We’ll continue to update this post throughout the day.

Update 11:14 a.m.: According to KING 5, Gov. Gregoire has declared a state of emergency, 100,000 people are without power across the state, and one man died near Issaquah when he was hit by a falling tree.

Update 11 a.m.: If anyone has driven on neighborhood roads or taken the bus, please put a note in comments and tell us about it. We’re curious to know how well the buses are running.

One man took to his skis to get around the neighborhood (thanks to Lynn for the picture!)

Update Thursday 8:30 a.m.: The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning for the Seattle area until 12 p.m. today.

According to the NWS, an ice storm warning means “severe weather conditions are imminent or occurring. Significant amounts of ice accumulation will make travel dangerous or impossible. Travel is strongly discouraged…Ice accumulations will likely lead to snapped power lines and falling tree branches that add to the danger.”

On traffic cameras, television or from your window, streets may appear bare and wet but they may still be covered with ice. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) continues to treat major arterial roads with salt brine and granular salt. Some secondary or neighborhood streets are very slick and changes in conditions between treated and untreated roadways can be very sudden. Four wheel drive is not a solution – vehicles need chains to have traction. Keeping the roads clear of traffic is extremely helpful for emergency vehicles.

Many sidewalks are icy. Pedestrians should use caution while walking and crossing streets. It is the responsibility of property owners to keep their sidewalks clear of ice to protect pedestrian safety. SDOT is dispatching 22 crews to activate the Pedestrian Safety Element of the Winter Response plan to clear and salt pedestrian landings, crossings, and intersections.

Seattle Public Utilities will not pick up garbage, recycling and yard waste today as planned, because the roads are too icy.

Weather permitting, garbage, recycling, and food/yard waste service will resume Friday, on a revised schedule — with customers scheduled for pickup today collected Friday, and Friday customers collected Saturday.

If your materials are not picked up this week, please put them out on your next regularly scheduled pickup day. Missed customers will be allowed to set out double their normal amount of garbage, recycling and yard waste at no additional charge.

All Seattle Public Library branches are closed on Thursday.

Woodland Park Zoo is closed again on Thursday.

Many King County offices are closed today, including District and Superior Court, Council offices, the Prosecutor’s Office and the Department of Assessments. For a full list of county closures, click here.

Someone created some great snow creatures in front of Santoro’s Books on Wednesday. (Thanks to LS for the pictures!)

Earlier: Wednesday was a very fun snow day of sledding and drinking hot chocolate. Unless, of course, you had to drive somewhere. The roads will likely be very icy on Thursday, so please drive carefully if you must go somewhere.

Here’s what’s on tap for Thursday:

Seattle Publish Schools are closed again.

Seattle Public Utilities will pick up Wednesday’s garbage, recycling and yard waste on Thursday, weather permitting. That means regular Thursday pickups will now happen on Friday, and Friday customers should set their refuse out on Saturday by 7 a.m.

If your materials are not picked up on the revised schedule, please put them out on your next regularly scheduled pickup day. Missed customers will be allowed to set out double their normal amount of garbage, recycling and yard waste at no additional charge.

Metro Transit will continue to operate on snow routes, with 27 routes canceled. Other routes may experience significant delays, so check Metro’s Snow & Ice page for updates before you head for the bus.

Greenwood Hardware was all out of sleds on Wednesday, but they’re getting more on Thursday.

We may be out of sleds for today, but we’ve seen a lot of creative solutions: garbage can lids, cardboard+rope+tarp… Send us pictures of your ad-hoc sled-like device and whichever we think is the most creative we’ll hold a sled for you from tomorrow’s truck!

Lexy sent us a photo of the hordes of sledders at Woodland Park on Wednesday.

Next door, at the Woodland Park Zoo, the animals frolicked in the snow.

Photo by Kirsten Pisto, Woodland Park Zoo.

Seattle Public Library is once again hosting basic computing classes at many local libraries. The classes are free and registration is not required (unless noted), but seating may be limited based on room capacity. For more information call 206-386-4636.

Here are upcoming classes at the Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N.

Computer Basics 1 – Learn how to use a computer keyboard and mouse: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7; and 10–11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 1.

Computer Basics 2 – Learn how to use basic features of the Windows software operating system. The session will cover using the toolbars, scroll bar and text boxes: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14; and 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 8.

Internet Basics 1 – Learn how to navigate a Web page and how to use Web browsers and search engines: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5.

Internet Basics 2 – Learn how to find information using Web directories and search engines: 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 12.

Digital Book Roadshow – Learn about e-books and test drive various e-book readers: 3-4 p.m. and 4-5 p.m. Saturday, April 9.

The Seattle Public Library now accepts online payments for overdue fines and other fees. Library users can use a credit card, debit card or PayPal account.

Library cardholders can also add funds to their account for computer printing. Credit and debit card payments are processed through PayPal, but you don’t need to have a PayPal account. The minimum payment required is $1; there is no service charge.

You can slo pay your fines and fees in person by cash, check or money order at any library branch during regular operating hours. Or you can mail a check or money order to: Attention Borrower Services, The Seattle Public Library, 1000 Fourth Ave., Seattle, WA 98104. Include your library card number with your mailed payment; they’ll mail you a receipt. Credit card payments are not accepted in person or by phone.

The Seattle Public Library is now offering free access to Career Transitions, an online career resource that offers step-by-step guidance to help you discover your interests and find a new job.

Career Transitions features five guided steps to help plan and make the next move in finding a job: explore and discover occupational interests; investigate thousands of career paths; prepare a resume and list of references; find educational opportunities to increase hiring chances; and find jobs from listings across the country.

To access Career Transitions, go to www.spl.org and select the “Job hunting resources” Quick Link on the homepage. Then scroll down the page to find Career Transitions under “Career Discovery & Job Skills.” A Library card and personal identification number is necessary to access Career Transitions. Users will need to create a username and password in order to save their work and continue later.

Plenty of classes coming up at the Greenwood Library, 8016 Greenwood Ave. N.

On Thursday, “Learn How to Reduce Stress with Hypnotherapy.” Hypnotherapist Gail Sparlin will discuss and demonstrate self-hypnosis and relaxation techniques from 6-7 p.m. Free. For more information call the branch at 206-684-4086.

The Greenwood Library has a full slate of free basic computer classes coming up:

• Tuesday, Feb.1, 6-7:30 p.m.: Computer Basics 1 – Learn how to use a computer keyboard and mouse.
• Tuesday, Feb. 8, 6-7:30 p.m.: Computer Basics 2 – Learn how to use basic features of the Windows software operating system. The session will cover using the toolbars, scroll bar and text boxes.
• Tuesday, March 1, 6-7:30 p.m.: Internet Basics 1 – Learn how to navigate a Web page and how to use Web browsers and search engines.
• Tuesday, March 8, 6-7:30 p.m.: Internet Basics 2 – Learn how to find information using Web directories and search engines.

The Greenwood Library is not one of the many libraries offering free tax assistance with the help of United Way of King County and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), but nearby branches are:

• Ballard Branch, 5614 22nd Ave. N.W., 206-684-4089; 4-7 p.m. Mondays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays, starting Thursday, Feb. 3.
• Broadview Branch, 12755 Greenwood Ave N. 206-684-7519; 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, starting Friday, Feb. 4. Note: hours for tax help on Feb. 5 are 12:30-4 p.m.; no help is offered Feb. 12.

Trained volunteers will answer questions and help prepare personal tax returns (not business returns).

The Central Library downtown is offering a free SAT practice test, in collaboration with Kaplan, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 5.

There will be a follow-up session from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19 at the Central Library, Level 1, Microsoft Auditorium. Attendance is required on both days.

The program is free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Parking will be available in the Central Library garage at the regular rates. Each student should come prepared with a pencil, eraser, calculator and snack.

Students will take a practice test at the first session and will receive their test scores and tips on how to improve their scores at the second session. Scores are confidential.

And in case you missed last week’s news, you can now download free music through Seattle Public Library’s Freegal Music, which includes 500,00 songs from Sony Music artists.

Freegal Music is an online database that provides access to songs from Sony Music. The music files are DRM-free and do not expire, and are compatible with PCs, Macs, iPods, iPads and other MP3-compatible devices.

Seattle Public Library cardholders are eligible for three MP3 downloads per week. A Library card number and PIN is necessary to access and download songs.

The Seattle Public Library has greatly increased its online offerings with an additional 15,000 digital E-books, as well as free access to The Seattle Times historical archives from 1900-1984.

The archive is in addition to the Library’s subscription to digitized copies of the Seattle Times from 1985 to the present. NewsBank, publisher of the Seattle Times Historical Archives, is in the process of digitizing the years 1896 through 1899, with completion expected in January 2011.

The archive is fully searchable and users can print, magnify and save digital copies of the Seattle Times.

To view digital copies of newspapers in the Seattle Times Historical Archives, go to www.spl.org and click on “Library Collection,” then “Databases & Web Sites,” and select “Magazines & Newspapers.” Scroll down the page to find the “Seattle Times Historical Archives.”

As for the 15,000 new digital books, they are public domain titles whose copyrights expired. Volunteers from Project Gutenberg have been digitizing public domain books. The Library now has more than 70,000 files in seven digital formats.

The e-books can be downloaded to a PC or Mac, and transferred to some electronic reading devices.

The 15,000 public domain e-book titles are separate from the main OverDrive collection and all files have DRM-free access. The public domain titles are always available and since downloads do not expire, so there are no due dates or late fees to worry about!

To browse and download public domain e-books available via OverDrive, go to www.spl.org and click on “Library Collection,” then select “Digital Books & Media.” Scroll down to the OverDrive section and click the “Go to OverDrive Project Gutenberg e-books” link. A Library card and PIN number are not required to download public domain items.

The Seattle Public Library will raise fines and fees on Nov. 1, to help offset budget cuts.

• The daily fine for an overdue book, CD, or DVD will change from 15 cents a day to 25 cents a day. Maximum per item late fee: $8.
• The daily fine for an overdue interlibrary loan (an item borrowed from outside The Seattle Public Library) will change from 25 cents a day to $1 a day. Maximum per item late fee: $15.
• The daily fine for an overdue reference resource will change from 15 cents a day to $1 a day. Maximum per item late fee: $15.
• The charge to print from Library computers will change from 10 cents to 15 cents per page.

The library will also send all accounts with a balance of $25 or more to a collection agency, and it will add a $12 charge when the account is sent to collections. For library account holders who are 12 or under, their parents will be notified when accounts becomes delinquent.

You may want to pass this along to the computer newbies in your life. The Greenwood Library at 8016 Greenwood Ave. N. is once again offering free computer classes for people with little or no experience with computers.

Classes are free and open to the public. Registration is not required, but seating may be limited. For more information call 206-386-4636.

• Computer Basics 1 – Learn how to use a computer keyboard and mouse; 6-7:30 p.m., Wed., Nov. 3.
• Computer Basics 2 – Learn how to use basic features of the Windows software operating system, including toolbars, scroll bar and text boxes; 6-7:30 p.m., Wed., Nov. 10.
• Internet Basics 1 – Learn how to navigate a Web page and how to use browsers and search engines; 6–7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 2.
• Internet Basics 2 – Learn how to find information using Web directories and search engines; 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 9.

If you’re one of the many people who prefer to drop off their election ballot in a drop box instead of mailing it in, be aware that the nearest drop box in Ballard has moved.

