day : 17/03/2021 10 results

2021 roundup

| Comments Off on CORONAVIRUS: Wednesday 3/17/2021 roundup

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Tonight’s pandemic news:

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

*84,574 people have tested positive, 158 more than yesterday’s total

*1,444 people have died, 3 more than yesterday’s total

*5,188 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total

*938,453 people have been tested, 2,169 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, the four totals we track were 83,471/1,429/5,156/924,499.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find all the numbers, county by county, on the state Department of Health data page,.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.

VACCINATION SITUATION: The mayor’s office says the city is administering almost 2,000 doses of vaccine per day this week. From their news release:

With nearly 14,000 doses of both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, the City will vaccinate Washington State Department of Health-eligible residents across its three fixed vaccination sites at the Lumen Field Event Center, Rainier Beach, and West Seattle, as well as continue to vaccinate vulnerable older adults living in affordable housing through the Seattle Fire Department Mobile Vaccination Teams. …

This week, the Community Vaccination Site at the Lumen Field Event Center will administer first doses of the Pfizer vaccine Tuesday, March 16, and Saturday, March 20. The City and Swedish will administer approximately 1,200 doses on March 16, and 3,200 doses on March 20. In addition to these first dose clinics, the City and Swedish are partnering on a second dose clinic on March 17, for approximately 1,200 people. Going forward, the Lumen Field Event Center, operated by the department of Finance and Administrative Services and Swedish Health Services, will provide vaccine Wednesdays and Saturdays until supply increases.

The Community Testing and Vaccination Hubs in Rainier Beach and West Seattle, operated by SFD, will administer approximately 5,700 doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines this week. The SFD community hubs operate six days per week and have the ability to administer up to 1,500 vaccinations per day, per site. …

This week, the SFD MVTs will administer the Moderna vaccine to older adults living in affordable housing buildings throughout Seattle. The SFD MVTs are also partnering with several community-based organizations that primarily serve Latinx communities to post a pop-up vaccination clinic at the South Park Community Center.

You can check for West Seattle site appointments here; sign up for the city’s notification list for all three of its sites here.

Other places to check for vaccination appointments:

*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics

STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS’ BRIEFING: The weekly briefing by Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah and other top state health officials is scheduled for 9:30 am tomorrow. It’ll be livestreamed here.

GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!

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VIDEO: City Council committee’s West Seattle Bridge briefing

| West Seattle Bridge Safety Project | West Seattle news

Six days short of one year after the sudden closure of the West Seattle Bridge, the City Council’s Transportation and Utilities Committee got a briefing from SDOT today. You can see it in the meeting video above, starting one hour and two minutes in. It was fairly short – no new information if you’re caught up with what was announced one week ago (WSB coverage here): The repair design is at the 30 percent mark, and the city has officially launched the search for a contractor. SDOT director Sam Zimbabwe and bridge-project leader Heather Marx also recapped the projected price tag: $58 million for the bridge repairs, as part of a $175 million package including everything from the completed stabilization work, to high and low bridge repairs, to the ongoing traffic-mitigation projects scattered through neighborhoods in West Seattle, South Park, and Georgetown. On the subject of money, the committee’s agenda item right after the briefing was formal acceptance of a $14.4 million federal grant that’s being routed to the city by the Puget Sound Regional Council (part of the $124 million the city has already secured). The councilmembers didn’t have many questions for SDOT, but one did yield an answer of interest: SDOT reiterated that traffic would be phased in once the repair work is done at “midyear” next year – but how? Marx said it “makes sense” to go with larger vehicles like buses first, but they’re working on a plan to “generate as little confusion as possible.”

WHAT’S NEXT: Prospective contractors are invited to apply through April 12th; once one is on board and joining SDOT and consultant WSP in the design process, they expect a major design and scheduling milestone in July. Until then, they can only project that work will start “late this year.” SDOT continues guesting at many neighborhood meetings, so watch for our ongoing agenda announcements.

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BIZNOTE: Luna Park Café turning 32

March 17, 2021 7:11 pm

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| Luna Park | West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle restaurants

Happy 32nd anniversary to Luna Park Café! Tomorrow’s the big day, and to celebrate, the café will be offering Birthday Cake Shakes for $4. In his message about the milestone, proprietor John Bennett also sent us a photo from the past:

He explains, “This is a picture of it before we got started in September 1988. Was Pat and Ron’s Tavern.” Read more history on the café website (and note that this was NOT the site of the amusement park with the same name – that was on the water at Duwamish Head).

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‘Everything’s on the table’: Washington State Ferries launches planning process for Fauntleroy dock replacement

March 17, 2021 5:10 pm

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| Fauntleroy | Transportation | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo, Fauntleroy WSF terminal)

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“We have to do something – we can’t just sit on our thumbs and hope it’ll be OK.”

That’s how Washington State Ferries director of terminal engineering Dave Sowers explains the need to replace the Fauntleroy dock, a project its neighbors have been long anticipating/dreading.

He was one of several WSF managers who took part in a midday community meeting today to “launch the planning process” for what will likely be the largest West Seattle transportation project between the city’s bridge repair/reopening and Sound Transit‘s light rail. The meeting, which was one-third presentation and two-thirds Q&A, was the first of two online kickoff meetings, with the second planned for 6 pm tomorrow (Thursday, March 18th). Here’s the slide deck with toplines:

Though the terminal is part of West Seattle’s Fauntleroy neighborhood, it’s not seen as a solely West Seattle project, the WSF reps made it clear.

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CONGRATULATIONS! Judi Yazzolino retiring from key West Seattle Food Bank role

March 17, 2021 3:56 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle people

From kids holding door-to-door neighborhood food drives, to businesses with donation barrels, to attendees at benefit galas, so many people in the community support the West Seattle Food Bank. Someone who has for years helped organize that support – and much more – is saying goodbye. Here’s the WSFB announcement:

The West Seattle Food Bank staff and board of directors congratulate Judi Yazzolino on her retirement on April 1st. Her passion and commitment for our community has been a catalyst in building strong community support for the West Seattle Food Bank.

A longtime West Seattle resident, Judi joined the WSFB in 2013 to share her expertise gained in a career in media sales and marketing. In her role as the food bank’s Development Director, Judi excelled in creating awareness of the West Seattle Food Bank’s mission and vision.

“I have been so excited and grateful to be able to share my knowledge with the WSFB and give back to my community for the last 8 years. It has been a joy,” Judi shares.

She became a key communicator for the food bank’s programs and the people we serve. Judi developed lasting relationships with our many donors and the business community. As a result of Judi’s fundraising, marketing and branding, the food bank raised its profile in the community achieving significant growth.

Judi’s accomplishments are broad and expansive. Her achievements are the result of the wonderful relationships she’s built and the gratitude she shows in return.

· Instruments of Change, A Grand Affair, and Taste of West Seattle rely on engagement for the cause to secure sponsorships for hosting, business owners to donate, media to spread the word, as well as donors to attend.

· Presence in community events relies on strong relationships with association leaders’ who are key to creating community awareness.

· Food drives are the result of communicating the realness of food insecurity in our community and building relationships with individuals, grocers, civic groups and small and large businesses to fight in the cause. Success relies on communicating and providing hosts and volunteers with critical information and materials to help them in their outreach.

You’ll still see Judi around West Seattle, patronizing her favorite retail & restaurants or walking her dog through the parks or neighborhoods. Judi will remain as a board member with the West Seattle Junction Association until they kick her off!

Judi’s retirement is bittersweet for the West Seattle Food Bank. We are sad to see her go but happy that she will be able to travel, ski and spend more time with her loved ones. The best to you always! In gratitude.

