West Seattle, Washington
22 Friday
Along with direct action to save endangered orcas, education is key. A West Seattle resident who specializes in that – as well as research – has just been honored with a statewide award. Jeff Hogan of Killer Whale Tales has received the Outreach Award from the Washington chapter of The Wildlife Society. From the organization’s announcement, prepared for an upcoming edition of its newsletter:
Since 2000, Jeff Hogan has dedicated himself to Killer Whale Tales. Jeff had an idea that would pull together his Orca research experience with theatrical storytelling, science, and childhood education. His decision to put everything on the line to start a nonprofit is indicative of just how committed he is to ensure that the next generation understands the way consumer behaviors impact the environment, and also that science is cool!
For the first 10 years of the program’s existence, Jeff ran the program, creating and updating the program materials, delivering the program, fundraising, analyzing data, accounting, marketing, and scheduling almost entirely by himself. More recently, as the program has evolved to include more-robust data reporting and communications, Jeff has been able to rely on board members to help with some of the back-end functions, but the program materials, delivery, relationship building with teachers / researchers / major funders / other similar organizations still falls mainly on Jeff’s shoulders.
He has brought engaging environmental education to 125,000 elementary school students throughout the West Coast and Canada, and over 60,000 students have completed and returned “Kids Making a Difference Now” conservation worksheets, meaning they have taken action at home to reduce their family’s environmental footprint and help the whales. Jeff has continuously been the driving force in this nonprofit and has sacrificed personally to keep it going.
Jeff has some kind of a magical presence that inspires everyone he meets to take interest in the Southern Resident killer whales, science, and/or the environment. It is truly a remarkable talent that very few others possess. Killer Whale Tales have now converted over to online learning due to the pandemic and as odd as it may sound, it has opened up a whole new set of opportunities. Jeff is now working with children and families across the globe – from India, to the UK, and up and down the eastern seaboard of the U.S., he has “pods” of young future scientists sprouting up all across the planet!
Jeff also is a researcher. He co-authored recently published research showing that vessel noise interrupts Southern Resident Killer Whales’ feeding, especially females. Vessel noise is a major focus for advocates trying to increase the chances of saving the endangered orcas from extinction.
P.S. Killer Whale Tales is a nonprofit; here’s how to support its work.
5:03 PM: Back in January, Ross Dress for Less told us the company’s new Westwood Village store was expected to open March 6th. With that date just two days away, we checked back – Saturday is indeed the planned “grand opening” day; Ross is also opening stores in Florida, Missouri, and Texas that day. The Westwood Village store hours will be 8 am-11 pm Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays; 9 am-11 pm Saturdays; closed Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. More than a year and a half has passed since we first reported on Ross’s plan to move into the ex-Barnes & Noble space at the center.
7:47 PM: As pointed out in comments, since we published this story, Ross has updated the linked page to say the store will be open on Wednesdays too, 8 am-11 pm, so closed only Thursdays and Fridays.
ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: Checking their website again, now the store is listed as being open every day but Friday.
3:15 PM: Governor Inslee has just announced tentative dates for expanding COVID-19 vaccination eligibility in our state. They’re tentative, he said, because it depends on vaccine supply meeting (or beating) current projections. They include (but are not limited to):
*March 22nd – second tier of Phase 1B, also to include “critical” workers including grocery, farm, food processing, public transit, law enforcement, firefighters
*April 12th – ages 50+ with two or more co-morbidities
*April 26th – ages 16+ with (CORRECTED) two or more co-morbidities
More details to come – we’ll link and update as soon as it’s available in writing. The governor also spent part of his briefing (update: archived video will be here soon) urging that schools get back to in-person learning, insisting that it can be done safely; we’ll have a separate update on the Seattle Public Schools situation later.
ADDED 4:08 PM: Here’s the governor’s graphic with the key points we noted above:
ADDED 6:03 PM: Here’s the state document with full details about current and future (tentative) expansion.
For some southeastern West Seattle residents, the nearest Seattle Public Library branch is in South Park (8604 8th Ave. S.), so we’re sharing the news that it’s the latest branch to add curbside service. Starting this weekend, the South Park Branch will offer it, noon-6 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. That means you can pick up items you’ve put on hold, if this is set as your “home branch,” and you can use SPL’s curbside-printing service for up to 10 black-and-white pages a day. The branch’s book drop is open daily. The area branches that already offer curbside service are Southwest (9010 35th SW) and High Point (3411 SW Raymond); days and hours are listed here.
Another stolen-vehicle report today, this time from Trish:
My silver ’94 Subaru Legacy was stolen from the street right in front of my house yesterday (while I was home working!) between the hours of 6 am and 3:30 pm (when I noticed it was gone).
The plate is #BON4428 and it was stolen from 15th Ave SW in-between SW Barton St and SW Henderson St. There is an Electrician Union sticker in the bottom right corner of the rear window.
Police report number: 21-052873. Call 911 if you see it.
(WSB file photo)
Best of Hands Barrelhouse (7500 35th SW) is about to turn 2 years old, and its anniversary celebration is on! Here’s the announcement we received:
In lieu of the big party we expected to have, we’re kicking off our second anniversary with a week *or more* of new beers and returning favorites from the cellar!
We’ll be releasing three new beers for the occasion:
DRAFT | Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary Vol. II- Spelt IPA W/ Galaxy Hops & Pink Guava
NEIPA with 20% spelt in the grist, heavily dry-hopped with Galaxy, & fermented on pink guava fruit. The Galaxy and guava meld wonderfully for notes of passionfruit, peach and pear on the nose. The round, pillowy body offers tropical flavors of papaya & grapefruit. Finishes off-dry with a firm citrus pith bitterness.
DRAFT & 750ml BOTTLES | Prunus Avium- 2nd Anniversary Oak Aged Sour Ale W/ Cherry
A blend of 14 month Cabernet Sauvignon BBL aged sour ale & new American oak aged foeder beer finished on 320lbs of whole Dark, & Rainier cherries. Beautiful burgundy color with complex funk and deep cherry notes dominating the nose. A light and spritzy body with layers of dark & Rainier cherries revealing themselves throughout the sip. Flavors of cherry noyaux enter mid-palate with hints of citrus and white wine supporting. Firm acidity on the finish with notes of oak tannins, cherry skins, and grape must.
DRAFT, NO TO-GO | Borne Back Ceaselessly- Copperworks Distilling & Tasting Room Gin BBL Aged Sour Pale
Straight 8 month Copperworks gin BBL aged sour pale. Gin botanicals, oak tannin, and berry jam on the nose. Flavors of juniper berries, citrus peel, and grape skins with a white wine-like minerality. Woody oak tannin dries the palate with a lime-like acidity on the mellow sour finish.
Care to see what else has been tapped? Check out our current tap list on our website: bestofhandsbarrelhouse.com
Best of Hands has outdoor and indoor seating, and visiting food trucks on the weekends (next weekend – Tat’s on Saturday, NWTXBBQ on Sunday). Check the website for hours.
(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!
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