West Seattle, Washington

12 Saturday

55℉

month : 07/2020 314 results

OUTDOOR DINING/SHOPPING: City says it’ll offer new street-closure permits
July 22, 2020 7:18 pm
|      21 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

The city says it’ll make street space available to restaurants and other businesses – if their neighbors are OK with it. From the announcement:

Building on the City’s free permits for sidewalk cafes and curb spaces, Mayor Jenny A. Durkan announced today an expansion of street closure permit options for one or more blocks as part of the City of Seattle’s efforts to support businesses during the ongoing public health crisis. These new permits will give restaurants and retail stores more space to operate while providing their patrons and passersby more space to move following Governor Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan. The City will begin accepting applications for these street closures on Wednesday, July 29, 2020. …

Last month, the City announced free sidewalk café and curb space permits, which allow restaurants, retail stores, vending trucks and carts to operate in the sidewalk or curb space in front of their business. These new, temporary permit options help a business owner successfully and safety reopen by expanding their footprint outside. The permits are available for up to six months, and SDOT is expediting permit review to ensure eligible businesses can quickly access this new resource. To date, SDOT has received 92 sidewalk café and curb space permit applications. Business owners interested in applying for this type of permit should visit SDOT’s website for more information. ..

As part of the permitting process, permit applicants will need to notify and demonstrate support from neighboring businesses and residents of proposed street closures. While typical SDOT permit costs are waived, applicants are responsible for any expenses related to the street closure proposal – such as barricades, temporary no parking signs, and tables and chairs. Applicants will be required to conform to all relevant state and local public health guidance. Permit review times vary based on the complexity and the preparedness of the applicant, so we encourage you to use our coaching resources. Stay tuned for more information regarding the eligibility criteria for these new street closure requests.

For more information or to schedule an applicant coaching session about these new temporary permit types, please visit our website or e-mail publicspace@seattle.gov.

Share This

New decision timeline, scenario sketches, low-bridge changes, and more at West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meeting #5
July 22, 2020 3:53 pm
|      70 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

(UPDATED 6:03 PM with meeting video, added to end of report)

(One of the roughed-out replacement options that will be analyzed in forthcoming cost-benefit analysis)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

SDOT has a new timeline for the big decision on repairing or replacing the four-months-closed West Seattle Bridge.

Previously, they’d been saying “late summer.” This afternoon, they told the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force that the decision is now expected in October, once a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is complete. Explaining the CBA process was a big part of the advisory group’s 5th meeting, which spanned a wide agenda. But before we get to that:

LOW-BRIDGE ACCESS CHANGES: A new plan is in the works, unveiled by SDOT’s Heather Marx:

Read More

Share This

UPDATE: Seattle Public Schools now wants to start school year remotely
July 22, 2020 12:08 pm
|      123 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

12:08 PM: Just forwarded to us by a Seattle Public Schools employee, this letter to district-wide staff:

At Seattle Public Schools, science and data continue to ground our response to COVID-19. We have been monitoring reports of increased COVID-19 cases in our community and are in close communication with Public Health Seattle & King County, OSPI, the Governor’s office, and neighboring school districts. We can’t imagine a way to open schools without the risk of significant transmission of COVID-19 based on the current trajectory of infections in King County. Superintendent Juneau is recommending to the School Board that Seattle Public Schools start the 2020-21 school year remotely.

We will follow the remote instruction model until the risk of significant transmission of COVID-19 has decreased enough to resume in-person instruction. The School Board will vote on the Superintendent’s recommendation and an associated plan for fall 2020 on August 12.

We know this will be a disappointment to our passionate educators who have devoted their careers to supporting students in-person, and for many of our students and families who rely on the relationships with adults in their school.

It is our responsibility as a school district to ensure that all students succeed in their education, no matter the circumstances. Thank you for your hard work laying the groundwork for high-quality remote learning and for thoughtfully engaging, planning, and refining our remote learning practices with over 15,000 students this summer. We have distributed over 2,000 internet hot spots and 25,000 devices to students to support learning, and we will continue to assess and fill technology gaps around the district to support student access to remote instruction. Students should not and cannot be left behind due to lack of access to a reliable internet connection and technology. Thank you to our staff who continue to work tirelessly to support students.

