The city is launching a pilot sidewalk-building project in Pinehurst, West Seattle High School’s softball team routed their rivals, and the Mariners lost a key pitcher to injury.
Over two dozen new sidewalks coming to Pinehurst: first step in Seattle’s major sidewalk push
Residents of the north Seattle neighborhood of Pinehurst will soon be able to leave road-edge walks behind. City officials announced that Pinehurst will be the pilot neighborhood for an ambitious accelerated sidewalk program. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) plans to build 28 blocks of new sidewalks beginning in June 2026. This is part of a larger plan: the city aims to add 250 blocks of pedestrian routes by 2029. Projects are funded by the Seattle Transportation Levy.
As Krista Damps, SDOT’s public engagement staffer, notes, these changes mean Pinehurst residents will have a neighborhood where getting to school no longer requires stepping into the roadway, trips to bus stops are less arduous in rainy weather, and neighbors can move about their errands freely and confidently. In her official statement she emphasized that such improvements will help create a safer, more connected community and make everyday trips more comfortable.
Pinehurst is just the beginning. In 2025 SDOT held a series of public meetings called “walkshops,” where residents identified areas most in need of pedestrian infrastructure. In addition to Pinehurst, residents put forward priority areas including Northgate, North Delridge, Highland Park, South Delridge, Hillman City, South Park, Little Brook, Cedar Park and Arbor Heights. SDOT staff selected routes for new sidewalks based on community feedback, analysis of the existing and missing sidewalk network, and data from the Seattle Transportation Plan and the Safe Routes to School program. As an additional tool, SDOT launched an interactive map of potential sidewalk locations available on the department’s official website.
For context: sidewalks in American cities are not just an amenity but a critical safety factor. The absence of pedestrian routes forces people to walk along the road edge, which is especially dangerous for children on the way to school and for older adults. The Safe Routes to School program is specifically aimed at creating safe paths to schools. It’s notable that SDOT chose Pinehurst to start: local media report the neighborhood has historically had one of the most fragmented sidewalk networks, making it a priority for residents. The choice was no accident—walkshops were active there, and the initiative is a direct response to years of complaints that residents had to share the road with cars. As KING5.com reports, the transportation levy covers these costs, meaning there is no direct financial burden on residents. However, the main challenge remains: completing 250 blocks of construction in three years is ambitious, especially given hilly terrain and the need to coordinate with underground utilities.
Softball rout: how West Seattle High School beat Chief Sealth again this month
The high school softball season in Seattle is winding down, and the local rivalry between West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International High School once again turned into a one-sided affair. The second matchup this month, played at the Nino Cantu Southwest Athletic Complex, ended with the same lopsided score as the first—26-2 in favor of the WSHS Wildcats. Photographer Oliver Hamlin, working for West Seattle Blog, captured key moments of this one-sided contest, where the gap in quality was evident from the first innings.
The star of the evening was Lillian Zerr, who produced five RBIs on four hits. That’s an outstanding stat at the high school level: translated into adult terms, Zerr was nearly unstoppable at the plate and every appearance yielded productive results. The notable performer for Chief Sealth was Maddy Mueller, who, despite the humiliating defeat, managed to earn both of her team’s RBIs with a single hit—a small but meaningful gesture of pride for the losing side. For WSHS, Molly Lefkowitz and Daeja Piggy each posted four RBIs, while Kayla Ignacio and Marina Strange added three RBIs apiece.
WSHS’s dominance (their season record 9-4) looks consistent with their deeper roster compared to Chief Sealth (8-6). In baseball and softball, RBI is a key measure of a hitter’s effectiveness, indicating how often a player helps teammates cross home plate. For example, when Lillian Zerr hits a ball that allows three teammates already on base to score, she is credited with three RBIs. The 26-2 score produced many such situations, pointing to a total overload of Chief Sealth’s defense.
The regular season for both teams wraps up Monday, May 4, at 4:00 p.m. WSHS will face Rainier Beach, while Chief Sealth has one more game to play. Oliver Hamlin’s photo gallery shows both offensive stars and defensive players, including Nico Herndon of Chief Sealth, Lucy Malloy of West Seattle, and Zaida Fisher, Mackenzie Curry-Uzwak, Dani Tach and Julia Herron. Each photo is a frozen moment of a season that was a triumph for one team and a painful lesson for the other. The full photo gallery is available in the original West Seattle Blog article.
Injury to a key pitcher: Seattle Mariners place Matt Brash on IL with shoulder inflammation
The Seattle Mariners made the difficult but expected decision to place standout reliever Matt Brash on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation of the right latissimus dorsi muscle, the club announced Friday. The move was made retroactive to Thursday, giving the team roster flexibility. Brash left his last outing against the Minnesota Twins early on Wednesday after just two pitches, immediately raising concerns among the staff. That incident was a warning sign, and medical evaluation confirmed those concerns.
General manager Justin Hollander said MRI showed no structural damage, only signs of inflammation, which is relatively good news. Still, the club opted for caution and did not want to risk the pitcher’s health after he had been recovering from major surgery. “We’ve been very careful with Matt all year, trying to avoid a situation where he could hurt himself or jeopardize the long-term outlook for the season,” Hollander said, as reported by Seattle Sports. This stance underscores the club’s strategy to protect key players, especially after Brash missed all of 2024 following Tommy John surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament. His return in May this year was highly anticipated, and he had been excellent before the injury.
Brash’s numbers this season were impressive: in 14 appearances he allowed no earned runs, worked 11 1/3 innings, struck out eight, walked just two, and posted an astonishing .091 opponent batting average. That performance made him one of the most reliable bullpen pieces for the Mariners. His loss, even if temporary, will be a significant test for the pitching staff.
To cover Brash’s absence, the club recalled left-hander Josh Simpson from Triple-A Tacoma. The 28-year-old pitched in 31 games last season for the Miami Marlins but posted poor numbers there—7.34 ERA and 1.83 WHIP. However, he looks very different this year in Tacoma: over nine games he has a 0.96 ERA with 12 strikeouts and just six walks. The Mariners hope Simpson can carry that form to the major league roster and fill the gap left by Brash. The team faces a three-game series with the Kansas City Royals next, and the bullpen will be under heavier load.
The key takeaway is how fragile returns from major surgery can be. Even with ideal stats and good feeling, muscular issues can flare up suddenly, as happened with Brash. For the Mariners it’s important to maintain the momentum of the season despite the loss and give Simpson a chance to perform without undue pressure. Inflammation of the latissimus dorsi is a serious concern for a pitcher because the muscle is heavily involved in throwing. The lack of structural damage offers hope that a 15-day break will allow full recovery, but any recurrence could jeopardize the player’s entire season.
