day : 11/09/2020 11 results

28 weeks ago tonight, King County announced its first case of COVID-19. Here’s what’s new:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:

*20,699 people have tested positive, 259 more than yesterday

*743 people have died, 2 more than yesterday

*2,294 people have been hospitalized, 11 more than yesterday

*389,459 people have been tested, 2,521 more than yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 20,073/732/2,249/376,642.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 28.3 million cases, 913,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.

STATEWIDE SITUATION REPORT: Some good big-picture news in this report released by the state today:

Today the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) released the latest statewide situation report, which reflects an overall decline in COVID-19 activity as of late August. The report also highlights encouraging signs that keeping our distance, limiting gathering size and wearing face coverings are working to slow the spread of the disease.

Report findings include:

The reproductive number (how many new people each COVID-19 patient will infect) was close to one in western Washington and above one in eastern Washington as of August 28. The best estimate of the reproductive number at that time was 0.86 in western Washington and 1.22 in eastern Washington. The goal is a number well below one, which would mean COVID-19 transmission is declining.

We’re seeing decreases in case counts in both eastern and western Washington since the start of August. These decreases are occurring across all age groups. We are starting to see similar trends in hospitalizations and deaths, which take longer to reflect changing levels of disease activity than case counts.
Whitman County is a notable exception, with a sharp spike in cases starting August 19. While many of these cases are linked to an outbreak among young adults, we may see a repeat of previous patterns where increased disease activity among younger populations starts to spread into older and more vulnerable groups.

Patterns of decline look different from county to county. The report compares these trends in Yakima county, which has seen steady declines since a peak in early June; Benton and Franklin counties, where initial declines after similar outbreaks have plateaued and transmission may be increasing; and King County, where cases have been decreasing steadily since early July.

People are interacting more safely than we were earlier in the pandemic, and it’s making a difference. The report includes a model that isolates the effect of mobility changes from non-mobility related changes on COVID-19 transmission. The comparison suggests that while we are more mobile than we were in April, we are interacting more safely—taking precautions like wearing face coverings, restricting gathering size and keeping high-risk environments closed. We must continue these precautions to keep transmission decreasing.

Read the full report here.

TESTING: If you need it, remember that the city’s new West Seattle site (2801 SW Thistle, at the south end of the Southwest Athletic Complex lot) is open Saturdays too. Find the appointment link on this page.

HELPING: Volunteers at the Greater Seattle Filipino Seventh-day Adventist Church spent their morning handing out free boxes of food:

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

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FOLLOWUP: Admiral Way sinkhole filled, but mystery remains

September 11, 2020 9:11 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

(SDOT photo)

As noted in our morning traffic report, the Admiral Way sinkhole is now filled. SDOT had said that crews were doing exploratory work first to see if they could find the cause. So, did they? We followed up today, and here’s what SDOT’s Kari Tupper responded:

Our crews restored two utility cuts and repaired the void (sinkhole) in the 5300 block of SW Admiral Way this week. Several teams of SDOT staff and Seattle Public Utilities coordinated efforts to make this happen relatively quickly. We have completed the paving.

We were not able to pinpoint the source (cause) of the void during our work. These issues can be difficult to diagnose. Crews ran a CCTV camera through pipes and also did other diagnostic tests of water and sewer lines but did not find any water leaks or structural issues with the pipes at this time. It’s possible that groundwater is the source of the issue at this site. We may continue to perform additional testing and/or work at the site in the future and will keep you posted.

We first reported on the sinkhole more than two weeks ago; SDOT covered it temporarily with a steel plate while planning further exploration/repairs. It’s not the first one in that area.

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HELPING: Pencil Me In For Kids success!

September 11, 2020 8:19 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| How to help | Rotary Club of West Seattle | West Seattle news

(Sue Lindblom of Illusions Hair Design and Deena Knapton, Staples manager, with some of the donated supplies)

Thanks to everyone who helped out with this year’s Pencil Me In For Kids school-supply drive! Tonight, a report on its community-powered success:

As school started, Pencil Me In For Kids (PMIFK) swung into action. Members of the Rotary Club of West Seattle delivered boxes and boxes of pencils, markers, colored pencils and other basic supplies to six West Seattle elementary schools this week.

Monies for the purchase of the materials came from numerous sources including the Rotary Club of West Seattle. Individuals made donations via Fauntleroy Church and Illusions Hair Design.

Staples of Westwood Village accepted donations of items at their store for the last several months and offered at cost prices to PMIFK. This allowed PMIFK to purchase items valued at almost $10,000 for less than $4,000. Staples has been an active partner for several years.

PMIFK was started in 1994 by Sue Lindblom of Illusions Hair Design. The founding concept was that grade school is the time to build self-esteem and that it’s important to fit. Hence the organization provides supplies for at-need children. Learn more about PMIFK here.

As we reported a month ago, an online donation fund was part of PMIFK this year too.

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UPDATE: Power outage at 35th/Avalon

September 11, 2020 6:30 pm

| Comments Off on UPDATE: Power outage at 35th/Avalon

| Utilities | West Seattle news

6:30 PM: Thanks for the tips. Some residents near 35th/Avalon are out of power; the Seattle City Light outage map notes “bird/animal” and indeed, one person who messaged us said a bird flew into a wire. The map says three customers are affected, though an entire building/business can count as one customer, so there may be a higher number of people affected. The traffic signal at 35th/Avalon was working when we went through shortly after it happened, so no trouble on that front.

8:44 PM: The outage is now mapped as affecting 66 customers.

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TASTE OF WEST SEATTLE: Here’s who’s participating in this year’s 5-day version

September 11, 2020 5:07 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

As previously mentioned, it’s a new format for this year’s Taste of West Seattle – the first since previous beneficiary West Seattle Helpline merged with the West Seattle Food Bank – instead of one event, it’s five days of special menu items at participating food and drink establishments! The latest list of participants is in this update from WSFB:

Enjoy food and drink from your favorite local participating establishments September 20th-24th and support your neighbors!

Presented by Metropolitan Market, the 2020 Taste of West Seattle will have participating eateries and drinkeries donating a percentage of sales of special Taste Menu items back to the West Seattle Food Bank to support our neighbors. From Sunday, September 20th to Thursday, September 24th you can dine in or get takeout and enjoy delicious food and drink from some of West Seattle’s favorite spots!

Eat, drink, support local, and have fun! All participating eateries will be listed on a Taste Passport (available at participating eateries). The more stamps you get on your Passport by ordering from participating businesses, the more drawings you are entered to win. After the Taste of West Seattle ends, mail your Passport to the West Seattle Food Bank or drop it off at participating eateries by October 16th to be entered to win. The grand prize is a pair of round-trip tickets on Alaska Airlines!

The Taste of West Seattle has always been about bringing neighbors together, promoting local eateries and drinkeries, and strengthening our wonderful West Seattle community. Now, more than ever, we see the importance of coming together (safely) to support each other.

We hope you join us for the Taste of West Seattle!

Deliciousness Provided by:
Baked.
Bakery Nouveau
Be’s Restaurant
Best of Hands Barrelhouse
Capitol Cider
C & P Coffee Company
Easy Street Records & Cafe
Elliott Bay Brewing Co.
Grillbird Teriyaki
Husky Deli
Indu!ge Desserts LLC
Itto’s Tapas
Lady Jaye
Ma’ono
Mission Cantina
Nos Nos Coffee House
Ounces Taproom & Beer Garden
Pecos Pit Bar-B-Que
Peel & Press
Pot Pie Factory, Inc.
Talarico’s Pizzeria
The Bridge
The Good Society Brewery & Public House
The Westy
Tuxedos and Tennis Shoes Catering and Events
West 5
West Seattle Cellars
…and more!

Not only does WSFB keep neighbors in need from going hungry, it also does the work the Helpline used to do, including emergency assistance to keep people from becoming homeless. If you can’t participate in the Taste (which is co-sponsored by WSB), you can help WSFB by going here.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Arson investigation; garage break-in; car prowl

September 11, 2020 2:55 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three incidents to report:

ARSON INVESTIGATION: This is happening right now at California/Charlestown; SFD has been investigating, and police have just been dispatched. A worker from a nearby business texted this moments before we hard that dispatch:

Fire call in alley between California and 44th off Charlestown. Someone lit the fence on fire. The fire was started with a beer bottle and paper then put it on the fence. Our front desk staff ran out there w the fire extinguisher to help put it out. Description of person who lit the fire in case you see her… Heavy female with green jacket and shorts – 5 ft 1-3 in and 150-175 lbs

Call 911 if you have any information.

GARAGE BREAK-IN: From Brandon: “The garage at The Verge Condos on Harbor Ave SW was broken into. Someone went into the storage area with an electric or gas-powered metal cutter. Sliced through the main lock and then went one by one cutting through each of the storage units. And then a window was broken out of a car in garage.”

(added 3:09 pm) CAR PROWL: From Iris:

Reporting a car prowler on the 8400 block of 17th Ave SW around 11:30 PM Sep 9, 2020

A woman with a ponytail opens our car door. Prior to doing that she calls out “Jessie” to her companion.

Nothing of extreme value was taken, thankfully.

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DELRIDGE PROJECT: Overnight work and a major closure ahead

September 11, 2020 2:38 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

As the Delridge project to pave the way for RapidRide H Line – launching this time next year – continues, here’s what’s ahead. SDOT‘s project staff says these are the highlights for the next week:

On Monday, September 14 we are returning to the Longfellow Creek Green Space neighborhood near 24th Ave SW/SW Graham St to complete some utility work. This will cause some temporary access restrictions to the neighborhood for approximately one week.

On Monday and Tuesday, we will be working overnight with Seattle Public Utilities at SW Brandon St and Delridge Way SW to complete some pipe work. Night work will occur on both nights and working hours are between 7 PM and 6 AM.

We have an upcoming major roadway closure at SW Oregon St and Delridge Way SW. Beginning as early as the morning of Friday, September 18 we will be closing SW Oregon St to thru-traffic for the weekend. People wishing to access Delridge Way SW from Pigeon Point will need to detour to SW Andover St via 21st Ave SW.

This closure is also scheduled to occur the following weekend between Friday, September 25 and Monday, September 28
This work is weather-dependent and may change.

Those are just the highlights – here’s the full list of what’s planned in the week ahead.

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SMOKE: Updated health warning, park closures, plus three cancellations

September 11, 2020 11:21 am

| 126 COMMENTS

| Health | West Seattle news

(Photo by Ann Adachi, who says that’s usually a view of downtown, from near Admiral Way Viewpoint)

As smoky as it is now, authorities warn it’s going to get worse; Notes so far today:

HEALTH WARNING: Just in from the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency:

Heavy smoke from Oregon has entered our region making air quality UNHEALTHY. Air quality may continue to worsen to VERY UNHEALTHY by Friday afternoon. We expect UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS to UNHEALTHY air this weekend into early next week. We will continue to update as conditions change.

Fire marshals in our four-county area of King, Kitsap, Pierce, and Snohomish counties have issued fire safety burn bans prohibiting outdoor burning including recreational fires.

Current air quality conditions are UNHEALTHY for everyone, but may reach VERY UNHEALTHY for everyone by this afternoon.

While air quality is UNHEALTHY, everyone may begin to experience health effects; members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. If air quality reaches VERY UNHEALTHY, everyone may experience more serious health effects.

Right now, everyone should take precautions, especially infants, children, and people over 65, or those that are pregnant, have heart or lung diseases (such as asthma or COPD), respiratory infections, diabetes, stroke survivors, and those suffering from COVID-19.

City and county officials are having a news conference at 11:30 am; we’ll report separately on anything that emerges.

11:41 AM UPDATE: Mayor Durkan has just announced that all parks, playfields, boat ramps, and beaches are closed until Sunday, and urges everyone to stay indoors.

12:13 PM: Golf courses too.

Mayor Durkan has closed all Seattle parks, boat ramps, athletic fields, public golf courses & beaches through end of Sunday 9/13 due to unhealthy air quality from wildfire smoke. Normal reopening times on Monday morning are expected, unless air quality takes a turn for the worse.

— Seattle Parks (@SeattleParks) September 11, 2020

For people experiencing homelessness, one additional shelter is opening, in SODO, with capacity for 77 people, starting at 3 pm. (1045 6th Ave. S.)

1:16 PM: Here’s the news release with details of what was discussed in the briefing.

(Back to original post) Cancellations so far because of the air quality:

SOUTH SEATTLE COLLEGE COVID-19 TESTING: The Friday testing was canceled for today.

SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY CURBSIDE SERVICE: This has been canceled for today.

(added 3:04 pm) DELRIDGE BLM VIGIL: The weekly vigil on the Delridge/Oregon overpass is canceled. Organizer Nancy emailed, “It’s with a heavy heart I’m writing to cancel this week’s vigil because of the extremely poor air quality due to smoke.”

Any other cancellations or changes, today or through the weekend, please let us know – westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!

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More Lincoln Park tree trouble

September 11, 2020 10:20 am

| Comments Off on More Lincoln Park tree trouble

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

Thanks to Mindi for the photos and tip. Not that it’s a great day for a walk/run/ride in Lincoln Park anyway, given the air quality, but – the north side included a temporary obstacle this morning: A fallen tree. Mindi says a crew’s already handling it:

Just two days ago, a tree fell by the park’s north entrance, at the south end of Beach Drive. No injuries reported in either incident.

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BIZNOTE: Happy 1st anniversary, Paper Boat Booksellers!

September 11, 2020 9:04 am

| 11 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Shop your local independent small businesses! Another one in West Seattle is celebrating an anniversary – its first:

Today, Paper Boat Booksellers in Morgan Junction marks “1 year of being your neighborhood place for new books, author events, book clubs, and reading time! Time has FLOWN by and what a year it has been – we’ve learned a lot and have met so many wonderful people in our community. Our patience has been tested more than we might have imagined, but we’ve made it out on top and into year 2 we go.”

No party this year because of the pandemic, but Paper Boat is offering an anniversary present to customers – 10 percent off book purchases on Saturday (September 12th), plus a free PBB pin. The shop is at 6040 California SW, open 11 am-5 pm Tuesdays-Sundays, but look for expanded hours starting later this month.

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ROAD WORK & TRAFFIC WATCH: Friday notes

September 11, 2020 6:16 am

| Comments Off on ROAD WORK & TRAFFIC WATCH: Friday notes

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:16 AM: It’s Friday, the 172nd morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

ROAD WORK

*Admiral Way sinkhole – The steel plate is gone, after Thursday’s work.

(Photo by Marc Milrod)

We’ll check on its status with SDOT.

*Delridge project work continues – we’ll get an update later today.

*1st Avenue S. Bridge: One more NB overnight closure for the deck-panel replacement project is planned next Wednesday night (September 16th), WSDOT tells WSB.

CHECK THE TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO

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