West Seattle, Washington
12 Saturday
(Reader photo from early Thursday)
One day after Seattle Police announced the arrest of a 47-year-old man during a search-warrant operation that netted heroin, meth, and fentanyl, a judge set bail for the suspect at $50,000. He remains in jail at last check. According to probable-cause documents for his hearing, The documents say a two-month Major Crimes Task Force investigation preceded the arrest. The suspect is alleged to have been dealing drugs from the Stewart Manor building at 6339 34th SW (though the police report lists him with an address in Snoqualmie). Detectives say they also observed him selling drugs from his 1984 Ford Ranger, and say he also owns a 1996 Honda Accord. They got a search warrant and brought along SWAT to serve it at 5:30 am Thursday. They didn’t find anyone in the apartment for which they had a search warrant, but found suspected heroin and fentanyl as well as paraphernalia, baggies, and scales. While the search continued, they learned the suspect was seen parking his Accord nearby, and police were able to arrest him. Inside his car, they found a “purple Crown Royal bag” that the probable-cause document says contained “a large tennis ball size ball of suspected heroin, a plastic baggie containing a crystal-like substance (suspected methamphetamine), multiple empty plastic baggies (commonly used to store and sell narcotics), scale, marijuana, and multiple hypodermic needles.” The report says the suspect later told police “he sometimes purchases and sells narcotics for his friends but that he doesn’t do it to make money.” Later testing indicated the items found tested positive for the suspected substances. The narrative concludes by describing the suspect as “a 7-time convicted felon with three convictions for VUCSA” (Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act). He is scheduled to return to court on Monday.
(Added: Reader photo from early this morning)
We got a few questions today about what appeared to be a warrant service in High Point early this morning. Tonight this SPD post confirms that’s indeed what it was:
Major Crimes Task Force Detectives are making our neighborhoods safer by seizing heroin, methampheatmine, and fentanyl from a suspected drug dealer.
During the course of an ongoing criminal investigation, and with the assistance of SWAT officers, Major Crimes Task Force detectives served a search warrant this morning in the 6300 block of 34th Avenue SW.
Officers arrested their target, a 47-year-old man, and booked him into King County Jail.
In addition to securing a bottle of liquid fentanyl, detectives collected 64.7 grams of heroin and 5.7 grams of methamphetamine.
This remains an active and ongoing criminal investigation.
The suspect remains in jail. We’re looking into his record.
(WSB photo, June)
If you’ve been wondering about the status of the future coffee shop that Itto’s Tapas proprietor Khalid Agour plans to open at 35th and Graham in the Upton Flats development – we have an update today:
Construction is taking longer than planned. We will be opening – hopefully – sometime in October. Construction is coming along.
We have finalized the name – “Nos Nos Coffee House.” Nos Nos is a popular coffee drink in Morocco. It literally means “half half” and is made from half espresso and half milk.
We can’t wait to open up the space to our beloved West Seattle community that have been waiting patiently.
Our previous report was back in June.
1:56 PM: Sizable emergency response arriving (updated) in the 6400 block of 31st SW in High Point, where a woman is reported to have been stabbed. Police say they’re looking for a female suspect. No other information about the circumstances yet.
2:02 PM: The victim, described in radio communication as a pregnant woman, is being taken to Harborview Medical Center by SFD medic unit.
2:05 PM: Also via radio communication, police report they are talking with someone described as a suspect.
2:15 PM: At the scene, SFD confirms the victim is a pregnant woman, adding that she’s in her 20s and the wound is not believed to be life-threatening. The suspect, police confirmed to us, is in custody.
For the fourth consecutive year, West Seattle Elementary students got a first-day-of-school welcome like no other: The “Be There Rally.” 2016 was the first time community members were invited to greet and inspire the students. The event has continued growing in size and reputation, and this year drew more citywide dignitaries than ever. More on them later. First – WSE principal Pamela McCowan-Conyers got to tell the crowd all about her school:
She repeatedly referred to “the West Seattle Elementary difference” – not just the students’ success, but also her staff’s qualifications, including 8 board-certified teachers and 3 teachers who are “studying to become administrators,” as well as her assistant principal Sahnica Washington. She also touted supporting the students by supporting their parents.
That family support also comes from the Seattle Housing Authority, which manages the community surrounding the school, High Point. SHA executive director Andrew Lofton (lower left in photo above) was among this morning’s high-profile participants, saying that this year SHA will support the district’s emphasis on reading proficiency – a banner for SEATTLE SUPER READERS hung over the school entrance – the way it previously supported improved attendance.
West Seattle Elementary has more than 400 students, so there was a long line to high-five and applaud.
It all happened with perfectly chosen music courtesy of DJ Akim Finch (who is also a WSE employee), spinning classics including Earth, Wind and Fire‘s “September,” McFadden & Whitehead’s “Ain’t No Stopping Us Now,” Aretha Franklin‘s “Respect,” Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy.”
Once all but the last few stragglers had entered the school, the principal was convening a meeting for families inside the school. But before that, the dignitaries exited with their own high-fives for community members. They included Police Chief Carmen Best, Superintendent Denise Juneau, Mayor Jenny Durkan, City Councilmember Lisa Herbold, and Seattle School Board President Leslie Harris. Pre-ceremony photo ops abounded, too:
That included the smallest member of the SPD Mounted Patrol, Li’l Sebastian:
Eventually, the visitors all moved on, and it was time for the West Seattle Elementary “Husky scholars” to get to work.
(WSB photo, September 2018)
The first day of school is hours away for thousands more local students, and what might be the biggest kickoff event at a Seattle Public Schools campus will happen here in West Seattle. As we mentioned two weeks ago, West Seattle Elementary will welcome its students with the “Be There Rally,” featuring community members high-fiving and applauding as the students enter the school, walking on a red carpet. This year, those community members will include SPS Superintendent Denise Juneau, School Board President Leslie Harris, and Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best (added 10:40 pm, Mayor Jenny Durkan too), joining Principal Pamela McCowan-Conyers and her staff, according to the district. Be there by 7:15 am to be part of it – and “dress for success” to set an example for the kids. WSE is at 6760 34th SW.
(WSB photo, September 2016)
It’s become a tradition at West Seattle Elementary, and you’re invited to be part of it on the first day of school: The fourth annual “Be There Rally.” Community members “dressed for success” line the path that students will walk to enter the school that morning, clapping, cheering, and high-fiving them. The invitation from WSE principal Pamela McCowan-Conyers and assistant principal Sahnica Washington stresses that this event is meant to “represent all demographics of the school,” and explains to participants, “Your presence at the school on the first day will support efforts to build valuable partnerships with families and members of the community in order to support student learning and positive academic outcomes.” If you can be part of it, you’re asked to be at West Seattle Elementary (6760 34th SW) at 7 am on Wednesday,September 4th.
(WSB photo)
2:38 PM: Thanks for the tip about that big Seattle Police response near High Point Community Center. We subsequently went over to find out what’s happening. Police say the white car is stolen and they’ve taken one person into custody. That person’s being checked for possible injuries because the car was involved in a collision (our crew says it has extensive rear-end damage). A K9 team is on the way to help search for evidence after, according to a radio exchange, “a magazine” was reportedly found in the car.
2:45 PM: Seattle Parks just tweeted that HPCC is in lockdown because of this.
3:42 PM: Parks says the lockdown is over.
ADDED WEDNESDAY: A few more details, and a photo of the magazine, from SPD:
A parking enforcement officer was on patrol at 35 Avenue (SW) and SW Morgan Street at 2 PM when they spotted an occupied stolen vehicle parked nearby.
As patrol officers flooded the area, the vehicle’s occupant piloted the white Jetta out of the area, nearly striking a firetruck and running a stop sign in the process. The driver continued to speed away until he lost control and rolled the vehicle down a hill.
Police took the man into custody and following a search of the car recovered a handgun magazine. A K-9 was brought in to search for a firearm but none was located.
Officers booked the man into King County Jail for possession of a stolen vehicle and firearms violation because he is a convicted felon and prevented from having a handgun magazine.
Thanks to Judy Waring for the photo! That’s from last night’s “Backyard Bard” edition of condensed Shakespeare at High Point Commons Park, courtesy of GreenStage. After “Merry Wives of Windsor” last night, tonight it’s an hourlong edition of “Measure for Measure,” also at High Point Commons Park (right behind Neighborhood House at 6400 SW Sylvan Way), 7 pm, free. Judy advises, “Easy parking nearby, not crowded, bring cushion for sitting on a rock or a lawn chair for tonight’s play.” GreenStage has other performances – both “Backyard Bard” and full length – coming up this month and next at other West Seattle parks; we have them all in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and you can check out the GreenStage website too.
The banner over the mini-farm at 32nd SW and SW Juneau (map) welcomes you to the first day of this year’s High Point Market Garden Farm Stand. Every Wednesday, 4-7 pm, through early October, you can visit the stand (on the east side of the garden) and buy organic produce and flowers, where they’re grown.
That’s some of what we saw when we visited a little while ago – lots of greens along with root vegetables and more. This is one of only two Market Gardens in the city!
(WSB 2018 photo, High Point Market Garden)
Every summer, you have an extra chance in West Seattle each week to buy fresh-grown produce from the pople who grew it. That’s the High Point P-Patch Market Garden Farm Stand at 32nd SW/SW Juneau, and it will be open Wednesdays, 4-7 pm, starting one week from today – 4 pm to 7 pm every Wednesday through October 2nd. The adjacent mini-farm is tended by High Point residents. You can use EBT cards and Fresh Bucks at the farm stand if you participate in those programs. P.S. As our coverage from last year reminds us, the stand often sells flowers, too!
Four weeks from today, your ballot will be in the mail, and it’ll be almost time to vote in the primary. Highest-profile race in our area is of course City Council District 1, to decide which two of the three candidates will move on to the November general election. Last night, the Delridge Neighborhoods District Council hosted two candidates for conversation-style appearances. Last month, Phil Tavel talked with the DNDC (WSB video coverage here), so this month, it was time to hear from and talk with Brendan Kolding and Lisa Herbold. About 25 people were there; each candidate spoke for 43 minutes, including Q&A. We again recorded it all.
If you don’t have time to watch – our toplines are below:
Just in case you wondered:A Seattle Fire “full response” was briefly dispatched for a call in the 6000 block of 30th SW. All units but one were canceled before they even arrived. That last one remains on scene.
Thanks to Lynda B for the photo – that’s Desmond Hansen’s latest signal-box portrait, Seattle’s own Sir Mix-A-Lot, at 35th/Raymond near the High Point Library.
As the weekend ends, a look at how it began:
(WSB photos/video)
On Friday night, students, families, staff, and neighbors gathered at West Seattle Elementary School in High Point to celebrate this year’s Multi-Cultural Night. The program began with students singing African songs of welcome:
The program also included hula from Hawai’i and a folkloric dance from México:
Vietnam, Eritrea, and Bangladesh were represented too – as were U.S. art forms from hiphop to cheerleading, the latter courtesy of next year’s Chief Sealth International High School varsity cheer squad:
While performing was a joy …
… visual art was shown off too:
Multi-Cultural Night at WSES was the result of lots of community support as well as school planning and practice.
The future proprietor of the corner commercial space at Upton Flats is finally commenting on his plan for the northeast corner of 35th and Graham. Khalid Agour, best known for Itto’s Tapas in The Junction (and Capitol Hill), told WSB today:
We finally got the keys to the new place this week. The plan is that we will be establishing a café serving local West-Seattle sourced espresso drinks along with breakfast and lunch sandwiches. Hoping to open sometime late August or September pending permits. We are really looking forward to serving our much loved West Seattle community!
No decision yet on a name. (Itto’s was named for the proprietor’s mom.) As previously reported, the Seattle Housing Authority plans to use the rest of the commercial space as offices.
That was the scene just before the start of the obstacle-course race that began today’s third annual Loop the ‘Lupe at Walt Hundley Playfield. Here’s what happened next:
The obstacle course was the first of four ways to Loop the ‘Lupe and support the Walmesley Center‘s social-outreach work. It’s a unique West Seattle event, with challenges including climbing:
And mud:
Here are the results. Local coach/educator Jeff Ursino designed the course.
For those who preferred something a little simpler, the obstacle course was followed by a 5K run-walk:
Loop the ‘Lupe also offers a Senior Saunter:
Serenading the event – youth musicians from the West Seattle School of Rock:
And we spotted two local elected officials – State Rep. Eileen Cody:
And City Councilmember Lisa Herbold:
Community sponsors for this year’s Loop the ‘Lupe are shown here – including us at WSB as well as three local businesses that are also WSB sponsors: Wyatt’s Jewelers, Project 968, and West Seattle Runner.
