West Seattle, Washington
25 Monday
(Neighbor photo, early Saturday. Victim was on street side of striped loading zone)
As reported here Monday, District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka promised to convene a “community conversation” in the aftermath of Saturday’s Duwamish Head shootings that killed a 22-year-old man and injured a 27-year-old man. The meeting is now set for tomorrow (Wednesday, June 26) night – here’s the entirety of the announcement just received:
Seattle City Councilmember Rob Saka (District 1, Vice Chair of the Public Safety Committee) is hosting a community conversation on public safety tomorrow, June 26, 6 pm-7:30 pm, at Alki United Church of Christ. It will include a diverse selection of city leaders, including Interim Police Chief Sue Rahr and citywide Councilmember Tanya Woo (Position 8).
This comes after a 22-year-old was killed in a shooting near Alki Beach over the weekend. According to reports, another 27-year-old was also shot and transported to the hospital. Homes nearby were also struck by gunfire. This community conversation will be focused specifically on working toward public safety solutions for the Alki and Harbor Avenue neighborhoods.
“The gun violence playing out on our streets in unacceptable. It’s time for us to come together as a city and put a stop to it. Every enduring solution starts with an honest conversation. That’s why I’m bringing our community and a diverse group of city leaders together. We need short and long-term strategies to ensure Alki is a safe and welcoming for everyone,” said Councilmember Saka.
What city leaders will be in attendance?
The following City leaders are scheduled to speak:
Councilmember Saka
Sue Rahr, Interim Police Chief
Natalie Walton-Anderson, Director of Public Safety, Mayor’s Office
AP Diaz, Superintendent of Seattle Parks and Recreation
Francisca Stefan, Senior Deputy Director, Seattle Department of Transportation
Venu Nemani, Chief Safety Officer, Seattle Department of Transportation
Other members of the Seattle Police Department will also be attending.DATE: Wednesday, June 26
TIME: 6 PM – 7:30 PM
LOCATION: Alki United Church of Christ, 6115 SW Hinds StreetHow people can submit questions:
Community members interested in submitting questions or comments for the panelists to respond to can do so by completing this form. Questions or comments will also be accepted in person at the event.
Thanks for the tips. Seattle Public Schools has decided to again delay the announcement of any specific schools planned for closure/consolidation. The topic is still on tomorrow night’s School Board agenda, but here’s what superintendent Dr. Brent Jones says will and won’t happen:
… While the rescheduled [board] meeting will occur on June 26, this Regular School Board Meeting will not include a proposed “school closure list.”
Instead, the presentation will focus on the criteria guiding our decisions, such as budget and enrollment data, building condition assessments, program considerations, and community input.
We’ve heard from our community. Families and staff want to understand our planning process and react to proposals. The end of the school year and summer is not an ideal time for community engagement. Over the summer, my team will work hard to evaluate and consider the feedback we have heard and refine the plan that will be presented to our board.
Reports will resume with our School Board and community in September. Our board will be voting on the well-resourced schools plan before winter break in December 2024.
We have received strong participation and valuable feedback during our community meetings. Our community cares deeply about our schools.
It is crucial to ensure any steps we take are in the best interest of our students and families. Therefore, we will take more time this summer to thoroughly consider your input before announcing school consolidations.
You can read the full update here (it follows an update on school-security concerns).
B emailed this morning about her new college grad’s backpack, stolen in a car prowl in North Delridge:
We’ve been teaching our teen how to drive and forgot the bit about locking the car. My oldest daughter had her backpack in the back and it was stolen last night. She is especially sad because she just graduated from Texas Southern University and this was her student athlete backpack.
It was a black Columbia 300 backpack with red and white stripes and the TSU logo and #12 on the front, luggage tag with the TSU logo and the name “Smith” and #12, lots of keychains hanging, Dean’s List medal, bowling shoes, journals, Coach K’s book, a wrister, wrist brace, a tripod, and a bowling kit. It looks similar to the one in the photo attached.
Most everything inside and the backpack itself can be replaced, but it held great sentimental value to her.