Additionally, all educators will be provided with training to ensure live, high-quality remote instruction with a predictable and consistent schedule on common platforms, as well as racial equity training. Families have shared that students’ mental health and wellness is a top concern, and these supports will be prioritized as we reopen school online in partnership with licensed community mental health providers. Additionally, SPS will make sure our students receiving special education services are provided instruction in alignment with students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans – which may include small group instruction if it is determined that services can be provided safely in-person and services cannot be accessed successfully through remote learning.

We understand that this decision for remote learning may cause frustration and hardships for many families and staff. We will be working with the Seattle Council PTSA, the City, and other community partners to develop community-generated solutions for childcare and learning at home. We will also continue to provide childcare in our buildings for essential staff in partnership with the City, as well as provide meals for students at our meal sites across the city.

More information, including specifics around school schedules, will be shared as soon as possible. As the environment and information around COVID-19 continues to shift and change, we will adapt and respond as quickly as possible. In the meantime, please check our website for the most up-to-date information, including a FAQ that will be published this Friday, July 24: www.seattleschools.org/fall-planning.

Followups to come.

12:28 PM: SPS also has sent a news release about this – see it here.

ADDED 1:50 PM: The Seattle Council PTSA sent this statement about the announcement:

Seattle Council PTSA recognizes the complexity of the decision of recommending remote learning for Fall 2020. As the largest parent advocacy organization in the largest school district in the State of Washington, we stand with our families and center the health, safety, and well being of our students as our highest priority.

We demand from the District (SPS), the School Board, the educators union (SEA), the City of Seattle, King County, and Governor’s office the following:

-Robust, reliable, equitable remote learning to all students, with a specif focus on students furthest from educational justice, students receiving special education services, students with disabilities, students experiencing homelessness and English Language Learning students;

-High-quality child care solutions for all families in need through authentic collaboration and partnership with community based organizations;

-Collaboration between the above-mentioned entities to pursue solutions for those that cannot access education online to find safe spaces for students and teachers to come together. Outdoor education is a very important topic to discuss and collaborate;

-Appropriate budget to offer robust mental health support to our communities;

-Mandatory anti-bias, anti-racist training to all educators, building administrators, staff, and childcare providers serving Seattle Public Schools students;

-Authentic Family Engagement with clear and transparent communication to families and community partners who support learning and care for our children.

We are committed to supporting our communities and holding the District, Union, City, County, and State leadership accountable on behalf of the more than 54,000 students in Seattle Public Schools.

Share This

REMINDER: West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force today, WS ‘town hall’ tomorrow
July 22, 2020 11:12 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

A quick reminder about two major city-convened events today and tomorrow:

TODAY – WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE COMMUNITY TASK FORCE: Noon-2:30 pm, it’s the 5th meeting of this advisory group with more than three dozen members, from community-group reps to elected officials. Details for watching are in the preview we published yesterday. Just in – here’s the agenda.

THURSDAY – MAYOR’S ‘TOWN HALL’ FOR WEST SEATTLE: 5 pm tomorrow, the mayor, police chief, and other city officials will lead an online “town hall” with Q&A – our announcement from Monday has details.

Share This

WATER WOES? Now Seattle Public Utilities has an outage map too
July 22, 2020 9:38 am
|      3 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

Seattle City Light has long had a power-outage map, but if your water was out, you had no way to check on the extent of it aside from checking with neighbors. Now, that’s changed: Seattle Public Utilities has launched a water-outage map. This one also shows planned outages. (The only event shown for West Seattle right now is a planned-then-canceled August outage on Harbor SW.) You can see the map by going here (note it has a tab displaying the information in list format too). The page is also a convenient place to find SPU’s emergency hotline, 206-386-1800.

