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, July 24

Qualified police candidates harder to find. Lynnwood police officer Jeff Mau was less than two weeks into the job when the dangerous side of being a cop came barreling at him. He was training with guards in Lynnwood Municipal Court when a defendant ran for the door. Mau jumped in to help hold the man until officers could cart him off to jail. Mau left behind a better-paying job at Expedia Inc. in Bellevue last year to join the Lynnwood Police Department. The department is fortunate to have found someone like Mau. Police departments around the state are struggling to find qualified candidates to fill positions.

Diana Hefley

Monday, July 25

Nursery buys a bivalve. This area has a new roadside attraction. The Clearview Nursery has added a giant clam to its menu of eclectic items. Nursery owner Dan McAuliffe bought the giant 12-by-12-by-7-foot Ivar’s Clam on eBay and put it on display Sunday. It’s the original clam that appeared in parades and other events. McAuliffe paid $1,626 at an auction in Des Moines for the relic.

Bill Sheets

Tuesday, July 26

Gas leak closes U.S. 2. A leak from a natural gas line closed all lanes of busy U.S. 2 in the city for almost four hours Monday, backing up traffic for miles and hurting area businesses. A City Council member said the problem highlighted the need for an alternate route in the area. A construction worker accidentally broke the 4-inch-wide plastic natural gas line with a backhoe, buried up to 6 feet underground at N. Kelsey Street and the highway around 9:30 a.m.

Yoshiaki Nohara

Wednesday, July 27

Tribe pushes I-5 overpass. The Tulalip Tribes are pushing ahead with their bid to have the 116th Street NE I-5 overpass rebuilt as quickly as possible, but they say they need help to pay for the $50 million bridge. Although the tribes have built a casino, big-box stores and an outlet mall on reservation land on the west side of the freeway, a tribal traffic study shows that only 30 percent of the traffic that exits I-5 on 116th Street NE turns onto the reservation. The rest heads east into Marysville.

Lukas Velush

Thursday, July 28

Car theft suspects eagerly take bait. Two men were arrested Tuesday for investigation of car theft just a day after Everett police publicly announced the use of bait cars around the city. “We want people thinking if they try to steal a car anytime or anywhere, it might be one of ours,” said Sgt. Jerry Strieck, supervisor of the auto theft task force. The bait cars are monitored remotely, and police can lock crooks inside with the push of a button. The cars are being planted around the city.

Diana Hefley

Friday, July 29

Revered Arlington pilot dies in crash. A well-loved pilot and pastor who founded an Arlington flight school for missionaries has died in a plane crash near a fly-in event in Oshkosh, Wis. Michael J. Crowell, 48, died when the 2005 Sportsman 2+2 Glasair plane he was flying crashed and caught fire about 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at Wautoma Municipal Airport, Waushara County Sheriff David Peterson said Thursday. Crowell was alone in the plane and died in a field next to the runway, Peterson said.

Scott Morris

Saturday, July 30

Man dies saving son. A father drowned in the Stillaguamish River on Friday while saving the life of his 12-year-old son. It was the second drowning in Snohomish County in two days. Fire officials say the 47-year-old man and his son were swimming under a railroad bridge near Haller Park when the two got into trouble.

Chris Collins