Northshore aquatic forum rescheduled

Plans to discuss a new, multiuse aquatic center in the Northshore Parks and Recreation Service Area at a public meeting Monday were rescheduled because of bad weather.

The meeting will now take place at 6:45 p.m. Feb. 6 at the Northshore Senior Center, 10201 E. Riverside Drive, Bothell.

Two other meetings set for this week remain unchanged. They are 6:45 p.m. Wednesday at Carol Edwards Center, 17401 133rd Ave. NE, Woodinville, and 6:45 p.m. Thursday, at the Northshore Utility District, 6830 NE 185th St., Kenmore.

During the forums, people can comment on where they’d like to see the center built, as well as what the center could include.

For more information, call 425-486-8153.

Share pretty gardens for cats

Purrfect Pals, a no-kill, cat-only shelter based in Arlington, seeks some exceptional gardens to feature on a garden tour in the Marysville, north Everett, Lake Stevens, Arlington, Smokey Point or Stanwood areas.

This garden tour, to take place in late May or June, would promote a cats and garden theme and would be a fundraiser for the shelter, which adopts out more than 2,000 cats every year.

For more information, go to www.purrfectpals.org, call 360-618-0417 or e-mail reception@purrfectpals.org.

Think before turning up heat

With freezing temperatures, families turn up the heat, but that simple act can increase the risk of home heating fires.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, nearly half of all home-heating fires occur during the winter months and heating equipment was involved in 62,200 home structure fires in 2005.

Here are some safety tips:

Space heaters need space. Keep all things that can burn, such as paper, bedding or furniture at least three feet away from heating equipment.

Turn portable heaters off when you go to bed or leave the room.

Plug power cords only into outlets with sufficient capacity and never into an extension cord.

Have your chimney inspected anually and cleaned if necessary.

Install and maintain a carbon monoxide alarm in a central location outside each sleeping area.

Never use an oven to heat your home.

Contact us

If you have an item for FYI, a news tip or a local story idea, call 425-339-3451 or e-mail newstips@heraldnet.com.