First performance of the day at@westseattlebee pic.twitter.com/BUXtifvyuH
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 18, 2019
10:33 AM: “Hi, bumblebee!” Just heard a young West Seattle Bee Festival-goer greet one of the guests of honor. The festival is under way until 2 pm in and around High Point Commons Park; Lanham Place SW is closed between Sylvan and Graham for the vendor fair, which is just part of the fun. Ella-Bella Bee and The Pollinators are performing in the amphitheater behind Neighborhood House:
First performance of the day at@westseattlebee pic.twitter.com/BUXtifvyuH
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 18, 2019
Interactive music and comedy until about 11! And if you’re here at 11:30, be part of the parade! Meantime, many all-ages activities, from the Urban Skills Survival Fair on the north side of the park…
… to facepainting toward the south end of the vendor fair on Lanham (which is closed to motorized traffic for the festival) …
“Vendor fair” doesn’t fully describe everyone who’s here. A few people are “vending” – you’ll find beekeepers selling honey by the Bee Garden, too – but many community organizations too …
(Community advocate Mat McBride, who is offering info to prospective “do-gooders”)
SFD and SPD as well. And us … stop by for a free WSB refrigerator magnet while they last:
(It’s our first freebie since the ice scrapers many years ago.)
11:07 AM: Second hour of the festival! As beautiful as the weather is, do take a minute to peek indoors at Neighborhood House – lots going on in there too!
Woodland Park Zoo is visiting with “animal ambassadors.” And the parade starts soon! Back up by the Bee Garden, student jazz:
Student jazz from Mountlake Terrace playing the @WS_BeeFestival pic.twitter.com/4hTnvXffjX
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 18, 2019
11:48 AM: After a bit of parading …
Bee Festival parade around High Point Commons Park. pic.twitter.com/a2Aysu7nHi
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 18, 2019
… it’s on to the festival’s second half. At noon, at the Bee Garden on the north end of the park, see its founder Lauren Englund do a beehive demonstration! And at the amphitheater on the south end, Laura Love performs with Terry Hunt.
Laura Love now performing at @WS_BeeFestival pic.twitter.com/rJydsfCOOB
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 18, 2019
12:46 PM: That’s Laura onstage. And here’s the crowd Lauren drew:
The bees:
You still have time to get here – it’s on until 2 pm; the map for getting here is on the official festival webpage. Lots more visitors than we remember from years past; thanks to everyone who’s stopped by to say hi!
1:19 PM: Less than an hour left! If you’re here, don’t miss the Urban Survival Skills Fair:
This includes very specific preparedness topics – all the way to how to set up an emergency toilet.
If you couldn’t check it out today, the Urban Survival Skills Fair will make an encore appearance at Delridge Day in August (and a scaled-down version during Field Day at South Seattle College [WSB sponsor] next month).
1:50 PM: We were seconds away from tweeting to observe that no candidates had been sighted at the festival, when District 1 City Council contender Brendan Kolding stopped by.
Our longstanding policy “if candidates stop by our booth, we’ll take their picture” continues this year (our next tabling gig is the Morgan Junction Community Festival on June 22nd).
(Photo from 2018 West Seattle Bee Festival)
Sunshine and 70ish temperatures are in the forecast for the 2019 West Seattle Bee Festival tomorrow (Saturday, May 18th), in and around High Point Commons Park (stretching along Lanham Place S between Graham and Sylvan Way). Here are reasons why you won’t want to miss it:
*You can get your daily exercise with the Honey Run around the park as early as 9 am (no timing, no fee, self-led)
*Vendor Fair – 10 am-2 pm on Lanham, which will be closed to traffic for the festival
*Urban Survival Skills Fair – 10 am-2 pm – see our preview
*Performances – Ella-Bella Bee & The Pollinators at 10 am (interactive kid-friendly music and comedy), Laura Love with Terry Hunt at noon
*Parade – Everyone gets to be part of it (kids, grownups, pets …)! Bee costumes welcome, or just “bee” yourself. 11:30 am, follow the Big Bee from the park amphitheater behind Neigbborhood House on the south end
*Beehive Demonstration – Noon at the West Seattle Bee Garden on the north end of the park, where you can also buy honey from beekeepers and enjoy live jazz
Inside Neighborhood House is where you’ll find even more activities such as Woodland Park Zoo‘s Animal Ambassadors, pop-up sewing, and art/science. And there’s even more – see the official festival website. Free, fun, all ages. We’ll be there too, for as-it-happens coverage, so stop by and say hi.
Saturday’s West Seattle Bee Festival offers much to look forward to, including the first-ever Urban Survival Skills Fair. Cindi Barker says it’ll be a fun way to find out about disaster preparedness. Here’s what else you’ll find at the USS Fair in a big tent in the north end of High Point Commons Park, by the Bee Garden (Lanham/Graham), during the 10 am-2 pm festival:
The Urban Survival Skills Fair offers an opportunity to gain a variety of preparedness-related skills and useful knowledge from experts. Topics may include:
Amateur Radio — Learn about one of the few communication tools that do not depend on the internet.
Develop a disaster communication plan — Communication is critical during a disaster. What should you consider when making your own plan?
Learn some useful camping hacks and share your best hacks with us!
Build an emergency toilet! We’ll have 50 free toilets to give away (first come, first serve). Learn what to do if the sewer lines have broken or if there is no water.
Prepared Communities — Learn more about the network of Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs and about the West Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs.
Prepared Families — Take some high impact, low-cost steps that can help your family and household make it through any situation.
Prepared Neighbors — Learn about the City of Seattle’s SNAP (Seattle Neighborhoods Actively Prepare) program.
Prepared Pets — What steps can you take to make sure that your pet stays safe in a disaster?
Prepared Schools — Do you understand the “reunification process” that schools may implement following a disaster?
Smartphone Emergency Apps — Take steps before a disaster to download useful tools…many will function even without a cellphone signal. Do you know of other apps?
Utilities — Do you know when or if you should shut off utilities such as gas, water and electricity, and how to do so safely?
Water — Do you know how to properly store and purify water? Following the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, people were without running water for over a year.
This should provide a great opportunity for people who attended our “Is West Seattle Prepared?” events last fall to get more detailed information and hands on skills for preparedness. For those who were not able to attend, videos of those events were just completed and are available at the following links:
Introductory comments, October 7, 2018:
Glenn Farley, KING 5 NewsKeynote Speakers, Nov. 3, 2018:
Dave Nichols, WS Resident, Certified Professional Emergency Manager and ShelterBox Response Team Member
Sandi Doughton, and author of “Full Rip 9.0: The Next Big Earthquake in the Pacific Northwest”Keynote Speakers, Oct. 7, 2018:
Ken Neafcy, WS Resident and Certified Professional Emergency Manager
Harold Tobin, Director, Pacific Northwest Seismic Network. University of Washington Professor, Dept. of Earth and Space SciencesCity of Seattle and King County Public Health – Role of Government in Disasters, Nov. 3, 2018:
Seattle Fire Department – Lt. Andrews, Station 29
Seattle Police Department – Lt. James Britt, SW Precinct.
Seattle Office of Emergency Management – Melanie Cole, Outreach and Training Specialist
King County Public Health – Carina Elsenboss, Preparedness DirectorSkills Training, Nov 3, 2018
Scout Troop 282
What should be in your disaster kit
Water purification
Disaster SanitationMacGyver Tips – what you can do with a garbage bag.
Brian Nozynski
As for the rest of the Bee Festival – look for that preview Thursday!
It’s Neighbor Day! One way to be neighborly – go check out the celebration at High Point Library with the West Seattle Timebank and friends. When we stopped in, Tara was teaching origami:
Tamsen Spengler from the Timebank adds that there’s ice cream at Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way) at 4 pm!
(2017 photo courtesy West Seattle Bee Festival)
It’s your chance to “bee” in a parade,among other things – the 7th annual West Seattle Bee Festival is now exactly one month away. 10 am-2 pm on Saturday, May 18th, you are invited to the West Seattle Bee Garden on the north end of High Point Commons Park and vicinity for fun including music, kids’ activities, an Urban Survival Skills Fair, and the aforementioned parade (11:30 am, costumes welcome, everybody follows the Big Bee around the park). See more here and set your calendar to “bee” there.
Monday is that date many dread, April 15th, the federal tax deadline. If you’ve procrastinated, this announcement about the United Way of King County free volunteer tax-help program might be of help:
Free Tax Preparation 10 am – 2 pm Saturday at the West Seattle Food Bank / WS Community Resource Center (6516 35th Ave SW)
Saturday (April 13th) is the last day to file at the West Seattle free tax preparation site before the deadline on Monday! We will be prioritizing 2018 and anyone who needs to file or amend 2015 tax years as long as you are eligible for our services. Please go to the calendar listing to confirm your eligibility, review the list of required documents; come early (no later than 1 pm), and be prepared to wait!
Still not ready? You can stop by to get information about other United Way free tax preparation sites and post-season free tax help. Other sites in the area are open Sunday, April 14th – YWCA Greenbridge, Burien Goodwill, Central Library downtown; for a complete list of free tax preparation locations go to www.FreeTaxExperts.org, aarp.org/FindTaxHelp, or IRS.gov.
United Way will also have post-season tax help during the month of May at the Central Library downtown on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays for 2009 – 2018 tax years; see the Central Library event website for times.
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