Local News Archives - Page 62 of 92

Merged fire services in Arlington proposed

By Gale Fiege, The Herald

ARLINGTON — Experts are recommending that three north Snohomish County fire departments join forces to save money.

Instead of going it alone, the Arlington Fire Department, Silvana Fire District 19 and Arlington Rural Fire District 21 should consider forming a regional fire authority, according to a to a $76,000 study released Thursday.

The move could benefit the jurisdictions financially in the long run, said officials with the Portland-based Emergency Services Consulting International, the organization commissioned to do the study.

Many other fire departments, fire districts and emergency services organizations around the country have combined efforts to reduce costs, eliminate duplication of services and increase firefighting capabilities, said Don Bivins of the consulting firm.

Most recently, Stanwood joined the North County Regional Fire Authority in 2012. Similar agreements and discussions also have taken place in south county, where cities and fire departments spent years discussing a potential regional fire authority plan before the talks fell through earlier this year.

The study in north county showed that local fire districts and the Arlington Fire Department also might want to consider consolidating training efforts, equipment and volunteer services.

Currently, the only combination that seems to benefit any of the districts financially is the Arlington, Silvana and rural Arlington recommendation, Bivins said.

Nevertheless, the study recommends that North County Regional Fire Authority and Camano Island Fire and Rescue should look for ways to consolidate in the future, as should Darrington Fire District 24 and Oso Fire District 25. Another idea proposed in the study is that North County Fire might want to annex Tulalip’s fire department and Silvana District 19.

The study found that all fire districts in north Snohomish County need each other, but that all are protective of their territory and authority.

“Fear of combining forces is a normal reaction,” Bivins said. “However, the depth of this feeling in north Snohomish County was surprising.”

Arlington City Councilwoman Marilyn Oertle said she likes the recommendations made by the study.

“There is a lot of potential there,” Oertle said. “We need to do the right thing for the taxpayer.”

However, “the devil is in the details,” said Arlington Mayor Barb Tolbert.

“With this study, we got a lot of good information and I appreciate that it was clear that a regional fire authority could be beneficial,” Tolbert said. “But we are dealing with big concepts and it’s really very complex. We have a lot of work to do.”

Reporter Rikki King contributed to this story.

Judge orders Marysville to pay Cedar Grove $143,000

A judge finds that the city failed to turn over emails requested by Cedar Grove Composting as public records.

September10, 2013

By Bill Sheets, Herald Writer

EVERETT — The city of Marysville was ordered Monday by a judge to pay more than $143,000 to Cedar Grove Composting for violations of the state public disclosure law.

The Everett composting company last year sued Marysville in Snohomish County Superior Court over the city’s withholding of emails between it and a consultant.

In an unusual move, Judge Richard T. Okrent also ruled that the city should have disclosed emails related to Cedar Grove that were sent internally at the consulting firm, Strategies 360.

Cedar Grove officials did not respond Monday to an email seeking comment.

The city of Marysville, the Tulalip Tribes and many who live in Marysville and Everett have been battling Cedar Grove for several years over allegations that the company’s Smith Island plant has been emitting offensive odors in the area.

Strategies 360 was performing public relations work for Marysville related to the issue.

The consulting firm already had been hired by the city to lobby on transportation and other issues and had been paid a flat rate of $7,500 per year for all the combined work, according to city administrator Gloria Hirashima.

Last year, Cedar Grove filed a public disclosure request with the city for all written communications with Strategies 360 related to the composting company. The city supplied most of the emails but withheld a number of them, claiming they were exempt from public disclosure because of attorney-client privilege. The emails contained discussions of legal strategy, Hirashima said.

Okrent ruled that 15 of those emails did not meet that standard. Though Marysville released the emails before Cedar Grove filed the lawsuit, the city should have released them sooner, the judge ruled.

The emails contained possible strategies and approaches, some of which the city used and some it didn’t, Hirashima said. For example, the city acted on the consultants’ suggestion to have city and Tulalip tribal leaders send letters to elected officials, she said.

The emails also revealed that the city and Strategies 360 helped residents write letters to newspapers and with other activities, such as applying for grants, according to the original complaint by Cedar Grove.

Hirashima said there’s nothing wrong with that in itself.

“We had literally hundreds of citizens asking us for help on this issue,” she said.

Mike Davis, leader of the Cedar Grove opposition group Citizens for a Smell Free Snohomish County, acknowledged he had help with letter writing but said he took the initiative.

