hit by a burglar overnight – here’s what she sent:
I have attached pictures of the person who entered our building and stole our safe and till money. The break-in happened around 1:00 am. The police came after (the) Macrina driver found the crime scene about 5:30 am.
They’re still looking through security video for any other images of note, including whether there was a getaway car. The police incident # is 23-269772.
ANOTHER CRASHED, DUMPED HYUNDAI: A reader sent this photo of the car, found crashed/abandoned at Riverview Playfield:
Police-radio traffic indicates an officer just checked it out and verified it was stolen.
For the first time since 2019, the streets of South Park were alive with the celebration of Latin American cultures and heritage known as Fiestas Patrias, as hundreds of people paraded through the heart of the neighborhood on Saturday. Many of them rode – not just vehicles, but horses:
The parade ended with dozens of high-stepping horses and riders:
Earlier, there was horsepower:
Low riders from the Eazy Duz It Car Club rolled – and bounced – down the parade route:
Two-wheeled participants, too .. from scooters:
… to BMX bicycles …
… to unicycles – these students came all the way from Whittier Elementary in Ballard:
Schools from closer by participated too – here’s our video of Chief Sealth International High School‘s Cheer Team and Band:
South Park’s own Duwamish Valley Youth Corps walked in the parade:
Several folklorico groups danced along the route:
The parade was sponsored by Sea Mar Community Health Centers, which also is presenting a weekend-long Fiestas Patrias festival at Seattle Center downtown.
(Texas Striped Sweat Bee in photographer Rosalie Miller’s West Seattle garden)
Last Sunday of summer – here’s what’s happening:
ROAD-WORK ALERTS: The Junction paving project is scheduled to continue today – in the eastbound lanes of SW Alaska between California and 44th.
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Now they’re running on Sunday mornings too – meet at 9 am at Dough Joy Donuts (4310 SW Oregon).
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the market is open between SW Alaska and SW Oregon on California, offering late-summer fruit and vegetables as well as flowers, cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages (from kombucha to beer/wine), nuts, more. Here’s today’s vendor list.
DOUGH JOY AT OUNCES: Another 10 am-2 pm Dough Joy Donuts popup at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW).
DONATION DRIVE AT ALKI UCC: 11 am-3 pm, drop off donations at 6115 SW Hinds. Our calendar listing explains what they’re looking for.
‘RETHINK THE LINK’ WALK: Supporters of the “no-build alternative” will lead a walk along part of the potential West Seattle light-rail route, as previewed here. Meet at 11 am at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW)
SECOND-TIME SALE: Fauntleroy Church‘s mega-sale concludes today in the Fellowship Hall. Tables and tables and tables of curated, clean, lightly used items. 11:30 am-3 pm. (9140 California SW)
‘MATT & BEN’: Second matinee for the new play at ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor), 3 pm. Check for tickets here.
COFFEEHOUSE MUSIC Jen Howard performs 3-5 pm at C & P Coffee Company (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor). No cover.
END THE WEEKEND LAUGHING: The Junction Comedy Show is tonight at ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor), 7:30 pm. Ticket link is in our calendar listing.
SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.
Something for our calendar – one-time or recurring? Email us the info – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Sent by Hillary:
To add to the growing number of vehicle thefts recently, my 2017 Kia Soul was stolen from the NW corner of California Ave SW and SW Hanford St. I parked there at around 12:30 am Friday night/Saturday morning and noticed it gone (and a pile of glass) at 6:30 pm Saturday. She is black with License plate # BOS4455.
We’ll add the police report # when we get it. (UPDATE: 23-269435)
FRIDAY UPDATE: The car’s been found.
(Added: Photo sent by Shawn)
9:35 PM: There’s one heck of a fireworks show under way – according to the peek we could get from the end of our street, looks like it’s off south Bainbridge Island. Trying to find out whose!
9:44 PM: On Twitter/X, @westseawx unearthed an announcement from the Bainbridge Island Fire Department that there would be a “private fireworks show” tonight.
(Added: Photo by John Skerratt)
9:54 PM: The BIFD announcement said it would be “south of” the island and out of their jurisdiction, but within the Coast Guard’s jurisdiction.
10:05 PM: The BIFD announcement, and a KUOW story some have linked in comments, note that there was a similar show on the corresponding third Saturday night in September last year. We just checked our archives and it got only a fleeting mention because at that moment on that night (9/17/22) the West Seattle Bridge had just reopened.
10:23 PM: The dogs in our neighborhood are still barking. … We checked the latest Coast Guard Notice to Mariners, but it gave no hint of fireworks – the notation was just “Private Party, 2130-2200, IVO (in vicinity of) Blake Island.”
11:10 PM: For comparison, 10 years ago there was a private fireworks show off a barge off Beach Drive. The local company producing the celebration that included the show circulated an alert three weeks ahead of time.
