West Seattle, Washington

15 Monday

55℉

Spotlight Stories


  • Fest

    WS SUMMER FEST: Scroll all our coverage

  • Orcas

    ORCAS’ SUNDAY VISIT: See them swim by

  • Artist

    YOU’VE SEEN HIS WORDS: Meet the artist

EGG HUNTS! This year’s West Seattle lineup (updated)
March 10, 2024 9:58 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(2022 photo of eggs awaiting Fauntleroy Community Association hunt – photo from volunteer Al)

Almost time for a spring tradition. From Fauntleroy to North Delridge, this year families have at least six West Seattle egg hunts to choose from. One even has a chaser of legendary burgers. Here’s what we have so far:

SUNDAY, MARCH 24 – FAUNTLEROY: The Fauntleroy Community Association starts the season on the playground at Fauntleroy Schoolhouse (9131 California SW), 1-2 pm Sunday, March 24. This one will happen in two waves – first the little ones 4 and under, then the older kids. Eggs will contain non-candy “treasures,” promises FCA. And if you can help – “join coordinator Candace Blue and Scott Wiesemann at an egg-stuffing party or help hide the eggs. Email her at blueyvette47@gmail.com for specifics and to volunteer.”

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – LINCOLN PARK: Eastridge Church is again promising thousands of eggs and inflatables for bouncing when it takes over the park’s south meadow, 10 am. (Fauntleroy Way SW/SW Cloverdale)

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS (4001 44th SW): 10 am, “come enjoy an Easter egg hunt, spring-themed activities, and an Easter Message!”

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – SEATTLE PARKS & REC: The city is offering three West Seattle egg hunts this year:
–Delridge Community Center (4501 Delridge Way SW), March 30, 10 am
–High Point Community Center (6920 34th SW), March 30, 10 am
–Roxhill Park field (29th SW/SW Barton), March 30, noon

SATURDAY, MARCH 30 – OUNCES + DICK’S TRUCK (3809 Delridge Way SW): The annual Beer Garden Easter Egg Hunt is back at Ounces at 3 pm, followed by the Dick’s Drive In burgers-and-shakes truck 4-7 pm. (Update: Ounces says truck canceled – a hot-dog food truck will be there instead)

SUNDAY, MARCH 31 – CHURCHES WITH EGG HUNTS: See our services list for church-by-church specifics and locations:
-Admiral Church
-Alki UCC
-Bethany Community Church
-Fauntleroy UCC
-St. John the Baptist Episcopal Church
-West Side Presbyterian Church

Anyone else? Let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – so we can add you to the list!

Share This

WEEK AHEAD: Councilmember Rob Saka at Admiral Neighborhood Association
March 10, 2024 7:55 pm
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

(WSB photo from last Tuesday’s City Council Transportation Committee meeting)

The Transportation Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, the Parks and Open Space Plan … the city is in a season of looking to the future. If you have a question about any of those for District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka – or about something happening right now – you’ll want to be at the Admiral Neighborhood Association gathering this Tuesday (March 12) – it’ll be his second West Seattle neighborhood-group appearance in less than a week (after this one). ANA meets at 7 pm, in-person only, at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill), and other guests will include Southwest Precinct police. All welcome (even if you don’t live or work in Admiral).

Share This

FOLLOWUP: New appeal for Alki Elementary rebuild project
March 10, 2024 5:51 pm
|      48 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(Birds, including a Bald Eagle, on cleared Alki Elementary site – photo by Don Brubeck)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

The Alki Elementary rebuild is being appealed again.

To recap: This all traces back to Seattle Public Schools proposing a new, larger school that, as announced in 2022, would require nine zoning exceptions, officially known as departures. City reviewers approved the departures last May. Nearby residents filed appeals shortly thereafter. All but one of the challenges were either dismissed or settled. The one that was not involved parking – under zoning rules, 48 offstreet spaces would be required, but the district wanted to build the school with none. A city hearing examiner told the district in August to go back to the drawing board on that. Instead of coming up with a counterproposal immediately, the district went to court. Its challenge was dismissed in October, not on its merits, but on the premise that the court only had jurisdiction on a final decision, and that’s not what the district was challenging. In December, the district came up with a new plan that would include 15 parking spaces. Last month, the city said OK. And now, that’s what’s being appealed.

The appellant is different this time – it’s a group calling itself Friends for a Safe Alki Community, led by local “semi-retired lawyer” Steve Cuddy, who says the group has more than 50 members. The appeal contends in part:

The Revised Decision has not ensured that the proposed facility is compatible with the character and use of its surrounding area and the Decision fails to consider and balance the impacts on traffic, noise, circulation, and parking in the area. For example, the Revised Decision erroneously concludes that the proposed departure request will result in no significant loss of vehicular parking on site and will establish an increase in parking for the record. That is simply false. The school of approximately 300 students and 30-40 staff had approximately 29 parking spaces and the adjacent Community Center had approximately 27 spaces and still experienced persistent parking, traffic, and safety issues. The Revised Decision grants the departure to almost double the number of students and staff while reducing the number of parking spaces down to 15. The Revised Decision also fails to consider impacts to emergency/first responder access in the area.

