🌱 Patch AM: How a new 18‑month I‑405 delay will affect Bellevue drivers

Greetings Bellevue! Your go-to source for what's happening in town is here. Stay in the loop and read on. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

• How a new 18‑month I‑405 delay will affect Bellevue drivers
• Which Bellevue high schools cracked Washington’s top ten this year?
• When will you first spot 2 Line trains crossing I-90?

Also on today's calendar: Holiday Sing-Along Concert and 4 more events.

Today's riddle: What did the balloon say to the doctor? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

• Sunday: Cloudy with showers, with a high of 49 and low of 39 degrees.
• Monday: Afternoon rain, temps: high: 50, low: 40.
• Tuesday: An a.m. shower; mostly cloudy, with a high of 48 and low of 38 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Bridge strikes, project delays mark tough year for Washington transportation (kiro7.com) — Expect I-405 construction headaches between Bellevue and Renton to last much longer: WSDOT now says the widening project won’t be finished until summer 2027, an 18‑month delay that will keep lanes constrained for Bellevue commuters. The story also recounts several major bridge strikes and a separate bridge closure, underscoring broader maintenance and safety challenges on Washington’s roads.
   

2. Pullman High School Takes The Lead In Eastern Washington With A Solid Statewide Ranking (mega993online.com) — Several Bellevue high schools land near the very top of US News’ 2025 Washington rankings, with International School, Newport, Interlake, and Bellevue High all in the statewide top ten. The piece explains how the rankings are calculated and also spotlights top-performing schools east of the Cascades for comparison.
   

3. 4 light rail stations to close this weekend — briefly (seattletimes.com) — Bellevue riders will soon start seeing 2 Line light-rail test trains crossing I-90 between South Bellevue and Seattle during the daytime, a key step toward 2026 service. This weekend, four downtown Seattle stations will briefly close for signal upgrades, with shuttle buses filling the gap. The work adds new safety systems needed before Eastside and cross-lake trains begin sharing tracks.
   

4. What is it with cesium-137 and Shrimp? (lexblog.com) — A Bellevue-based company, Direct Source Seafood, is recalling more than 83,000 bags of frozen raw shrimp over concerns they may have been exposed to the radioactive contaminant cesium-137 during processing in Indonesia. While no illnesses have been reported and affected products were distributed to stores outside Washington, the case highlights safety scrutiny on seafood linked to a Bellevue firm.
   

5. Evening Brief: US Strikes ISIS in Syria, Russia Hits Odesa, Bellevue OIS (sofrep.com subscription) — A recent officer-involved shooting in Bellevue left both a police officer and a suspect seriously wounded, and the case is now being investigated by King County’s Independent Force Investigation Team rather than Bellevue Police. Investigators will review body-camera footage, witness accounts, and forensic evidence to determine whether the officer’s use of force was lawful, while a separate internal review will examine policy and training issues.
   

📸 Around Bellevue

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Bellevue

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

Sunday December 21

• Holiday Sing-Along Concert
  Unity of Bellevue , 16330 NE 4th St , Bellevue
  12:30 pm

Monday December 22

• Garden d'Lights
  Bellevue Botanical Garden , 12001 Main Street , Bellevue
  4:30 pm

Tuesday December 23

• Community Board Games & Puzzles: Exchange & Play
  Newport Way Library , 14250 SE Newport Way , Bellevue
  12:00 pm
• Bellevue Community Resource Center
  Bellevue Library , 1111 110th Avenue NE , Bellevue
  1:30 pm
• Winter Jazz Afternoon
  Newport Way Library , 14250 SE Newport Way , Bellevue
  3:30 pm
• Garden d'Lights
  Bellevue Botanical Garden , 12001 Main Street , Bellevue
  4:30 pm

Saturday January 3

• Cebiche & Pisco Workshop with La Mar Bellevue
  10508 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98004
  3:00 pm

📣 Bellevue Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

🗓 Events Nearby

Sunday December 21

• Storytime at the Garden for K-2
  Sharp Cabin , 12001 Main St. , Bellevue
  1:00 pm
• Garden d'Lights
  Bellevue Botanical Garden , 12001 Main Street , Bellevue
  4:30 pm

Tuesday December 23

• Bellevue Community Resource Center
  Bellevue Library , 1111 110th Avenue NE , Bellevue
  1:30 pm
• STEAM Tuesdays! Salt Painting
  Newcastle Library , 12901 Newcastle Way , Renton
  5:30 pm
• Fitness Class: Boxing Fitness Class
  Stroum Jewish Community Center , 3801 E Mercer Way , Mercer Island
  6:30 pm

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

Thank you 👏👏👏 to the local businesses for making Bellevue PatchAM possible:

• k spa — (425) 504-6566
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• Crystal Carpet Cleaning & Restoration, Inc. — (425) 649-0908
  Celebrating 35 years serving our community
• Tribeca NW Real Estate — (360) 540-0217
  Best in the PNW Real Estate
• Tribeca NW Real Estate — (425) 691-8800
  Your trusted PNW neighbors in real estate. Let's talk!
• Heritage Wealth Advisors — (425) 709-2345
  Moving from Success to Significance

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

• Auburn issues Level 1 evacuation order for businesses along the White River as officials warn of potential barrier breaches.
  7:41PM on Dec 19: A Level 1 ‘Get Ready’ evacuation order has been issued for some businesses along the White River in Auburn. (Nextdoor )
• Quick question.
  If you receive a package that is not addressed to you and has a different address on it what do you do? Do you make an effort to return to the person… (Nextdoor Factoria)

• The Buckle, Inc. posted a job opening for Seasonal Freight Coordinator (Part Time) in Bellevue. Apply here.
• Amazon.com, Inc. posted a job opening for Curriculum Developer – Program Manager - AMZ14551. in Bellevue. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Bellevue here.

Ok Bellevue! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: I feel lightheaded!
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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