day : 15/11/2021 12 results

This week’s update of COVID-19 cases in Seattle Public Schools shows 25 percent fewer new cases than a week earlier – 45 newly reported cases this time, among the district’s 90+. schools, down from 59 new cases in last week’s update. Here are the school-by-school breakouts for our area, and the changes from a week earlier:

Denny International Middle School – 20, up 1
Chief Sealth International High School – 20, up 1
Roxhill Elementary – 12, unchanged
Genesee Hill Elementary – 11, unchanged
Highland Park Elementary – 11, unchanged
Madison Middle School – 10, unchanged
Gatewood Elementary – 9, up 3
West Seattle Elementary – 8, unchanged
Arbor Heights Elementary – 8, unchanged
Lafayette Elementary – 8, unchanged
Louisa Boren STEM K-8 – 6, up 1
Concord International (Elementary) – 6, unchanged
Sanislo Elementary – 4, unchanged
West Seattle High School – 4, unchanged
Alki Elementary – 3, up 1
Fairmount Park Elementary – 3, unchanged
Pathfinder K-8 – 3, unchanged
BRIDGES @ Roxhill – 1, unchanged

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Bail set at $250,000 for child-molesting suspect

November 15, 2021 8:01 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

A 39-year-old Boulevard Park man is jailed tonight, bail set at $250,000, after being arrested for suspected child molesting and indecent exposure. Court documents say the man was arrested Sunday evening, about two hours after the two elementary-school-age victims told their parent about the incident. A Seattle Police investigator wrote in probable-cause documents that the children were at 8th SW and SW Roxbury, walking home from an unspecified nearby park/playground, when a man approached them and asked for “a hug.” They said no but he touched them both and then exposed himself. At that point, the report says, a person yelled from a car that was stopped at the intersection, telling the man to stop, and the children ran away. Both that witness and the children’s parent reported the incident to police, and the description led to the suspect’s arrest near 16th/Roxbury. The suspect, who is not yet charged, was convicted of indecent exposure almost three years ago following an incident in Top Hat.

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YOU CAN HELP: Drive-through food drive at Daystar on Wednesday

November 15, 2021 6:32 pm

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| Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news | Westwood

Here’s another way to share your bounty with neighbors in need, if you can, as Thanksgiving approaches – Daystar Retirement Village (WSB sponsor) has a drive-through food drive this Wednesday, 3:30-5:30 pm. Bring donations for the White Center Food Bank to Daystar at 2615 SW Barton [map], right across the street from Westwood Village. A list of the most-wanted items are on the Daystar website.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Wind alert extended

November 15, 2021 4:32 pm

| 17 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Beach Drive photo by Steyn Benade – @alwayslocalphotos)

The Wind Advisory alert that was previously set to expire at 4 pm has been extended into evening – the National Weather Service says wind “20 to 30 mph with gusts up to 40 mph” can now be expected until at least 7 pm.

(Constellation Park photo by Jerry Simmons)

Earlier, we reported on two more downed trees on public property. We asked Seattle Parks what they’ve been dealing with – spokesperson Rachel Schulkin replies, “We had 10 tree failures over the weekend. We are responding to another 11 today. And have responded to over 66 tree failures this month so far.” (And again, that’s just on Parks property.)

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WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: Here’s who’s in the new advisory group that meets for the first time Tuesday

November 15, 2021 2:32 pm

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| Sound Transit | West Seattle news

Earlier this fall, we put out Sound Transit‘s call for people interested in being on a new Community Advisory Group for the West Seattle-Ballard light-rail extensions, as ST approaches the next planning milestone, the release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. That’s been delayed multiple times but is now projected for publication early next year, opening a new public-comment period. More than 230 people applied; Sound Transit has appointed 51 in four groups, with the largest lineup representing the West Seattle-Duwamish section – here’s the roster for all four:

The meeting will be online, 5-7 pm Tuesday, viewable here (livestreamed or archived afterward). Here’s the agenda.

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UPDATE: Crash on SW Thistle

November 15, 2021 1:03 pm

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| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

A three-car crash at 41st/Thistle has police diverting traffic right now – avoid the area for a while.

1:12 PM: Just walked up to look. Vehicles are cleared to the side, road is open.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Southwest Pool opening late because of power trouble

November 15, 2021 12:29 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

12:29 PM: Southwest Pool would usually be open by now for its first lap swim of the day, but Seattle Parks says it’s opening late today “due to power outages this past weekend … Crews are working to get the boilers back online.” The weekend’s major power outage on Sunday didn’t stretch that far west, so we’re checking with Parks for more information.

2:04 PM: Parks spokesperson Rachel Schulkin didn’t have outage-specific info but tells WSB, “The power outage had an impact on the pool’s boilers and the pool and shower temperatures are reducing. Our HVAC crews are coming out to get it fixed and hope to have it open later today or tomorrow, but we won’t know exactly until the HVAC crew gives us a time estimate.”

4:19 PM: The pool is open again, but may be a few degrees cooler than usual.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: More trees toppled as wind intensifies

November 15, 2021 11:29 am

| 9 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news

11:29 AM: Soggy ground and strong gusts are combining for more tree trouble in West Seattle. Thanks to Paul for the photo above (and to Lindsey for sending a similar photo) from the bike/pedestrian path alongside the Delridge onramp to the West Seattle Bridge – SDOT says it has a crew on the way to remove the tree, but the path will be closed until they finish that. (If you see a blockage on a public path, road, or sidewalk, 206-684-ROAD is the number to call – then let us know too!) Another big tree fell over the north shoreside path at Lincoln Park:

The photo is from Mindi, who saw a crew arriving to deal with it. (The Seattle Parks maintenance number is 206-684-7250.) The wind is going to be at its worst in the next several hours, according to the National Weather Service, which already has recorded a 58-mph gust at Sea-Tac; the Wind Advisory alert remains in effect for our area until 4 pm.

2:02 PM: SDOT says the bike/ped path has reopened after their crew cleared the tree.

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UPDATE: Water-rescue response off Beach Drive; kitesurfer found safe

November 15, 2021 11:06 am

| 33 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS breaking news

11:06 AM: Seattle Fire is sending a water-rescue response by land and sea to the 5000 block of Beach Drive SW, for a report of a kitesurfer possibly in distress “about 50 feet offshore.” Updates to come.”

11:13 AM: Avoid the area since multiple emergency vehicles are blocking Beach Drive in that area [map]. They haven’t spotted the person yet but are told to look for someone with a “black wetsuit and lime-green kite.”

11:21 AM: SFD has made contact with the kitesurfer, who is safely out of the water at Emma Schmitz Memorial Overlook (across from Me-Kwa-Mooks), and they’ll be dismissing most responding units.

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YOU CAN HELP: Holiday support for Roxhill Elementary families

November 15, 2021 10:30 am

| 7 COMMENTS

| Holidays | How to help | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

Here’s another opportunity for you to support a school community in West Seattle. This announcement is from Friends of Roxhill Elementary:

We learned that the organization that provided Roxhill families with holiday support in the past cannot provide the same level of support this year. Every child should have a holiday meal and present, and parents and caregivers could use less stress this holiday season. You can make a difference by donating today to Friends of Roxhill Elementary, the school PTO. All donations are tax-deductible.

Many Roxhill Elementary families have already donated, but we’re a small Title I school of about 240 students. 56% of our students are on free or reduced lunch and 30% of our families are supported by the Seattle Housing Authority. So we really need help from the great folks in West Seattle, not just our school, to hit our fundraising goal.

Here’s the link.

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Remembering Kathryn ‘Kiki’ Armstrong, 1959-2021

November 15, 2021 8:57 am

| 13 COMMENTS

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

Family and friends are remembering Kathryn M. Armstrong, and sharing this remembrance with her community:

Kathryn “Kiki” Marie Armstrong – October 23, 1959–November 2, 2021

Kathryn “Kiki” Marie Armstrong passed away on November 2nd in Seattle, the same day her oldest sister Janet Ann Armstrong died in Columbus, Ohio. After a long and courageous fight against Younger Onset Alzheimer’s Disease, Kathryn left us at the much-too-early age of 62. She is survived by her husband Vladimeer Oustimovitch of Seattle and sister Carol Armstrong Wilkins of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, as well as numerous nieces and nephews

Kathryn was born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin as the youngest of three sisters. She was the daughter of John Alexander Armstrong, a respected professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, and Annette Taylor Armstrong, who was also educated in political science but decided to devote herself to raising her daughters and supporting her husband’s academic efforts.
To her family and close friends she was known as “Kiki,” and as the youngest in the family she acquired an assertive character that served her well throughout her life. After finishing high school, she studied architecture at the University of Minnesota. Upon graduation, she moved to Boston to complete her internship as a professional architect. Forever wanting to expand her horizons, she then completed a graduate degree in finance at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before moving to Washington, DC, where she transitioned to the management of complex real-estate projects.

Athletic and strong, it was on a climb of Mount Rainier in 1994 that she met her future partner and husband Vlad, who at the time was living in Chicago. After a long-distance relationship, they decided to move to the place they had met, the Pacific Northwest. Before settling in Seattle, they first spent a year on an epic backpacking trip around the world. It was an adventure that became the bedrock of their relationship.

After arriving in Seattle, Kathryn enthusiastically immersed herself in the challenging development of high-density urban housing, which was still in a pioneering phase. Her work was part of a downtown renaissance, and she leaves a legacy of many buildings, especially in Belltown. Forever filled with energy, Kathryn spent her time away from work exploring the beautiful area in which she lived. With her husband Vlad, she became a seasoned mountaineer and summitted most of the major peaks of the Pacific Northwest. Her natural curiosity took her traveling on every compass bearing; she was indefatigable. It was only at her beautiful home and garden in West Seattle that she ever allowed herself to relax.

Kathryn’s ashes will be scattered near Mount Rainier, which was her cathedral. Her radiant smile and boundless energy will be missed by all those who were fortunate enough to be graced by it.

(WSB publishes West Seattle obituaries and memorial announcements by request, free of charge. Please email the text, and a photo if available, to editor@westseattleblog.com)

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WEATHER, TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, ROAD WORK: Monday notes

November 15, 2021 6:02 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:02 AM: Good morning.

WEATHER

Windy and relatively warm, with a high possibly in the 60s (Sunday’s high was 63). Check here for the latest alerts.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro remains on its regular weekday schedule, except for the rerouting in RapidRide H Line work zones, including 26th SW. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of trip cancellations.

For ferries and Water Taxi: WSF continues a two-boat schedule on the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth run. Check here for alerts/updates. The Water Taxi is in service.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

602nd morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here are views of other bridges and routes:

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

The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):

South Park Bridge:

West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:

Highland Park Way/Holden:

The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):

Are movable bridges opening for vessels? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed is working; 1st Ave. South Bridge openings are also tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.

See all local traffic cams here; locally relevant cameras are also on this WSB page.

ROAD WORK REMINDERS

26th SW – Continuing southbound closure between Roxbury and Barton for RapidRide H Line prep work. Also, work at 26th/Roxbury. This flyer has details.

Trouble on the streets/paths/bridges/water? Please let us know – text (but not if you’re driving!) 206-293-6302.

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