Among other contentions, the appeal says the information used for the city’s approval of the revised plan was still faulty – with another parking study done after the old Alki Elementary was demolished last year, with its student and staff now housed at the former Schmitz Park Elementary.

In addition to the parking issue, the new appeal includes safety concerns, as did the previous ones. The appeal documentation uploaded to the city Hearing Examiner‘s website includes Cuddy’s personal 22-page letter of opposition written one year ago, including background that he worked more than 15 years ago to get the traffic-calming speed humps installed on 59th Avenue SW alongside the school and adjacent playfield, and a decade ago to get stop signs at 59th/Stevens, near the campus’s north edge. It also includes a letter to the city from his wife Linda Cuddy, written this past January, and noting she worked years ago to get a sidewalk installed along the north side of Alki Playfield. She wrote, in part, summarizing some of the safety concerns that also were aired in the first round of appeals:

The Alki School, SPS’s smallest parcel of 1.4 acres, is located in an incredibly busy environment, in the midst of regional parks and Alki Beach attractions, all within a “Parking Overlay.” As the Hearing Examiner said, “The school site has limited street access, with just one right-of-way, on the east side of 59th Avenue SW, from SW Admiral Way looking south. 59th Ave SW is signed for on-street bus loading and unloading on the east parallel to the school and for parent drop-off north of SW Stevens Street also on the east side. Due to its limited and cramped street access, difficult vehicle circulation patterns and the narrow width of 59th Ave SW, during peak drop off and pick up times, passage on 59th Ave SW effectively becomes a one lane street creating unsafe and unmanageable traffic and parking issues.” Parents are forced to park in an unsafe and illegal manner in the parent drop off zone. Otherwise, traffic issues would be much worse and restrictive on 59th.

So what happens now? The city Hearing Examiner’s Office will schedule a hearing on the new appeal, which will be followed by a ruling, which may be appealable in court. The school construction remains on hold pending a building permit, which can’t be granted until all this is decided. The new school originally was projected to open in fall 2025 but even prior to this new appeal, the district had moved that to fall 2026. (Planning for the rebuild dates back to 2018, when the district was deciding what to send to voters in its 2019 BEX V levy, and it was described even then as a potential expansion of capacity to 500. Our archives show parking questions arose before the 2019 vote, too.)

Share This

UPDATE: 4th offramp from West Seattle Bridge reopens after fire response
March 10, 2024 4:08 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

4:08 PM: That’s smoke, not fog, drifting over the West Seattle Bridge in our framegrab from an SDOT traffic camera near the 4th Avenue South exit. That exit is blocked off right now because of what’s logged as an “encampment fire” toward the end of the ramp. So if you’re headed for 4th any time soon, you’ll want to use 1st and surface Spokane Street instead.

4:41 PM: SFD has cleared the scene and the ramp is reopening.

Share This

WEEK AHEAD: Public hearing Thursday on West Seattle Stadium dog-park plan and other sites around the city
March 10, 2024 2:48 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   Pets | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(City-provided aerial view of stadium and proposed dog-park area)

If you have something to say about the city’s proposal for a second West Seattle dog park – aka off-leash area – south of West Seattle Stadium, this Thursday (March 14) brings a formal public hearing during the next meeting of the Seattle Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners. They’re a city-convened advisory board that meets twice monthly, and you can speak either in person or remotely. Seattle Parks released its recommendation for the site – and other future off-leash areas around the city – last month (WSB coverage here; citywide info here). To sign up to speak during the hearing at Thursday’s 6:30 pm meeting (attendance info is here), email benjamin.burtzos@seattle.gov.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Two home burglaries, this morning and last night (updated)
March 10, 2024 11:26 am
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

We don’t know if these two burglaries late last night and early this morning less than a mile apart are related; the second one resulted in an arrest. Here’s what we know so far:

BURGLARY THIS MORNING: This happened before 7 am near 48th/Charlestown, and we heard about it via a texted tip when a sizable police and medical response resulted.

At the scene, police told us it was an attempted burglary, and that the medical response was intensified when the suspect, believed to be under the influence of drugs, became combative. Listening to recorded dispatch/officer exchanges, 911 got a call for help, and police arrived to find a resident had “pinned down” the suspected burglar, who was quickly taken into custody. The initial medical dispatch was described as being for minor injuries in the scuffle; then it was beefed up with more units about 15 minutes later when the suspect, described as a man about 30 years old, exhibited “acute behavior disturbance.” We were told at the scene that he would be taken to the hospital.

BURGLARY LAST NIGHT: Dennis sent this report early today:

I’m sad to report that our home was broken into (Saturday night) between the hours of 9-11 pm. We were out but our two dogs were home. Whoever did this did not hurt our dogs, but they did enough to frighten them. We live in the neighborhood between Frater and 56th, to the west of Schmitz Park. They entered our home on the side of the house without cameras, so they must have known or seen the location of our cameras and bypassed them. Unfortunately, they stole personal belongings, rifled through our drawers and belongings, stole work laptops, and just created chaos in our home. Police were called and a report was filed.

