Aina de Lapparent Alvarez

A 10mm round sits on a gate at an unsanctioned shooting put along Sultan Basin Road near Spada Lake on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

County pitches 640-acre shooting range near Sultan to skeptical neighbors

At a meeting this week, about 100 people voiced concerns about noise and more. Some questioned if it would discourage illicit shooting.

A 10mm round sits on a gate at an unsanctioned shooting put along Sultan Basin Road near Spada Lake on Thursday, Feb. 8, 2024, in Sultan, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Dana Geaslen

New superintendent picked for Granite Falls School District

The school board voted 5-0 to hire Dana Geaslen, an assistant superintendent in the Edmonds School District. She’s set to start July 1.

Dana Geaslen
Mariella Brock talks with brothers Juakin and Gael Hernandez during a new free after-school program at Connect Casino Road on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

At ‘Mega Club’ on Casino Road, kids get healthy dose of screen-free time

Connect Casino Road and Camp Fire offer a mix of activities for kids from elementary to high school age.

Mariella Brock talks with brothers Juakin and Gael Hernandez during a new free after-school program at Connect Casino Road on Monday, Jan. 29, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
This photo shows a sign at the headquarters for Washington state's Employment Security Department Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington state's rush to get unemployment benefits to residents who lost jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak left it vulnerable to criminals who made off with hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Snohomish County sees second-lowest unemployment in the state

Only two counties had jobless rates below 4.0% in Western Washington. King and Snohomish counties were virtually neck-and-neck.

This photo shows a sign at the headquarters for Washington state's Employment Security Department Tuesday, May 26, 2020, at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Washington state's rush to get unemployment benefits to residents who lost jobs due to the coronavirus outbreak left it vulnerable to criminals who made off with hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent claims. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
Heather White smiles while students raise their hands to answer a question on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 in Camano Island, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

In child care desert, Camano’s pioneering forest school faces shutdown

Island County Public Works abruptly banned a school from a nature preserve, its cofounders said. Parents are outraged and aghast.

Heather White smiles while students raise their hands to answer a question on Monday, Jan. 22, 2024 in Camano Island, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Larry and Jack O’Donnell reminisce about the area around the Bond Street underpass on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in the Port Gardner neighborhood of Everett, Washington. The underpass used to serve as a public and commercial access to the waterfront but is now blocked off. Nearby Forgotten Creek Park and Trail have deteriorated since the closure of the underpass. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

‘An iron curtain’: For a seaside city, beach access is sparse in Everett

Everett boasts 25 miles of shoreline. But only pockets of that are open to the public. Try getting to Pigeon Creek Beach, for example.

Larry and Jack O’Donnell reminisce about the area around the Bond Street underpass on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, in the Port Gardner neighborhood of Everett, Washington. The underpass used to serve as a public and commercial access to the waterfront but is now blocked off. Nearby Forgotten Creek Park and Trail have deteriorated since the closure of the underpass. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Noah Jackson, right, and Daniel “Prince” Cacho, left, sing while they lead a group of approximately 100 people Monday in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Despite the cold, dozens attend MLK march in Everett

“It’s not just about having a day. It’s about your actions on the day, on the week, on the year,” Aaron Gaines said.

Noah Jackson, right, and Daniel “Prince” Cacho, left, sing while they lead a group of approximately 100 people Monday in a Martin Luther King Jr. Day march in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The old Union Bank building is pictured Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Monroe, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)

Monroe seeks local input for future community center downtown

The project on Main Street has been 60 years in the making. The city has spent $2.3 million so far. What will it look like? TBD.

The old Union Bank building is pictured Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024, in Monroe, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
A car sits abandoned surrounded by floodwater along 28th Avenue NW on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

In light of Silvana flood confusion, who can order evacuations?

The answer to the seemingly simple question about natural disaster response is, well, complicated.

A car sits abandoned surrounded by floodwater along 28th Avenue NW on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023 in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Tim Ziesemer poses for a photo at Glad Tidings Church in Darrington, Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)

To fill prescriptions, Darrington residents drive 56 miles

The town’s pharmacy closed in July. The customers’ new pharmacist in Arlington called it “another nail in the coffin for health care.”

Tim Ziesemer poses for a photo at Glad Tidings Church in Darrington, Washington on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023.  (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Dannika Prime talks about how the water came into her home on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023 in Silvana, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

After record Stilly flood, Silvana family is ‘stuck in this limbo area’

A storm turned Dannika Prime’s neighborhood into lakefront property. She’s unsure of her next step, except that it’ll be expensive.

Dannika Prime talks about how the water came into her home on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023 in Silvana, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
The newly rebuilt section of Index-Galena Road is pictured on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, near Index, Washington. (Jordan Hansen / The Herald)

Index-Galena Road, Mountain Loop Highway close for season

Only 33 days after its reopening, part of Index-Galena Road was shut down due to winter weather.

The newly rebuilt section of Index-Galena Road is pictured on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, near Index, Washington. (Jordan Hansen / The Herald)
Drivers navigate around a downed tree across Mukilteo Boulevard while crews work to clear the road on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

After record floods, keep watch for signs of landslides

Below the U.S. 2 trestle, state crews cleared massive logs and other woody debris jammed in the Snohomish River.

Drivers navigate around a downed tree across Mukilteo Boulevard while crews work to clear the road on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Snohomish County Sheriff Dive Team and Search and Rescue deputy William Dawson approach two men and two dogs sitting in the bed of their truck. The truck died while trying to cross floodwaters along 28th Avenue NW on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Over a dozen rescues in Snohomish County after record flooding on Stilly

Meanwhile, the Snohomish River remained dangerously high near Snohomish, where one boater survived a dramatic rescue.

Snohomish County Sheriff Dive Team and Search and Rescue deputy William Dawson approach two men and two dogs sitting in the bed of their truck. The truck died while trying to cross floodwaters along 28th Avenue NW on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023, in Stanwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
A photo of Cesar Sanchez is overlayed on top of the Riverdale Apartments in Everett, Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. There was a shooting across the street on Sunday. (Annie Barker / The Herald)

Family grieves slain teen; Jackson Park neighbors fear further violence

Cesar Sanchez, 17, went to stay the night at a friend’s house in Everett, his mother said. Early Sunday, he was shot to death.

A photo of Cesar Sanchez is overlayed on top of the Riverdale Apartments in Everett, Washington on Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023. There was a shooting across the street on Sunday. (Annie Barker / The Herald)