The Port of Everett has reopened its popular 10th Street Boat Launch today after finishing the work to clear it of sediment. Many boaters and anglers were surprised by the closure, which needed to be done so that the dredge work would be completed before young salmon head downriver to the salt water. The ramp was closed for about 20 days. The port also has completed dredging silt from the lower Snohomish River. KC Equipment of Seattle, the port’s contractor for the launch area, removed an estimated 20,000 to 25,000 cubic yards of silt. The work was expected to cost $600,000, which included paying to dump the clean material into designated deep-water areas of Puget Sound.
Captive computers fed virus network
Security experts have found a network of 74,000 virus- infected computers that stole information from inside corporations and government agencies. The unusual thing about the incident is not that it happened but that it was discovered, and it is a reminder of the dangers of having computers with sensitive data connected to the open Internet. More than 2,400 organizations, including financial institutions and energy companies and federal agencies, were infiltrated by the “botnet,” according to the NetWitness Corp. security firm, which discovered it. NetWitness didn’t name the companies or agencies whose computers were compromised. The Wall Street Journal said the affected companies included Merck &Co., Cardinal Health Inc., Paramount Pictures and Juniper Networks Inc.
Blind groups back Google library
Supporters of Google’s effort to create the world’s largest digital library told a federal judge Thursday that it would benefit society. Marc Mauer, president of the National Federation of the Blind, said the audio capabilities of Google’s system “will give us access to 10 million books.” One of the opponents — which include authors, foreign governments, corporate rivals and even the U.S. Department of Justice — countered at a packed court hearing in Manhattan that Google’s plans were more about commerce, not access to books. “It’s not going to be a great library, it’s going to be a good store,” said Sarah Canzoneri, a member of the Children’s Book Guild, which opposes the network.
Economic activity slows in January
A forecast of future economic activity grew at a slower pace in January, but still suggests that the economy will continue to grow through spring. The index of leading economic indicators rose 0.3 percent last month, according to Thursday’s report from the Conference Board, a private research group. That’s weaker than a 1.2 percent rise in December and a 1.1 percent rise in November, and the smallest of the index’s 10 straight monthly gains. It also was short of the 0.5 percent growth that economists polled by Thomson Reuters expected.
From Herald news services
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