West Seattle, Washington
03 Tuesday
As mentioned in last night’s virus-crisis roundup, a reader reported that a West Seattle Trader Joe’s customer went on a rampage after being asked to wear a mask – on the first day that businesses statewide are mandated to do just that. We promised to seek out the resulting police report, and obtained it – the narrative says there was a bit more to it:
On 7/7/20, at approximately 1031 hours, officers responded to a theft call at the location of 4545 Fauntleroy Wsy SW, Trader Joes. Upon arrival, a community member informed officers the suspect got on a bus prior to our arrival.
RP advised the suspect, a white male in his 20’s, brown hair, skinny build, with all-black clothing, was asked to put a mask on upon entering the location. RP advised because of this, the subject grabbed a case of Nova Vodka, and attempted to walk out the store. At this point, staff took the items out of the subject’s hand. RP advised the subject became angry and began to knock over rope barriers, air plants, then began to uproot a flower pot. According to the RP, the subject then walked away from the location, toward the QFC. … There were no injuries as a result of this incident. Unfortunately, the RP advised there are no security cameras that observed the incident.
We’ve received lots of questions in recent weeks about the status of Sunfish (2800 Alki Avenue SW) – and today we can finally report that it has reopened. We drive Alki just about every evening, and saw no change in the hand-lettered CLOSED note on the door – until last night, when we noticed that was gone. So we just went back for an early check, saw the open door, and went in to confirm: Yes, they’re open, for takeout only, 11 am-6 pm.
Mask mandate, next level – that’s where we start tonight’s roundup:
NO MASK, NO SERVICE: As of today, businesses are not supposed to serve customers who aren’t wearing face coverings. At his media briefing this afternoon, the governor was asked about enforcement. He suggested that for example, retail stores could just refuse to ring up the unmasked customer.
MASK OUTBURST REPORTED: It’s not necessarily that simple. Reader report received via email:
Customer being asked to put on mask at WS TJs this morning proceeded to go into a frenzy and rip up all the plants in planter boxes in front of store. Staff attempted to verbally cool him down but were careful not to physically confront him.
We haven’t obtained the police report but there is a logged “property destruction” call in that block of Fauntleroy.
ONE MORE BUSINESS NOTE: From the governor’s news release, another new rule: “Employers must notify the employer’s local health jurisdiction within 24 hours if the employer suspects COVID-19 is spreading in the employer’s workplace, or if the employer is aware of 2 or more employees who develop confirmed or suspected COVID-19 within a 14-day period.” We’ll be checking with health authorities tomorrow to see what’s supposed to happen if/when they get such a notification.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s the daily summary from Public Health, with cumulative totals:
*11,206 people have tested positive, up 66 from yesterday
*596 people have died, up 5 from yesterday
*1,631 people have been hospitalized, up 8 from yesterday
*191,865 people have been tested, up 1,860 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 10,196/586/1,589/167,270.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
PARKING ALERT: Next week, the city will resume enforcement of most street-parking time limits (and will be charging again at pay stations).
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Support your local businesses! Here are three biznotes, starting with two reopenings:
ARTIST & MUSE SALON: This salon at 6701 California SW was open for just two weeks before the pandemic shuttered salons (among other types of businesses) for months. Now it’s open again. Alexa from Artist & Muse says, “we have 8 stylists who are amazing and are taking new clients. … Six of our stylists came from Ola Salon on Avalon Way and they are hoping to reach clients who may have been lost in the move.” Find the salon’s info online here.
ROW HOUSE: Also a relatively new West Seattle business, this fitness studio at 4203 SW Oregon just reopened this week.
LADY DI PET CHAPERONE: Sarah at Lady Di Pet Chaperone emailed to let pet owners know they’re open: “We are open and serving clients M-F (7-7), Sat-Sun- (10-6).” Lady Di offers in-home care as well as drop-off dog day care.
Announced today by the city:
Starting Monday, July 13, we’ll reinstate on-street paid parking and hourly time-limited parking enforcement.
Paid parking and hourly time limited parking enforcement were suspended in early April in response to the Governor’s Stay Home, Stay Healthy Order. With King County’s transition to Phase 2 of the Safe Start Plan, businesses are reopening, and reliable access at the curb for customers is critical for recovery.
Parking will be $0.50/hour in all paid areas; the minimum rate allowed according to the Seattle Municipal Code.
The rate will remain unchanged for at least a month while we review data to determine parking activity and occupancy in our neighborhood business districts. Further adjustments could come later in 2020. We are committed to following a data-driven process.
Parking Enforcement Officers will begin enforcing paid parking requirements, as well as enforcement of free, hourly time limited parking (think 2-hour parking signs) on July 13. For the first two weeks, they will be focused on education and voluntary compliance of paid parking as customers return to our neighborhood businesses.
The full announcement is here. (West Seattle does not have paid on-street parking but does have many time-limited spaces.)
We start tonight’s roundup with the statistics:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*11,140 people have tested positive, 126 more than yesterday
*591 people have died, 1 more than yesterday
*1,623 people have been hospitalized, 7 more than yesterday
*190,005 people have been tested, 2,358 more than yesterday
One week ago, the totals were 10,069 /586/1,587/161,398.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
STATE RECORD: The governor tweeted that this was the first day during the epidemic that our state has recorded more than 1,000 new cases in one day.
CITY TAX: The first year of revenue from the “JumpStart” business tax passed by the City Council today is supposed to go to COVID-19 relief. The tax on high earners, sponsored by West Seattle-residing citywide Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda (with 4 co-sponsors including District 1 Councilmember Lisa Herbold), is explained in this Seattle Times report. All the documents are here.
NEED FOOD? Food Lifeline has announced three nearby chances this week for you to drive up or walk up and get boxes of free food:
Food Lifeline – 815 South 96th Street
 Wednesday, July 8, at 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
ï‚· Friday, July 10, 2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.Century Link Field – North Parking Lot Â
 Thursday, July 9, 11:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
NEED SUPPORT FOR STRESS? Just launched – Washington Listens:
In response to COVID-19, Washington has launched Washington Listens, a support program and phone line to help people manage elevated levels of stress due to the pandemic.
People who call the Washington Listens support line will speak with a support specialist and get connected to community resources in their area. The program is anonymous.
…The Washington Listens support line is 1-833-681-0211. It is available from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays. TTY and language access services are available by using 7-1-1 or their preferred method….
Resources and self-help tips are available on walistens.org.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
A short roundup as we wrap up the holiday weekend:
KING COUNTY’S NEWEST NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative totals from the Public Health daily-summary dashboard:
*11,014 people have tested positive, up 230 from yesterday
*590 people have died, unchanged for a second day
*1,616 people have been hospitalized, up 6 from yesterday
*187,647 people have been tested, up 6.111 from yesterday
(corrected) One week ago, the totals were 9,901/586/1,574/159,551.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 11.4 million cases and more than 534,000 deaths – see the nation-by-nation breakdown here.
NO SHIRT, NO SHOES, NO MASK, NO SERVICE: Remember that Tuesday’s the day that businesses statewide are supposed to start refusing service to those not wearing face coverings.
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
As public-health authorities warned, viruses don’t take holidays. So even on this Independence Day night, we have a roundup, though it’s short:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here are the cumulative numbers from Public Health‘s daily-summary dashboard:
*10,784 people have tested positive, 65 more than yesterday
*590 people have died, unchanged from yesterday
*1,610 people have been hospitalized, unchanged from yesterday
*181,536 people have been tested, 1,892 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 9,819/586/1,574/157,623.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 11.2 million people have tested positive, and more than 530,000 have died. Most cases: U.S., Brazil, Russia, India, Peru (last week’s #5, the UK, is down to #7). See the breakdown, nation by nation, here.
NEED PET FOOD? King County’s mobile pet-food bank has announced it’ll be at Steve Cox Memorial Park in White Center (1321 SW 102nd) noon-3 pm next Friday (July 10th).
FARMERS’ MARKET NOTES FOR SUNDAY: The market remains modified because of the pandemic, but it’s open tomorrow as usual, 10 am–2 pm. If you’ve ordered from the new online system, you can go directly to the north side of the market for pickup – California/Oregon. If you’re shopping the regular market, management wants you to know:
People needing ADA accessibility, those with mobility issues, and older folks are welcome to walk to the front of the market line [California/Alaska] for quicker entry. (This is a rule we’ve had in place verbally and through signage at market for months, but it seems more important than ever with the heat and longer lines.)
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westsettleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
Right about now every Fourth of July, Southwest Seattle Historical Society members and friends gather at the Log House Museum on Alki for their annual picnic. Not this year. But the SWSHS is offering you the chance to celebrate by learning more about a chapter in American history – here’s the announcement:
Over the past year, staff at the Southwest Seattle Historical Society have conducted a series of oral histories with the West Seattle High School classes of 1944 and 1945. The purpose was to document the impact of WWII on the youth of West Seattle.
We had hoped to have a pop-up exhibit at the all-school reunion at WSHS (last month). However, the reunion was canceled due to the pandemic. So, we are bringing you a mini-online exhibit of War on the Homefront. Head over to our website for a glimpse of the rich stories our wonderful participants shared with us. We look forward to creating a more robust exhibit at the museum in the future.
(To explore the “mini-exhibit,” mouse over the bottom of the window that’ll come up on the SWSHS website, and you’ll see the arrows.)
(Photo by Brittany Philbin)
Good morning and happy Independence Day! Because of the pandemic, all the usual local events are taking this year off. So we have a few notes (interspersed with local photos of our national bird, the Bald Eagle):
TRANSIT: Metro is on the usual Saturday schedule.
PARKS: Here’s the city list of what’s closed/open.
ALKI CLEANUP: As previewed here, you’re invited to join in, 10 am-2 pm.
LOW-LOW TIDE: Way out to -3.0 feet at 10:56 am.
(Photo by Sharon Wada)
FIREWORKS: Not here (illegal, and city/port parks are trying to dissuade them), no shows visible from here (Lake Union show is canceled, Three Tree Point show is canceled, Bainbridge show is canceled, Vashon show is canceled).
LUNAR ECLIPSE, SORT OF: One will be happening tonight after 8 pm but even if the sky’s clear, you won’t see anything but the full moon, Space.com explains.
(Photo by Lynn Hall)
We’re working as always, so if you have a photo, tip, lost/found pet, westseattleblog@gmail.com or text 206-293-6302 – thank you and stay safe!
18 weeks ago tonight, King County’s first coronavirus case was announced. Most nights since then, we’ve updated virus-crisis local news in our nightly roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily summary:
*10,719 people have tested positive, 123 more than yesterday
*590 people have died, 1 more than yesterday
*1,610 people have been hospitalized, 4 more than yesterday
*179,644 people have been tested, 3,651 more than yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 9,695/586/1,564/155,859.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: 11 million cases, 524,000+ deaths – see the nation-by-nation numbers here.
CAN YOU GIVE BLOOD? If so, your help is urgently needed (note – looks like most of tomorrow’s slots are taken, but other days are available).
PICKUP MARKET: If you don’t feel comfortable shopping multiple booths at the West Seattle Farmers’ Market, the new online-ordering system for one pickup point is up and running. Midnight tonight is the deadline for pickups this Sunday.
QUESTIONS FOR YOU: The COVID-19-forced changes in higher education have South Seattle College (WSB sponsor) asking questions in a community survey.
HAVE A SAFE HOLIDAY! Here’s how.
GOT INFO OR PHOTOS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
A group of students, led by two sisters, is working in two ways to do good deeds this summer. Along with tutoring, they also are organizing. Etienne Reche-Ley explains via email:
My name is Etienne and I am a rising sophomore at Stanford. This spring, my sister Noemi (she is a rising junior in high school) and I started a free online tutoring program to help WA State public school students from falling through the cracks during the Covid-19 pandemic. We have brought together 150 tutors who are high school and college students at schools around the world (many of them are West Seattle High School grads – Mikki Dysart and Sam Niederberger are part of our leadership team) who speak a total of 10 different languages. We are tutoring more than 70 students consistently.
Our goal is to reach a diverse crowd of students, focusing on those who are suffering most from the pandemic, students of color, low-income students, students who speak a language other than english, and students who face other disadvantages.
Right now, we are hosting a food, baby product, and book drive that will benefit the West Seattle Food Bank. The books will be distributed to local families through drop-off locations and we are encouraging people to donate multicultural books.
Meantime, if you know someone who could benefit from the tutoring offer:
We offer free online tutoring for WA State public school students. Our tutors are high school and college students who speak 10 different languages and who are eager to help. This summer, we are here to help students catch up on schoolwork, spend their free time in a productive way, prepare for a challenging new school year and give parents a break! Click this link to have your student paired with a tutor.
Questions about tutoring, and/or donations for the drive? Email togethertutoringprogram@gmail.com. The project also has a website and Instagram page.
No mask, no service. That’s one of the gubernatorial announcements starting our second nightly roundup of July:
‘MASK UP, OPEN UP’: In a mid-afternoon media briefing, speaking through his face-covering (screengrab above), Gov. Inslee said it’s time to ratchet the mask mandate to the next level: Starting Tuesday, businesses statewide have to refuse service to people flouting the law. He and Secretary of Health John Wiesman also announced that bar service would be removed from what’s allowed in Safe Start Phase 3, and that all county applications for advancing to the next phase would be paused for at least two weeks. The reason for all this? Here’s what they showed:
More details here.
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*10,596 people have tested positive, up 251 from yesterday
*589 people have died, unchanged from yesterday
*1,606 people have been hospitalized, up 6 from yesterday
*175,993 people have been tested, up 4,267 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 9,612/585/1,561/153,505.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
WEST SEATTLE TESTING TOMORROW: Weekly reminder – Friday is the weekly drive-up testing day in the north lot at South Seattle College (6000 16th SW; WSB sponsor), 10 am-3 pm.
WORRIED ABOUT INSURANCE COVERAGE? The state insurance commissioner has extended the order waiving deductibles and copays for coronavirus testing.
NEED FOOD? Updated info about meals for kids/teens at two local parks starting next week – read this.
PHOTOS? TIPS? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Three more restaurant reopenings to report:
SALTY’S ON ALKI (WSB sponsor): The waterfront restaurant at 1936 Harbor Avenue SW reopened today, for outdoor and indoor dining. Salty’s says 2,500 people responded to their pre-opening survey about safety.
ALKI CAFE: Thanks for the tip on this! A hotline caller said a note on the door announced the restaurant is opening tomorrow; we went down to confirm:
As the note says, Alki Café (2726 Alki Avenue SW) will reopen tomorrow for takeout. (206-935-0616)
THE LODGE: The West Seattle location (4209 SW Alaska) reopened this week.
A very different July begins. Here’s our nightly virus-crisis local roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: From the Public Health daily-summary dashboard, the cumulative totals:
*10,356 people have tested positive, 149 more than yesterday
*589 people have died, 3 more than yesterday
*1,600 people have been hospitalized, 11 more than yesterday
*171,737 people have been tested, 4.456 more than yesterday
One week ago, the four totals were 9,502/583/1,555/150,096.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them, county by county, on the state Department of Health page,.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them, nation by nation, here.
NOT JUST AN OLDER PERSON’S DISEASE: SKC Public Health notes that almost half the new cases are in people under 40.
RESTAURANT ‘REVERTS’: Arthur’s decides to pull back on indoor dining.
FRAUD CHARGES: A local doctor is charged with two federal counts of fraud, accused of trying to get $3 million in coronavirus-relief money.
COURT REOPENING: The Seattle Municipal Court says some in-person operations will resume next week.
GOT INFO? Email us at westseattleblog@gmail.com or phone us, text or voice, at 206-293-6302 – thank you!
Many have asked about when – and whether – Kamei Japanese Restaurant in The Junction (4512 California SW) would finally reopen. We’ve been checking almost daily for any hints – and this evening, while driving by, we spotted activity (cleaning the windows) out front. So we turned around and pulled over in hopes of getting the good news – and indeed, we learned Kamei plans to reopen next Tuesday, July 7th, usual hours.
While restaurants are allowed to open for some indoor dining in Phase 2, some have chosen not to – and now, one that did, has decided to “revert.” Here’s the announcement we received from Arthur’s proprietor Rebecca Rice:
I just wanted to reach out to let you and your readers know that Arthur’s is reverting back to phase 1 with outdoor dining and takeout only. We have watched the spike in cases here in West Seattle and have decided the dangers for our staff are too great to ignore.
The staff that worked in the last 3 days has all been tested and we’ve come back negative. This doesn’t change how worried we are that the spread is happening with the reopening.
Arthur’s is at 2311 California SW in The Admiral District.
On this last night of the fourth full calendar month of the pandemic, here are the local toplines:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s the daily summary from Public Health, with cumulative totals:
*10,196 people have tested positive, up 127 from yesterday
*586 people have died, unchanged for a fourth day
*1,589 people have been hospitalized, up 2 from yesterday
*167,270 people have been tested, up 5,872 from yesterday
One week ago, those totals were 9,369/584/1,550/147,898.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: Find them here.
CITY LAUNCHING ‘EDUCATION AND OUTREACH TEAM’: The city says this new team will check out businesses accused of not following the face-covering policy. This is in the middle of a long news release addressing various virus-related topics:
The Department of Finance and Administrative Services’ Consumer Protection Division will lead education and outreach to businesses and restaurants that are reported to be out of compliance with the Governor’s mandate to wear a facial covering in indoor and outdoor public spaces. Outreach to these businesses and restaurants will focus on education. Businesses that do not enforce the facial covering mandate can be reported to the City’s Customer Service Bureau at 206-684-2489 (CITY).