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: Report # is 24-66348. We also asked Dennis about items to watch for:

We’ll be following up tomorrow to see if the two might be related, given the time frame and relative proximity.

Share This

Celebration of Life this afternoon for Margaret L. Culbertson, 1927-2024
March 10, 2024 9:13 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends will gather this afternoon to celebrate the life of Margaret Culbertson, and are sharing this remembrance:

In Loving Memory of Margaret L. Culbertson
June 19, 1927 – February 27, 2024

Margaret L. Culbertson, born on June 19, 1927, peacefully passed away on February 27, 2024. She was a beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother, auntie, sister, and dear friend. Margaret’s life is a testimony to love, resilience, and the bonds of family. She touched the hearts of everyone who knew her.

Born to John and Jenny Bugenhagen in Wardner, ID. They then moved to Yakima, where Margaret spent her childhood and began working in orchards and canneries. She had 2 sisters; Remona and Dorothy preceded her in death. In 1945, Margaret moved to Seattle, where she met her soon-to-be husband, Louis “Tex” Culbertson. They were married for an impressive 64 years, having exchanged vows on July 31, 1946, at Fort Lawton in Seattle.

Margaret and Louis were blessed with three sons: Dale, Jim, and Sam. Her family continued to grow with the arrival of two grandchildren: Cherie’ and Sean. Seven great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren brought joy and laughter to her home.

Margaret enjoyed bowling and was an active participant in leagues at Roxbury Lanes and West Seattle Bowl with friends and family. She also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, sewing, playing many card games, Mexican train, and board games with family and friends.

Margaret had a green thumb and found solace in her garden, where she especially loved her roses, dahlias, and violets. Her flowers’ blooming was a testament to her nurturing spirit. She also had an amazing vegetable garden where she worked with Louis, and then she would do a lot of canning to provide delicious food for the year. The best canned peaches, pears, green beans, tomatoes, corn, and salsa would come from Margaret. But what she is most famous for is the best strawberry jam in the world! She couldn’t make enough to keep up with the demand.

She was always known for her warm hospitality and open arms. Thanksgiving dinners at her house were a cherished tradition. The warmth of the family gathered around the table, sharing stories and laughter, made those moments truly special.

Margaret’s life was woven with love, laughter, and the bonds that span generations. While we celebrate her life, let’s remember the impact she made and the memories she leaves behind.

Margaret’s Celebration of Life will be held from 2 to 4:30 pm, March 10, 2024, White Center Eagles, 10452 15th Ave SW. Please feel free to come by and share a story or two and enjoy hearing other stories.

There will be a private family-only graveside service.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make a donation in Margaret’s name to Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital – Support Health and Healing – MultiCare Foundations in Tacoma. This charity was near and dear to her heart, and she still made donations to them.

(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

13 options for your first West Seattle Sunday in Daylight Saving Time
March 10, 2024 6:16 am
|    Comments Off on 13 options for your first West Seattle Sunday in Daylight Saving Time
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Lynn Hall, as seen on Elliott Bay Friday afternoon)

Check to be sure you’re on Daylight Saving Time – then browse our list to see what’s up today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Second weekend for cookie booths at various locations – starting as early as 8 am. Search here for your nearest locations.

MINI-POLAR PLUNGE: 9 am every Sunday, you’re welcome to join a group plunge into Puget Sound off Alki – meet at Statue of Liberty Plaza (61st/Alki).

WESTIES RUN CLUB: Meet at 9 am at rotating locations – today it’s Natalie’s on Alki (2532 Alki Avenue SW).

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the market is open as usual on California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon, offering late-winter vegetables and fruit, plus cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, fresh-cooked food, beverages (from cider to kombucha to beer/wine), nuts, candy, more! Here’s today’s vendor list.

WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Need to borrow something for a home project? Visit the WSTL 11 am-4 pm. (4408 Delridge Way SW, northeast side of Youngstown Cultural Arts Center)

ART EXHIBITION: Second weekend for Lucha Libre-themed show at South Delridge’s Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery (9414 Delridge Way SW). Open today noon-6 pm.

GRAND REOPENING + POP-UP MARKET: 12:30-4:30 pm at Good Sister‘s new location (6959 California SW), it’s a grand reopening celebration with a multi-vendor pop-up market – participating businesses are listed here.

INTERNATIONAL ORDER OF THE RAINBOW FOR GIRLS: Girls and young women 11-20 are invited to this group’s St. Patrick’s Paint Party, 1-3 pm at Alki Masonic Center (40th/Edmunds) – details in our calendar listing.

(added) BARBECUE POP-UP: From Andrew at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW): “We’ll have a special pop-up today from Outsider BBQ at Ounces. Outsider will be serving their Texas-style BBQ from 1 pm – 6 pm (or sellout).”

‘KING X’ FINAL PERFORMANCE: 3 pm at Acts on Stage Theater in White Center (10806 12th SW) – ticket link is in our calendar listing.

LADIES’ MUSICAL CLUB: Free classical-music concert at West Seattle (Admiral) Library (2306 42nd SW), 3 pm – see the program in our calendar listing.

SOUND BATH: 7 pm, presented by Inner Alchemy at Move2Center Studio (3618 SW Alaska), $35.

LIVE MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: See and hear the Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8-10 pm.

Are you planning something that should be on our community event calendar – one-time or recurring? Please email us the basics – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Share This

Urban Villages = out. Neighborhood Centers = in. Here’s what we found while browsing West Seattle references in the draft ‘One Seattle Plan’
March 9, 2024 9:14 pm
|      114 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

First thing you should know about the draft “One Seattle Plan” announced this week – aka an update to the city’s Comprehensive Plan, meant to guide growth and change for the next 20 years: The city hopes you’ll tell them what you think of it, and there’s a West Seattle meeting (April 3 at Chief Sealth International High School) set up for that, among other ways.

If you think this sounds a bit deja vu, yes, the current plan was supposed to last through 2035. (It was going through a feedback phase, including this West Seattle event, exactly 10 years ago.) And that wasn’t the first one – the city’s had a Comprehensive Plan since 1994.

The new one spells out the latest city philosophy on a wide range of areas affecting you and your citymates – housing, transportation, parks, climate among them, each one addressed in a section of the plan called an “element.” Most notably, it relabels some areas of the city, when suggesting how and where increased housing density and other types of growth should happen. For example, the once-reviled term “urban village” would be retired. (It dates back to that first Comprehensive Plan in 1994.) The plan update would rename current UVs as Urban Centers. In West Seattle, there are four: Admiral, Morgan Junction, West Seattle Junction, and Westwood-Highland Park. The growth philosophy there would be a lot like it has been in recent years; those areas have absorbed much of it.

Next on the map is an entirely new concept/label, Neighborhood Centers. The map below shows blue circles representing six for West Seattle – followed by the list (with a city caveat that these are NOT necessarily the official names for the “centers”):

35th Ave SW & Barton – 35th Ave SW & SW Barton St

Andover Junction – Delridge Way SW & SW Dakota St

Brandon Junction – Delridge Way SW & SW Brandon St

California & Findlay – California Ave SW and SW Findlay St

Endolyne – 45th Ave SW & SW Barton St

Gatewood – 35th Ave SW & SW Holden St

(Since Barton doesn’t go through to 45th, we believe they mean the Wildwood vicinity.) Here’s what the draft plan says about Neighborhood Centers:

*Zoning in Neighborhood Centers should generally allow buildings of 3 to 6 stories, especially 5- and 6-story residential buildings to encourage the development of apartments and condominiums.

Much of the rest of West Seattle would be designated Urban Neighborhoods. Here’s how the draft plan sets that up:

Many neighborhoods outside [current] Urban Centers and Villages have few housing options beyond detached homes. As documented in detail in the Housing element and Housing Appendix, zoning that exclusively allows low-density detached housing is rooted in a history of racial and class exclusion marked by policies and real estate practices such as redlining and racial covenants. With the prices of these homes rising dramatically, especially in the last 10 years, these neighborhoods are increasingly out of reach for most people, perpetuating patterns of racial and economic exclusion and contributing to market pressures that cause displacement and gentrification.

Meanwhile, many Seattle residents seek housing options and neighborhood choices that our current growth strategy does not provide. Housing types such as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, small, stacked flats, cottage housing, courtyard apartments, and other low-scale residential types, all examples of what is frequently referred to as “middle housing,” are not allowed in most areas currently. Middle housing can provide comparatively affordable family-sized housing, options for homeownership, and opportunities to reside in neighborhoods with key amenities, such as large parks and schools. The updated growth strategy includes expanded middle housing options in all neighborhoods. These changes are consistent with new state requirements which will expand housing choices in cities across the region and state.

Urban Neighborhoods wouldn’t be housing-only, as many of these areas are now. Here’s the specific proposed description:

Urban Neighborhoods are places outside centers that are appropriate for primarily residential development. While lacking the larger business districts located in centers, Urban Neighborhoods still provide opportunities for mixed-use and commercial development along major streets along with at-home businesses, corner stores, and small institutions located throughout to support small business and institutions and let people walk, bike, and roll to everyday needs.

(The city would) allow a mix of lower-scale housing types such as detached homes, duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes, sixplexes, and cottage housing throughout Urban Neighborhoods. Allow moderate-scale housing of 4 to 6 stories in areas currently zoned for such housing and along arterials where zoned densities may be increased to provide more housing options near frequent transit.

The plan notes that increased housing density is important for reasons including that the number of jobs in Seattle rose 38 percent from 2010 to 2020, while the housing supply grew by 19 percent.

Read More

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen vehicles – white Plymouth minivan with special plates, black Hyundai SUV
March 9, 2024 6:53 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Reader reports about stolen vehicles:

PLYMOUTH MINIVAN: The photos and report were sent by William:

Stolen over Friday night or early Saturday is a white 1992 Plymouth Grand Voyage mini-van from in front of our house near Admiral and 62nd Ave SW. We were moving someone into a senior home, so it was unfortunately loaded with items. I know this will likely be emptied of contents and then abandoned – sad enough. Sadder yet though is that this was one of dad’s prize possessions, and it is stolen on the weekend we are moving him. If nothing else, we certainly want to have his Retired Army license plates back !

