West Seattle, Washington
10 Thursday
Thanks to Erin for the tip: The High Point Play Area relocation/renovation project is starting work. It’s been more than a year since the Seattle Parks open houses on this playground project – one of several in the works – so it fell off our radar. The project website has full details, noting that the $700,000 project will more than quadruple the playground’s size while also improving safety and accessibility. The contractor is LW Sundstrom.
(WSB photo, last Thursday night)
3:37 PM: Just in from the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office: 16-year-old Loyan A. Ahmed has been charged as an adult in the shooting death last Thursday night of 37-year-old Taylor Fehlen. He is charged with second-degree murder and unlawful gun possession. We don’t have the charging documents yet but we have the probable-cause document, from which the following is taken, with all but suspect and victim names redacted. It also reveals what preceded the murder:
On August 09, 2018 at approximately 2309 hours, Seattle Police Officers responded to a shooting at 35 Ave SW and SW Morgan Street. Officers arrived and located a victim down on the ground suffering from gunshot wounds. Witnesses told them that after shooting the victim multiple times the armed male suspect ran northeast across 35 Ave SW. The victim was lying on the sidewalk near the northwest comer of the intersection.
Seattle Fire Medics transported the victim to Harborview Medical Center where he died from his injuries. The victim was identified as 37-year-old Taylor C. Fehlen. Homicide detectives were called to the scene.
Metro Coach #7003 was parked beside where the victim fell. Officers located several shell casings and the Coach appeared to have been struck by gunfire. Officers learned that the victim and the suspect had both been passengers on board the Metro Coach.
Witnesses consistently described the shooter as a young Black male, wearing a dark colored hoodie and long pants. Officers scoured the area immediately but did not find the suspect. An SPD Police Dog (PD) verified witness testimony that the suspect ran to the NE, across 35th Ave SW, through a parking lot of a Walgreens drug store. During the determined PD search, a semi-automatic firearm was discovered in some shrubs on the east side of that store. The gun was out-of-battery as if it had recently been used. A single bullet was “stove-piped” in the firing chamber.
The caliber and brand of ammunition in the gun were the same as those found at the shooting scene. The PD also alerted to on fenced yards east of the alley but the suspect was not located. Detectives determined that the Metro Coach was equipped with security cameras that recorded the incident.
A review of that footage showed the suspect boarded the Coach at 16 Ave SW and SW Roxbury. When he boarded the coach, he paid for his fare by “tapping” his ORCA card. During their investigation, detectives leamed the card had been issued to Loyan A. Ahmed … The victim, and several other passengers were already on board. Ahmed sat directly behind the driver. To the ire of the passengers, Ahmed repeatedly pulled the stop cord on the coach. The driver stopped the coach each time but Ahmed didn’t disembark. The driver and passengers, including the victim, expressed their anger at Ahmed. Ahmed and the victim quarreled … After this occurred the Ahmed appeared to ready himself by deliberately dawning his hood, synching the drawstring to conceal his face and by tucking in his pant legs. As the coach neared the intersection of 35 Ave SW and SW Morgan Street the victim raised from his seat and pulled the stop cord. Ahmed got up and moved to the back door where he manipulated something under his hoodie in his waistband. When the door opened, Ahmed got off, walked a short distance and waited for the victim. Ahmed yelled for the victim to get off the bus. The victim exited the front door and started walking toward Ahmed. Ahmed drew a handgun from his waist, shot the victim multiple times and ran off.
Still images depicting the suspect were disseminated to local media.
Detectives obtained a recent school photo of Ahmed and he matched the suspect depicted in the Metro video. Further, they determined that Ahmed lived with his mother … The residence is blocks from the crime scene and in direct line with the suspect’s direction of travel from the scene.
Detectives were preparing to arrest Ahmed for the murder when his mother unexpectedly called 9ll. She reported that her juvenile soon wanted to talk to police about being a murder suspect. (A detective) called Ahmed’s mother … She informed me that she had seen images of her son on the West Seattle Blog and identified him as being the murder suspect. SPD SWAT responded to their residence where Ahmed was taken into custody without incident.
The suspect’s arraignment – initial hearing for entering a plea – is set for August 29th.
