day : 21/04/2021 11 results

Tonight’s local/state pandemic toplines:

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

*94,614 people have tested positive, 364 more than yesterday’s total

*1,499 people have died, 1 more than yesterday’s total

*5,601 people have been hospitalized, 11 more than yesterday’s total

*1,017,776 people have been tested, 921 more than yesterday’s total

One week ago, the four totals we track were 92,158/1,489/5,490/1,001,280.

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.

STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS’ BRIEFING: The weekly briefing by Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah and other officials happened this morning. Watch the briefing here. Highlights included Dr. Shah announcing a new goal of 90,000 vaccinations in the state every day. Right now, the average is 58,000, according to the new vaccination-situation report. He also warned that while “the state is close to turning the corner,” we also “are seeing the beginning of a fourth wave.”

VACCINATION WALK-INS: The city confirmed today what we reported Tuesday thanks to a reader tip – if you’re 60+ you can just walk into the city-run West Seattle hub and get vaccinated; if someone else brings you, as a “Good Neighbor” that person can get a shot too.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A VACCINATION APPOINTMENT … here are links to try:

*For city sites, the official advice is to sign up for the city’s notification list 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 – reader recommendation: Try this lookup for potential appointments within a few hours’ drive.

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

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: 4 scenes as 1st round of ‘early summer’ ends

April 21, 2021 10:08 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(From Nancy via Twitter)

You knew it couldn’t last forever. But it ended with a splash … of color – a beautiful sunset to wrap up our long stretch of early summer. We’re not using the word glibly – the National Weather Service says the average high temperature this past week was 75.7 degrees, exactly the normal average high for July 11th-17th.

(From Bob Burns)

Earlier in the day, another hint of changing weather – fog:

(from Mike Burns)

(From Lura Ercolano)

Tomorrow’s forecast, mostly cloudy, maybe making it into the 60s, and by Friday night, the rain is expected to return.

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SATURDAY: Drug Take-Back Day outside Southwest Precinct

April 21, 2021 8:17 pm

| 3 COMMENTS

| Health | Safety | West Seattle news

Got expired and/or no-longer-needed medications – prescription or not? The Southwest Precinct (2300 SW Webster) is one of two collection points in the city for National Drug Take-Back Day this Saturday (April 24th), 10 am-2 pm. The announcement:

Too often, unused prescription drugs find their way into the wrong hands. That’s dangerous and often tragic. That’s why it was great to see thousands of folks from across the country clean out their medicine cabinets and turn in – safely and anonymously – a record amount of prescription drugs.

Please bring your unwanted and/or expired medications (no questions asked) … on Saturday, April 24th.

We will also have a variety of crime prevention and informational materials available for pickup.

The precinct confirms they can take liquids as well as pills, and also vape devices (but not the part with a battery). Just go to the front parking lot – dropoff is outdoors and distanced.

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Alki, Westwood Village, repeat mail-theft suspect, police staffing, more @ West Seattle Crime Prevention Council

April 21, 2021 5:38 pm

| 24 COMMENTS

| Southwest Precinct Crime Prevention Council | West Seattle news | West Seattle police

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

After last month’s cancellation, this month’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting had plenty to talk about. It happened online last night, moderated by Southwest Precinct crime-prevention coordinator Jennifer Danner and featuring precinct commander Capt. Kevin Grossman.

CRIME TRENDS: Data shows crime up 8 percent in West Seattle over last year, Capt. Grossman said, showing the SeaStat dashboard for Southwest Precinct stats.

Part of that: Violent crime is up 21 percent – mostly because of domestic violence, he said. Property crime is up 7 percent; the most-common types are burglaries, auto thefts, and arsons at encampments. (Those too have included domestic violence – here’s one example.) He’s working with the Arson/Bomb Squad to see if there’s anything more proactive they can do. The Junction is the current hotspot for property crimes, especially parking-garage storage area break-ins – if one burglar breaks into multiple storage units in a single garage, each one counts as a separate burglary.

