NEWS

(MOUNT VERNON)— Skagit Valley College’s Bachelor of Applied Science in Management (BASM) program has been selected as one of 21 community college baccalaureate programs participating this fall in a national pilot of the Community College Baccalaureate Association’s (CCBA) new Quality Framework. The college will evaluate the BASM program using the framework to examine its own practices while contributing feedback to CCBA’s national quality work, according to a news release from SVC. With support from the ECMC Foundation, CCBA is leading a national effort to develop the first Quality Framework specifically for community college baccalaureate programs. The work responds     (read more)

(OLYMPIA)– The Washington State Department of Transportation's Cascadia Program is coordinating efforts to address current and future transportation demands throughout the Cascadia megaregion. Stretching from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Portland, Oregon, the Cascadia megaregion is expected to grow by 3.4 million people through 2050. The Cascadia Program includes the Interstate 5 Master Plan and the Cascadia High-Speed Rail projects. Together, they aim to address the region’s population growth and existing infrastructure constraints. The goal is to ensure the reliable movement of people and goods now and into the future. Taking an integrated approach is crucial for maintaining connectivity and addressing growth within     (read more)

(OLYMPIA)— In honor of Banned Books Week (Oct. 4-10, 2026), Washington authors speak out against censorship and share what reading freely means to them. The Washington Center for the Book, a program of the Office of the Secretary of State, partnered with the Washington chapter of Authors Against Book Bans to curate a collection of short videos about what it means to read and write freely, featuring Washington authors. This video series is the latest update to the ongoing Washington Reads Freely project, according to a news release from the Office of the Secretary of State. The first collection of videos     (read more)

(SKAGIT COUNTY)- The average listing price for a home in Anacortes surpassed $1 million in a quarter for the first time, according to a local real-estate report. Ten-year broker Peter Ahn of NextHome Northwest Living said the average listing price for an Anacortes home in the third quarter ending Sept. 30 was $1,008,612, up 18.3% from last year’s third quarter. Ahn added that the average third-quarter sale in Anacortes was $976,414, a 16.8% increase, and the median sales price for the waterfront city was $795,000, 6.4% higher than 2025, according to a news release. However, homes in all of Skagit County were a different story. The median     (read more)

(SULTAN)– A project that aims to improve safety along the US 2 corridor between Monroe and Gold Bar will begin Monday, Oct. 5. Utility crews working with contractors will alternate traffic at the intersection of US 2 and Old Owen Road/Fern Bluff Road in Sultan from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly, Monday, Oct. 5, until Wednesday morning, Oct. 7. This work supports a future roundabout, according to a news release from the Washington State Department of Transportation. People traveling through this area on US 2 should expect delays through the end of February 2027, when roundabout construction is complete. During construction of the roundabout, traffic     (read more)