day : 15/10/2020 11 results

Checking in on the local pandemic-related news:

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

*24,649 people have tested positive, up 149 from yesterday’s total

*782 people have died, unchanged from yesterday’s total

*2,472 people have been hospitalized, up 5 from yesterday’s total

*494,372 people have been tested, up 4,166 from yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 23,586/774/2,418/467,086.

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

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 38.9 million cases worldwide, 7.9 million of them in the U.S. See the nation-by-nation breakout here.

TOP HAT QUARANTINE SITE: The controversial county site has yet to host a single person, county officials said tonight at the North Highline Town Hall online community meeting. It’s still being kept on standby, they said, adding that its future post-pandemic remains undecided.

NEED FOOD? Free emergency food boxes are available again 2-5 pm tomorrow at Food Lifeline HQ (815 S. 96th).

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

Share This

CRIME WATCH: About the SWAT raid at 17th SW/SW 107th

October 15, 2020 8:21 pm

| 45 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | White Center

(WSB/WCN photos)

Thanks for all the tips about this SWAT raid just west of the busy 16th/SW 107th intersection (Taco Bell, etc.), at the east end of a popular route between south West Seattle and White Center. We got there just as the operation was wrapping up. Some research revealed that it was NOT a King County Sheriff’s Office operation, though that’s their jurisdiction – it was led by Renton PD. They weren’t able to provide us information immediately – but we just got some from KCSO’s Major Jeffrey Flohr, speaking at the North Highline Town Hall that we’re covering right now for our partner site White Center Now. He said the operation was indeed in partnership with Renton PD – it started with officers pulling over a car last night (where, he didn’t say) and finding 10 pounds of meth, leading to warrants being served today, including this one.

Maj. Flohr said several people were taken into custody today at locations including this one, and that drugs and money were seized.

We’re hoping for additional info from Renton PD tomorrow.

Share This

UPDATE: Seattle Animal Shelter investigators find more than 200 animals at Delridge home; 1 man arrested

October 15, 2020 5:26 pm

| 60 COMMENTS

| Crime | Delridge | West Seattle news

(WSB photos)

5:26 PM: Thanks for the tip about Seattle Animal Shelter and SPD officers at a house this afternoon near 26th and Findlay.

Officers at the scene wouldn’t comment but here’s what SAS spokesperson Melissa Mixon tells WSB:

The Seattle Animal Shelter is conducting an investigation into an animal welfare and potential animal cruelty case. Working jointly with Seattle Police Department, the shelter successfully executed a search warrant early this afternoon and discovered at least 200 animals in the home. These animals include dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs. and chinchillas. Some of the animals were deceased inside the home.

Because this is an ongoing investigation, we are limited in what we can say so as not to jeopardize the investigation and due process. While this investigation is ongoing, animals seized from the property will be moved into the care of the Seattle Animal Shelter for evaluation.

Seattle Animal Shelter is authorized under City code to investigate cases and bring forth charges of animal cruelty. First-degree animal cruelty is a Class C felony punishable by five years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both.

We will follow up to see how the case proceeds.

7:13 PM UPDATE: An update from Mixon – she says one person is in custody, and clarifies that investigators “found more than 200 live animals in a home .. An unknown number of deceased animals were also discovered in a second home on the property. Investigators are still working to determine the exact amount. Seattle Animal Shelter Director Ann Graves described the scene in the homes as one of the most severe cases of animal neglect and cruelty she has seen in her 20-year career. As in many animal welfare cases, the discovery and seizure of these animals was in part thanks to a vigilant community member who saw something and said something. It’s a reminder to all of us that animals don’t have a voice and that’s why it’s so important for us all to remain vigilant and help speak for them when something seems wrong. ”

9:37 PM: The suspect, a 54-year-old man, was booked into King County Jail for investigation of animal cruelty. He does not appear to have a criminal record. Meantime, there’s a discussion in comments below about what SAS might need to care for the seized animals; one commenter says they’re already emailing people who have fostered animals before.

ADDED FRIDAY: Our extensive followup, including how to help the rescued animals, is here.

Share This

UPDATE: Natural-gas leak in Upper Fauntleroy

October 15, 2020 4:50 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news

(Added: WSB photo)

4:50 PM: Seattle Fire is arriving in the vicinity of 36th/Thistle to respond to a natural-gas leak. Neighboring homes are being evacuated as a precaution. Puget Sound Energy is on scene. Avoid the area.

5:04 PM: PSE is working on shutting down the leak; SFD is monitoring gas levels in the air.

5:16 PM: PSE is having some difficulty clamping off the line, according to firefighters’ radio communication with dispatch, so this isn’t handled yet.

5:20 PM: The line is now clamped. In a few minutes firefighters plan to check the air again to be sure the homes are safe to re-occupy..

Share This

FOLLOWUP: Lincoln Park lot reopens

October 15, 2020 3:55 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

(Added: WSB photo)

Thanks to Mike for the tip! The south lot at Lincoln Park is open again (we haven’t been able to check yet on the north lot), after almost 7 months. Though as we had reported previously, the announced reopening date is next Monday (October 19th), Parks spokesperson Rachel Schulkin explains, “We started reopening on Monday, and we’ll be finished with all the lots across the city by Monday, October 19 (we can’t do them all in a day).”

Share This

BIZNOTE: Dream Dinners deal

October 15, 2020 3:09 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

So we’ve talked about school lunches. How about family dinners? Even if everyone’s working and learning at home, they’re still a challenge. Longtime WSB sponsor Dream Dinners-West Seattle has a “back-to-school special” this month and next – and it’s more than dinner:

New to Dream Dinners? Try our Meal Prep Starter Pack for just $99 and we’ll include a FREE kid-friendly Breakfast meal! Place your order today at http://bit.ly/MealPrepStarterPack

Choose 6 medium meals or 3 large meals from our October or November Starter Pack menus to discover the secret of easy meal prep.

Including kid-friendly items like:

– Chicken and White Bean Chili with Corn Cakes
– Chicken Pizzaiola
– Cheese Lover’s Manicotti

When placing your order, just type the word SCHOOL in the Special Instruction section. We also have Breakfast and Lunch meals that are great to add and have on hand while the kids are at home during the school day.

Note: Our medium-size dinners each serve 2-3 people, and our large dinners serve 4-6 people.

Dream Dinners-West Seattle is at 4701 41st SW, on the street-front east side of Jefferson Square. During the pandemic, they prep, you pick up and cook. As noted previously, they’re also participating in next Wednesday’s one-day West Seattle High School fundraiser.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Keeping kids fed during National School Lunch Week and beyond

October 15, 2020 1:32 pm

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Keeping kids fed during National School Lunch Week and beyond

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Though most school buildings aren’t home to classes right now, there’s still a lot going on. Like meal distribution! This is National School Lunch Week, so we stopped by Madison Middle School, one of more than half a dozen schools in West Seattle/South Park that are distributing meals to students and families every weekday. During the pandemic, meals are provided free to all, and Madison’s Stony Normandeau (in the photo above) told us they’re up to about 300 a day – not the volume they’d be serving if students were on campus, but the number is steadily climbing.

Stony adds that it’s not just day-of meals – they also distribute Backpack Brigade supplies for the weekend, and they have frozen meals provided by FareStart. And if you’re not going because you don’t want to take food away from someone who needs it more, she says don’t worry, they have plenty. The seven meal sites in West Seattle/South Park are listed and mapped here; there’s also one school-bus route in north West Seattle dropping off meals at bus stops.

Share This

LAST CALL: Hours left to be counted in the 2020 Census

October 15, 2020 11:59 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle online

Just in case you’ve procrastinated … today is your absolute last chance to be counted in the 2020 U.S. Census. You can do it online by going here before 3 am tomorrow (that’s the cutoff because it’s 11:59 pm Hawaii time), by sending a paper form that is postmarked today, or by phone – the list of numbers and hours is here.

Share This

SUNDAY: Drumming to call the salmon home to Fauntleroy Creek

October 15, 2020 11:34 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Fauntleroy | West Seattle news | Wildlife

(Fauntleroy Creek from the overlook, 2019 WSB photo)

No Seahawks game on Sunday, so here’s a reason to go outdoors: Fauntleroy Creek advocates are ready to host you at the pandemic-era version of an autumn tradition – drumming to call the salmon home. Volunteers are keeping watch on the creek starting today in hopes of seeing spawners, so it’s time: Wear a mask and bring any kind of drum to the 4 pm-4:45 pm drumming event Sunday at 4539 SW Director Place (just off upper Fauntleroy Way SW and SW Director, across from the ferry terminal); drumming will guide you into the (distanced!) circle.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE THURSDAY: Drill, dine-out fundraiser, demonstration, Design Review, community meetings, more…

October 15, 2020 9:40 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Lion’s Mane jellyfish, photographed by Stewart L.)

In the hours ahead:

EARTHQUAKE/TSUNAMI DRILL: It’s Great Shakeout Day – do an earthquake drill at 10:15 am. Tsunami-warning sirens around the state will be tested, too.

DINE-OUT SCHOOL FUNDRAISER: 10:30 am-10 pm today, you can get food from MOD Pizza at 4755 Fauntleroy SW and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Lafayette Elementary PTA. Details are in our calendar listing.

CITY COUNCIL BUDGET MEETING: 2 pm online, the City Council gets back to work on the budget. This is the start of the “issue identification” phase – the first meeting is a primer on the process as well as an overview of some key budget numbers. The meeting agenda explains how to watch and how to comment at the meeting’s start (advance registration starts at noon).

DESIGN REVIEW FOR 9218 18TH SW: 4 pm online, the Southwest Design Review Board gets its first look at this South Delridge project, as previewed here with links to the design packet and viewing/commenting information.

DEMONSTRATION: 4-6 pm at 16th/Holden, organizer Scott invites you to the twice-weekly sign-waving for Black lives. Signs available if you don’t have your own.

(Wednesday’s sunset – photo by Gabby R., age 9, from Upper Fauntleroy)

SUNSET: 6:20 pm. (We “fall back” on November 1st.)

ALKI COMMUNITY COUNCIL: 7 pm online, with topics including ongoing public-safety concerns in the beach area; local police will be there. Two ways to access:

Join Zoom Meeting

Meeting ID: 995 1615 6974
Passcode: 638862

Phonr: 206-337-9723 (same codes as above)

NORTH HIGHLINE TOWN HALL: 7 pm online, King County departments present information for, and take questions from, residents of White Center and vicinity. Two ways to access:

Zoom: kingcounty.zoom.us/j/95932613768 (Passcode: VOTE2020!)

Phone: 253-215-8782 (Webinar ID: 959 3261 3768; Passcode: 900924959)

Share This

ROAD WORK, TRANSIT, TRAFFIC: Thursday 10/15 watch

October 15, 2020 6:16 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:16 AM: Welcome to Thursday – the 206th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

ROAD WORK, ETC.

*West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way: From SDOT:

SDOT crews will complete some additional paving this week (the week of Oct. 12) near the intersection of Highland Park Way SW and West Marginal Way SW. The paving is being done in advance of some bus stop changes near the intersection. The work will require a right-lane closure on Highland Park Way SW outside of peak hours.

*Southbound 1st Avenue S. Bridge: Short closures for “temporary repairs” are continuing this week, between 6 am and 3 pm.

*Delridge project: So far, the SW Oregon closure is still on for Friday-Sunday. Here’s what other work is supposed to be happening this week.

CHECK THE TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO

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