West Seattle, Washington
30 Friday
(February 25 photo by Kersti Muul)
Good news about the ailing Bald Eagle rescued at Don Armeni Boat Ramp one week ago today. We checked back with PAWS Wildlife Center, where she’s being cared for – here’s what PAWS wildlife veterinarians Dr. Nicki Rosenhagen and Dr. Bethany Groves report:
Her veterinary re-check found a significant improvement in her anemia. This means she is starting to regenerate red blood cells, crucial for continued improvement along with many other factors which determine if an animal can recover from injury or illness. She is strong and eating well and the plan is to allow her another week to recover before moving her to our larger flight pen to assess her flight and then allow time to recondition before her hopeful release.
She had been on the ground, listless, for some time on the lawn at the park before local wildlife advocates/experts and state/local officers teamed for the rescue. Those advocates included Kersti Muul, who reported here that this Eagle is a mated West Seattle resident known as “Bey.”
From Tina:
I noticed my car was stolen this morning at 5:50 am. I last saw it at 6 pm last night.
It’s a 1998 Volkswagen Jetta GLS. Dark blue. Stick shift. Plate # APV8292. It’s the only car I’ve ever owned. I’ve had it for 20 years. I live in S. Delridge, next to the Police Station. It looks similar to this. Looks darker in cloudy weather. Looks similar even w/ door striping removed. Rear right light is busted; it’s a round crack.
Police report is 21-053409. Call 911 if you see it.
(April 2020 photo by Don Brubeck)
6:37 AM: When USS Nimitz (CVN 68) last passed West Seattle, in April 2020, the aircraft carrier was headed out for training followed immediately by deployment. Later today, Nimitz and crew will pass by again, this time on their way home to Bremerton. The MarineTraffic.com tracker shows the carrier entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca around 3 am, and right now it’s about to pass Port Angeles, so it’s still hours away, but some local would-be shipwatchers asked for a heads-up, so here you go. The Nimitz stopped in San Diego last weekend before the final leg of the journey home.
6:48 AM: Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun points out that the Nimitz is expected to stop at Indian Island</a> [map] before continuing on to Bremerton.
5:44 AM: Good morning! Rain is on the way again.
ROAD WORK
1st Avenue South Bridge – Friday night brings the start of the southbound 1st Avenue South Bridge work, with that side of the bridge closing 9 pm to 6 am Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday. The West Seattle low bridge will extend its all-access hours until 6 am for both of those closures.
Delridge project – Here’s the list of this week’s work zones. …
TRANSIT
Metro and the Water Taxi are on regular schedules.
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES
346th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here’s how it’s looking on other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: Eighth week for automated enforcement cameras, while restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily. Here’s a bridge view:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden – with a new left-turn signal for northbound HP Way, turning to westbound Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
To check for bridges’ marine-traffic openings, see 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.
The vaccination situation tops tonight’s pandemic headlines again:
WEST SEATTLE APPOINTMENTS: Earlier this evening, the mayor’s office told us they had hundreds of appointments to fill for the next two days at the new city-run vaccination site that’s alongside the testing site in the Southwest Athletic Complex parking lot. We don’t know if they’re filled yet, but read our story and the comments before giving it a try.
NEWEST VACCINE GETS BONUS THUMBS-UP: Every vaccine OK’d by the feds has gotten an extra review/approval from the Western States Scientific Safety Review Workgroup; Gov. Inslee announced today that they’ve authorized use of the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
INSLEE BRIEFING TOMORROW: The governor plans a media briefing/Q&A updating the pandemic response at 2:30 pm tomorrow; here’s the livestream link.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Now, from the Seattle-King County Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*82.507 people have tested positive, 144 more than yesterday’s total
*1,404 people have died, 5 more than yesterday’s total
*5,109 people have been hospitalized, 11 fewer than yesterday’s total (data adjustment)
*910,371 people have been tested, 301 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the four totals we track were 81,525/1,365/5,090/896,855.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Our state has passed 5,000 deaths. Find all the numbers, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
HAZARD PAY FOR GROCERY WORKERS: A proposal to expand it in King County won approval by county councilmembers meeting today as the Committee of the Whole; it’s expected to get a full-council vote next week.
RETURNING TO IN-PERSON LEARNING: Waiting for word on what’s next with Seattle Public Schools, which has ordered staff for special-education “intensive pathways” and preschool to return to buildings Monday, without having reached agreement with the Seattle Education Association, which planned a meeting tonight to discuss the situation.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
That giant rainbow bunny is looking for a new home. It will be joining the family of whoever wins a raffle that’s part of the West Seattle Junction Easter Egg Hunt, now exactly one month away, in three sessions on Saturday, April 3rd. To be part of the egg hunt, you need to buy a special tote bag from the West Seattle Junction Association for $30 – 100 have been sold, with about 200 left. The bags come with a variety of goodies including five raffle tickets for the bunny (and other prizes TBA), with the drawing planned for the day after the egg hunt. You can order a tote bag by going here, with options for pickup at a Junction merchant or the WSJA office on April 1 or 2, or delivery on April 2, or egg-hunt-day pickup.
P.S. WSJA is also hunting for individuals or groups to volunteer for the event – you can sign up here.
We’re continuing to feature school-group fundraisers – and tonight we have an unusual one, involving a scavenger hunt (and more)! Here’s how the Genesee Hill Elementary PTA explains it:
We have a cool way to do fundraising for a unique kind of year at Genesee Hill and invite the community to join in!
To state the obvious, school looks very different for everyone this year. What hasn’t changed is the need for the Genesee Hill PTA to partner with the Genesee Hill Administration to ensure the necessary programs are in place for all of our kids to be successful. Fundraising allows us to be flexible and “fill the gaps” on services that are unfortunately not covered by the school district or the State of Washington.
To make it a bit more fun – we have added some fun twists.
YARD SIGNS! With a minimum of a $50 donation, you will receive a yard sign delivered to your doorstep. There is a spot for you to be creative and create something fun for kids to find. Draw, paint, attach something – the sky is the limit! Once done, put the sign out in your yard for the scavenger hunt.
RAFFLE! We are hosting three raffle drawings throughout the campaign. We are incredibly grateful for the strong support we received from so many local businesses and are happy to feature them here.
SCAVENGER HUNT! All of the yard signs are numbered and Genesee Hill kids are invited to find as many as they can then enter their own raffle drawing. Click here for more details.
Join us in helping to support all kids to succeed in our school!
You can donate to the Genesee Hill PTA by going here.
5:30 PM: Just got word of this from the mayor’s office:
Because of a last-minute influx in vaccine, we have around 400 appointments currently available at our West Seattle site for tomorrow, March 4, and Friday, March 5. Here’s the registration link.
Because of the significant percentage of folks 65 and older in the West Seattle area who have yet to be vaccinated, we are focusing on folks 65 and older in ZIP codes in West Seattle, Delridge, and South Park that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
The site is at Southwest Athletic Complex‘s parking lot, 2801 SW Thistle, same place the city’s been offering testing, which continues.
9:27 PM: If you’re 65+ but hit an “ineligible” screen, commenters below have advice.
THURSDAY 8:22 AM: Still appointments, the mayor’s office says, and now open to all WS zip codes.
If you can give blood, Bloodworks Northwest wants you to know that it has extra capacity for upcoming West Seattle donation dates, starting this Friday. Here’s the update:
Bloodworks Northwest has openings for our upcoming March and April West Seattle pop-ups! We will accept blood donations at the Senior Center of West Seattle (4217 SW Oregon St) on: March 5, 6, 12, 13 & Apr 9, 10, 16 & 17.
Please sign up here. As these slots fill, please check back for cancellations and/or our soon-to-be-scheduled May West Seattle pop-up.
