West Seattle, Washington
27 Friday
(Some buses rolled out of First Student South Park yard today. Photo by striking driver Al, who texted “Tell the kids I miss them!”)
No word of new negotiations in the school-bus drivers’ strike against First Student, so Tuesday will be Day 4. Seattle Public Schools, which contracts with First Student for yellow-bus service, says in its newest update that some drivers have reported to work:
Some First Student drivers have decided not to strike. As they report to work, we are asking First Student to prioritize bus routes that serve students in special education and those in underserved communities (e.g. Title I schools). As of Monday, Feb. 5, about 70 of the 395 regular First Student drivers had completed approximately 260 daily routes (including both bell tiers).
For now, the best course of action is urging both sides to find middle ground.
The drivers’ union, Teamsters Local 174, says in an update today that “adequate, affordable health care” is the main issue. First Student contends it’s offering a “fair, equitable” deal. Strike side effects, meantime, include increased car traffic at schools – we tweeted a photo today taken at Boren STEM K-8 – and improvised after-school transportation, as noted by the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) on Instagram.
(#2 Elijah Nnanabu, top scorer for WSHS)
FIRST REPORT, 8:27 PM: That was a nailbiter for a few minutes – but the West Seattle High School boys pulled it out and just beat O’Dea on the Fighting Irish home court on First Hill, 59-55. Next up in the Metro League championships, they play Rainier Beach at 8:30 pm Wednesday at Seattle Pacific University. We’ll have photos and more about the game after we get back to HQ.
ADDED 11:56 PM: It was the thriller on First Hill. Though the Wildcats ended the first quarter up 10 points, and had a 12-point lead for a bit in the second quarter, much of the second half was a lot closer. West Seattle outfought the Fighting Irish, but not without some nailbiting moments. And a lot of cheering by the passionate fan base that crossed the bay for the game.
The lead changed hands for the first few minutes, until WSHS started to settle into the upper hand. They had lost to O’Dea by just two points in the regular season, and didn’t seem too mystified by their opponents’ game plan.
The Wildcat defense forced O’Dea to try lots of outside shots – generally without success. West Seattle had better luck getting inside, including a reverse shot by #2 Elijah Nnanabu – the night’s top scorer with 18 – early on. That really energized the crowd.
O’Dea’s cold-handed shooting was particularly in evidence in the second quarter. The Wildcats had ample rebounding opportunities, and #5 Abdullahi Mohamed excelled. He got the basket that widened West Seattle’s lead to 12 points in the second quarter.
O’Dea started chipping away at that lead for a while. WSHS kicked the defense up a notch, and when they got the ball back, kept powering through:
But the lead was down to five points at halftime, 28-23. Out of the gate in the second half, #23 Anthony Giomi – second-leading Wildcat scorer with 16 – hit the first basket.
They couldn’t pull away, and the Fighting Irish got too close for comfort – narrowing the gap to three points by 5:15 to go in the third quarter. West Seattle stepped up their game again, but O’Dea sensed an opening and tightened up the defense in the waning moments of the third quarter, getting within two in its final minute.
(WSHS head coach Keffrey Fazio)
In the fourth quarter’s early going, O’Dea was suddenly just one point down, 42-41. A pivotal possession for WSHS at 5:34 led to a basket, and the crowd roared. A foul shot widened the lead to four points. But there was no pulling away, despite exciting moments like a steal that led to another Nnanabu bucket. With three minutes to go, the WSHS section in the bleachers was doing some footstomping. At 2:45, the lead was opened to six points, 50-44.
#24 Simon Harris added two points to that with a basket at 2:05. Victory was in view – but still not a sure thing, and two minutes can be forever in basketball. In fact, it almost was – an O’Dea three-pointer with :45 to go turned a five-point WSHS lead into two. But they just wouldn’t let O’Dea get any closer than that, and the final was 59-55.
ONE MORE THING ABOUT WEDNESDAY: It’ll be a WSHS doubleheader at Seattle Pacific University – the girls play Cleveland at 7 pm, before the boys face Rainier Beach at 8:30.
