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BUSINESS | U.S. State Department talks up trade deal between South Korea, United States [ 6 ]
Sports | Bellevue residents Liz Strathy-Merrill and her husband Nick Merrill ran 300 miles to FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2011 raise money for a school in Uganda [ 10 ]
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Schools | Bellevue schools Supt. Amalia Cudeiro answers questions about new school year [ 2 ]
Ho, Ho, Ho: Tolls on 520 bridge by Christmas BY NAT LEVY nlevy@bellevuereporter.com
Crews work to install a massive fish-friendly culvert near Yarrow Point last weekend in Medina, part of a $306 million project to widen SR 520 for better safety and travel reliability. More culvert work will close the highway again the weekend of Sept. 16-19. COURTESY PHOTO, WSDOT
Tolling on State Route 520 across Lake Washington will start in December, the Washington State Department of Transportation announced last week. There is no hard date to begin the tolls as testing of the equipment continues. However, starting approximately a month before tolling begins, WSDOT will conduct test runs to give the equipment a “dress rehearsal,” WSDOT spokeswoman Patty Michaud said. Tolling on the bridge was set to begin this spring. “It has been no secret that we’ve had challenges getting this system up and running, and the work has been more difficult than we anticipated,” said WSDOT Deputy Secretary David Dye. “The requirements we’ve established are rigorous because we want to be totally accountable for the tolls that are collected.” A report sent to WSDOT earlier this month said that while the start date of April was too ambitious, delays that extended beyond June had more to do with the toll col-
Feds want to disconnect AT&T/T-Mobile deal BY NAT LEVY nlevy@bellevuereporter.com
The Department of Justice filed an antitrust lawsuit Wednesday to block AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of Bellevue-based T-Mobile, arguing that it will cost mobile customers dearly and hinder innovation. “Consumers across the country, including those in rural areas and those with lower incomes, benefit from competition among the nation’s wireless carriers, particularly the four remaining national carriers,” said Deputy Attorney General James Cole. “This lawsuit seeks to ensure that everyone can continue to receive the benefits of that competition.” The Justice Department said AT&T could obtain the same network enhancements that it claims will come from the transaction if it simply invested in its own network without eliminating a close competitor. The merger would combine two of the top four mobile outlets, leaving AT&T and Verizon well ahead of other mobile competitors. AT&T representatives said the company
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Nat Levy can be reached at 425-453-4290.
Schools to open Tuesday as teachers approve contract BY GABRIELLE NOMURA gnomura@bellevuereporter.com
The Bellevue Education Association (BEA) approved an agreement Wednesday on a new contract, meaning schools will start on Tuesday as scheduled. “I am pleased to hear our teachers have approved the contract agreement which allows us to start school on time,” said Bellevue schools Supt. Amalia Cudeiro. “This contract contains a number of bold changes and change is often difficult. I understand this and will continue to work with teachers, staff and parents to listen to their ideas, thoughts and concerns as we move forward to implement the new changes in this contract. I believe these changes will benefit both students, as well as teachers.” The yes vote came after the district and teachers association reached a tentative agreement the day before after several months of negotiations. The contract, negotiated in [ more TEACHERS page 3 ]
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was caught off guard by the Justice Department’s decision. “We are surprised and disappointed by today’s action, particularly since we have met repeatedly with the Department of Justice, and there was no indication from the DOJ that this action was being contemplated,” AT&T Executive Vice-President Wayne Watts said in a statement. Watts said AT&T plans to fight the complaint, and the company has asked for an expedited hearing to make sure the deal moves along as quickly as possible. Should the deal fall through, AT&T would be forced to pay T-Mobile’s parent company Deutsche Telekom $3 billion. T-Mobile declined comment on the deal until a formal statement could be prepared. It remains unclear what long-term impact this suit could have on T-Mobile. Deutsche Telekom has said it is not interested in investing further in T-Mobile. It seems unlikely that another company would be willing and able to step in and buy T-Mobile if AT&T’s plan is blocked.
lecting company, Electronic Transactions Consultants. Michaud said the contract with ETC to pay penalties of $300,000 for every week of delay after July 9. That figure is under negotiation. Though WSDOT has had issues with ETC, an expert panel that advised the state recommended sticking with the company as any change could lead to an additional two years of delay. Much of the issue comes with the fact that the system planned for SR 520 has never been implemented before. While none of the features are new, they have never been aggregated before, Michaud said. Dye said a delayed start date for SR 520 tolling will not affect planned toll charges, which are used to pay off the 30- and 40-year bonds. With a delayed start, bond repayments will extend out a few months at the end of the bond period. Tolling on SR 520 is expected to raise $1 billion overall toward the $4.65 billion SR 520 bridge replacement and HOV program, which includes 12.8 miles of improvements from Interstate 5 in Seattle to SR 202 in Redmond.