OLYMPIA - Despite recent showers, the summer’s prolonged dry weather has left fish vulnerable, including on the Dungeness River, where two anglers were recently caught poaching.

An enforcement officer with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) cited the anglers for multiple fishing violations, including possession of federally protected wild chinook salmon. 

The Dungeness River, which flows through Clallam County to the Strait of Juan de Fuca, is closed to all fishing to protect returning wild chinook, listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

ABERDEEN, Wash. - Good news spread fast yesterday as the Washington State Department of Transportation announced that Aberdeen had been selected as the preferred location for the pontoon construction site.

Aberdeen Mayor Bill Simpson said this morning's news is good for Grays Harbor "sure we're glad to have it, and it will be a great benefit to the city, but it will be great for [Grays] Harbor" and that selection of the the Aberdeen site would not solve immediate budget issues, it certainly lightens the load on future budgetary concerns.

Portland, Ore. - Wind has arrived.  In early August, for the first time, the Bonneville Power Administration’s transmission grid reached a milestone, carrying more than 2,000 megawatts of wind power for more than an hour.  On Aug. 6, after flirting with the 2,000-megawatt threshold for weeks, total wind generation on BPA’s system blew right past that level at 5:15 p.m., reaching a new all-time peak of 2,089 megawatts at 6:19 p.m.  This doubles the peak of 1,000 megawatts recorded in January 2008. 

To put that in context, wind turbines in eastern Oregon and Washington produced enough electricity to light all of Seattle and Portland for that hour.

“Wind power is growing rapidly in the Northwest,” said Brian Silverstein, BPA acting senior vice president for Transmission Services.  “It’s the largest source of new power in our system.  Within just a few years, we've seen more wind projects come on line, and BPA has been working quickly to connect the new projects into the regional power grid.”

“It's great to see wind power mature, along with BPA's ability to integrate it into the system,” said Rachel Shimshak, executive director of Renewable Northwest Project.  “Renewable energy growth has resulted in thousands of new jobs, millions of dollars of investment in local communities, and provided a boost to creating a clean energy economy,” she concluded.

Four more state highway projects are now substantially complete as contractor crews continue to complete American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funded construction projects. Washington is preparing for the intense national competition for $8 billion in high speed passenger rail grants with 21 project applications under way to meet the August 24 deadline. WSDOT’s stimulus web page has received national attention for its content and has attracted more than 58,000 visitors since its launch in February.

EVERETT, Wash. - A Lynnwood woman who allegedly posed as a tax collector for the Washington State Department of Revenue has been charged with criminal impersonation in the first degree.

The Snohomish County prosecutor, in cooperation with the Edmonds and Marysville police departments and Department of Revenue, charged Karen Cunningham, 45, with impersonating a public servant in order to solicit cash payments from businesses in Edmonds and Marysville.

According to charging papers, Cunningham approached at least one Edmonds-area business and told them they owed taxes but could settle the matter if they paid her cash that day.  The business paid her $109 but was suspicious because she lacked Department of Revenue identification and didn’t provide an official receipt.  A separate attempt to solicit money from a Marysville business failed.