West Seattle, Washington
24 Sunday
If you usually ride the 37 or 125 – you have to find another way to get around starting Monday. Those are the two West Seattle routes entirely axed in Metro‘s temporary “reduced service” plan.
If you usually ride the 22, 60, 118, 119, or 128, no change – those West Seattle routes are untouched.
Everything else – as listed here – will have “fewer trips and/or reduced hours of operation.” But, Metro spokesperson Jeff Switzer assured us, that does not mean anything drastic, such as a route starting hours later than usual. But there are no printed/online timetables for the reduced schedules, so for starters, he advises, “Riders should prepare to head to their stops a little earlier and before they leave home should confirm whether their trip is operating.” To confirm that, use “Next Departures” on the Metro website or app, or use “Text for Departures” (text your stop ID to 62550) to get the next departure time. If you don’t know your stop number, Metro says you can do that via Trip Planner or by calling 206-553-3000.
Also remember that Metro (including Access and the Water Taxi) and Sound Transit have suspended fare collection – rides are free. And Metro is emphasizing rear boarding for (almost) all.
Here are the last 24 hours’ toplines, 23 days after the first King County COVID-19 case was announced:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From today’s Seattle-King County Public Health news release:
Public Health—Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/21/20.
1,040 confirmed cases (up 106 from yesterday)*
75 confirmed deaths (up 1 from yesterday)This additional death includes:
A man in his 80s, who died on 3/13 at Overlake Medical Center
Of the 75 deaths reported, 35 are confirmed to be associated with Life Care Center of Kirkland.
For comparison, the numbers one week ago were 420 cases, 37 deaths.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
PLAY STRUCTURES TAPED: Two days after play structures and sports courts at city and county parks were declared off-limits, local parks started sporting yellow tape.
METRO REDUCTIONS START TOMORROW: We’ll have a detailed update on this within the next hour. But in the short run, remember that Metro is reducing service on most routes and cutting some entirely (West Seattle’s cut routes are the 37 and 125) starting Monday. The transit system already has stopped collecting fares – both Metro and the Water Taxi are free TFN, as are all Sound Transit modes.
ONE WEEK AGO: It’s been exactly a week since the governor ordered more business closures, including telling restaurants and beverage businesses to close except for pickup/delivery services. We’re continuing to update our West Seattle list of who’s open in that mode – whether you’re a businessperson or customer, we appreciate your help with updates – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you! This week we’re also working on updates of businesses in the sectors that were shuttered completely, such as salons and fitness – info appreciated on those too!
TONIGHT’S FINAL WORD … joy. One neigbborhood expressed it in chalk. In another part of West Seattle, someone found it in a solo dance at sunset:
(Thanks to Hoku for the photo.)
(Texted from California/Southern)
We were SO close. Got multiple reports of The West Seattle Turkey in Gatewood again today, in one instance just a block from WSB HQ. After 11 months of writing about it, maybe it’ll visit us, we thought.
(From Debby on SW Holden)
Alas, no. But enjoy these reader photos anyway.
(From Mike at 44th/Southern)
And let us know if YOU see it!
(From Long Bach Nguyen, seen near California/Kenyon)
As noted the other day, The Turkey was first seen in SW West Seattle last April but has spent most of its time in southeast Admiral/Belvidere since then … until now.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch notes:
STOLEN CAR: From Kelsey near California/Juneau – her 1986 light blue 4-door Honda Accord was taken Friday morning. Awaiting plate; meantime, if you see a car like this obviously abandoned somewhere, call it in.
PACKAGE THEFT: This happened around 5:15 pm Friday near 26th/Trenton, says Josh, who sent this video link.
ILLEGAL DUMPING: As if a small business that’s had most of its operation closed by the virus crisis doesn’t have enough to worry about – Best of Hands Barrelhouse (WSB sponsor) co-proprietor Nicholas sends word of this:
On Tuesday I noticed illegal dumping on our lot. It must have been there a day or so because animals had gotten into the bags already. I began to clean up the mess & sort the trash as there was all sorts of materials mixed in – dirty diapers, plastic bottles, compostables – when I noticed at least four used hypodermic needles.
Furthermore, the lot behind the brewery is not part of our lease. It belongs to Clearview. However, folks are letting their dogs s–t all over the lot. They are being terrible neighbors, and either leaving the feces there, or bagging it and leaving the bags there. I know the majority of West Seattle folks are better than this. Some people just don’t want to take responsibility, & have no empathy for small business owners.
We have no other choice but to add outside cameras to the premises as these aren’t the first or only instances of illegal dumping and bad behavior directed at the lot on 35th & Webster.
lllegal dumping is a misdemeanor.
After multiple reports that Beach Drive by Constellation Park was clogged with driver groups that police were trying to clear, we went over to check. Only the police remained. But we heard other dispatches before – and after – about driver groups along Alki, as well as speeding on the West Seattle Bridge. One resident sent us a note about the same time we found the officers, saying, “It gets bad around here in the summer but this week has been really bad … feels like we are at a racetrack.”
3:59 PM: Seattle Parks crews are continuing to make the rounds, taping off playground and fitness equipment at parks, now off-limits by order of the mayor. Thanks for sending photos of what you are seeing – above, Carolyn sent that from the Lincoln Park north play area; below, from Mark, outside Hiawatha:
We’ve been checking south end parks – here’s one scene we found:
Just the sound of the new cordon fluttering in the wind at Roxhill Park playground. @seattleparks pic.twitter.com/NcQ0Ejb9sX
— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) March 22, 2020
5:36 PM: We’ve just been out checking on more playgrounds and it appears Park staff had been to every place we looked – here’s Highland Park Playground:
Southwest Teen Life Center’s little-kid area:
And the Alki spot unofficially known as Whale Tail Park:
Lowman Beach’s swing set, too.
