day : 21/05/2021 10 results

Tonight’s pandemic headlines:

KING COUNTY NUMBERS: We start with the daily stats from the Public Health daily-summary page, cumulative totals:

*108,103 people have tested positive, 232 more than yesterday’s total

*1,572 people have died, 7 more than yesterday’s total

*6,081 people have been hospitalized, 9 more than yesterday’s total

*1,083,674 people have been tested, 7,986 more than yesterday’s total

Now our weekly check of key numbers on the COVID Vaccination Among King County Residents dashboard:

*1,383,084 people have received one dose (70.8% of everyone 12+ – this week they changed the stat to the wider age range, previously 16+)

*1,102,810 people have received both doses (56.5% of everyone 12+)

*2,125,115 doses have been allocated to King County (not counting pharmacy programs)

One week ago, the first four totals were 102,526/1,554/6,006/1,064,605, and the vaccination totals were 1,316,460/988,215/2,025,315.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 166.1 million cases, 3,443,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.

THIRD-TO-LAST SATURDAY FOR WEST SEATTLE HUB: On Thursday, we broke the news that the city will close West Seattle’s vaccination hub after June 9th. Today, the official announcement was made. So tomorrow’s your third-to-last Saturday to get vaccinated at the hub, open 9 am-5:30 pm at 2801 SW Thistle.

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

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SCHOOLS: Staff, parent concerns about asbestos removal lead to last-minute meeting at Lafayette Elementary

May 21, 2021 9:25 pm

| 17 COMMENTS

| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor

“This feels so eleventh-hour,” one frustrated parent said toward the end of an online meeting today about asbestos-removal work at Lafayette Elementary.

That wasn’t an exaggeration. In response to copious concerns voiced by staff and parents, Seattle Public Schools‘ project-team leaders met with them this afternoon toward the end of the last workday before the work is set to start. The work actually was supposed to get going this past Monday – as noted here a week ago when the district sent us a community notice – but was pushed back so concerns could be addressed. (Here’s a letter from staff and PTSA members spelling out the concerns.)

The asbestos removal is the opening act of a project that has been in the works for going on two years – earthquake-proofing work, fire-sprinkler installation, and replacement of the school’s 70-year-old boiler. It’s the consolation prize of sorts for Lafayette having been passed over for a rebuild in the district’s most-recent BEX levy, though it was listed as “priority” for condition/capacity concerns during levy planning. (It’s not likely to be up for a rebuild for 10 to 15 years, one district official said today when the topic came up.)

Though the overall project is long-planned, the asbestos-removal component wasn’t mentioned until last week, staff and parents say.

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ELECTION 2021: Filing Week’s over; here are the highlights

May 21, 2021 8:12 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle politics

This was the official Filing Week for candidates who want to be on the August 3rd primary ballot in King County (and the November 2nd general election if they make the top two). The deadline has passed; here are the highlights:

SEATTLE MAYOR: Jenny Durkan, remember, decided not to run for re-election. 15 people filed this week to run, including West Seattleite Lorena González, president of the City Council:

Jessyn Farrell
Bobby Tucker
Bruce Harrell
Arthur K. Langlie
Omari Tahir-Garrett
Colleen Echohawk
Don L. Rivers
Henry C. Dennison
M. Lorena González
Andrew Grant Houston
Lance Randall
Casey Sixkiller
Clinton Bliss
James Donaldson
Stan Lippmann

KING COUNTY EXECUTIVE: West Seattleite Dow Constantine is seeking a fourth term; West Seattleite Joe Nguyen, the 34th District’s state senator, is one of four challengers.

Bill Hirt
Joe Nguyen
Goodspaceguy
Dow Constantine
Johnathon Crines

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL POSITION 8: West Seattleite Teresa Mosqueda is the incumbent, and has drawn 10 challengers:

Kate Martin
Kenneth Wilson
Teresa Mosqueda
Jordan Elizabeth Fisher
Paul Felipe Glumaz
Alex Tsimerman
Brian Fahey
Jesse James
George Freeman
Alexander White
Bobby Lindsey Miller

SEATTLE CITY COUNCIL POSITION 9: This citywide seat is the one González is leaving to run for mayor. West Seattleite Brianna Thomas is among the seven contenders:

Corey Eichner
Sara Nelson
Rebecca L. Williamson
Nikkita Oliver
Xtian Gunther
Lindsay McHaffie
Brianna K. Thomas

CITY ATTORNEY: Incumbent Pete Holmes has two challengers:

Pete Holmes
Nicole Thomas-Kennedy
Ann Davison

Other positions you’ll see on the ballot include three Seattle Port Commission seats, each with the incumbent plus one challenger. See those lists, and links to more information about all the candidates, by going here. The list won’t be finalized until after the Monday deadline for filers to change their mind and withdraw.

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DELRIDGE PROJECT: Next week’s plan, including partial intersection closure at Delridge/Barton/Henderson

May 21, 2021 5:52 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Delridge | West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

As mentioned in this morning’s traffic roundup, the Delridge Way road-and-utility project preparing for the RapidRide H Line will close part of the Barton/Henderson/Delridge intersection for up to three weeks starting Monday. The full weekly update is in – here’s the map:

The advisory says, “SW Barton Pl will be closed from 21st Ave SW to Delridge Way SW (see map above). During this closure, the 21st Ave SW slip lane will be closed. 21st Ave SW between SW Barton Pl will only have access from SW Barton St. Please use SW Trenton St or SW Roxbury St to detour around this closure.” Metro has reroutes, too – Routes 60, 120, and 125 will be affected; the specific reroute plans are linked here.

Other focuses for the week ahead, per SDOT:

Landscaping and irrigation installation continues throughout the corridor

Zone A (West Seattle Bridge to SW Findlay St)

Paving work between the West Seattle Bridge and SW Dakota St will start overnight on Monday, May 24

Zone B (SW Findlay St to north of SW Orchard St)

Restoration between SW Willow St and SW Orchard St continues (east side)

Zone C (SW Orchard St to SW Roxbury St)

Roadwork demolition and paving to on the east side between SW Holden St and SW Thistle St Continues 

Bus stop upgrades continue near SW Thistle St and SW Trenton St (west side)

The full preview for all work zones next week is here.

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WEEKEND PREVIEW: Costumed bike parade & more for Alki Daze 2021

May 21, 2021 4:27 pm

| 4 COMMENTS

| Fun stuff to do | West Seattle news

(WSB file photo from Alki bicycle parade)

Alki Daze is back. It’s a low-key community celebration at the beach, organized by Alki resident Guy Olson, in the spirit of the “Car-Free Day”/Summer Streets events the city used to hold. Everyone’s invited to join in. The big highlight is Sunday’s costumed bike parade: “We’ll be leaving from 63rd and Alki at 2:00 pm Sunday. We’ll be riding in the street from 63rd to 54th and then continuing on the bike path to the Don Armeni boat launch on Harbor Ave.” There are events on Saturday, too, starting with a potluck at 1 pm. The full Alki Daze lineup is here.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Building break-in; ‘pretty convincing’ phone scam; dumped Novara bicycle

May 21, 2021 1:44 pm

| 8 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

Three reader reports:

BUILDING BREAK-IN: From Laura:

At about 8:30 (Thursday) morning, a person gained access to our condo building near California and Findlay and managed to break into some storage lockers.

We will add the police-report number when we get it.

PHONE SCAM: The utility-shutoff scam callers are still at it, and Emily emailed this warning:

I live near the Junction and just received a scam call (a 206 number) from someone claiming they were from Seattle City Light and that my account is past due (it isn’t) and they were giving me a courtesy call because they were about to disconnect my electricity. They then gave me an 800 number to call to resolve my balance and prevent disconnection.

I didn’t call the 800 number, I instead called Seattle City Light to verify my account was ok and they told me that there was a scam happening right now and that Seattle PD was investigating. Apparently a lot of people have been victims and Seattle City Light can’t really do much to help them. Just wanted to share in case they’re calling other West Seattle neighbors – the guy was pretty convincing!

City Light’s website notes: “City Light will never demand payment over the phone. If you receive a call from someone demanding payment and threatening to shut off your power, hang up immediately and call 206-684-3000 to confirm your account status. You can report attempted scams to City Light using our online form.”

P.S. Same goes for other utilities – if you get a call claiming shutoff is imminent, hang up and call the utility to check your status.

DUMPED BICYCLE: The photo and report are from CJ:

I found this bike stashed in my backyard this morning at 42nd Ave SW and Heights. Looks like a beat-up Novara brand that’s been spray painted silver.

Yours? Let us know and we’ll connect you.

