Week in Review: Denny Blaine Park, flooding, and invasive owls Host Bill Radke discusses the week’s news with Seattle Times Amanda Zhou, Puget Sound Business Journal’s Alex Halverson, and political analyst and contributing columnist Joni Balter. Bill Radke Kevin Kniestedt
New study finds high mercury levels in Snake River smallmouth bass in Idaho, Oregon People eating bass out of the Snake River should be wary: depending on where smallmouth bass are caught in Idaho and Oregon, the fish could have higher levels of mercury. Courtney Flatt
Environment Farms in Western Washington evacuate during record river flooding Many rivers in King, Snohomish, and Pierce counties flooded Tuesday due to heavy rain and melting snow from the mountains. Forecasters say the atmospheric river drenching the Pacific Northwest should start to ease on Wednesday. Casey Martin John O'Brien
Environment Atmospheric river hits Western Washington with high winds, heavy rain, and possible flooding Forecasters expect up to 3 inches of rain in the lowlands by Wednesday, wind gusts of up to 45 miles per hour north of Seattle, possible avalanches in the mountains, and potential flooding along rivers. Angela King Katie Campbell
Environment New culverts in Washington state cost $20 million each. The DOT needs to replace 400 of them by 2030 The Washington State Department of Transportation has a lot of very expensive projects it has to manage in order to keep people moving around, and legislators recently got some pretty massive sticker shock for a different project — one that’s aimed at improving the way salmon move around. Libby Denkmann Noel Gasca
Environment A beaver dam blocked spawning salmon at Carkeek Park. Now humans are giving nature a nudge Typically, a major construction project in Seattle requires a city permit. Changes to a park would have you wading into the political process – maybe lobbying your city council member or the mayor. But beavers can’t be bothered with land use applications. Libby Denkmann Jason Burrows
Environment Seattle got dark and rainy again. Do we still need to conserve water? Seattle-area officials are still asking the public to use less water, even as autumn storms have been refilling the city’s reservoirs. John Ryan
NASA satellites could be a new tool to help estimate snowpack, manage water resources Scientists in Washington recently used NASA satellites to learn more about snow in the mountains. Courtney Flatt
Western gray squirrels now considered ‘endangered’ in Washington It’s hard to know exactly how many Western gray squirrels are in Washington – but the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife says it’s safe to say there aren’t many. Most are isolated in Okanogan and Klickitat counties and in the South Sound area. Courtney Flatt
Environment 'Good bones' from old homes help build Seattle's future When homes are demolished, that wood usually ends up in the dump. But now, an investment by the Environmental Protection Agency aims to get that old wood into new Seattle houses. Joshua McNichols
