News Briefs | June 11 edition
Published 1:30 am Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Washington State Ferries Day
In celebration of Washington State Ferries’ 75th year of service, Governor Bob Ferguson signed a proclamation designating June 1 as Washington State Ferries Day.
WSF is the largest ferry system in the United States, operating terminals in 20 communities and serving over 20 million passengers in 2025, the proclamation said.
The document, signed on May 29, acknowledged many of the systems’ recent milestones; including the hybrid-electric conversion of ferries and the recent return to full domestic service following the COVID-19 pandemic.
WSF will host several anniversary events throughout the month of June, including live DJ sets on the Triangle route on Friday, June 12 on the 3:30 p.m. sailing out of Fauntleroy, the 3:55 p.m. sailing out of Vashon, the 4:15 p.m. sailing out of Southworth and the 4:40 p.m. sailing out of Vashon.
Former Beachcomber editor Alex Bruell wins SPJ award
Former Vashon Beachcomber editor Alex Bruell won second place in the category of “Sports Reporting – Small” for the Society of Professional Journalists of Western Washington’s 2025 Excellence in Journalism Awards.
SPJ judges praised the piece, “CHAMPION: Vashon wrestling earns championship, more wins at state,” for it’s human-centered reporting that explored the athlete’s drive and innermost goals.
The Society of Professional Journalists is the nations most broad-based journalism organization. The Western Washington chapter serves journalists from the Canadian border to Vancouver, Washington, providing programming, awards, scholarships and education.
Sound Transit Board adopts updated system plan
The Sound Transit Board on May 28 voted to adopt an updated system plan — guiding how the agency will allocate resources over the next 20 years amid a $34.5 billion dollar funding gap, according to a May 28 Sound Transit news release.
The plan sorted current projects into three categories; affordable, not currently affordable and deferred. Thirteen projects are fully funded through construction, some will face delays and others will be postponed until resources are identified, the news release said.
The West Seattle Link Extension was one of the projects listed as affordable within existing resources and will be completed through construction, according to the updated plan.
Following approval, the Transit Board can begin pre-construction work like geotechnical testing, and start contracting with engineering and design consultants, King County City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda said in a May 28 press release following the vote.
“Today’s vote paves the way to bring light rail to West Seattle,” Mosqueda said in the statement.
The vote comes as the Sound Transit Board attempts to meet the objectives of the ST3 program approved by voters in 2016 despite rising capital and operating costs. The agency says they will continue to explore various tools to make projects more affordable and efficient, according to their May 28 news release.
“While the financial challenges facing Sound Transit are significant, this action creates a responsible path forward that keeps critical projects moving, protects the long-term health of the system, and positions us to advance more of the ST3 vision as economic conditions improve and new opportunities emerge,” Sound Transit Board Chair and Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers said in the statement.
