The week in review
Published 9:00 pm Saturday, February 4, 2006
Did you miss your news last week? Here’s a selection of the week’s top news items from across Snohomish County as they appeared in The Herald. For the full stories, go to cmg-northwest2.go-vip.net/heraldnet.
Sunday, Jan. 29
No strings attached: This former mill town turned all-America city may soon enjoy something few cities in the country can boast: free, wireless Internet access everywhere within its borders. City Councilman Drew Nielsen, who sparked a discussion of the possibility at the council’s annual retreat early this month, said the city could decide whether to pursue municipal wireless Internet service within 30 days.
Krista Kapralos
Monday, Jan. 30
Slides cut Sounder ridership: A string of mudslides that halted Sounder trains earlier this month also eroded a bit of the system’s hard-earned ridership. On the bright side, Sound Transit might not have lost any money – and maybe even saved a little – by keeping the trains idle, company spokesman Lee Somerstein said. The trains’ average boardings on weekdays between Everett and Seattle dropped from more than 700 to about 645 after the trains resumed Jan. 17, Somerstein said Tuesday.
Scott Pesznecker
Tuesday, Jan. 31
Fire closes Everett pool: Hundreds of swimmers were turned away from Forest Park Swim Center on Monday after a suspicious fire started on the outside of the building, causing about $100,000 in damage. About 250 people use the pool daily, including many senior citizens and the Everett High School swim team.
Diana Hefley
Wednesday, Feb.1
Optimistic tone in Bush’s speech not shared by all: While President Bush appealed to conservative supporters with his image of a hopeful society, a predominantly Christian, left-leaning group of residents that gathered in Marysville on Tuesday to listen to his State of the Union speech did not share his reasons for optimism. A dozen people from Everett, Marysville and Arlington met Tuesday evening in the Emerald Hills Estate clubhouse in Marysville to watch Bush’s speech and then discuss it.
Scott Morris
Thursday, Feb. 2
Bar, club told to obey smoking ban: A bar and a private club, both in Everett, are the first two businesses to be ordered by the Snohomish Health District to comply with the state’s tough new indoor smoking ban. The orders are the third and final step before the cases are turned over to the Snohomish County prosecutor’s office. It is the first such action taken by the public health agency since the smoking law went into effect in December.
Sharon Salyer
Friday, Feb. 3
Everett arena missing $150,000: A former employee of the company that runs the Everett Events Center is under investigation for allegedly stealing about $150,000. The good news: The theft won’t cost the community a cent, officials said. The suspect has not been arrested or charged.
Scott North
Saturday, Feb. 4
Super blow brews offshore: If the Seahawks win the Super Bowl and no one can watch it on television, did they really win? A massive windstorm expected today could leave TV sets dark all over Snohomish County come Super Bowl Sunday. After 30 years of waiting, there’s a chance some of the football team’s long-suffering fans might not get to watch the game. Winds from a storm that started in the tropics are expected to whip through the region today, potentially knocking over trees in waterlogged soil like dominoes. And when trees fall, they often taken power lines with them. Snohomish County PUD has more than 200 people ready to rush out and get the power back on as quickly as possible.
Lukas Velush