Scams and fraud aren’t always as obvious as you might think. Here’s more advice about how to protect yourself, sentby Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner:
As we head into tax season, we often see an increase in tax fraud and various forms of scams.
In order to combat this, the SW Precinct would like to provide our community with some helpful prevention information about these scams, as well as the most effective way to report them! Subsets of the population are more vulnerable to these types of scams- but everyone can help protect themselves by keeping the following ten practical suggestions in mind, provided by the Federal Trade Commission:
We’ve learned more today about last night’s incident in which a police officer suffered a knife injury to the hand – and the suspect arrested and jailed in the case.
(Sunday night photo by Tim Durkan)
First, SPD spokesperson Det. Mark Jamieson tells us the officer’s injury was not major – he was treated at a hospital and released shortly thereafter. As we reported last night, he says, it started with the officer noticing graffiti vandalism in progress on a fence at Delridge and Henderson; he pulled over and made contact with the suspect, who tried to run – a brief struggle ensued, the officer got the suspect under control, called for backup, and after another officer arrived, the suspect started fighting, and at some point the officer discovered he had a laceration to the hand. A knife was found at the scene.
Today we’ve learned the suspect is 20-year-old Jorge Cruz-Benitez, who was arrested and charged in November of last year for allegedly breaking into a Highland Park house while the people who live there – including three children – were asleep. (One of the adult residents tracked him down and widely shared his first-person story.) While Cruz-Benitez was originally held in lieu of $30,000 bail in that case, court documents show that a judge allowed him into an alternative custody program in early December after two and a half weeks in jail, and it was to include treatment for substance abuse. Along with investigation of assault, he is being held right now for investigation of violating drug laws.
(City-provided photo accompanying announcement)
3:34 PM: Almost 10 months after the city announced its first settlement in the infamous West Seattle illegal tree-cutting case, another has just been announced. From the city news release:
The City has settled the second of two civil suits against West Seattle homeowners who the City alleged hired people to cut down a swath of a greenbelt in late 2015 or early 2016 to improve the homeowners’ views.
The unpermitted tree cutting near the 3200 block of 35th Ave. SW occurred in environmentally critical areas on a steep slope near the defendants’ homes. In its two lawsuits, the City alleged that two separate groups of people were responsible for cutting two distinct areas of City trees. Between the two cuttings, 153 trees of varying sizes, including many big-leaf maples and Scouler’s willows, were felled and left crisscrossing the area. The first suit settled in 2017 for $440,000. In the second suit the City sought damages from Kostas Kyrimis, Linda Kyrimis, Nancy Despain, Wendy Sweigart, Leroy Bernard, Joyce Bernard, Charles King, Shirley King and Bruce Gross. The defendants have agreed to pay the City a total of $360,000 to resolve the matter.
Parks remediation of the area is already under way, and Parks plans to use the settlement funds to continue its work restoring the site and other greenbelt areas in the City.
Read the full news release here; our area’s City Councilmember Lisa Herbold is quoted as saying, “I expect these clear consequences will make someone think twice before considering arboricide in the future.” You can also read the settlement document here; we’re reading it now and will add any details of note that the city announcement didn’t include.
4:05 PM: A few other notes:
-Before the settlement, the case had been scheduled to go to trial this May.
-City-led restoration work continues at the sites where the trees were cut; volunteers helped out on Green Seattle Day last November.
-If you are new, or need a refresher on where this happened, our March 2016 story included a map.
Just in from SDOT:
The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) advises travelers that work is being done at six intersections in West Seattle to install new traffic control components so that they are compatible with the latest traffic control operating system. The new equipment will allow improved system operations and updated pedestrian crossing times. This work is a part of collaboration with community feedback over pedestrian crossing times along SW Admiral Way and California Way SW. Work is scheduled for Tuesday, February 6.
