month : 09/2020 325 results

10:45 AM: Reader texted to say a protest march was blocking SB 99 by the stadiums. WSDOT says it’s cleared but – be aware.

11:10 AM: Reader tweeted to say police are blocking SB 16th at Holden and “it’s getting messy.”
============

Original:

6:07 AM: It’s Thursday, the 164th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

ROAD WORK

*Along much of Delridge Way, the project that’s paving the way for RapidRide H Line continues. Here’s the newest bulletin detailing where work is focused this week.

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 – No recent changes – still reduced service and distancing – details here.

Water Taxi – Still on its “winter” schedule, with the 773 and 775 shuttles running – see the schedule here. (No service on Labor Day.)

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

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Building break-in attempt; seen this stolen statue?

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:

BUILDING BREAK-IN ATTEMPT: The photos and report are from Ken:

I’m the HOA president for Harbor Crest condominiums at 1639 Harbor Ave SW across the street from the Water Taxi. (Tuesday) night we caught these two guys on our HD cameras attempting to get into the garage after breaking the locks on our back gate by rotating the locked handle 360 degrees with a special tool which didn’t work on the garage doors handles because it wouldn’t rotate beyond the steel door jam so they couldn’t get in.

No case # yet because the report was filed online.

STOLEN STATUE: The photo and report are from Ara:

We live in North Admiral on 47th Ave, and recently had a Buddha statue stolen from our front porch. It was around 3 feet tall, rather heavy and very loved. Attached is a picture with my son.

If you’ve seen this statue, let us know and we’ll connect you with Ara.

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CORONAVIRUS: Wednesday 9/2 roundup

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Here are tonight’s pandemic-related toplines:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:

*19,819 people have tested positive, 108 more than yesterday

*729 people have died, 5 more than yesterday

*2,239 people have been hospitalized, 5 more than yesterday

*367,481 people have been tested, 2,272 more than yesterday

One week ago, those four totals were 19,049/715/2,204/347,654.

ANOTHER AREA DEATH: 98116 just recorded its fifth death, its third in the past week. For the record, here are the current totals for the other four zip codes that are entirely or partly within West Seattle:

98136 – 3
98106 – 4
98146 – 13
98126 – 14

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.

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

VACCINE? The state Department of Health sent this statement to try to clear up conflicting reports about where the quest for a vaccine stands:

The Washington State Department of Health is closely monitoring progress toward development of a vaccine for COVID-19. We are engaged in vaccine planning efforts and we will be ready to distribute a safe and effective vaccine as soon as the time comes. However, all vaccine candidates are still in clinical trials to determine their safety and efficacy.

DOH’s position is that any COVID-19 vaccine should complete Phase 3 trials before being distributed, unless an independent board of scientists reviewing the data finds otherwise based on data from those trials. At this crucial juncture, it is incumbent upon the federal government to critically evaluate these new vaccines for their safety and efficacy in an unbiased way.

In the meantime, DOH will continue working with federal and local partners to build the infrastructure needed for distribution. When a vaccine is ready, we will be prepared to deploy it in a manner ensure that is equitable, safe and timely for the people of Washington.

STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS’ WEEKLY BRIEFING: That was one of the topics at today’s weekly briefing by state health leaders. “COVID-19 activity in the state is declining overall,” declared health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy, while stressing that it’s not yet as low as it needs to be. You can watch the briefing here.

BUS SAFETY: Metro announced today that it’s adding new safety features – partitions and mask dispensers.

NEED FOOD? United Way-King County wants to ensure families who are available for Pandemic EBT apply for it before it’s too late:

More than 30,000 King County students who are eligible for a one-time, $399 food benefit have until Sept. 11 to apply for Pandemic EBT, an emergency federal program that provides families cash assistance to buy food while schools are closed due to COVID-19.

Pandemic EBT is available to all children in public schools in Washington who receive free or reduced-price school meals. Across the state, over 150,000 eligible students can still apply.

Many low-income families rely on the free and reduced-price meals students get at school. With school closures, those families are struggling to feed their children. Pandemic EBT aims to fill that gap and ease the food insecurity many in our community are experiencing.

