Hey, Mr. Bus Driver, are you Larry or Garry?

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Hey, Mr. Bus Driver, are you Larry or Garry?

These twins have been behind the wheel of Everett Transit buses since the early 1980s.

The buffalo is back at ‘The Buff’ — but you can’t ride it

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The buffalo is back at ‘The Buff’ — but you can’t ride it

After a theft gone awry, the iconic statue of an Evergreen Way saloon now stares down from the…

Kevin Grigsby, 61, has about 100,000 record albums. He buys, sells and trades out of the garage of his Lynnwood home. He calls it The Vinyl Garage. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Local News

Groovy! The dude has a vinyl stash of, like, 97,000 records

Kevin Grigsby, vinyl purist and Deadhead, is reliving and reselling the ’60s in his Lynnwood garage.

After buying velcro flags, uniforms and insignia pins, longtime customer David Edwards (right) shakes hands Wednesday with Shawn Winters, grandson of owners Jerry and Donna Winters, at Ed’s Surplus & Marine in Lynnwood. Ed’s is closing Oct. 31 after 50 years in business. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Local News

Ed’s Surplus closing: ‘This is like losing a dear ol’ friend’

The 50-year Lynnwood landmark, which sells bait, gear and military items, is going to online sales only.

Kelly Hatley, 63, proudly displays characters from “King of the Hill” in Freeland on Whidbey Island. An artist friend, Linda Frasier, painted the cutouts that are copied from the cartoon series. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Local News

Why are there ‘King of the Hill’ figures in the front yard?

Freeland resident Kelly Hatley tries to explain the tribute to Hank Hill and cartoon sidekicks.

Chemistry professor causing a stink on campus — for good

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Chemistry professor causing a stink on campus — for good

Lori Robins leads a research project at UW Bothell to improve sanitation in developing countries.

Captain Walmart isn’t make-believe, he’s a real superhero

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Captain Walmart isn’t make-believe, he’s a real superhero

Worker Isaiah Owens wears a cape as he saves the day for shoppers in the checkout universe.

The 1,000-pound great pumpkin of Everett could squash you

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The 1,000-pound great pumpkin of Everett could squash you

Gary Baldwin bought special seeds on the internet to supersize his pumpkin-patch produce.

Sisters Allyea Hernandez, 8, (left) and Amaya, 10, make slime at their home in Marysville. (Kevin Clark / The Herald)

Local News

This craze has stuck: Sisters in slime make it all the time

Allyea, 8, and Amaya, 10, whip up batches of the gooey gunk that kids love. Teachers, not so…

Meet the man behind the junk mail statue at the post office

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Meet the man behind the junk mail statue at the post office

Woodpalooza on Whidbey Island is an annual Labor Day event where artists come out of the woodwork.

Lindsey T.H. Jackson, right, and her children, Cohen, 6, left, and Taylor, 4, center, pose for pictures in front of the butterfly wing art installation in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

Mural whodunit: Langley mayor points the finger at fairies

Butterfly wing art that mysteriously appeared is a social media magnet in a busy tourist town.

After his Class of 1972 Snohomish High School reunion, Mike Carver had 18 speakers built into his truck and drives it around town and in parades, blasting music and trailing bubbles. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Local News

He drives that cool music-blaring, bubble-blowing old truck

Mike Carver loudly cruises Snohomish streets in a ’67 Ford — a rolling tribute to his class of…

Professional sign painter Mack Benek puts the finishing touches on the windows of an Edmonds building undergoing a transformation. The owner wanted the building to look good while it was empty. Benek, 72, has hand-lettered many signs on windows and businesses in Edmonds and Seattle. (Bob Sears)

Local News

Lost art or just old school? A sign-painting star in Edmonds

Whether it’s boat names or frolicking pancakes, artist Mack Benek has done it all in 50 years.

After being connected through home DNA tests through a relative, Lorna Fischer, 54, of Redmond and Bob Monize, 76, of Camano Island, went to Any Lab Test Now in Everett for a DNA paternity test. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)

Local News

54 years later, DNA test gave answer to ‘Who’s your daddy?’

A Camano Island man and Redmond woman’s mother didn’t recollect being together that summer of 1963.

Theron Murphy, of Orem, Utah, kisses his wife, Jody, in front of the John L. Scott Real Estate office in Langley. People stand on the sidewalk on the heart, kiss, then make a hash mark on the chalkboard. The office keeps a tally and posts the monthly and yearly count. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Local News

Pucker up! Kiss your mate or dog or date

A chalkboard tally makes sure every smoocheroo counts on the streets of Langley.

Firefighter Travis Smith gets ready to slide down the fire pole at Everett Fire Department Station 1. The pole is the only one remaining at an Everett firehouse. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Local News

Stairs are safer but not as cool as Everett’s last fire pole

Video: In the days of horses, poles became common at fire houses. Then along came risk managers.

One of the last video stores in Everett has 15,000 titles

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One of the last video stores in Everett has 15,000 titles

Silver Lake Video has kept its doors open since 1985, but don’t expect to find any VHS tapes.

Becca Selin and her son, Brody, share a laugh with Erik Marty during Taco Tuesday at Sol Food Bar and Grill in Everett. Marty put out a question looking for a dining companion on a Facebook dining page. Within 90 minutes, Selin answered and brought along Brody, 7. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)

Local News

Holy guacamole! He found a Taco Tuesday date on Facebook

Not wanting to eat tacos alone, he turned to a social media group dedicated to restaurant reviews.

Today’s Pub Night Talk at McMenamins will be all about crows

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Today’s Pub Night Talk at McMenamins will be all about crows

Like humans attracted to beer and pizza, thousands of black birds descend on Bothell every night.

Seahawks and other frosted cookies by Schwartz Brothers Bakery​ are among the many Washington products sold on the ferries.​ (Andrea Brown / The Herald)

Local News

Eat, drink and be merry with gourmet grub on the ferry

Washington State Ferries are a floating food court of favorites from all over the state.