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month : 01/2021 310 results

CORONAVIRUS: Sunday 1/31/2021 roundup
January 31, 2021 11:56 pm
|      9 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Here are tonight’s pandemic updates:

KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: No daily update here, and no explanation, but for the record: One week ago, the King County totals were 74,562/1,215/4,725/813,111.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 102.9 million cases and 2,227,000+ deaths, 441,000+ of them in the U.S. – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.

PHASE 2 MONDAY: King County and six other counties are officially in Phase 2 of “Healthy Washington” as of tomorrow. That means, among other things, indoor dining can resume at limited capacity, indoor fitness offerings can increase, and indoor movies and bowling are allowed again. (If your business has a reopening update, please let us know!)

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

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See the West Marginal Way alternatives that headlined West Seattle Transportation Coalition’s January meeting, as city gets ready to seek feedback
January 31, 2021 8:29 pm
|      38 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Proposals for the north stretch of West Marginal Way SW are about to go under the public-feedback microscope.

They were briefly discussed as part of SDOT‘s presentation at Thursday’s West Seattle Transportation Coalition meeting, but they were the major news from the meeting, including an announcement of a February 18th “open house” and an upcoming mailer.

SDOT‘s been considering possibilities for West Marginal for some months – beyond the safety improvements near the Duwamish Tribe Longhouse, which are already locked in. One previously discussed idea, turning one northbound lane into a freight-only lane, is off the table, as we’ve reported before. So what this is all about is what’s going to happen to the southbound side, from the bridge to the Longhouse:

Here’s what’s being proposed – first, two options for what is being referred to as “Section 1”:

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VALENTINE’S DAY: Delridge Grocery Co-op ‘treat bags’
January 31, 2021 6:48 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Delridge | Holidays | West Seattle news

Just two weeks until Valentine’s Day. One gift idea from a local nonprofit – the Delridge Grocery Co-op is offering Valentine’s “treat bags.” For $35, pickup or delivery, you get these treats:

*Bellflower Chocolate bar
*Wanna Date? date spread
*Jacobsen Salt Co. Sea Salt Caramels
*Big Heart Tea Co. Cup of Love Tea (Loose Leaf)
*Sister Sage Herbs Weekend Warrior Muscle Balm

Pickup is at the Delridge Grocery Co-op space (5444 Delridge Way SW) 10:30 am-12:30 am on Saturday, February 13th, and deliveries will be made that afternoon. To be eligible for delivery, you have to be, DGC stipulates, on “the West Seattle peninsula (as far south as Roxbury) … in the following zip codes: 98106, 98116, 98126, and 98136.” Order here by February 10th.

P.S. DGC also announces:

Our Equity Committee is also looking for people interested in being part of a focus group as part of a new Community Advisory Board (CAB) of Black, Duwamish, and Disabled members to talk about creating a community survey.

Here’s how to get involved with that.

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West Seattle SkyLink: Gondolas/aerial trams instead of light rail?
January 31, 2021 3:15 pm
|      117 COMMENTS
 |   Transportation | West Seattle news

(West Seattle SkyLink advocates’ 12-minute presentation video)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Sound Transit‘s light-rail extension to West Seattle is already expected to be later and costlier than originally planned – with the schedule and cost changes far from finalized.

Advocates for building a gondola system instead of light rail think this mode of aerial transportation could fix both problems, by being cheaper and faster to build.

The idea of aerial transit between West Seattle and downtown has been discussed for a few years. But supporters recently bestowed the concept with the name West Seattle SkyLink, launching a new campaign to muster community interest and enthusiasm, while also angling for official support.

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TERMINAL 5: Port project progress report on Tuesday
January 31, 2021 12:52 pm
|    Comments Off on TERMINAL 5: Port project progress report on Tuesday
 |   Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

Those photos are from a presentation that will be given to the Northwest Seaport Alliance managing members – aka commissioners from the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma – during their monthly meeting on Tuesday. This will be their quarterly update on the Terminal 5 modernization project in West Seattle, as it approaches a major milestone – the north berth at T-5 is supposed to go into service by midyear. The meeting is online, starting at 11:30 am Tuesday (February 2nd); here’s the agenda (including call-in and commenting instructions), and here’s where to watch the meeting’s video stream.