Pandemic EBT is not subject to public charge and does not affect or require proof of immigration status.

Families can apply online on the Washington Connection website. People who need help with the application process can call 2-1-1 and ask for assistance.

Applicants should ensure their children’s names match the spelling they used when they registered them for school. While the application includes a field for a Social Security number, it is not required.

GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: The fog, the smoke, and the holiday

September 2, 2020 7:28 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| Gardening | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Weather notes – and some cool photos from this morning that came in too late for our daily preview:

(Photo by Elaine Dale)

The fog and full moon made for some breathtaking scenes – thanks to everyone who sent photos! The forecast suggests we might see more fog in spots tomorrow morning.

(Photo by Chris Frankovich)

Something else you might see tomorrow and beyond: Smoke. The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency warns that a plume of smoke from California wildfires is headed this way,. Tomorrow it will be overhead and likely to have minimal impact, but if it lingers through the weekend, we could have air-quality challenges. On the bright side, the weather is expected to be warm through Labor Day!

(Photo by Diana)

Temperatures may get into the 80s tomorrow and Tuesday, and highs are forecast as “near 80” for the days inbetween.

(Photo from the Erskines)

Tomorrow morning’s moonset is 7:48 am.

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BUSES: Metro announces upcoming service changes, new safety additions

September 2, 2020 5:47 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | Transportation | West Seattle news

Metro‘s September “service change” is now 2 1/2 weeks away, so today the transit service officially announced what’s changing, as well as new safety features.

CHANGES: Saturday, September 19th, is this fall’s “service change” date; all the changes – including continued suspensions – are listed here. A West Seattle highlight: “Almost all service” will be restored on Routes 55, 56, and 57. You can follow those links for new timetables, or, Metro suggests, ” Riders can use Metro’s online trip planner and enter a date of Sept. 19 or later to see options.”

SAFETY: Also in today’s announcement:

Metro is now installing safety partitions to allow front-door boarding in preparation for restoring fares, targeted for Oct. 1, although a firm date has yet to be announced.

The plexiglass safety partitions will swing into position when a driver opens the front door, minimizing interaction between boarding passengers and the driver. The partition also can be opened manually by the driver to allow them to leave their seat to assist passengers, including those who use mobility devices. …

Each automated partition is estimated to cost $3,200, about half the $6,000 cost for a comparable manual-only door from an outside vendor. Metro is using CARES Act funds to help pay for the equipment.

Metro has more than 1,000 barriers out of 1,444 produced today, and expected to have all partitions installed by October.

The new partitions were “designed, engineered, and fabricated by Metro’s in-house vehicle maintenance staff,” the announcement says, along with this:

Alongside new safety partitions, Metro is installing mask dispensers on 102 buses this month, starting with RapidRide buses on the A and F lines in south King county and 60-foot trolley buses on routes 7, 36, 43, 44, and 49 in Seattle. Metro intends to install more dispensers on other high-ridership routes in the future.

Each dispenser holds about 150 masks, and Metro will monitor demand and refill them as needed. The King County Council designated funds to purchase and make available masks on public transportation.

Metro says it sampled mask compliance on four high-ridership routes recently and it ranged from 72 percent to 85 percent. Ridership, meantime, is less than 40 percent of what it was last year (on weekdays).

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Fauntleroy man arrested by federal agents, accused of bomb threat

September 2, 2020 3:53 pm

| 26 COMMENTS

| Crime | Fauntleroy | West Seattle news

3:53 PM: A reader reported seeing what he believed were plainclothes federal agents outside a house near the Endolyne business district in Fauntleroy just after 10 this morning. Now we know what was going on: They arrested a man on charges of making a bomb threat. Here’s the news release:

A 36-year-old Seattle man was arrested today and appeared in U.S. District Court in Seattle for making a threat to damage or destroy a building – in this case a Portland, Oregon, police precinct, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran. Kyle Robert Tornow is accused of using an online communication system to claim he had planted explosives at a Portland, Oregon, Police precinct.

