West Seattle, Washington
10 Tuesday
Right about now every Fourth of July, Southwest Seattle Historical Society members and friends gather at the Log House Museum on Alki for their annual picnic. Not this year. But the SWSHS is offering you the chance to celebrate by learning more about a chapter in American history – here’s the announcement:
Over the past year, staff at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society have conducted a series of oral histories with the West Seattle High School classes of 1944 and 1945. The purpose was to document the impact of WWII on the youth of West Seattle.
We had hoped to have a pop-up exhibit at the all-school reunion at WSHS (last month). However, the reunion was canceled due to the pandemic. So, we are bringing you a mini-online exhibit of War on the Homefront. Head over to our website for a glimpse of the rich stories our wonderful participants shared with us. We look forward to creating a more robust exhibit at the museum in the future.
(To explore the “mini-exhibit,” mouse over the bottom of the window that’ll come up on the SWSHS website, and you’ll see the arrows.)
(Photo by Brittany Philbin)
Good morning and happy Independence Day! Because of the pandemic, all the usual local events are taking this year off. So we have a few notes (interspersed with local photos of our national bird, the Bald Eagle):
TRANSIT: Metro is on the usual Saturday schedule.
PARKS: Here’s the city list of what’s closed/open.
ALKI CLEANUP: As previewed here, you’re invited to join in, 10 am-2 pm.
LOW-LOW TIDE: Way out to -3.0 feet at 10:56 am.
(Photo by Sharon Wada)
FIREWORKS: Not here (illegal, and city/port parks are trying to dissuade them), no shows visible from here (Lake Union show is canceled, Three Tree Point show is canceled, Bainbridge show is canceled, Vashon show is canceled).
LUNAR ECLIPSE, SORT OF: One will be happening tonight after 8 pm but even if the sky’s clear, you won’t see anything but the full moon, Space.com explains.
(Photo by Lynn Hall)
We’re working as always, so if you have a photo, tip, lost/found pet, westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you and stay safe!
(Sound Transit graphic from October 2019 board meeting)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Eight months after the Sound Transit Board decided to add the “Yancy/Andover Elevated” route to the list of possibilities, some of the West Seattleites who might be in its path are just learning about it.
A group of neighbors in the area west of Avalon Way, including 32nd SW, is meeting weekly to talk about it, and more than 50 of them had an online meeting with Sound Transit reps this past Monday night. We were invited to cover it.
They’re not trying to derail light rail – but they want to understand this potential alignment, how it would affect their neighborhood, and how best to get involved in the review process.
18 weeks ago tonight, King County’s first coronavirus case was announced. Most nights since then, we’ve updated virus-crisis local news in our nightly roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*10,719 people have tested positive, 123 more than yesterday
*590 people have died, 1 more than yesterday
*1,610 people have been hospitalized, 4 more than yesterday
*179,644 people have been tested, 3,651 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 9,695/586/1,564/155,859.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 11 million cases, 524,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
CAN YOU GIVE BLOOD? If so, your help is urgently needed (note – looks like most of tomorrow’s slots are taken, but other days are available).
PICKUP MARKET: If you don’t feel comfortable shopping multiple booths at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, the new online-ordering system for one pickup point is up and running. Midnight tonight is the deadline for pickups this Sunday.
QUESTIONS FOR YOU: The COVID-19-forced changes in higher education have South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) asking questions in a community survey.
HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY! Here’s how.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
It’s not even dark, and people are illegally setting off fireworks, scaring those you can’t calm with an explanation – particularly pets. 
The Seattle Animal Shelter‘s advice for helping your pets this time of year (published last year, but unfortunately perennially relevant) is here, with advice such as “Leave pets at home and inside,” “Create a home sanctuary,” and “Identification is essential.” No matter what you do, your pet might still bolt if s/he gets the chance; if you lose or find a pet, remember that we have had a Lost/Found Pets page on WSB for 12 years – send us info (westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302) and a photo, if available. But no matter how much care you take with pets, there are still animals affected because their “home sanctuaries” are those same outdoor spaces where people are setting off explosives – our beautiful birds, for example. Thanks in advance for your consideration. (WSB shop cat Miles, 20 and declining, thanks you too.)
