Mayor halts plan to remove Legion Park trees
He gave millions joy Actor Robin Williams dies at 63, A2
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OSO MUDSLIDE
$150K for Stilly Valley study Federal grant money will focus on bringing high-skill, well-paying jobs in the area hit by the March 22 mudslide. By Dan Catchpole Herald Writer
Local business boosters and public officials have received a federal grant to come up with a road map to bring jobs back to the North Fork Stillaguamish River Valley. The plan will have to grapple
with the long-term decline of the area’s logging industry and more short-term fallout from the deadly Oso mudslide in March. Economic Alliance Snohomish County, a private economic development group, is leading the effort in partnership with the county, Washington
State University and the cities of Arlington and Darrington. The $150,000 grant, announced Monday, came from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, an agency in the Department of Commerce. The plan should be finished by mid-year 2015. It will focus on increasing the number of high-skill and well-paying jobs in the area in the following three to 20 years, said John Monroe, an executive with Economic
officials have >> County scheduled meetings about
mudslide recovery efforts, A4
Alliance Snohomish County. “It’ll look at what assets they have and the opportunities for diversification,” he said. Government and a nonprofit groups are creating the plan, but its success will depend on the private sector, he said. “Private industry is going to have to play a significant role in this.”
Herald Writer
Northwest Leaf aims to keep medical marijuana community informed
QUINN RUSSELL BROWN / THE HERALD
Daniel Berman (left) and Wes Abney co-produce Northwest Leaf, a publication that caters to the medical marijuana community.
Wes Abney sinks into a couch at his home office in Martha Lake. On the floor nearby are zip-tied stacks of Northwest Leaf, the 96-page medical marijuana magazine he publishes each month. Framed covers of past issues hang on the wall behind him. Abney, 26, is a cannabis journalist. For the past four years, he’s been on the front line of weed in Washington. “We look at this as something we’re covering as an industry,” he said. “It’s like pot is our beat.”
Wearing a shirt that says “marijuana is safer than alcohol,” he talks effortlessly and at length about medicinal cannabis — the laws, the politics, the benefits. Next to him is longtime friend Daniel Berman, also 26, the photo editor and designer of Northwest Leaf. He occasionally chimes in to explain a layout decision or point out something innovative about the magazine. “It’s not a highfalutin’ view of cannabis,” Berman said. “Whether you’ve used cannabis for years or never taken a hit before, you’re going to learn
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something from Northwest Leaf.” The free magazine has a monthly circulation of 20,000 and is distributed to about 300 medical marijuana dispensaries, as well as to doctor’s offices and glass shops. Advertisers pay anywhere from $800 to $5,000 for a spot inside, putting the business on track to gross around $500,000 in revenue within the next couple of years. In addition to a thriving print presence, the magazine has more than 21,000 likes on Facebook and 1,500 Twitter followers. Abney is a full-time employee of Northwest Leaf, Berman a
Tattoo you Old folks these days: With the growing acceptance of body art, we’re seeing tattoos even on older people, such as the woman who had her grandkids’ names inked on a leg (Page B1). The Buzz is waiting for the grouchy old guy across the street to get a bangin’ Dear Abby. . . . B3 Good Life . . . . B1
“busy freelancer.” The two met in middle school, went to the same high school and worked side-by-side on the student newspaper at Shoreline Community College. The idea for a pot publication came in 2010. Abney saw some medical marijuana magazines in California and felt he could do a better job. A few months later, he designed the first edition on 16 pages of newsprint, borrowing $1,600 to put out 10,000 copies. “My dad called me stupid. My mom was really nervous,” he said. “At the time medical
“Get Off My Lawn” neck tattoo. More partisan food fights maybe? Al-Jazeera America has won high marks for its journalism during its first year on the air, but no one’s watching. Viewership has averaged around 17,000, or roughly the number of people who attend to Fox
Horoscope . . . B8 Lottery . . . . . .A2
Obituaries. . . .A5 Opinion. . . . . .A9
Rather than a mother protecting her pups, agents say that an aggressive male likely attacked an 8-year-old boy and his grandmother July 31. By Kari Bray
‘Pot is our beat’
By Quinn Russell Brown
Otter suspected of attacks is killed
LAKE STEVENS — The river otter suspected of seriously injuring an 8-year-old boy and his grandmother on the Pilchuck River in July has been caught and killed. A large male otter was trapped and shot Sunday afternoon near Lake Connor Park in Lake Stevens. The state Department of Fish & Wildlife reported last week that a mother otter with pups might have been behind a July 31 attack that sent two people to the hospital. However, trappers shifted their focus after spotting a 4-footlong male otter that appeared to be migrating through the area, said Capt. Alan Myers. Dogs were used to “haze” any otters from the area, he said. Their presence and barking were meant to scare otters away from the Pilchuck River near Lake Connor Park, a private park near where the attack happened. Three mother otters and their pups were spotted in the area, and all seem to have relocated after the dogs went through, Myers said. Rather than leaving, the male otter responded aggressively to the dogs and was shot after multiple attempts at trapping him failed. “We have determined this is the otter responsible for the attack” based on his aggressive behavior, Myers said. “He was euthanized at the scene, quickly and quietly.” The results of a necropsy are pending and should help determine whether the animal had an illness or injury that might have caused hyperaggressive behavior, Myers said. Otter attacks are rare, but the July attack was vicious. Bryce Moser was playing on a rope swing when family members say he was pulled into the river by an otter. He was badly cut and bruised in the attack. When Roxane Leilani Grove rushed into the river to pull her grandson away from the otter, the animal attacked her. One of her eyes was damaged, and she has undergone multiple surgeries, her brother-in-law, Dean Springer, said. Though river otters are See OTTER, back page, this section
See POT, Page A5
News’ Bill O’Reilly in the makeup chair every night (Page A7). To counter that, the cable channel aims to build brand awareness. Goal No. 1: Convince people that watching Al-Jazeera won’t get you on the No-Fly List. Nerd v. nerd: The comic book convention in San Sports . . . . . . . C1 Stocks . . . . . . .A7
Diego is suing the comic book convention in Salt Lake City over the latter’s use of the words “comic con” (Short Takes, Page B4). If the case goes to trial, The Buzz thinks the parties should show up in the courtroom dressed like their favorite superheroes.
— Mark Carlson, Herald staff
Charged 79/62, C6
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