Starting Oct. 21, Seattle’s Alaskan Way Viaduct—an integral segment of SR-99, one of Seattle’s major north-south highways—will be demolished, making way for a new tunnel that will be safer in the event of an earthquake.

Washington State Gov. Christine Gregoire called for a special legislative session to begin Nov. 28, to address the $1.4 billion deficit forecast for 2011—2013.

Washington’s third largest school district, Tacoma School District, entered its second week of negotiations with the Tacoma Teachers Union.