Whidbey squadron heading back home

Electronic Attack Squadron 135 is scheduled to arrive home at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in Oak Harbor this weekend after spending six months at sea aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

The Navy jets are expected to arrive at noon Saturday, while support and maintenance personnel should be home at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, base officials said.

The Black Ravens fly and maintain EA-6B Prowler radar-jamming jets, and were used to support ground troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. The Nimitz is scheduled to arrive at its home port in San Diego on Sunday.

The 200 men and women assigned to the squadron left April 2. Its jets flew more than 390 hours of combat missions.

A deployment highlight was working with the Indian and other countries’ navies. The squadron also participated in several large-scale exercises off the coast of Guam with two other aircraft carrier strike groups.

Also returning are 20 members of the Sea Operational Detachment, who provide technical support to keep the jets in top condition.

Clinic offers free backpack fittings

Cascade Rehabilitation offers free backpack fittings for kids at several locations. Fittings will follow recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and others.

Filled backpacks should not exceed 15 percent of a child’s body weight. Heavy backpacks can make children’s growing musculoskeletal system vulnerable to injury.

Check your kid’s shoulders for red marks. If the backpack is leaving marks, it doesn’t fit right.

For more information, call Bothell, 425-488-6640; Everett, 425-252-4600; Harbour Pointe, 425-493-8313; Silver Lake, 425-357-8885; and Smokey Point, 360-658-8100.

Shred documents in Bothell Saturday

Bothell residents can protect themselves against identity theft by destroying documents containing personal information at an event planned by the city.

The free document-destruction event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at City Hall, 18305 101st Ave. NE.

Residents can destroy up to two paper-sized boxes or three paper grocery bags’ worth of documents. Records that contain personal information include bank statements, ATM receipts, old tax records and credit card applications.

For more information, call the city of Bothell at 425-486-3256 or go to www.ci.bothell.wa.us.

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.