The National Weather Service has cancelled the Winter Storm Warning for the Seattle area for tonight. However, they still say to expect some snow showers over the weekend, and the extra-cold temperatures will arrive on schedule and stick around for a few days.
An ongoing winter weather discussion is here in our forum.
Sable Verity has a post up alleging some fairly unsavory behavior involving a School Board member and Arbor Heights PTSA members in West Seattle, in which they are working to target high-poverty schools in order to save the more affluent Arbor Heights. She quotes an AHPTSA co-president, in an email to the group, as saying: “…If we want to keep Arbor Heights open, we need to give them a sacrificial lamb…” This is relevant to Southeast Seattle because one of the schools targeted was allegedly Rainier Beach High School, which was targeted specifically because its closure would apparently free up enough money for the District to save Arbor Heights. I’m not sure what to make of all of this cloak-and-dagger, but I am certain that no child and no school in Seattle Schools should have to be someone’s “sacrificial lamb.”
On a related topic, Dick Lilly at Crosscut has another in a series of editorials about the current school closure fiasco that touches on some of the very things that have bothered me most about the current process. Here are some examples:
“School performance should not be a criterion for closure, because the success of a program is the responsibility of the superintendent who appoints the principal and district policies on how much is spent on what…
“Building condition should not be a criterion because, again, the order in which schools receive funding from the Building Excellence and other capital levies for major maintenance, renovation, or complete reconstruction is a decision made by the superintendent and board.”
Some schools and programs are being selected for closure because of perceived failure, when that “failure” often seems to be a direct result of District choices to neglect a particular building or program. Unfortunately, children and families are having to bear the brunt of this neglect. (Though, not in North Seattle, unless they go to an alternative school.)
Later in the weekend, more snow is predicted, and then the arrival of a serious cold wave. On Sunday night, the low temp is expected to be around 18. Monday, the high won’t even reach 30. I hope you have hats, scarves and gloves ready; you’ll need them.
The folks at Seattle Public Utilities want us to warn you to prepare for the cold weather and save yourself the money and hassle of emergency repairs to your water pipes. Here’s what they suggest:
Beyond those suggestions, SPU adds that:
‘Heavy rain following closely after heavy snowfall can increase the chance of landslides due to soil saturation that reduces slope stability. Property owners on slopes are advised to clear both drains on their buildings and storm drains near their property. If a landslide damages your property and you have an immediate concern for your safety, leave the premises and call 9-1-1.
“Seattle property owners with structures affected by or endangered by a landslide may contact the Department of Planning and Development at 206-684-7899, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., for a rapid evaluation of damage. Such evaluations are not meant to provide a comprehensive assessment, which will need to be completed by a private structural or geotechnical engineer.”
Find out more at the SPU website.
If bacon’s not your thing (what??) they’re also offering other meats, from duck to veal to pancetta. And they’re looking for contacts that can help them get their delectable wares into farmers markets around town. Let ’em know if you can help out.
Craig Thompson has posted a heartfelt eulogy for Fred Nakagawa, a Beacon Hill neighbor who passed away last week at the age of 88. Fred was a founder of the Beacon Alliance of Neighbors, and as Craig writes, “an advocate for the woods, for seniors, for public safety, for his family and friends, for Japanese Americans, for freedom, for democracy.” Craig’s post is here.
We found more lights tonight. This cheerful house is on the 1700 block of South Columbian Way. (Know of others? Please tell us. We’ve gotten a couple of tips about light displays so far and were able to go out and photograph them. You’ll be seeing more photos soon.)
Here’s a map of the sites we’ve found so far (click on the map and scroll around or zoom out to see the other locations):
Among all the school closure craziness going on, we missed that there is a community meeting scheduled tonight (“to hear questions and concerns from our school community”) at the African-American Academy, 8311 Beacon Avenue South, 5:30 – 7:30 pm. Tonight there are also meetings for Madrona K-8 (4:30 – 5:30 pm), Summit K-12 @ Jane Addams (6:00 – 8:00 pm), and Thurgood Marshall Elementary (6:00 – 7:00 pm).
Keep tabs on this school district page to see if any new meetings or hearings are scheduled. Things seem to be changing rapidly in this process.
The recently proposed merger between Rainier Beach and Cleveland high schools is apparently off the table again. (Amber Campbell at the Rainier Valley Post posts a possible reason why: the potential gang violence, according to several unnamed Seattle Police Department South Precinct sources, would have been significant.) Instead, one potential option is to close Aki Kurose Middle School, moving those students to Rainier Beach, which would then have a 6-12 comprehensive performing arts program. Another involves discontinuing the Center School program and moving its students from Seattle Center to Rainier Beach.
The African-American Academy is still scheduled for closure, with students from Van Asselt to move into that building.
Here’s another house cheerfully decorated for Christmas. This one caught my eye with its Virgin Mary with a shining neon blue halo. It’s in the 8000 block of Beacon Avenue South. (Know of more brightly-lit houses? Please tell us.)
Here’s a map showing this house’s location. If you click on the map and scroll around, or zoom out, you can see all of the houses we’ve featured so far: