News Roundup: Ballot Drop

• SDOT has released a video of daytime First Hill streetcar tests. Still no estimate of a service start date.
• Ballots have dropped for this year's unprecedented City Council shakeup. Please vote, and look for our endorsements in the middle of next week.
• A woman walking on the BNSF tracks (pro tip: never do that!) was killed by a Sounder train on Tuesday afternoon's commute near Golden Gardens.
• The $16.1B transportation package is now law, signed by Inslee on Wednesday. Gas prices will go up by 7 cents/gallon in August.
• Seattle Tunnel Partners has given WSDOT a new repair and construction schedule ($), with digging set to begin again in late November. The new best-case scenario for tunnel opening? 2018. Will North Link beat Bertha?
• The Downtown Seattle Association's mid-year Development Guide has been released, and boomtown continues: 106 active construction sites and 3,500 apartments to be delivered this year (full report here).
• Alan Durning of Sightline had a great piece this week on single-family housing that was equal parts wonky analysis and a meditation on privilege.
• The Angle Lake extension now has a complete guideway from SeaTac Airport to South 200th. Also, the project is ahead of schedule and could open as early as May 2016 ($), though September is still the official date.
• Seattle Bike Blog eulogizes Andy Hulslander, a person who was killed by a drunk driver while bicycling in Ravenna in June. The driver is free on bail awaiting trial for vehicular homicide, and is amazingly allowed to drive in the interim.
• Ferry woes: with the Elwha out of service for 4 months, a major and unpleasant shuffle is in order. The San Juans will lose 20 cars worth of capacity, the Evergreen State will be recalled from retirement, and the tiny Hiyu will be reactivated to provide ad hoc service between Fauntleroy and Southworth, which will go back to 2-boat service.
• Lynnwood Link now has FTA approval, with the Record of Decision on the Final EIS being issued Wednesday.
• Sound Transit's Pamela is now at Roosevelt, breaking through earlier this week. North Link tunneling is on schedule to be complete by mid-2016.

This is an open thread.