What to expect:
Revised signal operation timings and updated pedestrian crossing cycle length during a.m. peak, p.m. peak, and off-peak hours. The locations are as follows:
41st Ave SW and SW Admiral Way
42nd Ave SW and SW Admiral Way
California Ave SW and SW Admiral Way
California Ave SW and SW Lander St
California Ave SW and SW Stevens St
California Ave SW and SW Hanford St
(WSB photo from Station 32’s open house last November)
This Saturday is Neighbor Day around the city – and one of the most popular aspects is the chance to visit local fire stations during Neighbor Day open houses. They’re not all open for the occasion but here are the ones on the list this time – 11 am-1 pm Saturday (February 10th) – in West Seattle:
-Fire Station 11 in Highland Park (16th/Holden)
-Fire Station 29 in North Admiral (2139 Ferry SW)
-Fire Station 32 in The Triangle (38th/Alaska)
-Fire Station 37 in Sunrise Heights (35th/Holden)
More about Neighbor Day as the week goes on!
P.S. Though the list on the city website does not include Station 32 right now, we doublechecked with SFD and they say the new station WILL have an open house too.
1:11 PM: That’s an image taken from the SDOT camera on the “low bridge,” where a crash is blocking both directions right now. No other details so far but you’ll want to take alternate routes.
1:45 PM: SDOT says the crash has cleared. We’re checking with SFD about injuries.
2:15 PM: SFD spokesperson Kristin Tinsley tells WSB that a woman believed to be in her mid-50s was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
The latest early-stage proposal from city permit files is for three lots that now hold houses in the 2800 block of SW Yancy – 2811, 2821, and 2827. They would potentially be combined and redeveloped with three 3-story buildings with 43 microapartments and an underground parking garage. The draft “site plan” carries the name of Transitional Resources, the nonprofit that is headquartered nearby, on SW Avalon, with a variety of services for people living with mental-health challenges, including residential units offering “supported housing.” We contacted TR’s CEO Darcell Slovek-Walker to ask for more information on what’s being considered. She replied, “We are in the very early stage of exploring how we can sustain the properties we have rented for years on Yancy Street.” The proposal carries the address of 2821 SW Yancy, though the parcels that would be involved run from 2811 through 2829, according to city files.
It’s Black Lives Matter At School Week nationwide, with local support from the Seattle School Board, which last week adopted a resolution that declares “that the lives of black students matter, as well as the lives of all of our students of color, and that we encourage participation district-wide in the national Black Lives Matter At School Week from February 5-9, 2018.” We stopped by Louisa Boren STEM K-8 this morning after Shawna Murphy sent word of a before-school unity event planned by the PTA.
Yes, you probably noticed something obvious about the people in that photo. And it’s one of the issues raised by the Social Equity Educators (SEE) group from the teachers’ union, the Seattle Education Association: They want the district to hire more black teachers. (Here’s the SEE website.)
At Boren, meantime, buttons, stickers, signmaking, and books were available before school, and we’re told an assembly was planned for today too.
STEM K-8 is the only school we’ve heard from so far – any other local activities/assemblies? Please let us know – editor@wsb.blackfin.biz or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thanks!
(Steller’s Jay, through a midwinter foliage drapery, photographed by Jeremiah Holt)
From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar for your Monday:
FREE TAX HELP: 2-7 pm at Delridge Library. No appointment required; details here. (5423 Delridge Way SW)
MEATLESS MONDAY: Cooking-demo class at the West Seattle YMCA (WSB sponsor) with Chef Kim O’Donnel, 4-5 pm. Today: Red Lentil Dal with Wilted Greens. Cost and other details here. (3622 SW Snoqualmie)
IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION: Fauntleroy Church‘s series of discussions on immigration-related issues continues tonight with “Welcoming the Stranger: How Can Religious Institutions Help Those at Risk of Deportation?” All welcome. Dinner (free-will offering) at 6:30 pm, discussion at 7 pm. (9140 California SW)
FAMILY STORY TIME: 6:30 pm, High Point Library. (35th SW/SW Raymond)
BASKETBALL: The West Seattle High School boys play this year’s first postseason game tonight, 7 pm, at O’Dea. (802 Terry Ave.; map)
PUGET RIDGE COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 7 pm at Puget Ridge Cohousing, with topics including the Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator talking about Block Watches. (7020 18th SW)
AND THAT’S NOT ALL … see our complete-calendar page. And if you have an event, performance, presentation, etc., open to the public, be sure we have it for West Seattle’s most-comprehensive event calendar – e-mail info (plain text, not an attachment) to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz as early as possible – thank you!
(SDOT MAP with travel times/video links; is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE)
6:49 AM: Good morning. No incidents reported in West Seattle or on the outbound routes.
Updates:
SCHOOL BUS STRIKE: First Student drivers who transport Seattle Public Schools students are striking for a third day.
FAUNTLEROY/WILDWOOD CLOSURE: First scheduled day of a two-week project closing this intersection just south of the Fauntleroy ferry dock and rerouting the C Line and Route 116. We’re headed downhill in a minute to verify.
7:20 AM: As of a few minutes ago, the intersection is still open. But preparations are under way (for example, a car in the “no parking” zone on 45th SW just north of Wildwood was being towed). And the buses ARE rerouting – we were behind a RapidRide C Line going eastbound on SW Trenton. Once on 45th, it’s slow going for the C Line while negotiating a traffic circle that, as a commenter pointed out, has been extended with asphalt for the buses. We’ll check back next hour to see if the closure’s set up yet.
11:38 AM: We did finally get back to the area after 10 am, and yes, the closure is now in effect. Note that 45th SW north of Wildwood is a lot busier than usual because of the detours.
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Quiet month at Camp Second Chance – the city-sanctioned/funded encampment at 9701 Myers Way S. – but not so quiet in the pockets of unauthorized camping across the road.
Complaints about camping in the woods on the other side of Myers Way resurfaced toward the end of this month’s meeting of the Community Advisory Committee for Camp Second Chance, held Sunday afternoon at nearby Arrowhead Gardens.
Also during the meeting, one of the reps from the camp’s operator, the Low-Income Housing Institute (LIHI), suggested the committee and other community members put pressure on the city to provide a daily meal for the campers. Other updates ranged from budgeting to trash pickup.
(First 2 photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
7:38 PM: You’ll want to avoid the Delridge/Henderson area, which is reported to be blocked right now for a police investigation, including westward to 20th SW [map]. An “assault with weapons” SFD dispatch is on the way too, for a Seattle Police officer reported to have a knife wound to the hand. More to come.
7:50 PM: We just talked with police at the scene. They tell us the officer who is hurt had just detained a suspected tagger allegedly caught in the act. The suspect, they say, became uncooperative and stabbed the officer in the hand. Not life-threatening – the officer is being taken to the hospital now. Delridge is open but Henderson is blocked just to the west. The suspect is in custody.
(Photo by Tim Durkan)
10:10 PM: We just went over to verify that investigators have cleared the scene and reopened the road, which they have. We hope to find out more tomorrow about the officer’s condition and the suspect’s status.
Another reminder that tomorrow is the scheduled start of the SDOT project that will close the intersection of Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Wildwood [map], just south of the ferry terminal, for up to two weeks, for replacement of concrete road panels and construction of a curb ramp. That means a traffic detour, bus reroutes, and parking restrictions nearby, including along the temporary bus route, which includes SW Trenton.
-The original SDOT announcement with detour info is here
-The detailed Metro reroute announcement for RapidRide C Line and Route 116 is here
SDOT says the closure starts at 7 am Monday; Metro says the reroutes begin at the “start of service” for the affected routes. We will be checking the area for our regular weekday traffic/transit coverage. You can check traffic cameras in the vicinity via this page on the Washington State Ferries website.
(Photo provided by Historic Seattle, from Bungalow Magazine, September 1913, via Seattle Public Library)
Embedded below is a slideshow provided by Historic Seattle, showing its past “heart-bombing” events – shared as they plan one for West Seattle’s C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor):
The fate of C & P’s site at 5612 California SW remains undetermined, four weeks after its owners put it on the market, with C & P subsequently crowdfunding and working to muster a counter-offer. (Nothing to announce when we last checked in with them.)
If you’re a C & P fan, you’re invited to join in what Historic Seattle has planned. The organization’s announcement explains that heart-bombing is …
… a form of advocacy, a fun and creative way to bring people together and raise awareness about what’s cherished in a community — places both safe and threatened– with homemade valentines that serve as a sort of love letter to places that matter. This February, groups and individuals across the country will be heart-bombing the places that matter to them. To join in, you craft up a valentine and then go out and show some love for the places that matter to you. Next you take a picture, and share on social media using #heartbombSEA and #IHeartSavingPlaces to be a part of the local and nationwide love fest.
On February 8 from 4-6 pm, we are hosting a heart-bomb valentine craftmaking “party” at our headquarters on First Hill. Following that, on February 13 from noon-1 PM, Historic Seattle staff and other advocates will be gathering to heart-bomb C & P Coffee (and take a group photo).
This isn’t a surprise party – C & P already knows. You’re welcome to be there on the 13th whether or not you make it to the craft party five days earlier (Historic Seattle, by the way, is at 1117 Minor Ave.) – or, if you can’t be there in person, you can drop off your Valentine at C & P before then.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Beetle:
My car was stolen this morning around 2 am- 3 am around 18th Ave SW and Elmgrove. My CCTV footage showed 2 possible males drive by in a minivan; one got out as a lookout and the other got into my car and they both drove off.
It was a gold ’95 Honda Accord lX with minor body damage to driver’s-side front panel and rear. WA license plate AYU4885. Not a fancy car but it was a reliable way to work an hour away from here. Any info if seen around the neighborhood would help greatly. I have already reported it stolen and this is the second time it’s happened … same car and location.
Call 911 if you see it.
Thanks to Heather Griffin from the Chief Sealth International High School faculty for sharing the rehearsal photo and invitation:
Ninth-grade students at Chief Sealth International High School are participating in the 17th annual Page to Stage drama-based instruction conducted by Book-It Repertory Theatre. Students have been studying poetry in their Language Arts classes, and have used that work to create a final performance for you to see on Thursday, February 8th, at 7 p.m. We welcome the community to join us in this dynamic interpretation of student-written poems at the Chief Sealth International auditorium.
The auditorium is on the west side of the campus at 2600 SW Thistle. Last year we recorded and published video of 11 of the 23 performed poems – but nothing compares to being there and seeing and hearing for yourself (performers always appreciate an audience, too).
Would you post this on the blog for us?
Thanks,
Heather Griffin
(Photo by Ankit Saxena, who photographed the colors from Alki after a mid-January rainstorm)
The Game isn’t all that’s happening this Sunday! From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
WEST SEATTLE FARMERS MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in the street in the heart of The Junction. And market management informs us that today is National Homemade Soup Day, which you can celebrate by purchasing many locally grown ingredients at the market. (California SW between SW Alaska and SW Oregon)
LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: Didn’t get to last night’s reception for the new exhibit Navigating to Alki? See it at the museum today, regular hours noon-4 pm. (61st SW/SW Stevens)
‘FRANK VS. GOD’: 1 pm at Kol HaNeshamah – instead of a talk, it’s a movie matinée for this edition of the FRED series, and you’ll meet the West Seattleite who’s one of the producers of “Frank vs. God.” More info in our calendar listing. (6115 SW Hinds)
CAMP 2ND CHANCE COMMUNITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE: Monthly meeting is at 2 pm, Arrowhead Gardens community room. Our preview published Friday night includes info addressing two frequently mentioned issues – the camp operator’s contract with the city, and the process for renewing the camp’s permit for a second sanctioned year. The meeting is as always open to the public. (9200 2nd SW)
OPERA PREVIEW: Seattle Opera previews “Beatrice and Benedict,” 2 pm at West Seattle (Admiral) Library. Free! (2306 42nd SW)
THE BIG GAME: You have many options for watching The Bowl. Two Bowls, if you go to The Westy (WSB sponsor) – they promise a screen in the corner will be showing the Puppy Bowl, though the main event otherwise is of course the Super Bowl. Wing specials, too. You’re advised to get there early! Eagles vs. Patriots kickoff is at 3:30 pm our time, but the fun starts a lot sooner. (7908 35th SW)
MARY FLOWER: Making this Sunday even more super is evening music at Kenyon Hall – picker, singer, songwriter Mary Flower is back, 7:30 pm. Our calendar listing has ticket info. (7904 35th SW)
SOUND BATH: Find yourself in need of unwinding after The Big Game? 7:30 pm at Bikram Yoga West Seattle, Serene Sound Sessions offers a Crystal Sound Bath. (4747 California SW)
LOOK INTO THE FUTURE … via our complete calendar!
