NEWS

(SKAGIT COUNTY)- Effective September 27, 2023, and until further notice, residential yard, and land-clearing fires are again permitted in areas within unincorporated Skagit County. Within unincorporated Skagit County, burn permits are still required for piles exceeding four feet by four feet, according to a news release from the county. Burn permit requests may be submitted by phone at 360-416-1840 and will be processed in the order received. Residential yard and land-clearing fires may contain only natural vegetation such as leaves, grass, and tree trimmings. Garbage, household trash, lumber, building construction waste, or demolition debris may not be burned. Please burn     (read more)

(OLYMPIA)- The precipitous pandemic-induced decline in college enrollment has slowed, according to a new report from the Washington Student Achievement Council (WSAC), but Washington’s public colleges continued to see fewer students enrolling in fall 2022 than in previous years. Ongoing enrollment declines could threaten long-term progress toward Washington's statewide attainment goal and further exacerbate inequities in educational outcomes for students, according to a news release from the WSAC. “Although more students are heading back to postsecondary education than we’ve seen in the last few years, we still have a ways to go to recover to pre-pandemic levels of     (read more)

(SKAGIT COUNTY)- The Skagit Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday, September 19, 2023, signed a proclamation designating September 2023 as Family Reunification Month in Skagit County. The proclamation highlights the hard work by parents involved in the dependency process to be reunified with their children. The Skagit County Superior Court would like to invite you to celebrate Family Reunification Day on Monday, September 25th, 2023, from 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. at the Skagit Valley Playfields at 2700 Martin Road, Mount Vernon WA. The family-friendly event will provide food, offer children’s games and activities, and recognize the families in attendance. Community partners will also host informational     (read more)

(OLYMPIA)— For National Voter Registration Day, the Office of the Secretary of State will host a voter registration station at Gonzaga University Tuesday, Sept. 19, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Students will be able to sign up as new voters or update their registrations at the registration table in the rotunda of the John J. Hemmingson Center, 702 East Desmet Avenue, Spokane. Secretary of State Steve Hobbs will spend Tuesday on the Gonzaga campus and at Spokane Falls Community College to meet with classes and student leadership and discuss the importance of civic participation, according to a news release from Office of the     (read more)

(NAS WHIDBEY ISLAND)- Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit Eleven Detachment Northwest will conduct limited explosive demolition training in the NAS Whidbey Island Seaplane Base Survival Training Area on Sep. 21, 2023. This training is necessary as part of a certification exercise to assess the unit’s surface response capabilities, according to a news release from the base. All actual demolition operations will occur during daylight hours. Safety precautions will be set to ensure ground operations pose no threat to neighboring property or persons.     (read more)