SUNDAY EVENING: The Seattle Times identifies the fireworks company involved, and the various goverment agencies nominally involved, but still no enlightenment as to who the show was for and why.
Tomorrow’s the day that advocates of the “no-build alternative” lead a walk along much of the potential West Seattle light-rail route. Organizers, now under the banner Rethink the Link, have an update on what they plan to discuss. As laid out here:
-You will pass businesses likely to be demolished or affected adversely in some way.
-There will be explanations of the environmental impacts on Pigeon Point, the Duwamish Greenbelt, and Longfellow Creek.
-The Walk will pass where we THINK the route and Delridge Station will go. Walkers will be able to get an idea of the scale of the structure.
-You’ll cross Avalon Way and look back to see where the proposed route will weave its way through the various Transitional Resources buildings.
-At the top of the hill, you’ll see where the proposed route transitions from an elevated track, to tracks at grade, into a “retained cut.”
-You’ll also get a general idea of where the Avalon Station will be, if it remains part of the plan
Organizers say they have one change from the list of speakers mentioned here – Longfellow Creek will be discussed by Pamela Adams of BeaverInsights. Walk participants are meeting at 11 am tomorrow (Sunday, September 17th) at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW).
7:08 PM: SPD says northbound traffic on California at Edmunds/Erskine is being diverted because of a collision. It’s reported as a driver hitting a pedestrian, and the pedestrian will be taken to the hospital. Northbound traffic is being sent down Erskine.
7:50 PM: No further information so far. We’re checking with SFD for more information about the person taken to the hospital.
EARLY SUNDAY: We haven’t heard back from SFD yet, but meantime two commenters who report being there say the victim was a bike rider who was hit by a car door.
Two reader reports this afternoon:
STOLEN CIVIC: The report is from Beau: “Taupe/beige 2000 Honda Civic, license plate BLN5706. Taken from the High Point neighborhood, at the corner of High Point Drive SW and Macarthur Lane.” We’ll add the police report # when we get it.
DUMPED ITEMS: From a reader who wanted to be anonymous:
Found on Frontenac near 42nd SW. Student supplies and personal items.
Yours? Let us know and we’ll connect you.
Kersti Muul reports: “One lone male orca (likely T65A5 heading to meet family) is southbound, outer edge of Elliott Bay, past Skiff Point, Bainbridge Island.” (That’s directly across from West Point on the north edge of the bay.)
Received from our area’s Seattle Public Schools director Leslie Harris:
HUGE apologies – SPS District 6 Community Meeting is cancelled due to unforeseen mistakes in scheduling.
Next meeting (w/ lasagna) is scheduled for the West Seattle Library, October 21, 2023 – 2 – 5 p.m.
Please make sure to attend the online Well Resourced Schools [online] meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 26th from 5:30 – 7 p.m. and take the poll that allows narrative answers.
And tune in to the Board Work Session on the Budget on Weds. Sept. 20th, 4:30 – 6 p.m.
seattleschools.org – for sign-in information.
11:02 AM: As previewed here, the West Seattle Eco-Fair is happening today, presented by by the Care for Creation Ministry of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Holy Rosary Catholic parishes. We dropped by early for a look at some of what you’ll see – including information you can act on, like the plastic-avoidance display featured above, and RainWise (below):
This continues until 2 pm today.
It’s happening in the Walmesley Center at OLG, on the northeast corner of 35th/Myrtle.
2:04 PM: Wrapping up now. Thanks to Tony Fragada for sending this view from when the event was fully up and running:
How big is Fauntleroy Church‘s Second-Time Sale? So big that about two dozen people were waiting to get in when we arrived just before the doors opened at 9 am. So much stuff, the Fellowship Hall is brimming – even some items on the stage:
And more outside!
Here’s the overview from volunteer Judy Pickens: “Bargain-priced items range from towels to fine jewelry, books to cookware, and china to furniture, all clean, culled, and well-organized. Proceeds benefit the ministries of this active United Church of Christ congregation.” (That includes community projects like next Saturday’s Recycle Roundup!) The sale is on at 9131 California SW until 4 pm today, with an encore session 11:30 am-3 pm Sunday.
Reported by Claudia:
Unfortunately, it looks like we found a stolen and dumped vehicle this morning at the intersection of SW Cloverdale St & 37th Ave SW. It’s a black Hyundai Sonata with a WA license plate #AEB1901. The driver’s door has a dent and was left open. The car also looks like it was rifled through with various pens and paper scattered throughout the car and spilling out. I’m guessing the car was likely dumped sometime late at night, 9/15, or early this morning, 9/16.
I reported it to the city as an abandoned vehicle … Whoever this car belongs to, I’m sorry this happened to you.
| 21 COMMENTS