As the weekend ends, here’s our regular Sunday night check of local COVID numbers from the Public Health – Seattle/King County dashboard:

*17 percent fewer cases countywide in the past week than the week before
*Currently averaging 631 new daily cases countywide (down from 758 when we checked a week ago)

*12 percent fewer hospitalizations countywide in the past week thab the week before
*Currently averaging 14 new hospitalizations daily (down from 16 a week ago)

*23 percent fewer deaths countywide in the past two weeks than the two previous weeks (the dashboard doesn’t offer a one-week increment)
*Currently averaging 2 deaths daily (down from last week’s two-week average, 3)

For West Seattle, we have two-week comparisons (these are the combined totals from two “health reporting areas,” labeled West Seattle and Delridge, together comprising the entire peninsula):
*555 cases between 7/18 and 8/1, down from 668 between 7/3 and 7/17
*6 hospitalizations between 7/18 and 8/1, down from 18 between 7/3 and 7/17
*1 death between 7/18 and 8/1, down from 4 between 7/3 and 7/17

VACCINATION: Checking vaccination rates:
*82 percent of all King County residents have completed the initial series (up .2% from a week ago)
*86.6 percent of all King County residents ages 5 and up have completed the initial series (up .1% from a week ago)
*51.9 percent of all King County residents have had the initial series plus a booster (up .1% from a week ago)

*In West Seattle, here are the vaccination rates by ZIP code for ages 5 and up (reminder, 98106 and 98146 are not wholly within WS):
98106 – 88.9% completed initial series (up .1% from a week earlier), 56% have had a booster (up .2%)
98116 – 93.7% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 68.2% have had a booster (up .2%)
98126 – 84.5% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 58.1% have had a booster (up .1%)
98136 – 94.5% completed initial series (up .1% from a week earlier), 71.3% have had a booster (up .2%)
98146 – 83.7% completed initial series (unchanged from a week earlier), 50.3% have had a booster (up .1%)

VACCINE CLINICS: A vaccination pop-up is scheduled for August 31st at Delridge Library, all ages … Look for other opportunities here.

TESTING: If you want to get tested and don’t have or want to get a home kit, public testing sites include the city-supported site at Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex (2801 SW Thistle, 9 am-5:30 pm Monday-Saturday this week) and the Curative kiosk at Don Armeni Boat Ramp (1220 Harbor SW, 9 am-3 pm Monday-Friday this week). … If you need to report self-test results, that’s explained on this page.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Stolen black Nissan pickup (update: found); package theft; two court cases

August 7, 2022 9:17 pm

| 13 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle news

In West Seattle Crime Watch tonight, two reader reports and two court cases. First, the reader reports:

STOLEN PICKUP TRUCK: The photo and report are from Omar:

New West Seattle resident here. Less than a month and my truck is already stolen off Avalon. The truck is a 1995 Nissan Truck XE in black with a chrome grille and KC lights.

The plate in the photo is NOT the one on the truck now – its current plates are C99327Y. (MONDAY UPDATE: Thanks to the commenter who spotted it. Omar says he has it back.)

PACKAGE TAKEN: The video and report are from Mike:

Anyone else reporting this idiot? Hope he enjoys the 40 pounds of cat litter… :(

I’m on 9th Ave SW between Thistle and Elmgrove. This was today at 3:30 pm.

And from the court files, we have two West Seattle cases in which the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has filed charges:

CAR-THEFT SUSPECT INTERPRETS 72-HOUR RULE: 33-year-old Jaime Verdugo-Torres is charged with motor-vehicle theft for allegedly stealing a Jeep Wrangler from the former Seattle Lutheran High School parking lot at 41st/Genesee. Police arrested him July 28th after detecting via Automated License Plate Reader that he was driving a stolen vehicle. After he parked it on Puget Ridge, they stopped him when he got out of the truck, and the charging documents continue:

Verdugo-Torres went on to say the vehicle had been parked in a private parking lot for several days, so he looked up the abandoned vehicle laws in Seattle and said his interpretation of that law was that since the vehicle had been parked, and seemingly unattended for over three days, he could take possession of the Jeep.

He has another auto-theft-related case pending, and a theft conviction, and remains in jail in lieu of $20,000 bail.

SHOPLIFT-TURNED-ROBBERY: 26-year-old Thomas J. Joo is charged with second-degree robbery for a July 29th incident at the Westwood Village QFC. Charging documents say store staff confronted Joo as he tried to walk out with three bags of frozen shrimp without paying for them. Prosecutors say Joo “pulled out a bloody needle, uncapped it, pointed it towards (the employee), and said ‘If you come near me, I’ll stab you’.” The employee backed off; Joo left, and police found him nearby, allegedly still in possession of the stolen shrimp (valued at $75), plus “several used syringes.” The charging documents say Joo has no known record. He remains in jail in lieu of $10,000 bail.

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THURSDAY: Jake Prendez @ Words, Writers, & Southwest Stories on ‘The Art of Rebellion: Social Justice and Chicana/Chicano Visual Arts’

August 7, 2022 8:05 pm

| Comments Off on THURSDAY: Jake Prendez @ Words, Writers, & Southwest Stories on ‘The Art of Rebellion: Social Justice and Chicana/Chicano Visual Arts’

| West Seattle history | West Seattle news | WS culture/arts

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society is bringing back its speaker series Words, Writers, & Southwest Stories, this Thursday (August 11) with Jake Prendez, artist and proprietor of Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in South Delridge. Here’s the announcement:

The Art of Rebellion: Social Justice and Chicana/Chicano Visual Arts

‘Words, Writers, & Southwest Stories,’ a speaker series of the Southwest Seattle Historical Society, is excited to announce that it is hosting Jake Prendez for a live Zoom presentation on Thursday, August 11 at 6:00 PM. Prendez will deliver a presentation titled “The Art of Rebellion: Social Justice and Chicana/Chicano Visual Arts.” Registration is required. Register here.

How has art has been used to mobilize communities and disseminate messages of social justice? Is art just a commodity that is only accessible to the elite? How has the idea of “art for the people” shifted the way we look at art?

In this talk, Chicano artist Jake Prendez traces the history of social-justice art, from the rise of Mexican muralism to its influence on American artwork from the civil-rights era and the modern era. Explore how the means of production and new technologies made art accessible worldwide, and join Prendez as he deconstructs his own artwork to show how it relates to this greater narrative.

Jake Prendez (he/him) is a renowned Chicano artist, and the owner and co-director of Nepantla Cultural Arts Gallery in West Seattle. His work is an amalgamation of his life experiences — a representation of his Chicano background and a reflection of his time living in both Seattle and Los Angeles.

This program is part of the Humanities Washington Speakers Bureau. The Historical Society is grateful to Humanities Washington for their support. This talk is also made possible by the support of our partner The Seattle Public Library and our sponsors 4Culture, The City of Seattle Arts & Culture, Luna Park Cafe, Alki Beach Academy, and HomeStreet Bank.

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UPDATE: ‘Humongous’ sighting at Lowman Beach

August 7, 2022 7:25 pm

| 37 COMMENTS

| West Seattle beaches | West Seattle news | Wildlife

7:25 PM: The photo is from Caroline, who spotted that on Lowman Beach and wonders what it is: “It’s humongous! And so amazing with the colors and textures.” She and other beachgoers have been keeping it wet while the tide rolls back in, but they’re wondering what it is. We don’t recognize it; tried Google Search By Image, and while it suggests possibly a jellyfish relative, no definitive ID via photos. Do YOU know what it is?

9:22 PM: Consensus in comments seems to be that it’s an upside-down lion’s-mane jellyfish, so we’ve updated the headline.

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BIRDS: From river to sea to trees

August 7, 2022 5:19 pm

| 5 COMMENTS

| West Seattle news | Wildlife

In the fall, we often feature bird-photo galleries on Seahawks game days. Today, it’s in honor of the end of the Seafair airshow.

While at Duwamish River People’s Park for the festival on Saturday, we photographed the Osprey nest atop a pole in the middle of the habitat-restoration zone. Steve Bender sent this photo of the mom and chick two weeks ago:

At Lincoln Park, Vincent Marx photographed two young male Bald Eagles:

Then there’s the majesty of the birds that share our neighborhoods day to day – Chi Krneta photographed these Crows (one fully leucistic) in July:

Troy Sterk sent this photo of a young Crow a few days ago:

Speaking of young, Jerry Simmons photographed a Steller’s Jay feeding chicks in June:

Ann Anderson photographed a baby Bushtit – and if you know how small Bushtits are, imagine how little their babies must be!

Last but not least, a Great Blue Heron with a catch, photographed by Dianne Johnson:

Thanks to everyone who’s sent bird photos – with Seahawks season almost here, we’ll likely be back to publishing galleries every few weeks, depending on what comes in.

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DEVELOPMENT: 4448 California gets final Southwest Design Review Board approval

August 7, 2022 3:01 pm

| 84 COMMENTS

| Development | West Seattle news

(Rendering by Atelier Drome)

Without many big projects in the pipeline, meetings of the Southwest Design Review Board – which could meet up to twice a month, with up to two projects on each agenda – have been few and far between. In an online meeting Thursday night, the all-volunteer board took its third look at 4448 California SW, the mixed-use project set to replace the commercial building that currently holds Doll Parts Collective and a new temporary location of West Seattle Coworking. The 7-story building is proposed for 96 apartments – described by the project team as “a mix of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom, and 3-bedroom” units – and ground-floor commercial, with no offstreet-parking spaces.

The board has had some changes since its second look at the project in November; Patrick Cobb is now the chair, and two of the other three members in attendance were new – Brenda Baxter and Gavin Schaefer. Of the two continuing members, Alan Grainger was present and Johanna Lirman was absent. The city planner assigned to the project also has changed since the November review; now it’s David Sachs.

Here’s the design packet used for the meeting. There were no major remaining points of concern, and the only public comment that came in during the meeting was positive. It was noted that some written comments had been received pre-meeting about aspects outside the SWDRB’s jurisdiction – including parking and density. Board members observed that the architects from Atelier Drome had revised the design in accordance with guidance given by the board in November. They spelled out five points they want to see addressed before the final design gets official city approval. Those include differentiating the residential entry from the commercial entry and signage; they were concerned the commercial signage would get lost under the awning, and pointed to signage on the edge of the awning at the nearby AJ Apartments as an example of how that problem could be avoided. Another focus area is the bicycle-storage room access, ensuring lighting and security.

WHAT’S NEXT: If you have comments about the project – design or otherwise – you still have time to email Sachs (david.sachs@seattle.gov). He’ll write the final report on the project, and it still has other phases of the permit process to go through before construction can begin.

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WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Businesses burglarized

August 7, 2022 11:05 am

| 2 COMMENTS

| Crime | West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

The proprietors of adjoining Youngstown Coffee and HeartBeet Organic Superfood Café in Morgan Junction emailed to say they were burglarized early this morning – “Cash and iPhones and iPads stolen and damage to Youngstown’s front door.” They say security video recorded the burglar but may not be of much use because he was fairly well covered; they describe him as white, male, thin, 5’8″, in a blue hoodie and hat, wearing a medical face mask. Despite having to deal with the burglary’s aftermath, the businesses – which also have been deeply involved with community events – are open. How can you help? “The best way is to just come get some coffee, food, and smoothies. We so appreciate the support!”

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YOU CAN HELP: Dine-out fundraiser today for Seattle Badgers’ trip to Gay Softball World Series

August 7, 2022 10:48 am

| 1 COMMENT

| How to help | West Seattle news | WS & Sports

Also happening today in addition to what’s on our preview list: A dine-out fundraiser at Lady Jaye in The Junction for the Seattle Badgers D-division team’s trip to the 2022 Gay Softball World Series.

The team has five players and two coaches who live in West Seattle. The GSWS is in Dallas this year, starting later this month, and the Badgers are fundraising to help cover travel costs. Lady Jaye is one of their sponsors and today the restaurant/bar is donating a percentage of proceeds to the Badgers. Dining hours are 2-8 pm but you can also buy gift cards or meat-shop merchandise at LJ now through 8 pm to be part of the fundraiser. Lady Jaye is at 4523 California SW. The Badgers play in the Emerald City Softball league.

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Date set for Celebration of Life event remembering Dennis Ross

August 7, 2022 9:31 am

| 1 COMMENT

| Obituaries | West Seattle news

When we published this remembrance of longtime Admiral community advocate Dennis Ross in June, the date for the celebration of his life hadn’t yet been set. Now it has. Here’s the announcement:

A celebration of Dennis Ross’s life will be held at Hamilton Viewpoint Park (1120 California Way SW) on August 27 from 2-4 pm. Please RSVP to bill54ross@gmail.com so we can have enough picnic food and drinks for all! And all who knew and befriended Dennis are welcome!

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Here’s what’s happening (and not) on your West Seattle Sunday

August 7, 2022 6:34 am

| 1 COMMENT

| West Seattle news | WS miscellaneous

(Photo by Gary Pro)

Mostly from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, here’s what’s happening today:

TRAFFIC ALERTS: Here’s what SDOT has going today:
-16th/Cambridge, working to update curb bulbs and curb ramps.8 am-5 pm
-Olson/Roxbury, cleaning the parking strips and medians 6 am04 pm, planning to “begin on Olson Place SW where we will close a single eastbound lane and proceed to SW Roxbury St, where we will close a single westbound lane.”
-21st/Genesee, grinding pavement to prepare for repainting the street mural.

PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT: Starting at 8 am and continuing all day, spectators welcome but playing spots are filled for the second annual West Seattle Pickleball Classic at Walt Hundley Playfield (34th & Myrtle).

CHURCHES WITH ONLINE SERVICES: We’re continuing to list these – see today’s list here.

FOOD DRIVE: Donate non-perishable food at Admiral Church (4320 SW Hill) today, 10 am-12:30 pm.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the market is open with peak summer produce as well as flowers, cheese, fish, meat, baked goods, condiments, prepared food, and more, California SW between Oregon and Alaska.

FREE PERSONAL SAFETY TRAINING: 11 am online – our calendar listing explains how to register.

LINCOLN PARK WADING POOL: With sunny and hot weather expected, the wading pool will be open in central upper Lincoln Park (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW), noon-7 pm.

COLMAN POOL: The outdoor pool on the Lincoln Park shore (8011 Fauntleroy Way SW) is back open to the public, noon-7 pm.

LOG HOUSE MUSEUM: The Southwest Seattle Historical Society museum< is open on Alki, and you can visit noon-4 pm, (61st/Stevens)

NO ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE TOURS TODAY: This week’s tours are canceled because U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteers are busy supporting Seafair.

‘HERE THERE BE DRAGONS’: 3 pm matinee at ArtsWest (4711 California SW; WSB sponsor) for the one-woman musical. Tickets here.

BLUE ANGELS: One last performance, again planned to start shortly after 3 pm. Here’s our Saturday story, with today’s airshow schedule.

MUSICAL BENEFIT AT C & P COFFEE: Starting at 2 pm, 11 musicians perform in a benefit show at C & P Coffee Company raising money for education in Sierra Leone. (5612 California SW; WSB sponsor).

NEED FOOD? White Center Community Dinner Church serves a free meal (take-away available) at 5 pm Sundays at the Salvation Army Center in South Delridge (9050 16th SW).

MEDITATION AND MORE: Kundalini Yoga, Meditation, Gong Bath at Solstice Park (7400 Fauntleroy Way SW) with Inner Alchemy, 7-8:30 pm.

SUNDAY NIGHT JAZZ: Triangular Jazztet at The Alley (4509 California SW), 8 pm and 9 pm sets.

SUNDAY NIGHT KARAOKE: 9 pm to 1:30 am at Admiral Pub (2306 California SW).

Have an event to list for our calendar? Please email westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

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