ADDED 3:56 PM: We now also have the charging documents, with the additional details that prosecutors requested $1 million bail and that the suspect has “no known criminal history.”
(WSB photo, September 2016)
We’re only three weeks from the first day of 2018-2019 classes at Seattle Public Schools. (Yes, we know, some independent schools start even sooner!) Again this year, West Seattle Elementary in High Point welcomes community members to a unique first-day-of-school event. Here’s the announcement we received today:
The community is invited to attend the third annual Be There Rally at West Seattle Elementary on Wednesday, September 5th, from 7:00 am to 8:00 am. The school, in partnership with Seattle Housing Authority/High Point, is rolling out the red carpet and asking community leaders, school supporters, family, and friends to line up to cheer, clap, and high-five students as they enter into the new school year.
School leaders are calling for 100 men and women to line the red carpet, dressed for success and ready to lead by example and cheer on High Point youth. Research shows that children whose family and community take an active role in their educational lives earn better grades, score higher on tests, enjoy school more and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college.
Your presence at the school on the first day will support efforts to build valuable partnerships with families and members of the community to support student learning and positive academic outcomes.
Questions? Want to RSVP? Contact Hanna Ory at hsory@seattleschools.org or 206-252-9450. WSE is at 6760 34th SW.
3:31 PM: Police have now confirmed that they’ve arrested a 16-year-old suspect in last Thursday night’s deadly shooting of a 37-year-old man after the two got off a bus on the west side of the 35th and Morgan intersection. He was arrested in High Point – where detectives have been on scene along Lanham north of Graham for a while, though when we asked for comment about an hour ago, after taking the photo above, we were told they had nothing to release yet. SPD’s announcement adds, “Detectives are interviewing the teen and plan to book him into the King County Youth Service Center for investigation of murder. Thank you to everyone who called in with information about this case.” The arrest comes one day after police released Metro surveillance video of a person they described as the murder suspect. This is the fifth murder case of the year in West Seattle and the first with an arrest.
7:52 PM: The victim has been identified as Taylor C. Fehlen; a commenter shared this link to his obituary, which says a memorial gathering is planned tomorrow.
First – as reported here Saturday morning – police released still images of a person they say is the suspect they’re seeking in Thursday night’s High Point bus-stop murder. This morning, they have released video from Metro bus security cameras. Police said Friday that they believe the 37-year-old victim (who has not yet been publicly identified) and his killer were involved in a “disturbance” on board before exiting the bus on the west side of the 35th and Morgan intersection, where the shooting happened. Here’s the description of the suspect: “16-21 years old, 5’7” to 5’9”, has a thin build, and was last seen wearing a dark gray hoody & jeans.” If you have any info on his identity, the SPD tipline is 206-233-5000, or call 911.
(First & last photo by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
11:23 PM: Thanks for the tips. There’s a “scenes of violence” response at 35th and Morgan. Some texters report having heard gunfire. More details soon.
11:29 PM: Per scanner, a victim is being taken to Harborview Medical Center.
11:40 PM: Also per scanner, the victim is a 20-year-old with two gunshot wounds. A gun has been found nearby. Our crew has just arrived and we are adding a photo from the west side of the intersection.
(This photo and next by WSB’s Christopher Boffoli)
11:55 PM: No arrest reported so far. Since a bus/bus stop is involved, county officers are there along with SPD. Also, our crew says the intersection of 35th/Morgan is closed off.
1:42 AM: Police at the scene refused to comment and pointed us to media relations, but they aren’t commenting yet. So our crew finally left. Homicide detectives were among the police at the scene, though we’ll note that doesn’t necessarily indicate anything about the victim’s fate – they respond to some non-fatal incidents too.
Meantime, we just heard via the scanner that most of the intersection (except for the scene on the northwest side) is reopening.
8:07 AM UPDATE: Just talked to Det. Mark Jamieson of the SPD media-relations team. The victim, now described as a 37-year-old man, died at the hospital. No arrest yet. He says they believe the victim and the killer got into an argument on a bus, got off at the westbound Morgan stop (shown in our photos), it escalated, and that’s when the killer shot the victim. No description of the killer. They are asking anyone with information to call the tipline at 206-233-5000.
9:09 AM: This is also now on SPD Blotter. Meantime, we need to also note that it’s the fifth West Seattle homicide of the year – all in the past three months – after the deadly shooting of Micaiah Kotthoff in the east Highland Park area in July, the stabbing deaths of Michael Abay in South Delridge in July and Jonathan Pecina near Luna/Anchor Park in June, and the shooting death of Lorenzo Marr in May at West Seattle Stadium. No arrests reported in any of these cases so far.
(WSB photos)
Until 7 pm, fresh flowers and vegetables await you at the High Point Market Garden‘s first farmstand of the season … steps from where they were grown:
What we saw during our brief stop included beets, onions, carrots, zucchini, and greens. Also under the tent at 32nd SW and SW Juneau, other fresh-grown produce, including fruit, brought in by ROAR (Roots of All Roads):
You can shop the High Point farmstand every Wednesday through September.
That’s what SDOT has in mind for 35th/Graham in High Point, and they’ve just announced a drop-in feedback event for that and other elements of the West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway‘s Phase 2. You’re invited to stop by Neighborhood House High Point (6400 Sylvan Way SW) 5:30-7 pm Wednesday, July 18th. It’s slightly more detailed than the design featured in our April report (which was more about 35th than the greenway). You can read more about the greenway project here.
(WSB photo)
We just took that photo of the mini-farm that’s known as the High Point Market Garden, after the city Department of Neighborhoods sent word of the opening date for its farm stand – Wednesday, July 11th, 4 pm-7 pm, and every Wednesday thereafter through September 28th. The stand sells fresh-picked organic produce from the garden, tended by nearby residents. As the DoN announcement adds, the stand “accepts EBT cards and participates in Fresh Bucks, which double consumers’ SNAP dollars when they choose to spend them on fresh fruits and vegetables. … The High Point Farm Stand will again host ROAR, the mobile farm stand that sells produce to neighborhoods with limited access to healthy food.” It’s at 32nd SW and SW Juneau (map).
12:09 PM: That’s just part of the line of demonstrators who marched around High Point Commons Park and then up to and north along 35th. No roads blocked – all on sidewalks. They were planning to turn back to the park after reaching the library. It’s one of many similar rallies/marches around the US today. Photos and video when we are back at HQ.
1:09 PM: A few more photos:
2:31 PM: Panorama from the middle of the march while it was still winding around the park:
Tamsen Spengler sent this photo:
She explained, “The most remarkable thing about today was that the organizers never showed up. This lady just led it on her own with input from us as to where to March. We stayed on public sidewalks. Wish I had gotten this lady’s name!” The original announcement was published via the moveon.org website, which listed hundreds of marches/rallies around the country; the nearest to West Seattle was held outside the federal detention center in SeaTac.
Thanks to Tamsen for sending word of this update received by people who RSVPd for Saturday’s march:
Due to a permitting issue, event has been moved to High Point’s Commons Park. Park in the lower lot. Will be assembling at 10 am. Check in with hosts wearing lanyards for free refreshments and handouts. Signs and sign making materials will be available as well. Will be starting to March on Sylvan Way SW towards the Southwest Precinct at 11:30!
Commons Park is just north of Neighborhood House, which is at 6400 Sylvan Way SW.
As of Friday afternoon, Seattle Public Schools students are out for summer. Before the school year is too far in the rear-view mirror, a Seattle school-software company wanted to give a shoutout to one local school with which it continues to partner. The photos and report are from Claire Douglas at MasterTrack:
MasterTrack Solutions was delighted to host a Happy Hour at Salty’s for the staff of West Seattle Elementary School. We celebrated the end of a successful school year as well as the 5th year of the ongoing partnership between MTS and WSE – which has improved student performance in mathematics! It was great to enjoy some food and drink, hear about all the gains students are making, and celebrate some very special, very hard-working teachers.
(MasterTrack founder Torrey Volk with WSE principal Pam McCowan-Conyers and assistant principal Sahnica Washington)
Thanks to both the MTS and WSE families. Happy summer!
10:53 AM: As the West Seattle Bee Festival ramps up to full buzz – with the parade coming up at 11 am – we’re seeing other creatures too:
That’s Gamma the python, one of the creatures you’ll see inside Neighborhood House – which is the venue for the festival’s indoor component, at Sylvan/Lanham [map]; the latter street is closed to motorized vehicles for the vendor fair, where we and dozens of other community organizations and businesses are boothing (officially starting at 11 am, but most are set up already); and there’s the West Seattle Bee Garden itself on the north end of High Point Commons Park. Here’s the bright and bzz-y schedule:
And what would a Bee Festival “bee” without honey?
11:31 AM: The Big Bee led the parade a short time ago – here’s a bit of video:
The Big Bee leads the way in the West Seattle Bee Festival parade! pic.twitter.com/oc1LXyCEg2
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 19, 2018
Lots of people here and the sun is out. Dog-friendly, too. Just ask Frankie:
We’re about to take a stroll along the vendor fair – here’s the map of who’s where. Lots to be learned – it’s not just vendors, but also community organizations!
NOON: Live music is about to start, and the International Finger Food Buffet is getting going inside Neighborhood House. And Seattle Fire Engine 37 is here:
About that music we mentioned:
Bell and the Bees kick off live outdoor music (jazz!) at the West Seattle Bee Festival. (Continuing until 2) pic.twitter.com/lcRVY01Xb0
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 19, 2018
12:17 PM: Back inside Neighborhood House, we’ve also spotted Tut the tortoise:
And the sewing pop-up is under way:
It’s a day to express yourself. Marco has a beard of bees!
12:55 PM: One thing that’s impressed us, boothing here at the festival today – a turnout of all ages, from babies to seniors, and people from all over West Seattle (at least judging unscientifically by those who have stopped to say hi). And we’ve even spotted a bee in the wild:
The bee-attracting lupins are in the pollination garden borders around the Bee Garden itself, where Puget Sound Beekeepers are ready to talk with you about the stars of today’s festival:
That’s at the north end of the festival – all along its west side on Lanham is the vendor (etc.) fair:
As mentioned in our Admiral Neighborhood Association report published last night, SDOT is here to talk with you about the West Seattle Neighborhood Greenway (or any other project you have a question about):
1:24 PM: More music!
Mississippi Jones performing now at the West Seattle Bee Festival. Just half an hour left to ‘bee’ here! pic.twitter.com/6l2xkeI9JW
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) May 19, 2018
And along vendor-fair row, it’s photo op time:
Woodland Park Zoo is busy inside and out here at the Bee Festival, which continues until 2!
1:53 PM: Since it’s all about the bees, we checked back with the Puget Sound Beekeepers for the final word on today’s festival (which by the way is hosted by the Events Committee of the High Point Open Spaces Association). They tell us they sold out of all 21 cases of honey they brought – 50 percent more than last year! – and that the turnout was great, lots of people curious about bees and prepared with good questions. The Bee Garden, by the way, is open year-round for visiting.
Running a small business? And/or launching one? The Seattle Public Library has free consultation appointments open starting soon for its Library to Business program. Librarian Nancy Slote, who’s part of the L2B team, explains, “We help research business questions, particularly with market research. The library has great subscription databases, available in the branches and remotely, with a library card, which can provide consumer buying data and identify competitors and market trends. We meet with entrepreneurs in all stages of business development, from people with an idea, to those writing business plans, to those operating businesses.” They have appointments at the Delridge, High Point, and South Park branches – this flyer shows the day/time windows, and the number(s) to call to get yourself set up to go in for help (or, Nancy says, you can schedule via e-mail at L2B@spl.org).
(2017 Bee Festival photo: The Big Bee, which led the parade)
The almost-summer fun has just begun. One week from today, the West Seattle Bee Festival will fill the heart of your Saturday with free fun. It’s headquartered at the West Seattle Bee Garden in High Point, starting with the Honey Run at 9:30 am, and continues until 2 pm. From festival spokesperson Karen Berge, a preview:
HONEY RUN: The Honey Run leads off the festival at 9:30 AM. It’s a free, informal, fun run for all ages that takes place in High Point Commons Park. One lap around the park is 1K. Participants compete to see how many laps they can do, and in how short a time. No registration required. Just show up and run/walk/roll!
PARADE/PARADE PREP: Face painters and balloon twisters will be on hand from 10 to 11 inside Neighborhood House to help get everyone decorated for the costume parade, which begins at 11. Everyone is welcome to join the parade – pets too! No experience needed, just follow the Big Bee!
From 11 until 2, many festival activities will take place concurrently.
VENDOR FAIR: This includes sustainable organizations, businesses, and community groups. Tilth Alliance will be there with their popular worm bin, info about their Master Composter Sustainability Steward program, and the Garden Hotline. Members of the High Point Resource Coalition will be there. Camp Long will be back with science activities — last year, their Naturalists brought microscopes so that attendees could look closely at bees, bugs, flowers, and other natural things. The SW Precinct plans to be there with the mobile precinct and some of the CPT officers. SFD is bringing a firetruck. Deb Greer will be there with info about West Seattle Block Watch Captains Network. New Hub Captains, Robert Landis and Johnny Schmidt, will host the West Seattle Be Prepared booth.
PLANT SWAP: This is part of the Vendor Fair again this year. People can bring their excess plants, seeds, tools, or anything gardening-related … and take home others that they find! No need to bring a plant in order to take a plant!
ANIMAL AMBASSADORS: Woodland Park Zoo will be back again with their live “animal ambassadors.” Their Up CLOSE program, “Pollinators: Little Animals, Big Job,” will be located inside Neighborhood House. They will also host a “Pollinator Party” outdoors at our Vendor Fair.
POP-UP SEWING: This is a hands-on workshop. People can bring torn clothes and learn to repair them, to minimize what ends up in landfills. People can also learn how to make items that they need. The goal is to promote sustainability and the idea of buying less. Last year, many of the participants made handbags or reusable shopping bags.
STARTING AT NOON
Noon – Bee Garden creator, Lauren England will give a Bee Hive demo; Krista Connor will narrate and explain what is taking place and why.
Noon – 2 PM, Puget Sound Beekeepers will host an Open House in the Bee Garden. They’ll have local honey available to taste and to buy. Beekeepers will field bee-related questions and are also happy to answer questions about plants.
Noon – 1 PM, enjoy international finger foods inside Neighborhood House. Free for low-income residents – contributions are welcome!
MUSIC
10 – Noon: DJ Arlo and DJ Nate Prudhon: They’ll put together family-friendly, fun, eclectic international music, “Break BEEts and Dance Music from around the Globe.”
Noon – 2 PM, enjoy live music by Mississippi Jones, followed by jazz with Bell and the Bees.
MISSISSIPPI JONES: Find out more about them here.
BELL AND THE BEES: A group of young jazz musicians from Garfield High School.
ORGANIZERS
The West Seattle Bee Festival is hosted by the Events Committee of the High Point Open Spaces Association. Deborah Vandermar is the Chair of the committee. Leslie Skavland is arranging the food and entertainment, and managing the logistics. This year’s festival is again a team effort that includes Asmeret Habte, Janell Gonyea, Zach Chupa, Terry Hirata, Tram Chung, Megan Demeroutis and others who live or work in the High Point Community.
WSB is a co-sponsor of the Bee Festival and we look forward to seeing you there!
P.S. Not sure how to get to the Bee Garden? Scroll down this page for a map.
The countdown continues for all the cool spring and summer events coming up. Today, we are exactly one month away from Seattle’s “only urban obstacle course race,” Loop the ‘Lupe, June 2nd at Walt Hundley Playfield.
This will be the second year for Loop the ‘Lupe, which drew 300 people in the first year of “the biggest, muddiest, family-friendliest event.” For year two, organizers are adding a food/drink area, live music – Bottle Rockit! is booked already – and a beer garden (presented by The Beer Junction).
From Race Director Brian Callanan:
Loop the ‘Lupe features a 1K “loop” around Walt Hundley Playfield, where participants race under, over, and through seven obstacles (two new ones added in 2018), including a mud pit, walls, “Squirtgun Alley,” and more.
Loop the ‘Lupe has four options to get the whole family involved in a fun day at the park:
Obstacle Course: For ninja warriors who think their skills are up to the task, the Obstacle Course 5K (five loops) begins at 11 a.m.
5K Family Fun Run/Walk: Not ready for the obstacles? No problem! You can pass them by and make this into a family fun run/walk, starting at 11:45 a.m.
Senior Saunter: The “Saunter” is for walkers age 65+ looking for a flat, no-obstacles walk. The turf soccer field at the park is the “race” course. People used their rolling walkers at this event in2017, so come see how many laps you can complete in 20 minutes! Starts at 12:15 p.m.
Youth Dash: Do you have a child under 8 years old? They can join in the fun, too, by taking one loop around the course (parental help encouraged). The fun begins at 1 p.m.!
Proceeds from Loop the ‘Lupe support the Walmesley Center at Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish. The Center has been one of the area’s most utilized facilities for sports and social outreach work since opening in 2012.
You can go here right now to register.
(First two photos courtesy Tamsen Spengler)
If you live/work in the High Point area, the Neighborhood House center is where you’d go in case of catastrophe – it’s the local Emergency Communication Hub. And it was one of three West Seattle hubs “activated” by volunteers this morning for the drill we previewed earlier this week.
As announced, volunteers ran through a scenario in which not only was there a massive power outage, cellular communication was out too. That’s when point-to-point radio communication comes in handy – the next photo shows Shane Marr, longtime GMRS Net Control operator:
(This photo and next two, courtesy of Karen Berge)
The message board is always key to a hub – it’s where resources and needs would be tracked:
Not sure where your nearest hub is? Go here to find it. And remember – it’s an all-volunteer effort – here are High Point’s new hub captains, Johnny Schmidt and Robert Landis:
Karen Berge adds, “One very cool aspect of today’s drill was that we had two observers who drove down from British Columbia to watch this field exercise. They said that they learned a lot from watching us, as they are in the early stages of setting up a hub there. Conversely, during our debrief after the exercise, we learned some useful things from them.”
(WSB photo from hub drill last July)
From Pigeon Point to High Point to Fauntleroy, three local Emergency Communication Hubs will be participating in a drill this Saturday morning, 8:30-noon – to prepare for something everyone hopes will never happen. And you can help! We’ve mentioned it a few times before, and here’s the official announcement:
Imagine there is a major power blackout covering Seattle and the metro area. There is no cellular phone service. No one knows the cause of the outage or knows when power and cell service may be restored. Emergency generators at hospitals and other essential service providers can only last as long as there is fuel. How would the region communicate?
This is the scenario behind the “Power Out, No Bars” exercise that Seattle ham radio operators and designated emergency Hub volunteers throughout the City will be testing. The Seattle Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS), a volunteer organization operating under the auspices of the Seattle Office of Emergency Management, and the Seattle Emergency Communication Hubs, a grass-roots, neighborhood network of community members, will jointly conduct the citywide communications exercise.
The drill simulates the day after an unexplained failure of grid power and cellular service, with no updates on when either would be restored. Because the Hubs are the major residential and business resources for neighborhoods, situational awareness, resource coordination, and communications between the Hubs, ACS, and the city’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) are critical.
The key goals of the exercise are:
*Activate several neighborhood Communication Hubs and Seattle ACS, emphasizing reliable, efficient, accurate message management and documentation. Exercise participants will use voice as well as data communications via radio, throughout the city.
*Demonstrate, practice, and assess the ability to communicate up and down the various levels of the response structure, based on the Incident Command System (ICS), which spells out a hierarchical, yet flexible, means of managing emergency situations.
*Build strong working relationships among Emergency Communication Hub members and ACS members, through team problem solving and practice.
Exercise Scenario
In an event such as the one this exercise portrays, the neighborhood Hubs would mobilize to assist with the immediate needs of residents, especially those who may need emergency services. The ACS would also have activated shortly after the scope of the outage was known, with sector sites around the city providing situation reports and helping coordinate emergency and logistical responses.
“In a citywide or regional event, people will need to go to neighborhood gathering places to find access to information and start matching resources and skills to what is needed” said Cindi Barker of West Seattle, one of Seattle’s Hub Captains.
“Power Out, No Bars is the latest in a series of emergency exercises that have helped our membership continually hone their skills and upgrade, deploy, and test their equipment,” said Mark Sheppard, founder and director of ACS. “This is critical to improving our ability to be more effective and be better prepared to face a real emergency or natural disaster.
Here are the West Seattle hubs participating:
*Pigeon Point Hub, 20th Ave SW & SW Genesee St
*High Point Hub at Neighborhood House, 6400 Sylvan Way SW
*Fauntleroy United Church of Christ Hub, 9140 California Ave SW
You are invited to stop by and observe, or participate, 9 am-noon Saturday. For more background info – West Seattle’s hubs are explained here; the citywide hubs here; you can find out more about Amateur Radio here.
(WSB photos)
The city-supported Ready-to-Work program has just expanded into West Seattle, and the city councilmember who pushed for it, District 1’s Lisa Herbold, visited its local classrooms on Monday. RTW is a program overseen by the city’s Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, which explains that it “combines English as a Second Language classes with computer literacy instruction and case management to help immigrants gain job readiness skills and take steps toward economic self-sufficiency.”
The West Seattle classes are at Neighborhood House‘s center in High Point, now one of three locations around the city where RTW is offered. Spring classes started earlier this month. You can find out more about RTW by going here.
10:55 AM: What was at first a medical response has changed to an “assault with weapons” response at 6920 34th SW, which is the address for High Point Community Center. We are on our way to find out more.
11:01 AM: Emergency vehicles have 34th SW blocked in front of the community center.
11:05 AM: SPD confirms that someone has died and they believe it’s suicide but are screening with the Homicide Unit.
11:22 AM: For those wondering about exactly what area is affected – since the same corner also includes Walt Hundley Playfield and Our Lady of Guadalupe – the playfield is open, and being used. There’s police tape around the south and east sides of the community center, as well as the street continuing to be blocked off in front. We will be going back to check a bit later.
12:23 PM: The road has reopened, and the Medical Examiner is there to remove the victim’s body. We talked again with SPD media relations and they say the victim, described only thus far as male, was found on the steps on the south side of the community center, and that they are proceeding with the belief that he died by suicide; officers found a gun nearby.
As always, when reporting on suicide, we want to remind you that help is available 24/7 for anyone contemplating self-harm – call the Crisis Clinic, 206-461-3222.
(WSB file photo from past drill)
Early heads-up in case you can help – three weeks from tomorrow, neighborhood volunteers could use your help during another disaster drill. Here’s the announcement:
Imagine if all power and normal communications were down – what would you do?
Come see what your community is doing to be prepared.
Join us in a simulated full city power outage field exercise of the Seattle Emergency Communications Hubs and the Seattle Auxiliary Communication Service
April 28, 2018, 9:00 am – noon
Join us as a participant or a volunteer!
Emergency communication hubs – predetermined meeting places you would go for information in case of a catastrophic loss of regular communication – will be “activated” citywide for the drill, including three in West Seattle. Show up at one of them to be part of the April 28th drill:
• Fauntleroy United Church of Christ (9140 California SW)
• High Point Neighborhood House (6400 Sylvan Way SW)
• Pigeon Point (20th SW/SW Genesee)
Even if you can’t participate in or even observe this drill, check the West Seattle hubs map to learn the location nearest you, just in case:
You’ll find more West Seattle-specific preparedness information at westseattlebeprepared.org.
P.S. To sign up in advance as a volunteer/participant, or if you have a question, e-mail info@westseattlebeprepared.org.
So many eggs, so little time! Lots of kids showed up for the season’s first West Seattle egg hunt today at Forest Lawn Cemetery (WSB sponsor) in High Point. So many, in fact, they told us they had a bonus early hunt after starting their mini-festival at 10 am, in addition to the scheduled one at noon.
The rest of the local egg hunts are next Saturday and Sunday, as listed on our Easter Etc. page.
Forest Lawn, meantime, hosts its annual nondenominational Easter Sunday sunrise service a week from tomorrow, at 6:30 am.
Not far from the scene of a 6-hour standoff that followed gunfire two weeks ago, police are investigating a report of gunshots heard in High Point. Texters tell us it happened near Lanham and Graham; reportedly it followed an argument, with someone being “shot at while running to a car.” No reports of any injuries, nor have police found any evidence so far, according to radio transmissions. (The man arrested after the standoff earlier this month, Wario Abdullahi, remains in jail, charged with gun violatios, with the register listing his bail at $200,000.)
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