Crews now say they are past the halfway mark in construction of Sound Transit's Link Light Rail that will run underground from the University District to Downtown Seattle.

"Brenda," the so-called 300-ton tunnel boring machine has traveled from Capitol Hill to Downtown Seattle, reaching a point 80 feet below the Paramount Theatre on Pine Street. The development is a milestone in the nearly $2 billion project.

"Mining in an urban area, we went under numerous residences and businesses and a number of city streets," said Joe Gildner of Sound Transit. "And as I mentioned, we had to go under Interstate 5 twice."

Digging below the interstate was one of sound transit's biggest risks. The top of the giant drill was only 15 feet below the freeway. Drivers who happened to be stopped n traffic when it passed by likely felt the road rumble.

And the machine had to make two carefully-monitored passes.

"(We had to consider) Earth movement, loss of ground, movement of the freeway," said Charles Santamaria of Sound Transit. "Once they got through that first one, it was a breeze."

The Seattle Schools Scholarship Fund Trustees will honor 24 Seattle high school students this evening with a $2000 scholarship for post-high school education. The students will be recognized at an award ceremony and reception tonight at 7 p.m. in the Frances Penrose Owens Auditorium of the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence. 

Friends, family, and school district personnel who have worked with these students are invited to attend this celebratory event.

The following students will be honored:

• Elyses Ayenew and Kelsey Bolinger, Ballard
• David Coven and Ana David, Cleveland
• Theophilus Savini and Rachel Visario, Franklin
• Lucero Torres-Bravo and Francisco Martinez-Crisanto, Garfield
• Mohomed Fofana and Gennevi Lu, Hale
• Teri Hunter and Choega Thundrup, Ingraham
• Andres Arano Aguilera, Interagency
• Salenna Green, Middle College at Northgate
• Alexis Ford and Anthony Segi, Rainier Beach
• Sofiya Idris and Risku Tuffa, Roosevelt
• Kindra Galan and Antonio Horton, Sealth
• Jennifer Romero-Diaz and Jesus Sanches, South Lake
• Suzanne Bechara and Jomar Rumbawa, West Seattle

A woman defended herself with a “pooper scooper” for nearly a half-an-hour while a man tried to hit her with another pooper scooper in Plymouth Pilliars Park early Thursday, according to the Seattle Police Department.

Police say the woman was with her dog at park, near Boren Avenue and Pike Street, around 2 a.m. when a man approached her complaining she was making too much noise, which he said was keeping his friend from sleeping.

He then picked up a pooper scooper and began swinging it at the woman, trying to hit her, according to police.

Police say the woman also picked up a pooper scooper to defend herself, fighting off the attacker for about 30 minutes before being able to leave the park.

Police searched the area, but were unable to find the attacker, according to the police department.