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Motocross again approved Burn By Noah Haglund Herald Writer
GRANITE FALLS — Plans to build an off-road motorcycle racetrack along the Mountain Loop Highway have
again received approval from the Snohomish County hearing examiner. The new decision, released Dec. 23, revisited an earlier one the examiner issued in May. The project still must adhere to a
long list of conditions intended to limit noise, water runoff, dust, light pollution, fire danger, traffic and more. “It’s great news,” said Gary Strode, co-owner of the company trying to build the track. “Hopefully, we’re getting near the end of it here.” Not so fast, say neighbors and environmentalists fighting the
project. They see the hearing examiner’s latest response as inadequate. Lingering concerns include landslide risks on steep slopes, the risk of additional sediment to nearby Canyon Creek, groundwater contamination from oil spills and the potential for See PLANS, Page A2
Couple formally adopts woman, 49, into their family
‘The daughter of my heart’
DAN BATES / THE HERALD
George and Mary Hammericksen have known and felt a bond with Alisa Johnson (center) since she was a young girl. Mary Hammericksen was a good friend of Alisa’s late mother. Now the Everett couple have adopted Johnson, 49.
By Diana Hefley Herald Writer
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the buzz
EVERETT — Mary Hammericksen remembers the sound of her daughter’s voice the first day they met. It was spring and the door to her north Seattle home was open. Hammericksen heard singing coming from outside. Two little girls were sitting in the dirt, playing a clapping game. Hammericksen
recognized one neighbor girl and asked after her playmate. “Hi Lisa,” Hammericksen said, greeting the new neighbor. “It’s Alisa,” the girl corrected her. Alisa Johnson was 7. Her family had moved into the house two doors down from the Hammericksens and their three children. Over the years that feisty girl anchored herself to the Hammericksens and their lives intertwined.
VOL. 114, NO. 325 © 2015 THE DAILY HERALD CO.
INSIDE
Business . . . . .A9 Classified . . . . B2
Comics . . . . . .D4 Crossword . . .D4
Veggie tales Now we just need a cheeseburger tree: An Oregon seed company has grafted the tomato and potato plants into a single plant it calls the “Ketchup ‘n’ Fries” (Business Briefly, Page A9). The Buzz would like to see a plant that combines Dear Abby. . . .D5 Horoscope . . . B2
Mary and George Hammericksen recently legally adopted Johnson, now 49. “We just formalized what the three of us have known for 40 years,” Mary Hammericksen said. “She’s been the daughter of my heart, and George loves her, too.”
The restriction is even higher in Darrington, which sits in a basin in the Stillaguamish Valley where pollutants are easily trapped. By Chris Winters Herald Writer
EVERETT — The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency on Wednesday called for a stage 2 burn ban for Darrington. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called for a burn ban on several Indian reservations in the state, including those of the Tulalip and Stillaguamish tribes. Snohomish County has been operating under a stage 1 burn ban since Tuesday. A stage 1 ban prohibits outdoor fires and most indoor burning except for pellet stoves and inserts or wood-burning stoves certified by the EPA. A stage 2 ban, the highest level of alert, prohibits all burning, under penalty of a $1,000 fine, unless a wood stove has been previously approved by the state because it is the home’s only source of heat. This is the second time this month that the Clean Air Agency has singled out Darrington. That’s an experiment the agency started conducting this year, said Philip Swartzendruber, an air quality scientist with the agency. “We feel like we’ve got a clearer handle on the differences between Darrington and the rest of the county,” Swartzendruber said. While the agency’s air quality monitors are set up to detect a number of pollutants, in Darrington wood smoke far and away is the dominant pollutant. A big part of the problem is that Darrington is in a basin in the upper Stillaguamish Valley, which traps stagnant air and pollutants. There is also a proportionally higher use of wood-burning stoves in the upper valley than down on the coast. Normally, the Puget Sound region’s prevailing winds keep air moving, and the rain tends to wash pollutants out of the air, said Cliff Mass, a meteorologist and
See DAUGHTER, back page, this section
broccoli and Brussels sprouts. We’d call it “Eat That Or No TV Tonight.” Nation too darn busy to answer duty’s call: Americans’ sense of the importance of civic duties has slipped over the past 30 years, especially among the Kids Today, a new Associated Press poll found (Short
Lottery . . . . . .A2 Northwest. . . . B1
bans in effect
Obituaries. . . .A7 Opinion. . . . .A11
Takes, Page D6). People just aren’t as engaged in civic affairs today, a researcher told the AP. For the survey, pollsters interviewed 1,044 randomly selected adults who are far too exhausted after working two jobs to pay off student loan and credit card debt to be engaged with activities like voting, serving on juries Short Takes . . .D6 Sports . . . . . . . C1
See BANS, back page, this section
and staying informed about current events. Fender bent: A Las Vegas man has been charged with crashing into Jennifer Lopez’s Rolls-Royce while drunk (Page D6). No one was injured in the crash, but J.Lo’s movie career remains on life support.
— Mark Carlson, Herald staff
Divided 40/28, C6
DAILY
The racetrack plans must adhere to a long list of conditions, but neighbors and environmentalists still object.
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