Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: How will Seattle’s new transportation chief reshape your daily commute?

Make time for Eleventh Hour Makers Market on the Seattle Patch calendar

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Thursday December 18th Patch AM
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What's up Seattle! Let's start this morning right by getting caught up on what's going on around town. Keep reading to stay in the loop. ☀️

In today's newsletter:

  • How will Seattle’s new transportation chief reshape your daily commute?
  • Why Seattle stayed mostly dry while nearby communities flooded badly
  • How a Bellevue girls’ school is redefining “tech for good” in STEM

Also on today's calendar: Eleventh Hour Makers Market and 9 more events.

Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

Today's riddle: My brother swallowed a box of firecrackers. - Is he all right now? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

Find out what's happening in Seattlefor free with the latest updates from Patch.

  • Thursday: Rain; breezy in the morning, with a high of 52 and low of 38 degrees.
  • Friday: A couple of showers, temps: high: 47, low: 40.
  • Saturday: Breezy with morning showers, with a high of 48 and low of 40 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

1. Mayor-elect Wilson names new transportation head, retains 2 others (seattletimes.com) — Seattle Mayor-elect Katie Wilson has tapped Angela Brady to lead the Seattle Department of Transportation on an interim basis, signaling a major push for better transit, bike lanes, and pedestrian spaces. She’s keeping the current police, human services, and education chiefs, and will help steer more than $1.5 billion in new voter-approved transportation funding that will shape how Seattleites move around the city.
   

2. Here's why Seattle wasn't hugely impacted by flooding, rain (bellinghamherald.com) — Seattle largely avoided the severe flooding that hit many Western Washington communities, thanks to its hilly terrain, lack of major rivers, and relatively sheltered geography. While nearby areas like Kent, Auburn, and Skagit County saw evacuations, farm damage, and even a drowning, Seattle saw only localized road flooding despite the recent atmospheric river storms.
   

3. Bellevue school empowers girls through innovative STEM programs (king5.com) — A Bellevue girls’ school highlighted from Seattle is expanding hands-on STEM opportunities to close the gender gap that widened after the pandemic. Forest Ridge students build rescue robots, search-and-rescue drones, and smart-home devices, all grounded in a “tech for good” mission and design-thinking approach that emphasizes empathy and real-world problem solving.
   

4. Windstorm cuts power for more than 20,000 homes on WA's Whidbey Island (fox13seattle.com) — A major overnight windstorm left tens of thousands without power on Whidbey Island, with gusts up to 71 mph knocking out substations and transmission lines. Puget Sound Energy crews, aided by helicopters and contractors, are working through the night while residents lean on generators and neighbors. Seattle-area readers can track restoration and broader Western Washington impacts through FOX 13 Seattle updates.
   

5. Immigration arrests in Washington state surged in recent months (thereflector.com) — Seattle is seeing more deportation flights through Boeing Field as ICE arrests across Washington nearly doubled compared with last year, even though the city hasn’t been formally “targeted” yet. Local advocates monitoring flights and the Tacoma detention center warn of unprecedented enforcement levels, overcrowding concerns, and increasing pressure on immigrant families as lawmakers debate how to respond next session.
   

📸 Around Seattle

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🗓 Upcoming Events in Seattle

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★ Featured events ★

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📣 Seattle Shout Outs!

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

 

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💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • CASCADIA International Women's Film Fest Celebrates 10th Anniversary —Ryan Davis Read on Patch
  • Seasonal Home Improvement Hiring Tips for Seattle Homeowners —R.B. Roberts Read on Patch
  • Bellevue High School Students Take Part in "Day of Service" —Ella Gates Read on Patch
  • UPDATE: please contact "Seattle Animal Shelter" directly at (206) 386-7387 if this is your baby!
    He is safe with a foster home until he is claimed. Found last night at the Overlook Apartments in Highland Park, West Seattle. He was shivering in a… (Nextdoor Highland Park)
  • Update(12/17 1pm): Likely sighting in Whittier Heights near NW 80th and 11th NW.
    Update(12/17 10am): still no luck. He didn't come through last night. We're continuing to search the neighborhood regularly with his favorite bag of… (Nextdoor Loyal Heights)
  • Worldwide Flight Services, Inc. posted a job opening for Ramp Service Clerk - Equipment Fueler in Seattle. Apply here.
  • Metropolitan Market, LLC posted a job opening for Night Crew Clerk in Seattle. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Seattle here.

Ok Seattle! 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 don’t know. I haven’t heard the last report.
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Send it to us!

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