by Kevin Schofield
This weekend’s read is a report published by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) last month on a question that may be top of mind for a bunch of South Seattleites: How’s the West Seattle Bridge doing?
Continue reading Weekend Reads | Evaluating the West Seattle Bridge Repair One Year Laterby Lizz Giordano
With the opening of the West Seattle Bridge on Sunday, Sept. 18, the Duwamish Valley is counting down the days to fewer vehicles passing through the neighborhood and regaining its streets for slower uses.
Continue reading Duwamish Valley Hopes for Quieter Streets as the West Seattle Bridge Reopenscurated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
curated by Vee Hua 華婷婷
A light-hearted News Gleams for this scorching week! We cover free transit passes for youth and major updates on West Seattle Bridge which put it closer to reopening — plus The Seattle Public Library’s head librarian wants to hear from you!
—Vee Hua 華婷婷, interim managing editor of the South Seattle Emerald
P.S. Check out our Voting Guide for the Aug. 2 Primary Elections, and don’t forget to vote! It’s part of our recently launched series of South End Guides.
Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS | Free Transit Passes for Youth, Updates on West Seattle Bridge, & Moreby Elizabeth Turnbull
The 300-plus ready-mix concrete and dump drivers and support staff on strike since last December offered an unconditional return to work Monday, April 11, though negotiations for a new contract will continue, according to a Friday, April 8, announcement from Teamsters Local 174.
The return to work was offered as a way to break a logjam of construction projects across the Puget Sound region including the West Seattle Bridge repair project and the Federal Way Link light rail extension project.
“For months, the concrete companies have used their control over Seattle’s concrete industry to drag out negotiations, and it has been devastating for our community and for our sisters and brothers in the Building Trades,” said Teamsters Local 174 secretary-treasurer, Rick Hicks.
Hicks said returning to work was a gracious offer by the union on behalf of the people of Seattle and that the companies should “start negotiating in good faith and stop stonewalling negotiations, as they have for months.” The Teamsters said they put forth nine different proposals that were rejected.
Last updated on 04/11/2022.
On Tuesday, April 5, truck drivers began to once again deliver loads of concrete to the West Seattle Bridge after repairs were paused due to a union strike.
Since late last year, concrete workers and members of the Teamsters Union began a strike in King County to advocate for a contract that would meet their goals regarding pensions and medical coverage.
Continue reading Concrete Deliveries Resume to West Seattle Bridge as Worker Strike Continuescurated by Emerald Staff
On Saturday, Sept. 4, the National Asian Pacific Center of Aging (NAPCA), a national nonprofit that “preserves and promotes the dignity, well-being, and quality of life of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) and diverse older adults,” launched an online anonymous form to help report incidents of violence against older members of the AAPI community. Their “in-language online report form” will be available in 29 AAPI languages, and the data collected will be used, they say, to gauge incidents of anti-Asian violence nationwide to help inform policy makers and community leaders.
From NAPCA: “According to a nationwide survey of AAPI adults conducted by NAPCA and its community partners (COMPASS Study, March 2021), 3 in 5 surveyed had experienced discrimination during the height of the pandemic. Yet due to factors such as language barriers and a cultural reluctance to report crimes, data on the scope and reach of violence have been inconsistent and imprecise.
“NAPCA has independently tracked 94 reported incidents of violence against AAPI adults ages 50 and older since February 2020, with 16 deaths and three people critically injured. The number of attacks against Asians is widely believed to be underreported due to cultural reluctance with many older adults being limited English proficient and anxious about involving law enforcement.
Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Report Anti-Asian Violence Online, Rethinking Waste, & More“With this anonymous in-language form, we are urging community members to come forward and report the violence they have been either victim or witness to, detailing their accounts in order to better grasp what has been unfolding.” Joon Bang, president and CEO of NAPCA
curated by Emerald Staff
American Indian Health Commission and Tribal/Urban Indian Health Immunizations Coalition are “Pulling Together for Wellness” and providing free vaccines to adults and children 12 and older on Wednesday, July 28 from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. No appointment necessary! Free emergency dental services are also available by appointment (call 480-760-1486 to schedule).
Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Vaccine Pop-up, Student Jobs at SPL, Preparing for Wildfire Smoke, More!curated by Emerald Staff
During the recent heatwave, on Monday, June 28, 2021, the National Weather Service (NWS) station at SeaTac recorded 108 degrees Fahrenheit — the highest temp on record for Seattle.
The highest temp ever recorded in Seattle prior to Sunday, June 27, 2021, which is the day we broke the last record (with a 104-degree reading at SeaTac), was a balmy 103 recorded in 2009. This year, roadway pavement even expanded and buckled in some places due to the heat in Seattle, nearby, and elsewhere in the state, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
Continue reading NEWS GLEAMS: Record-Setting Heat, West Seattle Bridge Repair Developments, and More!by Tracy Record
(This article originally appeared on the West Seattle Blog and has been reprinted under an agreement.)
The suspense is over.
Mayor Jenny Durkan announced this morning that the City will repair the West Seattle Bridge, eight months after she announced its shockingly sudden closure.
While the alternative — replacing its damaged midsection with a shiny new steel span — was appealing, she and SDOT Director Sam Zimbabwe acknowledged in a pre-announcement media briefing that covering its cost and achieving a “rapid replacement” timeline seemed out of reach. So, to get West Seattle moving again as soon as possible, she decided that repairing the bridge is the way to go.
Continue reading West Seattle Bridge Will Be Repairedby Bunthay Cheam
On March 23, the City of Seattle closed the West Seattle Bridge due to rapidly expanding cracks that rendered it unsafe for vehicle traffic.
The bridge will be closed until at least 2021 and may not be repairable according to Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) director Sam Zimbabwe. SDOT is still working to assess the full cost and timeline of needed repairs.
The city-owned bridge is vital to people living on the West Seattle peninsula, serving as the main route of access to the rest of the city, serving about 100,000 vehicles per day.
The main detour routes offered by the city take drivers through the Duwamish Valley, and through the communities of Georgetown, South Park and along West Marginal Way.
Continue reading West Seattle Bridge Closure Exposes Inequities in Duwamish Valley Communities
