West Seattle, Washington

20 Sunday

46℉

Spotlight Stories


  • Protest

    WEST SEATTLE PROTESTS: Hundreds on the corners

  • Light rail

    WS LIGHT RAIL: Two new developments

  • Registration

    WS GARAGE SALE DAY: 5 more days to sign up!

Sidewalk crash in Upper Morgan
January 7, 2025 10:36 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

If you passed 37th/Morgan in the past half-hour, you might have seen that startling sight – a car up on the sidewalk, after hitting the bottom of a home’s stairway to/from the streetfront. SPD and SFD are still there; the driver is reported to be hurt, but not seriously. SFD is parked on 37th so this isn’t affecting traffic, we’re told. No info so far on the circumstances.

Share This

Eggs-citing day in Fauntleroy for Salmon in the Schools
January 7, 2025 8:57 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Photo by Tom Trulin)

Salmon in the Schools teachers are leaping into 2025 – today was pickup day for the eggs they’ll be raising at their schools for the next few months. Above at right is Gatewood Elementary teacher John Revello, with Salmon in the Schools volunteer Phil Sweetland, picking up eggs in Fauntleroy today; (added) below is after the arrival at school.

Gatewood is one of 15 participating West Seattle schools this year, involving classes from preschoolers to young adults, raising more than 2,000 eggs; 500 others will be raised by a volunteer “as back-up fish to ensure that all students have fry” to release in Fauntleroy Creek this spring, explains Salmon in the Schools volunteer Judy Pickens. She adds that these are “coho eyed eggs from the state’s Soos Creek Hatchery on the Green River. The Fauntleroy Watershed Council partnered with Salmon in the Schools for today’s pickups and will assist as students come to the creek in spring to release fry –

Share This

WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit board chair optimistic; opponents not giving up
January 7, 2025 6:16 pm
|      123 COMMENTS
 |   Sound Transit | West Seattle news

Two notes about West Seattle light rail tonight:

(Image from Final Environmental Impact Statement for West Seattle Link Extension, page 176 of appendix N.2)

BOARD CHAIR’S OPTIMISM: When King County Executive Dow Constantine spoke to the Rotary Club of West Seattle today, light rail was one of the topics. He noted first that the next step is the Federal Transit Authority’s “Record of Decision,” formalizing what the Sound Transit Board – which he chairs – approved in October. That’s expected in February, he said (a few months later than planned, as a Sound Transit spokesperson had told us last month). But he believes “we are in a strong position to deliver what voters approved” in 2016. A short time later, in response to a meeting attendee’s question about timeline (officially still projected to open in 2032), Constantine said, “the scope is really the question – such as, do you build the Avalon station or not? – there are 100 questions like that, that the board’s going to have to answer.” He won’t be there for all the answers, as he’s not running for re-election (which he had more to say about, as we’ll report in a separate story tomorrow).

OPPONENTS NOT GIVING UP: The Rethink the Link group, which wants to see West Seattle light rail canceled, is planning a community forum on January 25, its first event since a walking tour last June. One organizer says, “Yes, it is the eleventh hour, but that is often when people wake up.” We asked about the point of the forum, since the board has chosen the “project to be built” – this is most of their reply:

Broadly speaking, our mission is to inform the West Seattle community of the scope and impacts of Sound Transit’s light rail project. The information given to folks at various “outreach” events- and found in both the 2022 Draft EIS and in Sound Transit’s Final EIS (released September 20, 2024) is often incomplete, inaccurate, vague, or non-existent.

The West Seattle Community Transit/ Light Rail Forum will include

(1) a complete and detailed map of the entire route! (All segments will have the same scale and north orientation!)

(2) a list of all residences and businesses that have been notified of potential eminent domain.

(3) a map of the Delridge, Avalon, and Alaska Junction stations WITH list of businesses and residences that will be demolished

(4) a street map of traffic detours during construction, e.g., the closure of Alaska forcing all traffic to be moved to Oregon and Edmunds

(5) a map of our current bus routes, and routes that Metro has cut (Our experts can talk about how easily and inexpensively we can give ALL of West Seattle better transit without light rail.)

(6) a list of the 13 food sources that will be eliminated (causing a ‘food desert” from Delridge to WS Junction

They also believe that some ST Board members “realize dropping WS light rail could be a win/win/win!” and observe that “The new US Department of Transportation might also help us out by cutting the funding.” Their forum is set for 10 am Saturday, January 25, at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon).

