day : 17/03/2020 15 results

PHOTOS: Before #TurkeyTuesday closes…

March 17, 2020 11:09 pm

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

Searching for some shred of normalcy, many have asked about The West Seattle Turkey, now almost 11 months into local residency … and several photos have arrived to answer the call! So in this last hour of #TurkeyTuesday, enjoy our feathered neighbor:

That photo was from Betty, last Tuesday; next one, from David, last Saturday:

Also from Saturday, this one is by Mark:

Next one is from Lorenzah, when The Turkey showed up last Thursday at Genesee Hill Elementary:

From Tony, last Thursday:

And some arrived by text too, unfortunately swamped in the recent message volume… thanks to everybody watching for, and watching out for, The Turkey!

CORONAVIRUS: The Tuesday 3/17 roundup

March 17, 2020 9:17 pm

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| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

No new restrictions today. Here goes the nightly roundup:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the daily Seattle-King County Public Health news release at mid-afternoon:

Public Health – Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/16/20

518 confirmed cases (up 30 from yesterday)
46 confirmed deaths (up 3 from yesterday)

These additional deaths include:

A man in his 70s, who died at Valley Medical Center on 3/16
A man in his 90s, who died at EvergreenHealth on 3/16
A woman in her 70s, who died at EvergreenHealth on 3/13

Of the 46 deaths reported, 30 are confirmed to be associated with Life Care Center of Kirkland.

For comparison, the King County numbers one week ago were 190 cases, 22 deaths.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: 1,012 cases, 52 deaths; other state stats here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them – nation by nation – here.

NO NUMBERS, BUT … Crime is clearly down, according to this update from local police.

SEND IN THE NAVY? Our area’s U.S. House Rep. Pramila Jayapal was part of this call to deploy hospital ships, likely one for Seattle:

U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), Derek Kilmer (WA-06) and Mikie Sherrill (NJ-11) today wrote to Admiral Michael Gilday, Chief of U.S. Naval Operations, to urge him to immediately ready and deploy U.S. Naval Ship MERCY and U.S. Naval Ship COMFORT—two Navy hospitals ships—in support of the national COVID-19 response effort, citing the needs in New York, Seattle and other port cities experiencing outbreaks of COVID-19.

According to the U.S. Navy, the two ships each contain 12 fully equipped operating rooms, a 1,000-bed hospital facility, a medical laboratory, a pharmacy, two oxygen producing plants, and a helicopter deck capable of landing large military helicopters. When fully operational, each has a crew of about 71 civilians and up to 1,200 Navy medical and communications personnel.

IS COVID-19 AFFECTING YOUR BUSINESS/NONPROFIT? This survey is for you.

MORE TIME TO PAY THE IRS: Latest from the feds – you’ll still have to file on time, but if you owe, your deadline will be pushed back three months.

MORE BUSINESS SPOTLIGHTS: Along with continuing to update our restaurant/beverage-biz list, today’s spotlights also featured businesses for drivers, runners, and readers. More tomorrow!

SUNDAES ON WEDNESDAY: Speaking of tomorrow – a business whose attempts to open in West Seattle have been long snarled by red tape will have a pop-up here on Wednesday: Shug’s Soda Fountain plans to set up at their someday space, 3800 California SW, 2-5 pm, with take-home sundae kits (listed here).

ALSO TOMORROW: King County promises an afternoon community call about the Top Hat quarantine/isolation site. No one there yet, and when we asked Monday, the latest estimate for occupancy/readiness was early April.

COMMUNITY: 32nd SW neighbors stay strong with signs, art, smiles

March 17, 2020 8:16 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

(WSB photo above; other photos are courtesy neighbor Sara)

On 32nd SW between The Triangle and Luna Park, that is literally a sign of the times. A nearby resident emailed us after spotting those signs in multiple windows while he was out for a walk. We drove over for a look and happened into Sara and neighbors in the midst of what they called a “6-foot happy hour”:

They explained that the “OK” signs were a neighbor’s idea, inspired by disaster-preparedness advice to carry them – they say “HELP” on the other side – and last night they were distributed. Sara tells us about 100 were given out and 33 are already up in windows. Not just for emergency use, she explains: “From benign needs like an elderly neighbor that needs an outside lightbulb changed but can’t climb a ladder, to the needs we can’t yet anticipate such as ill neighbors needing medication or groceries.” But that’s not all yoo’ll see in the windows on 32nd:

They’re displaying window art, so other neighbors can enjoy it. Sara says, “Not sure where this came from but jumped on the bandwagon and are making people’s daily walks more colorful!” There’s even a schedule for a weekly “window art walk”:

What’s YOUR neighborhood doing? Let us know – and send photos if you can (we have to keep our distance too) – westseattleblog@gmail.com

P.S. Here’s a printable OK/HELP sign – (updated) courtesy of Sergio, who says that’s the one they used. (another update) Jesse sent this West Seattle-customized one you can try, too.

P.P.S. ICYMI on Monday, here’s the guide to safely checking in on, and/or helping, neighbors.

HOW TO HELP: WestSide Baby is in emergency-distribution mode

March 17, 2020 7:31 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | How to help | West Seattle news

As the virus crisis throws more families into economic insecurity – and worsens the situation for many who were already there – WestSide Baby is focused on emergency diaper distribution. We were at the nonprofit’s White Center hub at midday today as case managers for struggling families stopped by to pick up extra boxes of diapers. By the time we stopped by, they had loaded more than three dozen vehicles with about 70,000 diapers.

WS Baby’s interim executive director Sara Cody Roth explains, “Our mission to meet children’s basic needs to keep them safe, warm and dry is more important and more urgent than ever before.” And while many have asked about volunteer or material needs, which usually they accept joyfully, they’ve suspended that for now – what they need most so they can keep buying discounted diapers is money – here’s how to donate if you can.

HISTORY: What the Log House Museum can offer you even though it’s closed

March 17, 2020 6:25 pm

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| Coronavirus | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo)

We’re living through history now. But even with a scary present and uncertain future, you might be able to take some time to learn more about our area’s past. From the Southwest Seattle Historical Society:

While the Log House Museum is closed to the public during this time, they are dedicated to bringing historic content to the community in new ways. Here are a few offerings the museum has made available, with much more to come!

First, they have put their most recent exhibit, “Between the Lines: The Power and Parallels of the West Seattle Annexation” online. You can click through the exhibit content here.

For parents and teachers in need of educational content, the activity book Welcome to the Green Land is free for download here.

The museum is participating in the #museumalphabet challenge with other museums across the globe, featuring a collection item for each letter. You can follow along on their Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter page. Be sure to follow them as they have more content, including some special videos, planned for the coming weeks.

Your support is crucial to the Historical Society now more than ever. If you are interested in supporting the Historical Society’s mission during the temporary closure of the Log House Museum, please consider donating or becoming a member today!

FYI when the museum reopens – you’ll find it at 61st SW and SW Stevens.

BOOKS: Updates from Paper Boat Booksellers, Pegasus Book Exchange

March 17, 2020 4:47 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle books | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Updates from West Seattle’s two independent bookstores:

PEGASUS BOOK EXCHANGE: The store is “still open for business as well as offering curbside pickup and delivery.” More below:

Pegasus is at 4553 California SW.

PAPER BOAT BOOKSELLERS: The store at 6010 California SW is now closed to the public but doing delivery and pickup – here’s the newest info:

While we are closed to the public, we will operate out of the store on a limited schedule to answer phones, take orders and provide curbside drop-off and delivery. Hours of operation will be:

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday: 11 am-5 pm

Delivery Times: 3 pm-5pm (if demand is high we may expand delivery days and times)

Ways To Order:

Order Online: Our online store will be up and running soon. You can place your order for books or gift cards and we will ship them out to you (shipping is free for gift cards). If you choose “in store pick-up” we will call you when your purchases are ready and you can choose to pick up curbside or we can deliver them to you. In the comments, please leave your address for delivery or type “curbside”.

Order By Phone Or Email: Call or email us with your book order and if we have what you need we will pull it off the shelf or order it for you. We will let you know when your order is ready and you can pay over the phone-please don’t send your credit card information over email.

Ways To Deliver:

Curbside Pick-Up: During our hours of operation we will offer curbside delivery outside the store. Once we contact you to let you know your order is ready, you can pre-pay over the phone and if you’ve ordered online then your order should be paid for. Call us when you are here: 206-743-8283 and we’ll run your order out to you-now you are set to read, read, read!

Delivery: We are offering free delivery to our customers within West Seattle limits. Please take us up on it-we have driving teenagers who are out of school and they are more than willing to help (as long as there’s cash involved by Mom and Dad of course!).Simply place your order over the phone or online and choose “in store pick-up”, leave your address in the comments and let us know you would like for us to deliver. We will deliver on T/Th/Sat between 3 pm-5 pm (if demand is high we may deliver on other days-we will wait and see).

This isn’t ideal! Nothing can replace coming into the store, browsing and shopping at your leisure, but we will try our best to get books (and workbooks, puzzles, games) any way we can. We are happy to give you recommendations over the phone or pick a surprise recommendation for you-we are always happy to share our thoughts and ideas with you!

