The West Seattle Bridge is open. As of this weekend, everything is back to normal on the structure, which was completed in 1984 and designed to last until 2062. It’s been more than two years since the public was allowed to use the bridge. West Seattle Blog has a thorough roundup of reactions. Several hours after it opened, a car broke down in one of the nearby lanes approaching the structure, prompting a flurry of people saying, “That didn’t take long."

If you’re in line for a bus, keep waiting. While cars are now zipping across the West Seattle Bridge, transit riders will have to allocate a bit more time to reach their destinations. Service cuts to King County Metro went into effect this weekend, with several dozen lines reducing the frequency of service due to staffing shortages.

A rough scene in Bellevue. This weekend police arrested a man walking through downtown Bellevue with his family. One Twitter user who apparently photographed the incident said the police escalated the situation, with five officers subduing the man while his family begged them not to hurt him. Bellevue police claim that Target employees saw the man shoplifting and assaulting a FedEx driver earlier in the day.

This is the start of Week Without Driving. Intended to highlight the difficulties faced by those who do not drive, Week Without Driving is organized by Disability Rights Washington. Among those participating is SDOT’s new director, Greg Spotts.

Highways are over if you want it. Colorado will shift more than $100 million from a highway-expansion project to active transportation projects, including transit and pedestrian programs. Among the reasons: Officials determined that widening the highways wouldn’t reduce traffic. In addition, the state passed a law last year requiring transportation projects to reduce pollution. Meanwhile, Denver is mulling a plan to decriminalize jaywalking, bringing it into alignment with the rest of the state.

West coast fires continue to burn. Seattle's air is relatively clear today, but fires are still ravaging communities across the west. Washington's Bolt Creek fire is still barely contained, covering around 10,000 acres.

Conditions are bad in Puerto Rico. More than a million Americans were left without power after a hurricane struck the island with 80 mph winds. Rain continues to fall today, prompting massive evacuations and widespread damage to infrastructure. Meanwhile, an unusually strong typhoon over Japan has killed two people.

Nobody wants to work anymore. Back in 2015, Bremerton’s school district became embroiled in a dispute with a football coach over school prayer. That escalated into a lawsuit that reached the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year, and the justices ruled that the school must reinstate former coach Joseph Kennedy. But now, several weeks into the school year, he has yet to accept the job, as he’s been too busy making appearances at various conservative rallies.

Kidnapping hoaxer faces sentencing. Back in 2016, Sherri Papini staged her own abduction and collected $30,000 in victim compensation. But two years ago, investigators connected some mystery-DNA on her clothes with an ex-boyfriend, and under questioning he confessed that he helped her fake the whole thing. She was charged in March of this year, and today she'll find out if she'll be sentenced the the full eight months in prison that prosecutors asked for.

An American hostage is coming home. A construction worker from Illinois was kidnapped while working in Afghanistan back in 2020, and will finally return to the U.S. as part of a prisoner swap. Mark Frerich's kidnappers are suspected to be a faction of the Taliban, and in exchange for his freedom the U.S. will release a Taliban member currently held on drug trafficking charges.

Health has concluded for the year. This was the last weekend to enjoy the healthy version of Lake Washington Boulevard before it returns to a 24/7 car sewer. Seattle Neighborhood Greenways is currently lobbying the City to make pedestrian access a year-round event.

Sickness is against company policy. According to labor organizers, leaked documents from Starbucks indicate that the company will overhaul paid-leave policy today, but they will not extend improved benefits to employees of unionized stores.

Sea-Tac lines are longer than usual. The line for security was so long this weekend it reached all the way to the parking garage. The wait was two hours, according to passengers, but the airport says at most it was an hour and a half. Officials say there are a variety of causes, including an increasing amount of air travel overall as well as a spike in departing cruise passengers. Meanwhile, efforts to build a new airport near Enumclaw are faltering due in part to environmental concerns.

Here you will find a pleasant story about rehabilitating birds. A group of women in Michigan is taking good care of injured owls, hawks, falcons, ospreys, and more.

Meet Marcy. This six-year-old terrier/pit bull mix is highly treat-motivated, just like Gerald Ford.