Share This

READER REPORT: Anyone missing this blue Lexus?
January 7, 2025 5:02 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

An observant neighbor says this plateless Lexus has been in the Admiral Safeway lot for at least two days and has reported it to police as a possible stolen car. In case it’s yours …

Make: Lexus
Model: ES 330 (4-door sedan)
Year: (?) late model
Color: Dark Blue

No license plates either front nor back.
No temporary license tag in the back window.
It has a long scratch along the entire length of the passenger side; especially the front passenger door.
Car is quite dirty; looks like it’s been there for awhile.

I hope this info proves helpful to anyone who may be looking for that car!

Share This

THURSDAY: ‘The Untold Story of Northwest Rock ‘n’ Roll’
January 7, 2025 4:18 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Second Thursday means the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s monthly online speaker series, Words, Writers, Southwest Stories. This month = 6 pm this Thursday (January 9) – “The Untold Story of Northwest Rock ‘n’ Roll” is the topic, and there’s still time to sign up to watch. First, if you haven’t seen it in the calendar already, here’s the announcement:

Northwest Rock ‘n’ Roll’s historical high points are well documented — in the late 20th century, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and other grunge gods took the world by storm. Previously, Seattle’s Queensrÿche and Heart had ruled the heavy metal realm. And prior to that, The Wailers, The Kingsmen, Paul Revere and The Raiders, and The Sonics had all fueled local teen dances with garage-rock versions of the region’s signature song, “Louie Louie.”

Yet these iconic bands are only half the story. In this talk, join author Peter Blecha to discover the lesser-known but vitally important bands and scenes that laid the foundation for what was to come—finally connecting all the dots between the fabled Northwest era of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, and Jimi Hendrix, and the R&B-spiked roots of a distinct regional artform: the “Original Northwest Sound.”

Peter Blecha (he/him) is the director of the Northwest Music Archives, an award-winning author, a founding curator at MoPop, and a longtime staff historian at HistoryLink.org. Blecha’s newest book, Stomp and Shout: R&B and the Origins of Northwest Rock and Roll, draws on his deep knowledge as a leading expert on Pacific Northwest music history to chronicle both well-known and overlooked icons of the early Northwest Sound. Blecha lives in Seattle.

Go here to register to get the viewing link.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire through a window
January 7, 2025 2:23 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Another incident of early morning gunfire, according to a summary provided by Seattle Police, this time targeting a residence:

At 0121 hours, callers reported that shots had been fired in the 9400 block of 27 Av SW. Upon arrival, officers located one bullet hole through the window of a residence. The occupants of the residence refused to speak with officers or cooperate with the investigation, confirming only that no one was injured. A bullet fragment was located and placed into evidence. Surveillance footage was recovered and saved for the investigation.

Share This

10 years after big 35th Avenue SW change, another one is on the horizon. Here’s a look into the distance
January 7, 2025 12:11 pm
|      35 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Almost a decade ago, after five deaths in seven years, SDOT made big changes to two miles of 35th Avenue SW, between Roxbury and Willow.

Most of the stretch had its speed limit and number of travel lanes cut. In the years since then – no fatalities, on either the rechannelized section of 35th, or the street north of there.

Originally, that was 35th SW Phase 1, and the city planned a Phase 2. But in 2018, SDOT announced it had no plans for further rechannelization, while taking pains to say that wasn’t off the table forever. Phase 2 instead encompassed some one-off changes that have been made in the ensuing years – including signals at 35th/Graham and 35th/Dawson (Camp Long), restoration of a crosswalk at 35th/Kenyon, and addition of left-turn signals at 35th/Barton.

Then last year, the north stretch of 35th resurfaced as a named project in the new Seattle Transportation Levy (briefly removed, then restored). But the description was fairly vague – the section between Alaska and Morgan was labeled a “corridor for street maintenance and modernization” and so it remained through passage of the eight-year, $1.55 billion levy. Once the post-election dust settled, we started asking SDOT about specifics, given how much interest Phase 1 had drawn last decade.

Eventually, we were connected to two longtime SDOT communicators for an online chat about the project – which they also insisted has almost zero specifics, but at least attempted to explain why. Meghan Shepard and Dan Anderson stressed that the 35th SW project is not in the “earliest group” of levy-specified projects to be planned, and so is truly at “0 percent” design and planning. Pre-election materials say the “extent” of this and other projects will be decided by a “design process,” and Shepard said there’ll be a “long lead time” – two or three years of planning.