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HELPING: Local volunteers organizing West Seattle cleanups
January 31, 2021 10:30 am
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Environment | How to help | West Seattle news

Want to volunteer, outdoor and distanced? You have two chances to help with neighbor-organized cleanups in the next two weekends:

ALKI CLEANUP: Jessica continues organizing first-Saturday cleanups at the beach. Next one is 10 am-2 pm Saturday, February 6th. To RSVP or ask a question, text Jessica at 206-769-6330.

UNDER THE BRIDGE: Conrad is working – with Jessica’s help – to organize volunteers “to clean up trash under the West Seattle Bridge and ultimately along West Marginal Way.” 1-4 pm Saturday, February 13th. Sign up here.

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From high tide to school tours, what’s up for your West Seattle Sunday
January 31, 2021 6:43 am
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle religion | WS miscellaneous

(Thursday night’s sunset from Lincoln Park, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)

Here are highlights for January’s grand finale:

HIGH TIDE: 12.6 feet at 7:16 am, first of four mornings with notably high tides (see the next three here).

TODAY’S ONLINE CHURCH SERVICES: Every week we update our list of more than 20 local churches’ Sunday online services (a few also offer in-person options), with the latest links; find them here.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm in The Junction, the market’s open. Scroll down the page at this link to find the vendor list and map for this week. (Enter at California/Alaska; pickups for online orders are at California/Oregon)

WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)

(added) FREE ICE CREAM: Moto Pizza is offering free cups of soft-serve noon-4 pm. (4526 42nd SW)

HOLY ROSARY SCHOOL ONLINE OPEN HOUSE: Noon – registration link is in our calendar listing.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE SCHOOL ONLINE OPRN HOUSE: 1 pm – go here for the link and info.

HOLY FAMILY BILINGUAL SCHOOL ONLINE OPEN HOUSE: 2 pm – registration link is in our calendar listing.

FREE TO-GO DINNER: White Center Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm, outside, near the Bartell Drugs parking lot in White Center. (9600 15th Ave SW)

Got something for our calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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CORONAVIRUS: Saturday 1/30/2021 roundup, including our weekly West Seattle trend check
January 30, 2021 10:08 pm
|      2 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Here are the mid-weekend pandemic toplines:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: First, the cumulative totals from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:

*76.650 people have tested positive, 305 more than yesterday’s total

*1,264 people have died, 15 more than yesterday’s total

*4,787 people have been hospitalized, 16 more than yesterday’s total

*827,183 people have been tested, 618 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, those totals were 74,214/1,215/4,687/812,614.

WEST SEATTLE TRENDS: Here’s our weekly check of this stat, with numbers shown in two-week increments via the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard, combining the totals from the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas” (HRAs). For the past two weeks, 142 positive test results; 310 in the 2 weeks before that; 247 in the two weeks before that. … We also are noting WS death totals each week; the HRAs are the most precise count. The total deaths for the entire pandemic in the two HRAs comprising West Seattle: 56, four more than a week ago.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 102.5 million people have tested positive, and more than 2,219,000 people have died; U.S. deaths exceed 439,000. Most cases: U.S., India, Brazil, UK, Russia (the last two have changed places since last week). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.

‘MORE CONTAGIOUS’ VARIANT: One week after the more-contagious “UK variant” of the virus – aka B117 – showed up in our state for the first time, it’s been detected in King County.

FINDING VACCINE: None of the nearby locations on the state website have availability. However, St. Anne Hospital in Burien advises eligible people to check back next Friday (February 5th) for possible appointment availability.

GETTING VACCINATED? Don’t take a pain reliever pre-shot, a UW expert advises.

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

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FINALE: Rock out during 4th event in series presented by Save The Stone Cottage
January 30, 2021 8:18 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Fun stuff to do | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(Photo by Stewart L.)

As preparations continue to move the Stone Cottage off its to-be-redeveloped site at 1123 Harbor SW, the volunteer preservationists working to save it have one more event ahead – here’s their update:

In a race to beat the wrecking ball, throughout January 2021 the “Save The Stone Cottage” committee has put on a series of educational, entertaining, and inspiring events called “Finding the Story Stones,” to raise awareness about our fundraising drive.

Finding each of the “Story Stones” has been unlocking elements of the unusual stories surrounding the Stone Cottage, Eva Falk, and the early history of Seattle and Alki. The final of these four fun activities will be held on February 12, capping off the series of fun events.

Finding Story Stone #4: “Karaoke Rock Concert”
February 12, 2021 at 7 pm

The Karaoke Rock Concert is the last of the four “Finding The Story Stones” events produced by The “Save the Stone Cottage” Committee, and is a musical-themed, family-friendly event. Originally scheduled for the end of January to coincide with the moving of the Stone Cottage, this event is being held in February as the Stone Cottage is in its final stages of preparation for the move, which is expected to be in mid-February.

The “Karaoke Rock Concert’ will include music, music trivia and will feature some special guest appearances. This interactive event will allow viewers and participants to join in the fun and compete for prizes! The ‘winner’ of the fourth and final Story Stone will unlock the “Story of the Duwamish.”

Event date and time: Friday, February 12, 2021; 7 pm
Location: Online Zoom viewing event; participants will submit their guesses and answers on Twitter.
Details: Anyone can join, view and participate.

So far three of the four “Story Stones” have been claimed. In early January, Tanya Johnson guessed the number of stones on the front façade of the Stone Cottage within 274 stones of the actual number, unlocking the first Story Stone. Then, Keefe Leung solved a series of six rhyming clues that led him to discover the second Story Stone hidden in the bow of the Sasha Eli, an aluminum “dory,” or boat, ‘frozen in time’ at the Whale Tail playground adjacent to Alki Elementary. And, finally, last weekend Beata Stensager completed “Walking in Eva’s Shoes,” having trekked all the way from the Alki Lighthouse to the Stone Cottage and visiting the five interpretive stops along the way. Beata was able to answer all five questions correctly to win the third Story Stone and a gift certificate to a local restaurant.

Save The Stone Cottage continues crowdfunding to cover the cost of moving the structure and storing it until a permanent new home is found.

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UPDATE: 1 dead in Harbor Island crash
January 30, 2021 6:18 pm
|      11 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS breaking news

6:18 PM: If you’re in east-facing West Seattle, you might be wondering about this emergency response on Harbor Island:

It’s described as a driver hitting a utility pole near 16th SW/SW Lander – the sizable response was required because the driver was reported to be trapped. No other details yet.

6:26 PM: SFD says the person was “safely extricated” and is being taken to a hospital.

12:26 AM: A commenter said that was inaccurate, that the driver was declared dead at the scene, and we have confirmation now from police. Their report:

A Ford Mustang was southbound on 16th Av SW on Harbor Island. The adult male driver lost control of the vehicle near SW Lander St and collided with a power pole. The driver was the only occupant and he did not survive. TCIS responded. The cause is under investigation.

TCIS is the Traffic Collision Investigation Squad.

1:56 PM: SFD acknowledged the error today and says the victim was a man in his mid-50s.

MONDAY UPDATE: The victim was identified by the King County Medical Examiner as 56-year-old Scott Fern.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Early-morning burglary; 2 gunfire reports
January 30, 2021 5:59 pm
|      14 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

In West Seattle Crime Watch:

EARLY MORNING BURGLARY: Erin says this happened just before 5:30 am today:

Two people attempted to break into our home again today. This time we were home. We hid in our 5-year=old son’s room and called the police. It only took 7 mins for the police to arrive.

It was terrifying. They attempted to enter in the same way as before by climbing up the drain pipe and scaling access the facade. They also tried to break the glass on our front door.

We are in the new Steel Building on Delridge, between Puget and Brandon. Behind the old cafe. A kind, local unhoused person yelled at them before the police arrived and assisted the police with a description.

2 GUNFIRE REPORTS: We don’t have full details on either incident, but a texter sent this video from the first one, before 9 pm at 32nd SW and SW Andover:

Incident # is 21-024607. The second one was reported very early this morning in the 7100 block of 18th SW; we heard some police-radio discussion of the response to multiple 911 calls from people who thought they heard gunfire, but no evidence of it until the call turned up as classified “drive-by shooting,” incident # 21-024757. No reported injuries in either incident.

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READER REPORT: New left-turn signal at Highland Park Way/Holden
January 30, 2021 3:48 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Highland Park | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Thanks to Craig for the photo and report that a left-turn signal is now in place for drivers turning left from northbound Highland Park Way to westbound Holden. So far, he observes, it seems to be contributing to the eastbound backup on Holden, though. The left-turn signal is a feature that SDOT had promised would accompany the “permanent” light at the intersection; a “temporary” light was installed days after the West Seattle Bridge shutdown dramatically increased traffic there, with people heading to the 1st Avenue South Bridge.

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LISTEN: All Ways West Seattle podcast’s new episode spotlights a drink, a legend, and us
January 30, 2021 1:21 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news

For your weekend listening consideration: The newest episode of what we would describe as definitive peninsula podcast, All Ways West Seattle. This time, host Keith Bacon features three topics: First, West 5 – as the restaurant/bar approaches its 18th anniversary – with a look at its legendary Mai Tai. Speaking of legends, you’ll also hear from the person whose quirky art installation is a tribute of sorts to the man at the heart of the West Seattle Bridge’s oddest story – the freighter pilot who took out the old bridge in 1978, Rolf Neslund, And the third segment of All Ways West Seattle’s new episode is a chat with your editor here, who founded the site 15 years ago as something very different from what it has become. (Here’s an audio snippet that Keith tweeted.) Here’s the full episode. If none of those topics interest you, see what else has been spotlighted in the podcast’s archived episodes here.

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REOPENING: Admiral Theater gets ready to raise the curtain again
January 30, 2021 11:29 am
|      34 COMMENTS
 |   Admiral Theater | Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL SATURDAY REPORT: Reopening plans have been announced by another West Seattle business that’s been totally shut down since new restrictions took effect in November. The historic Admiral Theater (2343 California SW) – West Seattle’s only movie theater – will reopen on Friday (February 5th). The movie lineup will be “News of the World,” “The Croods: A New Age,” “Marksman,” “Little Things,” and “Wonder Woman 1984.” Under Phase 2 of the “Healthy Washington: Roadmap to Recovery” plan, which takes effect Monday for seven counties including ours, movie theaters will be allowed to operate at 25 percent capacity or 200 people maximum, whichever is fewer. The Admiral is part of a small Bainbridge Island-headquartered chain, Far Away Entertainment, that also will be able to open three other theaters, in the U-District, Stanwood, and Ocean Shores. The Admiral was able to open for several weeks last fall before the newest restrictions were announced.

P.S. New here? The Admiral has almost 80 years of backstory, as noted in our coverage of its reopening celebration 4 years ago, after completion of the remodel that turned it back into a first-run moviehouse.

ADDED MONDAY: Admiral co-proprietor Jeff Brein says in a comment, “In an effort to be responsive to folks who are hesitant to visit our Theater because people may be taking off masks to eat … we are going to introduce “Mask Mandatory” shows each day – those starting between the noon and 1:00 hour. Masks will be required at all times and concessions will NOT be sold but we encourage you to purchase on your way home after the movie to help support the Theater. The “Mask Mandatory” policy will not be in effect for our afternoon and evening performances.”

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BIZNOTE: New location of Realfine Coffee hosts Jet City Beignet on first Saturday
January 30, 2021 10:35 am
|    Comments Off on BIZNOTE: New location of Realfine Coffee hosts Jet City Beignet on first Saturday
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Hot beignets are a hot item this morning at 35th/Kenyon, where Jet City Beignet (WSB sponsor) has a pop-up stand outside the new Realfine Coffee shop. The latter opened just four days ago – this was our first chance to get a peek inside:

The shop is open until 3 pm; Jet City Beignet is scheduled to be outside until about 1. If you miss them today, they’re scheduled to be at The Good Society (2701 California SW) 9 am-2 pm tomorrow; their upcoming pop-ups are listed on their calendar, here.

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WEST SEATTLE SATURDAY: Welcome to the weekend!
January 30, 2021 6:43 am
|      4 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Jim Borrow)

January’s final weekend begins …

COFFEE & BEIGNETS: First Saturday for the new Realfine Coffee expansion location features a pop-up appearance by Jet City Beignet (WSB sponsor), 8 am-1 pm. (35th SW & SW Kenyon)

SEATTLE CHINESE GARDEN: Open for you (masks required) to wander – details here. (6000 16th SW)

CURBSIDE LIBRARY SERVICE: Noon-6 pm at Southwest Library. (9010 35th SW)

VISUAL JOURNALING WORKSHOP: Presented by Seattle Public Library, 1:30 pm online. Register no later than an hour before it starts. Our calendar listing explains how.

ONLINE CONCERTS: Students from School of Rock-West Seattle are performing in two online concerts today – 4 pm (“Black Music Matters”) and 7 pm (“Rock ‘n’ Roll Resistance”). Watch them here.

Something missing for today/tonight? Let us know – email westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank yOU!

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Why Westwood Village Target had to be evacuated Friday night
January 30, 2021 2:07 am
|      30 COMMENTS
 |   West Seattle news | West Seattle police | Westwood

(Photo sent by Marlo)

After tips that Westwood Village Target had to be evacuated Friday night, we finally have information about what happened – it was a “person in crisis” situation, according to police, The SPD summary says it started just before 9 pm:

A person in crisis telephoned 911 from within the Westwood Village Target store and made threats to kill themselves. This person is known to Seattle PD for similar incidents. Southwest patrol officers responded to the location. Officers ascertained the location of the crisis subject, contained them, and evacuated the store. Patrol officers verbally contacted the subject and used de-escalation techniques to calm the subject. An on-duty Hostage Negotiator responded from the South Precinct and took over communications with the crisis subject. The HNT member was able to convince the person in crisis to surrender peacefully.

That happened around 9:45 pm, about 15 minutes before the store’s scheduled closing time.

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CORONAVIRUS: Friday 1/29/2021 roundup
January 29, 2021 10:38 pm
|      8 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

48 weeks have now passed since the Friday night announcement of the first King County case of COVID-19. Here are tonight’s updates:

SITUATION REPORT: The state’s periodic “situation report” is out, and has some encouraging news. Here are its headlines:

*Declining COVID-19 transmission provides an opportunity to get case and hospitalization rates under control before the faster-spreading B.1.1.7 variant takes hold in the state.

*Case counts dropped sharply after the first week of January.

*Case rates are still high across the state but are moving in the right direction.

*Many counties saw sharp declines in case counts after the first week in January, returning to early to mid-November levels.

*Total hospital admissions flattened at a high level starting in late November, with a slight decline beginning in mid-January.

The full report is here; the news release summarizing it is here.

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

*76,345 people have tested positive, 663 more than yesterday’s total

*1,249 people have died, 7 more than yesterday’s total

*4,771 people have been hospitalized, 7 more than yesterday’s total

*826,565 people have been tested, 3,755 more than yesterday’s total

And from the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard, our weekly check:

*181,108 people have received one dose

*37,984 people have received both doses

*232,350 doses have been allocated to King County

One week ago, the first four totals were 73,801/1,214/4,683/810,109, and the vaccination totals were 126,474/21,910/214,425.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 102 million cases, 2,206,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.

WEST SEATTLE VAX CLINIC – EVENTUALLY: In her weekly newsletter, West Seattle/South Park City Councilmember Lisa Herbold writes:

A couple weeks ago, I let you know that the Seattle Fire Department has begun COVID vaccinations starting with mobile teams that will vaccinate up to 1,000 residents and staff of adult family homes and some permanent supportive housing residences. I explained that the City has the infrastructure in place to quickly turn at least one of the existing COVID testing sites into a mass vaccination site – what we don’t have is access to the necessary vaccine supply. I’ve heard from many of you wanting to know what’s in store for West Seattle, given the closure of the West Seattle Bridge and ongoing restrictions on lower level bridge access and significant congestion on detour routes off of the peninsula.

This week, I received confirmation from the Mayor’s Office that the City is planning to stand up a West Seattle vaccination site as part of its overall testing strategy. I’ll meet with the Mayor’s Office next week to learn more about their plans. The timing is dependent upon when there is an adequate supply of vaccines; vaccines are in limited supply and the number and timing of doses that Seattle receives is determined by the state and federal government. I know there is a lot of interest in supporting West Seattle vaccination sites, and I will keep you updated about these plans as I learn more and continue to advocate for local vaccinations.

2 COUNTY CLINICS: King County is opening signups at 8 am Saturday for new vaccination clinics in Kent and Auburn but says they’re just for “residents of south King County who 1) are age 75 or older, OR 2) are age 50 or older and cannot live independently, or live with and care for kin, OR 3) are providing care (paid or unpaid) for someone age 50 or older who cannot live independently.”

VACCINATION CELEBRATION: Aegis Living-West Seattle says 95 percent of its residents and 75+ percent of staff are vaccinated. Most recently, the memory-care fac held a Cupid-themed clinic this past Tuesday. Aegis sent photos, including this one of resident Albertha Dorsey, quoting her as saying, “I feel blessed, and I feel protected. I look forward to the day when my children can feel as protected as I do.”

Awgis has two more clinics planned “to allow us to get closer to 100% for both populations.”

PCC OPPOSES HAZARD-PAY MANDATE: Vaccination should be the city’s focus rather than compensation, PCC‘s CEO said in a letter to the mayor, who says she’ll sign the $4/hour bill and that it’ll take effect next week.

COUNTY HEALTH OFFICER’S BRIEFING: Dr. Jeff Duchin provided his weekly video briefing – see it here.

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

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CRIME WATCH FOLLOWUP: Junction robbery-rampage suspect charged
January 29, 2021 8:16 pm
|      10 COMMENTS
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Three days after a robbery rampage on the east side of The Junction, 35-year-old Lloyd C. Hill, Jr., is charged with three felonies – two counts of robbery, one count of hate crime. All three crimes happened outside The Whittaker at Fauntleroy/Alaska last Tuesday night, starting just before 8 pm, according to the charging documents, which say that first he held up two people leaving the building, then four people sitting in their car eating, and then waved his gun at a man using the ATM inside the BECU lobby. When a woman waiting in a car for that man got out, she told police, Hill said to her, “Go back to your country – I’m going to kill your husband.” She stepped back; he eventually walked away. By that time the first victims had called 911, and police found Hill by the Bank of America a block to the west.

As noted in our coverage, he was found with a “realistic”-looking airsoft pistol; charging documents also say he had about $48 in cash, close to the sum of what the first two victims handed over at gunpoint. Hill had just gotten out of jail three weeks earlier, after one week behind bars for a case in which he was charged with stabbing a man who tried to interrupt Hill’s assault on a woman outside a Kirkland bar. In that case, he got out after posting bond on $50,000 bail; in the West Seattle case, his bail is now set at %250,000. His record shows two threat cases – one for threatening to kill his girlfriend during an argument, the other for threatening to kill a police officer who was directing traffic downtown – both in 2013.

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Days before city-mandated ‘hazard pay’ for grocery-store workers takes effect, PCC argues against it
January 29, 2021 7:00 pm
|      142 COMMENTS
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

The city says that the new law requiring $4/hour “hazard pay” for most grocery-store workers will take effect next Wednesday (February 3rd). It mandates the extra pay for workers whose employers have at least 500 workers worldwide. That includes PCC Community Markets, whose 15 stores include one in West Seattle. The chain’s new CEO Suzy Monford has sent a letter to the mayor and city council arguing against the mandate. The letter is published on the PCC website and was called to our attention by several West Seattle store employees, one of whom wrote, “As we read the letter today, many of the staff felt betrayed and belittled by our CEO’s words.” In the letter, Monford writes:

… *Our collective focus should be on vaccination. Grocery workers need expanded access to vaccines to keep them protected from COVID both at home and at work. PCC Community Markets has had only 36 of our 1710 staff contract COVID since last February. No infections were determined to be contracted at work and 33 of those infections were determined to result from infection at home or outside of work. Our staff should be protected throughout their day – including at home – so that we can keep them on the job and healthy. PCC is offering a $25 gift card to our staff members who get vaccinated to move our workforce in that direction. …

*Washington grocery stores are safe places to work. It is safer to work in a grocery store than work in goods production or government. According to a Washington State Department of Labor and Industries report issued in November 2020 (see attached), only 5% of all non-health care COVID workplace outbreaks occurred in grocery stores, and grocery stores accounted for less than 2.8% of all workplace outbreaks. …

*Independent grocers are proactively acting to protect our staff members from COVID. The low outbreak rates reported by the State of Washington are due to grocers’ effort and should be acknowledged. When COVID hit, independent grocers began to meet and share safety best practices through the Washington Food Industry Association. We proactively instituted controls, in many cases, before they were released by local health officials. We deployed mask mandates, instituted extensive new cleaning protocols, increased air filtration in our stores and rolled out barriers between customers and staff prior to the availability of guidance from health departments. …

*Independent grocers have a slim profit margin. Large scale grocers may see a decent profit margin, but most independent grocers have less than a 0.5% profit margin, according to the Washington Food Industry Association. The cost of COVID response, including the safety controls that we have committed to in order to keep our staff safe and the additional pay, have cut our margins to the bone. A growing contingent of our customers (about 4% of all transactions and growing) use third-party online delivery services to whom we have to pay a significant percentage of each purchase for use of the service. This ordinance disproportionately harms local, independent grocers like PCC Community Markets, which in 2019 had $1.7M in net income. That may sound like a lot, but to put that in context, PCC spent $3M – or nearly 2X 2019 net income — in COVID-related expenses in 2020, including staff member appreciation pay, bonuses and in-store safety protocols, since the start of the pandemic. …

You can read the entire letter here. In conclusion, Monford tells the mayor, “We hope, given local business concerns, you’ll consider not signing the bill, or alternatively, modify it to exclude the smaller, local grocers who will be deeply damaged by this ordinance.” A PCC worker who emailed us counters, “We have been coming to work every day in the face of real threats to our health, and we just want to be fairly compensated for that risk.”

Side note: To the point of focusing on vaccination, the city announced today that the SFD Mobile Vaccination Teams will vaccinate 400 high-risk grocery workers “in the coming days.” The announcement doesn’t say where and when – only that it’s in partnership with UFCW Local 21, which represents 46,000+ grocery workers.

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ROAD WORK: Delridge project plan for the week ahead
January 29, 2021 5:16 pm
|    Comments Off on ROAD WORK: Delridge project plan for the week ahead
 |   Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

As the repaving-and-more Delridge project preparing for the RapidRide H Line continues, SDOT has sent the weekly update on upcoming work. First, the key points:

*SW Thistle St, SW Myrtle St, and 20th Ave SW at Delridge Way SW remain closed for demolition and paving activities
*Electrical upgrades beginning soon along the west side of SW Webster St to Sylvan Way. Restoration and paving to follow.
*New traffic patterns in Zone B coming soon as we finish paving on the west side of the roadway
*Paving and roadway demolition happening on the west side of Delridge Way SW between SW Holden St and SW Kenyon St as we restore the roadway where duct bank installation took place
*Bus stop upgrades are happening in several places throughout Zone A

The full weekly preview is here.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: 2 reader reports
January 29, 2021 2:21 pm
|      1 COMMENT
 |   Crime | West Seattle news

Two reader reports today in West Seattle Crime Watch, about recurring problems:

CONDO BREAK-INS: From Larry:

City Lights on Harbor Condominiums, at 2349 Harbor Ave SW, has experienced multiple burglaries, which include 4 garage break-ins, and 3 instances of car prowls/break-ins. Property was ransacked and stolen. These happened over multiple days and evenings within the past two weeks. The case number is 2021-020761.

PARK CAR PROWLS: From Sue:

People have been getting their car windows smashed out for several months now at Westcrest in both the north and south parking lots. There was a suspect caught in the act (Wednesday) but was able to get away. The car the suspect was in is a Mercedes silver sedan, plate number BUZ6—. If you are parked at Westcrest and see this car, please call 911.

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Bumps? Bulbs? Time for your feedback on draft side-street ‘Home Zone’ plans, unveiled @ HPAC
January 29, 2021 12:01 pm
|      17 COMMENTS
 |   Delridge | Highland Park | Neighborhoods | Transportation | West Seattle news

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

Shut down the busiest street in the city, and suddenly numerous other streets have to deal with unprecedented traffic trouble.

10 months after the West Seattle Bridge closure, SDOT is still working on ways to handle that – including the Home Zone program, a major topic at Wednesday night’s meeting of HPAC, the neighborhood coalition for Highland Park, Riverview, and South Delridge. After community conversations and walking tours, draft plans have just debuted, and it’s time for your feedback, via a new survey.

Here’s a video recording of the meeting. First, what you need to know about what’s being proposed:

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