Here's what's making headlines around the Northwest this morning:
- Will Seattle Get a Space Shuttle? Decision to be Announced This Morning
- 520 Bridge Tolls Delayed Again
- Medical Marijuana Regulation Bill Advances
- Mariners Erase 7-Run Deficit to Win Before Record-Low Crowd
[UPDATE: Seattle was not one of the cities chosen to land a space shuttle. Read the full story here.]
Space Shuttle's Last Stop: Seattle? Announcement Due This A.M.
Officials at Seattle's Museum of Flight have their fingers crossed, waiting for today's 10:00 a.m. announcement of where retiring space shuttles will be displayed. The museum near Boeing Field is one of 21 museum and science centers around the country hoping to land one of the spaceships. A new building called the Space Gallery is being prepared for the display.
The shuttle program is winding down with only two more flights left. Shuttle Discovery ended its flying career last month and it's going to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
Up for grabs are shuttles Endeavour and Atlantis and the prototype Enterprise. Among Seattle's competitors for the spacecraft are visitor centers at Kennedy Space Center and Johnson Space Center, the Air Force Museum in Ohio and museums in New York City and Chicago.
KPLU's Bellamy Pailthorp is covering today's announcement event and will file her story here online and on-air on 88.5 KPLU.
520 Tolling Delayed Until June
Tolling on the Highway 520 floating bridge is delayed until June - at the earliest. It was expected to start as soon as this month. Transportation officials say they're working to set up the automated technology. The money will help pay for the new floating bridge on Lake Washington between Seattle and Bellevue.
Problems with a customer-service center caused long waits both online and over the phone, so the State Department of Transportation continued pre-toll testing.
But if you want a $10 toll credit, you still have only until Friday to open a new "Good to Go" transponder account with a $30 prepaid value.
Washington Bill Regulating Medical Marijuana Advances
House lawmakers have approved a bill to regulate medical marijuana dispensaries and give greater legal protection to patients with a prescription for cannabis.
The bill, originally sponsored by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles of Seattle, aims to bring medical marijuana dispensaries out of the legal gray area in which they operate under current law.
It establishes a licensing process for cannabis producers and sets up regulations for dispensaries, including a provision that they must be located at least 500 feet away from a school.
The measure also creates arrest protection for physicians who prescribe medical marijuana and for the patients who use it in compliance with possession limitations.
Opponents argue that this moves the state one step closer to legalization. The bill now returns to the Senate for approval of amendments.
Mariners' Come-From-Behind Win Wows Smallest-Ever Safeco Crowd
The Seattle Mariners came from seven runs down to beat the Toronto Blue Jayslast night, but almost nobody saw it.
Luis Rodriguez fought off nine pitches from Shawn Camp before delivering a game-winning single, and the Seattle Mariners rallied from a seven-run deficit in the final three innings to stun the Toronto Blue Jays 8-7 last night. Milton Bradley hit a solo home run in the seventh inning and the Blue Jays' bullpen began to waste away the lead in the eighth. Ichiro Suzuki was intentionally walked and stole second to set up the game winning hit.
The game was played before just 13,056 fans - the smallest in Safeco Field history. And most of those were gone by the late innings.