So why was it chosen if it’s not urgent? “Same reasons as (other projects in the levy) – it’s carrying a lot of vehicles, and the pavement needs attention.” The longterm vision comes from the Seattle Transportation Plan, and the levy is expected to fund “five or six” major paving projects such as this one. Once that “design process” is launched, key decisions will be made such as whether to totally rebuild the road in concrete – as has happened with most projects in recent years, such as the Delridge repaving accompanying the RapidRide H Line conversion , and the Fauntleroy Way repaving between The Triangle and Morgan Junction 15 years ago.

Project funding will come from a $330 million bucket of levy money which will have to cover all the levy’s paving projects, Anderson said. (Two others in West Seattle were identified – Fauntleroy Way in The Triangle, part of the shelved-because-of-light-rail “Fauntleroy Boulevard” plan, and the east end of the Roxbury corridor.)

Would the Alaska-to-Morgan section of 35th, much of which has kept two travel lanes each way, be evaluated for rechannelization whenever the paving project gets going?

Yes, said Anderson: “This is what planners do.” They’ll evaluate it compared to “current standards” including bicycling and transit. They’ll also be working with Seattle Public Utilities to see if any sections need a new water main, so that all the work can be done while the road’s torn up for paving. Sidewalk repairs and crossing improvements also could be part of the eventual plan.

So who makes the ultimate decision on what will get done and when?

Every year a “levy delivery plan” will be brought to the City Council by the end of January, the SDOT reps said (the first one is due by January 31 of this year). As was the case with the now-expired Levy to Move Seattle, there also will be an oversight committee – this one hasn’t been appointed yet, but in a change from past practice, it will include a member from each council district. And the SDOT duo promised there will be “engagement” (the previous 35th projects were preceded by many community meetings, although toward the end they moved from the “presentation to audience and Q/A for all” format to the “circulate around to easels for one-on-one conversations” format).

Bottom line – though it’s called out in the Transportation Levy, 35th SW’s future remains in TBA mode.

Share This

West Seattle Preschool Fair, evening tidepooling, trivia, basketball, more for your Tuesday
January 7, 2025 9:58 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Recent Alki scene, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)

Here’s today’s list – highlights of what’s happening today/tonight, mostly from our Event Calendar, where you can preview what’s happening days, weeks, even months ahead:

POSTCARDS 4 DEMOCRACY: Long-distance advocacy via handwritten postcards sent to voters in other states – the work continues post-election – drop in 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), all welcome.

ROTARY CLUB OF WEST SEATTLE: First lunch meeting of 2025, noon at West Seattle Golf Course (4470 35th SW), with guest speaker King County Executive Dow Constantine; also, a tribute to WSB co-founder Patrick Sand.

CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm, at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon). All levels welcome. (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)

HOMEWORK HELP: Students can drop in for free help, 4-5:45 pm at High Point Library (3411 SW Raymond).

DROP-IN WINE TASTING: 5-7 pm Tuesdays at Walter’s Wine Shop (4811 California SW) – $10 fee, $5 off with bottle purchases.

DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration on the corners at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t bring your own.

WEST SEATTLE PRESCHOOL FAIR (WSB sponsor): Meet reps from 15 area preschools, all in one place, the Hope Lutheran School North Campus gym (4100 SW Genesee) – no preregistration required, admission is free, drop in between 5:30 and 7 pm. Our preview has the list of preschools planning to participate.

WEST SEATTLE TAE KWON DO CLUB: 6 pm, first class of 2025, at High Point Community Center. All levels welcome. (6920 34th SW)

WEST SEATTLE RUNNER TRACK RUN: 6:15 meet at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the free weekly track run.

MAKE POTTERY: Weekly 6:30-9 pm “girls’ night” at pottery studio The Clay Cauldron (5214 Delridge Way SW), sign up in advance to work on your project(s).

TIDEPOOLING: Join Seattle Parks at Me-Kwa-Mooks (4500 block Beach Drive SW), 7 pm, to walk across the street and explore tidepools, 7-9 pm. Preregistration and fee required – do that here.

BINGO AT THE SKYLARK: Play – free! – Tuesday night Belle of the Balls Bingo hosted by Cookie Couture, 7 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)

TRIVIA X 6: Now SIX trivia options for Tuesday night – 7 pm trivia with Amelia at Future Primitive‘s Beer Bar on Alki (2536 Alki SW) … The Beer Junction (4711 California SW) has Sporcle Pub Quiz with David at 7 and 8 pm … 7 pm at Ounces (3803 Delridge Way SW), free and hosted by Beat the Geek Trivia; 7 pm at Zeeks Pizza West Seattle (6459 California SW), hosted by Geeks Who Drink; 7:10 pm at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW) … Just added; Trivia Tuesdays at Christos on Alki, 7:15 pm (2508 Alki SW).

