day : 10/11/2020 11 results

A warning tops tonight’s pandemic-news roundup:

GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER, OR ELSE: State and local health authorities gathered online for a mid-afternoon briefing to all but beg people to stop flouting pandemic precautions, as case numbers are rising sharply. With Thanksgiving two weeks away, they especially emphasized avoiding gatherings. Our as-it-happened coverage has video and notes; here’s the state Health Department summary.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Meantime, here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:

*31,576 people have tested positive, 332 more than yesterday’s total

*816 people have died, 4 more than yesterday’s total

*2,744 people have been hospitalized, 101 more than yesterday’s total++++

*575,514 people have been tested, 1,552 more than yesterday’s total

++++The dashboard page says this increase is because of a “data lag regarding hospitalizations over the past two weeks. … This change added 75 hospitalizations that were not previously counted. Many were from the past week, but some hospitalizations took place earlier.”

One week ago, the totals were 28,329/809/2,599/549,500.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 51.4 million cases worldwide, 10.2 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.

HELPING: Today we featured two ways to help local food banks.

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

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: ‘Wind event possible’ at week’s end

November 10, 2020 9:45 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Last Friday’s windblown waves at Alki, photographed by Marc Milrod)

That chilly north wind had barely stopped blowing when rumblings began about a POSSIBLE windstorm on the way this Friday night. No alerts so far, but weather-watchers have been talking about it. Cliff Mass, for one, wrote about it last night, but he warned of “considerable uncertainty.” And even in tonight’s Forecast Discussion, the National Weather Service notes “confidence in wind potential remains low” regarding the storm. (Its Seattle main page currently features the phrase “Wind event possible.”) As with most forecasting around here, things seem to be – pardon the phrase – up in the air until a day or two out. But we’re mentioning it so you can be mindful of charging and other preparations, always smart at this time of year anyway.

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BOOKS: West Seattle writer Pam Mandel’s travel tale ‘The Same River Twice’

November 10, 2020 7:36 pm

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| West Seattle books | West Seattle news

So, travel is a little dicey right now. But this is a great time to read about it. Here to help with that: Gatewood-based writer Pam Mandel, who has just published a book, “The Same River Twice,” billed as “a memoir of dirtbag backpackers, bomb shelters, and bad travel.” It’s not just a travel tale, but also “a memoir of going away and growing up,” as explained on the book’s webpage. This is Pam’s first book, but we’ve known about her writing for years; in the early days of WSB, when we had a page linking other West Seattleites’ blog-format websites, we included her site Nerd’s Eye View, which she still updates – after 16 years! Among the posts – her account of getting the book deal a year ago. It’s gritty and honest; her book is from the heart, too. You can buy a signed copy from West Seattle’s own independent bookstore Paper Boat Booksellers, Pam tells us. And she has a story to go with that: “I had still not received my author copies when I got email from Paper Boat telling me my book was in. It was Monday, they were closed, but when I asked if I could come down and hold it in my hands, they said they’d be in the shop for another hour. I bolted down Gatewood hill — they unlocked and they piled them on the counter for me. It was a beautiful thing to see the book in person for the first time in the place where it’s meant to be — an independent bookstore.”

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WATER OUTAGE: Emergency repairs at Delridge/Hudson

November 10, 2020 6:14 pm

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| Delridge | Utilities | West Seattle news

Seattle Public Utilities is repairing a water line at Delridge/Hudson. That’s affecting more than 140 homes and businesses, according to the SPU water-outage map. We don’t know if it’s related to the Delridge road work, but an advisory about it was sent to a text-message list associated with that project, saying service might be affected until tomorrow morning.

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VIDEO: See inside the West Seattle Bridge stabilization project

November 10, 2020 4:56 pm

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| West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

At Monday’s City Council briefing on the West Seattle Bridge (WSB coverage here), SDOT mentioned more details of the stabilization work – one-ton brackets, 300-foot-long steel ropes. Today, the department released a video tour of the work inside the bridge, with a firsthand look at those components and more – see it above (or here).

