Viadoom is No More: The Washington State Department of Transportation announced on Sunday evening that the Alaskan Way Viaduct is reopened to traffic – nearly a week earlier than planned. The Bertha has tunneled 318 of 385 feet. “WSDOT structural engineers completed a thorough inspection of the viaduct on Sunday and confirmed that the ground and the viaduct has been stable during the past ten days of drilling by the State Route 99 tunnel boring machine Bertha,” KING 5 reported.
After the Fact, WSDOT Says They Were Nervous About Bertha Tunneling Beneath the Viaduct: Travis Phelps, the department’s communications officer, told MyNorthwest that they’re “pleased the contractor [Seattle Tunnel Partners] reached this point.” The news site reported that people were questioning the early reopening:
A lot of people on social media are questioning whether this was a case of over-promising so Seattle Tunnel Partners and WSDOT could have a much-needed PR win on the project. There were also questions of whether Seattle Tunnel Partners would get some sort of bonus out of this – which it does not, according to Trepanier.
Bertha still has about 7,800 feet to go before the machine’s journey ends at the North Portal.
IMPORTANT REMINDER: You shouldn’t pick up your old driving habits just because the Viaduct is miraculously open again. For transit alternatives, check out Seattlish’s rad list here.
There’s a Standoff in Queen Anne: SWAT officers are negotiating with a robbery suspect who is inside a team home on West Galer Street at Fourth Avenue in Lower Queen Anne, KIRO reported. A bomb squad is also stationed outside. They do not know if the man is armed. The man’s teenage son was previously inside the home, but was released around 8:15 a.m., KIRO said.
Good News For Seattle Earthlings: Despite the clouds, we can watch Mercury pass over the sun today. But there’s just a couple hours left for you to see the planet’s transit, GeekWire reported. The Seattle Astronomy Society has some potential viewing points:
– Meridian Middle School, 23400 120th Ave. SE, Kent, Wash. North of the school, at the adjacent ballfield.
– Pierce College at Fort Steilacoom, 9401 Farwest Drive SW, Lakewood, Wash. Plans were set for presentations at the Pierce College Science Dome.
– Seacrest Park, 1660 Harbor Ave. SW, West Seattle. Seattle Astronomy blogger Greg Scheiderer made plans to set up a telescope there for viewing.
Stranger Staffers Had a Hell of a Saturday: They went to Lynden to cover the Trump rally and found misogynists, racists, protesters, and many Democrats’ rebellious children. Alex Garland documented the day in photos.
Told @mudede I went to the Trump rally, he said: “Ah! So you just got back from America!”
— Rich Smith (@goodeveningmaam) May 8, 2016
Where the Hell Does Our E-Waste Go? Northwest public media environmental news collaboration, EarthFix has been tracking how U.S. e-waste becomes a toxic problem overseas. Last week, EarthFix reported that Seattle-based e-recycler Total Reclaim caught exporting old televisions “laden with hazardous materials to unregulated facilities in Hong Kong.” The facility has lost its environmental certification. This week from KCTS/EarthFix producers Katie Campbell and Ken Christensen: A special report documenting e-waste’s illegal journeys around the world.
Wildfire Threatens 130 Homes in Chelan County: According to KOMO, the Ribbon Cliff Fire has burned about 50 acres of land and is moving south due to winds. But it could be contained soon. “Emergency officials are hoping to get the wildfire under control soon because the area is relatively rocky and doesn’t have a lot to burn through,” KOMO reports.
Another Fire Rages on in Alberta: The Canadian province is in a state of emergency. According to the BBC, the fire could be the “most expensive natural disaster in Canadian history, with insurance costs alone already running into billions of dollars.” About 156,000 hectares (385,500 acres) of land has already burned. Around 100,000 people have been evacuated from Fort McMurray. The fires are 18-24 miles from neighboring province Saskatchewan, the BBC reported.
The blaze ruined entire neighbourhoods in Fort McMurray, with residents warned it could be some time before they can return.
Officials say the power grid is damaged and the water undrinkable.
No deaths or injuries have been reported from the fire, but two people died in traffic accidents during the evacuation.
Some 1,600 homes and other buildings have been lost, a figure likely to rise.
Alberta officials to take their first look at the town ravaged by Canadian wildfire: https://t.co/RdvxQAanRghttps://t.co/sMSKqocta1
— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) May 9, 2016
The Kenyan Government Is Shutting Down The Country’s Refugee Camps: More than 600,000 people will be displaced. “Kenyan officials cited economic issues with keeping the camps operating and security concerns stemming from the terrorist group al-Shabaab,” ThinkProgress reported.
“This reckless decision by the Kenyan government is an abdication of its duty to protect the vulnerable and will put thousands of lives at risk,” Muthoni Wanyeki, Amnesty International’s regional director in East Africa, told The Independent. “It could lead to the involuntary return of thousands of refugees to Somalia and other countries of origin, where their lives may still be in danger. This would be in violation of Kenya’s obligations under international law.”
“In a single breath, the Kenyan government recognizes that the Somalis it has been hosting for nearly 25 years are still refugees, but then states it’s finished with them,” said Bill Frelick, refugee rights program director at Human Rights Watch. “Kenya should not turn its back on people needing protection and on fundamental principles that it has pledged to respect.”
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This post has been updated since its original publication to clarify the partnership between EarthFix and other NW broadcasters.
