West Seattle, Washington
22 Thursday
Tonight’s pandemic news:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the King County Daily Summary Dashboard page, the cumulative totals:
*93,854 people have tested positive, 344 more than yesterday’s total
*1,493 people have died, unchanged since Friday
*5,573 people have been hospitalized, 4 more than yesterday’s total
*1,008,756 people have been tested, 537 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 91,438/1,483/5,446/991,687.
WEST SEATTLE TRENDS: Time for our weekly check. These numbers are shown in two-week increments via the “geography over time” tab on the daily-summary dashboard; to determine WS status, we combine the totals from the West Seattle and Delridge “health reporting areas” (HRAs): For the past two weeks, 165 positive test results; 103 in the 2 weeks before that; also 103 in the two weeks before that. … We also are noting WS death totals each week. The total deaths for the entire pandemic in the two HRAs comprising West Seattle: 65, unchanged again in this past week.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 141.4 million cases and 3,019,000+ deaths, 567,000+ of them in the U.S. – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
LOOKING FOR VACCINE? Here are links to try:
*If you’re looking for a city-site appointment, note that the official advice is to sign up for the city’s notification list for all four of its sites here.
*Health-care providers (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine (one reader specifically recommends Valley Medical Center), Franciscan, Swedish, Kaiser Permanente, Neighborcare, etc.)
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator) – you can also follow its tweets for instant notifications
*The state’s Vaccine Locator (as mentioned above)
*The CDC’s Vaccine Finder
*Pharmacies big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*Sea Mar clinics
And if travel time is not a barrier – Beth recommends this lookup for potential appointments within a few hours’ drive.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Even if you don’t have a student in the house, we want to remind you that Seattle Public Schools‘ middle- and high-school campuses reopen for part-time in-person learning starting tomorrow. Here on the peninsula, that means increased activity at Chief Sealth International High School, Denny International Middle School, Madison Middle School, and West Seattle High School, as well as Louisa Boren STEM K-8 and Pathfinder K-8. For students and their families the district has these reminders:
Daily Health Screening
If the student will be attending in-person school, they will need to complete the daily health screening prior to 7 a.m. for the morning session or 10 a.m. for the afternoon session. (More information about schedules can be found here.) The health screening will be delivered by email (also can be received by text). The daily health screening will be sent by 5 a.m. every school day. 6-12 grade students can fill out the health screening themselves once a parent or guardian gives permission. Learn more about the daily health screening. If the daily health screening isn’t complete before the student arrives at school, it can be done on site.Keeping School Communities Healthy
To keep SPS school communities healthy and safe, students and families are reminded:
• If the student is experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, including fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea – they should not come to school.• If a student has traveled during spring break, we recommend families follow public health guidance and quarantine. Contact the school’s attendance office to communicate the student’s absence.
Masks
Students are encouraged to bring their own mask to school. The mask should fit above the nose, chin, and snugly against the face. Students can watch a short video about how to wear a mask.Student Devices
6-12 grade students returning to buildings should bring their SPS-issued laptops, or a personal device, for their in-person learning session. Instructions for helping students connect with their personal devices in the classroom have been provided to educators. Elementary students may be asked to bring their devices into their classrooms to support learning. Students should bring devices fully charged and in a backpack or other protected cover or case.Meals
District meal distribution site hours have changed to support in-person learning. The 40 meal sites will now be open from 10:45 a.m. -1:15 p.m. Bus routes will deliver meals on Wednesdays only. All students can access hot, prepared meals at meal sites. Grab and go breakfast and lunch will also be available for students learning in-person at each school site.Public Transportation: 6th-12th grade students
If a student plans to use public transportation, they are urged to have their Orca card. If a student doesn’t have an Orca card, it can be requested at school when the student arrives to school. Students can use the Metro Trip Planner or contact Metro customer service for help at 206-553-3000. All students should allow extra time to reach school and when leaving school. More tips and links for students and families are on the Metro Matters Blog.
As announced when a tentative agreement was reached April 1st, middle- and high-school students who chose to return to in-person learning will attend their schools two afternoons a week, with remote learning continuing the rest of the week. For middle-schoolers at K-8s, it’s up to the school whether their in-person classes are in the mornings or afternoons.
9:55 PM: Hybrid learning may not have had an overwhelming reception, at least at CSIHS, whose principal told families in email tonight that they have until Friday to change their choice, and “if the in-person numbers do not increase, we will collapse the two in-person cohorts into one cohort.”
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
One of West Seattle’s best-known residents is leaving.
It’s not because of the bridge closure.
It’s not because of the pandemic.
It’s … the grass.
Jeb the miniature horse has lived at an Admiral home, adjacent to a public street-end greenbelt, for more than 15 years. This Tuesday, a horse-transport firm will pick him up and take him to his new home in Taos, New Mexico.
Jeb’s human companion Mimi Miles contacted WSB because she wanted all his fans to know about his imminent departure. Word’s gotten out around the neighborhood. And there are signs up on the fence by his yard along that greenbelt:
From Deniece:
I would like to report an incident that occurred today about 2:30 pm. My daughter was crossing the street, heading north on Lanham PL SW & Sylvan Way, when a Caucasian woman in a light blue 4-door car, heading west, hit her with her car. She didn’t hit her hard, but it was enough to knock her down. Apparently, this woman stopped in the middle of the intersection because traffic was backed up. The light changed red and she proceeded through the intersection. My daughter said something to her as she began crossing the street and the woman kept going and hit her. Did anyone see this? If so, I would appreciate any help trying to find this woman. The medics checked my daughter out and she is ok. I will be taking her into the doctor tomorrow morning. Police incident #21-94295.
The fire rings at Alki will be back by Memorial Day weekend, Seattle Parks announced via Twitter today. The rings’ absence hasn’t stopped people from having beach fires; SFD is dispatched often to “illegal burn” reports there. The rings were removed last July, months after Parks locked them, resulting in people building fires on or by them instead.
For the seventh time this year, mail-theft suspect Jason A. Turner is in jail. The register shows he was booked just before 9 am today; Southwest Precinct police sent this report:
Southwest officers were dispatched to the area of 24th Av. SW / Delridge Wy SW for a male suspect checking and stealing mail from mailboxes. Officers recognized the suspect’s description and MO as a habitual mail theft suspect who preys on community members in this area. Officers arrived in the area and located the suspect standing near a recycling bin in the 6500 block of Delridge Way. Southwest Officers identified and confirmed that it was the suspect whom officers were very familiar with and know that the suspect has an extensive history of mail thefts. Southwest officers have arrested this suspect five (5) times this year alone. Officers observed that the suspect was in possession of a large bundle of US mail when contacted. The suspect was taken into custody without incident. Search incident to arrest, more US mail was recovered from his person.
When previously arrested last month, Turner spent two days in jail; he was released because the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office had yet to file charges, awaiting more information from SPD. The KCPAO did charge him in February with four counts of possession of stolen mail, the first felony charges he has faced. He was in jail 16 days after that arrest, getting out on bond March 4th. He was arrested three times in March after that, twice in Seattle, once in South King County. Next step in this case should be a bail hearing tomorrow, and we will of course follow up.
Also discussed at this month’s Alki Community Council meeting – an early-design survey has been launched by the developers of a Duwamish Head site on which we’ve reported multiple times in the past year. A 65-unit project is proposed for 1001-1116 Alki Avenue SW, currently the site of six old houses. As part of the “early community outreach” process, the developers have set up this project website, which notes:
N&M Management LLC and MZA Architecture are partnering on the redevelopment of 1001 – 1116 Alki Ave SW. The proposed 6-story residential building will include:
65 residential units
102 parking stalls
bike parking
a rooftop patio
(That’s the minimum number of offstreet-parking spaces mandated for area development by the Alki Parking Overlay district – one and a half per unit.) The website includes a community survey that’s open for two more weeks. The ACC discussion was brief; the developers weren’t at the meeting, so it was more of an FYI. But a few attendees expressed concern that the project’s size was out of scale for the area. The project’s official address is 1116 Alki.
Just in from Kersti Muul of Salish Wildlife Watch – orcas are in the area, southbound in the Fauntleroy ferry lanes. Let us know if you see them!
(Lincoln Park evening, photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)
Another sunny, warm day! Here’s what’s happening:
TODAY’S ONLINE CHURCH SERVICES: As we do every week, we’ve updated our list of more than 20 local churches’ online Sunday services (a few offer in-person options too), with the newest links – see it 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)
BEACH VOLLEYBALL: The University of Washington continues playing at Alki today, with games starting at 10 am.
DONATION DRIVE: 11 am-3 pm, Alki UCC is collecting food, supplies, socks, and men’s casual clothing at 6115 SW Hinds – more info in our calendar listing.
WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)’
QUALITY CLEANERS PICKUP, DAY 2: Noon-4 pm, it’s the second of three days for customers who still have items at the closed cleaners (2601 California SW) to go in and retrieve them – unclaimed items will be donated. Mask required; one person in the shop at a time.
WEST SEATTLE SKYLINK: Learn more about the gondola concept in an online presentation at 5 pm – full details are 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)
TONIGHT’S SUNSET: 8:03 pm!
FLOWER & BAKE SALE: Midnight tonight is the deadline for online ordering in the sale the Alki Elementary PTA is having in conjunction with the upcoming student musical – details here.
Got something for our calendar? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
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