Your donation could put you in the driver’s seat! When you donate blood with Bloodworks between now and March 17, you will automatically be entered for a chance to win a car! The lucky winner will have their choice among 9 pre-selected new vehicles from Haselwood Auto Group. More info at www.bloodworksnw.org/winacar
Or, be in the running to win one of two Dyson V11 vacuums when you donate blood between March 18 – April 4!
Masks are required at all donation sites. Walk-ins, guests or anyone under 16 years of age are (unfortunately) not permitted. Have questions or need help booking an appointment? Please call 800-398-7888 or e-mail schedule@bloodworksnw.org
Giving blood during the pandemic is a safe and essential action. For more info on how Bloodworks is keeping donors and staff safe, by abiding by all CDC, FDA and WA State Department of Health guidelines please visit: https://www.bloodworksnw.org/about/news/coronavirus
As we’ve been reporting, the southbound side of the state-owned 1st Avenue South Bridge has two overnight closures coming up this weekend, kicking off a week and a half of work. This Friday and Saturday night, that side of that bridge will be closed 9 pm-6 am, which is an hour beyond the usual open-to-all time for the city-owned West Seattle low bridge. So SDOT has just decided to add an extra hour of low-bridge access those nights – so Friday night into Saturday morning (March 5-6) and Saturday night into Sunday morning (March 6-7), the low bridge will be open to all 9 pm-6 am. No access change planned so far during the 1st Avenue South Bridge’s March 10-15 southbound lane closures, but SDOT has planned other support such as extra Seattle Response Team crews around the low bridge on those days.
(WSB file photo)
Between the reopening of the West Seattle Bridge in 2022 and the opening of Sound Transit light rail in 2031 (or later), at least one more major West Seattle transportation project looms: Overhauling the Fauntleroy ferry terminal. Washington State Ferries has been talking about it for years, and terminal neighbors have been girding for battle over potential expansion as part of the plan. Now WSF says it’s ready to start the official “community engagement” part of what it says will be a “multi-year planning process, and has announced two online community meetings for later this month – 11 am Wednesday, March 17th, and 6 pm Thursday, March 18th. WSF’s announcement notes:
The Fauntleroy terminal was built in the 1950s and needs substantial work to address deficiencies of the aging and seismically vulnerable structure to maintain safe and reliable service on the Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth ferry route. The meetings will include information on why the current Fauntleroy terminal needs to be replaced, how project plans will be developed and how the community can expect to be involved.
You’ll have to pre-register to get the meeting links – go here for March 17th; go here for March 18th. (WSF says the presentations at both meetings will be the same.) The project is expected to be built around 2025-2027.
Metro has announced the plan for its March “service change,” which takes effect March 20th. Changes include:
*Adding/restoring some trips “to address travel demand that at times exceeds COVID-19 passenger limits,” including, in West Seattle, Routes 50, 60, and 128.
*Suspension of some trips on certain routes, described as “peak commuter routes where ridership has not yet returned,” including, in West Seattle. Routes 21X, 55, 56, 57,.
Metro also says some suspended routes will continue that way at least until the fall service change “due to lower ridership demand and available financial resources,” including, in West Seattle, Routes 22, 37, 113, and 116.
See the full announcement here. You can get the route-by-route details here.
In case you’ve lost track of the status of the plan to re-start some Seattle Public Schools in-person learning: Though the goal voiced by the district back in December was to return preschool, kindergarten, 1st grade, and special-education “intensive pathways” students to campuses on March 1st, the district and the Seattle Education Association are still negotiating. Last Friday, the district announced that it had declared the “intensive pathways” and preschool staff as “essential,” and would expect them back on campus next Monday (March 8th), with those students starting in-person classes (with their families offered the option to remain remote) on Thursday, March 11th. The district’s latest update on this is here. Meantime, SEA’s latest update is here. The union’s board considers the unilateral “essential” declaration illegal and “unionbusting,” and is recommending that those covered by it continue working remotely. SEA is having a 5 pm meeting tonight to consider that and other recommendations, and another meeting tomorrow for the members who the district has declared “essential.” The union’s update from Monday includes both district and SEA links to proposals, counterproposals, and comparisons.
