Wildfires Cloak Pacific Northwest in Smoky Haze as Fire Threats Increase
The view Tuesday night from Route Fifty's Seattle bureau. Michael Grass / Route Fifty
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STATE AND LOCAL NEWS ROUNDUP | L.A.’s structural deficit; N.C.’s attorney general forced to slash 10% of staff; and a “notable lack of hellfire” from satanist at city council meeting.
WILDFIRES | Several wildfires burning in the state and hot, dry conditions have led Oregon Gov. Kate Brown to declare a state of emergency. "As Oregon faces a near record-breaking heat wave, the threat of wildfires increases," Brown said. [The Oregonian / OregonLive.com]
Meanwhile, smoke drifting south from fires burning in British Columbia, in Canada’s interior, has left a haze over parts of western Washington, including Seattle. The smoke is harming air quality, but is also providing a sun-shield of sorts amid a heat wave in the Pacific Northwest. low visibility from the smoke was causing delays averaging 47 minutes Wednesday morning at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. [The Seattle Times]
And in Montana, a wildland firefighter was killed Wednesday afternoon while working the Lolo Peak fire. Dispatchers said the man, whose name has not yet been released, was apparently struck by a falling tree, or “snag.” If confirmed, the incident marks the second time in two weeks a falling tree has killed a wildland firefighter in Montana. [Missoulian]
LAW ENFORCEMENT | Starting this fall, the city of Philadelphia will post civilian complaints against police—public documents that have been hard to access in the past—on its website. “The release of this data is a common-sense reform that I hope will serve to increase community-police trust,” Mayor Kenney said in a statement on Wednesday. Previously, a civilian would have had to request these documents from the Philadelphia Police Department’s Internal Affairs Bureau, then travel in person to the bureau’s headquarters. [Philly.com]
INFRASTRUCTURE | Rebuilding a section of Highway 1 on the California coast that was wiped out by a mudslide earlier this year will be the fastest and most cost-effective way to get traffic moving through the corridor again, state officials said this week. Engineers had considered a constructing a tunnel or viaduct at the site. Locals and visitors at the southern end of Big Sur have been forced to take a three-hour detour to get around the Mud Creek slide, which happened in May. There’s no timetable yet for when the rebuilt road might be complete, but it’s unlikely to be finished before next year. [San Francisco Chronicle]
PUBLIC HEALTH | Maine will become the fourth state in the U.S. to make 21 the legal age to buy tobacco products, following a veto override Wednesday by lawmakers there. Gov. Paul LePage, who rejected the bill raising the age restriction, had called the legislation an example of “social engineering.” [Bangor Daily News]
ELSEWHERE …
Raleigh, North Carolina: The state’s attorney general, Josh Stein, had to lay off 10 percent of his staff due to budget cuts by North Carolina’s GOP-controlled General Assembly. The layoffs resulted in cutting 45 positions. The cuts to the North Carolina Department of Justice, Stein said, will inevitably result in higher workloads for local district attorneys. [@NCCapitol / WRAL-TV]
Los Angeles, California: Despite the Golden State’s booming economy, city hall leaders in Los Angeles are dealing with a challenging budgetary landscape, staring down a projected $200 million deficit in two years. Retirement costs, expected to jump, are a big factor in L.A.’s structural deficit. [Los Angeles Times]
Straits of Mackinac, Michigan: The provincial government of Ontario “has waded into” the controversial debate of the Enbridge 5 underwater oil pipeline that passes through the straits that separate Michigan’s upper and lower peninsulas. "Enbridge Line 5 provides a significant volume of crude oil for processing by Ontario refineries and ensures a cost-effective supply of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other petroleum products," Ontario’s energy minister, Glenn Thibeault, said. The aging pipeline has raised concerns about a Great Lakes environmental disaster should it were to fail. [MLive]
Fort Smith, Arkansas: The city’s Board of Directors approved a plan this week to revamp the downtown area in the Natural State’s second-largest city, making it more friendly to pedestrians and more attractive for local businesses. “We’re going to see what we can achieve over time given our resources. This isn’t a stop and drop and we must do it all right now,” said City Administrator Carl Geffken. [Times Record / SWTimes.com]
Grand Junction, Colorado: A highly anticipated city council invocation from local satanist Andrew Vodopich had a “notable for lack of hellfire.” A group of Christians had formed a prayer circle outside city hall as members of the Western Colorado Atheists and Freethinkers entered the building. “We’re making history here, folks,” a member of the atheists and freethinkers group said. [Grand Junction Daily Sentinel]
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