Construction employment hours and payroll doubled for Recovery Act related projects from June to July as work began or continued on more than 100 state and local highway projects. Employees collected an average of nearly $38 per hour for 144,308 hours worked in July. One of the largest state Recovery Act projects was awarded on August 20 to add an auxiliary lane to I-405 northbound in Bothell. WSDOT applied for almost $435 million in high speed passenger rail funds on August 24, the deadline for states to apply for the first portion of $8 billion in Recovery Act funds for high speed passenger rail projects.

OLYMPIA – The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) is taking measures to encourage better sanitary practices by anglers fishing the Skokomish River to protect both human health and fish and shellfish resources.

With hundreds of recreational salmon anglers fishing the river each day, an accumulation of human waste and trash is creating potential health and water quality problems, said Jim Scott, assistant director for WDFW’s fish program.

To improve the situation, the department is increasing the number of dumpsters and portable toilets in the areas along the river that are most affected. 

Aberdeen, WA - A suspicious vehicle stop in Aberdeen led to a warrant arrest from the Department of Corrections most wanted list.

Just before 2:30 Tuesday morning, a vehicle stopped at Seargent boulevard on Highway 12, then continued on - with no requirement to stop in that area, Aberdeen officer Rasmun observed the strange behavior and stopped the vehicle, requesting ID. The driver first gave a false name of Mathew, but later couldn't spell that name, after being arrested by the officer for failure to provide Identification, and taken to Aberdeen Police Department he gave his real name, Jeremy John Talmich.

Officer Rasmun recognized that name from the DOC's most wanted list and Talmich admitted he was the the man.

Aberdeen Police Captain John Green tells us "Officer's out there doing his job at 2:27 in the morning. This guy's 5 over and making this goofy stop, and gets arrested on these [warrants]. We take him off the most wanted list [from the] Department of Corrections, the original charges that they have for him was Assault in the Second Degree and a drug posession"

Talmich was transferred to the Grays Harbor County Jail on multiple charges.