West Seattle, Washington
26 Thursday
(WSB photo from 8800 block of 24th SW search scene Tuesday afternoon)
Following up on this Tuesday report: The man arrested by SWAT officers inside an Alki restaurant is out of jail tonight, as is his brother, also arrested yesterday. Police would say only that both arrests are related to an investigation that’s been ongoing since March. According to probable-cause documents we obtained from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office after today’s bail hearing for the two suspects, the man arrested while dining at Pegasus Pizza with a child is a 29-year-old man whose address is listed as the 24th SW residence where we photographed SWAT officers about an hour later (photo above). We don’t know the identity of the handcuffed person in our 24th SW photo from Tuesday’s story; the court documents say the 22-year-old brother was arrested at his residence in Magnolia. Both were held for investigation of drug violations.
The documents say that the vehicle and residence search related to the older brother arrested on Alki yielded more than $13,000 cash as well as 100 oxycodone and percocet tablets, plus a loaded gun. Vehicle and residence searches related to the younger brother arrested in Magnolia were reported to have yielded 75 tablets of the same drugs, as well as $1,000 cash, multiple guns, and a bulletproof vest. The King County Jail Register shows that both got out this evening after posting bond – the older suspect’s bail had been set at $25,000, the younger one’s at $20,000. No charges filed yet (which is why we are not identifying them) but we will continue to check on the case.
How’s your “Go Bag” going? In honor of Washington State Disaster Preparedness Month, we’re leading you through the process of putting one together, one day/item at a time, with the help of Cindi Barker from West Seattle Be Prepared. The next item on the list:
Back to food items – today put 3 cans of fruit and 3 granola/trail bars per person in your kit. Fruit can be applesauce or good old fruit cocktail; you are adding variety and different vitamins with the fruits. The trail bars can be the energy bars as well, and it’s fine to have more than 3 – they can provide lots of calories in a small package.
Remember that the disaster most likely to strike in our area is an earthquake – smaller ones happen frequently, and if you need a reminder, check the U.S. Geological Survey website – as we write this, we see that site showing a string of quakes in California – none big, but quake prediction remains elusive, so all you can do is be prepared.
Catching up? Our previous PACK YOUR BAG! installments are archived here, newest to oldest.
From SDOT, word of lane closures on the easternmost section of the West Seattle Bridge this Sunday morning:
A Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Roadway Structures crew will perform a regular maintenance inspection of the deck of the Spokane Street Viaduct eastbound on Sunday morning, October 13. The work, which will take place between 6 am and 11 am, will require lane closures eastbound on the Viaduct between E Marginal Way and the I-5 ramps. Two lanes will be closed at a time for the inspections. Work will begin with the closure of the two left lanes and then those will reopen and the two right lanes will be closed. The on-ramps to SR 99, the off-ramps to First Avenue S and Fourth Avenue S as well as the I-5 onramps will remain open throughout the operation. Motorists should plan on slowing through the work zone.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The new owners of Skylark Café and Club in North Delridge are finally ready for their closeup.
They weren’t quite ready to talk back when we reported Skylark’s founders had sold it to them. But now they’ve been running Skylark for five weeks – they took over on September 1st and reopened it on September 3rd – and would like to invite you to get to know them, so, tomorrow, they invite you to an open house to get to know the new Skylark – which so far isn’t that much different from the old one, just continuing to evolve.
We sat down with new proprietors Matt Larson and Janna Richards to talk about what’s not changing, what is, and their hopes for the food-and-music venue:
Midnight tonight is your last chance for discount-priced signups for the West Seattle Monster Dash on October 26th – the price goes up $5 tomorrow. Race co-directors Milyssa and Trish say, “We welcome runners and walkers of all ages and speeds, and strongly encourage costumes!” Prizes and treats (including bagels from WSB sponsor Zatz A Better Bagel!). Register online here. P.S. If you want to be part of it but don’t want to walk/run, e-mail westseattlemonsterdash@gmail.com to find out about volunteer opportunities. The WSMD benefits the SSCC Cooperative Preschool program.
That’s our video of King County Executive Dow Constantine and Councilmember Joe McDermott (who chairs the county Board of Health) in White Center at noontime today, speaking out against the federal-government shutdown as it threatens a program that serves 38,000 pregnant women, new mothers, and young children. Layoff-warning notices went out today to 82 King County employees who work on the Women/Infants/Children nutrition program, since federal funding expires October 31st if the situation doesn’t change. “It’s time for Congress to stop holding America’s future hostage,” declared Constantine. Also speaking to reporters at the media briefing was Crystal Ruegger, a WIC client and spouse of a furloughed federal employee.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The city has formally gone public this week with its proposed new rules for so-called microhousing, though they won’t affect the two projects already well under way in West Seattle or two others in the works, which are:
*4548 Delridge (3 stories, 16 sleeping rooms, 2 “dwelling units,” top photo)
*3266 Avalon Way (5 stories, 56 sleeping rooms, 7 “dwelling units,” photo below)
*3050 Avalon Way (5 stories, 110 sleeping rooms, 14 “dwelling units,” not yet under construction)
*5949 California SW (4 stories, 38 sleeping rooms, 5 “dwelling units,” not yet under construction)
Those four are all on the citywide microhousing-projects list that is part of the package accompanying the proposal, which debuted in the most recent edition of the city’s twice-weekly Land Use Information Bulletin.
“Dwelling units” refers to how many shared kitchens the microhousing buildings have – up to eight “sleeping rooms” can share one. But the “dwelling unit” count is what has allowed many of these projects to move below the radar for design review among other things – it’s been difficult in some cases to comb through documentation to find that an “eight-unit” development is really a place where 80 people will live.
New information about last night’s crash at 26th/Roxbury: We now know why one person was in handcuffs at the scene. Cuffed doesn’t always mean arrested, and no further information was available last night, but we followed up with Seattle Police today and have found out that this began as a reported domestic-violence incident. The police report says it started with a domestic disturbance in the 1300 block of SW Cambridge; a passerby “witnessed a male break down the front door to the house and yell at the people inside.” At the scene, a woman told police that her 25-year-old son – who had left before officers arrived – is having a hard time finding a job, and a hard time controlling his anger, which was touched off by an out-of-state traffic ticket, with a sizable fine, arriving in the mail. She said he was taking out his anger by repeatedly slamming the front door, with damage compounded by a real-estate lockbox getting caught in the door frame with each slam.
Thanks to Matthew Olson for that photo of a belted kingfisher, spotted Monday on a piling near Duwamish Head. Now, we take wing into Wednesday’s highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
NEED HELP WITH HEALTH-INSURANCE SIGNUPS? Affordable Care Act nfo session 11 am-3 pm today at Delridge Branch Library; details in our calendar listing. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
HIGH POINT MARKET GARDEN FARM STAND: Final Wednesday to check it out, 4-7 pm – organic produce sold steps away from where it was grown. Info in our calendar listing. (32nd/Juneau)
CHINESE CORNER – STILL ROOM! This series of free every-other-week lessons in Chinese language and culture at the Seattle Chinese Garden still has room for YOU to sign up – the next installment is 4-6 pm today, and our calendar listing has signup info. (6000 16th SW, north side of South Seattle Community College [WSB sponsor] campus)
34TH DISTRICT DEMOCRATS: Tonight’s agenda for the monthly gathering of West Seattle’s biggest political group includes speakers on immigration reform – David Ayala-Zamora, director of One America – and the newly renamed West Seattle Transportation Coalition. 7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy. (9131 California SW)
PURSE POKER: The new Wednesday night game starts at Feedback Lounge (WSB sponsor) at 7 pm. (6451 California SW)
As mentioned in our Tuesday calendar preview, what was the West Seattle Transit Coalition had its first board meeting last night, two weeks after the coalition’s launch meeting. We say “was,” because one big decision was made and has been announced on the group’s website: Broadening its scope, it will be the West Seattle Transportation Coalition from hereon out. As will be mentioned in today’s upcoming calendar preview, the group will be speaking during tonight’s 34th District Democrats meeting (7 pm, The Hall at Fauntleroy, 9131 California SW).
Just before school started, it was group-photo time at Schmitz Park Elementary this morning, after six “Walking School Buses” arrived at school as part of International Walk To School Day.
Some local schools have year-round Walking School Buses, in hopes of bringing back the tradition of walking to school if you’re close enough, after a precipitous drop in the percentage of walkers over the past few decades.
Thanks to Shawn for sharing news of this sighting:
I just wanted to inform everyone that at 6:45 am this morning I ran into a coyote at the corner of 36th & Brandon [map]. It headed toward Fairmount (Playfield). Please let the neighborhood know to keep their pets indoors.
We share sighting reports not to stir fear but just to be sure people are aware that coyotes are pretty much everywhere in our area, even if you’ve never seen one. Here’s the state’s advice on what to do if you see one, and how to reduce the chances they’ll want to hang around your house, among other things.
The West Seattle High School girls-varsity soccer team keeps rolling on. Thanks again to Karin Beck for photos and an update on the latest game – a 2-0 win over Ingraham on Tuesday afternoon. Karin reports:
Katie DuLong and Lindsey Hage scored goals, and Sarah DuLong was the shutout keeper.
Next up for the Wildcats, a big game against Nathan Hale on Thursday, Oct. 10, 3:30P.M. at Addams Playfields. (11051 34th Ave NE)
Watch out for more pedestrians than usual today, particularly the littlest ones – it’s International Walk to School Day! As reported here earlier this week, Schmitz Park Elementary has big plans, with special Walking School Buses. Anybody else? Let us know; photos welcome too – editor@wsb.blackfin.biz!
Otherwise, we’re on traffic watch as usual:
(Live view from the west-facing WS Bridge camera; other cameras are on the WSB Traffic page)
If you’re driving or riding through South Delridge, the detour is NOT changing directions today after all – here’s that announcement from last night.
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