By Bruce A. Smith
As Mother Nature removes her icy grip on the Puget Sound Basin today, the fog and dirty air of the past ten days are slowly drifting away and allowing state officials to lift the prohibitions against using wood stoves and fireplaces. Continue reading
Editor’s Note:
The Washington State Patrol has contracted the Mountain News and other media outlets to ask for public assistance in an investigation into two shootings on local roadways early this morning. Continue reading
by Bruce A. Smith
Over the past six months, the Mountain News has come under cyber attack, presumably over the DB Cooper research Galen Cook and I have been conducting.
The intrusions reached a crescendo last week, resulting in my filing a federal complaint of computer hacking. The account that follows is an update on events that have unfolded since my initial posting on this matter a few days ago: Continue reading
The use of all heating devices that use wood as a fuel, including pellet stoves, have been banned again in Pierce County by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency as air pollution levels mount.
This is a continuation of prohibitions against wood fires that began last week on January 12 in the interest of reducing health risks for many residents. State health officials estimate that one person dies each day of winter due to chronic exposure to wood smoke. In addition, the state spends nearly $200 million treating Washingtonians affected by wood smoke, such as dealing with asthma and bronchial infections. Continue reading
By Josh Magill
I did not cry for the last memory of him. No … I told my mother he was gone and then went to play basketball.
“How can you do that?” she asked me as I left. But I didn’t answer her, just walked away.
I did not want to cry for his death, his passing. I wanted to remember him happy and full of life. Our lives had always been intertwined somehow as if we had planned it that way before this life. He was here to guide me spiritually.
He was my maternal grandfather. Continue reading
by Bruce A. Smith
I have come under cyber attack for my work on the DB Cooper case. These attacks also involve another DB Cooper investigator, attorney Galen Cook.
The intrusions are varied, and include file theft, email blocking, sending emails in my name to the FBI HQ in New York City, and document destruction.
The assault began in June 2012, hit a crescendo in August and then went dormant, but has now re-intensified in January 2013 as I write my book in earnest. Continue reading
Air quality in Pierce County is improving due to changing weather conditions and compliance with burn band restrictions, state officials announced today.
As a result, the Stage 2 Burn Ban, which forbid all use of wood stoves, has been reduced to a Stage 1 restriction. This means that the injunction against fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves remains in effect in Pierce County. Continue reading
A Stage 2 Burn Ban has been declared in Pierce County by the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency as air pollution intensifies. This is the most severe ban the agency can announce, and it forbids the use of any wood stove, even if certified. It also bans all outdoor burning. Continue reading
Editor’s Note: The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has just sent the Mountain News the following alert about another episode of dirty air.
This is the third strech of time this winter that local residents have had to breather unhealthy air. The three events total 11 days of breathing dangerous levels of smoke and toxins that send thousands of people indoors, doctors, or to area hospitals. Continue reading
Editor’s Note: The National Park Service (NPS) has sent the Mountain News a press release announcing a major renovation at Camp Muir: Continue reading
The Mountain News – WA
The Mountain News - WA 