When a supermassive smoke plume blanketed Washington last September, all eyes turned to the Washington State Department of Ecology. “People were all sucking in this superthick smoke for a little over a week and kept asking, ‘When is it going to change?’ ” says Andrew Wineke, a communications representative with Ecology.
- PUB DATE: 6/4/2021 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Crosscut

Local authorities are actively looking for a suspect accused of burning a residential building just outside of Benton City in March. The suspect’s name is James Gaines. He is a 37-year-old man from Burbank, Washington and he is suspected of committing Arson to the first degree. A nationwide extraditable warrant was issued for his arrest.
- PUB DATE: 6/3/2021 7:39:33 PM - SOURCE: YakTriNews - Metered Site

Merrill Fire Department tested out new fire equipment through using blocks of woods, reports WAOW.

The fire department posted to Facebook, “Ever play extrication Jenga? Well that’s what A Crew did last week. It was a fun way for staff to familiarize themselves with our new Genesis extrication tools and practice the fine motor skills necessary to operate the tools with finesse.”

The equipment was donated by the Bierman Family Foundation.

Southbridge voters will decide on a request for $25.7 million to pay for the construction of a new fire station, reports Telegram & Gazette.

If approved, the debt exclusion will replace an existing 122-year-old fire station and would increase property taxes by an estimated 6% to 8% to pay the debt service for the design, site acquisition and construction.

The sign for the Dennis A. Thatcher Public Safety Complex was unveiled, reports Daily Hampshire Gazette.

More than 100 people attended the dedication ceremony, which featured the unveiling of both a sign and a plaque to honor the town’s late fire chief who died of cancer in 2019. He was instrumental in getting the funding for the construction of the complex, which first opened in 2008.