POLICE: ‘Current lack of activity’ in some high-crime locations, and other Southwest Precinct updates

March 17, 2020 3:19 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police | West Seattle politics

If not for COVID-19, tonight would bring the monthly West Seattle Crime Prevention Council community meeting at the Southwest Precinct, usually starting with a crime-trend briefing from local police leadership. Since that’s not happening, we asked them if they’d provide a briefing for us to publish. This is what operations commander Lt. Steve Strand sent:

The Seattle Police Department is making adjustments, during this unprecedented time, to provide public safety to our various communities. The Southwest Precinct is fully functional and our employees are healthy, as we manage our operations, and respond to calls for service. A few changes we have made:

Our Precinct Lobby is locked with a sign telling potential walk-ups how to contact us.

Our Precinct is not holding public meetings but will explore the possibility of alternative formats via email or internet.

Calls are being screened for online, or telephonic, reporting when feasible. Officers are still responding in-person and will take necessary precautions by wearing Personal Protective Equipment if recommended.

Emphasis Patrols have been modified, or canceled, due to the current lack of activity in most of the locations.

It will take some time to see how this will affect our crime trends but for now we are focused on life safety and getting safely through this precarious time.

The last part was in response to our question about how crimes like burglary and package theft have been trending, given that far fewer homes are unoccupied in the daytime (which is prime time for those crimes, contrary to popular belief). Leafing through the Southwest Precinct sectors’ Tweets by Beat (automated brief incident type/area mentions that are aggregated on the WSB Crime Watch page), we only see one residential burglary in the past three days, for example.

P.S. Regarding the “emphasis patrol” areas, those have included Westwood Village, The Junction, and South Park.

ALSO OPEN: Click! Design That Fits goes delivery/pickup

March 17, 2020 2:45 pm

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| Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

It’s not just restaurants/beverage businesses – some retailers are going delivery/pickup too, like longtime WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits in The Junction. Their message to customers:

Guys. This COVID-19 thing is out.of.control. We want you, our staff, and our vendors to stay healthy at all costs. We’ve decided that it’s in our collective best interests to temporarily close the store starting on Tuesday 3.17.20. We will remain closed until further notice.

We’ve been blown away by the support you’ve given us over the past week as this thing has gotten bigger and crazier. We can’t thank you enough for supporting the locally owned, independent businesses who employ your friends, neighbors and kids and give back to West Seattle in countless ways. We go into this break buoyed by your dedication to this community and the small businesses that make it tick.

While we’re closed we’ll be doing a TON of website updates so you can still get your Click! fix. Our web shop will remain open and we’ll be shipping orders regularly. Orders over $75 will ship free anywhere in the USA. If you’re local, we can deliver within West Seattle for no charge (orders of $50 or more) and will have curbside order pickups by appointment (any order amount).

Keep your eyes peeled for email and social media (Instagram, Facebook) updates from us and definitely reach out to us at hello@clickdesignthatfits.com if you have thoughts, questions or concerns.

Thank you again for being the best. We love you and are looking forward to seeing your faces again in the near future. Until then, stay safe and wash your hands!

Click! is at 4540 California SW.

REMINDER: Where to find our list of West Seattle restaurant/beverage businesses open for takeout/delivery; city adds pickup parking

March 17, 2020 1:14 pm

| 19 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

(Makeshift short-term drive-up pickup spaces in The Junction)

1:14 PM: ICYMI on Monday, we have a list of West Seattle restaurants, coffee shops, and other beverage/food businesses that are offering pickup/delivery – see it here, find it linked to one of our home-page spotlight boxes, or find it linked in our site navigation menu; choose RESTAURANT LIST. The info is from business proprietors and readers, plus some research we’ve done (including driving around to read notes on doors/windows), so if yours is missing, just get us the info – 206-293-6302 text/voice, or (ideal) westseattleblog@gmail.com. And everyone keep in mind that this is all subject to change as businesses decide day to day what makes sense; please send us updates, too.

4:27 PM: What you see in the photo above is a Junction initiative – but the city says it’s following suit; here’s today’s announcement.

SEEN OFF WEST SEATTLE: Submarine and more

March 17, 2020 12:34 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Two maritime scenes from the WSB inbox:

That photo of an outbound submarine is from Bruce Easter. Below, Lynn Hall caught a cargo ship, Kitsap Transit foot ferry, and (in the background) Washington State Ferry all in the same frame:

P.S. Looks like partly clear skies and good sailing weather at least through the weekend.

ALSO OPEN: West Seattle Runner, with a unique protection setup

March 17, 2020 11:28 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

As we continue spotlighting how businesses are working on staying safe if they’re allowed to stay open – the photo and report are from West Seattle Runner (2743 California SW; WSB sponsor)

From WSR’s Tim and Lori McConnell:

West Seattle Runner is staying open regular business hours until told to do otherwise.

Our biggest change is we are not doing our full fitting, which usually gets us up close and personal to each customer. Instead, we are doing a distance fitting, where we will still check gait and shoe correction, but not check shoe fit. This we will leave to the customer to tell us. We will also try to do this within a 10 minute window while maintaining a physical distance of 6′. To help offset any fit issues, we are extending our return policy to 45 days.

We have added a take-out option, where we will take an order over the phone and place it in a bag, ready to grab and go by the front door. This will allow the customer to be in our store for less than 10 seconds to minimize contact.

For customers that aren’t comfortable paying over the phone or just want to come in and grab what they need, we have erected a Lexan shield between our cash register and the check out area. This keeps staff and customers separated even though they are within 6 feet of each other. We have put our bags on the customers’ side so they can bag their own items, and will also have them scan their own items, another measure to keep contact to a minimum. We also wipe down our key pad after every transaction, and we will limit the number of people in the store to 10, including staff.

We are looking forward to seeing what other businesses have come up with to help us all get through these tough times.

Tim and Lori
West Seattle Runner

UPDATE: WSR has suspended their regular running events TFN.

WEST SEATTLE SCENE: The green Mystery Stripe!

March 17, 2020 10:16 am

| 29 COMMENTS

| Holidays | Seen around town | West Seattle news

Nathan emailed this morning to ask, “If you are out, can you see if the green stripe has been painted on 41st? Everyone could use some St. Patrick’s cheer.” So we went over to look – and yes, it’s there, on 41st SW in North Admiral. While so many things have suddenly stopped or dramatically changed, not this … so, thanks, Mystery Stripe painter(s)!

(We should add, for newcomers – this has been a St. Patrick’s Day tradition on this block for many years.)

ALSO OPEN: How Swedish Automotive can get you car maintained/fixed without in-person contact

March 17, 2020 9:15 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

After spotlighting food/beverage businesses today, we’re looking at other types of business today. Among the types NOT closed by health orders – car-repair shops. If you’re suddenly not using yours to commute, you might have time for maintenance. Swedish Automotive (35th/Kenyon; WSB sponsor) can do that even without in-person contact. From co-proprietor Todd Ainsworth:

Checking in from Swedish Automotive here…we are open and taking measures to keep everyone safe here.

Customers have the option to use our after-hours key drop and we can communicate by phone, text or email if anyone is concerned about in-person contact.

The nature of our business has us at safe social distancing guidelines and we can wipe down a customer’s vehicle (steering wheel, door handles, etc) before they pick it up.

The pain that small businesses are feeling – especially the hard-hit bars, restaurants, breweries, and many other social gathering spots – is hopefully as temporary as can be and as part of the West Seattle small business community, we hope all of our neighborhood employers can get back to normal as soon as possible.

We are more than happy to arrange pickup and delivery of your vehicle if you are in need of service and find yourself having to stay at home with kids who are out of school or due to other schedule disruptions.
We will get through this tough time together, West Seattle, and we hope you are staying healthy and safe!

Despite the name, Swedish Automotive handles other types of cars too – including Subarus. See the list on their website.

TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Tuesday watch

March 17, 2020 7:08 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

(SDOT MAP with travel times/ Is the ‘low bridge’ closed? LOOK HERE/ West Seattle-relevant traffic cams HERE)

7:08 AM: Good morning. For those still commuting, and for others interested in traffic volumes, we’re continuing to post our regular morning camera roundup. Also, for transit alerts like this from Washington State Ferries:

In response to Gov. Inslee’s directive to help stop the spread of COVID 19, and to protect the health and safety of employees and customers, all galleys on Washington State Ferries will be closed starting Tuesday, March 17. Food vendors at the Anacortes terminal will also be closed. Vending machines will still be available.

We apologize for the inconvenience, and thank you for your understanding as we prioritize the health and safety of our crews and passengers.

SCHOOL’S OUT: Serving more than food, on lunches’ first day

March 17, 2020 1:30 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Food for the mind, as well as food for the belly. That’s what was offered up to students visiting Denny International Middle School on Monday – it’s one of the five West Seattle/South Park sites with take-away lunches available to all Seattle Public Schools students. We dropped by just before the official availability window and said hi to lunch ladies Doree and Noreen:

They were looking forward to potentially seeing some of the students they’d be serving daily if school was in session. So was Denny principal Jeff Clark:

Also available along with lunches and books, grade-by-grade info for families; schools are closed for at least six weeks.