day : 25/07/2020 8 results

On this last Saturday of July, here’s the latest on the virus crisis:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:

*14,255 people have tested positive, 208 more than yesterday

*640 people have died, 2 more than yesterday

*1,877 people have been hospitalized, 11 more than yesterday

*270,739 people have been tested, 5.631 more than yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 12,991/632/1,800/238,207.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 16 million people have tested positive, and more than 644,000 have died. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, India, Russia, South Africa – same as last week. See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.

FACE-COVERING REQUIREMENT EXPANDS: Today was the day the new rule expansion took effect. As the state recaps here, the rule “require(s) face coverings in any indoor setting outside of your home (not just public buildings) and expands the outdoor requirement to non-public settings when you can’t maintain 6 feet of distance from non-household members. This includes common spaces in congregate living settings, such as common areas in apartment buildings condos, fraternity/sorority houses, assisted living facilities and other similar places.”

SUPREME REOPENS: A week and a half after closing both its locations because of a positive COVID-19 test at its U-District location, Supreme has reopened both.

SOCIAL DISTANCING AT ALKI: Yes, it’s possible! Lynn Hall sent the photo:

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

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NAME THOSE PARKS: Port’s invitation, and Duwamish Tribe’s request

July 25, 2020 8:59 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Port of Seattle | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Most Port of Seattle-owned parks have generic-sounding names. But the port has just announced a plan to change that, with your help:

The Port of Seattle will rename six Port-owned parks and shoreline access sites along the Duwamish River to new names that reflect the cultural and environmental history of the area. The Port has partnered with Seattle Parks Foundation, a well-recognized public parks and greenspace non-profit, to design and implement the re-naming campaign with transparency and community involvement.

The ‘Incredible Parks Want Incredible Names’ nomination period runs from July 24 to August 31.

The parks to be renamed are:

Terminal 117 Park
Terminal 107 Park
8th Avenue Street End
Turning Basin #3
Terminal 105 Park
Terminal 108 Park

(T-105 and T-107 are in West Seattle.) Between now and August 31st, you can suggest names three ways:
–Online
-By voice mail – 206-385-9064
-Writing it on a postcard and texting a photo to that same number

The port will pick three finalists for each and open a “public scoring period” in September.

The Duwamish Tribe, meantime, is campaigning for support to rename T-107 Park as Ha-ah-poos Duwamish Village Park. This video explains its history:

You can support their campaign by nominating that name, and supporting it in September.

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VIDEO: Talking transit, current and future, plus bridge updates, @ West Seattle Transportation Coalition

July 25, 2020 6:30 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Sound Transit | Transportation | West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Though Sound Transit‘s planned-for-2030 West Seattle light rail was the announced spotlight topic of this month’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, the discussion traveled over many roads.

More than 40 people had called/clicked in by the time Thursday night’s meeting got going, announced WSTC chair Michael Taylor-Judd. Here’s the WSTC recording of the meeting:

First guest: ST board member and King County Executive Dow Constantine, who got the leadoff spot because of time constraints. Veering beyond the stated topic, he noted the overall transit challenges posed by the “lousy revenue system” and “god-awful tax system.”

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ELECTION 2020: Week and a half until the primary. Registered yet?

July 25, 2020 5:06 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

Reminders from King County Elections, with the August 4th primary nearing:

Those who wish to vote in the August 4 Primary election have until Monday, July 27 to register online or have their mailed registration form received by King County Elections.

In-person registration will continue through 8 pm on Election Day, August 4. Eligible voters can register in person at the King County Elections headquarters in Renton or at a Vote Center. Voters who come in person should wear a mask and be prepared to follow social distancing protocols.

Starting on July 31 in Renton and August 1 in Seattle at CenturyLink Field Event Center, King County Elections will offer curbside service to voters needing to register to vote or receive a replacement ballot. Voters can pre-order their replacement ballot online or call King County Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683) to pre-register ahead of time to reduce their wait time.

King County Elections mailed Primary election ballots to registered voters on July 15. Any voter who has not received their ballot should request a replacement ballot online or call King County Elections at 206-296-VOTE (8683) for immediate assistance.

To be eligible to register to vote, you must be:

A citizen of the United States
A legal resident of Washington state
At least 18 years old by Election Day
Not under the authority of the Department of Corrections
Not disqualified from voting due to a court order
Voters can visit the Elections website or contact the Elections office for assistance and information.

Ready to vote? You can use postal mail or a KC Elections dropbox to turn your ballot in, stamp-free, by 8 pm Tuesday, August 4th.

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PHOTOS: Fauntleroy farewell for Gerry Cunningham

July 25, 2020 3:15 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

(WSB photos)

Fauntleroy Children’s Center has bid farewell to a legend – longtime staff member Gerry Cunningham is retiring:

Her retirement party was a pandemic-style celebration – including a car parade – across the street from FCC (which is in the historic Fauntleroy Schoolhouse), in the Fauntleroy UCC lot this past Thursday:

FCC’s tribute to Gerry explained in part:

Gerry has more energy than just about anyone I know. For years she has been able to run circles around me. Her enthusiasm and love for cooking make her one in a million. She has a room of cookbooks (literally over 1000) that she would pour over looking for new ideas and ways to inspire the children to try new foods. Cooking for a crowd was second nature to her. You might remember Gerry and Lauri cooking spaghetti dinners to raise money for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, then spending their weekend volunteering to coordinate the registration and staying until the end to help with cleanup…just like the FCC potlucks, FCC picnics and auction.

Those who stopped by to wish her well got a cookbook with her most popular recipes over the years:

If you missed the event, you can still get a card or note to Gerry via the FCC.

Gerry has worked there for more than 20 years.

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BIZNOTES: Zamboanga’s last weekend, Discovery Shop’s reopening plan, Pegasus Book Exchange’s new feature

July 25, 2020 12:55 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Three notes from the same block in the heart of The Junction:

ZAMBOANGA’S LAST DAY: If you haven’t been to the shop lately or see the signs, Zamboanga at 4531 California is closing – and we found out today that this is the shop’s final weekend, open until 6 today, 10-4 tomorrow. This is NOT a pandemic-related closure – proprietor Julia Ensley is retiring.

The space already has a new tenant; city files show an early-stage permit application for a real-estate office. Meantime, Zamboanga’s fixtures are for sale, and while we were there, one piece was being moved next door to the subject of the next update.

DISCOVERY SHOP REOPENING: At The Discovery Shop, 4535 California SW, you’ll see this sign:

We received the official annoouncement:

After many months and a remodel, we are excited to report that the Discovery Shop will be ready to open on Wednesday, July 29th at noon!!!!!

Following all of Governor Inslee’s Coronavirus “Safe Start” guidelines, we will have mandatory mask requirements, social distancing and occupancy limits that we will be following.

Our new and hopefully temporary hours for the shop are:

Sunday : 11-3 (normal hours)
Monday: Closed
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday thru Saturday: 12-3

We look forward to welcoming our customers back!

Again, those are the hours starting next Wednesday. The Discovery Shop is a volunteer-run nonprofit that raises money for the American Cancer Society.

PEGASUS BOOK EXCHANGE’S NEW FEATURE: We reported earlier this month on thieves hitting the Junction bookstore at 4553 California SW. They took already sold books waiting for curbside pickup. Now, we noticed while in the area today, a solution:

The sign on the side explains the new lockers are “thanks to our wonderful customers, Lora at (West Seattle Junction Association), and Verity Credit Union” (WSB sponsor that’s also in that block, 4505 California SW)

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WILDLIFE: Abandoned newborn harbor-seal pup rescued

July 25, 2020 11:03 am

| 14 COMMENTS

| West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

The photos and report are from David Hutchinson of Seal Sitters Marine Mammal Stranding Network:

On Wednesday, Seal Sitters’ volunteers responded to the first harbor seal pup in West Seattle this 2020 pupping season. Early in the morning our Hotline received a report of a small pup swimming by the steps along the Alki promenade. The pup, nicknamed “Echo”, finally settled on one of the lower steps.

While Seal Sitters is the official NOAA stranding network for West Seattle, we partner with other groups to provide specialized health evaluations and care. SR3 (headquartered in Des Moines) sent their vet to do a visual assessment. Echo still had an umbilical stump present. This usually dries up and falls off by a week to 10 days after birth, so this was a very young pup. A seal pup’s best chance for survival is always with its mother, so it was decided to monitor Echo throughout the day in hopes that she might reunite with her mother at some point. The chances of a pup being abandoned due to disturbance is much higher in a busy urban environment. After many hours of rest, Echo returned to the water with the rising tide around 5:00 that evening and after a brief detour as far as the Alki Bathhouse, was seen swimming offshore to the west toward the Alki Lighthouse.

On Thursday morning, Echo was reported on a private beach west of the promenade. With the consent of the property owner, Seal Sitters responded and watched over the pup until the arrival of SR3 staff. The pup appeared thinner and there was no evidence of an attending mother. Because of this, it was decided to remove Echo and transport her to PAWS for rehab. Seal Sitters received a report yesterday morning from PAWS – Echo is female, just under 30 inches long and weighs a bit less than 20 pounds. She arrived at their facility thin and dehydrated and the hope is that she will do well in rehab.

Harbor seal pupping season is from late June through September in our area, so you may come across more pups on our West Seattle beaches over the next few months. This is typical behavior as they need to rest and warm up. Please remember to keep back and ask others to do the same. Always keep dogs on a leash and at a distance. As soon as possible, contact Seal Sitters’ Hotline at 206-905-7325.

The request in bold is extremely important – another wildlife advocate told us about Echo just before we heard from Seal Sitters, and noted that spectators were way too close and abundant when she was at the public beach, which could have led to her mother abandoning her.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: 90 reasons to appreciate this weekend

July 25, 2020 7:06 am

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: 90 reasons to appreciate this weekend

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

We’ve had cooling clouds around quite a bit recently, as photos from Jim Borrow (above) and Theresa Arbow-O’Connor (below) show …

… but forecasters say that we’re in for a change. The weather will start warming up in a major way, and Monday could get to – or beyond – 90 degrees. (Weather analyst Cliff Mass explains why.) So unless you’re a fan of hot weather, there’s a big reason to appreciate the more-seasonal weather forecast for this weekend, with highs likely in the 70s. We haven’t been in the 90s for more than a year, though, and the upcoming heat isn’t expected to hang around long, subsiding again after Monday.

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