March 18, 2024

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Fatal Motorcycle Collision On The Trestle Last Night

The US 2 Trestle was closed down for several hours last night due to a fatal collision.

Washington State Patrol reports list three vehicles involved.

A 2000 Yamaha XVS65 motorcycle merged into a 1999 Chevy Corvette that was driving in the center lane of US 2 Eastbound. That ejected the motorcyclist into the right lane, where he was hit by a 2019 Infinity Q50.

The motorcyclist, identified as Cody Kramlich, a Lake Stevens resident, was deceased at the scene.

The drivers of the two vehicles were uninjured. The driver of the Corvette is a 61 year old man from Snohomish and the driver of the Infinity is an 18 female from Everett.

Both car drivers had their seatbelts on and the motorcyclist had a helmet on. No alcohol or drugs were involved in this incident.

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March 17, 2024

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PUD Not Fooling Around: Raising Rates on April 1st

This is not an April Fool’s joke: the PUD will be raising rates by 5.8% on April 1st, 2024. The rate was approved by the Snohomish County Public Utility District’s Board of Commissioners.

After initially approving a 2024 electric budget that included a prospective 3.8% revenue adjustment in December, the PUD added two percentage points to the adjustment after an extreme cold weather event in early January drove electricity market purchases higher than expected.

Rates for PUD residential electric customers will increase from the current plan of 9.6 cents per kilowatt-hour to 10.3 starting on April 1. The PUD says the typical bill for a residential customer will increase by approximately $6 per month.

The numbers shared are over current rates. But using the comparisons below, the year-over-year change appears to be a 6.5 to 10.8% increase, depending on your usage.

The charts also imply a 9.4% to 19.5% increase over the last two years, with low usage customers paying the highest percentage increases. You can take a look at their numbers yourself to see if you can make sense of them.

For PUD small business customers, the PUD claims the proposed rate increase will only affect their customer charge, resulting in an increase of approximately $10 per month to their bill.

The PUD states that the revenue adjustment is necessary to address increasing costs to critical equipment like transformers, wire and poles, labor and associated benefits, and escalating prices in the electricity market. During the cold snap in early January, due to constraints on the grid, electricity market prices climbed 800% over forecast and caused the PUD to spend an additional $40 million more than originally budgeted.

The additional revenue will also allow the PUD to continue to make crucial investments in infrastructure and technology that will increase reliability, meet growing customer electricity usage and improve customer experience.

The PUD has a variety of tools to help customers who have trouble paying their electric bill or are behind on their payments, including payment arrangements and extensions. The PUD also has comprehensive income-qualified assistance programs that offer 25% and 50% bill deductions for qualifying customers.

Along with the rate increase, the PUD will complete the final phase of its base charge implementation for its residential electric service rates on April 1.

 

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March 15, 2024

Comments Off on Everett Film Festival Celebrating 25th Festival in April

Everett Film Festival Celebrating 25th Festival in April

Everett Film FestivalIn 1997, a group of women banded together, believing the Everett area needed experience a quality international film festival. With this idea in mind, the Everett Women’s Film Festival was born.

Eventually the festival changed its name to the Everett Film Festival, but it is still dedicated to highlighting the strength, humor, and creativity of women through provocative and entertaining films.

Suzanne Simard’s How Trees Talk

This year’s lineup includes a number of forest and river-themed films, including:

  • Treeline: The Secret Life of Trees – follow a group of skiers, snowboarders, scientists and healers to the birch forest of Japan, the red cedars of BC, and the bristlecones of Nevada.
  • Daughter’s of the Forest – documents a small group of girls in rural Paraguay who learn how to protect threatened forests.
  • How Trees Talk – a short documentary on the discovery of how trees talk over vast distances.
  • 3 Local Short Films about how our local rivers affect life in Snohomish County

Barricade by Alice Johannessen

The second half of the festival features a wider variety of films featuring more genres, including comedy and a feature film starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

Attending the Everett Film Festival

The Everett Film Festival takes place on Saturday April 6th at the Everett Performing Arts Center. Doors open at 12:30 and the first film starts at 1pm. The festival ends at 9pm and includes a meal for the first 250 ticket holders at 5:20pm.

A few local filmmakers will be in attendance for a short Q&A, plus a presentation from Nicolas Fiacco of Black Forest Mushrooms.

More information and tickets can be obtained on the festival website.

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March 14, 2024

Comments Off on Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Paine Field

Small Plane Makes Emergency Landing at Paine Field

A Cessna 337 Skymaster plane, with only a pilot on board, had a emergency landing at 10:19 a.m. PDT on the main runway of Paine Field.

The pilot declared an emergency due to issues with the aircraft’s rear landing gear.

The pilot was not injured, but the plane did take some damage on the hard landing. Paine Field Fire removed the aircraft from the runway and cleaned up of the runway took about an hour.

Here are more pictures of the incident, courtesy of Paine Field:

 

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March 13, 2024

Comments Off on Luna Mexican Grill Opens in Everett

Luna Mexican Grill Opens in Everett

A new Mexican restaurant opened in Everett. Luna Mexican Grill opened a few months ago at 6600 Evergreen Way in the location previously occupied by Bhu-Ping Thai Cuisine (which closed down in May 2022).

Early reviews compliment delicious Mexican food and friendly, attentive service.

Luna Mexican Grill is local, Latino-owned, and family friendly. They state:

“At Luna, we’re committed to offering you an experience that would otherwise be unexpected in Everett, WA.

Our plates are inspired by the traditional Mexican flavors along with the comfort and nostalgia of home-cooking.”

Luna Mexican grill hours are:

Monday through Thursday: 11am-8pm
Friday & Saturday: 11am-9pm
Sunday: 11am-8pm

What’s on the Menu at Luna Mexican Grill?

The current menu includes:

  • Taquitos
  • Quesadillas
  • Mexican Street Corn
  • Salads
  • Tortilla Soup & Menudo
  • 4 different Burritos
  • Tacos: (chicken, asada, marinated pork topped with pineapple, marinated grilled chicken, skirt steak)
  • Chicken Dishes
  • Carne Asada Dishes
  • 9 Seafood Dishes
  • 4 Vegetarian Dishes
  • 6 different types of Fajitas
  • 4 different Enchiladas
  • 9 Special Dishes (Huevos Con Chorizo, Chilaquiles, Molletes, Tacos Dorados, Carne en su Jugo, Luna Burger, and Papa Rellena)
  • Kids menu with 6 choices
  • Desserts: Churro with ice cream, Flan (Gf), and Fried Ice Cream
  • Various combos
  • A wide variety of drinks

The owners have embraced Taco Tuesday, running a special of 3 Tacos for $9.99 on Tuesdays. They offer to-go orders and eventually will have catering. Here’s their phone number: 425-349-0112

 

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March 12, 2024

Comments Off on Trooper Christopher Gadd Memorial Service (Video & Pics)

Trooper Christopher Gadd Memorial Service (Video & Pics)

For those who couldn’t attend the procession & memorial service, we embedded a video of the Trooper Christopher Gadd Memorial Service:

If the video doesn’t load for you, use this link.

Here’s a statement from the family after the service:

We wanted to extend our gratitude to the community for their support leading up to today’s memorial service. Witnessing the seats of the arena filled with representatives from across the country was warming to our hearts as we came together to honor a beloved husband, father, son, and brother. We deeply appreciate all who have reached out and shown your love to our family during this difficult time. We will continue on this difficult journey together privately as a family.”

The procession schedule:

  • START at Tulalip Resort Casino gravel parking lot (27th Avenue / George S. Williams Senior Avenue Northeast)
  • Merge onto southbound Interstate 5 from 88th Street / Quil Ceda Way
    Exit Interstate 5 at Exit #194 (Everett Avenue)
  • Stay right at Everett Avenue City Center
  • Turn right onto Everett Avenue
  • Turn right on Broadway
  • Exit onto Marine View Drive
  • Left on East Marine View Drive
  • Left on Hewitt
  • ARRIVE at Angel of the Winds Arena

Doors to the arena are not open to the public until noon, with the ceremony starting at 1 p.m.

Here’s the order of the Service:

Master of Ceremonies
Captain Ron Mead
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL

Anthem Singer
Detective Jeffrey Eiffert
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL

Invocation
Pastor Matt Krachunis

Eulogy
Pastor Matt Krachunis

Remarks
Corporal Alexis Robinson
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL

Remembrance Video
You will notice during the livestream a 10 minute memorial video will not be aired, instead cameras will point at stationary items on the stage.

Remarks
Chief John Batiste
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL

Remarks
Sergeant Anthony Califano
WASHINGTON STATE PATROL

Benediction
Pastor Matt Krachunis

Pallbearers
Trooper Patrick Williams – Washington State Patrol
Trooper Michael Northrop – Washington State Patrol
Trooper Lars Weigel – Washington State Patrol
Trooper Rommie Smith – Washington State Patrol
Trooper Ulices Duran Santacruz – Washington State Patrol
Trooper Kyle Nein – Washington State Patrol
Trooper Conner Ahlstedt – Washington State Patrol

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March 12, 2024

Comments Off on Snohomish County Department of Conservation & Natural Resources Receives $6 Million in Congressional Funding

Snohomish County Department of Conservation & Natural Resources Receives $6 Million in Congressional Funding

The Snohomish County Department of Conservation & Natural Resources (DCNR) will receive nearly $6 million from the U.S. Congress appropriations process. The Food and Farming Center, led by the Agricultural Office and Parks Division, will receive $5 million, and the Chinook Marsh Restoration Project, led by Surface Water Management (SWM), will receive nearly $1 million.

“Senator Cantwell and Representative DelBene’s successful work to secure federal funding for the construction of the Chinook Marsh Restoration Project and Snohomish County’s proposed Food & Farming Center will have positive impacts for generations to come,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. “The restoration of Chinook Marsh will strengthen vulnerable infrastructure and enhance critical habitat needed for the recovery of Chinook salmon, Orca, and other species. The Food and Farming Center will provide our farmers with equipment and infrastructure that will strengthen our sustainable supply of food and make it easier for our residents to access locally produced foods.”

The Snohomish County Food and Farming Centerwill be located at McCollum Pioneer Park. It will provide farmers with infrastructure for processing, aggregation, distribution, value-added production, and direct and wholesale sales of locally produced agricultural products. The facility will be built using the progressive design-build method and DCNR is in the process of hiring a design-build team. This funding will propel the project forward when combined with $3,250,000 in grant funding awarded in 2023 that will fund the design, site preparations, and part of the construction. The project still needs approximately $25 million in additional funding for the center to be fully realized.

“We have been visioning and planning this facility for more than a decade, and I am so grateful for the funding we have received to bring this incredible community asset to Snohomish County,” said Linda Neunzig, Snohomish County Agricultural Coordinator. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, it became apparent how fragile our food system is. Our food security is linked to the farms in our own backyards, yet the ability for local farmers to process and sell it to local consumers is limited. This facility will fill that gap.”

The Chinook Marsh Restoration Project was submitted by Representative DelBene as part of her Community Project Funding requests to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee. This project will relocate a vital City of Everett drinking water transmission line to reduce flood and seismic hazards and restore approximately 430 acres of tidal habitat benefitting Endangered Species Act listed Chinook Salmon. It will provide additional public benefits by upgrading flood protection for adjacent and nearby residents. This funding will support the cost of construction. The project is currently in the design phase and is targeted to go to construction by 2028, pending further funding. The publicly owned 430-acre property is located between Ebey Slough and Fobes Hill, east of Everett.

“More than a century ago, this area was a forested riverine tidal floodplain that provided habitat for many species. However, 95 percent of the historic estuary habitat has been lost,” said Gregg Farris, Director of Snohomish County Surface Water Management. “When completed, this project will restore lost habitat and add to the largest estuary restoration effort in the Puget Sound region.”

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March 11, 2024

Comments Off on Memorial Service for Trooper Gadd Tuesday in Everett, Plus an Update on the Suspect

Memorial Service for Trooper Gadd Tuesday in Everett, Plus an Update on the Suspect

The memorial service for fallen Washington State Patrol Trooper Christopher Gadd is scheduled to take place at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at the Angel of the Winds Arena in Everett. The service will be open to the public with a ceremonial procession preceding the memorial. Expect heavier than usual traffic as well […]

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March 10, 2024

Comments Off on Julio Cortes Sponsored Bill 1530 Signed in Law

Julio Cortes Sponsored Bill 1530 Signed in Law

House Bill 1530, sponsored by Representative Julio Cortes (D-Everett), was signed by Governor Inslee Thursday. The bill tackles Washington’s ongoing shortage of law enforcement and prosecutors by expanding the pool of qualified candidates. This includes allowing lawful permanent residents, alongside citizens, to contribute to public safety by serving in police departments and prosecutorial offices. Previously, […]

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March 9, 2024

Comments Off on Trader Joe’s in Everett Mall Officially Open

Trader Joe’s in Everett Mall Officially Open

One of our readers was able to attend the Grand Opening of Trader Joe’s in the Everett Mall yesterday morning. Attendees were there for the ribbon cutting, and enjoyed the more spacious parking and larger store. Trader Joe’s Everett operating hours will be 8am-9pm every day. Here are photos of the event, compliments of MyEverettNews […]

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