MONROE — A statewide insurance pool that insures abut 160 cities, fire districts, and 911 centers had paid more than $275,000 so far to the attorneys defending Snohomish Regional Fire & Rescue in a religious discrimination lawsuit filed by eight unvaccinated firefighters. The case initiated in 2022 has gone through U.S. District Court and the decision is now being appealed to the federal Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
The state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) began its Prescribed Burn Program in 2021 and has since partnered with agencies and organizations to assist with burns across the state. However, the DNR expects the recent federal funding cuts and layoffs in the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to affect the capacity for prescribed burns and the upcoming wildfire season.
SNOHOMISH — The city’s first woman to serve on City Council, Anne K. Eason, died April 12, her obituary states. She was 86.
The Monroe Bearcats and the Mount Vernon Bulldogs play in the Unified Soccer Jamboree on Tuesday, April 22 at Lake Stevens High School.
The First Annual Alumni Baseball Game happened Friday, April 18 at Earl Torgeson Field at Snohomish High. The Snohomish High Panthers took on the Mountlake Terrace Hawks.
OLYMPIA — The state Legislature Saturday approved a bipartisan, $15.5 billion transportation plan that in part increases the state gas tax for the first time since 2016. The state tax on regular gas will rise from $0.494 per gallon now to $0.554 on July 1. It codifies a 2% annual gas tax increase from summer 2026 onward. Diesel gas tax will rise by 3 cents per gallon July 1, and another 3 cents in summer 2027, then have 2% increases every year from 2028 onward.
INDEX — A climber fell off of the Town of Index 'wall' Saturday, April 26, creating a tricky rescue and quick measures by fellow climbers trained in health care.
After making the tag at second, Panther Amelie Lopez fires a shot to first for a possible double play during the game Tuesday, April 15. The Monroe Bearcats rolled to a 9 - 5 conference win over the Snohomish Panthers. The Bearcats, standing 8-4, 3-0 powered home runs from senior Hadley Oylear, with one RBI and one run, and teammate junior Vivian Knuckey with two RBI, one run.
The Snohomish fishing dock at Hill Park that's down for the count will be rebuilt this year as the contractor has just been hired.
On a perfect Spring afternoon in Lake Stevens the Vikings slipped past the Everett Seagulls 5 - 4 in extra innings on Wednesday, April 16. Viking junior Emerson Cummins smashed open the scoring with a 2-run home run in the first inning.
EVERETT — The Washington Trails Association (WTA), a nonprofit dedicated to trail upkeep, works all over the state. Locally, it is having work parties improving the Loganberry Lane Trail system in Everett this week.
News bites on Snohomish Homestead Park and more
Pretty soon, the county will be in the thick of candidate filing week, which runs from May 5 to 9. State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) records reviewed April 17 give an indicative picture of the local races shaping up for Snohomish, Monroe, Everett and Lake Stevens.
Two teen golf caddies have won full-ride college scholarships
SNOHOMISH — Snohomish’s Earth Day celebration is growing for its third year at the Carnegie Building. The takeaway is to learn something you can do yourself to, as the event theme says, “move the needle” for sustainability.