“Any implications that we were created by the city of Marysville or that they ran the citizens group is not true,” he said. “I went to my elected officials as any citizen should. We were offered and gladly accepted help from the city. Fix the smell, I go away, it’s that simple.”

Also, Okrent ruled the city was negligent in failing to track down 19 other emails in response to Cedar Grove’s disclosure request.

Marysville also should have released internal Strategies 360 emails pertaining to Cedar Grove, the judge wrote in the ruling signed on Monday. The firm was acting as an employee of the city on the matter, he said.

“Marysville knew what Strategies was doing, paid them for those activities, was generally aware that there were documents in Strategies’ possession created during those activities, and discussed the contents of some of those documents with Strategies,” Okrent wrote.

The attorney working on the case for Marysville, Jeff Myers of Olympia, said the ruling broke new legal ground.

“I think it caught everyone by surprise that the court did what we thought was an unprecedented extension of the public records act to records the city never had,” Myers said. “Those were things the city never saw, didn’t possess and some of it was done for other clients.”

Myers said he’s specialized in public disclosure law for nearly 10 years and “it’s the first time to my knowledge it’s been done anywhere,” he said of the ruling.

Hirashima said the ruling sets an ominous precedent in terms of how the city and other government agencies must respond to disclosure requests in the future.

“This is a distraction from trying to get the (odor) issue addressed,” she said. “There are tools Cedar Grove has to inflict punishment back.”

Cedar Grove two years ago was fined $119,000 by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency for odor violations at its plants in Everett and Maple Valley in King County.

That amount was applied toward Cedar Grove’s $200,000 contribution to a $375,000 study of odors in the Snohomish River Delta run by the Clean Air Agency.

The city of Seattle and King County, both of which send yard and food waste to Cedar Grove, put up $100,000 and $50,000, respectively. The Clean Air Agency is spending $25,000.

Bill Sheets: 425-339-3439; sheets@heraldnet.com.

Feds give final approval to owl-killing experiment

Barred OwlPhoto Source: Wikipedia — Barred Owl
Photo Source: Wikipedia

September 10, 2013 @ 9:14 am

GRANTS PASS, Oregon (AP) – Federal wildlife officials are moving ahead with an experiment to see if killing a rival owl will help save the northern spotted owl from extinction.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Tuesday it gave final approval to a plan to send trained hunters into the woods to shoot barred owls.

Barred owls migrated from the East and arrived in spotted owl territory in 1959. The agency says they have since become the biggest threat to spotted owl survival.

Plans are to kill or capture barred owls in four study areas in Washington, Oregon and Northern California over the next four years.

The spotted owl forced big changes in management of national forests when environmentalists won lawsuits to protect the old growth forests where the owls live from logging.

Community Walk for Suicide Awareness, Sept 10

On September 10^th the World unites to remember loved ones lost to Suicide during World Suicide Prevention Day. This year Tulalip will participate with a “Walk for Life” from the Tulalip Health Clinic parking lot to the tribal gym where we will have a potluck and candle lighting.

Suicide is a difficult subject to talk about for many people; but the most important thing we can do for prevention is break the silence, reduce the stigma and share. Please see the attached flyer, print it, give it to family members, create walking teams and help loved ones you know who may still be grieving, healing or living with suicidal thoughts themselves to come out and unite for this evening of Love, Acceptance and Remembrance.

This is an ALL COMMUNITY event, employees, friends, spouses, tribal members and everything else in between J

See you Tuesday September 10^th, 6pm at the Health Clinic Parking Lot. (there will be rides back to your car afterward).

Taste of Tulalip – The Culinary Festival of the Year

5th Anniversary Highlights Include Extraordinary Epicurean Events, Celebrity Chefs & Sommelier Superstars

Tulalip, Washington – Tulalip Resort Casino is gearing up for a weekend of revelry to celebrate the 5th anniversary of Taste of Tulalip, its coveted award-winning food and wine aficionado event. Scheduled for November 8 and 9, 2013, this year’s line-up of top talent, to be announced within the next month, will include many familiar names as well as some stars on the rise. Past culinary celeb appearances have included ABC TV’s “The Chew” host Carla Hall, Bravo’s Top Chef Master and author Marcus Samuelsson, wine legend Marc Mondavi, “Thirsty Girl” Leslie Sbrocco and others. Executive Chef Perry Mascitti and Sommelier Tommy Thompson are putting together a dazzling roster of food, wine and tradition show-stoppers that have been a year in the planning. Taste 2013 will feature honorary winemaker Bob Betz of Betz Family Winery. Taste of Tulalip tickets have just gone on sale at Ticketmaster, with Friday night Celebration dinner tickets soon to follow.

The two-day gathering, with a focus on food, wine and tradition, begins with a Friday night wine and passed hors d’oeuvres reception, followed by the aptly named Celebration Dinner. The multi-course repast will focus on Native American and traditional recipe inspired dishes, paired with a global offering of rare, top wines. It is priced at $175. Tickets are limited and this event is always a sell-out.

On Saturday “All Access” pass holders ($295) will enjoy early entrance to the unforgettable Grand Taste; a VIP seminar featuring a celebrity cooking demo, table talk and Q & A session on the Viking Kitchen Stage; a private Magnum Party where they’ll be treated to a high level wine and indigenous food pairings; and a special bonus this year – two in-depth Reserve Tasting forums.

The weekend’s highlight is always the Grand Taste, spanning four hours and featuring lavish food stations as well as over 100 wines from Washington State, California and Oregon, and craft beer. It is priced at $95 and includes a Rock –n- Roll Cooking Challenge done “Iron Chef” style with celebrity judges looking for the best from both regional and Tulalip chefs, and sommelier teams. Special guest Emilio Lopez of El Salvador (a sixth generation specialty coffee producer), will be appearing at the Dillanos Coffee Roasters espresso bar, where guests will be able to sample a special TOT 5th Anniversary Blend.

All of the weekend’s wine offerings will be available in limited quantities for purchase in the Taste of Tulalip retail wine shop. There will also be book and bottle signings for those looking to personalize their purchases.

For tickets, go to www.tasteoftulalip.com or www.ticketmaster.com

Climb aboard big rigs at ‘Touch A Truck’ Sept. 14

Source: Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — The city of Marysville invites area families to “Touch A Truck,” a free annual event that puts kids in the drivers’ seats of public works big rigs, police and fire vehicles, and other heavy-duty equipment that children see out on city streets every day.

“Touch A Truck” will run from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Totem Middle School’s Asbery Field, located at 1605 Seventh St. NE in Marysville. Admission is free.

“Kids are mesmerized by Marysville’s big shiny rigs, and ‘Touch A Truck’ is a way for our city employees and other participants to show off the work trucks and vehicles that they use out in the field every day,” said Andrea Kingsford, recreation coordinator for the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. “Come out and run the lights and sirens, honk the horns, grab the steering wheels and push buttons just like the grownups.”

Cameras are not required, but parents will be glad they brought them.

Marysville Public Works, Police, Parks and Recreation, and Fire District personnel will bring young people face to face with their favorite municipal vehicles. Kids will get to explore dump trucks, a vactor truck, a street sweeper, garbage trucks, police vehicles, fire engines and many other vehicles, while learning all about them from the skilled employees who drive them. Sirens and horns are permitted from 10 a.m. to noon only.

The Marysville Noon Rotary Club will offer special activities for kids, while the Marysville Kiwanis Club will have treats for sale to raise money for local youth programs. Bring a canned food item and help support the Marysville Community Food Bank.

For more information, call the Parks and Recreation Department at 360-363-8400. No pets, please.

Video: Puyallup Tribe Pink Salmon Study

Source: Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians is looking at this year’s large pink salmon run that is showing up in the White River but is causing a backup in the fishway, causing a problem for other salmon species to make it upstream. The study will look at the delay associated with the arrival of pinks.

Puyallup Tribe Pink Salmon Study from NW Indian Fisheries Commission on Vimeo.

Keep your raingear handy as two storms roll in today

Posted by Jennifer Sullivan

Seattle Times | September 5, 2013

Keep those slickers and umbrellas handy because this late summer rainstorm isn’t going away anytime soon.

A flood watch has been issued in Western Washington from noon today until 6 p.m. tomorrow.

The showers and thunderstorms that have been rolling through the region over the last several hours will continue, bringing up to 4 inches of rain in some places, said Jay Albrecht, meteorologist with the National Weather Service. Heavy rains in September are so uncommon that it is possible that records could be broken.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, where the area’s official readings are take

n, had just 2.65 inches of rain in the entire June-July-August period.

“If we get more than an inch and a third today, it will be at a record at Sea-Tac,” said Albrecht.