If seen, please call 911. Plates: AR 07246 Police report #24-66045

HYUNDAI SUV: This report is from Christina – it’s near the scene of this morning’s 3:30 am hit-run crash, so we have a followup question seeking more details about her neighbor’s car and whether it might be related to that, but while we await a reply, here’s her report:

My car was stolen early this morning or last night at the Strata Apartments on California Ave near Fauntleroy. My neighbor’s Hyundai was also stolen and she found out it was totaled when the drivers crashed into a business off of Fauntleroy. A witness said they saw the drivers jump into a black SUV after, which we believe could have been my car. I would appreciate if you could have people on the lookout for my car, which is a black Hyundai Tucson with tinted black windows and a California license plate (#7ZEB142).

Share This

In case you wondered too: Dark smoke to the south
March 9, 2024 5:36 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Not WS but we're mentioning it anyway | West Seattle news

From the ‘in case you wondered too’ file: Jamie sent the photo, wondering about the plume of dark smoke visible in the south, as seen from the Genesee Hill vicinity. We found a callout indicating that South King County firefighters are responding to a residential fire in the 2100 block of SW 162nd in Burien [map].

Share This

SUMMER CAMP: Nonprofit’s nature camps return!
March 9, 2024 4:18 pm
|    Comments Off on SUMMER CAMP: Nonprofit’s nature camps return!
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

As winter’s end draws near, summer planning speeds up. The regional nonprofit Birds Connect Seattle is offering its nature camps again this year, with locations including Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor), and registration is open now – here’s the announcement we received:

Birds Connect Seattle started Nature Camp in 1982, and for more than 40 years we’ve built a reputation for quality environmental learning, emphasizing experiential outdoor activities that instill an appreciation for nature. Small group instruction with experienced naturalists inspires children to become explorers and stewards of nature.

This summer, we will have camp sessions for 1st-5th grades at Seahurst Park [Burien] from June 24 – August 2, and Explorer West Middle School from August 5-23. Campers will spend the week learning about local urban nature, around various themes: oceans, birds, bugs, art, and more!

Registrations are open now. Learn more here.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Two early morning hit-and-runs
March 9, 2024 2:29 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two hit-run crashes early this morning:

CALIFORNIA/GRAHAM: Thanks to Steve for the aftermath photo:

According to emergency-radio archives, that car was damaged by the driver of another car that hit a tree south of California/Graham around 3:30 am. Initially SFD sent a “rescue extrication” dispatch but it was quickly cancelled when responders learned the other car was empty and its driver had fled the scene. That car (not shown as it apparently was towed away after the crash) was described as a suspected stolen vehicle, with Georgia plates and trashed ignition. According to radio exchanges, the driver who caused the crash might have been racing someone.

17TH/ROXBURY: The report and photo were texted this afternoon:

On 3/9/2024 @ 12:35 am I was driving westbound on SW Roxbury when I had a green light through 17th Avenue SW. As I entered the intersection a white ~ 2000 – 2004 Dodge Ram 4×4 pickup truck ran the red light and entered the intersection. He hit the right/front of my car. My speed into the intersection was 25mph and he looked to be going about 30 mph. The impact pushed me into the oncoming east-bound lane. The driver fled the scene immediately and left west-bound to the next cross-street and made a left heading south. I followed him about 1 block but he was traveling at a very high rate of speed. My vehicle is VERY badly damaged and I was less than 1 mile from home, so I drove there and called 911. I reported the collision to both Seattle Police dispatch and King County dispatch operators. I was told that witnesses on-scene also reported the collision to 911. My significant other drove me back to the hit-and-run scene and I retrieved a broken metal side step in the street from the truck that hit me. There were no police, fire units, or witnesses at the scene. The photo is the broken metal side step from the white Dodge Ram. It looked to be a “king cab” model and looked like it had a black roll bar. It will have driver’s side door/body damage with a broken-off step. There should be an identical step on the passenger side. The truck’s damage will include red paint. If anyone sees this vehicle or knows the owner, please call 911.

Share This

UPDATE: Power outage at Jefferson Square
March 9, 2024 1:10 pm
|    Comments Off on UPDATE: Power outage at Jefferson Square
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

1:10 PM: Thanks for the tips. Power is out at Jefferson Square, as confirmed by the Seattle City Light outage map, which says 110 customers are affected. (One business, residence, etc. = one customer.) The map says “equipment failure” is to blame. We don’t know which businesses are affected so be forewarned if you were planning to head that way.

1:36 PM: The map indicates the outage is over.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE WEEKEND SCENE: Learning about what’s planned for part of Fauntleroy Creek
March 9, 2024 11:30 am
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

Under the canopy on the northwest corner of 45th and Wildwood is where you’ll find a Seattle Public Utilities team until 1 pm, there to answer questions and receive comments about the revived plan for a nearby underground stretch of Fauntleroy Creek.

The project will replace an old, failing culvert beneath 45th SW with a new, “dramatically wider” one – 14 feet wide. Project team member Tracey Belding said the goal is to try to replicate the creek conditions for the fish (since Fauntleroy Creek is a salmon stream), rather than just expecting them to swim into a pipe. The project includes some above-ground features for humans, too – converting a dingy paved parking pocket into an overlook:

Belding said the design for the culvert replacement is at the 60 percent stage, but design completion is still more than a year away, so this is a good time for feedback. If you can’t get to today’s pop-up, you can answer an online survey by going here. There’s a second culvert-replacement project looming in the future too, beneath public and private property near Fauntleroy Church, but Belding says there’s no timetable right now for when that will start.

Share This

UPDATE: West Seattle recycle/reuse/shred dropoff events draws hundreds
March 9, 2024 10:01 am
|      32 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

10:01 SM: Big early turnout at the north lot of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) for this year’s recycle/reuse/shredding event, scheduled to continue until noon. Waiting cars have been lined up past the college’s south entrance, but once you get into the lot, it’s fast-moving with multiple stations depending on what you brought. Check our calendar listing to see what they are and aren’t accepting.

11:57 AM: As noted in comments, and in email we just received, the event is over – capacity maxed out.

Partners included the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce, West Seattle Junction Association, Seattle Public Utilities, Waste Management, and individual companies/organizations that actually collect and handle the materials.

The next free dropoff recycling event in West Seattle is the twice-annual Recycle Roundup at Fauntleroy Church, 9 am-3 pm Saturday, April 27. Here’s the list of what they’ll be accepting. If you’re wondering about other ways to recycle/dispose of items – try the “Where Does It Go?” lookup.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: 27 notes, including ‘spring forward’ time change
March 9, 2024 6:12 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(WSB photo: Daffodil season!)

Welcome to the second weekend of March! Here’s what’s in our Event Calendar listings for today/tonight:

FREE! FIT4MOM CLASSES: 7:30 am, 9 am, 10:15 am classes free as part of an “open house” weekend (2707 California SW) – go here to register.

FREE! GROUP RUN: Start your Saturday with this weekly West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW) group run! All levels welcome. Meet at the shop by 8 am.

FREE! HEAVILY MEDITATED: Arrive by 8:50 am for community meditation at Move2Center (3618 SW Alaska). Free event every Saturday but please register.

REUSE/RECYCLE/SHRED: Round it up, drop it off! Free event 9 am-noon at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) north lot – see our calendar listing for what will and won’t be accepted.

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES: Second weekend of cookie booths at various locations. Search here for your nearest locations and times.

FAUNTLEROY CREEK CULVERT INFO: The city has restarted planning for replacing two of the culverts that carry Fauntleroy Creek underground, and will have reps out in the neighborhood 10 am-1 pm today to talk about the first planned project, as previewed here. Meet them at 45th/Wildwood to see where they’re at and share your thoughts.

SSC GARDEN CENTER: Scheduled to be open 10 am-2 pm today: “The Garden Center at South Seattle College provides Landscape Horticulture students the opportunity to increase their knowledge of plants while gaining real-world retail experience. Plants available for sale are selected, propagated, grown and presented by students. Additional plants are brought in from local growers.” (6000 16th Ave SW, north lot)

MORNING MUSIC: 10:30 am-noon at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor), Marco de Carvalho and Friends perform. Info about Marco’s music is here.

FREE WRITING GROUP: 10:30 am in West Seattle, registration required – see full details in our calendar listing.

FAMILY READING TIME: Every Saturday at 11 am at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW).

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM OPEN: The home of West Seattle history is open for your visit, noon-4 pm. (61st/Stevens)

VIETNAMESE CULTURAL CENTER: The center is open to visitors noon-3 pm, as explained here. (2236 SW Orchard)

VISCON CELLARS: Tasting room open – wine by the glass or bottle – 1-6 pm at Viscon Cellars (5910 California SW; WSB sponsor).

NORTHWEST WINE ACADEMY: Tasting room/wine bar open 1-6 pm, north end of South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) campus.

SOUL COLLAGE & SOUND BATH: 1-6 pm with Inner Alchemy at Move2Center Studio (3618 SW Alaska).

G. LOVE AT EASY STREET: Signing and meet-and-greet, 2 pm at Easy Street Records. (4559 California SW)

‘KING X: THE MEETING,’ 2 PERFORMANCES: Acts on Stage Theater in White Center (10806 12th SW) presents a play about the “explosive, impassioned confrontation that never happened.” 3 pm and 7 pm; the ticket link’s in our calendar listing.

GOOD SOCIETY TURNS 4: Trivia at 3 pm at The Good Society (2701 California SW), plus Lovely and Dapper Desserts on site 3-7 pm, as part of fourth-anniversary celebration.

LISTENING PARTY AT EASY STREET: Listen to the new album by Tierra Whack one week early! 5 pm at Easy Street Records. (4559 California SW)

MOVIEMAKERS’ SCREENING & FUNDRAISER: They’re working on “Bloodbath in Palookaville.” You’re interested in a memorable evening out. Go see and support their work at Beveridge Place Pub (6413 California SW), 6:30 pm.

LIVE AT C & P: 7-9 pm, Cyd Smith and LaVon Hardison at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW). No cover, all ages.

LIVE AT THE EAGLES: The Ambaum Dukes play country music at the West Seattle Eagles aerie (4426 California SW), 7-11 pm.

ALL-AGES OPEN MIC: 7-10 pm at The Spot West Seattle (2920 SW Avalon Way)

LIVE AT THE SKYLARK: Me VS Myself, Arms Like Cables, PRETTY AWKWARD “drag extravaganza” at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), 7:30 pm

BEATS: Saturday night DJs at Revelry Room – 9 pm. Tonight, Soul Focus FM. (4547 California SW, alley side)

KARAOKE: Saturday night, sing at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW), starting at 10 pm, with Michael Van Fleet.

‘SPRING FORWARD’: 2 am Sunday, clocks move an hour ahead to start Daylight Saving Time.

Planning a concert, open house, show, sale, event, walk, run, meeting, seminar, reading, field trip, fundraiser, class, game, or ? If the community’s welcome, your event belongs on our calendar! Please email info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gunfire investigation in Westwood
March 8, 2024 10:36 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

10:36 PM: Multiple people have texted us about hearing apparent gunfire in the Westwood area. Police have been searching for evidence and finally just found it – shell casings near the 8400 block of 25th SW, not far from Southwest Teen Life Center and the Chief Sealth IHS/Denny IMS campus. No report of any injuries so far. Some 911 callers reported seeing a light-colored vehicle possibly associated with this, according to dispatch and officers.

11:13 PM: In cases like this – gunfire but no injuries reported – officers often investigate the scene and simply notify the Gun Violence Reduction Unit. In this case, though, according to radio communication, GVRU detectives were going to go to the scene, perhaps because it’s within blocks of high-profile gun-violence cases such as the January death of 15-year-old Mobarak Adam at SWTLC. Still no injuries reported from tonight’s gunfire.

11:21 PM: One parked vehicle has bullet damage, an officer just told dispatch. … The location has been updated to 25th/Cloverdale.

Share This

BIZNOTES: Animated Café moving; Jet City Beignet closing
March 8, 2024 8:55 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Two more food and drink biznotes:

(WSB photo, November 2022)

ANIMATED CAFE MOVING: After two years of operating her pink Animated Café trailer in West Seattle, Melanie – aka “Ana” – is moving across the Duwamish River. This is her last week in the lot at 4518 Fauntleroy Way SW, where she’s been since November 2022, and where she says her lease is running out with no option to renew. After a few weeks off, she expects to reopen in a new location next month: “I believe I will have a location on a major intersection in Georgetown, but I’m waiting to finalize the details. Until then, March 14th will be my last day operating for a bit.” She shared her distinctive path to entrepreneurship in a WSB story just as she launched her business.

JET CITY BEIGNET CLOSING: The popular purveyors of the New Orleans-style treats, operating in West Seattle for four years, abruptly announced this week that they’re closing the business, promising an explanation at a future date. They said next weekend, March 16-17, will bring their final pop-ups; we don’t have their full schedule, but Highland Park Corner Store (7789 Highland Park Way SW) says JCB is scheduled to make its last appearance there 10 am-2 pm Saturday, March 16.

Share This

SATURDAY: One more reminder – West Seattle recycling/shredding event is hours away
March 8, 2024 7:47 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo from past recycling/shredding event)

Tomorrow (Saturday, March 9) is the big day – free drop-off recycling/shredding for a variety of items, in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), 9 am-noon. As noted earlier this week, the list of what they’ll take has been expanded:

ACCEPTED ITEMS
Foam blocks
Household batteries (no damaged batteries)
Florescent tubes and bulbs (no broken bulbs, limit: 4 ft.)
Small, empty propane camping canisters
Small electronics (TVs, computers, etc.)
Small appliances (non-freon)
Paper for shredding (limit: 4 boxes of paper)
Household textiles – clothing & curtains
NEW: Reusable building materials (doors, windows, cabinets, plumbing, electrical, flooring, lighting, HVAC, hardware)
NEW: Solid wood or plywood furniture

ITEMS NOT ACCEPTED:
Commercial loads
Garbage
Yard waste
Household recycling (items that go in your cart/dumpster)
Hazardous waste
Automotive waste
Construction waste
Non-recyclable or reusable items
Car seats
Mattresses

Drive up, ride up, walk up to drop off. Participating organizations may have limited capacity, so don’t wait until late in the morning,

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Hiawatha Community Center work finally starting on Monday
March 8, 2024 5:26 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(WSB file photo)

A resident near Hiawatha Community Center told us the contractor for the long-delayed “stabilization” project was making the rounds today informing neighbors that work is about to start – and Seattle Parks has just confirmed it. Optimus Construction Co. was chosen as contractor, with a $2.5 million bid, and Parks says Optimus has received the Notice to Proceed, so they will “mobilize on site” starting Monday. Parks says that means “the contractor will set up construction fencing to allow for deliveries and construction activities on the east and south side of the Hiawatha Community Center building.” According to Parks, “This project addresses a number of major maintenance, accessibility, and program space needs at Hiawatha Community Center. It will include a seismic retrofit of the gym and brick veneer, roof replacement, and renovation of the restrooms, kitchen, childcare area and lobby spaces, in addition to relocation of the teen room.” Hiawatha has already been closed for four years; here’s our December story with Parks officials attempting to explain why.