(At left, a rainbow cloud – second one in two weeks – photographed by Mike Burns)
Here are highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEE: The City Council’s Public Safety Committee, for which District 1 Councilmember Rob Saka serves as vice-chair, meets at 9:30 am. Scheduled topics include street racing and waterway safety; there’s a public-comment period too, and the agenda explains how that works. You can watch live via Seattle Channel
POSTCARDS4DEMOCRACY: Advocacy from afar, 10:30 am-noon every Tuesday at C & P Coffee (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Daily operation continues – open 11 am-8 pm, free. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
COLMAN POOL: Second weekday this summer 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 at Lincoln Park, the 7-day-a-week wading pool is open today noon-7 pm, in the central upper part of the park near the north play area.
CHESS CLUB: Tuesdays 1:30-3 pm, also at the Center for Active Living (4217 SW Oregon). All levels welcome. (Questions? Email conwell@conwelld.net.)
CITY COUNCIL MEETING: Regular weekly meeting of the Seattle City Council, 2 pm. There is a public-comment period – in person or by phone – if there’s something you want to tell the council. The agenda explains how. You can go to City Hall downtown or watch live via Seattle Channel (and comment by phone).
DEMONSTRATION FOR BLACK LIVES: Long-running weekly sign-waving demonstration continues on the corners at 16th/Holden. 5-6 pm. Signs available if you don’t bring your own.
SCHOOL OF ROCK ON TOUR: West Seattle School of Rock‘s house band plus visiting School of Rock bands from Northern California, in concert at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW), doors 5:30 pm; our calendar listing has the advance ticket link, or bring $15 cash for cover at the door.
STORYTIME IN THE GARDEN: 6 pm Tuesdays all summer, bring the little one(s) to Delridge P-Patch (5078 25th SW) for storytime plus a garden activity.
FREE ASL CLASS: The series of introductory ASL classes continues; you can start at any time. 6 pm at the West Seattle Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (4001 44th SW), info here.
SCRABBLE NIGHT: 6-10 pm tonight, play Scrabble at The Missing Piece (9456 35th SW).
FREE TRACK RUN: Everyone’s welcome! Gather at West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor) for this free weekly run at 6:15 pm.
MAKE POTTERY: 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).
BINGO AT THE SKYLARK: Play – free! – weekly Belle of the Balls Bingo hosted by Cookie Couture, 7 pm. (3803 Delridge Way SW)
TRIVIA X 4: Four places to play Tuesday nights – 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).
Event coming up? Are community members invited? Tell your West Seattle neighbors via our event calendar – please email the info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Family and friends will gather July 23 to remember Alice Elliott, and are sharing this remembrance with her community now:
Alice Marie Elliott
11-22-1923 to 6-14-2024Washington State lost one of its Centenarians with the passing of Alice Marie Elliott of West Seattle on June 14, 2024.
Alice was born on November 22, 1923 to Fredrick and Agnes Grauvogl in Cazenovia, Wisconsin. She celebrated her 100th birthday this past November. Alice delighted in receiving personalized 100th birthday congratulation letters from U.S. President Joe Biden, WA Governor Jay Inslee, and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell.
After high-school graduation in 1940, she attended the University of Wisconsin and Madison Business College. She returned to her hometown and worked eight years at the State Bank of Cazenovia.
She met Dennis Elliott in her tiny hometown. Romance blossomed, in spite of Dennis serving in World War II and moving to Seattle. In May 1954, Alice followed Dennis, and they married July 2, 1954. Sadly, Dennis passed away unexpectedly in 1975. Alice never remarried.
Alice’s banking career spanned 42 years, including 31 with Washington Mutual Bank in Seattle, starting as a teller and promoted to head auditor in 1974. She retired in 1985.
Alice enjoyed traveling with Dennis and good friends, exploring the U.S. and traveling internationally from 1970-97, including Germany to learn about her Family heritage. She liked cruises, beaches, music, and sports.
