Computer-simulation image of new I-90 configuration with Light Rail and new HOV lanes. Credit: Sound Transit
Our monthly “Island Links” blog post is a curated list of the previous month’s most notable Mercer Island-related links from around the web. February 2017 was an exceptionally newsworthy month for Mercer Island.
One issue generated over a dozen news stories around the web – the City Council’s decision to take legal action against Sound Transit and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) over the loss of access to I-90 for single-occupant vehicles via the Island Crest way on-ramp.
Many community members (including me) felt that some of the media misrepresented the issue in their reports – characterizing the City’s objectives as an attempt to protect a privilege rather than the mobility and safety of its community members. Other media outlets got it right, like the Puget Sound Business Journal:
The mayor noted that the city council supports light rail and that Mercer Island residents voted in favor of the East Link Light Rail Project by a wide margin. But the city is objecting to the light rail plan over Lake Washington because it will create a traffic nightmare on Mercer Island streets.
The Seattle Times Editorial Board also published an editorial in support of Mercer Island providing a deeper historical background of the ongoing negotiations and agreements made by the regional organizations.
While we wish we had more uplifting links to balance news reports of the City’s legal involvements, the other dominating local news of the month was about the bomb threat to the Stroum Jewish Community Center (SJCC).
Sadly, the SJCC was just one of 91 locations of Jewish organizations nationwide that received bomb threats. It’s unconscionable that these threats were made to any organization, and especially those that house child care and day school facilities. Following a safe evacuation, police conducted a complete building search, but didn’t find anything suspicious. The threat was followed by an incredible outpouring of community support.
Find all related news links and other Mercer Island-related news and notes below:
City of Mercer Island
The Seattle Times
The Mercer Island Reporter
Sound Transit
Seattle Transit Blog
Puget Sound Business Journal
My Northwest
King 5
Image Credit: ProPublica “Bomb Threats to Jewish Community Centers and Organizations”
Mercer Island Reporter
Q13 Fox
KOMO News
The Seattle Times
ProPublica
Mercer Island Reporter