In the coming days, FAS will also be issuing a Director’s Rule to give the Consumer Protection team enforcement authority over businesses that violate the mandate. Violation of the statewide order is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to 90 days in jail and up to a $100 fine. Businesses that routinely violate the order also face losing their City of Seattle business license.
PANDEMIC-AFFECTED BUSINESSES: Meantime, the pandemic continues to affect local businesses. Two are temporarily closed: Duke’s on Alki reports a second employee has tested positive; Bank of America says its Junction branch is short-staffed.
FERRY SYSTEM’S PANDEMIC PAIN … was extensively discussed during an online public meeting we covered tonight.
GOT INFO? westseattleblog@gmail.com or text/voice 206-293-6302 – thank you!
(Fauntleroy ferries inbound and outbound: WSB file photo)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
The pandemic has hit Washington State Ferries hard, and that’s likely to affect service for a long time to come.
So warned WSF executives including assistant transportation secretary Amy Scarton in tonight’s systemwide online meeting.
But before we get to that – some news about the Fauntleroy ferry terminal.
An update and invitation from Seattle Lutheran High School:
We are so excited to present our response to the changes we have faced – we are working to create a schedule for next year. SLHS plans to be back in the fall! Our goal is to capitalize on what we have learned through home-based learning and ultimately create a schedule that benefits our students. It is our priority to ensure all students are safe upon returning to classes, which is why we become a leader in this transition, building a schedule unlike any other school. Check out the attached graphics on the tentative weekly layout for the Saints returning this fall.
If you, or anyone you know, has questions about our plan or is
interested in enrolling at Seattle Lutheran High School, the only
Independent High School in West Seattle, join our town hall this Wednesday evening (7/1). Email Dave Meyer for invitation (dmeyer@seattlelutheran.org)
Duke’s on Alki is closed until Thursday for a “deep cleaning” after a second employee tested positive for COVID-19. We contacted Duke’s after this was first mentioned in a new comment today on our Saturday report about the first case. Here’s what CEO John Moscrip told us: “To confirm, we have had 2 total positive cases, and we are closing today and tomorrow for a professional, deep cleaning using an Electrostatic spray, as well as so our team members can get tested. We anticipate opening again on Thursday.”
After multiple readers asked us Monday about the West Seattle Junction Bank of America‘s “temporary closure,” we went over and found only that sign, no explanation, so we inquired with corporate media relations. They acknowledged our inquiry relatively quickly but didn’t send this answer until this afternoon:
We did temporarily close our West Seattle financial center. We are operating with an abundance of caution around keeping employees and clients as safe as possible during coronavirus. So, for example, if employees become high risk due to preexisting conditions, or need to take time off to care for family members during these times, we may not have enough staff to maintain enough onsite services. When this happens, we work to ensure that the full service ATMs onsite are regularly restocked so that customers can still transact for the most common needs, along with our award winning mobile and online banking.
We will be closed for the remainder of the week ,with plans to reopen, Monday, July 6. Our customers can use our mobile app for many of their banking needs and find the latest schedules, as well as the nearest ATM and financial center locations by going to www.bankofamerica.com/locator.
One of the highest daily new case numbers we’ve seen in a while tops tonight’s roundup:
NEWEST KING COUNTY NUMBERS: Here’s today’s daily summary from Public Health – the cumulative totals:
*10,069 people have tested positive, 168 more than yesterday
*586 people have died, unchanged for a third day
*1,587 people have been hospitalized, 13 more than yesterday
*161,398 people have been tested, 1,847 more than yesterday
One week ago, the totals were 9,273/584/1,547/144,631.
STATEWIDE NUMBERS: See them here.
WORLDWIDE NUMBERS: See them – nation by nation – here.
3 WS BUSINESSES IN 4 DAYS … have confirmed employee COVID-19 cases. Today, Trader Joe’s; Saturday, Duke’s; Thursday, Admiral Starbucks.
LOOKING FOR WORK? Though the virus crisis has cost many their jobs, some are hiring. Local businesses can post listings for free in our West Seattle Jobs Offered section, and there are several new ones.
GOVERNOR’S BRIEFING TOMORROW: He’ll be in the Tri-Cities and has announced an 11:45 am media briefing, “joined by Secretary of Health John Wiesman and retired Navy Vice Adm. Dr. Raquel Bono, Washington State Director, Pandemic Health Response.” (No advance streaming link in the announcement.)
GOT SOMETHING TO REPORT? westseattleblog@gmail.com or 206-293-6302, text/voice – thank you!
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