New IKEA Store, Asthmatic Sea Otters & More News

Let the demolition begin. IKEA begins demolition today—September 17—to make room for its 406,000-square-foot facility in downtown Renton. The store—which will be built across the street from its current Seattle-area location—comes with 1,600 parking spaces. Customers can continue shopping at the current location until construction is complete in spring 2017.

The age-old question that has baffled man for ages has finally been answered: Can asthmatic sea otters learn to use inhalers? The answer is a resounding yes, KING 5 News reports. Mishka—a one-year-old at the Seattle Aquarium—had trouble breathing when smoke accumulated in Seattle following the wildfires that hit Washington. Dr. Lesanna Lahner diagnosed Mishka with asthma. Her trainer, Sara Perry, uses food to get Mishka to push her nose on the inhaler and take a deep breath. Mishka will likely use the inhaler for the rest of her life. “We want to make this as fun as possible,” Lahner told KING 5. “Any kind of medical behavior you’re training, you want to make sure it’s nice and positive.”

Seattle students return to school after an agreement was reached by the teachers union and Washington state’s largest school district to put the strike on hold, KOMO News reports. The strike, which began September 9, delayed the school year for 53,000 students. The two parties agreed on a 9.5 percent pay raise over three years, as well as 30-minute recesses for elementary students, a longer school day and more teacher input when it comes to standardized testing.

Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell responded to Marshawn Lynch’s mom calling for the team to fire him, ESPN reports. “I’m glad we have passionate fans,” Bevell told ESPN in response to Mama Lynch’s harsh Facebook post. “It comes with the territory. . . I’m totally confident in what I’m doing. I’m totally confident that I’m trying to get our team in the best position to win. And I’m glad that she’s passionate about it,” he said.