White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Some info:

King County road reports can be found here — nothing listed in White Center as of this writing late Saturday night, but there is one in Boulevard Park.

Driving to the airport? A reader tells us Highway 509 is OK but Highway 518 is treacherous. More airport info here (the cell-phone lot is closed).

Just started falling. Info updates re: roads etc. as we get them, as it intensifies. Got pix/info? Leave comments and/or send to the White Center Now team at whitecenternow@gmail.com – thanks!

Lines stretching all the way through the store reported by sister site, West Seattle Blog.  Probably a combination of Christmas shopping (before storm) and storm preparations – bet they are sold out of flashlight, batteries and candles.  Alternatives in White Center:  Walgreens, Bartells and McLendon’s.

As promised, we are open today (Saturday) so if you are suffering cabin fever come on down for a bagel and coffee.

This pic is from the other side of White Center at 16th and 118th. AT the Laundry Mat by Berries BBQ.

Fear not Rozellians, we are open and brewing hot coffee, cool music and scintillating conversation.  Come on in!

Note the “live” (refresh for the latest image) camera in the right sidebar – it’s the only one the county has in White Center; click it for a larger image. Metro has a long list of canceled/changed routes again today; find it here. Winter break has started for every school we know of.

8:46 AM UPDATE: Photo of Roxbury at 5th from Jon, who says: “Looking easy towards Myers Way. Plenty of cars going down the hill.”

Thanks – keep the arterial reports/photos coming at editor@westseattleblog.com Another report: “My hubby made it down the big hill from Roxbury to 509 this morning about 7:30. He said it was sanded like crazy and was passable.”

10:25 AM UPDATE: Lots of King County facility closures – here’s the full list.

Worst cold spell since December of 1990, so we are told.     Well, I remember the snow storm of 1990 quite well:  my daughter was born on the night December 18, 1990.  On the morning of December 17^th , we grabbed the hospital bag and headed  to Virginia Mason across the West Seattle bridge after a sleepless night of painful contractions.   We had no idea as we drove west that we would be one of the last cars allowed on the bridge before it was closed due to ice, effectively sealing off West Seattle.

We arrived at Virginia Mason and went up to the delivery wing.  The attending nurse was skeptical that it was time for the baby to arrive, I guess D wasn’t moaning loud enough.  The nurse put a sheet over the bed, no doubt anticipating that it would be a false alarm and that we would shortly be sent home, as we had two previous times.  When the doctor arrived, she said, “no she’s dilated, this one’s coming out today.”  The midwife was called and the delivery nurses went through the routine to start the watch.  First time deliveries always last forever, even when they don’t.

After hours and hours and hours of hot baths, walking and pushing, they decided to call the guy who delivers the spinal epidural.  The horrible drug, pitocin, was applied making the contractions more intense and painful.  I remember a friend saying that watching delivery is like witnessing your wife being skinned alive.  It was.

By then we had been in Virginia Mason over twelve hours.  We could look out west as the City was blanketed with layer after layer of snow.  Freeways become parking lots as commuters frustrated by hours on the road decided to hoof it in the snow, rather than sleep in their car on the freeway.  And still the snow kept coming.  Nothing was moving.  The VM Chief came to the delivery area and lent a hand to the overworked and understaffed nurses, doctors and midwifes who made it in before the storm hit.  One positive effect of being stranded by a blizzard:  continuity of care, we still had the nurses that we started with.

After the epidural hit, the delivery began in earnest.  It was now way past 15 hours, and we were still struggling.  At 1 a.m. on December 18, 1990, Gabrielle shot out.  The night was bitterly cold and neither D nor I, had eaten anything all day long.  After cutting the umbilical chord and while the nurses were cleaning her up, I ran down and got a bagel with cream cheese for D.  She was ravenous, that stale bagel was the best she had ever tasted.  We were high from watching our daughter arrive and, of course, kept admiring the little bug.  The City outside was shut down, bitterly cold, covered with snow and utterly still, nothing was moving outside.   It was 2 a.m., the head nurse approached me and said, with full gravity, “ok, you can go home now.”

I looked at her as if she just asked me to jump out of the 9^th story window.  “What?”

“You can go home now,” she repeated.

The hell I am, I just spent the last 24 hours delivering my daughter and I’ll be damned if I’m leaving.  Get me cot.

D, Gabrielle and I spent the next two days at VM.  Two days later, a friend in a big car drove us to our West Seattle apartment.  The temperature did not rise above freezing for the next 10 days.  We were stuck in a small apartment with a newborn.  No sleep and shifts walking Gabrielle to sleep made us completely batty.  Cabin fever does not begin to describe our delirium.  We would break out crying over the dumbest thing.  But we were delighted with our angel.  And we were not going to forget the blizzard of 1990.   Happy birthday sweetheart.

The forecasters were finally right. No word of school changes yet, though (as of 5:25 am).

5:29 AM UPDATE: Seattle Public Schools are CLOSED for today.

5:40 AM UPDATE: Highline Public Schools are 1 hour late, “limited buses.” South Seattle Community College is starting at 10 am. We’ll keep checking for changes, which tend to happen if/as weather worsens.

5:57 AM UPDATE: Metro has updated its list of bus routes on “adverse weather” reroute. See it here.

6:16 AM UPDATE: Holy Family in White Center is closed today.

7:20 AM UPDATE: Shorewood Christian School will be open at 10:30 am.

7:42 AM UPDATE: Per scanner, SW 100th in 4th SW area “impassable.”

7:59 AM UPDATE: Shorewood Christian School changed status to CLOSED.

8:25 AM UPDATE: Myers Way is closed.

8:45 AM UPDATE: Highline Public Schools has changed its plan:

All elementary schools will be closed today due to snow. Because of developing weather conditions and late notice, middle schools and high schools will remain open.

10:55 AM UPDATE: Olson closed too.

11:56 AM UPDATE: Highline Public Schools changed its status again:

Due to worsening weather conditions, we will dismiss secondary students early today.

* Buses will pick up students at Puget Sound Skills Center at 11:45 a.m. and return them to their high schools.
* High schools will be dismissed at noon.
* Middle schools will be dismissed at 12:30.
* Emergency bus stops will be used on all bus routes.
* All after-school and evening activities, sports, and events and evening building use have been canceled.
* Also, we hope to make decisions about tomorrow this evening.

Also, Metro is warning its afternoon service will be limited; read more here.

Although the Rat City Rollergirls connection to White Center is somewhat attenuated these days, they still sport the unfortunate moniker of this community.  So we can be a bit proprietary about them and herein announce that they are holding tryouts for the team.  Where?   Why Bellevue, dahling.

The Rat City Rollergirls, the Northwest’s oldest and fiercest roller derby league, are having tryouts on Tuesday, Dec. 16 at 8:30 p.m. at Bellevue Skate King, Bellevue Skate King, 2301 140th Ave NE, Bellevue. All who tryout must have primary insurance, a signed waiver, and bring a $5 tryout fee. Call backs are the next night, Wednesday, Dec. 17, at the same time and place.

For those ladies (21 and older) interested in trying out, there will be an informational open house at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 10. You’ll get to watch a practice and ask questions about tryouts, the league, life as a rollergirl, and roller derby.

For tryout requirements or more information, e-mail freshmeat@ratcityrollergirls.com.

Highline Public Schools already will be 2 hours late tomorrow – and they’re asking families to check in the am for possible closure (since it may be snowing by 4 am or so). Here’s the message at SchoolReport.org.

Spotted that new business in the works on the far south end of Delridge while out surveying the roads: Tropical fish and pets. About a mile south, we checked McLendon, which hadn’t yet received the shipment of salt and deicer they were hoping to get today. Also, thanks to Rhonda for pointing out that the county has a roads hotline; it’s also mentioned in this news release we just received:

King County Transportation crews gear up
for another round of bad winter weather

Yet another winter storm with heavy snow possible in some King County communities by Wednesday evening has road and Metro Transit crews scrambling to get ready this afternoon.

The National Weather Service has issued a storm warning for up to 6 inches or more of snow for eastern areas of the county and a trace to two inches of snow by tomorrow afternoon in the Seattle metro area. Additional snow may fall tomorrow evening. That means virtually all areas of King County could be impacted by snowfall beginning early tomorrow morning with snow showers continuing throughout the day and evening.

While we may see varying degrees of snowfall around the county, residents should take this storm seriously if they plan to travel tomorrow. Depending on the timing and location of the snow, morning and afternoon commutes could become a major headache, especially for east King County residents. Travel conditions are expected to worsen as the day progresses.

In anticipation of the storm, the King County Road Services Division, which has been operating around-the-clock since Saturday, is applying anti-icer to major arterials, bridges and arterials located on steep hills. The division will also remain on 24-hour operations to plow and sand.