(Added: Photo by Hobey Grote)
Thanks to Kersti Muul for the tip – transient killer whales are in the area, southbound off Fay Bainbridge State Park (map) at last report. Closer to the west side of Puget Sound, though, so you’ll definitely need binoculars.
Though Providence‘s campaign has been called off, here’s a new local call for help:
Hello West Seattle Friends,
As you know, the request for homemade masks from Providence has been fulfilled. If you are looking for other mask-making opportunities, we have a beloved local grocery store who can use 150 masks, especially as they have set aside special hours for at-risk folks. Employees are not required to wear them but many have expressed an interest. While these are not medical-grade masks, they are the two-ply, 100% cotton model being used by Deaconess Hospital in Indiana that created this instructional video. According to the NIH “homemade mask should only be considered as a last resort to prevent droplet transmission from infected individuals, but it would be better than no protection.” We are also waiting to hear from Harborview to see if they too would like some of the homemade masks. If so, we will put out another call for volunteers. Please email bettertogether206@gmail.com
Thank you. Stay safe. Stay Hopeful.
Other ways you can help are in our longrunning “How to Help” WSB coverage archive.
(WSB photo, March 8th)
That photo is from March 8th, the last West Seattle Farmers’ Market before markets were shut down by order of Mayor Jenny Durkan, who grouped them with other “permtted events.” Today is the second Sunday without a WSFM; the order affected others around the city too. Market managers have launched a letter-signing campaign to get the mayor to change her mind. They’re asking for signatures. The letter begins:
To Mayor Durkan & City of Seattle Partners,
It is our firm conviction that farmers markets are an essential part of Seattle’s food supply and that they should remain open, along with grocery stores, during the COVID-19 outbreak. We are gravely concerned about the abrupt closure of farmers markets at a time when food supply chains and our economy are under threat.
The truth is, if we cannot support and strengthen our region’s farmers during this crisis, that many small farms will not recover from the market closures and that our local food supply and regional network of farmland will be forever changed. Moreover, farmers markets serve shoppers who rely on using their SNAP and SNAP-incentive benefits like Fresh Bucks to purchase fresh food. For those who have already withdrawn benefits at the markets, they cannot now use them at grocery stores.
We are calling on City of Seattle leaders in local government to:
1) Designate farmers markets as an essential business and exempt them from the blanket suspension of permitted events;
2) Work with market management organizations to approve operating plans that support public health orders and CDC guidance on distancing, sanitation, and employee health, and;
3) Commit to closing the policy loophole that lumps farmers markets in the City of Seattle with events, festivals, and other street-use events.
We urge leaders in Seattle to take the actions above, and ultimately to ensure that Washington’s small family farms can continue to provide a vital service in feeding the community during a time of increased need.
The letter goes on to mention other areas of the country in which farmers’ markets are designated as “essential” businesses – you can see for yourself in San Francisco’s shelter-in-place order, for example. The letter also notes that the markets also have not been part of any of our governor’s orders, just the city. If you are interested in signing, go here and scroll to the bottom.
Meantime, market managers have compiled a long list of vendors and how to get their wares while the markets remain closed, some with pickups and pop-ups in West Seattle – see it here.
Thanks to the texter who sent the invitation to “find joy,” chalked at 54th/Andover. What’s YOUR neighborhood doing? Photos always welcome at westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Good morning. Thanks to Mark Wangerin for the photo of a (updated) Common Goldeneye in West Seattle waters! On to a Sunday list of what is/isn’t happening – first, our second Sunday with a list of churches that have taken their services online:
ADMIRAL UCC: The video service for today is posted online here.
ALKI UCC: 10 am Town Hall-style worship with House Group Leaders, via Zoom – info and link on lower right of this page.
ALL SOULS SEATTLE (WSB sponsor): Daily online worship here
ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH: Planning to livestrream here at 10 am.
BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 9:30 am, 11 am, 7 pm.
EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreamed and recorded services, here.
FAUNTLEROY UCC: Livestreaming here,10 am.
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: Today’s online liturgy is here.
GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10:30 am.
HALLOWS CHURCH: Livestream at 10 am via YouTube – link will be on this webpage.
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming in English at 8:30 am, en Español at 10 am, here.
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming Mass at 9:30 am here.
HOPE LUTHERAN: Today’s recorded service will be here by 8 am.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming Mass here at 10 am.
PEACE LUTHERAN: Watch here for the pastor’s message for today.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 10 am.
TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (WSB sponsor): The video service for today is posted here.
TRINITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10 am.
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service for today is here.
WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here, 11 am.
WEST SIDE PRESBYTERIAN Plans are explained here, including livestreams at 8:30 and 10 am today.
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming via Zoom, 10:30 am.
Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
Also happening:
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – go check out something for that at-home project you suddenly have time to do. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
WESTSIDE BABY’S COMMUNITY IN BLOOM: At 1 pm, go here to be part of the “virtual brunch” supporting WestSide Baby‘s work
FREE COMMUNITY DINNER TO GO: High Point Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm at Walt Hundley Playfield, as previewed here. (34th/Myrtle)
What’s NOT happening:
CANCELED: West Seattle Farmers’ Market (announcement) Miss the market? Check out this list of how to get the vendors’ products even while it’s on hiatus. And watch for our story later today on an effort to bring the market back.
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