According to records in the case, on July 24, 2020, Tornow allegedly used the Portland Police TrackIT system to send a message claiming he had planted an explosive at one of the city’s police precincts. Using an alias, Tornow claimed he had planted a bomb that was “undetectable” to canine searchers and that if he were caught, “others will take my place and immediately detonate the bomb.” The communication claimed it was a “felony threat” and needed to be taken “seriously to avoid death.”

FBI agents were able to trace the communications back to Tornow, and he was arrested without incident this morning.

Making a threat to damage or destroy a building is punishable by up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. … The case is being investigated by the FBI. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Woods.

Charging documents in the case say Tornow was traced via an email address he used when sending the threat to the City of Portland, as well as an IP address, and that his threat, addressing Portland police directly, was to blow up a precinct “Unless your officers disengage your war with the citizens of Portland.” We’re checking on his custody status.

ADDED WEDNESDAY EVENING: The U.S. Attorney’s Office tells us he is out of custody, granted conditional release.

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SPORTS: West Seattle Reign Volleyball recruiting for youth teams

September 2, 2020 2:27 pm

| Comments Off on SPORTS: West Seattle Reign Volleyball recruiting for youth teams

| West Seattle news | WS & Sports

September’s here but summer’s not over yet. West Seattle Reign Volleyball sent this announcement:

We have fall volleyball teams with open spots for September-October.

These are Co-Ed teams grouped by age; 10-11, 12-13 & 14-17.

Details and registration information can be found at https://bookwhen.com/westseattlereign

As explained at that link, “All teams will maintain social distancing and mask requirements per Washington State’s COVID-19 guidelines.”

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BACK TO SCHOOL; 2 Chief Sealth IHS meetings today

September 2, 2020 1:38 pm

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| West Seattle news

Sorry for the late word on this – affected families hopefully already have heard directly, but just in case, there are two online meetings for Chief Sealth International High School this afternoon:

*New 10th-12th graders who were not previously CSIHS students, 2 pm meeting – link here
*All CSIHS students’ parents/guardians, 4 pm meeting – link here

Seattle Public Schools’ 2020-2021 year starts Friday.

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VIDEO: Chief, mayor explain Seattle Police staffing changes

September 2, 2020 11:06 am

| 49 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle police | West Seattle politics

11:06 AM: As previewed last night, interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz and Mayor Jenny Durkan are briefing reporters on plans to move 100 SPD staff into patrol operations. You can watch live above (we’ll substitute the archived video later); we’ll also add notes below, as it goes.

This will “enable us to respond to 911 calls … on a more-rapid basis,” says the mayor. She also says this is a move toward saving some money on overtime, with “more, shorter shifts” being added. She also says this “lays the groundwork for future changes” in SPD. But ‘we know we still need police,” she declares, saying they’ll evaluate what 911 calls require “traditional armed police response” and which don’t.

11:15 AM: Chief Diaz takes the microphone. He says the department currently has the lowest number of officers in patrol operations “in recent memory.” The moves will address a concern consistently voiced by community members, he says – the lack of police presence in neighborhoods. He hopes this also will enable officers to get out of their cars and make connections with residents, delivering a “neighborhood-based style of policing.” This also means less reliance on “emphasis patrols” to address ongoing problems.

11:20 AM: No further specifics, so it’s now on to Q&A. First one: How do they anticipate the council (which recently voted to cut 100 officers) reacting? “Positively,” says the mayor. How will the moves affect ongoing detective work? 40 percent of the moves will come from units already doing similar work – community police teams, traffic enforcement, etc., Diaz says. Will it encourage more attrition if those who haven’t been on the street for years are asked to move back? Diaz says it will actually affect more younger, newer officers than veterans. In response to another question, he mentions one of the new shifts will be a 4-day 3 pm-1 am shift, covering the time when call levels are at the highest.

The timeline, the chief says in response to another question, is “within the next few weeks” – as soon as the week of September 16th.

11:44 AM: The briefing is over. We are following up to ask for more specifics on the reassignments, including how individual precincts will be affected.

2:13 PM: The archived video is now available above. Meantime, SPD says it can’t comment yet on details of the reassignments because it’s “in the process of making notifications to employees in detective and other units about redeployments to enhance our 911 response. Once employee notifications have been completed in the coming days, the department will provide further information about the units impacted by personnel redeployments.”

