Water taxi to operate through October

The Elliott Bay water taxi's summer season will be extended through October because the service has been so popular, says Metro Transit, which oversees the cross-Puget Sound service.

Starting Oct. 1, service will continue during peak morning and afternoon hours on weekdays only, as well as late Friday nights, between West Seattle's Seacrest Dock and Pier 55 on the downtown Seattle waterfront. It also will offer special-event service on some Seahawks game days.

The water taxi had been scheduled to wrap up its 10th season Sept. 30. Each month of this season, ridership has exceeded its record 2006 numbers, officials said.

Civic calendar

At City Hall

Today: Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels says he'll unveil some new priorities for the city when he gives the City Council his 2008 budget proposal at a 2 p.m. meeting in council chambers at City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. Council meetings are open to the public.

Open house

Wednesday: King County's Office of Civil Rights will host a community open house from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., with a focus on practical advice on civil-rights fundamentals such as how to recognize discrimination, where and how to report it, and how to prevent discrimination from occurring. The Open House will be in room 124 of the New County Office Building, 401 Fifth Ave. in downtown Seattle.

Traffic watch

This week: Seattle's Fremont Bridge will be closed to all overnight traffic, tonight through Friday morning, for work on the bridge's mechanical and electrical systems. Closures are scheduled to start at 9 each night and last until 6 a.m. the following mornings. Shuttle service will be provided for pedestrians and bicyclists from 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. between the north and south ends of the bridge. Look for signs for pickup and drop-off points.

Regular buses will be rerouted during the nightly closures, but boat traffic on the Ship Canal will not be affected.

To submit an item to Here & Now, e-mail herenow@seattletimes.com or call 206-464-2226.

Sept. 17, 1887: Gonzaga College, later to become Gonzaga University, opened on a muddy campus just east of downtown Spokane after seven years of planning, fundraising and construction. On that first day, only seven students were enrolled; they were outnumbered more than two to one by the Jesuit faculty. Enrollment grew to 18 students as the school year progressed.

Source: Historylink.org