Summertime = reading time! If you have a Madison Middle School student in the household, here’s an announcement from Madison librarian Stacia Bell:
Mark your calendars for July 29th and August 20th — Madison Middle School’s next two CURBSIDE BOOK PICK-UP days!
Ms. Bell and the Madison Library will be checking out books to Madison students from 3-5 pm on those two upcoming summer days. In order to reserve books for pickup, students need to place books on hold (you can check out up to 10 books at a time this summer) through our Madison Online Library Catalog at least one day in advance of a scheduled pick-up day.
To learn more about CURBSIDE BOOK PICK-UP and how to place books on hold, please watch this video. If you are an incoming Madison 6th grader, you cannot yet place books on hold yourself in our Madison Catalog. Instead, please check the catalog for availability and then send your specific book requests to Ms. Bell at smbell@seattleschools.org so that she can add the holds for you. Feel free to contact Ms. Bell with any questions or if you are not able to make it to school to pick up your reserved books. Happy reading!
Three notes this afternoon:
STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK: From M: “Parked in street at 32nd/Kenyon, stolen sometime last night, early today. 2014 dark gray Toyota Tacoma pickup, long bed with canopy. Has a dragon boat sticker in back canopy window, and a Hawaiian sticker.” We’ll add the plate when we get it. Call 911 if you see this pickup.
STOLEN E-BIKE: From Patricia:
Last night someone got into our garage and took our e-bike, near 35th SW and Thistle. The battery was charging, so it was not with the bike. Similar detail to the post on 2 July Gatewood car prowl with glove box contents scattered on passenger seat. Opened garage with the remote in the car, then took the ebike.
DUMPED TOTE BAG/GROCERIES: Also along Thistle, just east of California, we discovered this on the south-side-of-street planting strip, and are wondering if it was taken in a car prowl: A spilled bag of groceries – unopened cans of soup, a bag of pasta, bottles of sauces. There were drink cans when we first noticed this two days ago, but those are gone now. While using a grabber to pick up the remaining cans, we noticed a name written on the grocery bag, in childlike printing, first name starting with E and last name Baff— (we tried looking online for a match, no luck), and this striped mini-tote bag:
We’re leaving the items on the planting strip in case someone recognizes them. If we wind up having to dispose of the food (which is now in an otherwise-clean black bag), we’ll make an equivalent cash donation to the food bank that serves this area, hate to see it wasted.
Bloodworks Northwest sent this “urgent alert” for a donation event on the 4th of July:
Blood Donations Needed Over 4th of July Weekend!
Bloodworks NW has partnered with Seattle Seahawks and Seafair to host a Pop-up Blood Donor Center at CenturyLink Field. Tomorrow, July 4th, there are still 35 donor appointments available. Our state is in a blood crisis and your blood is needed to service our local hospitals and patients. Please make your blood donation for tomorrow at www.BloodworksNW.org and use code SEAF – All donors who sign up by the 11th receive a $20 grocery gift card and will be entered into win a Seahawks Swag Bag that includes a full-sized authentic helmet autographed by Tyler Lockett and a 12 Flag autographed by Bobby Wagner.
Two sweet notes that arrived in the WSB inbox almost simultaneously this afternoon:
BENEFIT JAM SALE: The photo and announcement are from local students Sasha and Annika:
Hello West Seattle Neighbors,
My friend and I will be selling homemade strawberry jam – that we made from homegrown strawberries from our yard – this afternoon starting at 2:00. We have 60 jars of super-sweet strawberry goodness. We will be at the corner of Genesee and 51st on the sidewalk at the back of the Genesee Hill Elem school. All money will be donated to Black Lives Matter, Seattle-King County. We will set up so we can safely distance from each other – though please wear a mask. If you are out on an afternoon walk or running afternoon errands, swing by!
