On March 25, the boy came up to the bus stop, opened his backpack, and showed other students what he had. Ultimately, it was a blue gun with an orange tip, the sheriff’s office said. His parents identified to law enforcement that this was not a real gun, and witnesses felt it wasn’t, the sheriff’s office said. Parents say he also had a list of names, but the sheriff’s office said its office never saw a list. Fake or not, the incident horrified parents. Students have been staying home because of it, a Machias parent said earlier this month.
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. 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.
City Councilwoman Liz Vogeli will step off council at the end of the year. “I’m not leaving the public eye, I’m just leaving council,” Vogeli said. “Now I might be louder.”
