Environmental

The $10.5 million contribution from Peter and Judith Hallson will establish an endowed deanship in the College of Science and Engineering.

The ban is for unincorporated Skagit County and mirrors what Whatcom County implemented last month.

The Border 2 and Luna fires are each burning several thousand acres in the North Cascades while 0% contained.

Gov. Bob Ferguson has declared late last month that August is Emergency Management Awareness Month in Washington state.

Farinacci, 37, is charged with starting the Old Trails fire, one of three blazes in the Spokane area that have burned more than 850 buildings, destroying whole neighborhoods and streets. No deaths or serious injuries have been reported.

The air was unhealthy for sensitive groups in Sumas, Nooksack, Kendall and Maple Falls in the afternoon.

Dry conditions and elevated fire risks led to the ban, which includes recreational fires and fire pits.

Protect Mud Bay Cliffs filed the appeal in June after an Environmental Impact Statement for the new residential area was denied.

Residents are being reminded to avoid contact with bats as encounters rise during summer.

Everson, Kendall and Maple Falls have reached “hazardous” levels.