CORONAVIRUS: Sunday 5/24 roundup

With one week left until the current expiration date for the stay-home order, here’s our nightly roundup:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*7,819 people have tested positive, up 55 from yesterday

*540 people have died, up 2 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 7,480 and 522.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.

WHAT’S OPEN/WHAT’S CLOSED? Not that tomorrow’s forecast sounds much like park weather, but if you need a refresher on Seattle Parks closures, here you go.

CEREMONY NO, POPPIES YES: Despite the pandemic, one Memorial Day tradition will carry on tomorrow.

INSPIRATION: Lisa sent this photo of inspiring words in the window at Barre3:

(That’s the same place this window mural turned up last month.)

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

MEMORIAL DAY 2020: ‘Taps Across America’

(WSB photo: Flags on graves at Forest Lawn)

Though Memorial Day will happen without the traditional ceremonies this year, here’s a way to pay tribute, if you play brass – “Taps Across America.’ We hadn’t heard about this until mentions in email and via Twitter tonight. Steve Hartman of CBS News came up with the idea – inviting people to play “Taps” at 3 pm local time tomorrow, wherever they are. If you can record it, you’re invited to send it to him (see the end of this story) – and we’d be happy to feature you here too (westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302)!

LOST OR DUMPED? Roadside suitcase

May 24, 2020 6:42 pm
|    Comments Off on LOST OR DUMPED? Roadside suitcase
 |   Seen around town | West Seattle news

Barbara spotted that open suitcase by the road on the east side of the 6500 block of Beach Drive SW. She didn’t have a pic so we went by for one. Due to traffic, we couldn’t take a closer look, but she saw a tag with an address in the 12300 block of Marine View Drive (which is n Burien), so if you know anyone in that area, you might ask if they’ve heard of someone missing a suitcase…

FRIDAY: Next chance to talk with your city councilmember

Got a question or comment for City Councilmember Lisa Herbold? She’s still keeping monthly “office hours” – right now, online/by phone, because of the stay-home order. Lots of hot topics, too – the bridge, the pandemic response, public safety (since that’s the committee she chairs), more. Her next “office hours” are 3 pm-6 pm this Friday (May 29th); since “walk-in” doesn’t work online, you need to set an appointment via her staffer Alex Clardy – email alex.clardy@seattle.gov. Future dates are listed at the end of her latest weekly newsletter. (WSB photo: CM Herbold photographing bridge during April 14th tour)

WEST SEATTLE LIGHT RAIL: ‘Guiding principles’ survey; new line name

(Sound Transit map of what’s being studied – see full-size version here in PDF)

The planning for West Seattle’s light-rail line, due to launch in 2030, continues. Two notes:

‘GUIDING PRINCIPLES” SURVEY: The city Department of Neighborhoods has been helping Sound Transit with “outreach” related to parts of the planning process. We just discovered (while scanning the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s email newsletter) that the city has a survey open, to find out if you agree with the “guiding principles” it’s developed. Go here to participate.

LINE NAMES: In case you missed the announcement in April (we did), ST is renaming its lines with numbers, including yet-to-be-built lines like West Seattle to Ballard, which will become “the 3-Line.”

P.S. Sound Transit’s board continues its regular meetings, online – next one is Thursday (May 28th) afternoon; here’s the agenda.

BIZNOTES: Click! Design That Fits ‘window shopping’; Glow Medispa reopening

May 24, 2020 11:27 am
|    Comments Off on BIZNOTES: Click! Design That Fits ‘window shopping’; Glow Medispa reopening
 |   West Seattle businesses | West Seattle news

Two business updates todayL

CLICK! DESIGN THAT FITS: The longtime WSB sponsor at 4540 California SW has curbside shopping, so here are a few updates you might want to know:

WINDOW SHOPPING

We’ve got a brand new window display for the first time in a long time and boy does it feel good.

Both window installations are 100% shop-able. If you see something you love while walking by, scan the QR codes or visit the “Main Window” and “South Window” collections from our homepage.

(They’re not exactly in the window but you should know we just received a new skincare line, including spray sanitizers.)

SALE

Check out our brand spankin’ new Sale section online and score some serious savings. Sale is for online, phone, email and DM orders (we do not have in-store shopping at this time). We are definitely available to answer questions and if we’re at the shop, can even show items through the window while on the phone, 206-328-9252.

CURBSIDE SHOPPING

While we’re not “open” in the traditional sense just yet, we’re glad to have our crew back in place, working regular hours for deep cleaning, curbside pickups and local deliveries.

Having our team back means that our turnaround times have gotten quicker — in most cases, orders will be ready same day (or very early the next!).

Through next Sunday (May 31st), hours for Click! at curbside are noon-2 pm and 5-7 pm weekdays (except Memorial Day, which will be noon-2 pm only), noon-2 pm weekends. They deliver in West Seattle two to three times weekly, usually Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays in the early afternoon. For updates on hours beyond that, check here.

GLOW MEDISPA REOPENING: With medical and dental practices cleared to reopen for non-urgent services, Dr. Kate Dee is reopening her offices in The Junction (4409 California SW, starting tomorrow) and Kirkland. Glow has resumed online appointment-booking. In line with state rules for reopening, they have a variety of safety protocols in place, from staggered appointment times to mask-wearing for patients and providers. Dr. Dee adds in a message to clients, “Though it will be a long time before anything feels truly normal, we hope that we can inch toward that goal. I sincerely hope you all have stayed healthy. And just know we really want to give you a big hug, as we greet you with a bow.”

Got business news? Email is the best way to reach us, westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

WEST SEATTLE SUNDAY: 24 churches’ online services; Farmers’ Market; more…

(American Goldfinch, photographed by Mark Wangerin)

Welcome to Sunday, as Memorial Day weekend continues. We begin our list of what’s happening with the updated list of West Seattle churches’ online services:

ADMIRAL UCC: The video service is here. Also – follow that link for 11:15 am sermon talkback and 11:45 am coffee hour.

ALKI UCC: 10 am online service, via Zoominfo and link on church’s home page.

ALL SOULS SEATTLE (WSB sponsor): Online worship will be linked here at 10 am.

ARBOR HEIGHTS COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 10 am.

BETHANY COMMUNITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 8 am, 9:30 am, 11 am, 7 pm.

CALVARY CHAPEL: Service will be viewable here, plus 11 am fellowship via Zoom, 6 pm all-church prayer and 7 pm evening worship (info on home page).

EASTRIDGE CHURCH: Livestreaming here at 9 am and 11 am.

FAUNTLEROY UCC: Livestreaming on the church’s YouTube channel at 10 am.

FIRST LUTHERAN CHURCH OF WEST SEATTLE: Today’s online liturgy is here.

GRACE CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10:30 am.

HALLOWS CHURCH: Streaming at 10 am via the church’s YouTube channel.

HOLY FAMILY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming in English at 8:30 am, en Español at 10 am, all here.

HOLY ROSARY CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming at 9:30 am here.

HOPE LUTHERAN: Today’s worship service and children’s story are viewable here.

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE CATHOLIC CHURCH: Livestreaming at 10 am, both here.

PEACE LUTHERAN: Livestreaming at 10:30 am on YouTube.

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Viewable on YouTube: All Ages Sunday School at 10 am, Morning Prayer at 10:15 am (here’s today’s bulletin), Kids’ Club at 11:30 am.

TIBBETTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH (WSB sponsor): The video service for today is viewable here (and today’s bulletin/order of worship is here).

TRINITY CHURCH: Livestreaming here, 10 am.

WEST SEATTLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH: The video service is viewable here.

WEST SEATTLE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE: Livestreaming here, 11 am.

WEST SIDE PRESBYTERIAN Livestreaming at 10 am on the church’s YouTube channel.

WESTSIDE UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CONGREGATION: Livestreaming via Zoom, 10:30 am.

WESTWOOD CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY: Online worship at 11 am; info here.

Any other churches to add? Please email us – westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!

Also today:

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: 10 am-2 pm, the fourth market after almost two months without one. Enter at California/Alaska; the line goes east on Alaska, then north on 42nd. Here’s the info on policies and procedures; here’s the vendor/product list for this week.

FOOD-DONATION DRIVE: 10 am-4 pm outside Alki UCChere’s what they need. (6115 SW Hinds)

WEST SEATTLE TOOL LIBRARY: Open 11 am-4 pm – need a tool to fix or improve something? (4408 Delridge Way SW)

FREE TO-GO DINNER: High Point Community Dinner Church will serve to-go meals at 5 pm, outside, near High Point Community Center. (6920 34th SW)

WEST SEATTLE BRIDGE CLOSURE: What’s up, 2 months later

=(Photo courtesy Kevin Freitas, originally published on Twitter)

Two months ago tonight, on March 23rd, the West Seattle Bridge was closed because of collapse concerns, with only a few hours’ warning to the public. Will it ever reopen? The city has yet to announce whether it considers the bridge fixable. Here’s a quick look at some of what’s been happening in the meantime:

MAYOR ASSEMBLING COMMUNITY TASK FORCE: Earlier this month, as reported here, the District 1 Community Network suggested a stakeholders’ group of some sort was needed, to be sure the community has a voice in key decisions. Multiple sources have confirmed to WSB that Mayor Durkan is doing exactly that. Who’s on it, and what it’ll be charged with, we don’t know yet; we asked the mayor’s office for comment when we got first word of this, but no answers yet.

OTHER GROUPS: The West Seattle Chamber of Commerce also has a committee focused on the bridge closure, and the new community coalition West Seattle Bridge Now continues ramping up.

BUT WHAT’S HAPPENING *ON* THE BRIDGE? Monitoring instrumentation has been installed, and a three-scenario emergency-response plan spells out what happens if those instruments – or the daily inspections – show it’s on the verge of collapse. To try to avoid that, stabilization work is planned; SDOT announced the contractor for that three weeks ago.

GETTING AROUND WITHOUT THE BRIDGE: SDOT is working on neighborhood-specific traffic plans, which director Sam Zimbabwe says will be ready – at least in draft version – in early June.

WHERE TO GET UPDATES: SDOT has a catch-all page for its bridge updates and background info, here; all our 50+ bridge-related reports dating back to the closure announcement is archived here.

CORONAVIRUS: Saturday 5/23 roundup

May 23, 2020 9:22 pm
|    Comments Off on CORONAVIRUS: Saturday 5/23 roundup
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle news

Here are the toplines in our daily roundup:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary data dashboard:

*7,764 people have tested positive, up 67 from yesterday

*538 people have died, up 1 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 7,440 and 520.

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: More than 5.3 million people have tested positive. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, Russia, United Kingdom, Spain. See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.

MORE COUNTIES MOVE TO PHASE 2: Seven more counties got state approval today to move to Phase 2 of the reopening plan – that’s 21 in all, with 3 others eligible to apply.

WHAT ABOUT KING COUNTY? It wouldn’t qualify any time soon under current criteria, The Seattle Times reports – but stay tuned for updates next week.

HELPING: Big response today to Admiral Church‘s first Saturday food drive – David Pelton sent a pic, with words of thanks:

I loved what Marylou Santee our food drive coordinator said today—“We live in a generous community of kind people.”

And as noted this morning, the next every-other-Sunday food drive outside Alki UCC is tomorrow.

WEST SEATTLE FARMERS’ MARKET: It’s back tomorrow, 10 am-2 pm, same configuration as the past three Sundays. Here’s the list of vendors and what they’re selling.

CELEBRATORY PARADE ON WHEELS: They’ve been happening for a variety of occasions. In Fauntleroy today, first one we’ve heard of that honored a West Seattleite receiving a national award!

GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!

WHALE-WATCHING: Humpback northbound off West Seattle

7:19 PM: Two tips in the past ~20 minutes report a whale northbound off west-facing West Seattle, toward Fauntleroy at last report. No report yet what species. Let us know if you see it!

7:45 PM: Humpback, says tipster Scott.

7:51 PM: Just got a call from Donna Sandstrom of The Whale Trail, who says it’s a juvenile humpback, moving quickly, should be off Alki Point soon.

VIDEO: Surprise celebration for Dr. Stephen Plymate’s national award

Huge surprise this afternoon for physician and researcher Stephen Plymate, MD, as he returned to his home near Lincoln Park after a walk. Family and friends surprised him with a classic coronavirus-era celebration – a drive-by parade in honor of a national award he’s just won.

Dr. Plymate, who has worked at the UW and the Puget Sound VA for about 20 years, is the 2020 recipient of the Middleton Award, granted annually to a VA scientist for “outstanding scientific contributions and achievements in the areas of biomedical and bio-behavioral research relevant to the health care of Veterans.” As his wife Dr. Lisa Plymate explains, he “is the 4th physician to be granted this award from the Puget Sound VA in the 58 years it has been given out. He’s the first, however, to have his awards ceremony, usually held in D.C. with great fanfare, thwarted by a virus.” But family and friends weren’t going to let the virus preclude a parade, which we recorded on video:

The pandemic has kept Lisa Plymate on the east coast, so, she explains, “Steve’s Tacoma daughter Corinne worked hard to organize this surprise. She contacted his lab and colleagues plus family and friends.”

Along with his work for the Veterans Administration, Stephen Plymate is also a veteran himself, a retired U.S. Army Colonel. A local veterans’ advocate, Seattle Police Lt. Steve Strand, led today’s parade, in his dress uniform:

Pre-parade, as he walked unsuspectingly up the street, Dr. Plymate was serenaded by one of his neighbors, tenor José Iñiguez from Encanto Arts – we caught a bit of that on video too:

More about Dr. Plymate’s accomplishments, from his wife: He “is professor of endocrinology in the Department of Medicine and director of Prostate Cancer Endocrinology as well as a founding member of the Institute for Prostate Cancer Research at the UW and Fred Hutchison. His work has focused on prostate cancer and its treatment for over 25 years. He has over 300 publications in peer-reviewed journals and is internationally known for his work,” which she says he continues to do about “80 hours per week” in addition to remaining “an avid skier and bicyclist.”

Lisa Plymate adds, “Steve’s 12-year-old granddaughter Liora compiled a montage of congratulatory videos sent by family members and colleagues from around the world. This is also a surprise he will be able to watch after the parade. The entire Plymate clan thanks all the scientists, friends, and neighbors who have helped us put this together in his honor. And they’re grateful for this bit of excitement during our stay-at-home era!”

ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE: Tours suspended indefinitely

May 23, 2020 3:12 pm
|    Comments Off on ALKI POINT LIGHTHOUSE: Tours suspended indefinitely
 |   Coronavirus | West Seattle history | West Seattle news

(2015 photo by Long Bach Nguyen)

Usually, Memorial Day weekend would mark the start of tour season at historic Alki Point Lighthouse. Not this year. Just received from Debra Alderman of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary:

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the Coast Guard Auxiliary has not been given permission to offer public access and tours at the Alki Point Lighthouse during summer 2020 until further notice. Check www.cgauxseattle.org or the lighthouse’s Facebook page for updates, Questions can be sent via email: alkilighthouse@cgauxseattle.org

Meantime, you can learn about the lighthouse’s history here.

YOU CAN HELP: Donation drives at Admiral Church today, Alki UCC tomorrow

May 23, 2020 1:03 pm
|    Comments Off on YOU CAN HELP: Donation drives at Admiral Church today, Alki UCC tomorrow
 |   Coronavirus | How to help | West Seattle news

If you can donate food (and/or other staples), you have two opportunities this weekend:

OUTSIDE ADMIRAL CHURCH: Just under way, the first of six food-donation drives outside Admiral UCC Church (4320 SW Hill), 1-4 pm. As previewed here, they’re collecting “non-perishable and canned food, pet food and cat litter, baking supplies, seasonings and herbs, and bagged fresh produce or home-grown organic vegetables.”

OUTSIDE ALKI UCC: Happening tomorrow at 6115 SW Hinds:

Thanks to our community’s continuing generosity, Alki United Church of Christ is once again accepting donations outside our building for an In-Person, Socially-Distanced Food Drive at 6115 SW Hinds this Sunday, May 24 from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Contributions of non-perishable food and other items are distributed via the White Center Food Bank; top requests include Canned Meat/Soup/Fruit (pop‐top cans preferred), Rice, Noodles, Peanut Butter, Oats, Toilet Paper, Diapers, Similac Formula, Cleaning Supplies, Hand Sanitizer, and Baby Wipes.

The drive benefits our vulnerable neighbors in need, those who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. The food drives continue every other Sunday until further notice.

HISTORY: Southwest Seattle Historical Society workshop will help you with yours

May 23, 2020 11:49 am
|    Comments Off on HISTORY: Southwest Seattle Historical Society workshop will help you with yours
 |   West Seattle history | West Seattle news | West Seattle online

The Southwest Seattle Historical Society wants to help you with YOUR history. Next Thursday, you’re invited to learn about how to ensure your family photos aren’t lost to time:

Join us on May 28th for a live workshop on digitizing your family photos. Have you wanted to scan your photos but don’t know where to start? Ever wondered about the best format to save pictures in? Or how to organize your photo files? Collections Manager Rachel Regelein will walk you through the steps from selecting and scanning images to the aftercare needed to manage and preserve your family photos for future generations! There will be a chance for you to get your digital preservation questions answered and access a downloadable reference guide for you to get started digitizing your photos. Register here.

The workshop will be at 5 pm, and as you’ll see when you click through to the registration page, the cost is a “pay what you can” donation to SWSHS.

NEED FOOD? Donated meals available today at KBM Seattle

Again this week, KBM Seattle and some of its chefs are making free meals available to anyone in need. Keith Mathewson sent the update for this afternoon/evening:

This week’s donation is headed up by The Roll Pod Indian Food Trucks and Bellevue restaurant. The menu is curried chicken with vegetables and spiced rice. Meals will be handed out between 4 pm and 6 pm Saturday.

By (tonight) the members of the kitchen will have made and donated over 4,500 meals. It appears that the number of people coming for meals is dropping from a high of 1200 meals per donation to between 500 to 600; however, the people who do come appear to be in greater need. The line now begins about one hour before we open. I am assuming that some people have been able to return to work but for the ones who haven’t, things are getting worse. We intend to continue for as long as I can finance the program; our costs are about $1.50 to $2/person. If you are not impacted and wish to help, I would like to encourage you to consider donating to the fund, no matter the amount.

Anyone who is impacted is welcome to come; no questions will be asked.

KBM is at 5604 Delridge Way SW. And a reminder, some of the KBM-based businesses are also selling from a streetfront window, listed on our ongoing West Seattle list.

GROCERY SHOPPING: West Seattle notes

We start the weekend with our 10th Saturday-morning update on West Seattle’s standalone grocery stores:

QFC ADDS HOURS AGAIN: For a second week, QFC stores (including the 2 in West Seattle) are expanding their hours – now open 7 am-11 pm, with an hour for senior/elevate-risk shoppers 7 am-8 am weekdays.

MET MARKET ADDS HOURS: Also expanding hours, Metropolitan Market in Admiral, now open 8 am-11 pm with a daily 7-8 am hour for senior/elevated-risk shoppers.

THRIFTWAY PICKUP UPDATE: Monday, no curbside pickup service at West Seattle Thriftway (WSB sponsor) because of the Memorial Day holiday. Otherwise, it’s available every weekday.

That’s the info we’ve found this time; we’ve updated the hours on our original list. What are you seeing at local stores?

WEST SEATTLE SCENES: 6 views

Friday ended on the gray side. So we’ll start the holiday weekend with some views shared by your West Seattle neighbors earlier in the week:

Some beautiful sunsets – above is Theresa Arbow O’Connor‘s photo from Thursday night; below, Lynn Hall‘s photo from Monday night:

Tuesday night, Nicole Neufeld recorded this timelapse:

And three views with vessels:

Above, John Hinkey photographed a barge in a sunbreak Tuesday night; below, David Hutchinson noted an outbound cargo ship with the Olympic Mountains as a post-sunset backdrop Friday night:

And Dan Keller caught the fireboat’s show off Alki on Wednesday:

Thanks again to everyone!

CORONAVIRUS: Friday 5/22 roundup

As we end the 12th week since King County’s first confirmed COVID-19 case was announced, here’s our nightly roundup:

NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:

*7,697 people have tested positive, up 52 from yesterday

*537 people have died, up 3 from yesterday

One week ago, those totals were 7,360 and 516.

4 MORE DEATHS AT THE MOUNT: One of the county’s dashboards includes data on long-term-care facilities, updated weekly. On that dashboard is a list of King County facilities with five or more deaths attributed to COVID-19. One West Seattle facility is on this list – Providence Mount St. Vincent, with 6. (Last direct update we received from The Mount was four weeks ago, when they announced 2 deaths.)

STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.

WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.

NEW WEST SEATTLE TESTING SITE: According to this King County Public Health testing-site list, the UW Mobile Clinic will do COVID-19 testing at South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) on Fridays starting next week (May 29th). No other details; we’ll be following up next week.

NATIONAL GUARD STAYING OR GOING? A bit of a battle in “the other Washington” over whether the feds will keep funding the National Guard‘s pandemic deployment past late June. In our area, Guard members are helping out at food banks, like this group we photographed earlier this week at the White Center Food Bank:

Gov. Inslee sent a letter today imploring the Trump Administration to let the Guard members keep helping until late July.

GETTING READY TO GRADUATE: A special event today for the West Seattle High School Class of 2020.

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

WEST SEATTLE CRIME WATCH: Another car thief on camera

The photos and report are from Ron:

My 1999 Honda CR-V was stolen early AM on Thursday morning (3:55 am) from Village Square Condominium complex directly across from Westwood Village. We were able to obtain fairly good photos of him. Really upset about this – the vehicle has been stolen more than once and regrettably the alarm and other potential (prevention) measures were yet to be implemented.

Color of vehicle is Navy blue (Honda calls it “Midnight Pearl Blue”). It has stock alloy wheels and brand new Michelin tires. The car was in great shape for its age and hopefully still is.

(Updated) Plate #009-YQY; report # is 20-167310. Call 911 if you see Ron’s car.

FOLLOWUP: Demolition planned at Orchard Street Ravine expansion site

In summer 2018, we reported on the city’s plan to expand the Seattle Parks-owned area of Orchard Street Ravine by buying 7137 38th SW, a 5,600-square-foot parcel (map) holding the century-plus-old house shown in the King County Assessor photo above. Today, Parks announced it will be tearing down the house soon:

Seattle Parks and Recreation is moving forward with the structure demolition in the Orchard Street Ravine at 7137 38th Ave. SW. SPR purchased the property in 2018 to increase the green space in the Orchard Street Ravine, a natural area and important green space connector for the West Seattle community.

Watterson Excavating will be working in late May to demolish the structure on site. Between May and September, the Seattle Conservation Corps will put in erosion control measures and hydroseed the site. The property was purchased with community support and funding provided by the Seattle Park District.

In 2018, the city said the purchase price would be $235,000 (records verify that’s what was paid), and that it expected additional costs of $25,000 for “staff time, title insurance, and closing cost,” plus “up to $100,000 for demolition of the house.”

VIDEO: Celebrating West Seattle High School’s Class of 2020

(WSB photos unless otherwise credited)

Even without traditional commencement ceremonies, the Class of 2020 is graduating, and that’s what an event outside West Seattle High School this afternoon was all about.

It was a drive-up/walk-up event to pick up caps and gowns.

Seniors and families were cheered as they drove through the lot:

(Video courtesy Clay Eals)

Students were reminded to vote for the Senior Class Awards, too:

Among the staff and volunteers there to cheer the seniors, WSHS principal Brian Vance:

In lieu of the usual gatherings, the district is arranging virtual events. In the meantime, you can also cheer grads in your neighborhood – look for yard signs –

(Reader photo via text)

P.S. Cap-and-gown pickup for Chief Sealth International High School is set for next Wednesday.

FOOD/DRINK NOTES: Holiday weekend and beyond

3 food/drink notes for Memorial Day weekend and beyond (in addition to our ongoing food-and-beverage-businesses list):

GRILL-AT-HOME SPECIAL: Getaways might be out of the question, but – depending on the weather – you might mull grilling. Toward that end, Phoenecia in The Junction (4717 42nd SW) is offering a grill-at-home dinner for 2, available Sunday & Monday, $59 – four courses including warm pita with a trio of spreads, Lebanese Malfouf Salad, a trio of kabobs, and berry cheesecake. Text 206-250-5482 to pre-order. (Anybody else with Memorial Day specials? Let us know!)

TAT’S TRUCK ADDS A DAY: As reported back on Tuesday, Tat’s Truck will launch weekend visits at Hans VW Repair (35th/Graham) this weekend. Since that first report, they’ve decided to be there Sundays as well as Saturdays.

DONATION DAY AT OUNCES: Happening the day after Memorial Day, at Ounces (3809 Delridge Way SW):

Buy beer and food to-go and help those in need!

On Tuesday, May 26th from 4-7 pm, we ask you to bring your business to Ounces so we can all come together and support the West Seattle Food Bank.

On this day, both Ounces & Beanfish Food Truck will donate 10% of all sales back to the West Seattle Food Bank. Not only will you be supporting local business, but you can help feed others in our community as well!

Want to help more?! Bring your canned good donations to Ounces and we’ll deliver them to the food bank!

We understand not everyone is comfortable venturing out at this time, therefore we are also including any sales to our online website or digital gift card purchases made on this day.

Online orders: www.ouncestogo.com

Gift Cards: https://squareup.com/gift/RNSWKQ738D2BG/order

Specials? Changes? Reopenings? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you!

UPDATE: Crash blocking South Park Bridge

(SOOT image via Twitter)

3:12 PM: In case you were planning to cross the Duwamish River any time soon – note that a crash response is blocking the South Park Bridge on the SP side, at 14th/Dallas.

3:43 PM: The scene has been cleared.