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 www.heraldnet.com.

Sunday, Sept. 11

21st-century ready. At least $10 million in Homeland Security grants have been directed to Snohomish County-based programs since 2003. Not one dime has been spent on leather jackets or traffic cones, said Roger Serra, director of the county’s Department of Emergency Management, the agency that has served as a clearinghouse for the majority of local grant requests. The bulk of the grant money – nearly $6 million – has been earmarked for or spent on equipment and supplies that may make a critical difference in the event of terrorism, Serra said.

Scott North

Monday, Sept. 12

Shots shake picket line. An argument between a man and Machinists union members walking a picket line near the Boeing Co. plant erupted in gunfire early Sunday. No one was hurt. Police have no indication that the shooting was related to the union’s strike against Boeing, Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Dave Hayes said.

Herald staff

Tuesday, Sept. 13

Housing prices hit all-time high. The median price of a single-family home in Snohomish County set yet another record in August – this time soaring well above $300,000. The new record, $311,525, contrasts with the $252,000 median price of a year ago, an increase of nearly 24 percent, according to a report issued by the Northwest Multiple Listing Service.

Mike Benbow

Wednesday, Sept. 14

Machias Elementary kids find gun. A new playground at Machias Elementary School was swarming with children Monday morning, their first chance to try out the brightly colored new jungle gym. Grayson Pope, 8, was sick of waiting. So he turned instead to an old standby and one of his favorites – a big metal swing set. As he soared higher and higher, the third-grader glanced down and saw something surprising. School staff, parents and police officers are praising Grayson and schoolmate Khoa Nguyen, 9, a fourth-grader, for doing the right thing – leaving the loaded gun they found untouched and immediately telling their teacher.

Melissa Slager

Thursday, Sept. 15

Bothell invasion robbery probed. For seven hours, she was locked inside a utility closet, not knowing if the masked robbers would go through with a threat to kill her loved one. “I had a lot of time to think. Your whole life goes through your mind. I was just worried about my (relative),” said the woman, who is in her late 60s. The woman was robbed at gunpoint in her Bothell-area house just after noon on Friday, the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday.

Diana Hefley

Friday, Sept. 16

Rebuild, Bush proclaims. President Bush promised Thursday night that the government would pay most of the cost of rebuilding the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast in one of the largest reconstruction projects the world has ever seen. “There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans,” the president said.

Associated Press

Saturday, Sept. 17

Robbery suspect has little time left. Snohomish County’s latest bank robbery suspect doesn’t exactly fit the mold of armed and dangerous. However, Lynnwood police are warning people to be cautious of Nelson Alfred Anselment, a 67-year-old man with a life-threatening disease who they say has allegedly been on the lam since Monday. Anselment, a Mountlake Terrace resident, was recently paroled from state prison where he was serving time on a robbery conviction.

Scott Pesznecker