Boy Scouts to recycle Christmas trees

Boy Scout troops will be recycling Christmas trees in the Edmonds and Lynnwood area beginning Sunday. All decorations, tinsel, tree stands and nails must be removed. Flocked trees are not eligible for recycling. Donations will support local Boy Scout Troop 2008 activities.

Here are the drop-off locations:

• 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Jan. 5-6: QFC parking lot, 196th Street Southwest and 76th Avenue West, Edmonds, or Edmonds United Methodist Church, 822 Caspers St., Edmonds.

• 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 5: Top Foods parking lot, 21900 Highway 99, or Westgate Elementary, 9601 220th St. S.W., Edmonds.

• 1-4 p.m. Sunday, and 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Jan. 5-6: One block north of 196th Street Southwest on 56th Avenue West, Lynnwood.

Curbside pickup also is available in the Edmonds and Lynnwood areas. Door tags and donation envelopes have been distributed to single-family residences in the service area.

For more information, call 425-771-0235.

Snohomish County

County could get $2M in federal funds

Snohomish County projects would receive more than $2 million in federal funding in a Congressional spending bill passed last week.

Representatives Rick Larsen, D-Lake Stevens, and Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, were credited along with U.S. Senators Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell for the local funding contained in the 2008 omnibus-spending bill, which is expected to be signed by the president.

More than $1 million was earmarked for an alternative freight route for Granite Falls, to move gravel and logging trucks off downtown streets. Highway 2 between Snohomish and Skykomish won a $637,000 allocation for nearly 60 projects to improve safety and capacity.

Congress also approved a biodiesel initiative that would channel about $350,000 into efforts to reduce the county's impact on climate change while supporting farmers.

The funds would be used to generate demand for the county's canola crop, become an active partner in biofuel-business development and invest in infrastructure to help make biodiesel a sustainable-agricultural industry.

Snohomish County

Director fired by county executive

A veteran Snohomish County employee who since 2000 had served as director of the human-services department was abruptly fired last week by Snohomish County Executive Aaron Reardon, as part of a stated strategy to seek "a fresh look and new ideas" in coming years.

Janelle Sgrignoli was given the news Dec. 19, her last day before a scheduled vacation. Her vacation is through Monday, her final day on the county payroll.

Reardon named Cindy Hart as interim director pending a national search for a permanent replacement. Hart, the county's deputy director of facilities management, was hired last summer after a 12-year career with Intermec of Everett.

Sgrignoli had worked for the county since 1983 and had served in management positions since 1993.

Human Services oversees programs for seniors, the mentally ill, the developmentally disabled, low-income households and people with drug and alcohol problems.

Snohomish, Island counties

Winter festival set for kids, teens

Songs and stories. Music and poetry. Juggling. Acrobatics. And a puppet show with an impish, magical elf.

Such fun distractions are a sampling of what's being offered at the sixth annual Winter Extravaganza for children and teens sponsored by Sno-Isle Libraries.

The series of programs will run through January at various community libraries throughout Snohomish and Island counties.

For more information, call Sno-Isle Libraries Service Center at 360-651-7000 or 877-SNO-ISLE, or go to www.sno-isle.org.

The library system also is seeking a Snohomish County resident to serve on its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Advisory Committee. The volunteer committee provides guidance to the Libraries board of trustees and staff to improve ADA compliance.

Committee members must either have a disability or represent an organization that serves the disabled. The ADA committee consists of three residents from Snohomish County and two from Island County.

Interested candidates may submit a letter of intent to the Sno-Isle Libraries board of trustees, 7312 35th Ave. N.E., Marysville, WA 98271. Letters must be received no later than Jan. 15, 2008.

Tulalip

Businesses get new phone prefix

About 200 businesses on the Tulalip Reservation will start transitioning to a new phone prefix in January.

Beginning then, phones will begin using a 716 prefix exclusive to the reservation. Tribal leaders say the change will improve service and response times for customers of the Tulalip Tribes phone system, Tulalip Broadband.

During January and February, both new and old numbers will work. In March, callers will receive a message directing them to the new number. Most businesses will retain the last four digits of their original phone number.

The number switch will not affect residential phone numbers or businesses on the reservation that do not receive services through Tulalip Broadband.

Everett

200 audio books in collection

The Everett Public Library now has a collection of about 200 audio books available for check-out.

The collection includes contemporary best-sellers, children and young adult titles as well some classics, and will be expanded in the future.

Library members can check out two titles at once. Audio books can be played on a PC, laptop or transferred to many portable devices.

A title that is currently checked out may be placed on hold. The lending period lasts 21 days, at which time the title will expire and return to the library's collection.

For more information and to browse the available titles, go to www.epls.org.

Everett

Parent-toddler class open house is Jan. 9

An open house for a new parent and toddler class will be held at The Children's Village from 9:30-11:30 on Jan. 9.

The class is being offered by Everett Community College in partnership with the Little Red School House. Parents will attend and participate with their children, ages 18 months to 3 years.

The class will be offered from 9:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesdays at The Children's Village, 14 E. Casino Road in Everett. The cost is $35 per month.

For more information, contact Barbara Yasui at 425-388-9016 or Susan Hanson at 425-513-1663

Snohomish County

Board members honored for service

The Snohomish Health District recognized four outgoing members of its Board of Health at a recent meeting.

Honored were Snohomish County Councilmen Gary Nelson and Kirke Sievers, Mukilteo City Councilman Bruce Richter and Edmonds City Councilman Bruce Marin. All except Richter will serve until the end of the year. Richter stepped down last month.

Nelson, who is being replaced by incoming County Councilman Mike Cooper, has served on the health board since 1994. Sievers, who is being replaced by incoming County Councilman Brian Sullivan, has served on the board since 1996.

Richter, who was been replaced by Mukilteo City Councilman Marko Liias, served on the board beginning in 1998.

Marin, whose replacement has not been finalized yet, has served on the health board since 2001.