In the News

“A lot of people feel that wilderness is change,” said Tom Uniack, conservation director for Washington Wild. “But what wilderness is really about is keeping something the same. Unless you do something to keep something the same, it is going to change.” On Friday, a new chunk of land was protected as wilderness in Washington state when 22,000 acres were added to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. The bill passed the U.S. Senate after earlier passing the House. In the same area, nearly 40 miles of rive... Read more

MOUNT VERNON — The Washington Sustainable Food & Farming Network, a Mount Vernon-based agricultural advocacy organization, recently received a $88,444 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help jump-start purchases of fresh local produce by schools. Executive Director Ellen Gray said the two-year grant will partially support three staff members who will help facilitate purchases of fresh, locally grown produce in 12 school districts: eight in Whatcom County and four in Central Washing... Read more

The U.S. House of Representative, after a day of backstage maneuver and a Democratic revolt, approved a $1.1 trillion spending bill for Fiscal Year 2015 on a 219-206 vote late Thursday night. A Washington congressman, set to retire after 20 years, served as the House’s presiding officer as he has over the years on many close votes. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., is a longtime buddy of House Speaker John Boehner, and expert at such maneuvers as keeping a vote open while House Republican leaders scra... Read more

United States Representative Suzan DelBene of the 1st Congressional District addressed the Monroe Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday, Oct. 14 at the Rock Church in Monroe. Photo by Chris Hendrickson United States Congresswoman Suzan DelBene was welcomed at the Monroe Chamber of Commerce luncheon on Tuesday, Oct. 14. DelBene gave a brief presentation after which she took several questions asked by various chamber members. DelBene, who represents the 1st Congressional District, was sworn in to the Ho... Read more

The school district here is getting federal money to pay expenses related to the Oso mudslide. The U.S. Department of Education awarded the district a $10,341 Project School Emergency Response to Violence grant. The grant program, also know as Project SERV, is intended to cover costs for schools affected by a violent or traumatic event. Darrington was granted its full request for funding, said McKenzie Boyd, the district’s business manager. The Arlington School District received a $9,090 Project... Read more

During the August district-work period, we traveled our districts in the states of Washington, Connecticut, New Hampshire and Illinois and met with small-business owners, entrepreneurs and middle-class families who desperately want to see a Congress focused on fostering an environment for job growth. If there's one thing we heard time and time again, it's this: Congressional leaders aren't focused on the issues that matter to the American people. While Congress fights over manufactured scandals ... Read more

Dozens of people who helped clean up in the aftermath of the Oso landslide are about to lose their jobs. But they're hoping the experience they gained through that disaster will help them start a new chapter in life. "In Darrington, you have the mill, and IGA, and a couple gas stations, but that's about it," said 19-year-old Ward Hoftell, one of dozens of people in Snohomish County who've been working under a temporary Department of Labor grant, meant to provide jobs after the Oso landslide. The... Read more

MOUNT VERNON — The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office will receive a $250,000 grant from the Department of Justice to hire two new deputies as part of a federal program to create or preserve jobs in law enforcement, according to an announcement Tuesday from Congresswoman Suzan DelBene. The grant comes from the federal COPS Hiring Program, which has made $124 million available nationwide to go toward hiring and retaining officers with a focus on crime prevention. The federal money will cover 75 perce... Read more

The Bear Creek School (TBCS) was one of 50 private schools nationwide selected as a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence on Tuesday, and the only school in the state of Washington, public or private, recognized this year by U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. Duncan named 337 schools as the 2014 National Blue Ribbon Schools based on their overall academic excellence or their progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. The 2014 schools represent 47 states, the U.S. Virgin Islan... Read more

Congressional pressure for the NFL and other major sports leagues to get a handle on domestic violence continues to ratchet up. A week after one senator proposed stripping the National Football League of its antitrust exemptions, a bipartisan quartet of House members is circulating a petition calling for football, baseball, hockey, soccer and basketball executives to review policies and take “the strongest possible stance” against violence directed at women and children. The group — Jim Costa, D... Read more