Share This

4, 3, 2, 1 … West Seattle 5K registration off and running!
March 8, 2024 5:09 pm
|    Comments Off on 4, 3, 2, 1 … West Seattle 5K registration off and running!
 |   How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

(WSB file photo)

We told you last month that the West Seattle 5K run/walk on Alki will be back this year on May 19. As of today, registration is officially open! That means it’s time for full details – here’s what the coordinating organization, the West Seattle High School PTSA, tells us:

All profits raised from the West Seattle 5K provide funding for West Seattle High School to fund monthly staffed Saturday Study Hall that benefits an average of 100 students each session, classroom-supply needs, and student-led initiatives.

Thousands of runners and spectators from all corners of Puget Sound and beyond have participated in this 5K in the past 15 years or so. In 2023, we had almost 1,200 registrants and raised $34,000 for West Seattle High School! Participants are drawn to the event by the family fun, the gorgeous scenery, a flat and fast course starting and finishing at the Alki Bathhouse, and all the amenities that Alki Beach has to offer. Prizes will be awarded to the top finishers in many categories.

Coming back for a second year – we will have a grade-level competition among West Seattle High School students. The goal is to create a friendly competition to see which grade gets the most classmates to register. The winning grade gets out of Homeroom early for a special treat and cash ($250) to their grade-level ASB. “We have heard from event runners that they didn’t know this event benefited the high school, so we want to make sure to raise that awareness as well as get as many high schoolers involved as possible,” says Kelley O’Connor, event co-chair.

“As you know, Seattle Public Schools is facing an enormous budget shortfall and limited funding for the programs we know our students need,” says WSHS PTSA president Holly Rikhof. “The WSHS PTSA is dedicated to funding the academic and classroom support we have long taken for granted at West Seattle High School. Until 2023, our students benefited from a levy that funded a robust tutoring program, including school-day, after-school, and Saturday tutoring. This year, we have been able, through your generous donations, to fund a monthly staffed Saturday Study Hall that benefits an average of 100 students each session, classroom supply needs, and student-led initiatives.”

Other popular 5k features include a “Sleep In” and “sponsor a student runner” options. There are buttons on the registration page to donate to the 5k if you’d rather sleep in that morning or don’t wish to run/walk. This is our community neighborhood high school and we hope residents will feel generous in supporting the school and local students. This is a fun way to directly give back!

Registration is live now at westseattle5K.com. Pricing:
● Adults are $35 (5/13 and later is $40)
● Youth 19 and under are $20 (5/13 and later is $30)
● West Seattle High School students are $20 (5/13 and later is $30)
● West Seattle High School staff is free (need passcode and can buy shirt for $15)
● Kids under 6 are free (no shirt included, but can buy for $15)

We have amazing sponsors to thank: Sea Pines Physical Therapy, West Seattle Runner, Homes By Pia, Space B.A.R. Wellness, and so many more. Please go to westseattle5K.com to see all sponsors!

The West Seattle PTSA is a 501c3 non-profit Parent, Teacher and Student Association of West Seattle High School. We provide parent education, opportunities for families to connect to the school community, and support for education through fundraising and advocacy.

WSB has signed on as media sponsor, as we’ve done every year since the first West Seattle 5K in 2009.

Share This

CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Mail-truck thief sentenced
March 8, 2024 3:08 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

(Images from charging documents, Mixayboua at West Seattle Target with stolen card)

The man who stole two USPS mail trucks in West Seattle – and others elsewhere in the city – was sentenced in federal court today. 27-year-old Johny Mixayboua got a 3 1/2-year sentence from U.S. District Court Judge Richard A. Jones. That’s what federal prosecutors had recommended for Mixayboua’s convictions on charges of theft of government property, mail theft, illegal transactions on access devices, and illegally possessing a firearm. The West Seattle mail-truck thefts both happened on January 17, 2023 – one on Beach Drive SW, the other on 57th SW. Three weeks earlier, he had stolen a USPS vehicle in South Seattle and with it, a key used to access cluster mailboxes; at one point the USPS entirely shut down residential service in the 98118 for a week during the investigation. Investigators used home security video and store-security video to link Mixayboua to mail thefts and attempts to use stolen credit cards (including images from Target in Westwood Village). He was eventually found near where he was living in a vehicle near a relative’s home, and officers also found a “ghost gun,” which compounded matters as Mixayboua was already a convicted felon and not allowed to have firearms. He pleaded guilty last December to the charges on which he was sentenced today, seven months after his May arrest.

Share This