day : 16/08/2020 9 results

Here what’s new as the virus crisis continues into the second half of August:

KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*17,643 people have tested positive, up 129 from yesterday’s total

*687 people have died, up 1 from yesterday’s total

*2,096 people have been hospitalized, up 9 from yesterday’s total

*319,046 people have been tested, up 4,192 from yesterday’s total*

One week ago, the totals were 16,601/674/2,028/332,460.

TESTING TOTALS DISCLAIMER: For the fourth day, the county’s daily summary includes this:

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.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 21.6 million cases and more than 775,000 deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.

2 WEEKS TO SCHOOL, OR MAYBE NOT: Seattle Public Schools classes were supposed to start – all remote TFN – on September 2nd, but the district now says, “To make sure staff are well prepared for a strong fall, we are exploring a delayed start to the school year in order to provide training for educators.” Your next chance to hear an update from district leaders is 4:30 pm Tuesday (August 18th) during their next “town hall.”

FIVE MONTHS AGO: Looking back to March 16th – it was the day after a Sunday night order that closed, or mostly closed, many businesses. Some have not been allowed to reopen at all, such as entertainment venues.

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

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: After the heat, the storm

August 16, 2020 8:29 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Photo sent by Dave McDorman)

The sun has set on a record-tying hot day – 98 degrees at Sea-Tac – though the Jefferson Square temp/time sign counted a few bonus degrees:

(Photo sent by Jason Hubbard)

The cooldown is bringing a few surprises – raindrops, for example – and a texter says there’s lightning on the radar, headed this way.

(Photo sent by Kersti Muul)

The National Weather Service just posted this update minutes ago:

…high based thunderstorms have sprung up in and around the Seattle metro area. The concern with this type of convection is that due to their high based nature, not a lot of precipitation is expected out of them, but they are producing a fair amount of lightning, which can be fire starters. The prolonged period of hot and dry weather has dried the fuels out, therefore it would not take much to ignite some of these fuels that have had ample time to dry out and become much more combustible. The main message for the next few hours is to play it safe with lightning and stay indoors.

Tomorrow’s high is still predicted to be 80ish.

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HELPING: West Seattle Food Bank gets big gift thanks to TV personality John Oliver – and marbles

August 16, 2020 7:29 pm

| 14 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Thanks for the tips! The YouTube video above is the championship round of the 2020 Marble League, which was played online over the past two months. TV personality John Oliver – who hosts “Last Week Tonight” on HBO – sponsored the season. That enabled big donations to nonprofits as race “winnings” – and today, on behalf of the race winner (we won’t spoil it for you if it’s something on your watch list), the West Seattle Food Bank was announced as a $5,000 donation recipient. You can see the (brief) announcement at 15:07 into the video.

You might recall that WSFB has had celebrity boosts before – in 2016, for example, we reported on a big night for the food bank during a Bruce Springsteen concert, with fans’ donations matched by Eddie Vedder (who sang with The Boss). And you can help the food bank any time – via this link.

MONDAY P.S. We asked WSFB if there was any backstory on how they got chosen – but it’s a mystery. (We’ll see if we can find a contact for the generous team.)

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ANOTHER OUTAGE: Roxbury Safeway vicinity

August 16, 2020 6:11 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news

6:11 PM: Another power outage – this one affecting the area around Roxbury Safeway, with the City Light map listing 203 customers affected. One tipster says a truck reportedly hit a line:

(Added: Reader photo)

We went over to look for City Light trucks – did not see any, but did notice that the 26th/Roxbury traffic signal is out. (Remember, that means 4-way stop.)

8:11 PM: Map shows the outage is over.

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TRAFFIC ALERT: SW Genesee reopens early again

August 16, 2020 4:23 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news

SW Genesee has again reopened early after another weekend of work just west of Delridge Way. Though the “street closed” signs still line the route there, we just went through – crews gone, street wide open.

ADDED: Here’s the project bulletin detailing where crews will be working along Delridge in the week ahead.

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POWER OUTAGE: Brief interruption in north West Seattle early today

August 16, 2020 2:26 pm

| 15 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news

Though nobody mentioned it to us at the time, we’ve had enough reports now of a brief early-early-morning outage in north West Seattle that we’re writing this to get it on the record. Cami on Alki was first to mention it – “Our clocks stopped for 1:45 min. It was long enough for the fridge to show condensation.” We’ve also heard from people in Admiral, Belvidere, and on Harbor Avenue. Any other areas affected?

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YOU CAN HELP: Tackle toxins, protect wildlife with SEA-RATS

August 16, 2020 12:56 pm

| 18 COMMENTS

| Environment | West Seattle news | Wildlife

That Cooper’s Hawk fledgling is looking to you for help. The photo is by Kersti Muul, who also brought this call for volunteers to our attention. It’s from the recently founded Seattle chapter of the advocacy group RATS – Raptors Are The Solution. Their goal is to save wildlife – and pets, too – from rat poison, by documenting its use and urging users to switch to eco-friendly methods of rodent control. For example, their call to action notes, “The owls are hooting about Seattle University, which has rid its campus of poisons and is safely managing rodents using integrated pest-management strategies.” The organization also notes:

As of May 2020, an on-going research project to evaluate effects of rodenticides on raptors by the Urban Raptor Conservancy has studied 60 deceased urban raptors (20 barred owls). They were taken to PAWS in Lynwood and tested for rodenticides in their livers.

Overall, 82% of the birds tested positive for at least 1 anticoagulent rodenticide
73% of those birds had 2 different rodenticides
55% had 3 or 4 different rodenticides
The percentage is even higher for owls alone because they eat rodents almost exclusively and their livers cannot metabolize the poisons as well.

2 Barred owls were rescued from Key Arena during construction. One died with the highest levels of second generation rodenticides of any raptor studied to date. The other was treated with Vitamin K and released.

We have hundreds of raptor (Coopers Hawks, Merlin, Barred Owl, Osprey, Bald Eagle, Merlin, Peregrine) nests in the City of Seattle. Most raptors eat rats.

Here’s what they need help with:

We need volunteers to help count rat poison bait boxes that are placed in urban bird and wildlife habitats. We will have a brief data collection training session and organize folks for social distance walk-abouts. We need to know where the rat poison is being used so that we can contact business owners and organizations’ facilities managers to urge them to use nontoxic Integrated Pest Management methods for managing rodents. Rat poison is not only killing rats; it is killing their natural predators (raptors) and poisoning the entire foodweb.

For more info, including who to contact, see this flyer.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Gatewood gunfire; business burglary; theft attempt; plus, ‘dumped/likely stolen’ find

August 16, 2020 11:24 am

| 43 COMMENTS

| Crime | Gatewood | Seaview | West Seattle news

Four reader reports:

MORE GATEWOOD GUNFIRE: Late last night, we heard a dispatch for possible gunfire in the 7100 block of California SW. Did not hear any report of what if anything officers found at the time, but we just received this via text:

Shots fired again in Gatewood last night, same alley as the car shooting 3 weeks ago. This time shots were fired directly into our neighbors’ house, through the kitchen and bedroom windows. Police have been notified. Fortunately no one hurt.

BUSINESS BURGLARY: The report and photo are from Mark:

Just popped in the Rite Aid on California Ave south of the Junction, saw a shattered window to right of door. Asked the employee on duty, says around 5 am someone broke in and stole cartons of cigarettes and about 30 or so airplane bottles of liquor. They were caught on camera, though.

RACK THEFT ATTEMPT: From M:

Someone tried to steal the kayak rack off my SUV (Friday) night, while it was parked in my driveway in Seaview. Both the rack and the crossbars have locks, but they still managed to break off the end cap and try to slide it off the crossbar. My car was broken into a few months ago in the same location, though there was nothing in it to take. There’s a very bright motion light in the driveway, but doesn’t seem to bother them. They must’ve spent a good deal of time trying to get the rack off.

FROM THE ‘DUMPED/LIKELY STOLEN’ FILE: Recognize these camping chairs?

Texter just spotted them at the California/Fontanelle bus stop.

REMINDER – CRIME PREVENTION COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY: Hear from and talk with Southwest Precinct police at 7 pm Tuesday (August 18) during the first West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting in six months. Online, of course – connection info is in our preview.

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WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: Traffic reminders, online church services, more…

August 16, 2020 6:43 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

We begin again this Sunday with road-work reminders:

(WSB photo: Saturday work on 44th SW)

CLOSURES: SW Genesee between 25th and Delridge is scheduled to remain closed all day … so is 44th between SW Alaska and SW Edmunds… details on both are here. Then tonight, 10 pm-5 am, deck-replacement work is again scheduled to close the 1st Avenue South Bridge’s northbound side. (The West Seattle low bridge is open to all 9 pm-5 am, so that’s your alternate crossing.)

Now, our weekly list of online church services:

ADMIRAL UCC: Worship options for today are linked here.

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 viewable here.

BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming for West Seattle here at 9:30 am.

CALVARY CHAPEL: Today’s service will be here, plus 6 pm all-church prayer and 7 pm evening worship (info on home page, as well as word that in-person services have resumed too).

THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS: West Seattle Ward has Sunday services via Zoom at 10 am, one hour long, all welcome. They last an hour. Here’s the link.

EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 9 am and 11 am.

FAUNTLEROY UCC: Service at 10 am on the church’s YouTube channel.

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: Today’s online liturgy is here.

GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10:30 am.

HALLOWS CHURCH: Streaming at 10 am via the church’s YouTube channel.

HOPE LUTHERAN: Today’s worship service and children’s story are viewable here.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming at 10 am, here. (In-person Saturday Masses have been added – registration required.)

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 today’s 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. (In-person services too.)

WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service for today is viewable here.

WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here, 9 am.

WEST SIDE PRESBYTERIAN Livestreaming at 10 am on the church’s YouTube channel.

WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming at 10:30 am – information’s here.

WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY: Online worship at 6 pm; info here.

Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Also today/tonight:

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm. Scroll down the page at this link to find the vendor list and map for this week. (Enter at California/Alaska)

WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)

FREE TO-GO DINNER: White Center Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm, outside, near the Bartell Drugs parking lot in White Center, SW Roxbury St. & 15th Ave. SW (9600 15th Ave SW)

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