Category: Local News

Haggen recalls ground beef sold at stores outside Whatcom County

 

Haggen has recalled some ground beef because of the threat of E. coli, but none of it was sold at stores in Whatcom County.

If you bought beef under the NatureSource label at Haggen or TOP Food stores outside Whatcom County, you might be affected.

Here is the information from Haggen.

Posted by DEBBIE TOWNSEND on August 1, 2013

The Bellingham Herald

 

haggenlogo

 

BELLINGHAM, Wash. (August 1, 2013) — In an abundance of caution, Haggen, Inc. today announced it is issuing a recall prompted by a nationwide recall from ground beef supplier National Beef Packing Company. National Beef announced the recall of approximately 50,100 pounds of ground beef due to a sample testing positive for E. coli O157:H7. There have been no reported illnesses related to the recall.

Haggen’s recall is isolated to the 97% lean ground beef sold under the NatureSource label produced on July 18, 2013, with a use by/freeze by date of August 7, 2013.

The recalled item was sold in Haggen stores in Snohomish and Oregon City, as well as TOP Food & Drug stores in Olympia, Woodinville and Grays Harbor, Washington.

Haggen has removed the affected product from its stores and initiated its customer recall notification system. The company is asking customers of the affected stores to carefully check their refrigerators and freezers for recalled ground beef. Any opened or unopened products included in this recall should not be consumed and should be returned to their local Haggen or TOP Food & Drug store for a full refund.

Consumers who have questions about the recall may contact Haggen at 1-360-733-8720 or may contact National Beef’s consumer relations toll free at 1-800-449-BEEF.

U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service advises all consumers to safely prepare their raw meat products, including fresh and frozen, and only consume ground beef that has been cooked to a temperature of 160° F. The only way to confirm that ground beef is cooked to a temperature high enough to kill harmful bacteria is to use a food thermometer that measures internal temperature.

Legislature funds final push to rid Puget Sound of derelict fishing nets

When spread out, nets cover a significant amount of habitat.Source: The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative
When spread out, nets cover a significant amount of habitat.
Source: The Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative

Source: San Juan Islander

August 2, 2013

OLYMPIA – The final push in a decade-long effort to clear Puget Sound of derelict fishing nets within 105 feet of the surface will get under way later this year with funding approved by the Washington State Legislature.

The state budget adopted last month provides $3.5 million for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) to complete the task in partnership with the Northwest Straits Foundation, which has led the net-removal effort since 2002.

Since then, divers working for the non-profit organization have removed 4,437 lost or abandoned fishing nets, 2,765 crab pots and 42 shrimp pots from the waters of Puget Sound. Animals found dead or entangled in that gear include porpoises, sea lions, seabirds, canary rockfish, chinook salmon and Dungeness crab.

According to one predictive catch model, those derelict nets were entangling 3.2 million animals annually every year they remained in the water.

Robyn du Pré, executive director of the foundation, said the new funding will support the removal of approximately 1,000 derelict nets in high-priority areas of Puget Sound after current funding runs out in December.

“These legacy nets have been fishing the waters of the Salish Sea for decades,” du Pré said. “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to finish the job and to celebrate a true conservation success story in 2015.” Du Pré added that current fishing net loss is minimal and commercial fishers are now required to report any lost nets.

State Rep. Norma Smith of Whidbey Island led the legislative effort to fund the net-removal initiative.

“I am deeply grateful to my colleagues who helped achieve the goal of a $3.5 million appropriation for the Northwest Straits Foundation to remove the last of the legacy nets from the Puget Sound,” Smith said. “Lost in previous decades, they have had a devastating impact on harvestable natural resources and marine life. Once removed, because of the reporting requirements now in place, this challenge comes to an end. What an achievement!”

WDFW Director Phil Anderson said the new funding is specifically designed to support the removal of derelict fishing nets in areas of the Sound where historic fisheries coincide with bottom conditions likely to snag nets. The foundation locates those nets using sidescan sonar surveys, then dispatches recovery vessels with dive teams to retrieve them.

Few efforts have been made to remove nets from depths of more than 105 feet, because of safety concerns. However, the foundation recently completed an assessment of deepwater net-removal strategies that include the use of remotely operated vehicles, grapples, and deepwater divers.

“Working in conjunction with our partners at Northwest Straits and in the State Legislature, we have made enormous strides toward eliminating the risks posed to fish and wildlife by derelict fishing gear,” Anderson said. “This is difficult work, and it requires a real commitment from everyone to get it done. We look forward to celebrating the next milestone in 2015.”

Source: Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative
Source: Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative

Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America

4-Wheel-Warpony-skateboarders-2008

Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America

Tulalip Hibulb Cultural Center Temporary Exhibition
Opens August 10th, 2013 and runs through October 13th, 2013

“Ramp It Up” examines the role of indigenous peoples in skateboarding culture, its roots in ancient Hawaiian surfing and the visionary acheivements of contemporary Native skaters.

Skateboarding combines demanding physical exertion, design, graphic art, filmmaking and music to produce a unique and dynamic culture while illustrating how indigenous people and tribal communities have used skateboarding to express themselves and educate their youth.

Exhibit features
– Rare images and a video of Native skaters
– Contemporary artists
– Native skateboards
– Skate decks and more

“Skate culture is a great lens to learn about both traditional and contemporary Native American culture,” said Betsy Gordon, curator of “Ramp It Up.” “This exhibition not only showcases the Native skater, but also the Native elders, parents, government officials and community activists, who have encouraged their kids to skate.”

Smithsonian Connection

The exhibit was organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and circulated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service.

“Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in America” was previously on view at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian in New York as well as at the National Museum of American Indian in Washington, D.C.

Start your engines for Seafair Weekend

Seafair Weekend hydroplane races and air show, Aug. 2-4, Seattle

Madeline McKenzie, The Seattle Times

Colorful hydroplanes racing on Lake Washington and festival activities onshore star at the Seafair Weekend at Genesee Park Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The big event, a festive Seattle Seafair tradition since 1951, draws thousands of spectators on the shore and in watercraft for the hydro races, air show and summer fun.

The Patriots Jet Team stars in the daily Air Show, since the Navy’s popular Blue Angels couldn’t make it this year. Vintage and specialty planes perform in the air throughout all three days, and vintage hydroplanes are on display in the pits all weekend and in the water at 12:15 and 2:30 p.m. Friday, 10:20 a.m. Saturday and 10:45 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Sunday.

Onshore events include military-flight simulations, entertainment, Kids Zone inflatable rides, souvenir vendors, interactive exhibits and a variety of food from 20 vendors. Learn all about hydroplane racing at the Hydro 101 tent, see the Budweiser Clydesdales and try the zip line and the new waterslide in Genesee Park.

Beer gardens are at the South Turn and North Turn areas with views of the races, and at Genesee Park adjacent to the music stage. It’s fine to bring your own food and beverages, but no outside alcohol is allowed.

Shoes are required in certain areas, including closed-toe shoes for access to Stan Sayres Pits for guided tours and up-close views of the hydros, available daily with purchase of a Pit Pass ($10/person). Grandstands are the only area providing reserved seating at premium cost. For everyone else, folding chairs or a blanket to sit on come in handy, though many spectators simply sit on the grass or stand near the lake during the races.

Parking is extremely limited in the area; advance parking is available online for $33 a day, if it’s not sold out. There’s a bike corral outside the main gate for bicycle parking. A free shuttle bus from the Columbia City Link Light Rail station offers 5-minute rides to the Seafair main gate 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Seafair’s website has a $10 coupon for all-day parking at SeaTac Airport Garage and information about parking near other Light Rail stations.

What’s a GMO? And Should Washington Food Labels Warn Us About Them?

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BY RACHEL BELLE  on July 31, 2013

MYNorthwest.com

Good day, class. Today we’re going to learn about GMOs. Those three little letters have been in the news a lot lately, and most people don’t really know what it means. For example, today in our show prep meeting, I told the guys I was doing a story on GMOs and Ron said:

“What’s the ‘O’ stand for? Genetically Modified…O?”

Organism. Genetically Modified Oganism. It’s also called GE, Genetically Engineered.

This November, Washingtonians will vote on I-522 to decide if foods and seeds containing GMOs should be labeled at grocery and home and garden stores.

Trudy Bialic is director of public affairs for PCC Natural Markets. She wants the labeling. “Essentially all GMOs are either tolerating a pesticide or producing their own pesticide and insecticide. It’s engineered with properties that make the produce its own insecticide. You are eating a registered pesticide.”

GMOs can currently be found in some zucchini and yellow squash and sweet corn, which means they often show up in processed foods that contain corn syrup. But Trudy isn’t taking a stand on whether GMOs are good or bad. She simply wants the products labeled.

“I-522 is really about labeling,” says Trudy. “It’s not about the science. Labeling gives us transparency and it gives us, as shoppers, the ability to decide for ourselves what’s appropriate and best for us to buy and feed our families.”

But not everyone wants the labels. Dana Beiber is the spokesperson for the No on 522 campaign.

“We already have a labeling system that works perfectly,” Dana says. “For folks who want to avoid foods with GE ingredients in them, they can do so by looking for the organic label. So it’s not necessary. The other reason it’s not necessary to put a warning label on these foods is because we’ve been eating them for decades and we have overwhelming scientific research that tells us that the foods are safe.

She says farmers will either have to spend money on a new label, that’s specific to Washington state, or change the ingredients in their product.

“I think it’s consumers who are really gonna end up paying the bill for us,” Dana says. “We can expect our grocery bills to go up by hundreds of dollars per year to pay for this unnecessary labeling system.”

Trudy says 64 countries and a few other states have already passed GMO labeling laws.

“Two-thirds of Washingtonians support labeling of genetically engineered foods. There are only five corporations that are funding the opposition. Five! They’re protecting their profits. Their concern is not the right to know for all Washingtonians. We all should know what’s in our food.”

We already label products with their fat and sodium content, we list all the ingredients, so what’s the harm in alerting consumers to GMOs?

“The fat or the sodium or whether it has eggs or peanuts in it, all that’s placed on every label throughout the country. It’s also on the back of the product. It’s not a warning label on the front of the product. Make no mistake, 522 is a warning label. In fact, the proponents have said they want it to be a skull and crossbones label on the front of a package.”

The spokesperson from Yes on I-522 says they have no intention of using a skull and crossbones, just a simple couple of words.

Class dismissed.

Ecology will study impact of coal trains when considering Gateway Pacific Terminal

Whatcom County and its regulatory state and federal partners have announced they will conduct a sweeping review of Gateway Pacific Terminal’s environmental impacts — an apparent victory for the coal terminal’s opponents.

By JOHN STARK — THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

July 31, 2013

In a joint press release issued Wednesday, July 31, the three levels of government announced that they “will closely study their direct effects at the site and evaluate a broad range of indirect and cumulative impacts likely to occur within and beyond Washington.”

Whatcom County, the Washington Department of Ecology, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are producing a joint environmental impact statement for the proposed Gateway Pacific Terminal and BNSF Railway Custer Spur track expansion.

A coal train heads through downtown Bellingham alongside Roeder Avenue Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.PHILIP A. DWYER — THE BELLINGHAM HERALD
A coal train heads through downtown Bellingham alongside Roeder Avenue Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2013.
PHILIP A. DWYER — THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

The Gateway Pacific Terminal – proposed by SSA Marine subsidiary Pacific International Terminals – could handle as much as 48 million tons of Asia-bound U.S. coal per year. Combined with smaller quantities of other bulk cargoes, the terminal could generate 18 train trips per day through Bellingham and other cities along the rail line. That includes northbound loaded trains and returning empty trains.

According to the press release, Whatcom County and the Department of Ecology have determined that the State Environmental Policy Act require examination of impacts on “earth, air, water, plants and animals, energy and natural resources, environmental health, land and shoreline use, transportation, and public services and utilities.”

Among other things, that means “a detailed assessment of rail transportation impacts in Whatcom County near the project site, specifically including Bellingham and Ferndale.”

The study also will include “an assessment of how the project would affect human health, including impacts from related rail and vessel transportation in Whatcom County.”

The state and county also have agreed to take it one step farther, to require “an evaluation of greenhouse gas emissions from terminal operations, and rail and vessel traffic.”

Gateway Pacific supporters had argued for a narrower focus, saying it was unfair to consider project impacts far from the site. Some business leaders said such broad environmental review requirements could have a chilling effect on other major industrial development projects in the state.

This story will be updated with more details and reaction throughout the day.

Reach John Stark at 360-715-2274 or john.stark@bellinghamherald.com. Read his Politics blog at

blogs.bellinghamherald.com/politics or follow him on Twitter at @bhamheraldpolitics.

Feds advance plan to kill 3,603 barred owls in Pacific Northwes

A barred owl is seen near Index, Wash. The federal government is considering killing some of the owls in the Pacific Northwest to aid the smaller northern spotted owl in the area. (Barton Glasser / Associated Press)
A barred owl is seen near Index, Wash. The federal government is considering killing some of the owls in the Pacific Northwest to aid the smaller northern spotted owl in the area. (Barton Glasser / Associated Press)

By John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times

SAN FRANCISCO — Federal wildlife officials have moved one step closer to their plan to play referee in a habitat supremacy contest that has pitted two species of owl against one another in the forests of the Pacific Northwest.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service released a final environmental review of an experiment planned in three states to see if killing barred owls will assist the northern spotted owls, which are threatened with extinction after a major loss of territory since the 1970s.

The agency’s preferred course of action calls for killing 3,603 barred owls in four study areas in Oregon, Washington and Northern California over the next four years. At a cost of $3 million, the plan requires a special permit under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, which prohibits killing non-game birds.

“It’s a fair assessment to say that going after the barred owls is the plan we’d prefer to pursue,” Robin Bown, a federal wildlife biologist, told the Los Angeles Times.

The agency began evaluating alternatives in 2009, gathering public comment and consulting ethicists, focus groups and conduction scientific studies.

It will issue a final decision on the plan in 30 days.

Animal activists have blasted the federal plan, saying the government should stay out of the fray and let the more dominant bird prevail, as nature intended.

The northern spotted owl is at the center of an ongoing battle between woodcutters and environmentalists across the Pacific Northwest. Because of its dwindling numbers, the little bird is listed as a threatened species by the federal government and in Washington, Oregon and California, Bown said.

On Tuesday, the timber industry criticized the barred owl harvest.

“Shooting a few isolated areas of barred owl isn’t going to help us as forest managers, nor is it going to help the forest be protected from wildfires, and catastrophic wildfire is one of the big impediments to spotted owl recovery,” Tom Partin, president of the American Forest Resource Council, a timber industry group, told the Associated Press.

Bown disagreed.

“To people who say to me that we should leave those owls alone, my response is that ‘So you’re accepting the extinction of the spotted owl? That’s OK?’”

Bown told The Times there have been several mischaracterizations of the federal plan.

“We’re not sending public hunters into the woods to declare open season on the barred owl. This is a controlled experiment, using folks who are trained and skilled at animal removal. Our goal in this experiment is twofold: Will moving barred owls help the spotted owl population to recover? And can we use removal of barred owls as a management tool?”

Unless barred owls are brought under control, the spotted owl in coming decades might disappear from Washington’s northern Cascade Range and Oregon’s Coast Range, where the barred owl incursion has been greatest, Bown said.

“In our projected study areas, the removal would represent a very small percentage of the barred owls,” she said. “We’re also taking steps to mitigate habitat threats to the spotted owls, such as large-scale fires and timber harvests.”

Barred owls are bigger and more aggressive than the northern spotted variety. Native to the East Coast, they began working their way across the Great Plains in the early 1900s, driven west by human development. By the 1970s, the species had spread to the West Coast, where their numbers have multiplied.

In some areas of their range, northern spotted owls are outnumbered 5-to-1 by barred owls.

“While some people just feel we should leave things alone, we want to take a small step at a resolution with this experiment,” Bown told The Times.

“After all, humans had a hand in getting the barred owl here in the northwest.”

City seeks sponsors, participants for multicultural fair

Source: Marysville Globe

MARYSVILLE — The city of Marysville is seeking sponsors, and accepting submissions from vendors and performers, to participate in the first in what they hope will become an annual series of multicultural fairs, celebrating cultural diversity this fall through ethnic foods, music, dance and art.

This free event is set to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Comeford Park, located at 514 Delta Ave. in Marysville. Attendees are invited to enjoy music and dance from around the world on the performance stage in the Rotary Pavilion, all while experiencing traditions from other lands through demonstrations and displays, as well as partaking of a food court where exotic ethnic foods will be available for purchase.

Cultural artwork will also be on display, representing submissions from an all-ages diversity arts contest coordinated by the Marysville Arts Commission and the Mayor’s Diversity Advisory Committee. The deadline for entries has been extended to Thursday, Aug. 27. Log onto http://marysvillewa.gov/diversityarts for further details. The event will also feature a number of cultural resource and craft vendors, with hands-on activities for children.

“Sponsorship features many benefits for your organization or business, and an opportunity to share your commitment to a more diverse, inclusive and welcoming workplace and community,” said Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring, who established the Diversity Advisory Committee in 2010 to advise him and fellow government leaders on issues of diversity and inclusion. “We hope you will become a festival sponsor, supporting diversity and cultural understanding in Marysville, and we look forward to sharing the music, sights and sounds of diversity with you and the community.”

A number of sponsorship opportunities are available, with participation levels ranging from $1,000 and above, to as low as $100.

Through this multicultural fair, the Mayor’s Diversity Advisory Committee is making good on one of the recommended actions in its two-year Diversity Work Plan, by establishing an event that celebrates cultural, physical and mental differences among people, and sends a message that those differences are valued year-round.

Vendor and performance forms are available on the city of Marysville’s website at http://marysvillewa.gov/multiculturalfair. The event is seeking booth vendors, whether you are a craft or food vendor, a social services agency or organization that works to promote diversity internally or generally in your interaction with the public, or an individual or group performer that represents a particular culture with singing, music, dance or all of the above. To learn more, contact Diversity Committee Staff Liaison Doug Buell by phone at 360-363-8086 or via email at dbuell@marysvillewa.gov.

Jim Woods of Makah Tribe continues as EPA senior tribal policy advisor for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
jim woods(July 30, 2013 – Seattle)   The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced today that Jim Woods, of the Makah Tribe in Neah Bay, Washington, will continue as the region’s Senior Tribal Policy Advisor for an additional two-year term.
 
Jim, or K’a’s•cak•a•b’lkh to the Makah, will continue to work with over 271 tribes in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, as part of an Intergovernmental Personnel Agreement with the Swinomish Tribe originally signed in 2011.
 
“I am pleased that Jim has agreed to extend his term through July 2015, and I am grateful to the Swinomish Tribe for their continuing strong support of Jim and partnership with EPA,” said Dennis McLerran, EPA Regional Administrator. “Our region has by far the largest number of tribal governments in the nation, and Jim has been key to helping us fulfill our trust responsibilities and work together to protect the resources that tribes depend on.”
 
“EPA has a unique relationship with tribes, as our common goal is to ensure we provide healthy and safe communities and sustainable resources in the Northwest and Alaska for today and generations to come.  As EPA’s Senior Tribal Policy Advisor, Jim carries the voices of hundreds of tribal communities and members in a meaningful way to EPA and helps both the agency and tribes find common ground to advance tribal environmental protection objectives,” said Brian Cladoosby, Chairman of the Swinomish Tribe.
 
Jim will continue to serve under a renewed Intergovernmental Personnel Agreement, as the senior liaison between tribes and the EPA regional office, communicating tribal perspectives, trust responsibility, sovereignty, treaty rights, and self-governance to the Regional Administrator and senior EPA management.
 
One of Jim’s primary responsibilities is the regional implementation of the Presidential Executive Order on Consultation and Coordination with Tribal Governments, focusing on promoting effective and meaningful government-to-government interaction with tribes in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
 
Before his appointment to EPA, Jim served as Senior Policy Advisor to the Swinomish Tribe, focusing on environmental policies, natural resource policies, and treaty rights.
 
Jim previously led the Sustainable Resource Management division for the Makah Tribal Council.
 
 
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