Skagit County

People in Mount Vernon, Washington, are asking the City Council to pass a resolution committing to the Keep Washington Working Act. The request comes after community members expressed concerns about discriminatory comments made by a council member in January.

In Skagit County, a nonprofit that houses a number of animals, including exotic ones, is in continued legal battles. A law firm that advocates for animal rights is claiming the organization may have violated the Endangered Species Act, by, as the law firm claims in its complaint, the illegal euthanization of wolves.

Trabajadores del campo se reunieron en abril durante su Marcha Anual. Caminaron en apoyo de los trabajadores del sector de las flores, reclamando mejores condiciones de trabajo en los campos.

Farmworkers gathered in Mount Vernon for the Annual Farmworkers March. They walked in support of flower farm workers, calling for better working conditions in the fields.

The United States Department of Agriculture is soliciting applications for funding to build farmworker housing nationwide.In the Pacific Northwest, leaders hope the money can address gaps in farmworker housing. The Pacific Northwest is in a housing crisis and that impacts rural small businesses and agricultural producers, as well as farmworkers, said Helen Price Johnson, who is the Washington State Rural Development director for the USDA.

The Skagit County Board of County Commissioners denied an appeal and affirmed the county hearing examiner’s October decision, denying a special use permit for Predators of the Heart (POTH) in Anacortes.The decision on Dec. 12 came as no surprise to the organization’s executive director, Ashley Carr, who said the organization will appeal this latest decision in superior court.

Whether an organization housing a variety of animals in Anacortes, Washington will continue operating is in the hands of the Skagit County Board of Commissioners — with a decision expected Dec. 12.The nonprofit, Predators of the Heart, is appealing an October decision by the Skagit County hearing examiner denying POTH a special use permit to house animals the county restricts under its “potentially dangerous animals” law. The Skagit County Board of Commissioners will decide on the appeal.

In late autumn on the cusp of cool winter days, snow comes early to Washington when thousands of aloft avians, snow geese, land here in a flurry of white feathers.“We call it a snow storm, they just will move as one,” said birder Julie Hagen. “It's just this chaotic whirlwind of birds, they move like a cloud and then they just lift up in the air.”

(Runtime 0:59)Altas temperaturas se esperan en todo el país durante el verano, pero no tan severas en el estado de Washington. Aún así, los trabajadores…

NWPB’s Johanna Bejarano reports on heat prevention (Runtime 0:52)High temperatures are expected across the country but not as severe in Washington. Still,…