Auditions now open to join Seattle Men’s Chorus

SEATTLE—Seattle Men’s Chorus is once again opening its doors to new chorus members with auditions on Monday, January 6 from 6–9:30 p.m., and Saturday, January 11 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. All participants are required to register online before auditioning. The Seattle Men’s Chorus is among the largest — and longest-running — LGBTQ-identified choruses […]

Lawmaker proposes reallocating sales taxes for transportation budget

OLYMPIA (The Center Square)—Washington lawmaker, Senator Curtis King, R-Yakima, wants to shore up the state’s transportation budget by gradually increasing the proportion of sales taxes on vehicles currently dedicated to the general fund to be reallocated to the transportation budget over a six-year period. Proposed Senate Bill 5026 for the 2025 session offered by Senator King, […]

Making sense of Washington state’s multi-billion-dollar budget hole

OLYMPIA (The Washington Standard)—Washington state’s budget is, to put it nicely, in a world of hurt. There’s a big gap between what the state is collecting in taxes and what it needs to pay for its commitments in education, human services, health care, corrections and other day-to-day government operations. On paper, the chasm is billions […]

Firefighters respond to fatal house fire in Lynnwood

LYNNWOOD—A woman in her 80s died in a fire that destroyed a Lynnwood home Sunday. A man in his 90s was also evaluated by paramedics at the scene and treated for possible smoke inhalation. South County Fire firefighters responded just after 12 p.m., Sunday, December 15, to a report of flames coming from the two-story […]

Joint DHS/FBI statement on reports of drones in New Jersey

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security jointly issued a statement on December 12 on the reported sightings of drones in New Jersey: “We have no evidence at this time that the reported drone sightings pose a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus. The FBI, DHS and our federal […]

Ammonia leak leaves one fire fighter with mild injuries

MUKILTEO—One fire fighter suffered mild injuries after being exposed to ammonia when responding to a 3-alarm hazardous materials incident at the Pacific Seafood processing plant in Mukilteo on Friday morning. Mukilteo Fire Department along with the Mukilteo Police Department, South County Regional Fire Authority, Paine Field Fire, Everett Fire Department, Marysville Regional Fire Authority, Snohomish […]

‘Friday the 13th’ budget protest: County Exec will not sign Council-adopted budget

EVERETT—In a surprising use of his authority, Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers, known for his reserved and sagacious leadership, announced late Friday afternoon that he will not sign the $3.22 billion 2025-26 biennium Council-adopted budget. “Since receiving the budget from the County Council on November 27, my team and I have been carefully reviewing what […]

Larsen to host in-person town halls in Ferndale and Edmonds

FERNDALE and EDMONDS—Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) will host two in-person town halls this weekend to discuss his priorities for the 119th Congress and hear directly from his constituents in Washington’s Second Congressional District. Larsen will host a town hall on Saturday, December 14, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Pioneer Pavilion Community Center […]

Snohomish Asst Principal arrested following child sex abuse allegations

SNOHOMISH—Julian Parker, 37, an assistant principal at Centennial Middle School in the Snohomish School District remains on leave following his November 6 arrest after allegations of child sex abuse.  Judge Tam Bui set bail at $50,000, and he was ordered to have no contact with minors. Parker was placed on leave after over a decade in […]

Sheriff’s Office and Edmonds officials to meet this Friday on contracting police services

EDMONDS—The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office is meeting with city of Edmonds officials on Friday, December 13, to discuss the option of contracting out law enforcement services to the city if a dissolution of the Edmonds Police Department were to occur. The Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office currently has 29 open deputy sheriff positions. “They are working […]