FERNDALE — A tanker truck overturned Thursday, spilling thousands of gallons of gasoline just outside the city limits.
The Washington State Patrol received a call just before 9 a.m. that the truck was in the ditch along W. Axton Road, about a mile east of I-5, said Robert Smith of the patrol’s Marysville office.
An estimated 2,000 gallons spilled from the truck’s 8,200-gallon tank, said Larry Hoffman, assistant chief with Whatcom County Fire District 7.
No injuries were reported. A Whatcom County hazardous materials team was on the scene. About 100 homes and businesses in the area were evacuated, but some residents were later allowed to return, Hoffman said.
He said an unknown amount of the gasoline spilled into nearby Deer Creek, and efforts were being made to keep any fuel from reaching the Nooksack River. Hoffman said Thursday evening he hadn’t heard that any fuel had reached the river.
The city of Ferndale stopped taking water from the river temporarily as a precaution, Hoffman said.
Tacoma
Library board adopts size limit for items: Even backpacks crammed full of books could be banned in Tacoma libraries if the bags are too big to fit under the chairs. The Tacoma Public Library Board has approved a new rule limiting what people can bring into its libraries. The policy is designed to keep people from camping out with items such as large duffel bags, bedrolls and coolers. All items now must fit under a chair. The board passed the rule on a 5-0 vote Wednesday night. "We are not trying to restrict people, we are trying to restrict packages," said Cathy Oden, a Tacoma reference librarian.
Wenatchee
Part of college choir refuses to sing with Seattle Men’s Chorus: Half the singers in a Wenatchee Valley College choir have refused to appear at a community concert celebrating diversity, headlined by the gay Seattle Men’s Chorus. Only nine of the 20 members of the college’s Chamber Choir will perform at the Saturday concert, sponsored by the local chapter of Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays. "That’s an unfortunate decision on their part," said Paul Bauer, marketing director of the internationally recognized men’s chorus, which has performed in some of the world’s great concert halls since its founding in 1979. About 160 members of the 220-man chorus are scheduled to sing in the group’s first appearance in Wenatchee.
Renton
Wildlife agent climbs tree to remove stray bear: A stray bear that got stuck in a tree was removed by a wildlife agent, who climbed the tree and lowered her down. A resident called the King County Sheriff’s Office early Thursday to report the animal. A deputy responded and state Fish and Wildlife agents were summoned later, said sheriff’s Sgt. Greg Dymerski. The agents shot two tranquilizing darts into the female bear. An agent then climbed the 50-foot tree to attach a rope to the bear, which weighed between 200 and 250 pounds. The bear had become stuck on some limbs, but was lowered down, Dymerski said. Wildlife agents believe the bear, who is about 3 years old and is blind in one eye, was in the residential neighborhood looking for food.
Issaquah
Issaquah School Board votes for mascot change: The Issaquah School Board has voted to drop the high school’s decades-old Indian mascot. The board voted unanimously Wednesday night to adopt a policy requiring school mascots to be free from offensive connotations and stereotypes. No mascot will have the ability to divide a community, the school board said. Students soon will begin preparing a timeline for choosing a new mascot and retiring the Indian.
From Herald news services
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