HIGH-SCHOOL BASKETBALL: Two boys’ varsity home games tonight. Chief Sealth IHS hosts Seattle Academy (2600 SW Thistle); West Seattle HS hosts Garfield (3000 California SW), both at 7:30 pm.

Hosting an event? Tell your West Seattle neighbors via our event calendar – just email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Share This

Remembering David Benton, 1948-2024
January 7, 2025 9:00 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends are remembering David Benton, and sharing this with his community:

David Benton, a long-time resident of West Seattle, passed away at his home on December 5th, 2024.

Dave was born in February 1948 and was one of the eldest children in his family. His parents were committed missionaries, and in his youth, he traveled as far as Afghanistan with his family. As a young man, he was drafted and served in Vietnam as an avionics technician with the Marine Corps. This training reinforced his skills and sharpened the mechanical aptitude that served him well throughout his life and career.

He lived in many places on the west coast, from Southern California to Alaska, fishing in the Gulf for a spell. He met his future wife Linnea while living in Newport Beach, California, and relocated to West Seattle in 1990, eventually moving to their home in Alki, where they raised their son Erik.

Dave enjoyed his work as a specialty service mechanic working with doors and entryways for local companies and was often the expert called in to assist with troublesome problems. He also used his skills on many home improvements, as well as problem solving and repairs for family, friends, and sometimes complete strangers in need!

Dave and his family enjoyed vacationing. His recollections as the captain of a time-share catamaran voyaging throughout Puget Sound from Gig Harbor to the San Juans with Linnea, Erik, and Linnea’s brother John, were among his finest memories. Dave’s family enjoyed spending summer weeks in Cannon Beach and exploring the surrounding parks and neighboring towns. Mauna Kea in Hawaii was also a favorite family getaway. Dave’s wife Linnea passed away in 2013.

The final years of Dave’s life were a time of peace and contentment. He cherished the time spent with his son Erik and was grateful for his long-time friends and the love and support of his girlfriend Clairie. Dave is survived by his son, two brothers, and a sister.

His tribute wall is at emmickfunerals.com/obituary/David-Benton

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to westseattleblog@gmail.com)

Share This

TRAFFIC CAMS, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Tuesday info
January 7, 2025 6:00 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC CAMS, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Tuesday info
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

7:45 AM: Texter reports stalled car on eastbound bridge just past curve.

Earlier:

6:00 AM: Good morning! Welcome to Tuesday, January 7, 2025.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Monday’s forecast sunshine never showed up. Today, patchy early morning fog is expected to precede clouds, with a high in the mid-40s. Sunrise/sunset – 7:56 am and 4:35 pm.

TRANSIT

Water Taxi –  Regular schedule.

Metro buses – Regular schedule.

Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route with M/V Issaquah and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Tillikum as the “ghost boat.” Check here for last-minute changes.

ROAD WORK

*SDOT warns you may see work trucks parked on the high bridge while crews wrap up planned work inside.

*One last mention: The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project shifted traffic flow to the outside lanes last Tuesday as planned, and removed the temporary crosswalk at 39th. Fairmount Avenue remains closed beneath the bridge until the entire project wraps up.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:

Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:

Low Bridge – Looking west:

1st Avenue South Bridge:

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.

See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!

Share This

Premiere this week for local filmmaker’s new documentary about former West Seattleite Doris Brown Heritage, once ‘best runner in the world’
January 6, 2025 9:21 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

By Aspen Anderson
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Director Andy Yardy, a West Seattle resident, shares the inspiring journey of world-class runner, coach, and former longtime West Seattleite Doris Brown Heritage in his documentary “Last Lap,” having its first local public screening this Thursday.

The film chronicles Heritage’s rise from running on the beach as a child to becoming one of the world’s fastest women –and includes scenes from Alki Beach, not far from her former home in the Fairmount Ravine area.

“People need to hear her story so they can pursue their passion, whether it’s running or something else,” Yardy told WSB in a phone conversation.

