Officials cant say how unsafe the viaduct needs to get before its shut down.
  • WSDOT
  • Officials can't say how unsafe the viaduct needs to get before it's shut down.

There Are So Many Unanswered Questions About the Project and the Sinking: In case you missed Heidi Groover’s post yesterday about the latest tunnel project meeting, there’s a lot we don’t know—including when officials will know what’s actually going on, when the tunnel project will be completed, and how unsafe the viaduct needs to get before it’s shut down. What we do know: There’s a bent 16-inch water pipe near First Avenue that will likely need to be replaced; Seattle Tunnel Partners are contractually obligated to strengthen the viaduct if it sinks .6 inches more (it’s already sunk 1.4 inches); and four buildings in Pioneer Square show cosmetic damage.

SPD is getting closer to complying with its federally mandated reforms.
  • Ian Buck
  • SPD is getting closer to complying with its federally mandated reforms.

SPD Is Making Good Progress on Its Federally Mandated Reforms: That’s according to the federal monitor’s second report, which was released yesterday. It praised police chief Kathleen O’Toole for her leadership and SPD’s training department for undergoing a “renaissance.” However, the report also found that SPD’s force review board doesn’t hold officers accountable. More from Ansel Herz here.

Nordstrom Fires Employee for Facebook Post That Advocates Killing Police Officers: The Portland employee had written, "Instead of slamming the police, I prefer a Kenny Fort approach. Every time an unarmed black man is killed, you kill a decorated white officer, on his door step in front of his family."

Audit Finds Washington State Vulnerable to Cyber Attacks: Five state agencies were monitored, and investigators found several instances of infrastructure being vulnerable to attack, including some that were “almost certain to be exploited” and others that could be exploited by an attacker with minimal skills.

Ongoing Labor Disputes at Seattle and Tacoma Ports May Have Trickle-Down Effect: A survey found that two-thirds of shippers say they will ship less cargo through West Coast ports next year because of the slowdown due to labor disputes, which some worry will affect jobs and the local economy.

Dont get too used to low gas prices.
  • Tristan Tan/Shutterstock
  • Don't get too used to low gas prices.

Gas Prices Dip to Less Than $2 Per Gallon in Some States: Why the dramatic price cut? Falling demand for oil due to economic slowdowns in Europe and Asia, the increase in fuel-efficient vehicles, and increased domestic oil production are some of the factors. According to GasBuddy.com, the national average is $2.514; in Seattle, the average is $2.912.


A Washington State University Alum Is Being Hailed as a Hero in Yesterday’s Hostage Situation in Sydney, Australia: Tori Johnson, who studied hospitality business management at WSU in 2002 and 2003, died while trying to wrest the shotgun from the gunman as he dozed, reports the Seattle Times. His actions are said to have allowed other hostages to escape.

Speaking of Gunmen, There’s Currently One on the Loose in Suburban Philadelphia: He’s a Marine veteran who’s suspected of killing six people, including his ex-wife and her sister, brother-in-law, niece, mother, and grandmother. A nephew was also wounded. "She would tell anybody who would listen that he was going to kill her and that she was really afraid for her life," said a neighbor. Ugh.


In Other Gunmen News, Members of the Taliban Attacked a School in Pakistan, Killing at Least 126: More than 100 of them are children, reports the New York Times.

Camille Cosby Responds to the Allegations Against Her Husband: She says such accusations have been going on since the late 1960s(!) and implied that her husband of 50 years is the real victim. She added that the man being accused of sexual assault by at least 15 women is “a man I do not know.”

More teens are using e-cigarettes than ever before.
  • Tibanna79/Shutterstock
  • More teens are using e-cigarettes than ever before.

Survey Finds National Pot Use Among Teens Is Declining: The survey of 40,000 to 50,000 students in 8th, 10th, and 12th grades about their drug and alcohol consumption found that marijuana use declined slightly, from 26 percent in 2013 to 24 percent in 2013. Fewer high school seniors are smoking daily, and marijuana is less available than it once was, despite legalization in some states. Also interesting: Teen use of alcohol and cigarettes have dropped to their lowest points since 1975, the year the study began. However, more teens are using e-cigarettes.

Washington State Has the Third-Most Peace Corps Volunteers: Vermont leads the pack.