This dim time of year, we’ll take any excuse to show a sunny summertime photo. Above, that’s part of the Alki Beach seawall crowd that awaited the Seafair Pirates’ Landing last July. The date is set for this year, and applications are open for vendors. From event producers:
Seattle Seafair Pirates Landing – Saturday, July 7, 2018
The Seattle Seafair Pirates Landing is seeking the following:
• Vendors with pirate/nautical/maritime themed art, crafts, and products who would like to vend at the landing
• Face painters, psychics, henna artists, etc. who would like to provide services to event attendees
• Food trucks to feed the hungry pirate masses
• Commercial/merchant sponsors who want to show their support for our Seafair Pirate community
• Nonprofits interested in providing a pirate/nautical/maritime-themed kids activity in exchange for complimentary booth or tabling space
If any of that interests you – here’s where to go. (And in case you missed it last month … it’s application time for West Seattle Summer Fest, too.)
We’ve reported before on SR3 – Sealife Response, Rehabilitation & Research — the organization working toward the Pacific Northwest’s first marine-wildlife hospital/rehab/science center. Today, Leslie Dierauf tells us, SR3 was at Alki UCC to train about 20 volunteers.
Leslie also sent the photos; she’s a member of the SR3 board. Want to get involved with SR3? Here’s how.
Good crowd at the Log House Museum for the opening of its new exhibit, “Navigating to Alki,” with tonight’s reception continuing until 7 pm.
The focus is on maps of our area – dating back to the Native traditions of keeping “mental maps,” continuing through the earliest printed maps of the area in the 1700s, and on to the early 1900s, including this map showing former cities (including West Seattle) annexed to Seattle during that time:
The exhibit also includes a sound backdrop – the sea! – and some items you’re invited to touch.
Amy Gorton is the museum’s manager:
The museum is in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society‘s historic log-house headquarters, 61st and Stevens, half a block inland from Alki Beach. If you miss this – go see “Navigating to Alki” during the museum’s regular hours, noon-4 pm Thursdays-Sundays – it’s scheduled to be on display until September.
Continuing our series of reunion announcements arriving in the WSB inbox, the half-century milestone for West Seattle High School’s Class of 1968 is approaching:
WEST SEATTLE HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1968 50TH REUNION
We have set a date! Our 50 th reunion will be on Saturday June 2, 2018. We chose this date so that folks coming from out of town could attend the All School Reunion held at West Seattle High School prior to our get-together.
So here are the details so far.
Location of the 50th reunion will be the Brockey Center at South Seattle College. Address is
6000 16th Ave. SW.Social Hour 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Dinner at 7:00 PMWe decided to use the Brockey Center again (this is the location that we had our 40 th reunion)
for a few reasons the best reason is we felt we could get more bang for our dollar at this venue.This venue allows us to bring our own beverages of choice (BYOB). The Brockey Center will
provide glasses, ice and mixers.We do not have a cost or price yet but should have all of that information in early spring along
with the invite emails.We are trying to get the word out early for the best possible attendance of classmates!
If you want to be a member of the planning committee you can contact John Herron at
johnshelleyherron@gmail.comWe will post more detailed information after the 50th reunion committee has completed the planning process.
See you all on June 2, 2018 at the Brockey Center!
Reunion coming up? We’d be happy to announce yours too – e-mail the info to editor@wsb.blackfin.biz -thank you!
| 16 COMMENTS