12/11 Hermit crab, grocery merger, press freedom bill, Duwamish cleanup, monarch butterflies, Site C dam, Imperial Metals

 

Editor's note: News and Weather focuses on environment-related news but today's top two items— the big grocery merger now gone south and the freedom of the press legislation— are two issues I've been following and thought you'd like to follow as well. Having said that, I'll get out of the way after reminding you that we have only a few more days to meet out $100,000 fundraising goal to take Salish Current  into 2025. Please make a donation and help support local news freely accessible to all. Thank you! Mike Sato.

Hermit crab [Seattle Aquarium]

Hermit crab
Hermit crabs evolved from free-living crabs—and some hermit crab species have evolved back into free-living species, including Alaskan king crabs and porcelain crabs. There are over 500 species of hermit crabs around the world, and they’ve evolved a unique body shape to fit into their shell homes. Unlike free-living crabs, their abdomens aren’t covered in a hard exoskeleton but rather a thin, soft one; their abdomens are also twisted to fit the spiral cavity of the snail shells in which they make their homes.(Seattle Aquarium)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Uphill climb to housing affordability

Albertsons gives up on Kroger merger and sues the grocery chain for failing to secure deal
Albertsons is giving up on its merger with Kroger and it is suing the grocery chain, saying it didn’t do enough to secure regulatory approval for the $24.6 billion agreement. The move came the day after two judges halted the merger in separate court cases. Dee-Ann Durbin reports. (Associated Press)

Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton blocks press freedom bill Trump said GOP ‘must kill’
An effort to pass a sweeping measure aimed at protecting press freedoms was struck down in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday night. The journalism shield law — which would limit the federal government’s ability to force disclosure of journalists’ sources — drew strong objections from President-elect Donald Trump, who’s had a rather rocky relationship with the press. Shauneen Miranda reports. (Colorado Newsline)

Full cleanup begins at Lower Duwamish Superfund site
It has been 10 years since a plan was released for the dredging, capping and recovery of the 5-mile Lower Duwamish Waterway Superfund Site. This fall, work began in earnest. For as much as five months each year, barges and excavators will make their way down the river, removing polluted earth. Isabella Breda reports. (Seattle Times)

Monarch butterflies to be listed as a threatened species in US
U.S. wildlife officials announced a decision Tuesday to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies after years of warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change. Todd Richmond reports. (Associated Press)

Who stands to gain from the massive Site C dam?
After nearly a decade of construction, the massive Site C dam is finally generating electricity. But the debate about the megaproject is far from over. While it’s meant to power thousands of homes and electric cars, what is the real cost and who stands to gain? Camille Vernet reports. (CBC)

A Decade Later, Imperial Metals Faces Consequences for the Mount Polley Disaster
The company, still releasing mining wastewater into Quesnel Lake, faces charges under the federal Fisheries Act. Amanda Follett Hosgood reports. (The Tyee)  10 years after B.C.’s worst mining waste disaster, company faces charges Imperial Metals applied to expand its Mount Polley mine, still polluting a lake, earlier this year. Conservation advocates wonder if charges today will reduce future risks. Sarah Cox reports. (The Narwhal)

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-  314 AM PST Wed Dec 11 2024  
TODAY  SE wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: E 2 ft  at 3 seconds and W 4 ft at 14 seconds.  
TONIGHT  E wind 10 to 15 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W  4 ft at 15 seconds. A chance of rain in the evening, then rain  after midnight.

---


"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