After two years of work, “Last Lap” premiered at several film festivals this summer, winning the “Best Washington-Made Film” award at the Gig Harbor Film Festival — Heritage’s hometown. The documentary also won the 2024 “Best Audience Choice Documentary Feature Film” at the Seattle Film Festival.

This Thursday, January 9, at 7 pm, the Seattle premiere will take place on a double bill at SIFF Cinema Uptown in Queen Anne, followed by a Q&A with Heritage and Yardy. Additional screenings will be held on Saturday, January 11, at 1 pm, 4 pm, and 7 pm at the SIFF Film Center downtown. The 46-minute documentary features footage of Seattle, including Alki Beach and Discovery Park, where more than 50 of Heritage’s fans and former athletes she coached joined her for a memorable run.

“That’s the point that pulls everything together,” Yardy said, reflecting on the rainy scene at Discovery Park. “She [Heritage] talks about that day as one of her favorite days of her life.”

Despite being a champion runner — she made history by winning the International Cross Country Championships five consecutive years from 1967 to 1971 and was the first woman to run an indoor mile in under five minutes — Heritage never earned an Olympic medal, a point Yardy found compelling.

“She was kind of the B-list Olympian,” Yardy said. “She was the best runner in the world, but she never got a medal at the Olympics.”

Heritage competed in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, where she placed fifth in the 800 meters, and the 1972 Munich Olympics. Her coaching career at Seattle Pacific University spanned more than three decades; at SPU, she helped shape the careers of numerous athletes and assisted the U.S. women’s team at the 1984 Summer Olympics and the 1987 World Championships. In 1976, Heritage was named “Washington’s Woman of the Year” by the Washington State Legislature. She lived in West Seattle 1977-2017 with husband Ralph Heritage (a West Seattle High School graduate) and now lives in Stanwood. (Read more of her life’s story here.)

(Photo courtesy Andy Yardy, who’s at left with producer Andrea Groenink, Ralph Heritage, Doris Brown Heritage)

Yardy hopes his documentary will inspire cross-country teams and coaches. While the film currently has no public wide-release date, it is expected to be available on Amazon Prime in the future.

Tickets to the upcoming Seattle screenings are free and can be obtained here.

(Thanks to Frank for the tip on this!)

Share This

BIZNOTE: Bel Gatto closes in Fauntleroy after less than a year (updated Tuesday)
January 6, 2025 5:22 pm
|      180 COMMENTS
 |   Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

(WSB photo)

ORIGINAL MONDAY REPORT: 10 months after it opened, Fauntleroy bakery-café Bel Gatto has closed, blaming new city wage/tax rules. Bel Gatto – operated by the owner of CHOW Foods, which also owns Endolyne Joe’s next door, took over the space where The Original Bakery had been for ~90 years. The closure tip came from Rich, who sent this photo of the note we have since confirmed is on Bel Gatto’s door:

When Bel Gatto opened last February, it had been a little over a year after The Original Bakery closed. We have an inquiry out to owner Peter Levy regarding the space’s future and whether any of his other venues are making changes because of the factors cited for Bel Gatto’s closure.

SIDE NOTE: This is the fifth West Seattle food/drink business to close in less than a month, after Locust Cider, Alki Beach Café, Pecos Pit, and Bebop Waffle Shop.

ADDED TUESDAY: Owner Peter Levy sent responses to questions we asked:

-The space’s future:”There is no decision yet as to what we will be doing with the space that housed the bakery. That will be determined in the next several weeks.”

-Money matters: “I do want to mention that prior to closing we assured that we had adequate financial resources to pay all of the employees and vendors in full. As far as business levels, we were approaching close to a break even status in the last quarter of 2024, but the requirement to absorb another $4,000 per month in payroll expenses with the new mandate by the City put a break even further from our grasp which is what led to the closure.”

-Are other CHOW Foods restaurants making changes because of the city rules he cited as a reason for closing? “At our other two Seattle restaurants, in anticipation of these wage/salary increases, we have had to review and alter the breadth of our menus, our menu pricing, physical plant layouts and personnel requirements. These are rather extreme issues to address that we have not had to consider in our Tacoma restaurants where we had a 2.3% increase in wage rates vs close to 20% in Seattle.”

We also asked if he had had any contact with the City Council regarding concerns about the new rules, before they took effect: “I sent all members an email in the early fall stating our case for consideration of extending the allowance of tips and benefits to be included in overall compensation, but all I got was crickets – not one response.”

Share This

In case you wondered too: Here’s what Seattle Fire Ladder 13 was doing in the Lincoln Park forest
January 6, 2025 5:10 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Thanks to Kersti Muul for the photos! Seattle Fire‘s Ladder 13, based at Station 37 in Sunrise Heights, was seen with its ladder extended in upper Lincoln Park this afternoon. No calls logged to the area, so we asked SFD what they were doing.

Reply from spokesperson David Cuerpo: “They were doing a training exercise utilizing the aerial ladder for a rope rescue. Pulling up a Stokes basket.”

Share This

BEACH WARNING: Stay out of the water at Fauntleroy’s Cove Park, after pump-station overflow
January 6, 2025 2:24 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

(Added: WSB photo, Cove Park entrance)

The King County Wastewater Treatment Division says its pump station next to Cove Park, north of the Fauntleroy ferry dock, had an overflow on Sunday, so warning signs are posted now to tell people to stay out of the water. Here’s what we received from KCWTD:

The King County Wastewater Treatment Division responded to an overflow at the Barton Street Pump Station in West Seattle on Sunday, restoring the pump station to normal operations within 3 minutes [of arrival].

At about 12:50 p.m., the pump station located in the 9000 block of Fauntleroy Way Southwest, just north of the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal, overflowed after equipment inside the facility experienced an electrical issue. A wastewater operator reset the pumps and restored the pump station.

King County notified the Washington State Department of Ecology and Public Health – Seattle & King County on Sunday.

Because combined flow of stormwater and sewer was released into Puget Sound through an emergency outfall, King County is working with Public Health to monitor water quality in the area. King County posted closure signage at Cove Park on Monday. The beach at Cove Park is expected to be closed until water quality testing indicates it is safe. The public is urged to avoid contact with the water until the signage is removed.

The announcement didn’t mention the volume of storm/sewer overflow that was released – nor is that mentioned on the KCWTD incident webpage – so we have a followup inquiry out about that.

UPDATE: KCWTD spokesperson Akiko Oda tells WSB that they estimate 3,500 gallons went into Puget Sound.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: More on Hiawatha Community Center and Play Area project status
January 6, 2025 1:12 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(WSB photo from start of work in March)

More followup information today on where the Hiawatha Community Center and play area projects stand. Late last month we checked in and learned that Seattle Parks was in the process of changing project managers for the community center “stabilization” project, but we did not request an update on the play area. Today we have a brief update on both, thanks to a community member who’s been concerned about the projects inquiring with Parks’ capital-project manager Mike Schwindeller. He says that the new project manager is “working with both the contractor and design team to confirm the schedule implications of the addition of scope associated with the decarbonization of the building.” Parks has applied for a permit for that additional work (explained in this document). Meantime, Schwindeller adds, “As far as the Play Area project, we will have the final Geotechnical Report in the next couple of weeks which will dictate our next steps and timeline. Unfortunately, SPU (and subsequently SDCI) required this enhanced level of documentation associated with the Stormwater Code for us to proceed with the project just as we were going out to bid.” Schwindeller also said yet more details are expected “next week” and that’s when they’ll update the project website, which hasn’t been updated since summer.

Share This

SEEN OFF WEST SEATTLE: Aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, outbound
January 6, 2025 11:25 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news

The photo is from Timothy Oliver (thanks!), who just saw the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) from Alki Point, noting it’s his first time seeing one so close-up. The Nimitz is currently headed northbound in Puget Sound, according to VesselFinder.

Share This

UPDATE: Short-lived gas-leak response in 4100 block of 38th SW
January 6, 2025 10:22 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

10:22 AM: Seattle Fire is responding to a gas leak in the 4100 block of 38th SW [vicinity map]. Updates to come.

10:28 AM: The response has been downsized – most units have been dismissed.

(WSB photo)

10:35 AM: A WSB team member at the scene says Puget Sound Energy has arrived.

11 AM: Our team member confirms all SFD crews have left.

11:41 AM: Reviewing audio from the response, this originally was reported as a leak inside a home, with a strong smell of natural gas in the basement, but firefighters weren’t able to confirm a leak, and left as PSE investigated further.

Share This

The list for your West Seattle Monday
January 6, 2025 9:58 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Live SDOT cam in the heart of The Junction)

Post-holiday, routines are resuming – here’s the list for today/tonight from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

GIVE THE GIFT OF LIFE: Blood-donation pop-up in West Seattle today – check if appointments remain. (4001 44th SW)

A CLEANER ALKI: The local volunteer cleanup group is out until 11:30 am in South Park:

We’ll be Sprucing along the Duwamish Trail South Park Connector to clear leaves and foliage growing out onto the trail. The stretch we’ll work on runs about two city blocks so you can park on either end though we’ll likely park on the south end by 10th Ave. S. & S. Henderson by the pedestrian overpass bridge over 99. The other end of the trail comes out at S. Trenton. We’ll be cutting back brambles, scraping the trail and limbing low hanging branches. There will also be trash-picking opportunities along the path and into the woods. Feel free to reach out with any questions at 206-852-9552.

FREE SEEDS: That’s one of the rewards you can get if you help out with this – High Point Library invites volunteers to drop in 11 am-1 pm and help pack seeds for the HP Seed Library. (3411 SW Raymond)

(added) CITY COUNCIL: Back from holiday break, the councilmembers’ first briefing meeting of the year is at 2 pm – here’s the agenda, which also explains how to watch (no comment period during briefings).

GET CRAFTY: 6-10 pm, Monday is “Crafting and Creativity Night” at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW), info here.

D&D: Weekly D&D at 6:30 pm at Meeples Games (3727 California SW). All welcome, including first-time players.

LISTENING TO GRIEF SUPPORT GROUP: 6:30 pm with Tamara Kubacki, meeting at Mama Be Well Healing Studio (4034 California SW). “Grief groups are brave and safe spaces where bereaved people can share their stories and speak their loved one’s name without fear of getting advice, platitudes, or being shut out, no matter how long it’s been since their loved one’s passing.” – you can attend once or multiple times. Fee. Preregistration requested – our calendar listing explains how.

MONDAY NIGHT TRIVIA! Three places to play tonight! 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander); 7 and 8 pm Sporcle Pub Quiz at Three 9 Lounge (4505 39th SW); 7:30 pm with QuizFix at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)

MEDITATION IN FAUNTLEROY: Monday night meditating – free weekly Zen sitting/meditation in the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.

MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: The Alley in back of Bonjour Vietnamhas music Monday nights, with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.

MONDAY KARAOKE 9 pm, it’s Monday night karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).

If you have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar, please send the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Share This

New Intergenerational Theater Project inviting student, adult participants
January 6, 2025 9:06 am
|    Comments Off on New Intergenerational Theater Project inviting student, adult participants
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS culture/arts

Student and adult participants are invited to apply for this new “intergenerational” project at Chief Sealth International High School – here’s the announcement we were asked to share:

7-10 students from Chief Sealth International High School will join 7-10 adults (some preference will
be given to seniors, and applications will be considered in the order they are received) chosen by BAYFEST for
a monthly meeting of the new BAYFEST Intergenerational Theatre Project. Fun theatre games and exercises, guided discussions, group collaborations and playwriting will lead to a final “showing” in June.

Project will be led by BAYFEST and CSIHS Drama Company Director Robert Shampain, who has more than 30 years experience leading this type of workshop-format project. Other BAYFEST teaching artists will join us for some sessions.

Over our 35 years, BAYFEST has often worked collaboratively with youth and adult performers, and we always find this kind of cross-generational partnership unbelievably rewarding for all. Now that our Chief Sealth Drama Company has been well established, we want to add this project to our roster of community offerings with the hope of making it a regular and sustainable program each year.

January – June, 2025 – Saturdays or Sundays (group will decide what works best for all). First meeting will take place on Saturday, January 18, from 10 AM – 1 PM at Chief Sealth International High School Auditorium and Little Theatre, 2600 SW Thistle Street.

Interested adults and students (NO THEATER EXPERIENCE NECESSARY – JUST A DESIRE TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITH PARTICIPANTS OF ALL AGES AND, WE HOPE, CHALLENGE YOURSELF A BIT!) can fill out a brief application:
shorturl.at/EEAXw

APPLICATIONS MUST BE RECEIVED BY JANUARY 11, 2025

COST: FREE. This project is being sponsored by BAYFEST Youth Theatre and our funders. We only ask that participants commit to being collaborative, having fun, and following our group-created charter.

NOTE: Because we are affiliated with Chief Sealth High School, adult applicants will also be required to complete the Seattle Public Schools “Volunteer Packet” at: bit.ly/4gTmD4f

YOU MAY SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH FRIENDS WHO MAY BE INTERESTED.
Any questions? Please contact BAYFEST at BAYFESTyouthTheatre@ gmail.com

Share This

TRAFFIC CAMS, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Back-to-school Monday
January 6, 2025 6:03 am
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC CAMS, WEATHER, TRANSIT: Back-to-school Monday
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning! Back to school, back to work, as we begin Monday, January 6, 2025.

WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES

Starting cloudy, becoming sunny, high in the upper 40s. Sunrise/sunset – 7:56 am (first day the sunrise is earlier than the day before!) and 4:34 pm.

TRANSIT

Water Taxi –  Regular schedule.

Metro buses – Regular schedule.

Washington State Ferries – 2-boat service on the Triangle Route with M/V Issaquah and M/V Cathlamet, plus M/V Tillikum as the “ghost boat.” Check here for last-minute changes.

ROAD WORK

*SDOT warns you may see work trucks parked on the high bridge while crews wrap up some planned work inside.

*The Admiral Way Bridge seismic project shifted traffic flow to the outside lanes last Tuesday as planned, and removed the temporary crosswalk at 39th.

SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS

High Bridge – Here’s the main camera, followed by the Fauntleroy-end camera:

Spokane Street Viaduct – This view usually looks westward, with eastbound lanes at left and westbound lanes at right:

Low Bridge – Looking west:

1st Avenue South Bridge:

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.

See trouble on the bridges/streets/paths/water? Please text or call our hotline (when you can do it safely, and after you’ve reported to authorities if they’re not already on scene) – 206-293-6302. Thank you!

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire in Upper Morgan
January 6, 2025 2:50 am
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire in Upper Morgan
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Police investigating a report of possible gunfire heard in Upper Morgan have found evidence – casings in an alley “south of Graham, between 38th and 39th.” However, officers also have told dispatch “these casings are for blanks.” (Still illegal, by all the references we can find.)

Share This

What do they want to do in Olympia? 34th District Democrats’ Q&A with candidates for one, possibly two, State Legislature openings
January 5, 2025 11:52 pm
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

(Added Monday: 34th DDs’ video recording of forum)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Five elected officials were among the eight people who participated in an online forum this morning meant to help the 34th District Democrats choose nominees for one, possibly two appointments to state legislative seats.

It’s part of the process launched because Gov.-elect Bob Ferguson chose 34th District State Sen. Joe Nguyễn to become director of the state Commerce Department. The 34th DDs, King County Democrats, and King County Council all have roles in the fast-moving process, which is expected to end with county councilmembers making appointment(s) in a little over two weeks.

The “one or two” is because 34th District Position 1 State Rep. Emily Alvarado is seeking to succeed Nguyễn, so if she does, her State House seat will have to be filled too. She was the only would-be senator to participate this morning. The four elected officials hoping to be her potential successor are King Conservation District Supervisor Csenka Favorini-Csorba, Seattle School Board president Gina Topp, Burien City Councilmember Sarah Moore, and Highline School Board vice president Stephanie Tidholm. The other three candidates participating in the forum – which wasn’t mandatory, so others might surface – were Vashon-residing assistant state Attorney General Ben Carr, West Seattle-residing Mayor’s Office policy/labor adviser Brianna Thomas, and West Seattle-residing software engineer Geoffrey Wukelic.

The 34th itself is due for its every-other-year leadership elections this Wednesday; outgoing chair Graham Murphy introduced this morning’s forum, and chair candidate Jordan Crawley moderated. The format was standard – opening and closing statements, plus questions answered by each candidate. Though the general public doesn’t get a vote in this round, we covered the forum so those who didn’t attend can see what the candidates said, prior to one or two being chosen to represent you at least temporarily in Olympia, with some likely to surface in elections this fall.

Our recounting of the questions and answers are paraphrases/summaries unless the verbiage is between quote marks. Housing, education, and the cost of living were topics surfacing frequently. First, the opening statements:

Read More

Share This

UPDATE: Another collision near southwest end of West Seattle Bridge
January 5, 2025 10:39 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

10:39 PM: Police are dealing with another crash toward the Fauntleroy Way end of the West Seattle Bridge right now. Police are reporting the barrier pushed out of alignment again – we’re not sure which side the crash happened on, but the barrier is reported to be a hazard on the eastbound side. The vehicle reported to be involved was described as a Ford Ranger. No injuries reported, as SFD has not been dispatched.

(Image posted by commenter SeaKev)

10:58 PM: If you’re using that end of the bridge any time soon, note that there are short shutdowns as they reset the barrier (again).

11:25 PM: Officers have just told dispatch that all lanes are now open.

Share This