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5 things to know this Wednesday

State produce branding; Escaped juveniles in custody; Lawmaker response to convenience store robberies; Hurricane Ridge update; Work on aquatic ecosystem.

WASHINGTON, USA —

Meat, dairy, agriculture products from Washington to get a branding boost under new law

Products grown, raised, and sold in the state of Washington will get marketing assistance and branding from the state.

Senate Bill 5341 creates what legislators call a “location-based” promotion campaign for the state’s food and agriculture products.

Bill sponsor Sen. Ron Muzzall, R-Oak Harbor, said he hopes the bill will improve the reputation and price of the state’s products. Muzzall, a dairy farmer, said the bill should boost local sales because consumers would be more likely to purchase something they know is locally grown. Read more

All 7 teen escapees from Echo Glen Children's Center now in custody

All seven teens who escaped Echo Glen Children's Center this weekend are now back in custody, according to the King County Sheriff's Office.

Three of the teens who escaped were apprehended in Burien on Sunday. Law enforcement took the other four into custody on Monday night in Clark County.

A family member of one of the four escapees who were still on the run Monday called 911 after finding the group at their home. The juveniles were taken into custody near Walnut Grove Park in Vancouver, Wash. Read more

Washington officials seeking worker safety solutions after string of robberies

Multiple convenience store locations were hit by armed robberies from Monday night into Tuesday morning, the latest in a series of overnight crimes on 24-hour stores. 

The problem has left store owners frustrated, joining business owners dealing with organized retail theft. Some federal and state lawmakers and local leaders are hopeful that investments in overall public safety measures will help to address these issues, while many continue to search for other solutions to target worker safety specifically. Read more

Hurricane Ridge still closed indefinitely after Day Lodge destroyed in fire

The Hurricane Ridge area inside Olympic National Park remains closed indefinitely after a fire destroyed the Day Lodge earlier this month.

In a tweet, the Hurricane Ridge NPS account shared an update Tuesday morning that the area has no timeline for reopening. The lodge, closed to visitors since March 27, caught fire on the morning of May 7, and eventually was declared a "total loss."

Access to Hurricane Ridge Road remains closed past the Heart of the Hills campground entrance. Read more

Restoration of aquatic ecosystem underway at former Mountlake Terrace golf course

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is teaming up with the city of Mountlake Terrace to restore a former golf course property into a sustainable aquatic ecosystem.  

The Lake Ballinger Restoration Project is a 16-acre property that has been mostly unmaintained since 2012. The city of Mountlake Terrace owns the property and has allowed the grounds to slowly return to a more natural state over the last ten years. 

The space is open to the public and intersects with the Lake Ballinger-McAleer & Hall Creek Watershed. A new effort to turn the property into a critical habitat for fish and wildlife broke ground this week. Read more

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