January 2021

information from the US Department of Justice

A 30-year-old SeaTac, Washington, man was indicted yesterday by a grand jury for two counts of mail fraud related to his participation in a scheme to defraud elderly victims across the country, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.  ARIFKHAN PATHAN was arrested on a criminal complaint January 4, 2021.  According to the indictment, between August and December 2020, PATHAN played a role in defrauding victims of more than $400,000.

information from Save the Stone Cottage

On Saturday, January 23, 2021—The organizers of Save the Stone Cottage are hosting an event called “Walking in Eva’s Shoes” on Alki, starting at the Alki Point Lighthouse, from 10am to 2pm. 

This is an opportunity for some fun family time on a familiar shoreline path but instead you get to ‘see’ Alki of the 1930’s through the eyes of a Seattle family as they collected stones to cover their home. 

That little house on Harbor Ave SW  known as Eva’s Stone Cottage is now the  focus of the “Save the Stone Cottage”  committee’s fundraising drive. They plan to  move the house out of the way of pending demolition and give it a new life.

$110,000 has been raised toward moving the cottage to temporary home. Nickel Bros. is now conducting pre-move work.

information from the City of Seattle

Join the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) for our Seattle Home Fairs on Saturday, January 30, 2021 and Saturday, February 6, 2021. This year we’re going virtual! Our free home fairs will include helpful information about landslide preparation, earthquake retrofits, tree regulations, and rental housing rules. You’ll also have an opportunity to ask our experts about our permitting process, building and electrical inspections, soil erosion prevention, and code violations. This is your chance to get expert advice about your specific project, rental housing, or housing maintenance standards.

The 2nd lady of the United States, Dr. Jill Biden paid a visit to the South Seattle Community College Boeing Field campus today, July 9, to promote a program called Community College to Career. She was joined by students from the SSCC Aviation Technology program and a panel of special guests including SSCC President Dr. Gary Oertli, Chancellor Dr. Jill Wakefield, Washington State Ferries Assistant Secretary David Moseley, Tim Copes, VP of manufacturing and quality for Boeing and students selected to share their stories for the event.

The program, initiated in February, hopes to train two million workers for high demand industries. The $8 billion Community College to Career fund provides funding for colleges and states to partner with businesses for training purposes.

Dr. Biden joined faculty and students where she spoke about the importance of community colleges in preparing people for the work force. She heard comments from several students who relayed their experience in gaining an education and then finding work.

information from Seattle Department of Transportation

Both the roadway and path on the low bridge between West Seattle and Harbor Island will be closed to all people driving, walking, biking, rolling, and taking the bus. We will keep the low bridge open to emergency vehicles.

This Saturday, January 23, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., we are restricting all traffic  from the Spokane St Swing Bridge (low bridge). 

This temporary restriction applies to both those who are authorized to use the bridge, except emergency vehicles, and the general public.  

Both the roadway and path on the low bridge between West Seattle and Harbor Island will be closed to all people driving, walking, biking, rolling, and taking the bus. We will keep the low bridge open to emergency vehicles. 

When the long delayed decision to repair the West Seattle Bridge was made on Nov. 18 it was the culmination of a process that involved dozens of online meetings, and thousands of work hours by the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT). It was primarily an engineering driven decision but the practical need to restore the corridor to service was a major consideration.

In the end Mayor Durkan took the repair path to help business and the public as soon as possible with safety as the overarching requirement.

When the bridge damage was first seen as near catastrophic, SDOT took what some saw as a drastic step. They closed the bridge that day.  As time has passed, that decision was examined by multiple engineers and was seen as the right move (though some questioned why it did not happen sooner).