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WEST SEATTLE SCENE: North Admiral St. Patrick’s Day tradition, renewed

March 17, 2021 2:23 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Holidays | Seen around town | West Seattle news

It’s not St. Patrick’s Day for us without a trip to 41st SW north of Admiral Way to check on whether the mysterious green stripe has been renewed for another year. And yes, it has.

We say “renewed” because last year, someone noted that it is visible year-round, and voiced skepticism that it had actually been repainted. So we went by yesterday too for a pre-St. Patrick’s Day frame of reference. Verdict: Definitely refreshed in the past ~20 hours!

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Car thefts thwarted

March 17, 2021 12:06 pm

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| Crime | West Seattle news

Two incidents in West Seattle Crime Watch:

THWARTED THEFT #1: This happened after 10 pm last night at the Arco station at Delridge/Orchard. According to the preliminary SPD summary report, a man tried to steal a vehicle, but the victim was able to recover it “before the (thief) could drive it completely away from the scene.” The preliminary report adds, “During the incident, a handgun was discharged,” but doesn’t say whose gun or how (we have a followup question out on that). Police arrested a 42-year-old man and note that he “was found to have an outstanding $100,000 warrant for second-degree assault” (the jail roster shows the warrant is from Kitsap County).

ADDED 3:40 PM: We’ve obtained the detailed narrative. Police say the victim, who had a valid concealed-pistol license, fired a shot “into the ground” while trying to remove the suspect out of his car – but the bullet might have hit the suspect, who later complained of foot pain and was taken to the hospital to be treated for a suspected gunshot wound to the foot.

THWARTED THEFT #2: This happened around 7:30 pm Monday. According to the police-report narrative, a driver told police that a man she knew had tried to carjack her in the alley of an apartment complex in the 2500 block of SW Trenton. Though the would-be carjacker had a gun, according to the victim, she managed to hide the keys, and get out of the car; when someone shouted that police were coming, the suspect and a female companion ran to a vehicle described in the report as a “gold 4-door Volkswagen” and fled. No arrest reported.

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YOU CAN HELP: Delridge Grocery Co-op offering ‘Spring Thing’

March 17, 2021 10:39 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Delridge | How to help | West Seattle news

Here’s a seasonal way you can help with the Delridge Grocery Cooperative‘s ongoing work to ramp up into their store space: In addition to ongoing weekly produce boxes, they’re selling the “Spring Thing,” a basket full of “Pacific Northwest foodie delights” and a $5 discount coupon from West Seattle Nursery,” all in a cute reusable metal tub. It’s $48 and on sale online through March 31 for pickup/delivery April 3rd. See the full list of what’s in the Spring Thing, and how to order yours, by going here. Says DGC Produce Box Team member Agen Schmitz, “Our DGC team has a lot of fun putting together these baskets and bags and tubs, and we love introducing our customers to new PNW-based products and connecting them with other West Seattle businesses. But these basket bundles are also key to helping us pay our ongoing expenses while we work behind the scenes to move forward with opening the Co-op as a full store.”

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Bridge briefing, ferry-dock talk, more for your West Seattle Wednesday

March 17, 2021 9:24 am

| 1 COMMENT

| WS miscellaneous

(Olympic Mountains at sunrise Tuesday, photographed by Michael Burke)

In the hours ahead;

TONY’S MARKET OPENS: As noted here last night, the seasonal produce stand at 35th/Barton is now open, 9 am-7 pm.

BRIDGE BRIEFING: The City Council’s Transportation and Utilities Committee meets at 9:30 am, with a West Seattle Bridge briefing on the agenda, as previewed here. Watch via Seattle Channel.

FERRY-DOCK MEETING: Washington State Ferries‘ first of two meetings about the Fauntleroy terminal overhaul starts at 11 am, as previewed here (pre-registration required for viewing/participating).

GATEWOOD AUCTION CONTINUES: Until Friday night’s livestreamed event, you can bid around the clock in the Gatewood Elementary PTA’s fundraising auction; here’s how.

(Crescent moon Tuesday, photographed by Danny McMillin)