day : 25/01/2021 9 results

Vaccination acceleration tops tonight’s pandemic roundup:

HALF A MILLION DOSES DELIVERED: Gov. Inslee says more people are getting vaccinated more quickly, and as of today, half a million doses had been given and reported. The 7-day rolling total is 23,000+ – just over halfway to the 45,000-a-day goal – but today they got close, with 40,000 reported in a 24-hour period. Read more about the progress here.

CITY READY TO VACCINATE MORE: Vaccination was one of the topics during this morning’s City Council briefing meeting. West Seattle/South Park Councilmember Lisa Herbold said she’s been told the city can “turn on a dime” in converting one of its current COVID testing sites to a mass vaccination site, when the city gets enough vaccine to do it.

BUT – WHERE TO GET YOUR SHOT? Still no general-availability (for those currently eligible) locations in West Seattle. None on this website’s list, either. We’re continuing to keep watch.

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the key points of the daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health:

74.727 people have tested positive, 165 more than yesterday’s total

1,227 people have died, 12 more than yesterday’s total

4,726 people have been hospitalized, 1 more than yesterday’s total

815,985 people have been tested, 2,874 more than yesterday’s total

No one-week-ago numbers, as King County did not publish an update last Monday.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 99.7 million cases, 2,139,000+ deaths. See the other stats – nation by nation – here.

HAZARD PAY FOR GROCERY WORKERS: Most will get $4/hour extra as the pandemic continues, as a result of City Council action today.

NEED FOOD? This week’s nearest Food Lifeline distribution is 2-5 pm Friday (January 29th) at 815 S. 96th.

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

Share This

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Arrests in store robbery and home break-in; businesses targeted

January 25, 2021 8:15 pm

| 16 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

Three West Seattle Crime Watch reports:

HOME DEPOT ROBBERY ARREST: Police report that they got a call just after 4:30 pm about a robbery at the Delridge Home Depot. Police arrested a suspect about a block away and recovered the unspecified stolen items. They also found “narcotics on the suspect’s person.” He was booked into jail for investigation of robbery and VUCSA (Violation of the Uniform Controlled Substances Act).

BURGLARY ARRESTS: Also this afternoon, we got a couple questions about a big police response on Ferry SW in North Admiral. It was clear when we finally got to the area but we now have the SPD summary. This happened just after 2 pm:

Officers responded to a burglary-in-progress call in the 2100 block of Ferry Ave SW. The caller reported his cameras on site were being activated by a male suspect crawling into a busted-out window of the residence. Upon arrival, officers located a female outside who later told officers she was the lookout. Officers also located the male as he was exiting the front door of the residence and attempted to flee. The female asked officers if they would retrieve her jacket from a vehicle that was parked in front of the residence. Upon further investigation, officers determined the vehicle was stolen. Both suspects were booked into KCJ for Investigation of Burglary and Possession of Stolen Property. The vehicle was recovered and returned to the registered owner. The male suspect was also booked on a Felony Warrant for Possession of Stolen Vehicle and Attempting to Elude a pursuing Police Vehicle.

ADMIRAL BUSINESS BREAK-INS: Thanks to Bill for sending a photo of a flyer taped to some Admiral business windows, saying there had been multiple break-ins/attempts. We subsequently confirmed that over the weekend, multiple Admiral businesses were hit – Mission Cantina (WSB sponsor) says someone tried to break in through their door, a door at Yen Wor Village was broken, and a burglar got into Pizzeria 22. There’s no clear image but Mission says this person spent 9 minutes in their entryway. If you have any informqtion, refer to police report #21-019592.

Share This

WEST SEATTLE SCENE: Milestone sunset

January 25, 2021 6:36 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

While the sun was setting with a golden flourish in the southwest, we caught that cloud putting on a show in the northwest. And for all those who, like us, have been observing the passage of time more closely than ever during this pandemic year, we wanted to note a milestone: Tonight was the first 5 pm sunset of the winter. (That’s 42 minutes later than the earliest sunset of winter, 4:17 pm December 7th through 13th.)

P.S. “Slight chance of rain and snow after midnight,” says the forecast.

Share This

FOLLOWUP: City Council approves hazard pay for most grocery-store workers

January 25, 2021 4:36 pm

| 41 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

If a grocery-store worker has a job in Seattle with a company that employs at least 500 people worldwide, they could be in line for a temporary $4/hour raise. This afternoon, the City Council approved the $4/hour hazard-pay proposal – mentioned briefly here last week. Here’s the slide deck with key points:

You can read the full bill here. The bill was sponsored by West Seattle-residing at-large Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and co-sponsored by six others including District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold. In a news release announcing the vote, Mosqueda is quoted as explaining, ““Hazard pay for grocery workers is the least we can do to recognize the dangers they face when going to work, including unmasked customers, customers who are coughing and not respecting social distancing rules, and cleaning of commonly used surfaces. Many grocery stores were paying their workers hazard pay early on in the pandemic, but that recognition quickly went away last summer, despite grocery store workers still facing serious risk of contracting COVID-19 at their workplace.”

Share This

DEVELOPMENT: New mixed-use building proposed in West Seattle Junction (updated, corrected)

January 25, 2021 2:35 pm

| 34 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

ORIGINAL 2:35 PM: Just discovered in city files: Another redevelopment proposal for The Junction. This one would be a 7-story mixed-use building with almost 100 apartments, proposed to replace 4448-4456 California SW – the California/Oregon buildings that formerly held a real-estate office ~~and currently hold The Salon at The Junction and Shadowland, plus a small office building (which includes the West Seattle Junction Association headquarters).~~

(King County Assessor’s Office photos)

(7 stories is what the site is zoned for – 75 feet.) This is a very early-stage proposal, meaning actual construction would be years away; this roughed-out site plan was filed Friday by the architecture firm Atelier Drome County Assessor’s Office records show the north part of the site is owned by an LLC headed up by Craig Haveson of STS Construction Services (WSB sponsor), who has been busy in South Delridge redevelopment lately. ~~and the south part is owned by an LLC including Shadowland founders.~~ We have followup questions out to a project spokesperson and will add whatever else we find out.

7:02 PM: Michelle Linden from Atelier Drome has answered some of our questions and provided a key correction: “There is a typo that we are working to correct with the City. The addresses are 4448 and 4452. The Shadowland building is not part of this project.” So Shadowland fans can stand down. She adds, in response to two other questions we asked: “We are planning for regular apartments (not micros) with commercial at the ground floor. Parking is tbd.”

Share This

SCHOOLS: Online-tour time to help families plan for next year

January 25, 2021 12:43 pm

| Comments Off on SCHOOLS: Online-tour time to help families plan for next year

| West Seattle news | West Seattle online | West Seattle schools

It’s school-application season, and even though Seattle Public Schools aren’t yet having in-person classes, some are offering online tours to prospective families. First announcement we’ve received is from Arbor Heights Elementary. Elise Olson sent the invitation to tours they’re hosting on February 1st (next Monday) and February 10th. The RSVP links and other details are here. If your school in West Seattle is having a tour or info event, please let us know so we can add it to the calendar too!

Share This

ELECTION 2021: Colleen Echohawk running for Seattle mayor

January 25, 2021 11:41 am

| 21 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

The first high-profile candidate for Seattle Mayor has announced her campaign. Colleen Echohawk leads the nonprofit Chief Seattle Club, which provides services to urban Natives experiencing homelessness. Her announcement says she is “running on a people-first platform to achieve an equitable renewal from the COVID-19 pandemic” and quotes her as saying that “we have a once-in-a-generation chance to rethink how [the city] works, and who it works for.” The announcement describes Echohawk’s priorities as including “an investment in community-based organizations and businesses” as well as “the establishment of a Public Safety Department, with community-based mental health workers and neighborhood liaisons.” Echohawk is a North Seattle resident. In addition to her nonprofit work, she has been involved in a wide variety of advisory groups on major regional issues – our archives note that she was on the Stakeholder Advisory Group for Sound Transit‘s West Seattle to Ballard light-rail plan. Three other candidates have registered campaigns for mayor; this is the first announcement we’ve received. (Campaign website photo)

Share This

ROAD WORK ALERT: Another sewer-repair project ahead for a major West Seattle street

January 25, 2021 9:46 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

Heads-up from Seattle Public Utilities – another sewer-repair project will affect traffic and pedestrians along a West Seattle arterial. This is described as emergency work:

A contractor for Seattle Public Utilities will begin emergency work to repair a damaged sewer main line in Fauntleroy Way SW between SW Alaska St and SW Edmunds St.

Work is scheduled to begin Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Anticipated hours are Monday – Friday, 7 am to 6 pm. Work is anticipated to take 10 – 14 days. See yellow outline on map for approximate work areas. All work will be completed in the right of way.

During the work you can expect:
• Equipment and work will take place in the center lanes Fauntleroy Way SW and in the southern sidewalk of SW Alaska St near the Fauntleroy Way SW intersection.
• Two-way traffic will be maintained on both sides of the work area in Fauntleroy Way SW and the bike lane will remain open.
• The southern sidewalk of SW Alaska St near the Fauntleroy Way SW intersection to be closed.
• Equipment and materials staged in the right of way.
• Sidewalks and traffic lanes will be re-opened outside of working hours.
• Typical construction noise, dust, and vibrations during working hours.
• Metro service will continue as usual, with stops open. Traffic Flaggers may assist in accessing the bus stops if necessary.

See the official flyer here.

Share This

ROAD WORK, TRANSIT, TRAFFIC: Last Monday in January

January 25, 2021 6:07 am

| Comments Off on ROAD WORK, TRANSIT, TRAFFIC: Last Monday in January

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:07 AM: It’s Monday, January 25th, the 308th morning without the West Seattle Bridge.

TRANSIT

Metro – On regular weekday schedule – if you’re not subscribed to alerts, watch @kcmetrobus on Twitter for them

Water Taxi – On its regular schedule but the next two weeks will be handled by the lower-capacity Spirit of Kingston

ROAD (ETC.) WORK

Delridge project – The SW Thistle closure continues between Delridge and 20th. Here’s what else is planned this week.

California and Myrtle – The sewer-repair project continues – if driving/riding on California, watch out for the bumps on the northbound side (though the grade has been improved).

CHECK TRAFFIC BEFORE YOU GO

Low Bridge: Third week for automated enforcement cameras, while restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily. Here’s a bridge view: