West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
12:08 PM: What was briefly a Seattle Fire “full response” in Admiral a short time ago was quickly downsized. Crews arriving at the scene in the 2700 block of 45th SW [vicinity map] cited a suspected electrical fire, and subsequent information from dispatch says it’s believed to be a solar-panel problem.
12:16 PM: Firefighters report the fire is out. One crew reports that a “bundle of leaves” appears to be what ignited.
That’s a photo of Azuma Sushi proprietors Jennifer and Harry on their first day in business 24 1/2 years ago, on January 18, 2000. And here they are today:
This too is a momentous day – the couple’s final day before turning over their restaurant (4533 California SW) to a new owner, as they announced earlier this month. The new owner, Jenny, is a former Azuma employee, and as noted in Jennifer and Harry’s announcement, the restaurant will close for four weeks starting tomorrow and will bring back sit-down dining. Harry will be there after the September 28th reopening to help with the transition, but Jennifer told us she plans to travel to see family in China and Australia. You can stop in to say goodbye today – they’re open for lunch takeout until 2:30, then again for dinner takeout 4:30-9:30 pm.
(This morning along the Alki Trail – photo by James Bratsanos)
Heading into the holiday weekend, here’s what’s happening today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar (where you can always preview what’s ahead for the coming days and weeks):
SSC GARDEN CENTER: As fall approaches, plants await you at the north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus, 10 am until 3 pm. Plus, until 2:30 pm, while you’re there, you can visit The Otter Pup for coffee, ice cream, and other treats!
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Open 11 am-8 pm. Free! (1100 SW Cloverdale)
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Open noon-7 pm, upper park just north of the main parking lot. (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW)
COLMAN POOL: Also at Lincoln Park, fourth-to-last day this year that you can swim in the outdoor heated-salt-water pool, noon-7 pm – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.
SOUTHWEST POOL: Still closed for maintenance/repairs.
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY TASTING ROOM: 1-6 pm, open in the north lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor).
VISCON CELLARS: The tasting room/wine bar is open for wine by the glass or bottle – 5-9 pm – at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).
AT THE SKYLARK: 7 pm, Gibraltar Aquarian, Equal + Opposite, The Whopper Johns, $10 cover. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
MUSIC AT THE COFFEEHOUSE: Singer-songwriter Jim Page at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), 7-9 pm.
LIVE AT EASY STREET RECORDS: New-album show for Blind Pilot, 7 pm, all ages. (4559 California SW)
AT THE SPOT: Fridays are Live Artist Showcase nights at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), 7-10 pm.
OUTDOOR MOVIE AT CAMP LONG: The final free movie of the season is tonight – Disney‘s “Elemental,” at dusk (7:30ish) in the meadow. (5200 35th SW)
REVELRY ROOM DJ: 9 pm, DJ Proh Mic! (4547 California SW)
JARAY’S DJ: 9 pm, DJ Buzsy at Jaray’s Lounge (2216 SW Orchard).
What are we missing? If you have something else to add to our event lists and calendar, please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(WSB file photo)
Urban Art Works is hoping for more helping hands to paint a mural at Lafayette Elementary this weekend. If you can spare a little time Sunday and/or Monday, read on:
Volunteers Needed ✨
Volunteers! Join us for painting at Lafayette Elementary School in West Seattle! We’re painting the exterior walls of two portable classrooms, the project is on a very tight turnaround as we’re aiming to start and complete the mural in two days! With your help, we can do it!
When: Labor Day Weekend — Sunday, September 1st & Monday, September 2nd
Time: Shifts are available in 1.5-hour slots from 10 AM to 4 PM
Where: Lafayette Elementary, 2645 California Ave SWWe’re aiming to complete this mural before school starts on the 4th. The first slot is open to all levels (adults), with intermediate and advanced slots in the middle of the day and afternoon. Our goal is to complete the mural on Sept 1st, with Sept 2nd being a back-up day for any necessary touch-ups; if we are able to finish on the 1st, the 2nd will be canceled, so make sure to sign up for the 1st if you want to make sure to get a chance to paint :)
Sign up for as many slots as you like, and let’s paint!
*Parking Info: Find parking at the back of the school by turning into the alley next to Wiseman’s Appliance on California Ave.
Don’t forget your paint clothes, water, and sunscreen!
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Friday, August 30, and we’re heading into Labor Day weekend.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Sunny, high in the upper 70s today, 80 predicted for Saturday and Sunday. Today’s sunrise will be at 6:26 am, while sunset will be at 7:52 pm.
SPOKANE ST. VIADUCT AND OTHER ROAD WORK
*No work, no closures, until after Labor Day, for the Spokane Street Viaduct resurfacing project.
*For the Admiral Way Bridge seismic project, the north half of the bridge is closed, with one lane each way on the south side; Fairmount Avenue remains closed under the bridge. (Also note the new 39th/Admiral crosswalk.)
*The Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.
*The East Marginal Way S. project continues, with a temporary routing change for bicycle riders (explained at that link).
*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch. Watch for no-parking zones and steel plates (many on northbound side right now), plus flaggers.
WEEKEND NOTES
*On Saturday (August 31), the Alki Beach Pride celebration will close Alki Ave. between 57th and 61st from 7 am to 10 pm.
*No major regional closures, but various big events might affect traffic flow – here’s the WSDOT weekend “paint map” showing them.
TRANSIT NOTES
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule for both routes. Later sailings, since it’s Friday. P.S. Labor Day, the West Seattle Water Taxi will run on a Sunday schedule.
Metro buses today – Regular schedules; check for advisories here. On Monday, buses will run on a Sunday schedule.
Washington State Ferries today – 2 boats on the Triangle Route, and the unscheduled third boat may be available. Check that link before you sail.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:
High Bridge – The Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct – This view looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:
Low bridge: Here’s the main view:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
South Park Bridge – Looking east:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
That’s our video from the Fastbacks‘ reunion at West Seattle Summer Fest 2011 – they start playing after an almost two-minute intro by Easy Street Records proprietor Matt Vaughan. Fast-forward 13 years to tonight, when Matt hosted the legendary Seattle rockers at his Junction store, where you can buy Fastbacks’ first new album in a quarter century.
The red vinyl in that photo is the album, “For WHAT Reason!” The band didn’t play at Easy Street tonight but, after an advance listening session, did sign the new album and sat down with one of their former drummers, the also-legendary Duff McKagan, for a roundtable discussion.
Here’s how Matt and Duff introduced the band members:
We couldn’t stay for the discussion but if you’re interested in background on how the new Fastbacks album came to be, check this out. If you missed the chance to hear it at Easy Street tonight, you can preview one of the cuts here and see the video for another one here.
Sent by Kathy:
My 1995 pink Chevy S-10 pickup truck with a matching pink canopy was stolen (today) between 12:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. on 8/29. It was parked on SW Myrtle St in West Seattle, right outside of The Kenney. WA plate #B18447T. I’ve filed a police report (# 24-244276) and the police checked to see if it had been impounded (it wasn’t).
The Kenney had video footage and around 3:40 a.m. it looks like a small, dark colored (possibly black), older pickup truck pulled into their delivery area. The truck has a vertical, light colored stripe on the back driver’s side quarter panel. Two men got out of the truck and stole some things from The Kenney. Possibly a tire and it looks like they had a bike in the back of their truck along with a large gas can. The employee reviewing the video at The Kenney believes that when they pulled out, my truck was behind them and they turned south heading down Fauntleroy. It appears that these are the men who stole my truck.
The black and white picture of their truck isn’t very clear, but you can see the stripe on the back. It’s smaller than my truck and does not appear to have an extended cab.
I’m sentimental about my truck. I purchased it brand new in 1995 and it only has 109k miles on it. Please be on the lookout. I’d like to have my truck back in one piece. Any info as to where my truck is would be greatly appreciated.
Call 911 if you find it.
This Saturday marks the 10th time that Alki residents Stacy and Jolie Bass-Walden have organized the Alki Beach Pride summer celebration. It’s grown over the years, and again this year, Alki Beach Pride will be an all-day street festival and beach party. Alki Avenue will be closed for the street-festival component, 7 am–10 pm, between 57th SW and 61st SW. Here’s what you’ll find if you’re going:
*The entertainment lineup is on the ABP website now – see it here. Organizers tell us, “Our entertainment headliners on the stage are Mariah Counts, LIVt, and RikoWithAK.”
*Other activities include volleyball 1-6 pm, a HIIT fitness class on the beach @ noon, and Drag King Story Time with Harley Sane, hosted by the Charlie’s Queer Books booth, in Alki Bathhouse at 12:10 pm
*More than 40 vendors
*Future Primitive (2536 Alki SW) is the “official beer garden”
*Food trucks
*Some other Alki businesses are supporting the festival too – one example, Harry’s Beach House (2676 Alki SW) is offering a Divas Brunch on Saturday, with seatings at 11 am and 1 pm (details and ticketing link are in our calendar listing); up in the Admiral District, Mission Cantina (2325 California SW) hosts an after-party
Official festival hours are noon-9 pm on Saturday (August 31).
(WSB photos)
As noted in today’s highlight list, the High Point branch of the Seattle Public Library is having a party right now! This summer marks the 20th anniversary of the branch, which opened in June 2004, funded by the “Libraries for All” bond measure that built or remodeled more than two dozen branches citywide. Treats and book raffles are part of it:
Voters passed “Libraries for All” in 1998, and as explained in this HistoryLink.org essay, it was supplemented by other funding, from donors including the Seattle Public Library Foundation. That’s who’s sponsoring today’s party, which features other partners including DNDA (screening tote bags, below) and the West Seattle Food Bank.
Visit the branch before 7:30 pm tonight to join the celebration – also a good time to get reacquainted with the library, now that SPL’s recovery is almost complete from the tech attack that hit just before Memorial Day.
The branch is on the southeast corner of 35th/Raymond.
Three biznotes this afternoon:
TONY’S MARKET CLOSING: Thanks to the readers who pointed out that sign at 35th/Barton on Wednesday. After a couple trips, we caught up today with Tony’s Market proprietor Raz Vorng. He and wife Sandy Saeteurn took over the produce stand last spring from longtime owner Joey Genzale. Raz says the produce business will close sometime in the next few weeks, no set date yet. But they hold the lease for the site for a few years so he’s exploring other possibilities. In the short run, he says, it’ll host at least two food trucks – a taco truck is there now and a “Cuban sandwich” truck is on the way.
RACCOLTO REOPENS: After a monthlong closure for plumbing repairs, the pasta-focused restaurant at 4147 California SW on the north edge of The Junction reopened earlier this week.
BONJOUR VIETNAM SEMI-REOPENS: Readers have been asking what’s going on with the restaurant opened by Jade Nguyen two years ago at 4509 California SW, where her parents operated Be’s Restaurant for ~35 years. Jade explains via email that the summer began with some equipment trouble, and she took the occasion to embark on some remodeling, then to “change the concept a bit.” Bonjour Vietnam is currently “open on Fridays and Saturdays for Karaoke 9-1:30 am. Our host from Yen Wor, Loretta Jones, is hosting. I am hoping to open fully with bistro bites and 21+, French fare,” but no set date yet. (Her speakeasy bar The Alley, behind BV, remains fully open.)
(Photos by Seattle Bouldering Project’s Caedmon Calbero)
Gatewood Elementary students (the Gators) have something new to look forward to when school starts next Wednesday – a climbing wall, thanks to the Gatewood PTA and Seattle Bouldering Project, whose facilities manager Willy Miller sent the report and photos:
Back in January, one of the parents at Gatewood Elementary School, Robin Rosenberg, reached out to us and asked if we could support their efforts in building a new climbing wall at their school. The PTA did not have enough funds to complete the project. So Seattle Bouldering Project was happy to help bridge the funding gap! After many months, and a lot of hoops to jump through, the wall was fully funded and built. It is ready for the new school year! Attached are some photos we took yesterday of the small ceremony we had to commemorate this new gym infrastructure. Thanks to the warm reception from Seattle Public Schools, the Gatewood Elementary PTA, The Gatewood Elementary staff, and all the students who came out to celebrate!
In the photo are Robin (former PTA president), Sara (current PTA President), Tony (PE Teacher), Kyna (School Principal), Lori (Seattle Public Schools), Nick (SBP staff), Rachel (SBP Manager), and myself (SBP Manager).
You can see another photo from the celebration, with a full view of the new wall, on the Gatewood Elementary Instagram page.
The Fauntleroy YMCA (WSB sponsor) continues its comeback. West Seattle/Fauntleroy branch executive Cleveland King just sent word that it’s expanding hours starting Friday, September 6 – until then, the Fauntleroy hours are 9 am-noon and 4 pm-7 pm Mondays-Thursdays, and the new Fauntleroy hours will be 8 am-noon and 4 pm-8 pm Mondays-Thursdays. (The Fauntleroy Y is co-housed with Fauntleroy Church at 9140 California SW.)
(WSB photos)
That’s Sue Lindblom, who – with the Rotary Club of West Seattle and her former business Illusions Hair Design – has been helping local students get ready for the new school year since 1996, via Pencil Me in for Kids. Today Sue’s delivering this year’s donated backpacks and school supplies to six local schools.
She and other volunteers gathered Wednesday afternoon at American Legion Post 160 in The Triangle to get everything ready for today’s deliveries to Arbor Heights, Highland Park, Roxhill, Sanislo, and West Seattle Elementary Schools and Louisa Boren STEM K-8. Classes at those and other Seattle Public Schools start next Wednesday.
You can support Pencil Me in for Kids by donating to the Rotary Service Foundation.
Sent by Colin:
My girlfriend’s light blue 1996 Honda Accord with bee and flower magnets was stolen from SW Portland St and Highland Park Way SW between the hours of 8 pm 8/27 and 7 am 8/28. WA plate is BSF 3634. She’s filed a police report, #24-242931. If the magnets have been removed, you can still see their shapes due to the sun bleaching of the paint.
Call 911 if you find it.
(Great Blue Herons in today’s sunrise glow, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Here’s what’s happening for the rest of your Thursday, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE GARDEN CENTER: If you need late-summer-and-beyond plants, the center is open Thursdays-Saturdays 10 am-3 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Annuals, perennials, sun, shade, natives, edibles, ground covers … wide variety!
SPRAYPARK: Highland Park Spraypark (1100 SW Cloverdale) is open every day through Labor Day, 11 am-8 pm, free. (Note – A commenter below says it’s not functioning as of 11:30 am. … Update: They say it’s now fixed!)
COLMAN POOL: Final 2024 week for the outdoor heated-salt-water pool on the shore at Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm – session times are on the Colman Pool webpage.
LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: Also open noon-7 pm, daily through Labor Day
SOUTHWEST POOL CLOSED: Repairs and maintenance work continue.
WHAT’S NEW WITH WEIGHT-LOSS MEDICATION: Free lunch-and-learn webinar with Neighborhood Naturopathic and Primary Care (WSB sponsor), online at 12:30 pm. Registration link and info here.
LEARN ABOUT CYBERSECURITY AND SCAM PREVENTION: 1 pm in person at Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor), as previewed here – free.
WEST SEATTLE UKULELE PLAYERS: All levels welcome to this weekly 1 pm gathering. Email westseattleukuleleplayerswsup@gmail.com for info on where they’re playing today.
NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Tasting room/wine bar open Thursdays-Saturdays 1 pm-6 pm, north end of the South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus. Food too – stop by to sip and nosh!
STRONG BODIES, STRONG BONES: 2:30 pm yoga class at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).
HPCS FOOD-TRUCK VISIT: Every Thursday, 4-8 pm, Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) gets a food-truck visit. Tonight you’ll find Momo’s Kebab at HPCS.
HEAR NICK CAVE’S NEW ALBUM EARLY! 4 pm listening event at Easy Street Records (4559 California SW) for Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds‘ new LP “Wild God.” Giveaways, happy hour!
WINE, CHEESE, PHOTOGRAPHY: Networking and head shots! 4 pm at Village Green West Seattle (2615 SW Barton; WSB sponsor) – check to see if slots are left.
LIBRARY CELEBRATION: Seattle Public Library branches are celebrating the 20th anniversary of “Libraries for All,” and the High Point branch (3411 SW Raymond) invites you to drop in during its party 4:30-7:30 pm. Free.
VISCON CELLARS: The West Seattle winery’s tasting room/wine bar is open 5-9 pm (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor) for wine by the glass or bottle.
WALKING FOR WELL-BEING: Meet at 6 pm at 47th/Fauntleroy for a group walk in Lincoln Park – details in our calendar listing.
WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at Good Society (California/Lander) at 6 pm for a 3-mile run.
HIGHLAND PARK RUN CLUB: 6:30 pm, meet at Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) for a 3-mile run through the neighborhood. (Walking option, too!)
BLUES NIGHT: 6:30-9 pm at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way), every Thursday it’s blues night.
THE FASTBACKS: The Seattle rock legends are releasing their first album in 25 years. They’re at Easy Street Records (4559 California SW) at 7 pm for a listening party, signing event, and panel discussion. Free, all ages.
SUPPORT MEETUP FOR OUNCES: A meetup group invites you to make new friends while supporting Ounces Taproom and Beer Garden (3809 Delridge Way SW), 7-9 pm, as explained here.
TRIVIA: 7 pm at Burger Planet (9614 14th SW).
Planning an event that should be on our calendar and in our daily preview lists? Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
The West Side Ringers invite you to make music with them, and asked us to publish this announcement:
The West Side Ringers are looking for people to ring English Handbells. No experience is necessary, as we are open to all skill levels. We meet on Wednesdays from 3:30-5 pm. Our group currently plays at retirement communities as a service to seniors! If interested, send an email to anjdroege@gmail.com.
6:00 AM: Good morning! It’s Thursday, August 29 – four days to Labor Day.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Sunny, high in the low 70s. Today’s sunrise will be at 6:24 am, while sunset will be at 7:54 pm.
(Wednesday sunrise, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
SPOKANE ST. VIADUCT AND OTHER ROAD WORK
*No work, no closures, until after Labor Day, for the Spokane Street Viaduct resurfacing project.
*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project has begun top-deck work. The north half of the bridge is closed, with one lane each way on the south side; Fairmount Avenue remains closed under the bridge. (Also note the new 39th/Admiral crosswalk.)
*The Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project also continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon.
*The East Marginal Way S. project continues, with a temporary routing change for bicycle riders (explained at that link).
*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch. Watch for no-parking zones and steel plates (many on northbound side right now), plus flaggers.
WEEKEND CLOSURE NOTE
*On Saturday (August 31), the Alki Beach Pride celebration will close Alki Ave. between 57th and 61st from 7 am to 10 pm.
TRANSIT NOTES
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule for both routes.
Metro buses today – Regular schedules; check for advisories here.
Washington State Ferries today – 2 boats on the Triangle Route, and the unscheduled third boat may be available. Check that link before you sail.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:
High Bridge – The Fauntleroy-end camera:
Spokane Street Viaduct – This view looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:
Low bridge: Here’s the main view:
1st Avenue South Bridge:
South Park Bridge – Looking east:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Genesee), cameras are also at Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
MORE TRAFFIC CAMS: All functioning traffic cams citywide are here; West Seattle and vicinity-relevant cameras are on this WSB page.
BRIDGE INFO: The @SDOTBridges feed on X (ex-Twitter) shows whether the city’s movable bridges are open for vessel traffic.
If you see a problem on the bridges/streets/paths/water, please text or call our hotline (when you can do that safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!
(Reader photo from Monday, sent by Marie)
Two days ago, that flipped-car crash on California south of Brandon injured the driver. He was taken to a hospital, the scene eventually cleared, and we thought that was the end of it. But a commenter revealed last night that there’s “more to this story” – that the car was stolen. Neighbors say it was taken early Sunday, from a neighborhood near Fairmount Ravine, with another apparently stolen car left in its place. So we followed up with police, who said that after medical treatment, the 31-year-old man had been booked into jail for investigation of stolen-vehicle possession, stolen-gun possession, and unlawful gun possession. We don’t know anything about the gun, but we found out that the suspect could not lawfully possess one because he’s a convicted felon. Documents from his most recent conviction, in 2019, cited an “extensive criminal history”; that case involved a West Seattle burglary, and he eventually was sentenced to six years in prison – with credit for eight months served before sentencing. He got out of prison last December; records show this was his first jail booking since then. “Was,” we say, because after two days, he was released about an hour and a half ago. Among the various authorities we contacted today was the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, which did not file charges by today’s deadline, so the law required his release. KCPAO spokesperson Casey McNerthney told us late today that they didn’t charge him because they couldn’t:
The information that was sent to us from police investigators was not legally sufficient to file charges, so the prosecutor handling the case wrote a detailed note to the investigating detective explaining what is needed for a legally sufficient case under state law. This is not a judgement on Seattle Police – we appreciate their continued work – it’s addressing what prosecutors can and cannot do under the law with the available evidence. It’s certainly possible that the additional elements are sent to us by the investigating Seattle Police detective for a charging decision.
In the meantime, the suspect is out of custody, for now. And the stolen, flipped car sits in an impound lot – its owner sent this photo:
They found some items that aren’t theirs inside and say they ;vehad trouble reaching police to deal with that. Meantime, personal items of theirs turned up inside the car – a blue Chevy Blazer – dumped nearby after theirs was taken.
Sent tonight by Beth:
My daughter had her bike stolen outside PCC this evening. (She was there buying ingredients to make me a birthday cake for tomorrow ❤️.)
It’s a white Bianchi Boardwalk with a Topeka rack on the back (for panniers), with straight handlebars with black grips. It also had a bike helmet hanging on it.
The [temporary] police incident report is T00009476. We would truly appreciate people keeping an eye out for it.
Two and a half years into the war in Ukraine, where do relief efforts stand, and how can you help? The Kiwanis Club of West Seattle‘s next dinner meeting will feature a local guest answering those questions – here’s the invitation:
Peter Gelpi, West Seattle’s own, will be returning to Ukraine soon. The Kiwanis Club will host Peter at their monthly meeting – next Wednesday, September 4 – open to the public. Peter will report on the feeding programs, orphanage, and evacuations. The meeting starts at 6 PM, so attendees are asked to be seated prior to 6. Attendees can order dinner off the menu. RSVP is requested prior to Tuesday, 9/3, to help the Great American Diner & Bar (4752 California SW) with seating and staffing. RSVP to sapirodenis@hotmail.com or 206-601-4136 (text or voice).
The Seattle Public Schools Board meeting for August (agenda) is happening right now (livestream here), and it began with an update from Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones on where he’s at with the long-expected plan for closures/consolidations. After reiterating the reasons he believes it’s necessary – including a nine-digit annual budget gap – Dr. Jones offered an updated timeline:
*The week of September 9, an online “hub” will open, a website with an “inventory of buildings” and information on how closures/consolidations might affect families
*After that, they’ll “continue to gather feedback” via meetings and other “engagement” opportunities
*At the September 18 board meeting, Dr. Jones will present an update on the process
*In October, the “preliminary recommendations” for elementary-school closures/consolidations will be presented
*After that, site-based (specific school) hearings will be held
According to the superintendent, the closure/consolidation plan would save $30 million a year. He reiterated, “Maintaining the status quo is simply not an option.”
P.S. After asking a followup question, the school-board director for West Seattle and most of South Park, Gina Topp, announced that her next community meeting will be at 6 pm Wednesday, September 25, at the West Seattle (Admiral) Library, so that’ll be an opportunity to discuss what’s emerged by then.
(Screengrab from low-bridge camera at 3:56 pm)
3:56 PM: Thanks for the tips. SDOT has just acknowledged that the low bridge is having “technical issues.” Avoid it TFN.
4:14 PM: SDOT tells us there’s no estimate yet on how long it’ll take to fix this.
5:30 PM: Just checked the live camera, and the bridge is functioning again.
Thanks to Mark for the photo. He and another reader mentioned the surprise appearance of a new crosswalk at 39th/Admiral [map], east of the Admiral Way Bridge seismic-strengthening project, which moved into the top-deck half-closure phase this week. Project spokesperson Dr. Matthew Howard tells us it’s temporary: “It was low-key, a quick flip and safety measure. We added these Rapid Flashing Beacons and a temporary crosswalk to the intersection as we move into the phased closures of the bridge lanes. We wanted to maintain pedestrian access throughout these times so that people could get across safely. Community supported/wanted it, and the team was able to deliver.” But “temporary” means it’ll be removed when the project’s complete; Howard adds, “I’ve broached the topic of a permanent solution, though.”
| 3 COMMENTS