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ORCAS: Advocates ask commercial whale-watching boat operators to pledge to keep their distance

September 2, 2020 10:54 am

| 21 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Whales | Wildlife | WS Health Club/ex-Athletic Club/ex-Allstar Fitness

(Southern Residents J56 and J31, photo by researcher Mark Sears, permit #21348)

The orcas we’ve been seeing in local waters lately are transient killer whales, but the Southern Residents are expected soon. When they get here, some advocates want to be sure they’re not hounded by whale-watching boats – especially considering three of the endangered whales are pregnant. Today those advocates, including West Seattle-based The Whale Trail, are issuing a challenge to whale-watching operators to take this pledge:

On behalf of my company, I pledge to increase protection for the Southern Resident orcas and give the pregnant orcas in all three pods the best possible chance of having healthy calves, by giving them more space and quieter waters to find food and communicate with each other. Between now and September 2021:

• We will stay 1/2 nautical mile (1,000 yards) away from the southern residents.

• We will focus our tours on other ecotypes of killer whales and other wildlife, and will not intentionally plan or route trips to view them.

• If we encounter southern residents incidentally while viewing other whales, we will slow down (as Washington State law requires) to reduce our vessel noise, but will not approach or follow them.

• If we encounter southern residents incidentally while in transit, we will slow down (as State law requires) and not approach or intentionally follow them while continuing to transit. If it is unsafe to maintain a 1/2 nautical mile distance while transiting we will maintain the distances required by State law.

See the full letter here. The problems caused by noise, particularly from whale-watching vessels, was discussed at The Whale Trail’s February meeting – more than 100 operating in the region, morning through night. The Southern Resident population is down to 72, barely above its historic low, and advocates fear that further losses could put this species on an irreversible path to extinction.

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TODAY/TONIGHT: 3 Wednesday notes

September 2, 2020 9:58 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Sue Luke – this morning’s moon, over the fog)

Here’s what’s happening in the hours ahead:

SPD ANNOUNCEMENT: Barring major breaking news, we’ll carry this live at 11 am, as Interim Chief Adrian Diaz and the mayor explain the newly announced plan to move 100 SPD staffers “from specialty units into patrol.” The livestream will be via Seattle Channel.

FREE FRUIT: As previewed last weekend, City Fruit‘s next West Seattle pop-up – offering free homegrown fruit to anyone who wants it – is 4 pm-6 pm at the High Point Market Garden (32nd/Juneau).

(Photo by James Tilley – Tuesday’s moonrise)

DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: 7 pm online, this coalition of West Seattle/South Park community groups and advocates has its monthly meeting – public welcome. Here’s the agenda, including connection information.

(Photo by Jamie Kinney – Tuesday’s sunset)

SUNSET/MOONRISE TONIGHT: In case you want to watch in person … sunset is at 7:46 pm; moonrise is at 8:30 pm.

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WILDLIFE: Another West Seattle park where you’ll want to beware of owls

September 2, 2020 9:09 am

| 10 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

Earlier this week, we published a report from a reader who got dive-bombed by an owl at Lincoln Park. We’ve since received this, from Molly:

At approximately 6:50 pm (Monday) night, I was attacked by a very large (and beautiful) owl on the upper south/west trail of Schmitz Park, not far from the wood carving trail (which I was heading toward). The owl silently dove and grabbed my scalp at my very long ponytail. Scared the crap out of me as it felt like a person clawing at my head. I spotted the owl watching me as I backed away down the trail. Not sure if it is nesting right there, liked my hair, hated my mask, or hates the increase of people using its yard as their playground.

I am totally ok. Owl is ok. Either way – wanted to give fellow neighbors the heads-up and to remind everyone to be mindful of being in animals’ territories.

In addition, our neighbor’s kids were sleeping out in their trampoline (the same) night and this owl sat on the top of the trampoline net and watched the kids for a while.

We’ve had past reports in this park too, same time of year.

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TRAFFIC WATCH: Wednesday 9/2 notes

September 2, 2020 6:03 am

| 6 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: It’s Wednesday, the 163rd morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Yesterday was, by many accounts, one of the worst commutes of the post-bridge-closure time – here’s hoping today’s better.

ROAD WORK

*The Delridge project that’s paving the way for RapidRide H Line continues. Here’s the newest bulletin about where work is focused this week.

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 – No recent changes – still reduced service and distancing – details here.

Water Taxi – Still on its “winter” schedule, with the 773 and 775 shuttles running – see the schedule here. (No service on Labor Day.)

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

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CORONAVIRUS: Tuesday 9/1 roundup

September 1, 2020 11:41 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

First virus-crisis roundup of the new month:

KING COUNTY’S NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*19,711 people have tested positive, up 46 from yesterday’s total

*724 people have died, up 4 from yesterday’s total

*2,234 people have been hospitalized, up 5 from yesterday’s total

*365,209 people have been tested, up 3,774 from yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 18,877/712/2,198/344,954.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

TWO MORE AREA DEATHS: 98116 has recorded its 4th death, and 98146 has its 13th. Here are the current counts in the three other zip codes that are entirely or partly within West Seattle:

98136 – 3
98106 – 4
98126 – 14

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.

SHELTER MOVES: The Southwest Teen Life Center is no longer hosting a temporary “de-intensifying” shelter for youth/young adults.

BACK TO SCHOOL: We looked at the pandemic-era plans for two more independent schools tonight – Tilden School and Westside School (both WSB sponsors).

‘HAZARD PAY’ PROTEST: Grocery workers who want their employers to reinstate “hazard pay” demonstrated at Westwood Village today.

#REDALERT: As mentioned in our daily preview, many Seattle buildings were illuminated in red tonight to call attention to the still-shuttered live-events industry. See a sampling here.

BRIEFING TOMORROW: For the weekly update on the statewide situation, watch the media briefing with the state’s COVID-19 response leaders tomorrow (Wednesday) at 2 pm; it’ll be streamed here.

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

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen white Kia; police changes

September 1, 2020 10:29 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Two notes tonight:

STOLEN CAR: From David in Arbor Heights:

My car was stolen last night.

2019 Kia Optima, White, License # BRL4508

Stolen from in front of my house: (10000 block of) 40th Ave SW

If you see it, call 911.

POLICE CHANGES: Interim Police Chief Adrian Diaz and Mayor Jenny Durkan plan a media briefing at 11 am Wednesday on Diaz’s announcement late today of a change in assignment for more than 100 SPD personnel – moving them out of specialty units and into patrol. That just happens to be the same number the City Council voted to cut, also mostly from specialty units, in the budget-rebalancing package the mayor vetoed. What will it mean for our precinct? You can watch the livestream here.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Westside’s multi-layer plan

September 1, 2020 9:11 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Continuing our look at how West Seattle’s independent/parochial schools are starting this pandemic-enmeshed year: Westside School (WSB sponsor) in Arbor Heights has a hybrid plan – some remote, some in-person, and the preK-8 school already has laid out how that will change if/when COVID-19 risk levels change. The step-by-step plan, tied to those risk levels, is here.

Since King County is currently still considered “high risk,” Westside plans to “maintain three in-person days for our PS/PK/K students and one weekly in-person day for our 2nd-4th grade students,” which the school says is “directly linked to the (state Department of Health) recommendation to include ‘limited in-person learning in small groups … for the highest-need students, (including) younger learners’.” 5th through 8th graders will start the year all-remote, and they’ll stay that way until King County moves to Phase 3, when they’ll attend in person on alternating days, while lower grades will then be on campus full time. The school’s plan also details transition time and building reconfiguration steps when the risk level drops – for example, they’ll wait five days before starting to move to the next stage of the plan, to be sure the reduction in the risk level isn’t short-lived.

School starts tomorrow for preschool, pre-K, K, and 4th graders, while 5th and 6th graders will have an off-campus “in-person experiential learning” day.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: Tilden’s plan

September 1, 2020 7:47 pm

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| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

We’re continuing to check with West Seattle’s independent and parochial schools as the new school year starts with pandemic-related concerns and restrictions still in effect. Tilden School (WSB sponsor) is an independent K-5 school on the north edge of The Junction; their response to our inquiry was simple – “We are planning on doing 100% remote instruction until the COVID situation in Seattle gets safer.” The first day of classes is one week from tomorrow – Wednesday, September 9th.

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FOLLOWUP: Southwest Teen Life Center no longer housing temporary shelter; will offer child care instead

September 1, 2020 5:53 pm

| Comments Off on FOLLOWUP: Southwest Teen Life Center no longer housing temporary shelter; will offer child care instead

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | Westwood

(WSB photo from March, Southwest Teen Life Center)

The city announced today that three “temporary de-intensifying shelters,” including one at Southwest Teen Life Center in Westwood, have moved. The West Seattle shelter, operated by YouthCare, has moved to The Christ Spirit Church in Beacon Hill “through the end of the year while YouthCare’s new permanent facility in South Seattle is completed,” the city says. The shelter has been serving “up to 15 young adults.” With the move, the city is about to offer child care and teen-learning programming at SWTLC instead, as explained here, in another city announcement made today. The temporary shelter was intended to enable more distancing in existing shelter space; the SWTLC usage was announced in late March but didn’t start immediately – it wasn’t until May that YouthCare started operating the space, which at the time was announced as potentially housing 30 youth/young adults.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen silver Subaru

September 1, 2020 4:05 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Just received from Kay:

Stolen – 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon, AAE6890 – thieves may’ve changed plates.

Silver, sun & moon roof, tinted windows, dirty, as been camping. Black leather interior. Stolen after 10 PM, Monday night to early Tuesday AM from 9400 block 21st Ave SW, West Seattle, between Roxbury & Cambridge. Contact police or 310.904.3191. REWARD OFFERED.

First call to make if you see it is 911.

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PROTEST: Grocery workers demonstrate in ‘week of action for hazard pay’

September 1, 2020 3:45 pm

| 18 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle protests

Just outside Westwood Village this afternoon, QFC workers who are members of UFCW Local 21 demonstrated in support of “hazard pay” for themselves and other “essential workers.” It’s a national week of action on that topic, according to the union, which says QFC’s parent corporation Kroger “cut hazard pay” by mid-May. They are also advocating for the right to wear Black Lives Matter buttons on the job:

The union says stores have an inconsistent policy on the buttons and that some workers have been told not to wear them. Community members who heard about this came to this afternoon’s protest to show support:

We’re checking with the company on both issues.

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BACK TO SCHOOL: On-campus health clinics will be open

September 1, 2020 1:46 pm

| Comments Off on BACK TO SCHOOL: On-campus health clinics will be open

| Health | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Though Seattle Public Schools will start the year with remote learning, some of its campuses will offer in-person student health services. The announcement is from King County Public Health:

Health centers will open on 34 school campuses in King County this September, to provide health services for students – including flu shots and other vaccines – even when the instruction is online.

Even though most schools are starting with online learning this fall, more than 30 campuses will be open for in-person health-care services.

They have School-Based Health Centers that offer routine primary care, including vaccinations, as well as mental health counseling. Several even have dental services. Seasonal flu vaccine will also be available.

The health centers serve any student enrolled in the participating school districts. They operate at 27 Seattle Public Schools, including all high schools and middle schools, along with a number of elementary schools. … The centers are independent clinics based inside schools or on school campuses, staffed by health professionals.

Public Health coordinates the network of 34 clinics, and directly operates three locations. All the others staffed and operated by community health-care providers, which compete through a Request for Application process to provide health services.

The full list of clinics around the county is here, including seven West Seattle schools – Chief Sealth International High School, Denny International Middle School, Highland Park Elementary, Madison Middle School, Roxhill Elementary, West Seattle Elementary, and West Seattle High School, all operated by Neighborcare Health.

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We Sweat: Welcome, new West Seattle Blog sponsor!

September 1, 2020 11:56 am

| 25 COMMENTS

| Health | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Today we welcome a new WSB sponsor, We Sweat – an infrared-sauna salon and dealer. New sponsors get to tell you about their business; here’s what We Sweat would like you to know:

We Sweat is West Seattle’s first Infrared Sauna Salon. We Sweat opened its doors January 12, 2020, with an overwhelming response from the community. The business was only open for two months before the COVID-19 shutdown, but in that time hosted more than 500 sauna sessions.

Athena Frederick, the owner, is a United States Army Veteran, trained in Biomedical Engineering; her career before becoming a mom was in the medical-device field. She moved to West Seattle in 2009 and immediately started a business formerly known as Stroller Strides, sold in 2012 as it was being rebranded to Fit4Mom. Athena had 9 locations throughout Seattle and won the national Franchisee of the Year sward. This business was supportive of motherhood in the early years and built a community of families that are still friends and now raising teenagers together. From this business, a running club was formed, and after 11 years they are still meeting weekly on Alki and running the annual Ragnar Relay event. She is mom to two teenage boys and for over 7 years has been active in various PTAs and served on the PTA Board at Genesee Hill Elementary for 4 years as the volunteer coordinator and Move-A-Thon co-chair. Health and wellness, community service, and fully funding public schools are just some of her greatest passions.

In 2019. when Athena decided to return to the workforce, her entrepreneurial spirit took over and the idea for an infrared sauna salon was born. Balancing work/ family life has always been a top priority. Due to injuries sustained in the military, Athena has worked hard to maintain active and healthy and has found some holistic ways to manage pain and anxiety. Infrared heat is something she discovered on vacation and she frequently visited a spa in Lynnwood to help ease some of her chronic pain. It was her dream to open a spa similar to the Olympus Spa, but coed. Additionally, she wanted to get into the nonprofit world and create a group based on volunteerism, Women Serving West Seattle. During the COVID-19 shutdown, she used the salon as a staging area to collect food and supplies for families in need.

The original goal of creating a space where you could come in for self-care and a sauna and then hang out in the “chill” area had to be rethought because of the COVID-19 crisis. We closed our indoor chill area and made the salon less of a place to “hang out.” Today folks come in for their hour in an individual sauna suite and then leave or hang out in our outdoor chill area reading a book. We are located at 2705 California Ave SW, the former location of the family-owned West Coast Cruises. We are their first renters after they operated a West Seattle business for over 20 years. The building has 6 individual rooms with doors and was the perfect location for a salon, with social distancing already in place, no build-out required. Each sauna suite is provided with fresh towels and the room is sanitized between uses with an Ultraviolet Wand, nontoxic disinfectants, and an ultraviolet air-purifying system. These infrared saunas are the most hygienic out there because they do not retain moisture, and our cedar saunas are naturally antimicrobial.

We chose the nationally known Jacuzzi (R) branded saunas because they are designed by doctors and have the lowest EMF of any sauna out there. Infrared Saunas are being recognized by doctors everywhere as helpful with chronic inflammation, anxiety/depression, skin conditions, Lyme disease, cancer recovery, and detox for flight attendants and firefighters.

In response to the COVID-19 shutdown, our sauna salon purchased more saunas so we have 7 to choose
from; we also have a showcase of saunas as we have recently become an infrared sauna dealer for Jacuzzi. People can schedule a time to visit our salon to see the different models and also try out a session before purchasing a sauna for their in-home use. These are low-cost and many don’t have additional electrical requirements. We are also selling Jacuzzi’s doctor-designed Ultraviolet Wand.

We welcome anyone to join us in the salon. Our mission statement is to be an inclusive place to create a health-conscious community. For those interested in purchasing a sauna for in-home use, one of our biggest sales of the year is happening now for Labor Day. We have new-client specials on the website and we have single sauna suites or saunas that can be shared. We have strict COVID-19 policies in place. You can find additional information on our website.

We thank We Sweat 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.

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WHALES: Transient orcas in view again today

September 1, 2020 11:08 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Whales | Wildlife

11:08 AM: Right around sunset last night, transient orcas were headed this way again. This morning, Kersti Muul tells us they’re back in the area, seen southbound, north of Blake Island, within the past half hour. Let us know if you see them!

11:58 AM: Thanks for the updates in comments! We also got a text from Jay reporting that they’re off Dilworth (Vashon), still southbound.

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