In 1996, Alice made the trip of a lifetime from NY City aboard the Concorde SuperSonic jet to Paris, returning via the Chunnel to London to board the Queen Elizabeth II luxury ship. A thrill, seeing the Statue of Liberty off the QEII deck at the end of the Transatlantic cruise.
Honestly, Alice’s front-window Seattle downtown waterfront view from her Alki condo inspired her independent living until November 2023.
She cheered Mariners, especially Ken Griffey, Jr.; Seahawks and Sonics. She was a proud 12. She visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.
Alice loved Hummel figurines, strawberries, mochas, Ivar’s crab cakes, chocolate martinis, denim jackets, Fifth Avenue Theatre, her Pomeranian dog “Ginger,” and hairdresser Missy. She volunteered at Mount Saint Vincent 20 years.
Alice was preceded in death by her beloved husband, parents, brother and sister-in-law Raymond and Joyce Grauvogl of Wisconsin.
Survivors include Goddaughter Dee (Joe) Strecker of Bellevue, nephew Steve (Polly) Elliott of West Seattle, longtime friend and Guardian Carol (Bruce) Hedrick of Lynnwood, her condo association Family, and many friends in Seattle and Wisconsin.
Funeral Services will be July 23, 2024 @ 11:30 a.m. at Providence Mount Saint Vincent Chapel, third floor, 4831 35th Ave. SW. Private inurnment at Holyrood Cemetery in Shoreline. Emmick Family Funeral and Cremation Services is entrusted with cremation.
(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)
8:56 AM: Police are responding to a possible person-in-crisis situation reported on the northbound 1st Avenue South Bridge. They haven’t found anything yet, but in case you’re seeing extra law-enforcement presence, that’s what’s going on.
Earlier:
6:01 AM: Good morning! It’s Tuesday, June 25.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Sunny, high in the mid-to-upper 70s. Today’s sunrise was at 5:13 am, while sunset will be at 9:11 pm (and will stay there until Saturday).
ONGOING ROAD WORK
*SDOT’s Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon:
*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work continues at spots along the southern stretch.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check for advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route, but now with the unscheduled “bonus boat” on weekdays when available; check WSF alerts for last-minute changes and use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Low bridge: Here’s the main view:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
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!
(WSB photo: L-R, Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Tanya Woo, Tariq Yusuf, Saunatina Sanchez)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
In a little over three weeks, King County Elections will mail ballots for the August 6 primary. Among the positions for which you’ll be narrowing the fields is Seattle City Council Position 8, one of the council’s two citywide positions. It’s on the ballot because of the complex situation resulting from Teresa Mosqueda moving to the King County Council midway through her term – under city rules, first the council had to appoint a replacement to serve until the next general election, and now someone will be elected to serve the final year of the unexpired term.
Four candidates filed to run for that remaining year – Alexis Mercedes Rinck, Saunatina Sanchez, Tanya Woo (who was appointed to serve until the fall election), and Tariq Yusuf. The only West Seattle forum for the race so far – perhaps the only one pre-primary – was held during last Thursday’s West Seattle Democratic Women dinner meeting at West Seattle Golf Course.
WSDW’s Ann Martin moderated. We recorded it on video – the acoustics were a bit challenged because of the fan running in the room on a very warm night, but our summaries of each answer are below the video so you can read them too.
FIRST: Opening statements:
6:48 PM: Thanks for the tip. The low bridge is out of service right now. Gates won’t open, says a stuck bike rider.
7:06 PM: Gates still down. Watching the live camera, we’ve seen some westbound riders turn around and head back eastbound. Some westbound vehicles are still waiting. We’re trying to reach SDOT to ask if they have any ETA on repairs.
7:41 PM: SDOT spokesperson Ethan Bergerson tells WSB, “The bridge is currently stuck due to a technical issue with the tail locking mechanism preventing us from opening or closing the bridge. A maintenance crew is currently en route to diagnose and fix the problem according to our standard response procedures.”
8:29 PM: Reopened, after 2+ hours. SDOT promises an update when they get the details on what went wrong.
(WSB photo, Saturday morning)
Two days after a man was shot and killed at the Duwamish Head viewpoint area where Harbor and Alki Avenues meet, we don’t yet know who the victim was; the King County Medical Examiner’s Office did not release his name today. So all we know about his identity remains what SPD said (in a slight update to its original post), that he was 22 years old, and that the other shooting victim, found alive in Renton, is 27. Beyond that, SPD told us today they have no new information to release. The person with the most to say today was District 1 City Councilmember Rob Saka; we updated our coverage on Saturday with his early comments, and today he both spoke at the council’s weekly briefing meeting and issued a statement. His remarks at the meeting are five minutes into this Seattle Channel video:
In his written statement, Saka suggested “bold action,” and while it didn’t elaborate on what that might be, he told his council colleagues at this afternoon’s meeting that he is “inclined to support” one thing that residents near the shooting scene have long called for – including one whose home was hit by Saturday morning’s gunfire: Removing the angled parking at the viewpoint where the victim was shot. Saka said he is convening a conversation with the community and city leaders, and that includes city agencies, such as SDOT, which would be accountable for parking reconfiguration and any other street/sidewalk changes. Parks and SPD would be involved too, he said.
Police are investigating a robbery reported at Roxhill Park. A man told them two men held him up at knifepoint, taking his wallet and phone. The victim said they walked away toward the nearby bus stops; police have already checked the buses that were in or leaving the area at that time. The two robbers are described as both around 35, white, short, one with long black hair and wearing a jacket with green sleeves, black pants, and white shoes, while the other was in a black top and black pants with “white lines.” The victim suffered arm injuries and is being treated by SFD medics. Call 911 if you have any info.
Today is the first weekday of summer break for thousands of local students. More than 50 West Seattle High School students will spend a large part of their summer studying outside the U.S. The report and photo are from WSHS teacher Meghan Schumacher, who is also Volunteer Site Coordinator for the program in which they’re participating:
This summer, 51 students from West Seattle High School will be studying abroad for 3-4 weeks with CIEE, the Council for International Educational Exchange, a nonprofit organization which coordinates high school and college international exchanges.
86% of these students are traveling with some kind of scholarship, either merit or need-based. West Seattle High School is a Global Navigator School with CIEE, which means that students at the school automatically qualify for at least $25,000 in scholarships toward program fees. This year, WSHS students earned $56,310 in scholarships. Students at West Seattle High have earned over $300,000 in scholarships since 2018, with 196 total students going abroad.
Students are participating in two types of programs. Language and Culture Programs involve studying French, Spanish, Italian, or Arabic in France, Spain, Argentina, Italy, or Morocco. Topic programs include art, creative writing, government, wildlife conservation, leadership and service, or engineering and innovation in Scotland, England, Portugal, Germany, Costa Rica, Botswana, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Ghana, Australia, the Netherlands, or Czechia.
We very much appreciate the support of the teachers, parents and community members of these students, encouraging them to apply and to put their best foot forward. These students and their support networks are helping to make West Seattle a more globally minded community.
Two and a half months after we first reported that city permit files indicated Total Wine & More would move into Westwood Village‘s ex-Staples space, the shopping center’s owners have finally confirmed it – by adding it to the official WWV map.
(We check the map daily, as it’s been the only way the center “announces” new additions; this status change for the 2501 SW Trenton space is new today.) Still no sign on the exterior of the building at the center’s northeast corner, though.
We’ve renewed our inquiry with Total Wine to ask about timeline. This will be the chain’s third store in Seattle city limits, after Interbay and Northgate.
Public Health – Seattle & King County announced this morning that it shut down seven unlicensed food vendors at Alki Beach last night for “operating without a valid permit.” They list the vendors in question as:
Botanas Lokas
Tacos El Amigo
Cocos
Unpermitted chicharron vendor
Tacos Seattle & Hot Dogs
Botanas
El Corre Caminos
Besides health, other permits are required for food vendors, as listed here. Meantime, you can check Public Health’s list of current food-establishment closures any time by going here.
(Sunday’s low tide at Fauntleroy ferry dock, photographed by Tom Trulin)
Here’s what’s up today/tonight, mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
HIGHLAND PARK SPRAYPARK: Daily operation continues – open 11 am-8 pm, free. (1100 SW Cloverdale)
COLMAN POOL: First weekday this summer 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 at Lincoln Park, the 7-day-a-week wading pool is open today noon-7 pm, in the central upper part of the park near the north play area.
BABY STORY TIME: Bring little ones up to 2 years old to Southwest Library (9010 35th SW), noon-12:30 pm, for story time!
(Mottled sea star, photographed by Rosalie Miller)
LOW-LOW TIDE: -3.1 feet at 1:17 pm, second-to-last day of the current series of low-low tides. You’ll see Seattle Aquarium volunteer beach naturalists at Constellation Park (63rd/Beach Drive) and Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) 11:30 am-3:30 pm.
CITY COUNCIL BRIEFING MEETING: 2 pm at City Hall, the weekly meeting in which councilmembers talk about their plans for the week ahead. Here’s the agenda. Watch live via Seattle Channel.
GET CRAFTY: 6-10 pm, Monday brings “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, first-time players too.
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: All welcome at free weekly Zen sitting/meditation in the chapel at Fauntleroy UCC (9140 California SW), 7 pm-8:30 pm.
MEDITATION IN ALKI: The Alki Dharma Community hosts meditation at Alki UCC (6115 SW Hinds), 7-8:30 pm.
MUSIC AT THE ALLEY: Live music with The Westside Trio, 8 pm at The Alley (behind 4509 California SW), 21+, no cover.
KARAOKE: 9 pm start for Monday night karaoke at Talarico’s Pizzeria (4718 California SW).
Have a West Seattle/White Center event to add to our calendar? Please send info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Family and friends are remembering Alden Van Campen, and sharing this with the community:
Longtime West Seattle resident Alden John Van Campen Jr. passed away June 18th in Stanwood, Washington.
He was born in Seattle on 3/30/1930 to Alden Van Campen and Lillian Whitmarsh Van Campen. He spent his early years in the Ravenna, Richmond Beach, and Queen Anne neighborhoods. He attended John Hay Elementary School and graduated from Queen Anne High School in 1948. He served in the USAF from 1950-1954 and was stationed in Japan and Guam during the Korean War. Upon his discharge from the Air Force, he began employment with Boeing, where he worked until his retirement in 1990.
He married Virginia Ann ‘Gini’ Larson in 1955 and moved to West Seattle, where he lived until 2023. Alden and Gini were blessed with four children and spent many happy years at the family cabin on Vashon. Alden was a self-described “Car Nut” and had and restored several classic cars throughout the years and was very active in attending the various car shows in western Washington. He also was an active motorcyclist, selling his last bike under family pressure when he was 83, he later tried a fast one, buying a moped when he was 88 to go to the cabin, until pressure from family made him return it. After his wife Gini passed away in 1991, he led a very active life traveling the world, building what his family described as a house around a garage where he kept his show cars, motorcycle, and however many other vehicles he had, never less than two more, wintering in Palm Springs and later, Arizona, spending lots of time at Vashon, and dancing at the White Center Eagles every Friday night.
After being diagnosed with Dementia in 2020, he had to make the toughest decision of his life and give up his beloved cars and move into the first of three assisted living facilities where, ever the ladies man, he never was without female companionship, he never lost his wit, and when asked if he had a new lady friend at the last place, said, “Well, you know Jack, I never plan it, these things just kind of happen.”
Alden was preceded in death by his parents, his brother Donald, his sister Mary, his daughter Kristi, and his wife Gini. He is survived by his children, John (Jack) (Jodi), Cyndi (Rob) Sparrow, Kurt (Ariel); grandchildren Amy Taylor, Jacob Sparrow, Kyle Sparrow, Kailey Gardin, Dylan Van Campen, and Matthew Van Campen; great-grandchildren Hunter, Riser, Dominic, Damian, McKenna, Cambri, Ember, Milo, Elena, and Emilia.
There will be no services at his request.