NEW FROZEN TREATS: From Evan at Lady Jaye (4523 California SW):
We have an awesome soft serve machine and we are creating our own magic shells and toppings. Stop by if you have a sweet tooth!
A group of students, led by two sisters, is working in two ways to do good deeds this summer. Along with tutoring, they also are organizing. Etienne Reche-Ley explains via email:
My name is Etienne and I am a rising sophomore at Stanford. This spring, my sister Noemi (she is a rising junior in high school) and I started a free online tutoring program to help WA State public school students from falling through the cracks during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have brought together 150 tutors who are high school and college students at schools around the world (many of them are West Seattle High School grads – Mikki Dysart and Sam Niederberger are part of our leadership team) who speak a total of 10 different languages. We are tutoring more than 70 students consistently.
Our goal is to reach a diverse crowd of students, focusing on those who are suffering most from the pandemic, students of color, low-income students, students who speak a language other than english, and students who face other disadvantages.
Right now, we are hosting a food, baby product, and book drive that will benefit the West Seattle Food Bank. The books will be distributed to local families through drop-off locations and we are encouraging people to donate multicultural books.
Meantime, if you know someone who could benefit from the tutoring offer:
We offer free online tutoring for WA State public school students. Our tutors are high school and college students who speak 10 different languages and who are eager to help. This summer, we are here to help students catch up on schoolwork, spend their free time in a productive way, prepare for a challenging new school year and give parents a break! Click this link to have your student paired with a tutor.
Questions about tutoring, and/or donations for the drive? Email togethertutoringprogram@gmail.com. The project also has a website and Instagram page.
West Seattle’s only major institution has a few questions for you, even if you’ve never studied there. From Puget Ridge-based South Seattle College (WSB sponsor):
South Seattle College is inviting community members from our service area to fill out a brief survey about your current and future educational needs and interests, and to hear your ideas on how higher education can best serve our community in this time.
The survey will be open through July 17. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your perspective!
Survey Link: bit.ly/38jFKST
Just one page, and no personally identifying/demographic info is requested (just your zip code).
(Thursday night sunset, photographed by Jan Pendergrass)
Since the Fourth of July is on Saturday, today is the “observed” holiday, so it’s a three-day weekend for many. First, the transit/transportation notes:
TRANSIT: Metro‘s on a Sunday schedule; the Water Taxi‘s not running.
TRAFFIC CAMERAS: See them here.
BRIDGES OPEN? Check here.
Now – what’s happening (or not) today/tonight:
MOST GOVERNMENT OFFICES CLOSED: Though many offices/facilities are still closed anyway because of the pandemic, take note that services generally won’t be available today.
YES, THERE’S MAIL: USPS observes the holiday on Saturday.
LOW-LOW TIDE: Way out, to -2.6 feet, at 10:12 am. Tread lightly!
#SAYTHEIRNAMES VIGIL: Announced by North Delridge neighbor Nancy:
Please join us to show support for our Black friends, family, and neighbors, and to #SayTheirNames
What: #SayTheirNames
When: Friday, July 3rd, 5:30-6:30 pm
Where: Pedestrian overpass on Delridge at the Delridge Community Center/Youngstown Cultural Arts Center.Please remember to wear your masks!
CORNER BAR: Highland Park Improvement Club‘s doing it virtually, 7 pm, with a livestreamed performance by KO Electric – you’ll be able to watch/listen here.
PARK LIGHTS: On until 11 pm at four local Seattle Parks fields, to dissuade fireworks use.
Thanks to David Hutchinson for sending photos from orcas’ visit to Elliott Bay on Thursday evening.
These were transient orcas, not the Southern Residents.
Unlike the resident whales, transients’ food sources include other mammals – seals, sea lions, even other whales.
David’s photos were taken from Duwamish Head and the Alki promenade.
Three West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:
PICKUP QUICKLY RECOVERED: The report and photo are from Michael:
I placed a 911 call this morning for a vehicle theft in progress at 35th and Graham. It was a white Ford pickup … Police recovered the vehicle in front of Providence Residence on 35th shortly after.
BIKE STOLEN AGAIN: From MD:
Please BOLO for my black single-speed beach cruiser w/high-rise handle bars and black fenders stolen last night.
A couple weeks ago it was stolen and abandoned a couple blocks away. This time my search in the Alki area has not yet produced any result. It is probably abandoned somewhere within a couple miles as it is difficult/impossible to ride uphill. It is not worth much but in good mechanical condition and I used it daily. Thanks.
PACKAGE TAKEN: From Matt P:
I wanted to report a stolen package that happened yesterday around 5:30 pm. Here’s a link to the video of the incident . This is near Raymond and California. I was home at the time, but the delivery person didn’t make any noise. The thief literally came in 1 minute later on the video, so I suspect she was following him around. Easy to identify with that pink hair unless she dyes it again.
No mask, no service. That’s one of the gubernatorial announcements starting our second nightly roundup of July:
‘MASK UP, OPEN UP’: In a mid-afternoon media briefing, speaking through his face-covering (screengrab above), Gov. Inslee said it’s time to ratchet the mask mandate to the next level: Starting Tuesday, businesses statewide have to refuse service to people flouting the law. He and Secretary of Health John Wiesman also announced that bar service would be removed from what’s allowed in Safe Start Phase 3, and that all county applications for advancing to the next phase would be paused for at least two weeks. The reason for all this? Here’s what they showed:
More details here.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*10,596 people have tested positive, up 251 from yesterday
*589 people have died, unchanged from yesterday
*1,606 people have been hospitalized, up 6 from yesterday
*175,993 people have been tested, up 4,267 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 9,612/585/1,561/153,505.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
WEST SEATTLE TESTING TOMORROW: Weekly reminder – Friday is the weekly drive-up testing day in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), 10 am-3 pm.
WORRIED ABOUT INSURANCE COVERAGE? The state insurance commissioner has extended the order waiving deductibles and copays for coronavirus testing.
NEED FOOD? Updated info about meals for kids/teens at two local parks starting next week – read this.
PHOTOS? TIPS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Three more restaurant reopenings to report:
SALTY’S ON ALKI (WSB sponsor): The waterfront restaurant at 1936 Harbor Avenue SW reopened today, for outdoor and indoor dining. Salty’s says 2,500 people responded to their pre-opening survey about safety.
ALKI CAFE: Thanks for the tip on this! A hotline caller said a note on the door announced the restaurant is opening tomorrow; we went down to confirm:
As the note says, Alki Café (2726 Alki Avenue SW) will reopen tomorrow for takeout. (206-935-0616)
THE LODGE: The West Seattle location (4209 SW Alaska) reopened this week.
6:30 PM: Thanks for the tips. Lots of SPD just south of Holy Family and Guardian One overhead. It’s a very active scene. SPD says one person was hurt in a shooting. They are questioning people at a house near 18th/98th and trying to get someone to come out. More…
6:52 PM: The possible suspect has come out. G-1 is gone. The sergeant at the scene tells us it turned out no one was hurt.
7:31 PM: SPD update via Twitter: “Officers investigating probable shooting at residence. No victims located at this time. One person contacted, but refused assistance. Officers collected evidence, this remains an active investigation.”
Lane closures continue along much of Delridge as the project paving the way for the RapidRide H Line continues. Here’s SDOT‘s preview of what’s ahead next week:
What to expect the week of July 6
We will work in all three zones at the same time, from north to south on Delridge Way SW. No
Parking signs will be posted on both sides of the street in each phase of work to shift traffic
around the work zones.Work by zone
Zone A (West Seattle Bridge to SW Findlay St)
o Demolition work from SW Charlestown St to SW Dakota St
We will be completing demolition, concrete and electrical work in the roadway and sidewalk between SW Charlestown St and SW Dakota St. Lanes will be shifted around the work zone. Next week, we plan to begin moving to the east side of Delridge Way SW to demolish curb ramps at SW Andover St. We will then pour and install new curb ramps later this month.
o Waterline improvements at SW Genesee St
Next week, we will begin preparing for improvements to the waterline at SW Genesee St. This work is expected to last through July. Water may be shutoff temporarily during this work. Please contact Seattle Public Utilities for information on impacts.
o Concrete work for bus pads throughout Zone A
We will begin installing bus pads and completing electrical work to prepare for the arrival of RapidRide on the corridor This work will include demolishing and pouring concrete in the roadway, as well as some electrical work, at bus stop locations
Zone B (SW Findlay St to north of SW Orchard St)
o SW Findlay St to SW Juneau St
We will continue installing utility pipes. Please expect traffic to be shifted to one side of Delridge Way SW.Zone C (North of SW Orchard St to White Center)
o We will continue connecting catch basins throughout this zone
If you experience issues with your water service during construction, please contact Seattle Public Utilities’ 24/7 service line at 206-386-1800.
Also in SDOT’s update, a preview of what’s ahead beyond next week: Demolition of the roadway median between SW Dakota St and SW Genesee St will begin later in July. This work is expected to last for several weeks. Please follow posted traffic signs.
Upcoming overnight closure of the intersection of Delridge Way SW and SW Genesee St for several nights to install and connect a new water line. We will provide notice before this closure takes place.
Upcoming temporary driveway closures near SW Juneau St. We will notify specific properties prior to this work starting.
For an overview, and contact info, see the project website.
You have one more day to enter the West Seattle Art Walk‘s West Seattle Bridge T-shirt design contest (first mentioned here two weeks ago). The goal as explained here, is “to generate three different shirt designs for sale this summer. The artists of the three chosen designs will each receive $500 for their work.” The guidelines:
We would like all artists to consider the following as they create their designs:
*Capture the essence of the situation
*Raise awareness about the importance of the bridge closure to our community
*Convey the love we have for West SeattleWe recognize that art is a very personal expression and you may have mixed emotions about the Bridge closure. While we do not want to inhibit creativity, we do aim to find a balance among sentiments conveyed in the designs that will appeal to our community, with a suggestion of:
*Humorous
*Proud
*EncouragingDesigns can be all illustration, all text, or a mix of both. One submission per artist.
Please note: While we welcome all submissions, artwork needs to be family-friendly to qualify for voting and selection.
More details here; the form for submitting your design is here. The community will get to vote on the qualifying designs to choose the winners! Then the T-shirts will be sold to raise money both for the merchants who sell them and for the nonprofit West Seattle Junction Association.
Eat and drink local! Here’s another way to do that – ordering from West Seattle Local Foods, which has joined the WSB sponsor team. Here’s what they want you to know about what they offer:
West Seattle Local Foods is a website where you can order the food made by talented local chef entrepreneurs who share a love of food and have the courage to bet their livelihood on the food they make. Our chefs are from all over the country and have landed in West Seattle, where they are making some of the best food right here in your neighborhood. We are constantly evolving to improve on our current products and innovating new recipes and culinary delights.
Each of our companies is a stand-alone business, but we have come together in the spirit of symbiotic survival and cooperation to create West Seattle Local Foods, a one-stop shop for all of our tasty food and beverages. Some of our chefs have been cooking in this kitchen for years, and some of them only a few months, but we have a great group of people who challenge each other on a daily basis so we all grow together.
The most common compliment we get is about the food and how tasty and fresh it is, perhaps due to people eating so much frozen and processed food that they are blown away by our products. People often become repeat customers because the food is excellent. Every one of our chefs pours countless hours into their creations every day because they take great pride in their work, and find joy in customers loving their food enough to continuously support our small businesses. We find that people feel better about their food when they know the people who create it and can connect with them. We don’t just have robots creating your pot pies, chocolates, cheesecake, or coffee. We don’t have famous names or cooking shows, we just make great food because we are passionate about great food and we want people to enjoy it.
The businesses are:
Ace Laboratories
Byte Food Truck
Girls Gone BBQ
Green City Kitchens
Hot Chocolat
Jet City Beignet
NW Texas BBQ
Panchito’s Lunch Box
Pot Pie Factory
Precise Catering
Renee’s Roca
Seattle Sorbets
Seeking Kombucha
Sifted Tea
Temple Pastries
Town & Country Coffee Co.
West Seattle Local Foods is a chef community within the West Seattle community, and with your help, our businesses will survive this virus season and you will get to enjoy fresh, local food with your friends and family. Our commercial kitchen has been in West Seattle for over 25 years and we plan to be here for another 25 years with your support. Here’s where to order!
We thank West Seattle Local Foods for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news via WSB; find our current sponsor team listed in directory format here, and find info on joining the team by going here.
Responded to the U.S. Census yet? If so – you’ve helped our area beat the national average! We received this sampling of stats from Census rep Toby Nelson:
West Seattle neighborhoods are currently eclipsing both the city and statewide response averages.
*In Tract 96 (roughly corresponding to North Admiral), 75.5% of households have responded
*In Tract 97.01 (roughly corresponding to Alki), 75.2%
*In Tract 97.02 (roughly the area between Schmitz Preserve Park and California Ave. SW) – 84.4%
*In Tract 98.01 (roughly the area between Harbor Ave SW and California Ave SW) – 80.3%
*In Tract 98.02 (roughly the area between the West Seattle Bridge and California Avenue SW) – 80.3%
Overall, Seattle is the second-best responding major city (defined as the top 50 cities for population) in the United States, edged only by Louisville. Approximately 71% of Seattle households have responded to the 2020 Census. The national response average is 61.8 percent.
Washington
Washington state today hit a major milestone in the 2020 Census. As of (Wednesday) — and with three months left in the national headcount — Washington has now equaled its self-response rate from the 2010 Census, ten years ago, making it the second state to do so. Approximately 2.2 million Washington households, or 67.1% of the state, have submitted their census questionnaires. This also makes Washington the sixth best-responding state in the United States and the best-responding state west of the Rockies.
If you haven’t answered it yet: “The Census Bureau strongly encourages the public to respond online at 2020census.gov. Households can respond online in English or 12 other languages or by phone. Households can also respond by mail using the paper questionnaire.”
Not only is Evan Smith celebrating graduating from West Seattle High School, the bowler also has a national honor to celebrate – mom Bri’Anna Smith sends word that Evan made the High School All-American Team presented by Dexter Bowling – here’s how the announcement describes her achievements:
The senior, who took honors classes in biology, language arts and world history, also is part of the concert and marching bands at West Seattle High School. She led the charge to have a bowling team at her school and helped the team to the state tournament in its first year in 2019-2020, where she finished 12th in the individual standings. She also serves as a director on the Greater Seattle USBC board.
As noted here in April, Evan signed with Texas Southern University. Her achievements go back years – as a 9th grader, she won two major titles.
11:16 AM: The announcement is from Seattle Parks – we’re just mentioning the local fields on the list:
Seattle Parks and Recreation will turn on field lighting on ballfields throughout the city on the evening of Friday, July 3 and Saturday, July 4 to protect the surfaces. The ballfield lights will be turned on at approximately 8:30 p.m. and most will be turned off at either 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., depending on the field.
The lights will be turned on to discourage the use of fireworks. Fireworks are illegal in the city of Seattle and will destroy the artificial turf on the fields or surrounding facilities. The approximate replacement cost for the synthetic surface based on per average full-size field (110,000 square feet) is $1.2 million. All the fields have been renovated in the past several years and benefit field users including players of soccer, football, baseball, Ultimate Frisbee, and lacrosse.
The fields will be monitored by security from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Lights at the following fields will be turned off at 11 p.m.:
Delridge Playfield, 4458 Delridge Way SW
Hiawatha Playfield, 2700 California Ave. SW
Walt Hundley Playfield, 6920 34th Avenue SW
West Seattle Stadium, 4432 35th Ave. SW
4:11 PM: The Port of Seattle has a plan too – received from spokesperson Peter McGraw: “Port police will be closing T105, T107, and Jack Block Parks around 3 p.m. this Saturday to prevent possible property damage related to firework use. The parks will reopen on Sunday morning.”
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