Share This

ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC, TRANSIT: Wednesday notes, 18th week of West Seattle Bridge closure
July 22, 2020 6:16 am
|    Comments Off on ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC, TRANSIT: Wednesday notes, 18th week of West Seattle Bridge closure
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:16 AM: It’s Wednesday, the 121st morning without the high-rise West Seattle Bridge.

CLOSURE

Tonight, it’s the fourth of 14 overnight closures scheduled for the northbound 1st Ave. S. Bridge, for deck work. 10 pm-5 am..

ROAD WORK

Major work continues on Delridge Way, with lane reductions, as road-rebuilding and utility work lead off the RapidRide H Line conversion project – here’s what crews are working on this week. Note that the 24th/Graham trench work is expected to start today.

TRAFFIC

Here’s the 5-way intersection camera (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Sppkane/Chelan):

Here’s the restricted-daytime-access (open to all 9 pm-5 am) low bridge:

The main detour route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) . Here’s that camera:

The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map). The camera is back:

Going through South Park? Don’t speed.

Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed for info about any of those bridges opening for marine traffic.

You can see all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.

TRANSIT

Metro – Still reduced service and distancing – details here.

Water Taxi – Back to its “winter” schedule, with the 773 and 775 shuttles – see the schedule here.

Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.

Share This

CORONAVIRUS: Tuesday 7/21 roundup
July 21, 2020 10:03 pm
|      22 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Sports and food are part of tonight’s virus-crisis roundup. But first:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s the daily summary from Public Health, with cumulative totals:

*13,486 people have tested positive, up 147 from yesterday’s total

*635 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total

*1,818 people have been hospitalized, up 12 from yesterday’s total

*252,090 people have been tested, up 4,401 from yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 12,244/606/1,706/217,633.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

PANDEMIC-ERA SPORTS: The Washingon Interscholastic Athletics Association has come up with a plan for next school year’s sports. Among other things – spring football. Here’s tonight’s announcement.

RESTAURANT REOPENING: Grillbird Teriyaki, which closed almost two weeks ago after reporting an employee tested positive for COVID-19, says it will reopen this Friday (July 24th).

FREE FOOD: Food Lifeline is distributing emergency food boxes this week – sites and times are listed here, including tomorrow and Friday afternoons at FL HQ in South Park.

ALSO TOMORROW: The governor hasn’t given a briefing yet this week but his office and other state officials will present an update on the state’s COVID-19 response at 2 pm tomorrow. Livestream will be here.

GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!

Share This

SCHOOLS: Feedback time for West Seattle Elementary addition
July 21, 2020 8:39 pm
|      7 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Another major Seattle Public Schools project is in the feedback phase for its environmental checklist – the levy-funded West Seattle Elementary School addition in High Point.

July 27 – next Monday – is the deadline or public comment on the project’s Draft SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) checklist. Documents like these are far more comprehensive than the term “checklist” would suggest. This is 218 pages long, as you can see here or below:

The document includes many project details, including that it’s planned for a site east of the current WSES building, and that if it stays on schedule, WSES would move to the former Schmitz Park Elementary for 2021-2022 (as we reported last January), while construction proceeds. The document says WSES’s existing capacity is 320 students, but enrollment this past year was 100+ more. The addition would create room for up to 130 students. The $22 million project’s funding includes a state grant as well as the SPS BEX V levy. The document adds, “As part of the project, existing recreation space on the campus would be expanded and renovated, including an expanded and renovated hard surface play area, new play structures, a new student garden area, and a renovated grass field area. The project also includes an option for an approximately 3,000 sq. ft. covered play area in the southwest corner of the campus.”

If you’re interested in commenting, this page on the SPS website explains how, via either email or postal mail.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Voted in West Seattle Bridge T-shirt contest yet? Here are the frontrunners
July 21, 2020 6:30 pm
|      38 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

It’s been almost two weeks since voting began in the West Seattle Bridge T-shirt contest. You have 10 more days to vote. As of Monday, West Seattle Junction Association executive director Lora Radford tells WSB, almost 5,000 people have voted. Here are the top 10 (from among the 70+ contenders):

Read More

Share This

TRAFFIC ALERT: Tree on the road
July 21, 2020 5:35 pm
|    Comments Off on TRAFFIC ALERT: Tree on the road
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

From the scanner: A tree has fallen at 45th/Stevens, damaging at least one vehicle and blocking the road.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE CLOSURE: Here’s how to watch Wednesday’s Community Task Force meeting
July 21, 2020 3:10 pm
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

(Reader photo, Monday)

Want to watch live as the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force meets tomorrow (Wednesday, July 22nd), noon-2:30 pm? We just obtained the info from SDOT. Note that, like last meeting, this one will have “breakouts” – and that means connecting to a different stream when that part of the meeting happens.

Below is the attendee information for the West Seattle Bridge Community Task Force Meeting tomorrow from 12:00 – 2:00 PM. There will be break-out sessions from 2 – 2:30 PM. If attendees want to attend the breakout sessions they will need to close out of the main meeting completely before trying to join the new meeting. Also when joining WebEx meetings the attendee either uses the link below OR the call in, not both.

MAIN LINK: Here

BY PHONE: 408-418-9388, access code: 146 969 2178

LINK FOR BREAKOUT SESSION A: Here

BY PHONE: 408-418-9388, access code 146 993 5565

LINK FOR BREAKOUT SESSION B: Here

BY PHONE: 408-418-9388, access code 146 502 3787

We don’t have the agenda yet but topics are expected to include Reconnect West Seattle, low-bridge access, and Metro. This is the CTF’s fifth meeting; here’s our coverage of the fourth one two weeks ago.

Share This

WHALE-WATCHING: Orcas passing West Seattle again
July 21, 2020 1:58 pm
|      5 COMMENTS
 |   Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Whales

Thanks to Kersti Muul for the tip! She says transient orcas are off West Seattle again, this time headed northeast, between here and mid-Blake Island. Let us know if you see them!

Share This

WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit spotlight @ WS Transportation Coalition on Thursday
July 21, 2020 1:50 pm
|    Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Sound Transit spotlight @ WS Transportation Coalition on Thursday
 |   Sound Transit | Transportation | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

Another big meeting Thursday- here’s the announcement from the West Seattle Transportation Coalition about their plans for 6:30 pm that night (July 23rd):

We have a great lineup of guests on tap this month:

King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Council Vice Chair Joe McDermott, Seattle Deputy Mayor Shefali Ranganathan, and representatives from Sound Transit will be joining us to discuss the current state of Sound Transit 3 to West Seattle.

Heather Marx from Seattle Department Of Transportation will also be on hand with a West Seattle Bridge update.

Zoom Meeting ID 831 5795 4582
On the web: us02web.zoom.us/j/83157954582
Via phone: +12532158782,,83157954582#

You can check out the past few meetings via the WSTC YouTube channel. You’re also invited to save the date for their August 27th meeting, with our area’s U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal scheduled to talk about federal funding for the West Seattle Bridge.

Share This

Jet City Beignet: Welcome, new West Seattle Blog sponsor!
July 21, 2020 12:01 pm
|      15 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, Jet City Beignet, part of the West Seattle Local Foods group that’s located near the YMCA.

JCB serves fresh-made beignets available for pickup on Saturdays and Sundays. Here’s what owners Tiffany and Greg would like you to know:

Jet City Beignet is Seattle’s exclusive beignet company, offering a refreshing take on the classic New Orleans favorite. We offer them by the half-dozen or dozen, and each order comes smothered in powdered sugar and with chocolate dipping sauce. Our signature beignets are made from scratch and always served hot and fresh. We collaborate with other local small businesses such as small-batch coffee roasters and West Seattle food artists to bring you a truly unique product you can’t get anywhere else. We are a two-person (married couple) operation, and we do every step of the process ourselves, which means the people who serve your beignets developed the recipe, went shopping for the ingredients, mixed up the dough, and fried ’em up personally. We take a lot of pride in being hands-on and we are extremely customer-oriented.

We initially started Jet City Beignet with the intention of running our beignet booth at markets and festivals this spring and summer, but when COVID-19 hit, all of our bookings were canceled and we had to get creative and adapt. We are operating in an unconventional way, but it seems to be working at the moment, and we hope to get a food truck or trailer in the not-so-distant future so that we can be open more regularly and more often.

We are so proud to be a part of the West Seattle community – we met here, we live here, and we operate here. We are also excited to be a part of West Seattle Local Foods, a group of small companies that produce and manufacture products in our shared commissary kitchen.

To order, go to the Jet City Beignet website for selections and pickup times.

We thank Jet City Beignet 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.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE ART: New signal-box mural in The Junction
July 21, 2020 11:11 am
|      19 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Thanks to the West Seattle Junction Association for the photo of the newest signal-box mural by West Seattle artist Desmond Hansen – this one is a sort of dual tribute, for women in trades as well as the West Seattle Bridge. WSJA also sent the photo that inspired it:

WSJA executive director Lora Radford was looking into the history; via an online image search, we note that it was featured at her former business Hotwire Online Coffeehouse in a collaboration with the Southwest Seattle Historical Society in 2014, the year the now-closed bridge marked its 30th anniversary.

P.S. The signal box is Hansen’s third in The Junction this summer, after Black Lives Matter at 42nd and Alaska and the Progress Flag at California/Oregon.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Transitional Resources about to start building Yancy Street Supportive Housing
July 21, 2020 10:03 am
|      6 COMMENTS
 |   Development | West Seattle housing | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

Those old houses in the 2800 block of SW Yancy are about to be demolished so construction can start on Yancy Street Permanent Supportive Housing. We first told you about West Seattle nonprofit Transitional Resources‘ plan almost two and a half years ago. Now the project near TR’s headquarters and other buildings is ready to start.

(Rendering by SMR Architects)

As summarized by TR:

The project will provide 44 independent studio units on three levels for adults living with mental illness who are either coming from homelessness or institutional settings.

Transitional Resources will provide 24/7 staffing to enable residents to live independently in a supportive community. The site is within a block of TR’s main offices and other housing developments, where residents can access additional mental health and other supportive services. Onsite amenities include a secure access, a community room and outdoor recreation areas, a common laundry, covered bike parking, and an office for onsite supportive services.

Public and private sources are covering the project’s $16 million cost. The project team includes SMR Architects and Buchanan General Contracting. Construction is expected to take about a year, TR tells us; demolition will start as soon as their street-use permits are approved..

Share This

Remembering Daniel M. DeSantis, 1945-2020
July 21, 2020 9:13 am
|      42 COMMENTS
 |   Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends are remembering Dan DeSantis, and sharing this with the community:

Daniel Michael DeSantis passed away unexpectedly on July 14, 2020 at his favorite place, Hood Canal.

Dan was born on 1/23/45 in Seattle and kept his home here until recently; he currently resided in Palm Desert, California. He is survived by his wife of 19 years Jan DeSantis, his daughter Gina DeSantis Coats (son-in-law John, grandsons Alex and Anthony), son Dan (daughter-in-law Teresa), and former spouse and mother of his children, Ruth DeSantis.

He was raised in Seattle and had an extensive career in sales and 45+ years in Seattle Real Estate. Dan was a force of nature with an infectious laugh, big smile, sense of humor, and an unmatched love of life. It was essential for him to stay active every day, cycling, working out, and even walking lately (his “forced marches”). Everything was, of course, a social event.

Family and friends were his priority! He was so proud of his Italian heritage, children, and grandchildren. He idolized his grandsons and would do anything to be in their company — camping, white-water rafting, golfing, cheering at their sporting events, even dancing in nightclubs. He spoiled them whenever possible. He was their biggest fan!

It was important for him to stay connected to his friends, many of whom he had reconnected with recently. He lived life with gusto and wanted to continue traveling extensively. Dan would give the shirt off his back to anyone in need, not asking for anything in return. Everyone who knew him well loved him. In lieu of flowers, please donate to St.Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the American Cancer Society.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries by request, free of charge. Please e-mail the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

Share This

UPDATE: 5-hour West Seattle Junction power outage
July 21, 2020 8:21 am
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Utilities | West Seattle news

8:21 AM: Thanks for the tip! Seattle City Light’s map shows power out since 5:30 am to 425 customers in The Junction. No cause listed yet; we are checking with SCL.

8:32 AM: Just drove through the area: One sign of outage, 42nd/Alaska signal is dark.

9:31 AM: The Senior Center of West Seattle is partially out.

10:44 AM: As noted by commenters and confirmed by the map, power’s back. Julie Moore of SCL tells WSB a crow apparently caused it.

Share This

ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC, TRANSIT: Tuesday notes, 18th week of West Seattle Bridge closure
July 21, 2020 6:12 am
|    Comments Off on ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC, TRANSIT: Tuesday notes, 18th week of West Seattle Bridge closure
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:12 AM: It’s Tuesday, the 120th morning without the high-rise West Seattle Bridge.

CLOSURE

Tonight, it’s the third of 14 overnight closures of the northbound 1st Ave. S. Bridge, for deck work. 10 pm-5 am..

ROAD WORK

Major work continues on Delridge Way, with lane reductions, as road-rebuilding and utility work lead off the RapidRide H Line conversion project – here’s what crews are working on this week.

TRAFFIC

Here’s the 5-way intersection camera (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Sppkane/Chelan):

Here’s the restricted-daytime-access (open to all 9 pm-5 am) low bridge:

The main detour route across the Duwamish River is the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map) . Here’s that camera:

The other major bridge across the river is the South Park Bridge (map). The camera is back:

P.S. Going through South Park? Don’t speed.

Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed for info about any of those bridges opening for marine traffic.

You can see all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.

TRANSIT

Metro – Still reduced service and distancing – details here.

Water Taxi – Back to its “winter” schedule, with the 773 and 775 shuttles – see the schedule here.

Trouble on the roads/paths/water? Let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.

Share This

CORONAVIRUS: Monday 7/20 roundup
July 20, 2020 10:24 pm
|    Comments Off on CORONAVIRUS: Monday 7/20 roundup
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

As we continue tracking the virus crisis, here’s what’s new:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:

*13,339 people have tested positive, 180 more than yesterday’s total

*635 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total

*1,806 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total

*247,689 people have been tested, 4,829 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, the totals were 12,099/604/1,698/214,388.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

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

SPENDING NEW TAX $ FOR PANDEMIC RELIEF: Today the City Council passed the spending plan for their recently approved “high earners” business tax. The first year goes to pandemic relief; here’s how they explain it.

NEED FOOD? Food Lifeline is back to emergency food-box distribution this week – sites and times are listed here, including Wednesday and Friday afternoons at FL HQ in South Park.

LIBRARIES TAKE A STEP TOWARD REOPENING: You won’t be able to go in before Phase 3 – and with phase advancement still on hold, we’re in Phase 2 TFN – but Seattle Public Libraries are taking a step forward: You’ll be able to return books starting tomorrow at 9 branches, including High Point and Southwest in West Seattle.

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

Share This

CRIME WATCH: Arson suspect charged; gunfire incident; bicycle found
July 20, 2020 8:58 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news | White Center

Three notes tonight:

(July 8)

ARSON SUSPECT CHARGED: A 35-year-old man is jailed in lieu of $200,000 bail, charged with arson and burglary, in the White Center fire that gutted a former funeral home almost two weeks ago. The full story is on our partner site White Center Now.

GUNFIRE INCIDENT: Several reports of “gunshots or fireworks?” over the weekend, but we found just one confirmed case of gunfire, early Sunday in South Delridge. Here’s the narrative we obtained from the police report:

The victim got into an argument at a local club with an acquaintance, the suspect. That suspect made a comment that the victim took as a threat. Later, on 7/19/2020 at about 0235 hours, the victim returned home (8600 block of Delridge Way SW) and was walking to her apartment. The victim observed a vehicle pull into the block being driven by the suspect. The suspect pointed a firearm at the victim and fired two shots before leaving the scene, then the victim called 911 to report the incident.

A spent shell casing was located in the street and collected as evidence. There were no reported injuries or property damage. The suspect was not located.

BICYCLE FOUND: Missing a green and black Specialized bicycle? Someone found one and posted in the WSB Community Forums.

Share This

THURSDAY: Online ‘town hall’ for West Seattle with mayor, police chief, SDOT director, others
July 20, 2020 7:31 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle online | West Seattle politics

Just in, the mayor has called another online “town hall” for West Seattle while hot topic from the bridge closure to police “defunding” continue to burn. Here’s the announcement we received:

Please join Mayor Jenny Durkan and City of Seattle department directors for a conversation with West Seattle residents about how we can work together to build safe and healthy communities.

Community members are the City’s most vital resource, and the best solutions often come from community which is why we’re working to bring City Hall to you.

During our community discussion, you can work directly with our City departments on resources and solutions that are important to you.

When: Thursday, July 23 at 5:00 p.m.

Who: West Seattle residents, Mayor’s Office representatives, and representatives from the following departments: Public Health – Seattle & King County, Seattle Police Department, Seattle Fire Department, Human Services Department, and Seattle Department of Transportation

You can RSVP here and send a question in advance; the meeting link will be here. The city’s last “virtual town hall” for West Seattle was two months ago; here’s our coverage.

P.S. No word yet if Councilmember Lisa Herbold will be participating; the announcement from the mayor’s office didn’t mention her, but the one for the May event didn’t either, and she did wind up being included.

Share This

LIBRARIES: 2 in West Seattle will start accepting returns Tuesday
July 20, 2020 5:50 pm
|      20 COMMENTS
 |   High Point | West Seattle news | Westwood

After a trial run, some Seattle Public Library branches – including two in West Seattle – are about to start accepting returns. Here’s the announcement:

The Seattle Public Library announced today that it will accept book returns three days a week at nine locations starting Tuesday, July 21. The Library’s 27 locations have been closed since March 14, 2020, and continue to remain closed to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our community. Five Library locations have been offering limited public restroom access during the systemwide closure.

“Although the Library has added digital services while our buildings are closed, we know our patrons are very eager to access physical books and materials,” said Andrew Harbison, assistant director of collections and access at The Seattle Public Library. “Processing returns safely is the first step toward checking out books again.” Harbison added that when the Library closed its buildings in mid-March, more than 400,000 items were checked out.

HOW TO RETURN MATERIALS

The following locations will allow returns at outside book drops on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from noon to 6 p.m., or until book drops are full. Materials will not be accepted by staff.

· Ballard Branch, 5614 22nd Ave. NW

· Broadview Branch, 12755 Greenwood Ave. N.

· Douglass-Truth Branch, 2300 E. Yesler Way

· Green Lake Branch, 7364 E. Green Lake Dr. N.

· High Point Branch, 3411 SW Raymond St.

· Lake City Branch, 12501 28th Ave. NE

· Northeast Branch, 6801 35th Ave. NE

· Rainier Beach Branch, 9125 Rainier Ave. S.

· Southwest Branch, 9010 35th Ave. SW

In accordance with the Library’s new COVID-19 protocols, returned materials will be quarantined for at least 72 hours before being checked in. Materials will remain checked out on your account while being quarantined.

Signage at each location will remind patrons where to return materials, and to maintain social distancing.

Please don’t rush to return materials, especially if these branches are not your home branch. Due dates for all checked-out materials have been extended until Aug. 15, and the Library does not charge overdue fines.

Patrons can help with the reopening process by checking your account for holds placed on physical items and deleting those that are no longer needed. Please note that the Library is not accepting book donations until it has had a chance to process returned materials first. Please hold on to your donations until further notice.

SPL’s announcement also says they hope to start no-contact curbside pickup in early August.

Share This