NEWS BITES for Aug. 31, 2022

Countywide opioid overdose vigil Aug. 31
EVERETT — The county’s sixth annual opioid overdoses vigil will be Wednesday, Aug. 31 from 5 to 9 p.m. at the county plaza, 3000 Rockefeller Ave.
A vigil begins at 6:30 p.m.
A limited number of Naloxone overdose prevention kits will be given away at a resource fair which starts at 5 p.m.
The event is called “A Night To Remember, A Time to Act.”
The county’s event is held on International Overdose Awareness Day. The vigil begins at 6:30 p.m. on the plaza with a moment of silence and candle lighting at 7:30 p.m. to honor both the deceased and those struggling with addiction.


Everett Schools to add electric buses
EVERETT — Three small electric school buses are coming to the Everett School District next year.
A state Department of Ecology electric bus grant which Everett Schools won is a key piece funding the purchases and the electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
The three buses will run routes in north Everett starting in fall 2023, a district spokeswoman said. They’re replacing diesel buses. The bus charging systems will be at the district’s bus maintenance facility on Everett Avenue.
The Snohomish School District introduced a full-size electric bus into service earlier this year. An Ecology grant covered about three-fourths of that purchase.
The initial funding source of Ecology’s electric school bus grants came from the state’s share of the sizable Volkswagen “dieselgate” federal court settlement. The automaker was penalized because it programmed the engines in its TDI diesel cars to pass simple emissions tests but potentially emit more pollutants above EPA standards while driving.
Today’s grants don’t use VW money. Ecology has continued the grant program thanks in part to an allocation state legislators put into the 2021-23 state capital budget for the clean diesel program, Ecology’s specialist for the clean diesel grants, Ron Stuart, said.
Electric-powered buses are two to three times more expensive than diesel school buses, Stuart said.


Local winemakers wins gold
SNOHOMISH —  Snohomish-based Rush Lattin Cellars winery won gold and double gold medals for its 2019 Fiddler’s Bluff Syrah and 2019 Rush Lattin Syrah, respectively, as recognized by Seattle Wine Awards’s 2021 Washington Wine Awards. The awards are coveted honors in the state’s wine industry.
Rush Lattin Cellars’ location is in Snohomish near Maltby; it started in 2017 in a Kenwanda Drive garage.
More wine stories.


Accused brewer’s arraignment delayed
SNOHOMISH —  The initial arraignment for Frank Sandoval, the owner of SnoTown Brewery accused of child molestation, was postponed to Sept. 7.
The continuance is because the prosecutor on the matter and the criminal defense attorney were in trial for another case and weren’t available for Sandoval’s arraignment, county prosecutor’s office chief of staff Michael Held said.


Alaska Air to fly direct to Anchorage
Starting in a few months, Paine Field travelers can fly to Anchorage. Alaska Air is starting nonstop flights from Everett to Anchorage starting Nov. 30, a week after the Thanksgiving holiday, the airline announced. The city is the largest in Alaska with more than 290,000 residents.




Monroe Police citizen’s academy this fall gives people insider view of department

MONROE — The Monroe Police Department is hosting a Citizen’s Academy this fall, beginning on Sept. 14.
The Citizen’s Academy meets one night a week for 10 weeks and on one Saturday. It is held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Informational and hands-on instruction includes time with a K-9 team, SWAT, Crime Scene Investigation, Drones, and Detectives. Attendees also spend time at the firearms training range, emergency vehicle driving course and are scheduled for a ride-along with a police officer.
There is no fee for attending the Citizen’s Academy, however, space is limited.
If you are interested in attending, contact Community Service Officer Gaby Escalante at 360-863-4594 or by email at GEscalante@MonroeWA.gov


Apartment complex management gives hundreds of free backpacks, school supplies to its residents

EVERETT — April Housing, a recently established affordable housing company hosted a resident backpack and school supplies donation event on Saturday, Aug.27 ahead of the start of the school year. At the event, April Housing donated around 200 backpacks and various school supplies to residents of Greens of Merrill Creek.
Volunteers from local property manager, Cirrus Asset Management, were also onsite for the fun, carnival-themed family event. Even the company’s CEO was expected to speak at the carnival.
Greens of Merrill Creek is located at 1707 Merrill Creek Parkway in Everett.