Tuesday, January 28, 2025

1/28 Weeping willow, Helion, starlight beach walk, Eric Scigliano, octopus lives, sea otters, Tahlequah's grief, first 100 days

Weeping willow

Weeping willow Salix babylonica
Weeping willow is a fast-growing, deciduous tree that can be found in the Pacific Northwest. It's often planted near water features and ponds.

Today's top story in Salish Current: Tacoutche Tesse, the Northwest’s great ghost river — Part 1: Not the Columbia, by Eric Scigliano

Sam Altman, SoftBank invest in $425M round for Helion, a Seattle-area startup chasing fusion power
Helion Energy announced a $425 million funding round that will help the Seattle-area fusion company chase the “Holy Grail” of clean energy. The company’s new investors include SoftBank, Lightspeed Venture Partners and an unnamed university endowment. Sam Altman — OpenAI’s CEO and co-founder, as well as Helion’s longtime board chair and a past investor — also participated in the round with others. Lisa Stiffler reports. (MSN)

Starlight Beach Walk returns to Olympic Beach
On Feb. 8, there’s an opportunity to discover what the beaches and rocky shore look like after the sun goes down. Washington State University Beach Watchers program, in partner with Snohomish County’s Marine Resources Committee and the city of Edmonds, is putting on its annual Starlight Beach Walk at Olympic Beach. Eliza Aronson reports. (Everett Herald)

Adventures in Writing: Remembering Seattle Journalist Eric Scigliano, 71 Tim Apollo reports. (Post Alley)   Eric Scigliano, eclectic writer on Seattle, art, elephants, dies at 71 Margo Vansynghel reports. (Seattle Times)

Saanich author delves into secret lives of octopuses in new book for kids
Octopus Ocean: Geniuses of the Deep offers an in-depth look at these fascinating creatures. Tony Trozzo reports. (Victoria News)

Siletz Tribe gets $1.56 million to reintroduce sea otters to coastal waters
After centuries of overhunting by fur traders, sea otters have largely disappeared from the Oregon and Northern California coasts. But the Siletz Tribe is trying to bring them back with the help of a $1.56 million grant. Brian Bull reports. (KLCC)

How we can honor the orca Tahlequah’s grief

The loss of Tahlequah’s new calf (“Orca Tahlequah’s new baby dies,” Dec. 31, Climate Lab) and her all-too-familiar grief are heart-wrenching. It would be easy to despair and feel powerless. But there are rays of hope we must not overlook. Here are five things to remember, and three ways you can help. Donna Sandstorm writes. (Seattle Times Opinion)

The First 100 Days
ICE arrests six people in Whatcom, Skagit counties (CDN)
CDC ordered to stop working with WHO immediately (Associated Press)
Trump Administration Puts Dozens of U.S.A.I.D. Officials on Paid Leave (NY Times)
Justice Department moves to fire at least 12 officials who investigated Trump (NPR)
Trump signs an order to revise the Pentagon’s policy on transgender troops (Associated Press)
Trump orders temporary funding freeze that could affect trillions of dollars (Associated Press)
All the executive orders Trump has signed after 1 week in office (NPR)

Have you read the Salish Current? 
Independent, fact based news for Whatcom, San Juan and Skagit counties. Community supported, free from ads. Read the latest weekly newsletter here.


Here's your tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  211 AM PST Tue Jan 28 2025   TODAY  E wind around 5 kt. Seas around 3 ft. Wave Detail: NW  2 ft at 6 seconds and W 2 ft at 12 seconds. 
TONIGHT  E wind around 5 kt, veering to W after midnight. Seas  around 2 ft or less, then around 3 ft after midnight. Wave  Detail: W 2 ft at 13 seconds.


---

"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



Salish Sea News: Communicate, Educate, Advocate



Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told



No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.