Bertha the big tunnel-boring machine is ready to get back to work after multiple problems (overheating, a damaged cutter head and even the discovery of shells) caused delay after delay since the project began in 2013. According to Bloomberg Business, fixing the five-stories-tall, mostly underground drill was a giant task. To repair damages, a 120-feet deep rescue pit was dug and over several days last March, workers used a 240-foot crane to remove the drill’s cutter face and drive mechanisms, which weighed more than 2,000 tons. Bertha’s manufacturer, Japan-based Hitachi Zosen has worked to repair and replace parts, including “her outer and inner seals, bearing, center pipe and gears.” Bloomberg notes that it also added 86 tons of steel reinforcement. A few days before Christmas, Bertha dug eight feet in a test that indicates she’s ready to get back to digging. The hope is that the delay and repairs are behind us and the project can move on with drilling to be completed by January 2017 and the full tunnel open by spring 2018 — nearly two years after completion was originally predicted.

Want to see the Seahwaks in a playoff game? According to The Seattle Times, flying to Minneapolis to see the Seahwaks play in the Wild Card playoff game against the Vikings this Sunday might not be the financial burden that you imagine. If predictions about the subzero weather conditions for the game that is scheduled at 10 a.m. PST are accurate, it will be the coldest game played by both the Seahawks and the Vikings and is consequently affecting ticket prices. As of Tuesday, according to TiqIQ.com, average ticket price for the Seattle-Minneapolis game was $163.49, compared to $307.07 for the Green Bay-Washington game.  And there are still plenty of seats to go around. As of Tuesday afternoon, Connor Gregoire of SeatGeek said there were still 12,000 seats available for the game and the large number of open seats is likely to drive ticket prices down even further as game day approaches. 

After 32 years of working as a full-time oncology nurse Suzanne Gwynn has quit with hopes of contributing to Seattle’s medical field in a new way by opening a hospice home that will provide ’round the clock care for children. The hospice home would only be the third hospice in the country offering care to kids. According to KING 5 News, Gwynn has plans of building a 25,000-square-foot center with 12 rooms, eight of which are reserved for families, called the “Ladybug House.” If her dream of building a family hospice home is realized, Gwynn hopes to offer families a sense of relief in not being separated from their loved ones during such hard times, as hospitals currently don’t allow the siblings of sick children to stay overnight, often breaking families up rather than keeping them together. If you would like to learn more about the project, make a donation or ask questions you can find more information on the Ladybug House website. 

Batter up! Ken Griffey Jr., beloved former Seattle Mariners outfielder, was voted into The National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Wednesday night with the highest voting percentage ever, as reported by ESPN. It’s no wonder that even though it was Griffey’s first time on the Baseball Writers’ Association of America ballot, his name appeared on 437 of 440 ballots. He’s a 13-time All-Star outfielder who has had 630 home runs and after he joined the MLB in 1989, was selected to play in 11 consecutive All-Star games. Seattle is proud! Shortly after Griffey’s election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame was announced, former Seattle Mariners teammate Jay Bunher raised a banner displaying his number (24) to the top of the Space Needle.