Wilson: ‘Percy and I never had differences,’ C1
FRIDAY, 10.24.2014
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Stuck with sewer repair
School buses often ignored
The county says a small homeowners association is responsible for a nine-year-old problem that wasn’t its fault. By Noah Haglund Herald Writer
LYNNWOOD — The first whiff of a sewage problem at Ruth
Crompton’s house arrived by mail. It came in the form of an Aug. 6 demand from the Snohomish Health District to fix a bad sewer
connection or move out. Now, Crompton and her neighbors are stuck with a $15,500 repair bill for a nineyear-old problem that wasn’t their fault. Snohomish County officials concede as much, but say the responsibility to clean up the
mess on private property rests with the small homeowners association. A county building inspector approved Crompton’s plumbing when the home was built. The developer has long since gone See REPAIR, Page A2
Go ahead — give him a hand
During a one-month count, the number of drivers who illegally passed when the stop-arm was out rose 63 percent in the county.
Cascade freshman sets Guinness record for most one-handed claps
By Melissa Slager Herald writer
If the bright yellow doesn’t capture careful attention, the stop sign and flashing lights should. And yet many drivers still illegally pass a school bus as it stops to pick up or drop off children. School Bus Safety Week is Oct. 20-24. The awareness effort, which runs the third week of October each year, aims to remind the public about the importance of school bus safety. This year’s theme is, “At my stop, you stop!” Drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus when it has its stop-arm out are a perennial problem. A one-day data collection on May 1 yielded 1,678 instances statewide in which drivers passed buses that had their stop sign out, a 10.2 percent increase from 2013. One reason for the increase is likely because more districts participated in the reporting effort. “On the other hand, every violation is a potential accident that can harm a student,” state schools Superintendent Randy Dorn said in a statement. “I urge all drivers to respect all traffic laws.” Of particular concern, he said, were the 66 instances of vehicles passing buses on the right — the side on which students enter the bus. In Snohomish County, drivers in nine school districts participated in the May count, reporting 202 instances of drivers ignoring school bus stop signals. That’s a 63 percent increase over 2013, when drivers in seven districts reported 124 instances. Locally, violations ranged from a high of 69 motorists illegally passing a school bus in the Everett School District, which contracts with Durham School Services, to zero violations noted by Darrington School District drivers.
DAN BATES / THE HERALD
Captured at a slow shutter speed to track motion, Karsten Mohn, 14, of Everett demonstrates his amazing one-handed clapping ability, which earned him the Guinness World Record at 403 claps per minute.
Herald Writer
See BUSES, back page, this section
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EVERETT — What is the sound of one hand clapping? If said hand claps 403 times per minute, enough for an Everett teen to set a Guinness World Record, does it matter what it sounds like? Actually, yes, said Karsten Mohn, who explained that when he set the record June 14, every clap had to be registered by two pressure-sensitive microphones
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to be counted toward the total. Karsten, a freshman at Cascade High School, was notified in August his record-breaking attempt had been certified. Last week he found his attempt was eligible for Guinness’ “Fan Choice” award of the week. If his feat garners more votes than four others, it will be entered into a competition for the year. When Karsten gets going, with either one or both hands, his forearms flail and his fingers
Baba’s back That didn’t take long: Barbara Walters says she’s coming out of retirement for yet another installment of her long-running “10 Most Fascinating People” telecast (Short Takes, Page D6). “There are just too many fascinating people out there,” Walters explained. Dear Abby. . . .D5 Horoscope . . . B5
blur into invisibility, even while the rest of him stays still. Sort of like a less exuberant Kermit the Frog. It sounds like fingersnapping at the pace of a machine gun. It should also be noted that Karsten, 14, has rather long fingers. “That helps, actually,” he said. His “clapping” motion is in the forearm, which he flicks quickly forward and back,
— Rachel Mohn, Karsten’s mom
See CLAP, back page, this section
As always, “Fascinating” in this case actually means “midlevel celebrities with product to plug, and/or Oprah.” Shoulda stayed on “MASH”: The reality show “Utopia” has been a ratings disaster for Fox, and so takes its place in the pantheon of much-hyped TV programs that were epic flops (Short
Lottery . . . . . .A2 Obituaries. . . .A6
One day we were talking about ‘What’s Karsten really good at?’ Well, there’s this.
Opinion. . . . .A15 Short Takes . . .D6
Takes, Page D6). One of those famous failures was “The McLean Stevenson Show,” which fizzled even though Stevenson was one of Barbara Walters’ “10 Most Fascinating People” of 1976. A very particular set of skills: As details emerged about the Ottawa parliament Sports . . . . . . . C1 Stocks . . . . . .A14
gunman Thursday, Canadian lawmakers gave a prolonged standing ovation to the 58-year-old ex-Mountie who took out the shooter (Page A12). Sergeant-at-Arms Kevin Vickers was hailed as a hero — and the inspiration for the next Liam Neeson action movie.
— Mark Carlson, Herald staff
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