Ideas sprout at this year’s NW garden show D1
So much for history Despite the Silvertips’ home ice advantage, Tri-City comes from behind to win in a shootout C1 THURSDAY, 02.12.2015
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New claims against Ericks Slide OSO MUDSLIDE
A private report about his comments also said a “credible source” claimed the official meddled in land-use decisions. By Noah Haglund Herald Writer
EVERETT — Snohomish County authorities have asked
an outside police agency to investigate claims that a top administrator pressured staff to approve development permits. Prosecuting Attorney Mark
Roe on Wednesday said he moved swiftly after reading allegations leveled against Deputy Executive Mark Ericks in a report the County Council released last week. While the private attorney’s report focused on inappropriate comments Ericks made about
three county councilmen, it included a recommendation to follow up on information from a “credible source” who claimed Ericks had meddled in land-use decisions. The report provided no specifics. See ERICKS, Page A6
Lack of snow a struggle Warm, wet weather affecting Stevens Pass, businesses on U.S. 2
land briefly for sale The misunderstanding, in which the property where the “blue tarp house” stood was offered at auction, is a reminder of lives still in limbo. By Rikki King and Kari Bray Herald Writers
closed when rain melted it. The mountain has 38 inches of snow at its base. That’s compared to 61 inches at the same time last season, which also saw less snow than usual. All 10 chairlifts have been running on about a dozen days this season, Danforth said. Lift ticket prices have been adjusted to match how much terrain is available.
OSO — The “For Sale” sign wasn’t up for long. It appeared over the weekend in front of 28214 Highway 530, the address of a piece of land in the southwest portion of the disaster zone left by the deadly mudslide. Pictures of the 10-acre property also were listed at an online real estate site, promoting an upcoming auction. The listing, vague on the details, included photos of a house where now there is only mud. The sign was removed Monday after locals complained, worried that profit was the motive behind an attempt to sell land in a no-build zone. There was a misunderstanding, and it got fixed, Oso Fire Chief Willy Harper said Tuesday. Still, the brief commotion served as a reminder of the raw emotions that remain in the Stillaguamish Valley. The lives of many survivors — and the status of their properties — are in limbo, nearly a year after the slide killed 43 people. The parcel is within the boundaries of the temporary no-build zone enacted after the disaster, county spokeswoman Rebecca Hover said. Before the March 22 slide, the property, south of the highway, was home to what locals knew as the “blue tarp house.” The mud moved south, then swirled the house north onto Highway 530. For Harper and other rescuers, the blue tarp house sitting on the highway was their first glimpse into one of the worst disasters in state history. It became a symbol. Millions of people following the news of the catastrophe saw
See SNOW, Page A2
See SALE, Page A6
country skiers forced >> Cross to head north in search of
By Amy Nile STEVENS PASS — It’s the dead of winter here but only small, dirty patches of snow spot the landscape along U.S. 2 near the summit ski area. Workers at Stevens Pass are hoarding piles of snow to cover trails and turns as best they can, said spokesman Chris Danforth. That’s because the unusually warm, wet weather this season
snow, B1
has brought the mountain little more than half its average snowpack. The less-than-ideal conditions also have attracted fewer skiers and snowboarders. Without the usual winter traffic, Stevens Pass and businesses along U.S. 2 are struggling.
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“It could be worse,” Danforth said. “We don’t have much snow, but at least we have the most snow.” Some other ski areas in the state are operating with less snow or have had to shut down. While conditions aren’t optimal, much of the terrain at Stevens Pass is open. The season started late, with a few lifts operating Dec. 20. Since then, parts of the mountain have opened with more snow and
Losing game One-armed bandits to get makeover: Vegas hopes to lure young adults to Sin City by turning the casinos’ traditional cash cows, Grandma’s slot machine, into edgy video games that appeal to millennials while remaining, of course, cash cows (Page A10). Dear Abby . . . D5 Horoscope . . . B4
And they’ll surely succeed, since there’s absolutely no evidence that the famous dictum, “There’s a sucker born every minute,” was somehow null and void during the 1980s. ERROR — SOYLENT GREEN CARTRIDGE IS EMPTY: Researchers are cooking up a new kind of
Lottery . . . . . . A2 Northwest . . . B1
Obituaries . . . A6 Opinion . . . . A11
technology: 3-D food printers (Page A9). The machines work by squeezing out successive layers of an edible material, like sugar. Fun fact: Somebody who will want one of these things is being born every minute. More salt in the wound: While the Boston area deals with piles of snow, the ski Short Takes . . D6 Sports . . . . . . C1
area at Stevens Pass is struggling because of unusually light snowfall in the Cascade Range (above). As of Wednesday, the snow level at Stevens was about half of Boston’s. It’s bad enough that New England took the Super Bowl. Now they’ve got our snow, too.
— Mark Carlson, Herald staff
Turbid 56/47, C6
DAILY
IAN TERRY / THE HERALD
Jeffrey Wong, 11, cruises down a run on his snowboard at Stevens Pass on Tuesday. Wong, who is visiting the Northwest from Houston, spent a day at Snoqualmie Pass this past weekend but came to Stevens Pass on Tuesday after hearing they had more snow and fewer closed runs.
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