But depending on the timing and severity of the storm, it will be very difficult to keep roads clear, especially during morning or afternoon commute times. Motorists should be aware of this potential and plan their trip accordingly to avoid becoming stuck or having to abandon their vehicle. Given the forecast, motorists may even want to consider postponing non-essential travel.

King County Metro Transit is planning on chaining most of its buses for the Wednesday morning commute, and warns bus riders that service could be delayed by the weather conditions throughout the day – particularly in outlying areas of East and Southeast King County.

Many buses may be on snow routing, if not for the morning commute then by midday and late afternoon. Metro may have to switch to snow routes in some locations with little notice. So, the best way to stay on top of the reroutes is to check the adverse weather information on Metro Online at www.kingcounty.gov/metro, or call the Customer Information Office at (206) 553-3000.

Bus riders are reminded to:

Be patient. Buses are not always on schedule in snowy or icy conditions. And, increased ridership during bad weather can result in crowded buses and a longer-than-usual wait on the phone for the Customer Information Office;
Dress warmly for the walk to the bus stop, expect delays, and wear appropriate footwear for the weather;
Head for bus stops on main arterials or at major transfer points such as park-and-ride lots, transit centers, or shopping centers; and
Riders should wait at bus stops at the very top or very bottom of hills, because buses are often unable to stop for passengers on inclines.

And of course, the county is again reminding motorists to be prepared for winter driving. That means: having plenty of gas in the car; driving with all season tires, chains and warm clothing; and please don’t abandon your vehicle in the middle of travel lanes.

Residents are also encouraged to report problems on roads in unincorporated King County by calling (206) 296-8100, or 1-800-KC ROADS if they live outside the greater Seattle calling area.

Here’s a link with more on the county road hotline. Meantime, another photo – this is from a couple hours ago, on SW 99th looking east across 15th SW (which was in decent shape, as was 16th SW through the business district, though both were wet and likely to reglaze tonight):

Some pictures of White Center on this sunny winter day.

Rozella Building

Sidewalk on 16th Avenue SW

Winter sun seen through maple tree

Looking Down 16th Avenue SW

Cafe Rozella

From the Metro website just minutes ago:

That warning, and complaint, on the scanner just now, on a frequency where we’ve been monitoring everything from police to sheriff to Fire Department communications for the region, including a frequency on which school-bus drivers and dispatchers have been communicating — after that line, came the rebuke, “I don’t know who drove this to make it OK.” If the professional drivers are having trouble, that’s another good reason to avoid hitting the road if you possibly can. We’ve heard “sheet of ice” dozens of times in these communications.

The side roads have not been sanded so the hills remain very trecharous and icy.  Avoid if you can.  Myrtle SW in front of Sanislo Elementary School is an ice-sheet on a hill.  DO NOT attempt going up or down Myrtle in front of Sanislo.  Parents can park a block away – preferably away from Myrtle – and walk their kids up the sidewalk.  Very bad accident on this street yesterday.  If you don’t have chains you will not be able to go up the hill and you will skid down the street – endangering pedestrians and property.  Same goes for all non-arterial hills.  Be Safe – Avoid the Hills and Dont’ drive if you don’t have to.

We’re calling around to try to find chains. Schuck’s in White Center doesn’t have the size we need and told us they’d sold $10,000 in chains and antifreeze this weekend alone!

Highline Public Schools and Seattle Public Schools are both on two-hour delay; those and other districts are listed on SchoolReport.org. Holy Family School is starting at 10 am; Shorewood Christian School is closed. More as we get it. Here are various info-links:

County info on snow/ice routes/procedures (including Metro reroutes)
Metro “adverse weather” service status
King County road alerts
Latest forecast
WSDOT trouble spots via Twitter

5:57 AM UPDATE: Metro has now updated its page with Monday morning info. The 128 is on its “adverse weather” routing, among other White Center/West Seattle-area routes listed here. Here’s the table:

Another update tonight from the county – read it here. We are also keeping watch for any updates from both the Highline and Seattle school districts on potential school changes/closures for tomorrow and will post that information as soon as it’s available; you can also watch the regional closure-information site SchoolReport.org. 9:03 PM UPDATE: We have word that Holy Family School will start late tomorrow, 10 am.

Icy roads everywhere, even if you’re not on a hill. More snow showers on the way, says the National Weather Service, which has a “winter weather advisory” in effect till 3 pm (see the newest forecast here).