Sound Transit Formally Launches Massive ST3 Rail, Bus Expansion

Seattle Times | David Gutman | April 27

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/transportation/sound-transit-formally-launches-massive-rail-bus-expansion/

“Sound Transit on Thursday announced start dates and more detailed schedules for the raft of major transit projects the agency is taking on, while also urging cities and municipalities to begin planning so rail routes aren’t faced with unnecessary delays. The timelines released by Sound Transit contain the same estimated completion dates for projects as have been in place since before voters approved Sound Transit 3 last year. Light rail still isn’t coming to Ballard until 2035, or to West Seattle until 2030 or to Federal Way until 2024. But the agency released a schedule showing planning, design and construction phases for each project.”

 

Here are the 21 Finalists in EY’s 2017 Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year Competition

GeekWire | Clare McGrane | April 26

http://www.geekwire.com/2017/21-finalists-2017-pacific-northwest-entrepreneur-year-competition/

“The Pacific Northwest is known for its ruggedly independent character and entrepreneurial spirit. Nowhere are those qualities on better display than EY’s annual Entrepreneur of the Year program, and today the organizers announced the 21 regional finalists who will compete for the title of the Pacific Northwest Entrepreneur of the Year and go on to compete in the national competition. Last year’s Pacific Northwest winners included Puppet CEO Luke Kanies, Elemental Technologies CEO Sam Blackman, Remitly CEO Matt Oppenheimer and Juno Therapeutics CEO Hans Bishop, among others. This year’s regional winners will be announced at a special gala on Friday, June 9 at The Hyatt Regency in Bellevue, Wash.”

 

30 Million Trips Later, Seattle’s 520 Floating Bridge Turns 1 – and More Work is Coming to Vital Corridor

GeekWire | Kurt Schlosser | April 25

http://www.geekwire.com/2017/30-million-trips-later-seattles-520-floating-bridge-turns-1-work-coming-vital-corridor/

“Something about putting up with years of road construction seems to make the time fly when a project is complete and being used on a daily basis. Drivers in Seattle and on Lake Washington’s Eastside might find it hard to believe that it’s already been a year since the new SR 520 floating bridge opened to traffic. The world’s longest such span, the 1.5-mile-long bridge opened on April 25, 2016, and has since carried about 77,000 cars, trucks and buses per day across the lake, according to a blog post Tuesday from the Washington State Department of Transportation. That adds up to about 30 million trips over the past year — that’s a lot of Microsoft workers and Bellevue shoppers.”

 

University of Washington among Top Schools at Turning Ideas into Patents and Startups, Study Says

GeekWire | Nat Levy | April 21

http://www.geekwire.com/2017/university-of-washington-among-top-schools-at-turning-ideas-into-patents-and-startups-study-says/

“Coming up with a great idea for a new technology or startup is one thing. But turning that idea into a commercially viable product or company is a whole different ballgame. It turns out the University of Washington is pretty good at the latter. According to a new report from the Milken Institute, UW is ranked seventh among U.S. universities in commercializing ideas that come from students, staff and researchers and turning them into patents, licenses and startups. The study was first conducted in 2006, and that year UW ranked 24th. Milken attributed UW’s rise partially to putting CoMotion, the university’s collaborative innovation hub, in charge of commercialization efforts. UW is a leading recipient of federal research grants, at more than $1 billion per year.”

 

WTIA Auctions Face Time With Leaders From Amazon, Tableau and Other Tech Titans

Puget Sound Business Journal | Casey Coombs | April 21

http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/04/21/washington-technology-industry-association-auction.html

“The Washington Technology Industry Association hosted its first-ever fundraiser Wednesday with the help of some Seattle tech celebrities. The Galaxy Gala raised $125,000 from more than 500 bidders with live and silent auctions for WTIA’s Apprenti tech scholarship program and its DraftDay diversity recruiting program. The live bidding portion of the night featured some of the biggest names in Seattle’s tech industry. Flying Fish Partners co-founders Heather Redman, Geoff Harris and Frank Chang netted $2,000 from a bidder to ride with them in a Porsche 911 GT3 at up to 160 mph in a closed racetrack.”