Local News

There’s the potential for some traffic snarls this weekend around the Sodo stadiums, the Alaskan Way Viaduct and on I-5, so be prepared and plan ahead.

Here’s a list of what’s happening:

• The Viaduct is closed from 6 a.m to 5 p.m. Saturday and from 6 a.m. to noon Sunday, for its routine semi-annual inspection.
• The on-ramp from the West Seattle Bridge route (elevated Spokane Street) to southbound I-5 will close from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday, to repair expansion joints between the elevated bridge spans.
• Sounders FC play a match Saturday night at CenturyLink Field, against the Montreal Impact, drawing an expected 40,000 fans.
• Emerald City Comicon runs Friday, Saturday and Sunday, bringing 19,000 people to the state convention center.
•  A running event, the Hot Chocolate 15k/5k, will close the Aurora Bridge on Sunday from 6:15 a.m. to 11 a.m., and draw up to 12,000 people to Seattle Center and surrounding streets.
• Three of four southbound lanes of I-5, from Green Lake to the Ship Canal Bridge, will close Friday night and Saturday night, from 10 p.m. to 10 a.m., for pavement regrinding.

The state Department of Transportation’s homepage about weekend closures, and the DOT’s traffic app, can be found here.

Seattle police and fire personnel working at the scene of semi-truck that overturned in the northbound lanes of Highway 99 near Safeco Field late this morning. The crash closed the northbound lanes and one southbound lane for 2 1/2 hours. (Photo by Ken Lambert / The Seattle Times)

The northbound lanes of Highway 99 were closed at the Alaskan Way Viaduct for more than 2 1/2 after a semi-truck overturned late this morning.

One southbound lane also was closed as crews worked to right the overturned truck, according to Seattle police.

The accident occurred about 10:30 a.m. at milepost 32, according to the state Department of Transportation.

All lanes were re-opened shortly after 1 p.m. this afternoon, according to WSDOT.

View from opposite side of the rollover (Leba Marquez)

Weekend events will bring road closures or traffic congestion to the area Saturday and Sunday, so here’s a heads-up.

At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the Seafair Torchlight Run will close northbound SR 99 between the West Seattle Bridge and the Battery Street Tunnel. When the run is over, the stretch between South Royal Brougham Way and the Battery Street Tunnel will reopen, according to the state Department of Transportation.

The portion of northbound SR 99 between the West Seattle Bridge and South Royal Brougham Way will remain closed until 5 a.m. Monday for construction.

Then, at 7:30 p.m., the Seafair Torchlight Parade begins and travels along several downtown streets, so be prepared for traffic congestion throughout the area.

At 1:10 p.m. Sunday, the Mariners host the Kansas City Royals at Safeco Field, so be prepared for the congestion that can bring.

Finally, from 9 p.m. Sunday to 5 a.m. Monday, southbound SR 99 will close between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridgefor Alaskan Way Viaduct reinforcement work.

Weather: In case you missed it, it’s been raining for a couple of days and we’re in for more, especially today. Rain or drizzle is forecast for tomorrow through Thursday (We warned you on Saturday.) And the highs aren’t expected to get out of the 50s until Friday. Spring, oh spring, where art thou? By the way, it was too cloudy to see the annular solar eclipse in Seattle Sunday, but here’s a photo gallery of the event. The National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: The map and cams.

Viaduct open: The Alaskan Way Viaduct opened as scheduled this morning. It was closed all weekend for construction work.

Joseph Cooley

Shoreline killing arrest: The 20-year-old man accused of killing a 17-year-old girl as she sat in a vehicle in a Shoreline apartment complex parking last week turned himself in just after midnight today. Joseph Cooley, who is sitting in King County Jail today, was wanted in connection with the death of Tiana Montgomery, a 17-year-old Shorecrest High School student.

Mount Everest and Mount McKinley climbing tragedies: Three climbers have died and two are missing on the world’s highest mountain, and one climber died on Mount McKinley in Alaska over the weekend. None of the climbers is from Washington state, but many climbers from this state have climbed or attempted to climb both peaks.

Gasoline prices continue to climb, and we continue to be befuddled why. The average price of a gallon in the state is $4.24, up 4 cents in a week, says the AAA, Meanwhile, the cost of a gallon dropped 4 cents nationally. Huh??? Here’s the skinny in our state: Bellingham $4.40, Bremerton $4.24, Seattle-Bellevue-Everett $4.28, Tacoma $4.27, Olympia $4.29, Vancouver $4.24, Yakima $4.18, Tri-Cities $4.12, and Spokane $3.97.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Jon Kitna’s greatest play: NFL QB to high-school math teacher
2. ‘Just amazing’ rescue saves boy from plunge into Wallace Falls
3. Former Seattle school official Dan Riley and wife die after car accident
4. Recession Generation hit hard in struggle to adulthood
5. Mariners earn sweep of Rockies with 6-4 victory

Weather:  We’re returning to what Seattle is really like in May, with temperatures in the mid-60s, at least today. It might only reach 60 tomorrow. We’re certain you enjoyed the sun Monday and Tuesday. We sure did. At least it’s not expected to rain today, but it might Friday. The National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: The map and cams.

A 17-year-old girl is dead and an 18-year-old boy with her is in critical condition after being shot while in an SUV in Richmond Beach in Shoreline early this morning. We’ll keep you posted on developments.

Swimming in dangerous water: The search for a 16-year-old teen missing in the Chehalis River has been unsuccessful. The teen was with friends when he went under and didn’t surface. Authorities are expected to decide what to do this morning. We’ve said it before: The water this time of year is fast, cold and unforgiving. And why is it that teens appear unable to resist swimming across lakes and rivers?

Viaduct closed this weekend: The Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed in both directions from 11 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Monday so construction crews can shore up a two-block section above what will become the new tunnel. The portion to be closed runs from the north end of the Battery Street Tunnel to the West Seattle Bridge, according to the state Transportation Department. Expect congestion on the roads elsewhere.

The historic Fire Station No. 37 recently sold for $613,000. The station is located at 7300 35th Ave. S.W. in West Seattle. (Photo / City of Seattle)

Historic fire station sold: The old No. 37 Fire Station in West Seattle has sold for $613,000. The city put the property on the market back in September and set the minimum bid at $250,000. The city will net almost $580,000, which will go to into a levy fund. Some of that money is used to upgrade, renovate or replace existing fire stations. Have you ever slid down a firehouse pole? We have …

Malnourished boy: You might remember we told you about the 2-year-old boy in Moses Lake who was found so malnourished that he weighed just ten pounds. Authorities now have more details in the case: the youngster had no hair or muscle tone, and his body temperature was only 89 degrees.

Red Sox sock it to the M’s: As in the Mariners were shut out by in Boston. A bit of offense wouldn’t hurt, hey guys?

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Broad new layoffs at T-Mobile USA, 900 jobs cut | Brier Dudley’s Blog
2. Catholic bishops’ newest target: Girl Scouts of America | Nicole Brodeur
3. Drivers fill up with pain as state gas prices soar
4. Hard-edged manager Eric Wedge walks a fine line with fledgling Mariners | Jerry Brewer
5. Wash. man bitten by rattlesnake at Washington Wal-Mart

The Seattle City Council voted unanimously today to prepare a property-tax bond measure for the November ballot to fund reconstruction of the waterfront seawall.

Council member Jean Godden said the seawall is badly deteriorated and has a 1-in-10 chance of collapsing in a significant earthquake during the next 10 years.

The council will spend the next two months evaluating the scope and dollar amount of the bond measure to send to voters. City transportation staff last week gave a preliminary estimate of $300 million to replace the seawall, which is being devoured by bore worms and gribbles, a marine crustacean. The original seawall, which holds back Elliott Bay and supports Alaskan Way and the Highway 99 viaduct, was built between 1919 and 1936 and was meant to last about 50 years.

The city is trying to coordinate the work with construction of the new Highway 99 tunnel, which will replace the viaduct. The cost estimate doesn’t include additional improvements to the waterfront, such as rebuilding the city-owned piers 62 and 63, which are also badly deteriorated and no longer safe for public access.

What will Seattle’s waterfront look like in five years?

That’s the issue at the heart of an episode of City Inside/Out  on Seattle Channel Cable 21 at 7 p.m. tonight.

In a few months, city officials will be given a design concept of what the waterfront might look like once the Alaskan Way Viaduct is completely down in 2016 and the tunnel is a reality.

What do folks want the waterfront to look like? How about businesses?

City Inside/Out, hosted by Brian Callanan, pays a visit to longtime waterfront institution, Ye Olde Curiosity Shop on Pier 54, and owner Andy James. You’ll also hear from Marshall Foster, city of Seattle planning director; Maggie Walker, co-chair of the Central Waterfront Committee; and Cary Moon, director of the People’s Waterfront Coalition.

If you miss tonight’s episode, you can catch it anytime online.

Here are the top 10 news terms searched for by seattletimes.com readers this year. They mostly reflect the largest news stories of the year, except possibly for the omission of “Japan earthquake” and “tsunami.”

1. Amanda Knox

2. Marijuana

3. 787

4. Mastro

5. Viaduct

6. Darren Berg

7. Immigration

8. Occupy

9. I-1183

10. Amazon

Here’s a word cloud showing the relative popularity of our top internal search terms:

(more…)

Weather: The details. If you see any sun at all today, count yourself fortunate. The forecast calls for some showers today and even more rain today. Sunday’s forecast calls for a 90 percent chance of more rain, with temperatures in the 40s. But there is hope. The sun should make an appearance on Monday.

Traffic: The map and the cams. Expect traffic around the malls and shopping centers as the holiday shopping season begins in earnest, but otherwise the roads should be clear. More changes are coming related to the Viaduct: New detour lanes, parking for Viaduct project.

An elderly woman died after a fire in her Bainbridge home around 3 a.m. Saturday, according to the Associated Press and KOMO. From that report:

The fire was reported at about 3 a.m. Saturday. KOMO-TV reports that flames and smoke were billowing from the single family home by the time crews arrived.

The woman’s dog was also killed. No one else was inside at the time.

 The woman’s name and age were not immediately released.

 The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Ready for some holiday activities? Ice skating opens today at both Bellevue’s Magic Season and Seattle Center’s Winterfest. Read more about the season’s activities: 4 fun activities to put you in a holiday mood.

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com this morning:

1. Barnes and Noble’s new Nook Tablet doesn’t measure up to Kindle Fire
2. Pepper spray clears path to Walmart specials
3. Everett Safeway guard fired after nabbing 4-year-old shoplifter
4. Occupy protest sparks UW debate
5. Super-sized line gives Seahawks solid defensive foundation

A time-lapse of traffic maps and traffic camera images show how traffic was affected between Monday, Oct. 24, and Friday, Oct. 28, during the closure of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.