West Seattle, Washington
15 Friday
The photo and report are from Dave with the West Seattle Running Club:
Hey runners, joggers, walkers, cyclists, roller bladers, skateboarders, and the rest of you:
It’s Dave from the West Seattle Running Club. As we do every couple of years when they start to fade, we have just repainted the mileage markers along the Alki Trail.
From the top of the trail just south of the Statue of Liberty, every quarter mile is marked in black and white, along the curb. I know a lot of us use GPS these days, but the markers are there, and they are accurate. So when you are out there getting that exercise, use them when you need them. And stay safe. One of these days we will all be out there together again. If you want to learn about our running club, now in its 27th year, check us out at www.westseattlerunningclub.org
Dave.
From M:
Just thought I’d let you know that my car was broken into last night in the Seaview neighborhood, on 48th Ave SW between Juneau and Findlay. It was parked in my driveway with a bright motion light. I don’t keep anything in there really, so the only thing stolen was a portable charger. Oddly, they left the change and dollar bills that were in the same compartment as the charger. The glove box and center compartment were emptied out and contents strewn on the floor and seat. They opened a letter from my bank, but left it.
Our previous story covered one aspect of how education has changed for high-school students because of campus closures. So what’s their view of how life has changed in general because of the stay-home order? This video is a mini-doc by one local student, West Seattle High School senior Riley Nachtrieb, recently featured here after winning an award for another short film, about her . Olympic Discovery Trail run last August. Her new film “People vs. Pandemic” was mostly shot in West Seattle. Got 6 1/2 minutes? Watch above (or here)!
Just in from Seattle Public Schools, word that the board has approved a temporary grading policy for high-school students. Here’s the announcement:
The Seattle School Board of Directors today approved a new temporary grading policy to be used for all Seattle Public Schools high-school students at the conclusion of the current school year.
The policy – referred to simply as “A or Incomplete” – temporarily suspends the normal grade-marking portion of the district’s high-school grading policy. Normal grade-marking is now replaced by either an “A” or an “Incomplete.”
This temporary policy will be used by high schools as students’ final grades are determined for the Spring 2020 semester.
SPS Superintendent Denise Juneau said the change was necessary because of the unique challenges presented by the mid-March closure of SPS school buildings for the remainder of the school year during the COVID-19 pandemic.
(King County Assessor’s Office photo)
That mid-1940s house at 9425 18th SW [map] is proposed for demolition and replacement. An early-stage site plan (PDF) has just been filed to build 5 townhouses with 5 offstreet parking spaces. It’s right next door to the Muslim-American Society religious/community-center complex.
From Greg Whittaker of Mountain to Sound Outfitters in The Triangle:
Mountain to Sound Outfitters has a large number of Season Ski and Snowboard Rentals in the community and today we will be open to receive the Season Ski and Snowboard rentals from noon to 5.
Mountain to Sound Outfitters is open by appointment only, until the stay-at-home order is resolved. We have an inventory of Kayaks and SUPs to help you get on the water. Appointments can only be made by emailing info@m2soutfitters.com.
M2SO is at 3602 SW Alaska.
(Added 2:27 pm: Archived video of meeting)
9:33 AM: Five days after announcing the West Seattle Bridge will be out of service until at least 2022 (WSB coverage here), SDOT is briefing the City Council on the situation during councilmembers’ weekly Monday morning “briefing meeting,” which has just begun. You can click into the live Seattle Channel feed above. Here’s the slide deck they’re using – almost identical to the one from Wednesday.
9:38 AM: The briefing is introduced by West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold. She reiterates her concern about “staying laser focused on the need to maximize mobility for West Seattle residents.”
She announces an “electronic town hall” for District 1 this Wednesday 4/22 5-6:30 pm.
9:44 PM: SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe starts the presentation, and says Heather Marx will follow him to talk about traffic mitigation. Both are West Seattle residents. He promises that this is a priority for all levels of city government, up to the mayor.
He reiterates that cracks in the bridge have continued to grow since it was closed four weeks ago but at a slower rate and they do not believe the bridge is in danger of collapse but they are preparing “contingency plans” in case that changes. They are installing real-time monitoring now and inspecting the bridge in person daily. He says they will be ready for a “worst-case scenario.” They’re working with “local stakeholders” including the port as they prepare for that. (Note added: An SDOT Blog post from last Friaay night has a bit more on this.)
9:52 AM: Councilmember Herbold notes that SDOT “sent a message” over the weekend saying that they could remove traffic from the low bridge if the high bridge is found to be unstable. She says she hopes SFD Station 36, under the bridge, is involved in planning too. Zimbabwe says yes, they are working with SFD on a plan.
He continues the short version of last Wednesday’s presentation, reiterating that they don’t know if repairing the bridge is technically or financially feasible, and that even if it is, its maximum life is 10 more years (it should have had ~40 more). He also reiterates that the bridge has to be stabilized/shored, no matter what. He’s also explaining the Pier 18 bearing “release of tension” that has to happen too. While they’re doing that and shoring work, he says, they’ll be able to determine the bridge’s future – whether it needs to be replaced sooner rather than later – and that should be clearer by spring.
Herbold says she’s been contacted by more than a few constituents (editor’s note -this has happened in our comment threads too) who have said (paraphrasing) “never mind worrying about repairs, just get on with planning a replacement.” Zimbabwe says that would have “a lot of different budget implications” from the current work toward getting traffic back onto the bridge sooner. He reiterates that stabilization is vital now no matter what. “This is a very complicated bridge,” he summarizes, noting (again, a reiteration from last week) that they’re bringing in an expert Technical Advisory Panel.
10:12 AM: Before turning it over to Marx to talk about traffic, Herbold asks about the advisers’ role. As he said in response to a question we asked Wednesday, Zimbabwe said they haven’t yet started to assemble the panel, which he says will be more of a “sounding board” than a “recommending” group.
Marx – who has been serving as SDOT’s downtown-mobility director – first recaps the low-bridge restrictions and some other work that’s been done so far, including the Highland Park Way/Holden signal installation, and 5-way signal work (as we reported last Friday, they’ll be repaving the 5-way next weekend, and Marx warns that means “limited access”). She also notes the current detour routes “cannot support the level of traffic we had before the stay-home order.”
Herbold asks about traffic volumes on the low bridge since enforcement began. Around 8,000 vehicles a day, says Marx. “When there isn’t enforcement, the violations of (the restriction)” are major. Marx asks West Seattleites to please not use the low-level bridge so emergency access is always possible. Herbold recaps that she continues to advocate for some alternate time-period access, but can’t make that happen unless people stop using the low-level bridge, period. Council President Lorena González, also a West Seattleite, echoes that, as does yet another WS resident, the other citywide rep, Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda, who makes a request that Herbold has, about health-care and human-services providers getting an exception.
Marx says they’re working “closely right now” with essential businesses near the low bridge but says it’s difficult to designate who’s most essential “because we have actual limitations of how much traffic (the low bridge) can handle.” Mosqueda mentions reports of police officers pulling over people and asking for some kind of “essential worker permit” (this has come up in our comments too); Marx says that applies only to a “placard” available to “a tiny” number of ILWU workers at Terminal 5″ (as mentioned here). And she notes that overall, SDOT is working with Metro (no new details – the briefing is already over the allotted time).
Zimbabwe concludes with the budget slide shown last week – saying it’s “very early” – with a $33 million estimate through shoring, including associated costs (“accelerated maintenance” of the low bridge among them). What actual repair, if feasible, might cost – not included.
10:33 AM: Briefing over, council meeting is on to members’ weekly updates. We’ll replace the video window with the archived video when it’s available later today.
WHAT’S NEXT: As mentioned above, Councilmember Herbold is organizing an “electronic town hall” for 5-6:30 pm this Wednesday. That same night, SDOT is due at the online meeting of HPAC at 7 pm.
ADDED 2:27 PM: Archived video of the meeting is now atop this story.
5:44 AM: The high-rise West Seattle Bridge is empty for the 28th consecutive morning, and will remain that way for a long time. The low bridge is restricted and enforcement continues.
For general traffic, the main route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) – that’s also the main way to get to I-5, exiting at Michigan.
Your other option is the South Park Bridge (map), which drops you onto East Marginal Way one mile south of the north end of the 1st Ave. South Bridge.
Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed to see if a bridge is opening for marine traffic.
ROAD WORK ALERT: Striping work continues in the 35th/Avalon/Alaska project zone this week.
TRANSIT ALERTS:
Metro’s third round of service cuts has begun – details here.
OTHER LINKS
SDOT’s traffic map
Our traffic-cams page
Let us know what you’re seeing – comment, or text (not if you’re at the wheel!) 206-293-6302.
Tomorrow marks two weeks until the scheduled expiration of the governor’s stay-home order. Will it be extended? That question remains unanswered as we begin our nightly roundup of virus-crisis news:
‘RE-OPENING’ PROTEST: Gov. Inslee‘s big statement today was a reaction to the Olympia protest demanding he re-open the state sooner rather than later. He said in part, “This isn’t about politics. It can only be about doing what is best for the health of all Washingtonians.”
RE-CLOSING: The only signs of protest here were at local parks – vandalism to some of the newest city signage, including at Lincoln Park, where someone also managed to open one gate to the south parking lot, which held dozens of cars by midday. Troy sent this photo:
When we inquired with the city, they told us they had sent crews to handle both situations, and by early evening, the lot was empty and re-closed.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:
*5,172 people have tested positive, up 109 from yesterday
*346 people have died, up 6 from yesterday
One week ago, those numbers were 4,426 and 292.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
SETBACK FOR TESTING: Not good news since more testing is desperately needed: The state Health Department has “recalled approximately 12,000 kits sent to local health jurisdictions, tribal nations, and state agency partners across the state,” according to a news release today. They “were procured by UW Medicine and donated to DOH from Lingen Precision Medical Products.” They don’t have immediate replacements but are expecting a “large shipment” later this week.
ANOTHER CANCELLATION: The next West Seattle Grand Parade won’t be until July 24, 2021.
ICYMI AFTER LAST NIGHT’S ROUNDUP: Here’s your neighbor Eddie Vedder singing to raise money for the virus crisis.
SEEN IN UPPER MORGAN: Missing someone these days? You’re not alone. Thanks to Tamsen Spengler for the photo:
GOT A PHOTO? INFO? TIP? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice our hotline, 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Back in January, we reported on charges filed against 41-year-old David Vasquez, accused of drug dealing after a long investigation that involved undercover buys in West Seattle and eventually netted drugs, guns, and cash. As charging documents noted, police found out about Vasquez while investigating the death of a 3-month-old baby in Southeast Seattle, blamed on fentanyl she apparently ingested through her mother’s milk. No charges were filed at the time – but that has just changed.
A reader pointed us to this Seattle Times report about charges against the baby’s parents, 36-year-old Samantha De Leo and 44-year-old Christopher Keadle. We subsequently found the charging documents in King County Superior Court online files. Each was charged this past week with first-degree felony manslaughter. The charging documents say:
While Ms. DeLeo was obviously the conduit for directly exposing the baby to the drugs that killed her, Mr. Keadle was most often the person who procured the drugs for Ms. DeLeo and without question aided in creating the environment and conditions under which the baby died. Both defendants are responsible for the death of their baby.
Police say cell phone records show more than 2,000 phone contacts between the couple and the accused dealer over an eight-month period before and after the baby’s death last year. They are out on bond and scheduled for arraignment April 27th. Vasquez, meantime, was briefly out on bond for a few days in January but then rebooked for what the jail register says was a failure to appear. He has twice asked for his $250,000 bail to be reduced, and again last week, a judge said no.
On Saturday, we mentioned the state was about to open applications for newly expanded unemployment benefits, now also covering self-employed people and independent contractors. Saturday night, we noted reports the system was struggling to handle the onslaught. Today, an update from the state Employment Security Department:
Saturday night, April 18, the Employment Security Department launched a massive update of its computer systems to allow for the expansion of unemployment benefits enabled by the Federal CARES Act. Tens of thousands of people have already filed successfully, and thousands continue to do so every hour.
Due to this demand, the sign up and online application systems are experiencing performance issues. Since the beginning of the crisis we have averaged 1.2 million page views in our site. Right now, we are seeing up to 500,000 per hour. The informational areas of the website are holding steady and can address questions people may have.
Since Saturday evening, our teams have been triaging and addressing issues as they arise. We are already seeing the rate of people getting through the process go up every hour, as volumes level out and our technical adjustments take effect.
If customers are having difficulty applying or filing weekly claims, here are a few things to remember:
*You don’t have to apply on Sunday – it is not first-come-first served and there is no risk to funds running out. You can apply anytime.
*Payments are retroactive to your eligibility date. This means that, once you have successfully applied and backdated your start date, your first payment will be for all weeks for which you are eligible.
*Weekly claims can be filed Sunday through Saturday every week. They can also be filed over the automated phone system at: [corrected] 800-318-6022
*E-services is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The busiest times tend to be in the morning. We recommend trying during off hours.
*If you are having difficulty filing your application, please visit our help page
We apologize for the frustration this is causing and ask for Washingtonians’ patience as we roll out these programs. We know people don’t want to have to wait further to get these benefits and are doing everything we can to improve the performance and access.
The community hub Youngstown Cultural Arts Center is closed because of the coronavirus crisis but its parent organization DNDA has found a way to keep you connected – via the online hub they’re calling HeartSpace. There you’ll find both free and fee activities – the former includes weekly nature walks, the latter includes classes by instructors including the ever-popular Dance Powered with Jennifer Cepeda. Scroll through the HeartSpace calendar at top right of this page and decide what to check out!
Updates from two West Seattle retailers, as Mother’s Day approaches – first, longtime WSB sponsor Wyatt’s Jewelers (Westwood Village):
We will be offering limited appointment, curbside pickup, and dropoff repair services, so if you find some time to go through your jewelry box, and look for all those treasured items that you haven’t had time to have fixed, pack them on up, bring them on in. 19% discount on repairs!
It’s also that time of year for a little spring cleaning. When you drop off your repairs, pick up a spring care and cleaning kit. Offered at $19.95 and includes a polishing cloth, a 10x magnifier, and a jar of cleaner.
Curbside Drop Off – Appointments Only – Call or Text 425-419-8016
Also, we are currently working on updating our inventory for online purchasing. Check online regularly to see what’s new.
And from Fleurt in The Junction:
Fleurt, your local solution for retail therapy. Delivered! We are offering personalized shopping by way of FaceTime calls. Here’s how it works.
DM via Instagram what you might be looking for. Tell us your name, number and best time to call you. We will FaceTime you at that time and do a walk through of the shop and you can pick out anything you like.
That same day we will package your goodies up and either deliver in West Seattle, or USPS anywhere! This is a free service. No delivery or shipping charges. We do ask for a $35+ purchase.
It’s especially great if you are looking for a particular type of plant, have a birthday, anniversary, get well gift for someone. And let’s not forget Mothers Day just around the corner.
Our shop is full of plants and new spring/summer goods.
DM today. You can also call the shop at 206.937.1103. We miss and love you all and can’t wait to connect.
Keonii and Sam
Shop local – with the bridge situation, local businesses are more vital than ever!
12:22 PM: Those are just a few of the sea lions hanging out off Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook (4503 Beach Drive SW) this midday, some “sailing” while taking a break from an all-you-can-eat brunch. Birds too:
Consensus so far seems to be that they are feeding on spawning herring.
That would seem to be borne out by the water color difference you can see in this reader-contributed video from Terence:
Here’s a story about a similar recent event up north. Our archives show a local spawning event three years ago.
P.S. Thanks for all the tips on this!
ADDED 4:32 PM: Kersti Muul sends this photo of herring eggs on the shore:
And from Erica Sokoloff, two more Beach Drive sights – first, a tern (those are the birds with the prehistoric-sounding screech); second, a sea lion nosing out of the water:
ADDED LATE SUNDAY: Aerial view from “Diver Laura” James:
We asked Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network‘s David Hutchinson about the phenomenon:
The Hotline has had a number of calls recently about sea lions offshore, with people expressing concern that they were entangled or injured. We encourage people to call and report these sightings to the Seal Sitters Hotline (206-905-7325) so we can keep track of this activity and just in case a sea lion is actually in distress. A couple weeks ago, our contact at WDFW reported there were herring spawn events in the area (Purdy, Indianola, Case Inlet) which are likely attracting those large numbers of sea lions. Most of these animals will be heading out of our area within the next month.
Another major summer event is off until next year. Just received from Keith Hughes, who chairs the West Seattle Grand Parade Committee for the Rotary Club of West Seattle:
It is with great sadness that I have to announce that the 2020 West Seattle Grand Parade has been cancelled.
The Parade has been held in July for 87 years, and is the longest running Community Parade in Seattle. The Parade Committee believes that in these difficult times, public safety is the greater concern. We are all committed to being back in 2021.
(Friday night’s sunset, photographed by Mark Dale)
Here are the Sunday happenings, beginning with our weekly list of where/how to find West Seattle churches’ online services:
ADMIRAL UCC: The video service will be here. Also – coffee hour via Zoom at 11:30 am.
ALKI UCC: 10 am online service, via Zoom – info and link on church’s home page.
ALL SOULS SEATTLE (WSB sponsor): Online worship will be posted here
ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 10 am.
BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am, 7 pm.
CALVARY CHAPEL: Service will be available via the church’s website, as well as sermon audio.
EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 9 am and 11 am.
FAUNTLEROY UCC: Livestreaming here at 10 am.
FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: The online liturgy is here.
GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10:30 am.
HALLOWS CHURCH: Streaming at 10 am via the church’s YouTube channel.
HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming in English at 8:30 am, en Español at 10 am, all here.
HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming at 9:30 am here.
HOPE LUTHERAN: Today’s worship service and children’s video are viewable here.
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming at 10 am, both here.
PEACE LUTHERAN: Livestreaming at 10:30 am on YouTube.
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Viewable on YouTube: All Ages Sunday School at 10 am, Morning Prayer at 10:15 am (here’s the bulletin), Kids’ Club at 11:30 am.
TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (WSB sponsor): The video service for today is viewable here.
TRINITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10 am.
WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service is viewable here.
WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here, 11 am.
WEST SIDE PRESBYTERIAN Livestreaming at 10 am here.
WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming via Zoom, 10:30 am.
WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY: Online worship at 11 am; info here.
Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
(Photo by Emi Tanji)
Also today:
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)
FREE TO-GO DINNERS: High Point Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm, outside, near High Point Community Center. (6920 34th SW)
Reminder:
NO FARMERS’ MARKET: Though the city gave approval for two other markets to open “modified” versions this weekend, West Seattle remains closed.
That’s West Seattle music superstar Eddie Vedder as seen tonight during the “One World Together: At Home” coronavirus-crisis benefit, soloing “River Cross” from Pearl Jam‘s new album “Gigaton.” So far, organizers say, the broadcast/webcast has raised $128 million for causes including the World Health Organization’s COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund.
As we start the eighth week since King County’s first COVID-19 case, here’s tonight’s roundup:
2ND DAY WITH ANOTHER LOCAL DEATH: For the first time since zip-code-specific stats became available, we’e had two days in a row with an additional local death. Today, as happened yesterday, another death was reported in 98126. That area is now up to 5 deaths, while 98106 and 98146 have 2 each, 98136 has 1, and 98116 has none.
NEWEST COUNTYWIDE NUMBERS: Also from the Seattle-King County Public Health data dashboard:
*5,063 people have tested positive, 161 more than yesterday
*340 people have died, 9 more than yesterday
One week ago, the numbers were 4,262 and 284.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
UNEMPLOYMENT EXPANDS, SITE CRASHES: Earlier today, we published a reminder that self-employed people and independent contractors could apply for unemployment benefits starting tonight. Commenters report the website quickly crashed. Here’s an update/apology via Twitter:
Our system update is complete and eServices is online. However, the site is experiencing an extremely high volume of visitors and pages are loading slowly. Please keep trying or come back and try later. Thank you for your patience. We apologize for the inconvenience.
— Washington State ESD (@ESDwaWorks) April 19, 2020
BUS CUTS BEGIN: If you have to ride Metro, remember that the latest round of service cuts began today.
NO PARK TROUBLE … that we’ve heard of, anyway. We drove through Alki late today and saw several SPD vehicles; earlier in the day, Mounted Patrol officers were spotted.
SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL RESTAURANTS (ETC.): More updates to our list of local restaurants/beverage businesses offering takeout and/or delivery — another reopening today – Cupcake Royale – plus some changes, including a move for the newly opened West Seattle branch of HeartBeet Organic Superfoods Café.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Two more art sightings shared by WSB readers – first, via text:
My daughter and I are making weekly installations in our sidewalk garden. This week is Where the Wild Things Are. We love to see little kids spot these with their families. We’re 372x SW Ida in Gatewood.
And via email:
Wanted to send a message about some fun that somebody set up in the Barton Street P-Patch; an egg hunt of sorts that I spotted with my kids . They had fun going the through to find all of the eggs! Thanks to whoever organized it.
What are YOU seeing? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – include your name so we can credit you – thank you!
Someone stole Danielle‘s fiance’s truck:
It is a 2000 black Dodge Dakota. Is has a gray canopy and a lumber rack on top, along with some sun spots on the roof. License plate number is B20979D. We live on SW Mills St by Gatewood Elementary, where it was taken from. It had all his work tools and supplies. He has been working up in the Northgate area every day through all of this COVID-19 stuff and it was his dad’s truck, who is no longer with us, so this is difficult for him.
If you see it, call 911.
4:23 PM: As Gov. Inslee noted back on Thursday, the state is about to open unemployment insurance to people who are self-employed or independent contractors. The governor’s office sent a reminder this afternoon that you can apply starting at 8 pm tonight. This page explains how that works.
12:23 AM: Aside from other problems reported by commenters, the explanatory link sent by the governor’s office no longer works – now that info is here.
Thanks to Alki photographer David Hutchinson for the sighting. While Alki and other major city parks are NOT closed this weekend, the city’s new exhortation is to “Keep It Moving,” with accompanying signage (as shown here Thursday). That’s not so much of a challenge on a cooler, gray day like today, but if anyone needs prodding, officers from the SPD Mounted Patrol is on hand. The horses are actually based in West Seattle, on the east edge of Westcrest Park in Highland Park.
Jason Grube just installed that window mural at Barre3 in South Admiral, and sent the photo with this explanation:
Hope Grows Here is a community-based project, supported by MultiCare and MultiCare Foundations, that promotes health, hope, and healing through art, kindness, caring, and service. Their featured project “Window Gardens,” uses floral art and words of gratitude to provide a moral boost and sense of connection for anyone who sees it. Everyone is encouraged to participate.
This particular installation is now up at the Barre3 studio on California, owned by Sarah Heitman. Rotator Creative in Tacoma contacted me to create it and DCG One in SODO donated paper for it. Anyone who participates can tag #HopeGrowsHere or send pictures to MultiCare.
stories@multicare.org is the address for photos.
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