Crack in King Street, Ravenna’s Holiday Lights & More News

Seattle city officials blocked off the intersection of South King Street and First Avenue temporarily last night when they discovered a crack in King Street they feared might become a hole. There is concern the crack may be linked to the recent sinking of Alaskan Way Viaduct (1.2 inches this fall near the mammoth tunneling device Bertha).

A massive windstorm moving from southwest Washington north to Tacoma last night caused over 150,000 people to lose power. So far only one injury has been reported: A 61-year-old man in Kelso was hospitalized after a tree burst into his garage. According to experts, this may be our area’s most substantial windstorm since 2006, when hundreds of thousands lost electricity in Western Washington—some for over a week.

For the third year in a row, Ravenna holds the crown for the best neighborhood to see holiday lights in the Seattle area.  Candy Cane Lane at NE Park Road, off of Ravenna Blvd, is the main spectacle, where 20 spirited homes have been aglow each holiday season for over 50 years.

The Seattle City School Board elected to hire Larry Nyland as the city’s new superintendent through a 5-2 vote. The decision to permanently retain Nyland (who has been interim superintendent for the past six months) has been controversial and there are questions about his ability to partner with teachers and principals and manage negotiations for an upcoming union contract. (In the last union discussions in 2013, the district nearly suffered from a Seattle-wide teacher strike that would have stalled the beginning of school.)

Amazon’s main Android app is no longer accessible by searching on the Google Play Store; due to a recent change in Google’s Developer Distribution Agreement, it has been replaced with a new Amazon Shopping app. As reported to Geekwire, Google’s new developer agreement prohibits any app that “facilitates the distribution of software applications and games for use on Android devices outside of the Store.” With the new Amazon shopping app, users can connect to the online company’s shopping catalog, but can’t access the Amazon’s Appstore or Prime Instant Video.

According to the Washington State insurance exchange, approximately 10,000 state residents have obtained health insurance since the open enrollment period started November 15. Last year, almost 50,000 signed up during the same period, and almost 46,000 of those people have renewed their insurance this year. Additionally 480,000 new residents have free coverage this year through Washington Apple Health, Washington’s Medicaid program. For coverage beginning January 1, Washington residents must sign up and pay for insurance by December 23.