Two storm fronts are to blame for the unseasonal weather. One is the drenching Pacific storm that is rolling in now. A second storm is forming in the Cascades today and is expected to hit the region tonight, Weather Service officials said.

With all the rain, temperatures are expected to take a slight dip with today only in the low 70s. Temperatures tomorrow are expected to be in the upper 60s.

The approaching storm has prompted Seattle city officials to warn construction crews to inspect and maintain storm drain “socks,” temporary inserts often used to capture sediment from construction projects.

“The predicted weather system will not be huge by winter storm season standards, but for a time of the year that is normally dry it will be powerful,” said Seattle Public Utilities meteorologist James Rufo-Hill.

For the latest forecast, go to the National Weather Service web site.

Fix White River Dam, Fish Passage

By Billy Frank, Jr., Chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission

OLYMPIA – A crumbling 103-year-old fish-blocking diversion dam and inadequate fish passage system on the White River near Buckley need to be replaced because they are leading to injury and death for hundreds of threatened salmon, steelhead and bull trout, slowing salmon recovery efforts in the river system.

It’s common for some adult salmon to display a few cuts, scrapes and scars by the time they complete their ocean migration and return to spawn. That can take two to six years depending on the species.

But more and more fish are now being found at the foot of the diversion dam with gaping wounds and other injuries caused by exposed wooden boards, steel reinforcement bars and other parts of the deteriorating structure. Many of those fish later die from their injuries.

At the same time, an explosive revival of pink salmon has overwhelmed the inadequate trap-and-haul fish passage system operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. At two years, pink salmon have the shortest life cycle of all salmon and are abundant in the Puget Sound region. Pink salmon returns to the White River have shot up in the past decade from tens of thousands to close to a million.

That’s led to massive crowding of returning adult spring chinook, steelhead and migrating bull trout at the foot of the diversion dam where salmon continually try to leap over the structure – injuring themselves in the process – in their effort to move upstream and spawn. All three species are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.

The diversion dam, constructed in 1910, sends water from the river to Lake Tapps. The dam prevents adult salmon from reaching the Mud Mountain Dam farther upstream, which is also impassable to salmon. Instead, fish are collected in a 73-year-old trap just below the diversion dam, then trucked upriver and released above Mud Mountain Dam.

There’s been a lot of talk but no action to fix the fish passage problem in the river.

Back in 2007, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) issued a biological opinion under the Endangered Species Act requiring the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to upgrade the fish trap. So far, the Corps has ignored the order, claiming that it doesn’t have the money. NMFS, meanwhile, has turned a blind eye to the Corps’ documented illegal killing of ESA-listed salmon.

In 1986, only a handful of spring chinook returned to the White River, but today those returns number in the thousands because of the cooperative efforts of the Muckleshoot and Puyallup tribes, state government and others.

The Corps and NMFS need to step up to the plate and do their jobs. When they don’t, what they are really saying is that salmon, treaty rights, and years of effort and investment by so many of us here in Puget Sound don’t really matter.

Salmon Homecoming Celebration, Sept 19-21

The 21st Annual Salmon Homecoming Celebration is scheduled for September 19-21, 2013.

www.salmonhomecoming.org

Salmon Homecoming is all about the people of the Pacific Northwest, whoever they are and whatever they do. That means we’re here for you, because your health, spirit and even your sustainable economy is most certainly about the salmon.

Want to volunteer? Fill out our volunteer form or contact Salmon Homecoming Coordinator, Linda James-Laville, by phone at (206) 999-0532 or email shcacoordinator (a) gmail (dot) com .

The Salmon Homecoming Alliance is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit foundation, established to organize, plan, develop and facilitate programs and events associated with Salmon Homecoming. Board members represent a variety of governments, associations, foundations and industries. Our objectives are to provide opportunities for tribal and non-tribal communities to come together in a positive atmosphere, learn from one another, and explore ways to support cooperative spirit in salmon restoration and protection.

We are happy to continue the tradition by celebrating the 21st annual Salmon Homecoming ceremony. The celebrations have always included cultural presentations, such as Northwest traditional gatherings, Pow Wows and Cedar Canoe events. We’ve sponsored environmental fairs, educational outreach activities, salmon bakes and even salmon runs. We present “Seventh Generation Legacy Awards” every year to people who have made important contributions to natural resources and Indian/non-Indian relations. We have accomplished much, but our Salmon Story has just begun.

“Salmon are the measuring stick of well-being in the Pacific Northwest.”
-Billy Frank, Jr., Chairman, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission