West Seattle, Washington
26 Friday
Tonight’s local/state pandemic updates:
GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING TOMORROW: It’s been longer than usual since Gov. Inslee has held a COVID-19 response briefing/Q&A. He has one scheduled for 2:30 pm tomorrow – with guests including the state lottery director. Does that mean we’re getting a vaccine lottery? We’ll find out tomorrow; you can watch the livestream here.
HEALTH OFFICIALS’ BRIEFING TODAY: State Secretary of Health Dr. Umair Shah said the “light at the end of the tunnel” is in sight, but “the last mile is going to be very challenging” – getting more people vaccinated. 62 percent of the state’s 16+ residents have had at least one dose – if that number gets to 70 percent before June 30th, then the state can fully reopen sooner. You can watch the briefing video here.
EXTRA VACCINATION LOCATION TOMORROW: In addition to the West Seattle hub – which remains open for one more week – tomorrow brings a pop-up to South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor). 11 am-3 pm, offering the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Our calendar listing includes info on how to make an appointment.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*109,857 people have tested positive, 78 more than yesterday’s total
*1,590 people have died, 2 fewer than yesterday’s total (the county explains, “Due to data corrections in the WA Department of Health’s data systems, 8 previously recorded deaths due to COVID-19 illness were reclassified as non-COVID deaths. King County added 6 new COVID deaths yesterday”)
*6,173 people have been hospitalized, 3 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, those totals were 108,945/1,578/6,120.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find all the numbers, county by county, on the state Department of Health dashboard.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
9:41 PM: Seattle Fire is sending a water-rescue response, land and sea, to the 4800 block of SW Brace Point Drive [map]. Dispatchers say someone called in saying they saw someone “parachute into the water” south of the ferry dock. Updates to come.
9:47 PM: Responders have arrived in the area. No confirmation yet whether anyone is indeed in trouble. They’re also looking from the ferry dock.
10:03 PM: They’re still searching.
10:05 PM: Calling off the search after failing to find anyone plus “multiple reports this was a heat lantern.”
10:15 PM: Comments suggest the lanterns in question were “sky lanterns.”
(WSB photos)
This is Pride Month, and the White Center Pride Flag is flying high at Delridge/Roxbury. We were there for tonight’s ceremony – also a flag-swapping; new flags replaced the worn American and Pride flags that had been atop the flagpole just south of Mac’s Triangle Pub.
After the flags were hoisted, decorations closer to ground level went up too.
Watch here for events – tonight for example, Pride Skate starts at 8:30 pm at Southgate Roller Rink.
(Photo courtesy Ounces)
With the June 30th statewide-reopening date (if not sooner) in view, some businesses are making changes. Like Ounces in North Delridge, whose co-proprietor Lauren Trujillo tells WSB, “We’re gradually getting back to normal(ish) at Ounces … Obviously we’re still being very COVID-conscious, but with the 30th opening date approaching, we’re starting to ramp back up a little.” So here are some free events they have planned:
Sunday Run Club
Takes place every Sunday at noon at Ounces.
Run is open to all running levels and starts/finishes at Ounces. Runners can go at their own pace and distance. Just show up at Ounces at noon on any Sunday to run! Strowlers and pets welcome.
Link:Tuesday Trivia
Every Tuesday at 7 pm
FREE to play! Just show up by 7pm and test your brainpower and have some beer!Merrell Great Outdoors Day at Ounces!
Several FREE Events happening on Sunday, 6/13Alki Fun Run (Plus a free beer post-run!)
6/13 — starts at 12 pm; all running levels welcome! Just show up to run or you can reserve your spot on our webpage. Run will start/end at Ounces. Runners will run along the Alki trail and can choose their distance (1-4 miles). Strollers, pets, walkers welcome! Merrell is buying all runners a beer post-run, plus you can demo their running shoes if you’d like!Urban Hike thru Camp Long (Plus a free beer post-hike!)
6/13 — starts at 2 pm; Meet at Ounces then Merrell will lead hikers on an urban trek from Ounces thru Camp Long, ending back at Ounces! Hike will approximately be 3-5 miles. Plus, you can demo some of Merrell’s hiking shoes if you’d like, and Merrell will pickup your first beer after the hike! Just show up by 2pm to hike, or you can reserve your spot online.Great Outdoors Trivia! (plus your first beer FREE!)
6/13 — starts at 5 pm! Just show up at Ounces by 5 pm to play! Bring a team or come solo — either way, Merrell will buy your first beer!
Something new happening with YOUR business? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
That’s some of the damage done to a car parked in (corrected) Belvidere this morning by the driver of a hit-run truck. The car’s owner says a neighbor saw it happen on 39th SW just after 10 this morning; the vehicle was described as a “big box truck” labeled Morro Bay Cabinets. That’s a California firm that subsequently told the damaged car’s owner they no longer own the truck. If you have any information, the SPD incident # is 2021-135807.
West Seattle High School junior Adonis Williams, an activist for much of his young life, has won a national award from Students Rebuild, in the “Changemaker Challenge.” From the announcement:
As the Challenge closes on June 4th — the culmination of a nine-month process that brought together students from 55 countries and all 50 states — Students Rebuild has selected six changemakers to honor for their community-change efforts, including Adonis. Each award recipient will receive $1,000 to further their efforts.
Adonis Williams is a high school junior, artist and activist. At the age of 12, Adonis was one of eight young people who, in partnership with Our Children’s Trust, sued the Washington State Department of Ecology for failing to adequately protect them and future generations from the effect of climate change. Since then, he has remained deeply involved in environmental activist work across various organizations in the Puget Sound region, including Greenpeace, Seattle Tilth, and Plant for the Planet.
Adonis dearly appreciates the world’s life support systems and the ecology of the natural world around him — and takes every chance he gets to appreciate the beauty of mother earth, which fuels his activism.
(Students Rebuild, which provided the photo, is part of the Bezos Family Foundation.) The Changemaker Challenge awards for middle- and high-school students, including Adonis, will be presented in an online ceremony at 11 am Friday; you can watch by RSVPing here.
1:37 PM: If you’re headed for the eastbound Spokane Street Viaduct, take note that a crash has closed the exit ramp to northbound I-5, so traffic is being diverted. No details on the crash other than a driver is reported to have hit a barrier.
1:55 PM: The ramp has reopened, police at the scene have told dispatch.
(WSB photo from 2018 Laps With Lou)
It’s been a June tradition for almost two decades – now-retired Pathfinder K-8 PE teacher Lou Cutler raising money for Make-A-Wish by running/walking around the school’s field, one lap for every year of the age he’ll be on his late-June birthday. Last year, with campuses closed for the pandemic, Lou instead walked “one big lap” around West Seattle with a few supporters. This year, students are back at Pathfinder, so Lou will be back, but in a modified manner – laps on two days, June 8th and June 10th. Lou says this is the plan:
To avoid having multiple classes on the field at one time, the solution was to have me walk two laps with one classroom at a time and rotate in new classrooms every 15 minutes. Since each classroom is divided into morning and afternoon sessions, there would be 35 different groups coming to walk two laps each with me, which amazingly would be 70 laps, my upcoming age.
The days of the walk will be June 8th and June 10th and we will start at 8 AM.
I will end up doing the equivalent of a half marathon over these two days, as I will walk extra laps with teachers to reach 13.1 miles … I will complete the marathon walk on my official 70th birthday on Friday, June 25th. I will start at Pathfinder and depart at 10 AM and be joined by MAW volunteers and staff and any friends who want to come along for a great walk and cause.
This will be the 18th year of the MAW event, and thus far, we have raised $81,228 and naturally would love to raise the total significantly this year.
Lou’s also made a priceless contribution to Make-A-Wish with a quarter-century of volunteer work. You can donate/pledge right now by going here.
Just out of the WSB inbox, from Aimee:
My daughter and I spotted a river otter at the Solstice P-Patch this morning around 10:30 AM.
Unfortunately we didn’t get a picture but am hoping you might have a good way to give folks a reminder to watch the roads.
Despite the name, river otters are what you see in Puget Sound – not sea otters. (Learn about them here.) Their dens are on land. Most often in this area. they’re seen crossing Harbor/Alki Avenues – here’s our favorite photo, of one on the Alki Trail years ago:
(WSB file photo)
To get to Solstice P-Patch, next to the tennis courts that are across from the north end of Lincoln Park, the otter would have had to cross Fauntleroy Way SW, so consider that a potential otter route too. A few years back, young otters wandered up Fairmount Ravine into the neighborhoods near Hiawatha!
Two notes from Youngstown Coffee Company and HeartBeet Organic Superfoods Café in Morgan Junction (6032 California SW) – first, proprietors Autumn Lovewell and Monica Colgan are expanding their space:
Starting Friday, June 4th, Youngstown Coffee and HeartBeet Cafe will have seating open next door. We are excited to have space for you to meet a friend for coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Or bring your family for a nutritious meal from HeartBeet. And since we’re headed for warmer weather, don’t forget to take advantage of our outdoor patio tables under the shade.
Coming soon in our new space, we will be selling very cool Youngstown merchandise and feature even more local retailers and artwork crafted by LGBTQ- and BIPOC-owned small businesses.
And down the road when more of us are vaccinated, get excited for community events and the ability to rent out our small space for your event.
Here we are a year later and super excited to celebrate by inviting more of you in to our little space here in the Morgan Junction. Thank you for your continued support! Together we will be radical in our work toward a more just and kind world.
The expansion space formerly held Sound Fitness. Meantime, if you haven’t already seen this in the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, Youngstown and HeartBeet are presenting a Pride Parade in Morgan Junction on Friday, June 11th:
Bring your family and meet up with your friends for a safe outdoor parade-walk around Morgan Junction. Wear your festive Pride gear and bring supportive signs for our transgender youth.
-Skates, bikes, strollers, and dogs welcome
-Outdoor event rain or shine
-Free Pride goodies and samples
-Lady Jane DJ
-Pride specials with proceeds benefiting Lambert House in SeattleThe route starts at Morgan Junction Park at 5 pm, heads north on California Ave, crosses the street at Findlay, comes around back down and ends at Youngstown Coffee and HeartBeet Cafe, where there will be free Pride goodies for kids, specials on drinks, and music.
The park is in the 6400 block of California SW.
6:07 AM: Good morning. The forecast suggests we could see the mid-80s again today, after a Tuesday high of 86. This morning’s weather photo, Tuesday’s sunrise from Gatewood, by Nord Bjornson:
ROAD WORK UPDATES
Delridge project – The Delridge/Orchard work is done, the north-end Delridge paving is too, but the west side of Delridge/Barton/Henderson and the east side of Delridge/Thistle are still closed. Here’s the rest of this week’s plan.
SW Yancy – Still closed west of 28th SW because of drainage/utility work related to construction.
FERRIES/BUSES
Regular schedules today.(Watch @kcmetrobus for word of any bus cancellations, @wsferries for any major WSF changes.)
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
437th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are the views of other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: 21st 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:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
And the 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
Are bridges opening for boats or barges? Check the @SDOTBridges Twitter feed.
See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also shown on this WSB page.
Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.
June’s first pandemic toplines:
FIRST NUMBERS SINCE SUNDAY: The daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health wasn’t updated Monday, so these are the cumulative totals reflecting two days:
*109,779 people have tested positive, 121 new since Sunday
*1,592 people have died, unchanged since Saturday
*6,170 people have been hospitalized, 11 new since Sunday
One week ago, the totals were 108,689/1,575/6,111.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 171.1 million cases worldwide, 33.2 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
VACCINATION UPDATES: 74.3 percent of King County residents 12+ have received at least one dose of vaccine … One more week to get vaccinated at the West Seattle hub, 2801 SW Thistle – June 9th is its last day … A pop-up in High Point on Saturday morning is booking appointments now.
HEALTH OFFICIALS’ BRIEFING: At 8:15 am tomorrow online, state health officials will present their weekly briefing and media Q&A. Watch the livestream here.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
| 4 COMMENTS