(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)
Baleen whale – which usually means humpback or gray – in the Fauntleroy ferry lanes right now, per Kersti Muul.
6:03 AM: Good morning! It’s Monday, June 24 – first weekday since all remaining schools got out for summer break.
WEATHER + SUNRISE/SUNSET TIMES
Clearing, high near 70. Today’s sunrise was at 5:12 am, while sunset will be at 9:11 pm (and will stay there until Saturday) – days are getting shorter now, but slowly (today, for example, has 17 seconds less daylight than Sunday).
ONGOING ROAD WORK
*SDOT’s Delridge pedestrian-bridge earthquake-safety project continues, with narrowing at Delridge/Oregon:
*Beach Drive: Gas-pipeline work.
TRANSIT NOTES
Metro today – Regular schedule; check for advisories here.
Water Taxi today – Regular schedule. Check the real-time map if you need to see where the boat is.
Washington State Ferries today – The usual 2 boats on the Triangle Route, but now with the unscheduled “bonus boat” when available; check WSF alerts for last-minute changes. Use the real-time map to see where your ferry is.
SPOTLIGHT TRAFFIC CAMERAS
Low bridge: Here’s the main view:
Delridge cameras: Besides the one below (Delridge/Orchard), cameras are also at Delridge/Genesee, Delridge/Juneau, Delridge/Henderson, Delridge/Oregon, and video-only (so you have to go to the map), Delridge/Holden and Delridge/Thistle.
High Bridge – Here’s the main camera:
High Bridge – the view from its southwest end (when SDOT points the 35th/Avalon/Fauntleroy camera that way):
1st Ave. S. Bridge:
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!
Looking at the week ahead, one of the biggest stories is expected to result from Wednesday’s Seattle Public Schools Board meeting – SPS superintendent Dr. Brent Jones is supposed to finally unveil his proposal to close elementary schools. Community meetings in the past month – including this one we covered in West Seattle – were intended to explain why district administrators feel that’s the only way to close a big part of the budget gap for the 2025-2026 school year and beyond. So far, the early version of the agenda gives no hint as to what exactly the superintendent will propose; it simply lists “Well-Resourced Schools Update” in the first hour, sometime between the 4:15 pm start of the meeting and the expected 5 pm start of public comment. (If you haven’t been following this, “a system of well-resourced schools” is what the district says it will have if it closes some elementaries – although K-8s are “on the table” too, reinforced by this FAQ.) Speaking of which – if you want to sign up to comment on the expected plan or anything else, signups start tomorrow morning at 8 am; the agenda explains how. The meeting will be held at district HQ in SODO (3rd/Lander) and shown live on SPS TV, via YouTube and cable.
Equipped with only a list of addresses for the 10 locations participating in today’s West Seattle Garden Tour, we randomly chose two to visit for photos – and they turned out to have one big thing in common: Backyard slopes. At a home in Gatewood, as shown above, the garden continued downslope – ending in a big space where the family’s five chickens roam.
They’re the subject of whimsical signage:
But whimsy resides elsewhere in this garden too. The husband – who is the main gardenkeeper – is a sculptor, and charming little artwork was everywhere in and around the plants and other features:
The backyard was ringed by several tall evergreens, which, we were told, means a lot of the focus is on shade gardening. From there we headed to a home just south of Westwood Village, where we discovered the backyard garden continued upslope:
This garden had many extra outdoor-living touches, including a backyard shed, hot tub, tables and chairs. Creative lighting fixtures, too:
Color abounded in planters, including red, white, and blue flowers:
Out front, a cat who seemed unperturbed by all the extra visitors:
One more Garden Tour note – we got this via text later in the day:
I just wanted to give a shout out to our neighbor who worked hard and petitioned to get our little block in White Center on the map for the West Seattle garden tour. We’re on 110th and 19th Ave SW … and have three houses on our block participating. It’s packed and so cool to see!
The Garden Tour was sold out in advance, as is the case most years, so if you want to go next year, watch for early word of ticket sales! Tour proceeds go toward grants for local nonprofits; if you are with a nonprofit interested in being one of next year’s recipients, applications are open for a few more weeks.
Pickleball on the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex courts west of Southwest Pool isn’t a rare sight, but Saturday’s activity was more extensive than usual – the Westside Pickleball League was hosting its second annual Rally on the Rock tournament. Rosina Geary and Amy Greger from the WPL were tournament directors, managing to keep things running with about 160 players participating, including a few from Canada.
Every so often, they had to wrangle winning teams for medal presentations and photos:
We happened to be on hand for that group getting their medals – Max Brockman, Spencer Klein, Eric Kim, James Lee, Zachary Wagnild, and Shane Silkey. The league routinely raises money for student athletics, as we noted when we reported on its formation a year and a half ago – and the Rally on the Rock tournament was for Chief Sealth International High School Cross Country – some students from the team helped out as runners during the tournament, ferrying scoresheets around among other things.
ADDED: Amy sent a few stats – by tournament’s end, they had 182 players – 58 percent men, 42 percent women, ages ranging from 20s to 80s, with the biggest demographic group in their 30s.
Every weekend – and some other days, too! – groups of West Seattle volunteers are out doing community work. This weekend, that included volunteers from the Rotary Club of West Seattle, which sent the photo:
They report, “The north mile of SW Delridge is cleaner today thanks to West Seattle Rotarians. Saturrday, members of the Rotary Club of West Seattle picked up trash as part of the City’s Adopt-a-Street program. New club member Ann Theony led the group project.” Other volunteers: Greg Dirks, Julie MacDonald, Al Bernahl, Martha Sidlo, Mark Ward, Brian Waid, Stefanie Fenix.
(WSB photos)
“Somebody set fire to the forts,” a little girl informed us as we photographed the blackened driftwood on the shore at Lowman Beach Park. We went there after multiple tips about fires there this morning; those aren’t allowed anywhere at this park.
The SFD log shows two calls, one at about 4:50 am, one at about 7:50 am, both categorized as “brush fire” although we didn’t see any sign of burned vegetation (SFD’s automated log has a limited number of classifications). We did see extensive driftwood damage; impossible to tell if any was from prior dates. The little girl’s mom warned her to “avoid the charcoal – the burned part.” Lowman Beach’s north side was restored to a more natural state in a project completed two years ago.
(Photos courtesy Southside Revolution)
Following up on this report about their planned trip for national competition, we have an update from junior roller-derby organization Southside Revolution on how things went and what’s next, sent by Andrew McCarty:
This past weekend, the Southside Revolution Rebels, our local junior roller derby travel team, spent 3 days in Denver to compete against 5 other teams at the Junior Roller Derby Association playoffs. After a long weekend, competing in two challenging games against Rome Junior Roller Derby (Rome, GA) and FoCo Junior Roller Derby (Denver, CO), Rebels came in second place after an unfortunate loss to FoCo ending off the 10th season of Southside Revolution with an 13-3 season record.
(Southside Revolution [black and green] vs Rome [white and gold])
In addition, Southside Revolution will sadly be saying goodbye their two seniors, Fiona Lindsey and TJ Elbert, graduating from Chief Sealth Int’l High School and Garfield High School. They are also known as Silent But Deadly #222 and Fox & Furious #240 on the track. An age-out ceremony was held during the first day of the tournament, congratulating Fiona and TJ along with many other seniors from other competing teams.
Both joining Southside Revolution in 2019, these two seniors have made a major positive impact on the league over the past 5 years and have influenced many of the younger skaters in the league. Southside wishes them the best of luck in their adulthood, and hope they continue their derby career.
Composed of teenage skaters from West Seattle, White Center, Burien, and beyond, SSR makes its home at Southgate Roller Rink in White Center. The league serves 90+ skaters aged 7-18 of any gender identity, with five teams spread across a range of skill levels.
The teams will make an appearance at the West Seattle Grand Parade this year as well. For anyone interested in signups for new skaters to learn about derby at SSR’s September clinics, contact info@southsiderevolution.com
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