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West Seattle’s Poogooder invites you to join ‘Zero Poo Challenge’

May 21, 2021 12:01 pm

| 12 COMMENTS

| Environment | Neighborhoods | Pets | West Seattle news

Back in September, we told you about Poogooder, founded by West Seattleite Lori Kothe as a way to tackle the problem so many complain about … dog waste fouling sidewalks, planting strips, etc., and sparking un-neighborly spats. Lori says nearly 80 Poogooder disposal bins – each with its own volunteer steward – are now up in local neighborhoods. But that’s just a start toward ending the problem, so Lori’s announced the Zero Poo Challenge, and you have two ways to be part of it:

The Poogooder Zero Poo Challenge is a free, crowd-sourced education initiative to raise awareness of the social and environmental impacts of wayward dog poo and the small steps we can take to foster a happier, healthier community and planet. It involves 2 main activities open to the public: an all-ages PSA Art & Video Contest and a Wayward Poo Hunt. Participants can win prizes, fame, goodies from local businesses, and even trophies! Deadline to submit or vote for family-friendly PSA creations is June 12. The Wayward Poo Hunt citizen-science research project runs May 23 – June 12 and coincides with PAWSWalk. Poo Hunters will use the Pooper Snooper mobile app to “win” by finding real secret treasure tins hidden throughout West Seattle.

If you are a local business, educator, organization, or individual who would like to be involved in some way and/or donate to the prize packs, please submit a contact form at Poogooder.com. Let’s have fun, get the facts, and inspire change to do some good today. More info, Dog Poo 101 guide, PSA voting gallery, and entry details at zeropoo.com.

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SEEN OFF WEST SEATTLE: Former US Coast Guard Cutter John Midgett, transferred to Vietnam

May 21, 2021 10:57 am

| 10 COMMENTS

| Seen at sea | West Seattle news

Thanks to James Tilley for the photo. Seen off West Seattle on Thursday, that’s the former USCGC John Midgett, now in the service of the Vietnam Coast Guard. The photo helped solve a mystery we couldn’t solve two months ago, Lynn Hall photographed it before the repainting was complete:

At the time, we weren’t able to dig up the backstory (though the ship was flying the flag of Vietnam by then). The transfer has been in the works for at least a year and a half, according to this report, which says it’s the second US Coast Guard cutter given to Vietnam. This report says some of the work on the 378-foot cutter was done at Lake Union Drydock Company. The transfer was via the Foreign Military Financing program, this report notes. As USCGC John Midgett, the 1971-built ship was homeported in Seattle.

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WEST SEATTLE FRIDAY: 4 notes

May 21, 2021 9:45 am

| Comments Off on WEST SEATTLE FRIDAY: 4 notes

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(View from the Water Taxi – photographed by Theresa Arbow-O’Connor)

Here’s what’s happening today as we head for the weekend:

‘DINE OUT’ FOR ALKI CO-OP PRESCHOOL: Through 7 pm tonight, part of the proceeds at Ampersand (2535 Alki SW) will benefit Alki Co-op Preschool.

HISTORY PRESENTATION: West Seattle historian/author Judy Bentley talks about “Washington Remembers: From Marcus Whitman to Billy Frank, Jr – Stories of Washington Statues and Memorials” online at noon, presented by the Woman’s Century Club. Our calendar listing has info on how to attend.

VACCINATION POP-UP: 1:30-5:30 pm, UW Medicine has a COVID-19 vaccine pop-up outside West Seattle High School (3000 California SW), and asked us to let you know everyone 12+ is welcome, not just students.

PATHFINDER K-8 ONLINE AUCTION CONTINUES: You can bid online in this school-fundraiser auction through Saturday night.

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ROAD WORK, WEATHER, TRAFFIC: Friday watch, and Bike Everywhere Day

May 21, 2021 6:03 am

| 13 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM: Good morning. Sunshine expected today, and 60s.

BIKE EVERYWHERE DAY

Today is the former “Bike to Work Day.” As previewed here, West Seattle Bike Connections is hosting a “commute station” along the trail under the bridge through 9 am today.

ROAD WORK UPDATES

Delridge project – Here’s this week’s plan. Later today, we’ll get next week’s preview. We’ll be asking the project team this morning about the alert we saw on a roadside message board Thursday – SW Henderson closed at the Delridge/Barton/Henderson intersection May 24th (Monday) through mid-June.

SW Yancy – This drainage/utility work east of Avalon has about three more weeks to go.

FERRIES/BUSES

Regular schedules today.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

424th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. (The repair contractor’s just been chosen.) Here are the views of other bridges and routes:

Low Bridge: 19th week for automated enforcement cameras; restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily – except weekends, when the bridge is open to all until 8 am Saturday and Sunday mornings. (Access applications are available for some categories of drivers.)

Here’s a low-bridge view: