West Seattle, Washington

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month : 03/2020 350 results

CORONAVIRUS: Wednesday 3/18 roundup
March 18, 2020 9:13 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Here’s what happened today, 19 days after King County announced its first COVID-19 case:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the daily Seattle-King County Public Health update:

Public Health – Seattle & King County is reporting the following confirmed cases and deaths due to COVID-19 through 11:59 p.m. on 3/17/20

562 confirmed cases (up 44 from yesterday)
56 confirmed deaths (up 10 from yesterday)

These additional deaths include:

A woman in her 90s, who died at Life Care Center on 3/6
A woman in her 60s, who died at Life Care on 3/16
A man ins 90s, who died at Life Care on 3/17
A man in his 70s, who died at Life Care on 3/17
A man in his 80s, who died at Life Care on 2/28
A man in his 90s, who died on 3/15
A woman in her 70s, who died at Overlake Medical Center on 3/16
A man in his 70s, who died at University of Washington Medical Center on 3/17
A man in his 60s, who died at Harborview Medical Center on 3/16
A man in his 70s, who died on 3/16

Of the 56 deaths reported, 35 are confirmed to be associated with Life Care Center of Kirkland.

For comparison, the King County numbers one week ago were 234 cases, 26 deaths.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: 1,187 cases, 66 deaths; other state stats here.

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

ANOTHER WEST SEATTLE CASE: Families at the Bridge Park senior-living complex in High Point have been told of a third case there. The notification said the patient is in a hospital.

GOVERNOR BRIEFING: This afternoon, Gov. Inslee briefed the media on another round of economic announcements – here’s what he published; below, our topline notes from monitoring via phone (which is how they’re handling all media briefings now):

*Statewide moratorium on evictions/rent-default notices for next 30 days
*Feds are suspending foreclosures for at least two months
*Waiving 1-week time period before unemployment $ kicks in
*Working with White House to develop “Disaster Unemployment Assistance” for those otherwise not covered. If President can’t do that, he’s asking for Congress to do it.
*DSHS will expand availability to emergency assistance to families without children
*Calling on all public utilities to expand bill assistance, waive late fees, etc.

For small businesses
*Congress OK’d SBA loans
*State making grants available to small businesses
*State cabinet agencies asked to support recovery
*State DOR suspending late fees and enforcement on tax payments for at least 30 days

Q&A touched mostly on non-economic topics. He was asked repeatedly if he’s going to announce further restrictions such as “shelter in place”; he did not rule anything out, but did not suggest anything was imminent – he’s making his decisions based on updates from health authorities.

QUARANTNE-FACILITY UPDATE: Another call we were on this afternoon – a new weekly community briefing on the Top Hat quarantine/isolation site east of White Center, still unoccupied, with early April the target date. Later, we went there to photograph the site, which is fully visible from the street:

A security guard tried to stop us, despite the fact that photographing something visible from a public street is fully within our rights and yours. We called it to the attention of elected officials via Twitter; County Councilmember Joe McDermotttagreed it shouldn’t have happened.

BUSINESS UPDATES: In our look at grocery-store hours today, we discovered at least five local stores now have special times for 60+/otherwise-at-risk people to shop … Pets gotta eat too! So we had an update on those stores …We continued updating the restaurant/beverage-business list (now 110+ businesses listed!) …

The Junction now has its own directory of who’s offering pickup/delivery (and some other business info, too).

YOU CAN HELP: More ways to help are emerging – like this blood drive next week. (We’ll have an ongoing list soon, but in the meantime, check our How To Help archive.)

FINAL WORDS: Seen in Seaview and called to our attention via Twitter:

(Added) We’ve since learned the author of that musing is Kitty O’Meara.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Two thefts
March 18, 2020 7:41 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Fairmount Springs | Seaview | West Seattle news

Crime’s down but not out.

PACKAGES TAKEN: The video is from Sydney in Fairmount Springs, who reports:

I wanted to share that our Arlo security camera captured a man in broad daylight dressed in a neon vest with a fake scanner stealing two packages off of our front porch when my husband and I were on a walk with our son and dog. This occurred in the Fairmount Springs neighborhood at 41st and Juneau within 4 hours of the packages being delivered. I wanted to share so that our community can be on the lookout for this man and this type of crime. We did file a report with the police as well.

GARDENING THIEVES? Geoff in Seaview sent this report Tuesday:

We just went into our backyard to do some work and discovered that sometime in the past 24 hours someone stole over a yard of bagged topsoil from our backyard.

It must have been quite the operation, but we didn’t see or hear anyone. We’re near the intersection of 46th and Juneau.

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CORONAVIRUS: 3rd COVID-19 case reported at High Point seniors complex Bridge Park
March 18, 2020 5:30 pm
|      18 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | Health | High Point | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, last week)

Another COVID-19 case reported at Bridge Park, the senior-living complex in High Point. Here’s the first page of the notification, provided by a family member:

(Here’s the second page.) The first case was reported last Thursday; second case, this past Monday. These three cases, and one affecting a South Seattle College student, are the only ones that have come to light in West Seattle so far; there could be others, but the King County information releases no longer even list cities, let alone neighborhoods. Meantime, we have a followup inquiry out to parent company Holiday Retirement.

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PET FOOD: What West Seattle stores are doing
March 18, 2020 4:45 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | Pets | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

All three of West Seattle’s small independent pet-food/supplies stores are open – here are their latest updates:

PET ELEMENTS (6511 California SW)

Please use the hand sanitizer located in store as you enter PRIOR to touching any carts, baskets, or product. We also ask that you pay with a card if possible, we have a no-touch procedure in place.

If necessary you can call us to place and pay for your order. We can then bring it to your car for you. We do ask that you have brand, formula, size needed, and limit variety on can requests. We may ask that you call back if we are busy…please understand if this happens. We’re doing our best to provide you with pet groceries and great service during this time.

Customer Scott also reports they’ve suspended receipt-signing but can still print you a receipt.

NEXT TO NATURE (4543 California SW):

We firmly believe that continued access to proper pet nutrition is just as important as continued access to proper human nutrition, so we will do everything we can to support the pet families in Seattle. We plan to be open on our regular schedule for in-store purchases, but will also be expanding our options by

1) offering curbside pick-up either in the 15-minute zone currently set up in front of our store on California Ave SW or in our parking area off the alleyway between California Ave SW and 44th Ave SW (near Wells Fargo) and

2) offering free next-day home delivery within the greater Seattle area

For both 1) and 2), customers can call us at 206-935-1134 to place and pay for their order and select their preferred fulfillment method.

On a separate note, we are working hard, as are our manufacturers and distributors, to maintain the supply of essentials such as foods and litters, and we’d like to thank all of those people who have chosen NOT to over-purchase in these uncertain times.

MUD BAY (2611 California SW): Open 11-7:30 weekdays, 9-7:30 weekends:

To help keep Muddies and customers safe, we have increased our efforts to reduce the spread of any illness by cleaning and sanitizing surfaces regularly, we’ve also implemented curbside pickup to keep visits as brief as possible.

We’re tracking as many business categories as we can – email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!

ADDED 7:20 PM: Thanks for the reminders that we omitted another small local store.

PET PROS (Westwood Village): Open. You can order online for pickup, home delivery available for orders over $50.

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HOW TO HELP: Sign up for West Seattle Runner’s upcoming blood drive
March 18, 2020 3:50 pm
|      13 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | How to help | West Seattle news

A few days ago, health authorities warned that the blood-bank system was “in danger of collapse” if more people didn’t/couldn’t donate. West Seattle Runner (WSB sponsor) has a mobile blood drive scheduled for March 27th – one week from Friday – and is asking donors to sign up now:

We are holding a Blood drive in front of our store on Friday the 27th from 12-6. To donate, people must schedule an appointment time from their website schedule.bloodworksnw.org/DonorPortal/GroupLanding.aspx?s=423B

In regards to COVID-19, they ask the following of potential donors:

Donors, please do not donate today if any of the following apply to you within the last 28 days:

*You traveled to any area with novel coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak.
– For example: city of Wuhan China and Hubei Provence of China
*You lived with individuals diagnosed with or suspected of having novel COVID-19 infection.
*You have been diagnosed with or suspected of having novel COVID-19 infection.

West Seattle Runner is at 2743 California SW.

Anybody else with a coordinated way to safely help – let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com – or text/call 206-293-6302

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QUARANTINE/ISOLATION FACILITY: Top Hat site not ready for occupants yet
March 18, 2020 2:37 pm
|    Comments Off on QUARANTINE/ISOLATION FACILITY: Top Hat site not ready for occupants yet
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news | White Center

(ile photo)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Nobody’s in the Top Hat quarantine/isolation facility (206 SW 112th) yet. But the county is launching weekly community phone meetings for updates and Q&A. We participated in the first one this afternoon.

John Taylor from Local Services, Callie Knight from the Executive’s Office, Brad Binder from Public Health, County Councilmember Joe McDermott were among those on the call.

Regarding the timeline, Knight said the timeline for opening is still “at least a week and a half” away. April 3rd is the target date, to be open for 8 four-unit trailers, including one unit to be used as an on-site office, added Christina Gonzales of Facilities, who joined the call later. Read More

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GROCERY STORES: Updating West Seattle supermarkets’ hours & special shopping times
March 18, 2020 12:00 pm
|      98 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Updated 6/27)

As with many other businesses, things are changing day to day, so (updated) we are continuing to track local standalone stores’ hours:

WEST SEATTLE THRIFTWAY (4201 SW Morgan; WSB sponsor): 5 am-midnight – pickup service info here if you cannot come into the store. (Added) Thriftway has senior shopping time (60+), 7-9 am Tuesdays and Thursdays. No personal bags.

PCC WEST SEATTLE (2749 California SW; WSB sponsor): 8 am-11 pm, with 7 am-8 am reserved for 60+ and others at higher risk. Personal bags are OK if you bag your own groceries.

METROPOLITAN MARKET (41st/42nd/Admiral): 8 am-11 pm; 7-8 am every day now reserved for seniors/other elevated-risk shoppers. No personal bags.

TRADER JOE’S (4545 Fauntleroy Way SW): Hours will be 9 am-9 pm starting 6/29 with 8-9 am special daily hour for seniors and others at elevated risk..

WHOLE FOODS (4755 Fauntleroy Way SW; WSB sponsor): 8 am-9 pm, with senior hours 7 am-8 am Wednesdays and Fridays.

JUNCTION QFC (4550 42nd SW): 5/23 update – hours now 7 am-11 pm with 60+-shopper hour 7-8 am Mondays and Wednesdays.

WESTWOOD VILLAGE QFC (26th/Barton): 5/23 update – hours now 7 am-11 pm with 60+-shopper hour 7-8 am Mondays and Wednesdays.

*Note for the next three stores – seniors/high-risk people have special shopping hours at Safeways (expanded to) 6 am-9 am Tuesdays and Thursdays.

ROXBURY SAFEWAY (27th/Roxbury): 5 am-1 am

JEFFERSON SQUARE SAFEWAY (42nd/Edmunds), 5 am-1 am

ADMIRAL SAFEWAY (2622 California SW): 5 am-1 am

westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – we’ll update this list if/when we hear of changes – thank you!

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ALSO OPEN: West Seattle Autoworks can fix/maintain your car without in-person contact
March 18, 2020 11:43 am
|    Comments Off on ALSO OPEN: West Seattle Autoworks can fix/maintain your car without in-person contact
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

If your vehicle needs repair/maintenance, you can get that done safely. Another longtime WSB sponsor that’s got a no-in-person-contact plan is West Seattle Autoworks. From Kacie:

West Seattle Autoworks is committed to keeping its employees, customers and vendors as safe as possible while still providing excellent vehicle repair and maintenance for our customers. In order to do this, we have made the following temporary changes to our daily operations:

Our hours will be Monday-Friday 8:30 am – 4:00 pm.

All business normally face to face with customers will be done via talk, text or email.

The only payment methods accepted will be credit cards over the phone

Our lobby will be closed to visitors and vendors

Customers will be able to drop their vehicle keys through our after hours key drop

We will arrange vehicle pick up with each customer when service is complete

We can pick up customer cars in West Seattle

Please call or text us with any questions: 206 257 5344 and thank you!

West Seattle Autoworks is at 35th/Webster.

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FOOD: Lunches for students at Highland Park Improvement Club again today
March 18, 2020 10:14 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Coronavirus | Highland Park | West Seattle news

(WSB photo, last week)

For kids who can’t make it to one of the Seattle Public Schools distribution sites, volunteers are distributing sack lunches at Highland Park Improvement Club again today. Here’s the announcement we received:

Bag lunches will be provided Wednesday, March 18th, and Friday the 20th, at Highland Park Improvement Club for kiddos in the area from 11-2. Friday, a weekend bag of extra staples will also be provided. In order to keep volunteers and families safe by practicing social distancing we will be using the same model as SPS. Folks in cars will have lunches handed to them in their cars. Folks on foot will be able to take their lunches from a table on the patio. All students are welcome.

HPIC is at 1116 SW Holden.

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POWER OUTAGE: 300+ customers, south of Fauntleroy
March 18, 2020 10:00 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

10 AM: Thanks for the tips. 330+ customers south of Fauntleroy, centered in Brace Point, are without power. About a quarter of them have been without it since last night; the rest lost it last night, got it back early today, and just lost it again. We are checking with City Light.

10:02 AM: Some just got it back again.

3:25 PM: Just in case you were wondering – outage map shows everyone back on.

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TRAFFIC/TRANSIT TODAY: Wednesday watch
March 18, 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)

7:06 AM: Good morning. For people still commuting, and for others interested in traffic volumes, we’re continuing the regular morning camera roundup.

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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!

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CORONAVIRUS: The Tuesday 3/17 roundup
March 17, 2020 9:17 pm
|    Comments Off on CORONAVIRUS: The Tuesday 3/17 roundup
 |   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.

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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.

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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.

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HISTORY: What the Log House Museum can offer you even though it’s closed
March 17, 2020 6:25 pm
|    Comments Off on HISTORY: What the Log House Museum can offer you even though it’s closed
 |   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.

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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!

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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.

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ALSO OPEN: Click! Design That Fits goes delivery/pickup
March 17, 2020 2:45 pm
|    Comments Off on ALSO OPEN: Click! Design That Fits goes delivery/pickup
 |   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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.)

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