L.A. Area Faces Powerful Wildfire; Georgia Looks to Fill Hundreds of State Jobs
Members of hand crew rest on a hillside near Placenta Canyon Road as a wildfire burns in Santa Clarita, California, on Sunday. Ringo H.W. Chiu / AP Photo
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Also in our State and Local Daily Digest: N.Y.C. gets more details about long-term subway closure; and PETA vs. Billings Parks and Recreation
SANTA CLARITA, CALIFORNIA
WILDFIRES | A wildfire burning in mountainous terrain north of Los Angeles had scorched upwards of 33,000 acres as of late Sunday, leaving one man dead, destroying 18 structures and threatening hundreds of others. About 20,000 people have been asked to evacuate. Drought conditions and years without a major wildfire left the area vulnerable to the powerful blaze. The fire came through “like a freight train," said John Tripp, with the Los Angeles County Fire Department. "We've never seen a fire come into Sand Canyon like that and neither have those residents." He added: “All the experience we’ve had with fires is out the window.” [Los Angeles Times]
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
HIRING | Georgia’s state government plans to fill hundreds of jobs after years of cutbacks that saw 12,500 employees dropped since the recession. Driver’s license offices, crime labs, child protective services, police shooting investigators, teachers, and government benefits should all see a boost in their ranks. The record state budget wasn’t without opponents pushing for leaner government. [The Atlanta Journal-Constitution]
SKAMANIA COUNTY, WASHINGTON
LAND | Ted and Mary Salka bought 351 acres of land in 2012 planning to keep 81 acres, including a rock quarry, and sell the remaining 270. Trees on the timber property aren’t old enough to log, and the land can’t be efficiently subdivided for housing. Fearing liability for trespassers injuring themselves on the rocky terrain, the Gillette Lake campsite currently belonging to them, they found a buyer in the U.S. Forest Service. But Skamania County and its Sheriff’s Office opposed the sale because it doesn’t want to lose taxable land to the federal government. U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler took credit for a memorandum of understanding worked out between federal and county governments earlier this month, agreeing to meet twice a year to discuss land acquisitions. “It’s actually incredibly frustrating that the congresswoman thinks she deserves a huge pat on the back,” the Salkas wrote. “Because if this process isn’t pushed through in a timely manner (end of September), we may decide not to sell. And then what happens to her win-win for Skamania County and the Pacific Crest Trail enhancement project?” [The Columbian]
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK
PUBLIC TRANSIT | The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is planning for one the largest disruptions in the system’s history. Starting in January, 2019, the tunnel that carries the L train—which runs under the East River between Manhattan and Brooklyn—will be shut down entirely for a year and a half to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. The transit authority chose the 18-month plan over an option that would have taken three years, but would have allowed some trains to continue running. Tens of thousands of commuters will have to find other ways in an out of Manhattan. [The New York Times]
BILLINGS, MONTANA
SQUIRRELS | This city’s fight to keep ground squirrels from burrowing under athletic fields has come under fire from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. Two years ago, the Billings Parks and Recreation Department bought a machine, referred to as a “burrow blocker,” that sends a sand slurry into the holes dug by the rodents, preventing them from entering or leaving. “We were told that they drown in their burrows, and that is condemned by the American Veterinary Medical Association,” said Stephanie Bell, director of PETA’s Cruelty Investigations Department. “It’s a terrifying and prolonged way to die.” [Billings Gazette]
DALLAS, TEXAS
POLICE | Three weeks ago, Dallas Police Chief David Brown was addressing Black Lives Matter demonstrations at a news conference, when he offered a novel way that people could address the problems they see in law enforcement. Brown advised protesters to “get off that protest line and put an application in. We’ll put you in your neighborhood and help you resolve some of those problems.” It seems that people may have taken that advice to heart. Applications for employment at the Dallas Police Department have increased by 344 percent since the July 7 shooting that killed 5 officers and injured nine more. It’s unclear if any of these applicants are connected to Black Lives Matter. [The Washington Post]
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