day : 03/01/2022 10 results

We’ve moved this weekly update on local pandemic numbers and notes to Mondays, and we’re incorporating the weekly Seattle Public School updates.

KING COUNTY CUMULATIVE NUMBERS (through today):

*211,531 cases – 17,828 more than a week ago (7,915 total in West Seattle, up 877)
*9,312 hospitalizations – 233 more than a week ago (270 total from West Seattle, up 5)
*2,165 people have died – 12 more than the previous update (77 total in West Seattle, unchanged)

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS STATS

Today’s SPS dashboard update comes at the end of winter break, but the district has continued adding cases to its dashboard. Districtwide, the cumulative case total for this school year is 1,294, 100 more than a week earlier (and not including any of the testing done yesterday/today). Here’s the local school-by-school breakout (as always, the total is cumulative since the start of the school year):

Denny International Middle School – 28, up 2
West Seattle High School – 24, up 3
Chief Sealth International High School – 23, down 1 (data adjustment)
Louisa Boren STEM K-8 – 18, up 2
Gatewood Elementary – 17, up 3
Arbor Heights Elementary – 15, up 1
Roxhill Elementary – 15, unchanged
Genesee Hill Elementary – 14, unchanged
Highland Park Elementary – 14, unchanged
Madison Middle School – 13, up 1
Fairmount Park Elementary – 12, up 1
Lafayette Elementary – 10, unchanged
West Seattle Elementary – 10, unchanged
Concord International (Elementary) – 9, unchanged
Pathfinder K-8 – 8, unchanged
Alki Elementary – 6, up 1
Sanislo Elementary – 5, up 1
BRIDGES @ Roxhill – 1, unchanged

VACCINATION RATE

81.9% of King County residents 5+ have completed their vaccine series – up .6% from one week ago.

By West Seattle zip code – note that these numbers are still NOT available as 5+, so they reflect percentage of 12+ population:
98106 – 88.2% completed series, 40% had a booster dose too
98116 – 91.4% completed series, 52.7% had a booster dose too
98126 – 83.5% completed series, 44.2% had a booster dose too
98136 – 93.1% completed series, 56.7% had a booster dose too
98146 – 83.5% completed series, 35.6% had a booster dose too

(Find more COVID-related King County stats here.)

THE WEEK’S PANDEMIC HEADLINES

Test-site changes – The city-sponsored, UW Medicine-run West Seattle testing site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex will, as of tomorrow (Tuesday, January 4th), limit testing to symptomatic/exposed people. Appointments can be made here (if you find an opening).

School-testing turnout – Both West Seattle middle schools were deluged for the three-hour testing period offered today. The district still plans to return to in-person classes tomorrow.

UPCOMING VACCINATION CLINIC

Pliable‘s clinic next Sunday at Neighborhood House High Point (6400 Sylvan Way SW) still has appointment openings as of this writing.

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WATER TAXI: Reduced service Tuesday with both regular boats in for repairs

January 3, 2022 9:48 pm

| 1 COMMENT

| King County Water Taxi | West Seattle news

Just announced by King County Metro – “On Monday, both the MV Sally Fox and MV Doc Maynard damaged propellers during service. We are coordinating with shipyards to get these vessels repaired and returned to service ASAP. The backup vessel MV Spirit of Kingston will be operating on both routes.” That means service reductions for both the West Seattle and Vashon runs – the modified schedule is here.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Two potentially related school burglaries, and two other incidents

January 3, 2022 7:09 pm

| 11 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

In West Seattle Crime Watch, we have information on four incidents, starting with two school burglaries that are likely related:

SCHOOL BREAK-INS, WITH A LIKELY LINK: A Pathfinder K-8 parent forwarded us a note sent to families from the school’s music teacher, announcing that the school’s music room was burglarized over winter break:

… Items stolen include a majority of our woodwind, brass, and string instruments stored in the room, audio equipment, internet connectivity servers/devices, percussion instruments and equipment, and our student-device charging stations. …

I ask that you have a conversation with your students about this event. Music, for all grade levels and subjects, is often a safe space for students to come to explore their creativity, build community, and engage in deep and rich learning about the arts and themselves. I imagine some students will be distraught to learn about this violation of our space, as I am. This challenge is a setback, but one we can bounce back from. It shows us what we need to improve to make the Pathfinder music program even greater than it already is. …

You can read the entire message here. It also says the school is “organizing this week to determine how to replace the stolen equipment and how to protect it moving forward.”

We learned about the Pathfinder burglary hours after obtaining a report from SPD about a weekend burglary that seems likely related because the recovered items included what the report described as “several band instruments/equipment … labeled with Seattle Public Schools stickers.” Those items were found inside a stolen car near where police arrested a burglary suspect at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) early Sunday.

The report says officers were sent early Sunday after a call from a campus security guard who saw a person she had kicked off the property earlier in the night. When police arrived, they found a vehicle she reported having seen the person driving, parked in the “back maintenance area” of the campus. It had been reported stolen in Renton. Inside were the aforementioned stolen instruments (no further description except that they included a tuba) as well as “various power tools, several axes/machetes, a bucket full of keys, several burglary tools, and a full-faced plastic mask,” plus “suspected heroin.” The power tools and keys were identified as SSC property; the other items were taken to the Southwest Precinct as evidence. Meantime, officers searching the area discovered the 28-year-old suspect hiding in a storage closet. He was arrested and booked into King County Jail, from which the jail roster shows he was released tonight, after a day and a half.

TWO OTHER BREAK-IN ATTEMPTS: We also obtained police reports today on two other weekend incidents logged as “commercial burglaries,” though in both cases the would-be burglar(s) apparently were unsuccessful in gaining entry. Both happened at businesses on California Avenue SW, neither of which is identified by name in the reports. In the 5200 block of California SW, an employee arriving at work Sunday morning found “a front window broken out … to the right of the front sliding glass doors,” but there was no indication anyone got inside. In the 6500 block of California SW, also on Sunday morning, another front window was found broken at a business, with no indication of entry. In this case, the report says, security video recorded someone breaking the window by “using a lighter and unknown ‘accelerant/ to possibly burn a hole” in it.

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If you’re a Monday customer but your garbage/recycling/yard waste hasn’t been picked up yet …

January 3, 2022 5:46 pm

| 31 COMMENTS

| Utilities | West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

(Photo by Jeremy Barton)

As shown in our previous story, Waste Management trucks were still having a tough time in some neighborhoods. So here’s an update from Seattle Public Utilities:

Collection contractors attempted residential collections today, Monday January 3, and determined there are still unsafe road conditions in neighborhoods that has delayed some collections. This will have impacts throughout the week and there will be delays in residential garbage, recycling, or food/yard waste pickup for some customers.

Customers should set out their Garbage, Recycling, and Food/Yard Waste on their regular collection day and leave it out the following day if not collected. Friday customers, if missed, should keep their carts out on Saturday. Customers should be sure to have their containers out by 7 a.m. to ensure collection.

Residential customers are permitted to set out double their normal amount of garbage, recycling, and compost this week for no additional charge. This includes recycling collection, even if it’s not your typical week for collection. Contractors will attempt to collect this ‘off-week’ recycling, if possible, but may not be able to collect all. Customers can call 206-684-3000 for additional support if needed.

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WEST SEATTLE WEATHER: Slush and sleet

January 3, 2022 3:47 pm

| 7 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle weather

Snow’s gone but today’s weather still has had its challenges.

If your promised one-week-late solid-waste pickup hasn’t happened yet today, that might explain why. Jeremy Barton sent the video, explaining, “The truck was stuck at 51st Ave SW and SW College for about half an hour. Eventually a second, smaller, truck arrived and the driver of that truck (with assistance from other staff on the ground as spotters) was able to get it back up onto a less snowy/icy portion of 51st.”

And that was before this afternoon’s sleet (hail, graupel, ice pellets, etc.) and snow mix:

Ice pellets picking up where the snow left off (but louder) pic.twitter.com/ZGXXuv4OXs

— West Seattle Blog (@westseattleblog) January 3, 2022

This unsettled weather is expected to hang around for the next few days – with rain and snow both in the forecast.

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UPDATE: Long lines for COVID-19 testing at two West Seattle middle schools, as superintendent reiterates plan to resume in-person classes Tuesday

January 3, 2022 1:48 pm

| 38 COMMENTS

| Coronavirus | West Seattle news | West Seattle schools

1:48 PM: That’s just part of the line for this afternoon’s voluntary Seattle Public Schools student COVID-19 testing at Denny International Middle School – it started at 1 pm and when we went by around 1:15, the line had already wrapped through the parking lot and halfway up the block along SW Kenyon. We also got a report that people in line at the other West Seattle site, Madison Middle School, were being told there would be a two-hour wait. To compound matters, though our photo was taken in the sunshine, sleet/snow has since swept through the area, followed by rain. The testing is supposed to continue until at least 4 pm. We’re also awaiting an update from the district on the resumption of classes tomorrow – there was word that superintendent Dr. Brent Jones was expected to speak to staff around 11 am but then that was postponed.

3:39 PM: The district added a brief update to its website, timestamped 3:30 pm – “All SPS COVID testing sites have reached testing capacity and are no longer taking additional guests.” Meantime, a commenter has shared the link of the aforementioned speech from the superintendent – see it here or below:

He reiterates that they’re planning to resume in-person classes tomorrow.

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TERMINAL 5: First cargo-ship call scheduled for this week

January 3, 2022 11:30 am

| 4 COMMENTS

| Port of Seattle | West Seattle news

(Wikimedia file photo of MSC Monterey)

MONDAY MORNING: We’ve been watching for word of the first cargo-ship call at the first modernized berth at West Seattle’s Terminal 5, and it’s just appeared on the newest Northwest Seaport Alliance calendar update: MSC Monterey is due at Terminal 5 on Thursday afternoon (January 6th). The schedule also shows MSC Margarita scheduled for T-5 two weeks later. Monterey, built in 2007, carries up to 5,000 containers (TEU); Margarita is slightly older and slightly larger, with a capacity of up to 6,000 containers. (That’s about a third of the potential capacity the revamped berth was designed to handle.) According to MarineTraffic.com, Monterey’s last port was Manzanillo, Mexico, from which it departed one week ago. We may hear more about T-5 when the Port of Seattle Commission meets online at noon tomorrow; that’ll be the first meeting for its newly elected commissioners Toshiko Grace Hasegawa and Hamdi Mohamed.

TUESDAY MORNING UPDATE: The schedule has changed (as, with ships, it often does) and MSC Monterey is now due in Friday morning.

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WEST SEATTLE MONDAY: Here’s what’s up for the rest of today/tonight

January 3, 2022 10:03 am

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Texted photo – a sculpted bit of remaining snow at Lincoln Park this morning)

Back to almost-normal on this first post-holiday Monday. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar and inbox, here’s what’s up for the hours ahead:

GOLF COURSE CLOSED: Seattle Parks says the West Seattle Golf Course is closed today, not only to golfing as it has been since the snow started, but also to “snow activities,” since the slushy condition of what’s left is unsafe.

COVID TESTING FOR SPS STUDENTS: As announced last week, two West Seattle sites are offering voluntary testing to all Seattle Public Schools students 1-4 pm today – Denny International Middle School (2601 SW Kenyon)

TRIVIA X 3: Here are tonight’s three options – 7 pm at Best of Hands (35th/Webster), 7 pm at The Good Society (California/Lander), 7:30 pm at The Skylark (3803 Delridge Way SW)

Something for our calendar/daily previews? westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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NEW YEAR: West Seattle Tae Kwon Do classes start Tuesday

January 3, 2022 9:11 am

| Comments Off on NEW YEAR: West Seattle Tae Kwon Do classes start Tuesday

| High Point | West Seattle news

The new year brings a new season for many West Seattle activities – including Tae Kwon Do. Here’s the announcement:

The West Seattle Tae Kwon Do Club is offering in-person classes at High Point Community Center in January. Adults (18 and older) can sign up to learn Tae Kwon Do, a Korean martial art known for its fast sparring techniques, dynamic forms, and strong kicks. Classes cost only $40/month and meet Tuesdays and Thursdays 6:00-7:30 pm and Saturdays 9:30-11:30 am.

The first class for the new year is on Tuesday, January 4 from 6:00-7:30 pm. We will be wearing face masks and will be appropriately distanced for safety. New students can join at any time and beginners are definitely welcome!

Check out our website at westseattle.choitkd.org, email westseattletkd@gmail.com for questions, or call 206-684-7422 for registration information.

HPCC is at 6920 34th SW.

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TRAFFIC, TRANSIT, WEATHER: Post-snow Monday

January 3, 2022 6:03 am

| 11 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | West Seattle traffic alerts

6:03 AM Good morning! Be careful of slippery slush, after a night of heavy rain.

WEATHER

“Rain at times,” breezy forecast for today, and temperatures closer to seasonal normal.

SCHOOL NOTES

Seattle Public Schools aren’t reopening until tomorrow; Highline Public Schools are starting two hours late.

BUSES, WATER TAXI, FERRIES

Metro expected to be back on its regular weekday schedule after ending Emergency Snow Network reductions Sunday. Watch @kcmetrobus for word of trip cancellations.

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 on its regular schedule.

BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES

650th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Many area traffic cams were down as of early this morning – we’ll keep checking to see if that’s remedied – here are the two we have right now:

The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):

South Park Bridge:

Are movable bridges opening for vessels? The @SDOTBridges Twitter feed can tell you; 1st Ave. S. Bridge openings are also tweeted on @wsdot_traffic.

See all local traffic cams (when they’re working) here; locally relevant cameras are also 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.

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