Local News

<< Previous   of   Next >> (click to enlarge)   ADVERTISEMENT   Related Stories • Wild Sky Wilderness bill finally clears Congress 4/30/08 • Final vote expected on Wild Sky 4/28/08 • U.S. Senate approves Wild Sky; bill goes to House 4/11/08 • Meet the wilderness in your back yard 5/6/07   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Thursday, May 8, 2008 Bush signs Wild Sky into law Herald Staff WASHINGTON – President Bush signed legislation this morning to create the Wild Sky Wilderness, ending a nine-year political journey to provide tough federal protection on thousands of acres in eastern Snohomish County. U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wa., said she received the news in a phone call. “It has been a long time coming,” she said. “This feels real.” This will be the first new wilderness area created in the state in 24 years. The new law limits what can occur on 106,000 acres north of U.S. 2 and the towns of Index and Skykomish. The area straddles the Beckler River and North Fork Skykomish River within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Logging, mining and use of snowmobiles, off-road and other types of motorized vehicles will be banned. Hiking, hunting, fishing, rafting and other recreational activities will be allowed. Also, float planes can continue using a large, high-mountain lake, and a paved recreation trail accommodating people in wheelchairs will be created. Murray and Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wa., co-authored the legislation creating Wild Sky. It is one of the 61 bills covered under the new law. This package also included a bill authored by Rep. Jay Inslee to give national park status to the site on Bainbridge Island where 227 Japanese-Americans reported before being sent to internment camps in 1942.

1. Lake Stevens neighbors protest loss of left turn off Highway 9 2. Police look into fire at Emory's restaurant in Everett 3. Man who died from fall identified 4. Mural memorializing fallen soldier lost in effort to fix Silvana building 5. Marysville-Pilchuck comes up short in battle of unbeatens 6. 'Twilight' tourism 7. Accident near Poulsbo kills Marysville man, injures five 8. In Forks, it's always Twilight 9. Expect wintry roads at passes, dusting of snow on Snohomish County hills 10. Icy conditions lead to numerous wrecks on county roads 2 - Top 10 Stories Most Talked about 3 - Top 10 Stories Most Emailed

• Memorial for Peggy Pritchard Olson set • Bazaar Fever • Hawks proud of historic season • Olson always put Edmonds first • Honoring student veterans • ‘Wheedle' author comes to Lynnwood bookshop • Mavs build early lead en route to easy win • Prep football games of the week (state playoffs) • Tears of laughter, tears of grief • Boeing will build, flight test and deliver 787s in South Carolina to spe ... • Snohomish County EDC promoting job growth in key industry clusters • $4 million grant to advance brain tumor research has Everett links • Providence medical center construction tops off its 12-story steel frame ... • Tulalip affordable housing project to be financed by KeyBank, Raymond Ja ... • Arlington's Lak of Ink has a growing following for Luke Kooyman's creati ... • Bank of the Northwest formed • Cascade Bank earns $1.6 million