West Seattle, Washington
14 Saturday
New art in progress in The Admiral District! Mission Cantina (2325 California SW; WSB sponsor) has West Seattle muralist Desmond Hansen creating two murals, described by co-proprietor Shawn Padilla:
The artwork includes DÃa de Los Muertos, a map of Mexico with specific regions where tequila and mezcal come from, a flowering agave plant which includes endangered bottle-nose bats (the agave pollinators), etc. The artwork supports our brand and tells stories about the rich history of the country, culture, food, and spirits.
We’ll be checking back on the progress. P.S. Mission Cantina is open 4-10 pm weekdays, 10 am-10 pm weekends, and has outdoor seating – you can reserve in advance online.
Tonight’s virus-crisis toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*17,204 people have tested positive, up 225 from yesterday
*685 people have died, up 5 from yesterday
*2,073 people have been hospitalized, up 5 from yesterday
*307,132 people have been tested, down 38,191 from yesterday* (see next item)
One week ago, those totals were 16,138/663/2,006/318,926.
TEST-RESULTS-TOTAL DROP EXPLAINED: From the county:
On Aug. 13, the state Department of Health provided an updated negative test total which is part of our daily outbreak summary. In this update, the negative test total for King County was reduced by 38,191. The current number of tests reflects the number of unique individuals tested. We hope to update our counts to also include the number of tests performed by the week of 8/17. Please note that this issue primarily affects negative lab results over the last several weeks, but does not impact the total number of positive tests.
ANOTHER LOCAL DEATH: 98106, which is partly in West Seattle, just recorded its 4th death.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 20.8 million cases worldwide, and the U.S. is a fourth of that, at 5.2 million. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.
GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING: No big news but he was joined by health officials today. As summarized in a state digest, “Dr. Kathy Lofy from DOH and Dr. Francis Riedo of Evergreen Health in Kirkland (provided) an overview of some of the emerging findings about the longer-term impacts of COVID-19. Dr. Riedo said the sustained effects of COVID-19, including fatigue or loss of taste and smell, make it very different from a common flu when people often feel fully recovered in a relatively short amount of time. Researchers are still learning about the lasting effects.” You can watch the briefing video here.
WEST SEATTLE TESTING TOMORROW: Reminder – the weekly South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor) COVID-19 testing now starts and ends earlier than before – 7 am to 1 pm Fridays.
NEED FOOD? Don’t hesitate to accept help if you need it. 2-5 pm Friday, free boxes of food are available at Food Lifeline (815 S. 96th).
GOT PHOTOS/TIPS? 206-293-6302, text or voice, or westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
The August West Seattle Art Walk is happening now! Above is the YouTube playlist showing you artists and their work. You can also see highlights in this post on the Art Walk website – which also has the list of businesses you can visit to see art until 8 pm (including WSB sponsor Click! Design That Fits, 4540 California SW). Second Thursday, every month!
4:17 PM: It’s not mapped yet but that’s where we’ve heard from so far. Anywhere else?
4:20 PM: Mapped now, 3,639 customers out.
4:28 PM: Some traffic signals are out on Roxbury – remember that a dark signal = 4-way stop.
4:33 PM: No official cause yet from SCL but multiple commenters report hearing booms just before losing power.
5:20 PM: A texter tells us Westwood Village is affected. We’ll head over to look soon.
6:04 PM: SCL says 2,200 customers have their power back, while 1,500 are still out.
6:12 PM: The map shows everyone else is back on too. (If you’re not, be sure to let City Light know!)
6:20 PM: Here’s what SCL tells us caused it: “It was caused by a compromised stem cable leading down into an underground feeder. Crews were able to isolate it and restore power.”
(Recent sunset, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
You’ve probably heard another mini-heat wave is on the way. The National Weather Service has confirmed it by issuing an “Excessive Heat Watch” alert for Sunday. The alert warns, “Very hot conditions with afternoon temperatures in the 90s.” Just one extra-hot day, though – the forecast projects a drop into the 80s on Monday.
2:33 PM: Thanks to Barbara for the report: “Police have blocked off Marine View Dr. just north of where SW 100th merges. Power pole is leaning over Marine View Drive.”
3:27 PM: We just went over for an update. Marine View is closed from Roxbury to 106tb. Police say the pole is cleared but downed wires haven’t been, yet.
Thanks for all the tips. We’ve had multiple recent reports of paint vandalism – from tags to specific messages – so it’s time for not only a report but also to revisit what you can do. (Note: We have photos of everything mentioned but WSB policy is to not show graffiti, with few exceptions, such as an investigation when more evidence of a specific vandal’s work were being sought.)
FAUNTLEROY: On the sidewalks around the Endolyne business district’s main intersection – 45th/Wildwood – over the past two nights, someone has stenciled COPS LIVES MATTER in more than 15 spots. In that same area, a resident’s new handmade A-board sign reading BIDEN 2020 had the Democratic candidate’s name painted over and replaced with Trump in blue paint. That sign’s owner says similar vandalism was done to a sign he made for his sister in Seaview.
ALKI: Several spots along the promenade were hit last Thursday night with scrawled messages, mostly in support of “defunding” police. The vandalized spots included the concrete walls atop and alongside stairways, and the brick restroom building near 63rd/Alki.
BEACH DRIVE: A resident who often walks along the north end of Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook – north of the area that’s closed for the seawall project – sent a photo this morning of new tags and other paint vandalism on the concrete wall by the water. Far from the first time, but clearly the work of multiple vandals.
DELRIDGE: Recent paint vandalism at Delridge Skatepark is also not the first time, but a neighbor was particularly angry about the profanity the vandal(s) included, given the park is used by very young skaters as well as teens and adults.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT PAINT VANDALISM: Except for the A-board signs, everything mentioned above is/was on city property. This page explains what can be done – report it online, via the Find It Fix It app, or call the hotline, 206-684-7587. Various city crews are assigned to clean graffiti on city property. On private property, it’s the property owner’s responsibility.
Close call at a West Seattle home: Last night just before 11 pm, we heard the dispatch for suspected gunfire near 9th/Henderson, but didn’t hear whether police found anything, so today we requested the report narrative:
911 received multiple calls reporting possible shots being heard in the area of 9 Ave SW / SW Henderson St. Officers arrived in the area and located spent shell casings in the street. A nearby house had been struck several times, with some of the bullets passing through the home. The occupants of the home were contacted and cooperated with the investigation … SW Patrol processed the scene, took photos and collected evidence. A standby was conducted at the request of the victims to allow them time to pack belongings and leave the area for the night. The Gang Unit was notified.
No one was hit/injured. That’s not the first time for gunfire in the area; our archives include this report from last December.
From Chief Sealth International High School assistant principal Christa Ernst:
Chief Sealth International High School would like to congratulate three seniors from the class of 2020 on winning the Allied Arts Foundation’s prestigious Robert J. Block Awards for Artistic Excellence. The award recognizes Seattle high school students in the areas of visual, theatrical, music or literary arts. Tierra Shaw was awarded for excellence in Visual Arts, Jason Ahmed was awarded for excellence in Music, and Riley Delora was awarded for excellence in Literary Arts. The staff at Chief Sealth is proud of these students for their hard work and dedication to their dedication to their craft.
Find out more about the awards program here; that page also lists winners at the city’s 14 other public high schools, including Caitlin Ward, Thea Pulido, and Ashly Brown from West Seattle High School.
(Osprey, photographed in Arbor Heights by Mark MacDonald)
Lots going on for this Thursday:
DEMONSTRATION: 4-6 pm at 16th/Holden, the twice-weekly streetcorner demonstration organized by Scott from Puget Ridge Cohousing: “Hold signs, meet neighbors, and stand for racial justice.”
WEST SEATTLE ART WALK: This month it’s indoor/outdoor AND online. Businesses from Alki to Arbor Heights invite you to visit, starting at 5 pm, and/or you can see work on the WSAW website and YouTube. Your guide to all of it is here.
RECONNECT WEST SEATTLE: Tonight is the “neighborhood check-in” for Highland Park, South Delridge, Riverview, and Roxhill, before project recommendations from the neighborhood-prioritization process go to the Community Task Force next week. It’s happening online, 6-7:30 pm, at this link (Meeting ID: 837 7517 5288)
STREETCAR TALK: Tonight’s the night you can learn about West Seattle’s streetcar past via Words, Writers, and Southwest Stories, as previewed here, 6 pm online. Free; go here ASAP to register.
6:07 AM: It’s Thursday, the 143rd morning without the West Seattle Bridge.
ROAD WORK/CLOSURES
*Ongoing – major Delridge road work to get ready for the RapidRide H Line – here’s where they are focused this week. Remember that SW Genesee is scheduled to close between 25th and Delridge again this weekend, starting at 9 am Friday.
*Another 1st Ave. S. Bridge northbound closure tonight – 10 pm-5 am. (Here’s our update on the project.)
*This weekend – more pavement repair in The Junction will close 44th SW between Alaska and Edmunds, Saturday and much of Sunday.
*Southbound Highway 99 tunnel is scheduled to close for maintenance 10:30 pm Thursday-4 am Friday.
CHECK THE TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO
Here’s the 5-way intersection camera (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/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). Here’s that camera:
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 – Remaining on 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.
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