(Photo by Arlene Rubin)
Notes for a sunny Wednesday:
GIRL SCOUT COOKIE SALES CONTINUES: As we reported earlier this week, Girl Scouts are now selling cookies – including online orders from local Scouts who are offering no-contact delivery. Here’s how to order.
SCHOOL BOARD TALKS BUDGET: School-bus cuts? Price increases for school meals? The Seattle Public Schools board continues talking about ways to narrow a budget gap, with an online “work session” at 4:30 pm. The agenda includes background info and how to watch/listen. (No public-comment period at work sessions.)
KING COUNTY TOWN HALL: At 6 pm, our area’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott is one of four leading an online Town Hall tonight, spotlighting the pandemic response and other key issues. For viewing/call-in info, go here. Got a question? Send it in advance via this page.
DISTRICT 1 COMMUNITY NETWORK: A Port of Seattle update is among the featured topics when this coalition of West Seattle and South Park community advocates meets online at 7 pm. All welcome. Our calendar listing has information on viewing/participating.
Are we missing anything? Please send event info to westseattleblog@gmail.com – thank you!
If you’re planning on planting this spring – whether in a yard or in containers – here’s a way to help a local school group along the way. From Friends of Roxhill Elementary:
Spring Flower Fundraiser for Friends of Roxhill Elementary
We are partnering with Flower Power Fundraising to sell flower bulbs, kitchen garden herbs, sprouts, seeds and more to bring some joy to your home garden or window sill this spring.
Check out our fundraising website: friendsofroxhill.fpfundraising.com
Order deadline is May 15, 2021
Email friendsofroxhill@gmail.com with any questions
6:12 AM: Good morning! Sunny forecast today, and temperatures that could reach the upper 50s.
ROAD WORK: For the Delridge project, here’s the list of this week’s work zones. … This Friday night brings the start of the southbound 1st Avenue South Bridge work, with that side of the bridge closing 9 pm to 5 am Friday into Saturday and Saturday into Sunday.
TRANSIT: Metro and the Water Taxi are on regular schedules. (The latter, as announced Monday, WILL have a 7-day-a-week schedule this spring/summer, unlike last year.)
BRIDGES AND DETOUR ROUTES: 345th morning without the West Seattle Bridge. Here’s how it’s looking on other bridges and routes:
Low Bridge: Eighth week for automated enforcement cameras, while restrictions are in effect 5 am-9 pm daily. Here’s a bridge view:
West Marginal Way at Highland Park Way:
Highland Park Way/Holden – with a new left-turn signal for northbound HP Way, turning to westbound Holden:
The 5-way intersection (Spokane/West Marginal/Delridge/Chelan):
The 1st Avenue South Bridge (map):
For the South Park Bridge (map), here’s the nearest camera:
To check for bridges’ marine-traffic openings, see 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.
Vaccination news tops tonight’s pandemic headlines:
ELIGIBILITY EXPANDS: President Biden proclaimed that educators and licensed child-care workers should be eligible for vaccination now, and Gov. Inslee subsequently announced that now they are. He also said he’ll announce “soon” when “critical” workers – from grocery stores, farms, more – will be eligible.
BUT WHAT ABOUT THE SUPPLY? The president also said today that there should be enough vaccine for all adults in the U.S. by the end of May – though that doesn’t mean all those shots will, or can, be administered by then. Our state, county, and city continue to contend that they have far more shot-giving capacity than vaccine, and they could be inoculating many more people every day if only the vaccine were available.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Checking today’s daily summary from Seattle-King County Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*82,363 people have tested positive, 60 more than yesterday’s total
*1,399 people have died, 6 more than yesterday’s total
*5,120 people have been hospitalized, 17 more than yesterday’s total
*910,070 people have been tested, 2,713 more than yesterday’s total
One week ago, the totals were 81,379/1,357/5,083/895,001.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
NATIONAL/WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 114.7 million cases worldwide, 28.7 million of them in the U.S. – see other nation-by-nation stats by going here.
GETTING AN APPOINTMENT: Back to the topic of vaccination – if you’re eligible, here are some places to look:
*Your health-care provider (particularly bigger ones like UW Medicine, CHI Franciscan, Swedish, etc.)
*Pharmacy chains big and small – Safeway, Rite Aid, QFC, Pharmaca, Costco
*covidwa.com (volunteer-run aggregator)
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Two police reports and three reader reports tonight in West Seattle Crime Watch:
ATTEMPTED BURGLARY: The first-draft police-report summary says this happened just after 6 pm in the 6400 block of 29th SW. The victim said two people had kicked in his door but fled when he confronted him. Officers found and detained two teenage boys. The investigation, says the report, revealed that “it appeared that they had been casing the residence, attempted the doorknob earlier in the day, and at the time of this call worked up the courage to try to force entry. They did not make entry and/or steal anything,” nor was the door damaged. The Youth Services Center declined to book them, police say, so they were released to their families.
HARASSMENT ARREST: Details on this are few but the report says it happened just before 1 pm: “Officers responded to multiple calls of a male in possible crisis near 4500 block of 53rd Ave SW. Officers responded and developed probable cause to arrest the suspect for felony harassment. The suspect was located in the 4800 block of Beach Drive on private property. After a short foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody without incident and booked into jail.”
Also tonight: three reader reports about car prowls:
GATEWOOD BREAK-IN: Nic says it happened in a matter of minutes:
My husband’s windows on his truck were smashed at about 8 AM on Ida street between 35th and 37th. He had brought out his work backpack and items for our kids’ preschool before putting the kids in the car. He locked the door after he put the backpack in before he went to get the kids and when he came back out, the windows were smashed and his backpack was taken that had his wallet in it. The thieves already went to Fred Meyer and tried to buy $400 worth of items.
NORTH ADMIRAL BREAK-IN: From JW:
A couple nights ago we had 2 pairs of cross-country skis with 3-pin bindings & a pair of men’s black leather ski boots stolen from inside the car along with the vehicle registration, in the North Admiral area.
FAUNTLEROY CAR PROWLS: From John:
My neighbors and I noticed on our video cameras that this car went by at 2:45 Sunday morning; one person got out and was looking through cars.
They managed to break into one car using a key fob device.
Many West Seattle independent and parochial schools have offered hybrid programs this year, as we reported last fall – some in-person learning, some online. One of them, Seattle Lutheran High School, has just announced it’s adding a fourth day of in-person learning starting this week.
The Seattle Lutheran High School Board of Directors is pleased to announce the approval of a fourth day of in-building learning for all students in grades 9-12 beginning the week of March 1, 2021. Students will now attend classes in the building Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, with Wednesday being fully remote and the last Wednesday of each month being an asynchronous workday.
“The Seattle Lutheran Board and I are excited about moving to four days a week of in-building classes. Our protocols have worked flawlessly and with the continued infection rate reductions, we are confident this is the right move for our students,” commented Tim Morgan, Interim Executive Director of Seattle Lutheran High School.
In the fall, students had the option of attending classes remotely or in-person. Safety protocols have been strictly enforced on campus with students and staff screened every morning before entering the building, including temperature checks and required mask wearing. When asked what she thought of the additional day of in-building learning, ASB SLHS President Melina Menashe replied, “I really enjoy going to school every day to be with my best friends, as well as asking teachers questions and receiving answers in person so you can get more than just a visual experience.”
Senior Emma Freeman added that she feels “adding Friday to the list of in-person days will help increase engagement in whatever classes in-person students have for that day. I know for me personally it is sometimes easier to slide off on Zoom on a Friday afternoon, but being in the building helps keep me on track.”
Seattle Lutheran High School is still accepting applications for Fall 2021, and more information can be found here or contact the Admissions Director Sally Heit at 206-937-7722, or visit www.seattlelutheran.org.
The SLHS campus is at 4100 SW Genesee, just north of The Junction. We asked if they’ve had any COVID cases; the response, “SLHS has had only one positive Covid-19 case but it was not contracted at the school nor transmitted within the school community.”
Just in from the governor’s office:
Gov. Jay Inslee issued a statement today following President Joe Biden’s directive that all states must prioritize vaccinations of teachers and childcare workers.
“Like President Biden, I am grateful for the hard work and sacrifice of educators every day, and especially during this pandemic. The president has directed us to add preK-12 educators, school staff and licensed child-care workers to our current vaccine prioritization. This directive will be carried out through existing providers and the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program, which operates through national pharmacies and independent pharmacy chains.
“Therefore, we are adding educators and licensed child-care workers to Washington’s Phase 1B-1 immediately. The Washington State Department of Health will have more specific information soon on how those workers can access vaccines. Phase Finder may take time to reflect these changes, but educators and licensed child-care workers can schedule with providers right away.
“The good news is that schools will be able to open and we are pleased that teachers will be back in the classroom very soon. This should give educators more confidence to return to in-person learning and that it can be done with the safety protocols that are being used by 1,400 other schools in our state right now.
“We will continue the current state plans and goals to focus on those most at risk, including older adults and those facing the greatest equity gaps.
“To that end, I will soon be announcing when our state vaccine prioritization will be moving to include critical workers in certain congregate settings including those who work in grocery stores, farmworkers, food processors, bus drivers, corrections workers and others.
“We will continue our progress in getting every Washingtonian vaccinated. I am grateful for the partnership of the federal government and their efforts to help move educators up in the prioritization.”
If this means you’ll be looking for vaccine for the first time: Places to look for appointments, as we’ve continued reporting in our daily pandemic coverage, include covidwa.com, as well as multiple-location providers such as Sea Mar clinics and Safeway, Rite Aid, and QFC pharmacies.
(WSB file photo)
Last week we published this report about a Longfellow Creek footbridge that was removed and won’t be replaced before next year. Today, word that another bridge across the creek is out for a while – the “Fishbone Bridge” that crosses the creek south of Dragonfly Pavilion at 28th/Dakota. Seattle Parks says the bridge is “temporarily closed while Seattle Public Utilities works on repairing and replacing portions of the bridge deck.” The closure is expected to continue through the end of the month. P.S. The bridge’s official name is Salmon Bone Bridge; it was designed by artist Lorna Jordan.
Nicole is hoping you can help find a dog that bit a 5-year-old girl in North Delridge. She reports it happened around 3:15 Monday afternoon near the Shell gas station north of Delridge/Findlay, as the child was walking with her mom:
The dog’s owner didn’t have it on leash and it ran straight for the little girl. She fled toward the gas pumps to try to escape but it caught up with her and bit her on the face and ear. The owner retrieved the dog and took off. The little girl had wounds serious enough to require a hospital trip. Per animal control, the dog and owner have not been located. The dog was described as “maybe a large black Labrador type.” No official description of the owner. If a neighbor thinks they know the location of the dog’s owner, they should contact animal control at 206-386-7387.
Local nonprofits have been called on to help sustain the community more than ever this past pandemic year – but they’ve also had to fight for funding, without in-person galas, with many routine donors struggling. But they’re coming up with creative ways to keep going. The Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association has launched its major spring fundraiser by counting down to its online “Destination Delridge: Live from the Heart” event at 7 pm March 13th. Everyone who donates in the days leading up to the event will get a ticket to the event. DNDA hopes to raise $90,000 to sustain the art, nature, and neighborhood programs it continues to present. You can donate and/or buy a ticket (with a dinner option!) by going here.
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