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VIDEO: State, local health authorities urge people to take the pandemic seriously

November 10, 2020 2:35 pm

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| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

As mentioned in our pandemic roundup and daily preview, state and local health authorities are having a media briefing on COVID-19 response, announced as “urgent.” Watch it live above.

2:39 PM: State health officer Dr. Kathy Lofy says the surge has been particularly striking in the past two weeks, on both sides of the state. She says that the number of tests has remained flat, so this is not a case of {ore tests, more cases.” She suggests bluntly that people “stop socializing” for a few weeks. … Dr. John Lynch from Harborview Medical Center says keeping people healthy is not just a matter of keeping hospital beds available, but because they don’t want a rerun of spring when even important non-COVID-related care was deferred – they want to keep all aspects of the health-care system available, up and running.

2:47 PM: Also stressed: Any gathering is risky – but if you feel you have to have a Thanksgiving gathering, have it outside, and quarantine for the two weeks prior (as in, starting immediately). Participants are all acknowledging that while everyone is weary after eight months of this – “we may feel ‘done’ with COVID, but COVID’s not done with us.” Dr, Lynch noted that people in all age groups are still getting very sick – the hospitalized patients are NOT just older, high-risk patients

3:02 PM: King County Public Health’s Dr. Jeff Duchin says, “We’re here because we’re worried.” He says the hospitalization rate in King County has gone up 30 percent in the past week. “At this time we all need to cut back on non-essential activities … and contacts outside the home.” He says “the status of our health-care system … in the coming days” will determine whether any additional directives are needed.

3:10 PM: In Q&A, Dr. Lofy was asked, so how much time do we have until additional measures would be required, and what might those be? She said “everything’s on the table,” and there’s no specific timeline, but stressed that they really want to be able to avoid further crackdowns, so everyone needs to realize that’s possible IF they take this seriously – wearing masks, avoiding socializing, etc.

3:21 PM: So what’s stopping the governor from announcing new restrictions? Nothing’s “stopping him,” was the reply – “it’s not like he has some secret plan, this IS the plan” – urging more responsible behavior. They really don’t want to have to shut down the economy, said Gov. Inslee’s chief of staff David Postman. Echoed King County’s Dr. Duchin, they would rather see people take action voluntarily. He also noted that the current high numbers aren’t even an accurate number of infections – there’s probably “four to five times” the number of cases out there. “You and everybody have the power to avoid more onerous restrictions,” reiterated Postman.

3:36 PM: The briefing has wrapped up; the archived video should be available soon in the window above. State Secretary of Health John Wiesman summarized the message to everyone in the state: “Take action today,” so government doesn’t have to.

4:38 PM: Video’s now available above.

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From White Center Now: 3 restaurant/bar changes

November 10, 2020 1:46 pm

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| West Seattle news | White Center

Over on partner site White Center Now, we have news of changes in three restaurant/bar spaces, all in the same block of 16th SW just south of Roxbury. See the story here.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Car-prowl loot to look for; gunfire incident

November 10, 2020 11:20 am

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| Crime | West Seattle news

Two reports in West Seattle Crime Watch:

CAR PROWL LOOT TO LOOK FOR: From Todd:

I wanted to let the community know my car was broken into sometime after 2 am on November 8th. It was parked on SW Charlestown St. between 44th Ave SW and an alley. The driver’s-side lock was drilled out and contents were stolen from the trunk: Large baseball duffle bag full of golf balls, black Adidas hoodie with spot of blue paint, black standard-size Adidas backpack, and 2 wooden baseball bats.

We would be interested in getting the stolen items back if anyone has seen them possibly dumped nearby.

Police report # is 2020-925469.

GUNFIRE INCIDENT: The summary is from the SPD Blotter Significant Incident Reports page; SPD tweeted the photo:

On 11-9-2020 at 0405 hours, a male stated that earlier he was at 15 Ave SW/SW Roxbury St involved in a drug transaction with multiple subjects. The victim stated that during the drug transaction, one of the subjects pulled a gun on him. The subject stated that he took the gun, and someone shot at him. The subject stated that he ran to the 9700 BLK of Myers Way S and during the process cut his wrist on a fence. The subject stated that the subjects involved in the drug transaction located him at the 9700 BLK of Myers Way S. The subject stated that he fired a couple of rounds in self-defense because he was scared for his life. Officers checked different locations for a crime scene and evidence, but they weren’t successful. The local hospitals were clear of any new gunshot wound victims. The firearm was recovered, and it came back clear. The firearm was submitted into evidence and the subject was transported to the hospital.

In the tweet containing the photo, police described the man as appearing to be “in some form of crisis.”

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WEST SEATTLE TUESDAY: Westside School info night; Fauntleroy Community Association; more

November 10, 2020 9:58 am

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| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Monday sunrise, photographed by Jerry Simmons)

A busy Tuesday is under way:

CITY COUNCIL BUDGET MEETING: This is the second round – where proposed changes that made it through the first round are considered for final passage. The 9:30 am meeting is happening now, with a second session planned at 2 pm; documents are all linked to the all-day agenda. Watch via Seattle Channel.

COVID-19 BRIEFING: As previewed in our pandemic roundup last night, state/local health authorities have called an “urgent media briefing” for 2:30 pm to stress action to “flatten the curve” and get the current spike under control. You can watch here.

DEMONSTRATION: The weekly announcement from organizer Scott:

Black Lives Matter sign-waving

Tuesday, Nov 10, 4 to 6 pm, corner of 16th SW and SW Holden

Thursday, Nov 12, 4 to 6 pm, 16th and Holden

Come show support for BLM and ending systemic racism. Hold signs, meet neighbors, and stand for racial justice. Scott at PR Cohousing, endorsed by Hate-Free Delridge. Signs available.

WESTSIDE SCHOOL LOWER SCHOOL INFO NIGHT: 5 pm online, find out about preschool through 4th grade at Westside School (WSB sponsor). To get the link for attending, email tedh@westsideschool.org.

(Weekend sunset through ginkgo on Fauntleroy, photographed by Angie Marcelynas)

FAUNTLEROY COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Board meeting online at 7 pm, community members welcome. Go here to register to attend.

Got an event, online or in-person distanced, to announce? Email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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YOU CAN HELP: 2 easy ways to give our area’s food banks a boost

November 10, 2020 8:59 am

| 1 COMMENT

| How to help | West Seattle news

If you can help, here’s two ways to assist the food banks serving our area:

GOT FOOD? John L. Scott Real Estate – Westwood (WSB sponsor) invites you to stop by the office and donate non-perishable food for their Thanksgiving-season drive to help the White Center Food Bank (which also serves part of West Seattle):

JLS is in the Westwood breezeway east of Bed Bath & Beyond. The office is open 10 am-5 pm weekdays, 10 am-4 pm Saturdays.

GOT BAGS? Here’s a request from the West Seattle Food Bank:

We are in need of clean, unripped paper grocery bags with handles!

Please, no gift bags, cloth bags, plastic bags, etc.

Donations accepted Monday – Friday between 9:00 am – 3:00 pm – 3419 SW Morgan St.

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ROAD WORK, TRANSIT, TRAFFIC: Tuesday 11/10 watch (updated)

November 10, 2020 6:16 am

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

8:46 AM TRAFFIC UPDATE: Two-car crash at Olson/Myers.
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6:16 AM: Welcome to Tuesday, the 232nd morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

ROAD WORK

Delridge project: 23rd SW remains closed at Delridge. This week’s other major work zones are outlined here. No work on Wednesday, because of Veterans Day.

CHECK TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO

West Marginal Way/Highland Park Way: