For six years a group of citizens called Central Samish Valley Neighbors (CSVN) has been working to protect their rural community from the impacts of a large new gravel mine. The permit review process, led by Skagit County Planning and Development Services, has been long, drawn out, and fraught with problems from the outset.
Category: Public Safety
Skagit County Draft Shoreline Management Program Fails to Address Climate Change
On March 1 during a public hearing before the Skagit County Board of Commissioners, representatives of several organizations expressed concerns about the absence of references to climate change and sea level rise in the February, 2022 draft Shoreline Master Program (SMP).
County Commissioners Hired Far Right Group to Help Thwart Grizzly Restoration
In 2020, Secretary of the Interior, energy industry lobbyist David Bernhardt, reversed his predecssor Zinke and ended a years long process to restore grizzly bears to the North Cascades. The Skagit County Commissioners once again joined commissioners in several other counties to oppose implementing the Endangered Species Act. For now, planning to restore the grizzly bear to the North Cascade Ecosystem has been halted.
Skagit County Prosecutor Refuses to file Hate Crime Charge; Ignores Community Requests for Explanation
The brutal beating of a Skagit youth in Sedro Woolley on March 21, 2020 was reported by the Skagit Valley Herald and Skagit Breaking. What follows below are three perspectives of Skagit residents regarding Skagit County Prosecutor Rich Weyrich’s failure to charge the beating as a hate crime.
Time to RETHINK Plastic in Skagit County?
Think it’s time to RETHINK our personal and societal relationship to single-use consumer items? Starting with, but not limited to, single-use plastic items? Me too!
Why has Skagit County contracted out health services at its new jail to a for-profit company with a terrible track record?
In January 2018 Skagit County Commissioners signed an agreement with an outfit called Naphcare. Naphcare’s job, as laid out in a thirty-four page contract, is to provide comprehensive health care at the new jail. However, in a field known for bad actors – companies who provide for-profit medical care to correctional facilities – Naphcare stands out as one of the worst.