STAFFING: Capt. Grossman repeated what he and precinct lieutenants have said at other meetings – that a third of the officers have been lost since he came to the SW Precinct last July. Read More

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YOU CAN HELP: Food drive @ C & P Coffee this weekend

April 21, 2021 4:01 pm

| 2 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | How to help | West Seattle news

If you can give, your next chance to help fight hunger is this weekend. C & P Coffee Company (#SB sponsor) is hosting a pop-up food drive for Washmasks, described as “a Mutual Aid organization supporting migrant & indigenous farmworkers through PPE Aid, Food Aid, & Financial Aid.” Here are the food items that would be most helpful:

Donations collected by WashMasks this month will help “Mabton’s community distribute 250 Week-of-Eats Food-Boxes during their socially distanced Food & Art Community Day.” Mabton is in the Yakima Valley. C & P is at 5612 California SW and will accept donations noon-4 pm both Saturday and Sunday (April 24-25).

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BIZNOTE: Weary Stone Farm in North Delridge offering garden classes, coaching, and soon retail

April 21, 2021 1:53 pm

| 6 COMMENTS

| Delridge | Gardening | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

(Photos courtesy Weary Stone Farm)

After years of community involvement with other local-food endeavors, a Delridge family has launched Weary Stone Farm. Here’s their announcement:

Interest in vegetable gardening and urban farming skyrocketed during the pandemic, but as we transition to a more normal state, many West Seattleites are finding less inspiration, motivation, and time to tend to this spring’s garden. Weary Stone Farm provides solutions to these problems. Whether it is our offering of one-on-one consultations in your space, classes at the Weary Stone Farm retail space, inspiration in the form of DIY solutions, or our crew of gardeners to tend your garden, we are there to help.

Weary Stone Farm exclusively services the West Seattle area and exclusively hires West Seattle residents for their crews. The business has been a long-time dream of Delridge residents Brent Curtis and Katie Kadwell and their daughters Willow and Grace.

Covid and at-home schooling forced Katie to take several months away from her day job to focus on home life. A Gardener Lead on the beautiful UW Seattle Campus and a Master Gardener and Native Plant Steward, Katie began transforming their home into an urban farm with multiple beds, trellises, an herb spiral and more. Alongside her day job, Katie has long volunteered as a garden teacher focusing on West Seattle in gardens at West Seattle Elementary, Pathfinder K-8, and as Program Manager for the Little Red Hen Project at the Delridge Community Center. She also taught classes at West Seattle Nursery and volunteered with Marra Farm in South Park, Cesar Chavez Garden in Beacon Hill, and Seattle Tilth in Wallingford.

Growing their own food was further inspired by Brent’s involvement as Board President of the Delridge Grocery Co-op, a position he held during the final build-out of the store through last November. The co-op, located across the street from Weary Stone Farm, had just finished building out their retail space when COVID struck and the long-awaited plans for a Grand Opening were delayed. While Brent and their daughters help deliver DGC Essential Boxes around West Seattle on Saturdays, and a store opening is slated for the end of this summer, the excitement over fresh produce in the neighborhood simply shifted as the family began to grow their own veggies. Brent brings a background in events to the business as former Executive Director of a non-profit art center in the Central District and Events Manager at the UW.

Capitalizing on his events background, this summer Weary Stone Farm will be opening a gallery and performance space – The Grange at Weary Stone Farm.

The next three classes Weary Stone Farm is offering at their space (5435 Delridge Way SW) are this Saturday (April 24th), starting lettuces, greens, and annual herbs; May 1st, starting a pollinator garden; and May 8th, “Introduction to Natives for Your Edible Oasis.” They’re also offering a discount on half-hour in-person garden consultations in their service area if you fill out this survey.

P.S. If you’re wondering, “Where does the name Weary Stone Farm come from?” here’s the backstory:

When Machu Picchu’s (Peru) builders couldn’t move a heavy stone all the way to the site, they abandoned it in the field and called it a saycuscai (weary stone). Brent and Katie named their urban farm Weary Stone Farm because, though they abandoned many stones along the way, it didn’t stop them from realizing the dream of growing their own food. For their own health, for the environment, and for their community. They hope to support others in moving past their own weary stones and build their dreams.

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VACCINATIONS: City confirms West Seattle hub welcomes 60+ without appointments – and ‘Good Neighbors’ too

April 21, 2021 12:23 pm

| 9 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news

On Tuesday, we published a reader tip that the city-run West Seattle vaccination site (2801 SW Thistle) was offering shots to people 60+ without appointments. Today, the city confirms that vaccinations are indeed available without appointments for that age group at both the West Seattle and Rainier Beach hubs. And as also explained in the announcement, anyone 16_ who brings a senior to get a shot can get one too, as part of the new “Good Neighbor” program (one additional person per senior vaccination recipient). The West Seattle site is open 9 am-4 pm, Mondays-Saturdays.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen vehicle, tools, wheels

April 21, 2021 11:07 am

| 12 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Two West Seattle Crime Watch reader reports:

STOLEN VEHICLE: Mike‘s white Chevrolet Trailblazer was stolen near California/Rosbury in northwest Arbor Heights early Tuesday. He says it was “loaded with all my carpenter tools.” His other vehicle was prowled, too. We don’t have the license # yet but if you see an abandoned white Trailblazer, it might be Mike’s. SPD incident # is 2021-96035. (Added: It’s a 2004 Trailblazer, plate BVK3796.)

STOLEN WHEELS: Noelle reports this happened Monday night or Tuesday morning in her apartment lot in the 7500 block of 35th SW:

I left my apartment to go to the bank … and discovered my wheels and tires were gone off the rear of my 2002 Honda civic. To put it mildly, I am in shock as it was up on concrete blocks. This is totally devastating for me as I don’t have the money to replace them at this time. Been laid off since the start of pandemic.

She has filed an online police report and sent this to alert neighbors.

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WHALES: Transient orcas headed our way

April 21, 2021 10:33 am

| Comments Off on WHALES: Transient orcas headed our way

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news | Whales

If you want to take advantage of the end of our sunny stretch by doing some whale-watching, here’s an early alert that you might be able to see orcas today. That’s according to Kersti Muul of Salish Wildlife Watch, who says transient killer whales are southbound off Fay Bainbridge Park (map), headed this way. Let us know if you see them!

11 AM: Kersti says they’ve changed direction.

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TONIGHT: Morgan Community Association’s quarterly meeting

April 21, 2021 9:54 am

| Comments Off on TONIGHT: Morgan Community Association’s quarterly meeting

| Neighborhoods | West Seattle news

Businesses, development, parks, art, transportation, crime – those and other topics are on the agenda for tonight’s quarterly meeting of the Morgan Community Association. It’s online at 7 pm and all who are interested in Morgan Junction happenings are welcome. The agenda, and viewing/call-in information, can be found in our calendar listing.

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ROAD WORK, TRAFFIC, WEATHER: Wednesday watch

April 21, 2021 6:12 am

| 3 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

ADDED 6:20 AM: 16th SW is blocked between Roxbury and 98th in White Center because of a fire response (here’s coverage on our partner site White Center Now).

Earlier:

6:12 AM: Good morning! Last sunny 70-ish day forecast for a while.

ROAD WORK

35th/Graham – Major intersection work including the long-planned signal starts in the next day or two; here’s the construction alert.

Delridge project – Avoid Delridge/Orchard if you can; that’s a major work spot for the next month or so.

TRANSIT

Metro has increased the number of passengers allowed on buses.

Starting today, the West Seattle Water Taxi is on its spring/summer schedule – all day, 7 days a week, plus Friday and Saturday evenings.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

394th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here’s how it’s looking on other bridges and routes:

Low Bridge: 15th week for automated enforcement cameras; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends, when the bridge is now open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Read about other changes here.)

Here’s a low-bridge view: