day : 09/10/2020 11 results

32 weeks ago tonight – on February 28th – King County announced its first case of COVID-19. Here are tonight’s local toplines:

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

*23,736 people have tested positive, 150 more than yesterday’s total

*776 people have died, 2 more than yesterday’s total

*2,429 people have been hospitalized, 11 more than yesterday’s total

*471,588 people have been tested, 4,502 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 22,788/764/2,382/445,824.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 36.8 million cases, 1,067,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.

NEED TESTING? Another reminder, the city-operated testing site in West Seattle – south side of the Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot (2801 SW Thistle) – is open Saturdays. Go here to choose an appointment time.

NEED FOOD? Greater Seattle Filipino-American SDA Church is distributing food boxes again tomorrow – drive up, ride up, or walk up at 2620 SW Kenyon, 1:30-4 pm.

24/7 FOOD AND SUPPLIES: Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood (39th/Thistle) has a new Little Free Pantry with food and hygiene items available.

DONATION DRIVE SUNDAY: Alki UCC will have another drive 10 am-3 pm Sunday, outside the church at 6115 SW Hinds:

A huge shout-out to all the generous people who filled our lobby with donations of non-perishable food, school supplies and men’s casual/work clothing during our last expanded donations drive. The next Call for Donations is this Sunday, October 11, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, outside Alki UCC’s front entrance at 6115 SW Hinds

Food and basic supplies such as toilet paper and diapers are distributed through the White Center Food Bank. We’re accepting school supplies for all grades on behalf of one or more local schools to be distributed when students are back at in-person learning. Suggestions include backpacks, #2 pencils, black and blue ink pens, crayons, lined paper, glue, small scissors, colored pens, writing notebooks and colored paper.

Donations of clean, new or used men’s casual/work clothing are distributed through the Westside Interfaith Network’s hot lunch program for people experiencing homelessness, The Welcome Table. There is a constant and growing demand for denim apparel, khaki’s, hoodies, tee shirts, sweatshirts, clean underwear, socks, shoes and all kinds of outerwear for the fall and winter. Please … NO dress shirts, sport coats or suits

REOPENING: Two days after the governor announced movie theaters could open at 25 percent capacity in Phase 2 counties, West Seattle’s Admiral Theater says it will open a week from today.

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

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WEST SEATTLE ART: Peninsula’s biggest pencil, back on display

October 9, 2020 9:18 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

Thanks to Gary and Karl at Potter Construction (WSB sponsor) for sending word (and pictures) about the return of the giant pencil that marks their headquarters at 5606 California SW. Gary explains, “We took it down to repair and repaint when they scheduled to paint the building. We just got it back and it looks great!!”

The tune-up was by the 13 1/2-foot-long pencil’s creator, artist Stephen Rock. It was originally created for a juried show in 2010, then installed outside Potter HQ in 2011 .

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Remembering Beverly J. Thompson, 1927-2020

October 9, 2020 7:56 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

The family of Beverly J. Thompson will gather tomorrow to remember her; they’re sharing this remembrance with her community tonight:

Beverly J. (Allen) Thompson passed away peacefully at the age of 93 on September 17, 2020.

Beverly was born on April 17, 1927, in Yakima, Washington to Walter and Gladys (Doak) Allen. She was the 4th of 5 children and graduated from Yakima High School with the class of 1945. She was a West Seattle resident most of her life. She married John Saeger in 1950 and they raised three children together. She later married Robert Thompson in 1979.

She was very involved in her West Seattle life. She worked in the medical field at the West Seattle General Hospital for many years, starting out in their Junction location and later on at the location on SW Holden St. She attended West Side Presbyterian for many years and devoted many hours to the American Cancer Society Discovery Shop in the West Seattle Junction. She loved planning the fashion shows and was always recruiting models. Her grandchildren and great-grandchildren were a huge part of her life, earning her many nicknames over the years. She was fondly known to them and all of their friends as Grabbo, Goggy, or Babbo. She loved playing dress-up, having tea parties, and sleepovers at her house were always a hit.

She had many friends and loved playing cards. She traveled around to many Bridge games and was a ruthless competitor no matter who you were or what card game you were playing. She definitely kept her children and grandchildren on their toes in many a Gin Rummy or a Nertz game.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Jeanne Saeger, her husband, Robert Thompson, and all of her siblings. She is survived by her daughter, Jill and son-in-law Tony Knapp of Port Orchard; her son, Robert and daughter-in-law Casey Saeger of Las Vegas; five granddaughters, Nichole (Darron) Forsell of West Seattle; Jessica (Dave) Cook of Port Orchard; Julia (Alexander) Rosen of Gig Harbor; Marina and Danica Saeger, both of Las Vegas; nine great-grandchildren, Trevor, Shayne, Haley, Matthew, Alyssa, Brandon, David, Quinn, and Dean; and many very beloved nieces and nephews who knew her as their Auntie Bev.

Due to regulations regarding COVID, a small family service is planned for Saturday, October 10, 2020 at Forest Lawn Cemetery in West Seattle. A larger celebration of her life will be held at a later date. Donations in her memory can be made to the American Cancer Society.

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

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FOLLOWUP: What’s next for southbound 1st Avenue South Bridge after ‘temporary repairs’

October 9, 2020 5:48 pm

| 18 COMMENTS

| Transportation | West Seattle news

Back on Tuesday, we published the Washington State Department of Transportation‘s alert about short closures this week and next for “temporary repairs” on the southbound side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge (which is actually two separate bridges, one in each direction). Tonight we have more information on what’s being fixed, and what “permanent repairs” will entail. WSDOT’s Tom Pearce explains here that “our crews noticed wear on the bearings of two piers during a regular inspection of the bridge. These bearings are critical as they allow the bridge deck to move up and down a little when traffic goes over the pier.”

(WSDOT photo – gap created by the worn bearing is shown, with pen inserted in the opening)

Right now, for temporary repairs, Pearce writes, “During each closure, crews jack up the deck a little, put in shims – in this case a piece of metal to close the gap – to counter the settlement, then lower the deck onto the shims.” But that’ll only last a few months, so they’ll have to do permanent repairs next year: “In early 2021, we’ll have a contractor crew replace the worn bearings atop the piers. We’re still designing how this work will take place, so we don’t have all the details yet. Right now we’re looking at a project that will require us to close two of the four lanes, 24 hours a day, for about two weeks to replace cement and grout. This will eliminate the settlement on that side of the bridge. When one side is finished, it will take another roughly two weeks to do the same thing on the other side.” Again, this is the southbound side of the 1st Avenue South Bridge, not the northbound side (which is older and went through a recent project to replace some of its deck panels – for more background on both bridges, see our report from the start of that work). WSDOT says the southbound bridge “remains safe for travel.

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BOOKS: Poet spotlights West Seattle in ‘Listen to the Trees’

October 9, 2020 3:57 pm

| Comments Off on BOOKS: Poet spotlights West Seattle in ‘Listen to the Trees’

| West Seattle books | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(Photos courtesy Sean Petrie)

In pre-pandemic times, you might have seen Sean Petrie writing poetry on his century-old typewriter at the Farmers’ Market. In 2018, he was in residence at West Seattle Summer Fest, typing in the Southwest Seattle Historical Society/Log House Museum‘s booth, and now that round of live poetry has become a book! In collaboration with SWSHS, Petrie has published “Listen to the Trees: A Poetic Snapshot of West Seattle, Then and Now,” via Documentary Media.

It features some Junction businesses, too, including Husky Deli, Easy Street Records, and Elliott Bay Brewing. You can see and hear him online in a SWSHS presentation at 6 pm next Tuesday (October 13th). There will also be a limited-capacity in-person launch at Paper Boat Booksellers (6040 California SW), noon Saturday, October 17th. The publisher says the book will thereafter be available at both of West Seattle’s independent bookstores, Paper Boat and Pegasus Book Exchange (4553 California SW).

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RAIN DELAY: West Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s park-and-watch movie postponed until next Friday

October 9, 2020 2:58 pm

| Comments Off on RAIN DELAY: West Seattle Chamber of Commerce’s park-and-watch movie postponed until next Friday

| Puget Ridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

If you bought a ticket, you’ve probably already received word, but just FYI, the West Seattle Chamber of Commerce has postponed tonight’s park-and-watch movie to next Friday (October 16th), since we could see rain before dark tonight. The CofC also has a few tickets left for the screening of “Secret Life of Pets” in the South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) north lot – go here.

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HELPING: Little Free Pantry now open at Peace Lutheran

October 9, 2020 1:21 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Gatewood | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

For neighbors in need, Peace Lutheran Church in Gatewood now has a Little Free Pantry, stocked with food and hygiene items, built with volunteers, donations, and grant money. It’s on the open patio by the church’s lower-level doors at the corner of 39th SW and SW Thistle. The church’s youth/family director Nicole Klinemeier emailed to share the news, explaining, “The top has food items, and on the bottom there is a bin with hygiene items such as diapers, menstruation supplies, deodorant, etc.” She also says the church grounds will soon feature a prayer walk focusing on hunger, similar to the Black Lives Matter prayer walk we featured in June.

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VIDEO: Diverters, Stay Healthy Street, or something else? 26th SW options – and opinions – discussed

October 9, 2020 11:43 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Delridge | Safety | Transportation | West Seattle news

(SDOT recording of Wednesday’s meeting)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Without grocery stores and other major services in Delridge, the area’s few east-west connections are lifelines.

But placing “diverters” at two spots along the 26th SW greenway would hamper residents’ access to two of those connections.

That’s a message SDOT heard repeatedly during Wednesday night’s meeting to explain, and hear opinions on, the revived proposal for installing the diverters, with two additional options – banning through traffic to make that section of 26th SW a “Stay Healthy Street,” or something else to be determined.

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REOPENING: West Seattle’s Admiral Theater sets the date

October 9, 2020 10:35 am

| 32 COMMENTS

| Admiral Theater | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

Until the governor announced new guidelines on Wednesday, movie theaters were not allowed to open in Phase 2 counties. Now that’s changed, and West Seattle’s Admiral Theater has just announced it will reopen under the new guidelines – 25 percent capacity – one week from today, on Friday, October 16th. Masks will be required “while in the auditorium and until you’re seated at a safe distance from other patrons,” but you can take yours off to consume concessions while seated. The Admiral’s parent company Far Away Entertainment explains other policies here (including what “25 percent capacity” means – 3 empty seats away from the next unrelated person). As for what The Admiral will be showing – that’s not on their website yet.

P.S. If you’re not comfortable with going to the theater, you can still support The Admiral by watching movies at home – here’s what’s available right now.

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HALLOWEEN: Got decorations?

October 9, 2020 9:18 am

| 23 COMMENTS

| Holidays | West Seattle news

Halloween is three weeks from tomorrow. In this year when so many have already made displays for passersby to enjoy, from chalk art to window-dwelling bears and beyond, we’re already noticing more Halloween decorations than usual. And we’ve received a few requests to provide a Halloween version of what we usually do at Christmastime. “It would be awesome to have a list of houses decked out for Halloween that we could drive by,” suggested Jenny via email. So if you have – or are going to have – or see someone else with – a well-decorated house/yard/apartment window/business … let us know. Photos are great, but if it’s just a tip, please describe whether it’s a lit display (we’ve already seen some excellent ones that aren’t, so people would want to know to go by before dark). westseattleblog@gmail.com or text our hotline, 206-293-6302 – thanks!