January 2012

The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for Western Washington now extended to at least 2pm today. the storm shut down all runways at SeaTac this morning and workers managed to get one runway open for both arrivals and departures. Governor Christine Gregoire has issued a special weather proclamation (see below) to "ensure the delivery of dairy products" and allows the activation of the Washington State National Guard should they be needed.

URGENT - WINTER WEATHER MESSAGE
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SEATTLE WA

...VERY ICY CONDITIONS THIS MORNING OVER SOUTH PARTS OF WESTERN WASHINGTON...

.A WARM FRONT WILL SPREAD RAIN OVER THE TOP OF COLD AIR TRAPPED AT THE SURFACE...RESULTING IN FREEZING RAIN...MODERATE AT TIMES THIS MORNING. THE RAIN IS EXPECTED TO EASE LATE THIS MORNING AND TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO CREEP ABOVE FREEZING BY ABOUT MIDDAY.

...ICE STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 2pm PST TODAY...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SEATTLE HAS ISSUED AN ICE STORM WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL NOON PST TODAY. THE WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT.

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...HOQUIAM...OLYMPIA...SEATTLE.

press release:
King County Metro Transit will keep its buses chained up and on snow routing on Thursday, January 19, as the region recovers from significant snowfall, however transit operating conditions could change throughout the day, and bus riders are encouraged to watch for updates.

Depending on the roads and traffic, bus service will probably still be significantly disrupted and delayed on Thursday morning.

Metro plans to start the day operating the same level of service as on Wednesday, with 27 regular routes canceled. If travel conditions improve, service on these routes could be restored either early or during the day on Thursday. Before traveling, riders should check for the most current status of Metro service.

Due to the expectation of treacherous and impassable roadways on Thursday morning, Metro is scaling back some service in order to be able to operate the rest of its system as safely and reliably as possible.

The routes expected to be canceled on Thursday morning are:
2EX, 38, 42, 45, 46, 51, 53, 79, 114, 161, 162, 175, 192, 193, 197,
205, 210, 215, 216, 219, 224, 237, 251, 268, 277, 316 & 355.

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206 937 7169
Our annual picture and frame event continues with framed paintings, posters, handiwork's and other art as well as many frames in a variety of sizes for your own photos.  All items with blue tags are 50% off marked price Sunday, January 22nd through Tuesday, January 31st and Men's Wear is 50% off each Sunday in January.  Don't forget our early bird reward -- double stamps on your customer cards each Mondays from 10 to noon and remember, every dollar you spend goes to find a cure for cancer.   If you made a resolution to make a difference in 2012, please consider volunteering with us.  The American Cancer Society Shop is open Sundays 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and all other days 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Youth Basketball Free Throw Competition
Holy Rosary School Gym
4142 42nd Ave. S.W.

Press release:

The flakes may have stopped flying, but residents should use caution if they must commute to work, and are urged to telecommute on Thursday if possible. The weather forecast still predicts cold temperatures, and snow and ice will not melt off roadways overnight.

While road crews will be working through the night, Thursday morning, drivers and bus riders will meet with potentially worse road conditions than today. Individuals who must travel to work on Thursday should take their time, be patient, and emphasize safety over getting to a destination quickly.

King County Operations: Some King County agencies are reporting altered operations tonight, Wednesday, and tomorrow, Thursday. Updated closures are posted online in real time at www.kingcounty.gov. We will send a comprehensive list of affected operations on Thursday morning. Here is a list of operations that are currently affected:

• Vashon Water Taxi: The 5:30 and 6:30 evening sailings of the Downtown Seattle/Vashon Island Water Taxi have been canceled due to high winds. Normal service will resume tomorrow morning. West Seattle sailings are not affected.

Christina Gould loves Murray, her Cairn Terrier for many reasons but he can be a bit too curious at times. More on that in a moment.

Murray, came from a breeder (who named him) in Portland, Oregon about 7 and a half years ago. She feeds him a special "freeze dried human food almost" said Gould, "that I get at Pet Elements. They order it for me, but to be honest, this guy hasn't seen a drop of food that he hasn't loved," she said laughing.

His treats are dried chicken breast, 'Greenies', but not too many. "These dogs are so short to the ground they have a propensity to gain weight."

"Cairn Terriers have quite a personality," explained Gould," and he's the boss, he's very curious and affectionate. He's almost like a cat because he loves jumping up on my lap and cuddling. They love people and they run to anybody, so you have to be careful because they will just go with anyone. He hasn't met a stranger that he doesn't like."

All Seattle Public Schools will remain closed on Thursday, January 19 because of continued winter weather, including the threat of icy roads, making student transportation potentially unsafe.

Schools were closed today, and tonight’s School Board meeting was postponed until Jan. 25. All pre- and post- school activities are also cancelled, including games, practices, events, plays, meetings, etc.

“We hoped that students and staff could return to school on Thursday, but forecasts right now are showing continued severe weather, including the potential for icy roads,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield. “We want to err on the side of caution, and also give families enough time to plan for another snow day.”

Please note that Thursday’s 4 p.m. School Board committee of the whole meeting has not been cancelled. As of now, that meeting will take place, and a decision on whether or not to cancel will be made by noon on Thursday. However, the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence will be closed on Thursday to all non-essential personell.

Chief Sealth International High School Principal Chris Kinsey announced late Wed. Jan 18 that the originally scheduled tour set for Jan. 20 for Madison Middle School and Pathfinder students has been cancelled.

"Due to the recent winter weather and school closures the scheduled tour for Madison and Pathfinder students and families on Friday, January 20 at 10:00 AM at Chief Sealth International High School will be cancelled and rescheduled for a future date. Please contact the office if you have any questions or need further information 206.252.8550

Thank you!"

Chris Kinsey
Principal
Chief Sealth International High School

Sneaking a meeting in before the snow began to fall, the West Seattle Crime Prevention Council met on Jan. 17 and heard from Southwest Precinct Lt. Pierre Davis and Officer William Witt of the Aggressive Driving and Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Teams.

West Seattle crime trends
Lt. Davis, in his monthly crime report, said, “Here in the West Seattle corridor we had just been getting hit with a lot of burglaries … and it was a trend we had never seen before up here,” referring to a significant rise in year-end burglaries and car thefts.

Lt. Davis said the upsurge was due to a “huge nexus” of coordinated thieves hitting not only much of Puget Sound, but even as far south as Portland. In response, he said the Southwest Precinct has started working with other precincts and counties, sharing information on a linked network.

After opening two hours late and then closing two hours early on Tuesday Jan, 17 in anticipation of the winter storm bearing down on Seattle the Seattle Public Schools closed altogether on Jan, 18, joining nearly all other school systems in Western Washington (except for Pacific Beach which remained open) and chose to close down for Thursday, Jan. 19 as well the system stated in a press release Wednesday afternoon.

press release:

All Seattle Public Schools will remain closed on Thursday, January 19 because of continued winter weather, including the threat of icy roads, making student transportation potentially unsafe.

Schools were closed today, and tonight’s School Board meeting was postponed until Jan. 25. All pre- and post- school activities are also cancelled, including games, practices, events, plays, meetings, etc.

“We hoped that students and staff could return to school on Thursday, but forecasts right now are showing continued severe weather, including the potential for icy roads,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield. “We want to err on the side of caution, and also give families enough time to plan for another snow day.”

Press release, 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan.18

King County Metro Transit will keep its buses chained up and on snow routing for a fifth straight day on Thursday, Jan. 19, as the region recovers from significant snowfall. But, transit operating conditions could change throughout the day and bus riders should watch for updates from Metro.

Depending on the roads and traffic, bus service will probably still be significantly disrupted and delayed on Thursday.

Metro plans to operate the same level of service it had today with up to 30 routes canceled on Thursday. If travel conditions improve overnight, service on these routes could be restored either early or during the day on Thursday. So before traveling, riders should check for the most current status of Metro service.

Bus riders should sign up for Transit Alerts to receive notification of route cancellations, but also check the service status before traveling at www.kingcounty.gov/metro/snow.