The ballot drop box used to be located at the Neighborhood Service Center, but has moved partway up the block to a free-standing box outside the Ballard Library. Despite numerous signs next to the old location, our sister site MyBallard reports that plenty of voters appear to be confused about the new location.

The new ballot drop box (above) is open for voters to slip ballots in 24 hours a day from now until Election Day, Nov. 2, when the box will close at 8 p.m. Ballots put in the drop box do not require postage.

Francesca Wainwright, the Greenwood and Green Lake libraries branch manager, was promoted last month to Regional Manager for the North End libraries. Wainwright is now responsible for the overall management of eight branches of the Seattle Public Library: Greenwood, Green Lake, Broadview, Northgate, Lake City, University, Northeast (near Wedgwood) and Wallingford.

“I love getting to work with the individual branch staff to make sure they have what they need to do their job,” Wainwright said. “I’m a very social person. I love seeing the variety of people who come in that door every day, and I love the sense of connection with the community. People depend on us to have our doors open and be there for them.”

The Seattle Public Library system has 27 branches, which are divided into three regions: North, South and Mid-City. Valerie Garrett-Turner is the new branch manager for Greenwood and Green Lake. Garrett-Turner formerly managed the Douglass-Truth and Montlake branches.

Wainwright managed the Greenwood Library for more than 11 years, and loved spending most of her time on the floor, helping patrons.

“The thing I really enjoy about the neighborhood libraries is you really get to know people from the community that way. You become a part of people’s daily lives,” she said. “I feel really fortunate. I think if I didn’t work at the library I’d probably still be there every day anyway.”

Six months ago, she became responsible for the Green Lake Library in addition to Greenwood, when the library consolidated management.

“They’re both very different branches,” Wainwright said. “We have a brand new, ultra-modern one in Greenwood, and in Green Lake you’ve got this gorgeous, 100-year-old building that had been restored.”

Her office is now downtown at the Central Library, but she spends two or three afternoons a week visiting the North End branches.

“One of the really important things that we’re doing is trying to be more coordinated with how we provide programming to the community,” she said.

For instance, some libraries don’t have a children’s librarian. She wants to make sure that the libraries that do, share their expertise with the branches that don’t, making sure they have the right collections and mix of programming.

“It’s pretty exciting,” Wainwright said. “It’s definitely more of a coordinating role. Branch managers have a lot on their plate. They also have to deal with all of the building issues. Every branch has things that come up from time to time and issues to deal with, security issues, staff training issues.”

With the city’s proposed budget cuts for next year, the library is looking at restructuring its management, so that each library won’t have a branch manager, but there would be more regional managers responsible for four or five branches each.

“It’s quite a big change,” she admits, and she hopes the library doesn’t have to drastically cut hours or services.

“I think libraries are the one place where everyone in the community can go. It doesn’t matter if you can afford it. It doesn’t matter what your circumstances are, you are welcome at the library. You can access all kinds of information…and it’s free. It’s truly that one place where people can go and there’s a level playing field for everybody.”

The Seattle Public Library is hosting a “Bikes for Books” reading program from Oct. 16 – Dec. 16.

“Bikes for Books” is open to children in first through third grade, and fourth through fifth grade. Participants are allowed to enter their names for the drawing once for every three books they read between Oct. 16 and Dec. 16. Each entry will require a short oral book report to a librarian. One girl and one boy from each age category will win a bike, helmet and lock (four winners total). Winners must be present at the Dec. 18 celebration to collect their prizes. All participants will receive certificates of accomplishment.

“Bikes for Books” is sponsored by the Masonic Doric Lodge No. 92 in Fremont, to inspire children to read. The prize drawing and celebration is at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 18, at the Fremont Branch, 731 N. 35th St.

Just a reminder that all branches of the Seattle Public Library, including the Greenwood Library at 8016 Greenwood Ave. N., will open at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 30, due to an all-staff meeting. The Greenwood Library usually opens at 10 a.m. on Thursdays.