To protect the residents in the area of the Safety, Traffic and Environmental issues (Peckman River Flooding and contamination) inherent with the Coptic Building Expansion Proposal. "Please help stop intrusive overdevelopment of Cedar Grove off of Bradford Avenue. Your help is urgently needed! The Cedar Grove Zoning Board is nearing a final vote on a disturbing application by the Coptic Church Diocese of North America that requires significant overdevelopment. The property is on lots 400 and 402 on the corner of Woodstone Drive and Bradford Avenue in Cedar Grove. If approved, the development would require 18 zoning variances for excessive building size, parking, building height, stadium like lighting, fences and wall height. In addition, the proposal will require significant blasting or pile driving and will have environmental and potential flooding implications for Cedar Grove, Montclair and Little Falls residents. 1. Excessive traffic and safety issues: The proposal is for buildings totaling over 40K square feet and will include: a larger building with approximately 400 seats and extra room to stand, 8 classrooms, office space, open space, retail space, a kitchen, a papal residence, and on and off site parking spaces. There is only one way in and one way out of the neighborhood for over 43 single family homes and the Bradford bath and Tennis Club. Bradford Ave is already heavily trafficked and Essex County has identified the intersection at Crestmont as a safety concerns as well as other dangerous intersections: at Highland Ave where bikers and joggers try to cross, and where Bradford turns onto Upper Mountain, an intersection with significant congestion and a very treacherous narrow turn. This will get worse as many of the members are and will continue to be from out of town. Please note, traffic flow and safety concerns were the primary reason for a denial by the Cedar Grove Planning Board in 1992 for a much smaller development (100 seats). 2. Skyline views and integrity of neighborhood character: The proposal includes excessive building height in stories and in feet as well as excessively bright and tall lights that will be highly visible from the top of the hill. One version of the plan proposes that the tallest portion of one building will be 65’ from basement level to the most visible top. The building will appear even taller and more prominent due to being built at high elevations. Many of the residents of Cedar Grove and Montclair purchased properties near Bradford due to the natural surroundings with proximity to the City. If approved, this development will become a prominent characteristic of the neighborhood rather than the natural surroundings that drove our original purchase of properties in the area. 3. Blasting / Pile Driving and related impact: The proposed development requires excavations in excess of 20’ below ground surface and into bedrock adjacent to wetlands in an area of thin soil coverage (Langan Engineering and Environmental Services report presented at Zoning Board Meetings). We are concerned about the noise pollution from blasting and/ or pile driving and the stability of home foundations for houses that are built into the adjacent rock in Cedar Grove and Montclair. Further, we are concerned that animals with a substantially changed habitat will seek coverage down hill in Cedar Grove and Montclair. According to the same Langan report, “Almost half (46.5%) of the transition area (to wetlands) will be lost or disturbed and 24% will be totally replaced with building and pavement.” 4. Runoff and related flooding issues: The application does not address adequate plans to address runoff into a tributary of the Peckman River in Cedar Grove which already has flooding conditions, nor does it address potential impact to Montclair and Little Falls. While we pride ourselves in being an inclusive community, we also pride ourselves on maintaining the safety of our residents and characteristics of our neighborhoods. The proposed development is simply too large for the plot of land that will be used, and would pose an extreme detriment to the local community, greater than the benefit it would provide. As quoted from a report by Langan Engineering and Environmental Services: “It appears as though (the applicant) has chosen to use as much land as they desire, ignore the impacts, and then request a waiver and variances.” Please help stop or constrain this proposed intrusive development. While we do not oppose development, we oppose one that requires 18 variances and impacts the quality, integrity, and safety of our neighborhoods. Thank you for your consideration! Sincerely, Citizens of Cedar Grove Concerned With Overdevelopment

It is imperative that we address Global Climate Change immediately due to lack of action that has allowed it to reach this stage of development. It will take immediate and aggressive action on the part of our legislators if we ever hope to stem the tide of its effect on our lives and economies. Acting now will save trillions in future costs and untold numbers of lives and suffering to the American people.

OK is far behind other states in adapting to climate change and in starting this new industry, key to the transition to renewable energy. This law is vital to helping OK catch up.

Darnell Earley, the unelected emergency manager appointed by Governor Snyder who infamously switched Flint’s water source to the polluted, corrosive Flint River to save money, has been rewarded with appointment as emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools. It's time to kick this man to the curb!

America's lead poisoning problem isn't just in Flint. It’s everywhere.

Cats deserve protection too. That's why all mainstream animal welfare organizations, like the U.S. Humane Society and ASPCA and the American Veterinary Medical Association, recommend that cats not be allowed to roam loose. Excluding cat owners from most of our animal codes is not good for cats. Our animal codes also ignore one of the main threats to our city's wildlife. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute and Fish and Wildlife Services estimate that domestic cats kill 2.4 billion birds and at least 12.3 billion mammals annually, almost all native species. This is not acceptable to many residents of Anacortes. Also forgotten was the protection of the property rights of people who want to safely feed birds in cat-free backyards and residents who don't want cat feces in their gardens and children's sand-boxes. Please include cat owners in our animal codes and license cats so their owners also help pay for animal control services.

California Governor Brown has declared a State of Emergency, after an uncontrolled gas leak at SoCalGas's Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility in a Los Angeles neighborhood. This has been spewing out over 50 tons of potent methane gas per hour. The Obama Administration has failed to provide any resources to the State of California, or even make a statement. Methane is the most potent greenhouse gas, and once it enters into the atmosphere it takes about 12 years to break down. This is the LARGEST gas leak in history, and the gas company is estimating another two months until they can stop the leak. Join me in urging the Obama Administration to release a statement and send urgent and needed resources to California. This leak must be stopped as soon as possible. Photo Credit: Resilience

These beautiful trees are part of a symmetrical planting that greatly beautifies the neighborhood. Our tax dollars should not be wasted on cutting down or moving healthy, beautiful trees and then re-planting new ones! An appeal of the tree removal will be heard at Miami City Hall in Coconut Grove on Thursday, January 28, 2016, exact time unknown but certainly after 3 pm; it is agenda item number 19.

For months, a gas leak at SoCalGas’s Aliso Canyon storage facility has been spewing 1,200 TONS of methane gas into the air in Los Angeles’ Porter Ranch neighborhood every day. The gas leak is emitting as much global-warming pollution as six coal-burning power plants and seven million cars.(1) Local residents are suffering from nosebleeds, migraines, and dizziness.(2) Pet dogs, cats, and fish are dropping dead.(3) Now so much gas has leaked that the authorities are warning that one small spark could cause a massive explosion.(4) And SoCalGas just got caught lying to the public about the amount of cancer-causing benzene that's leaking into the environment.(5) This is being called the worst environmental disaster since the BP oil spill, yet SoCalGas just abandoned their plans to stop the leak, and local officials are still scrambling to figure out what to do.(6) Our national authorities must step in now before it’s too late! 1. http://www.marketplace.org/2015/12/14/world/gas-leak-0 2. http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/07/us/california-governor-declares-emergency-over-los-angeles-gas-leak.html?_r=0 3. http://www.dailynews.com/social-affairs/20160116/pet-deaths-illnesses-evoke-concern-amid-porter-ranch-gas-leak 4. http://www.readingeagle.com/ap/article/explosion-risk-stalls-plan-to-capture-and-burn-gas-from-porter-ranch-leak 5. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2016/01/15/an-oversight-calif-utility-understated-levels-of-cancer-causing-chemical-in-l-a-gas-leak/ 6. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-porter-ranch-leak-stopped-late-february-20160118-story.html

Please help get wood stoves and furnaces banned. Stop the burning of wood. Wood smoke pollutes the air. The particulates from wood smoke and soot get trapped deep in the lungs. The smoke can make asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung issues worse. It can also raise the risk of heart diseases, stroke, and death. Wood smoke is 12 times more toxic than second hand cigarette smoke. We should not be forced to breath in wood smoke. There are at least 10 to 12 homes in my neighborhood that burn wood in the winter. The whole area is covered with this smoke. I am a prisoner in my own home all winter long. No one can go out side without being forced to breath in this smoke. I do not want to be forced to breath in some one else's pollution. We need to start helping the environment on both the small and large scales. This toxic health hazard has to stop. We need to get burning wood for heat banned. Montreal and another city already have made it illegal and New York City and San Fransisco have banned new wood burners and are phasing out the old ones. Please stop the wood smoke pollution and poisoning.

Courthouse Annex Building, Room #B102, 1 N.E. 6th St. Coupeville, WA SAVE THE WONN ROAD PUBLIC BEACH ACCESS Why you should be concerned: Wonn Road has been a public access to the water for over 100 years. In 1944, when Greenbank Beach was plotted, the road was dedicated to the public forever. In 2008, the Montgomerys, owners of the lots on either side of the road, built a stone wall across the road, claiming the land at the end of the road was theirs. In 2013, the County sued the Montgomerys to remove the wall. Island Beach Access (IBA), an all volunteer, grassroots organization, joined the lawsuit soon after. In response to the lawsuit, the Montgomerys have provided no evidence, documents or surveys that show they own the land between the wall and the tidelands. On Friday, January 8, the County revealed that they are considering a settlement with the Montgomerys. The settlement was negotiated between the County and the Montgomerys, without the knowledge or participation of IBA. The settlement would close the Wonn Road access at the wall for the rest of the Montgomerys' lives. Those in favor of settling say that the access will return to the County after both Montgomerys are dead, perhaps 30 or more years from now. The County Commissioners will be deciding whether or not to accept this settlement at their meeting on Tuesday, January 26. THERE IS STILL TIME TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD: Sign the Request to the Commissioners. Write or call your Commissioner. Let your friends and neighbors know about this egregious taking of public lands. From Commissioner Helen Price-Johnson: PROPOSAL DOCUMENTS CHANGED This message is to give you the latest information on the important public beach access issue before the Commissioners on Tuesday. There have been changes made to a settlement offer. Here is a link to the new document being considered. Public beach access is a high priority for me. My position has been consistent since 2008. I promised to fight to preserve Wonn Road for all citizens. I don't support this proposal because I think it conflicts with state law, sets a terrible precedent, and more. Montgomerys' settlement offer drops alternative properties At Tuesday's Board of County Commissioners' meeting at 11 am, Prosecutor Greg Banks will be back to present his edited version of a settlement agreement on the beach access at Wonn Road. In exchange for $50,000 for beach park improvements, a beachfront lot at Ledgewood Beach and a release of public records requests, the Montgomerys gain title to the 40 foot strip of uplands and tidelands next to their vacation home for the rest of their lives, or if sometime during the next 10 years a majority of the Island County Commissioners accept an alternative property in exchange. Also in the agreement is a "gag order" of sorts restricting any employee or elected official from "directly or indirectly" assisting in a future legal action. The four listed properties in the previous version of the proposal have been deleted. There are criteria suggested in an attached resolution, but it is important to note that the document is not legally binding to a future decision. This all began in 2008 when the Montgomerys built a stone wall across the end of Wonn Rd. cutting off historic public access to the beach near Greenbank Farm, claiming it was their private property. In 2009 the (then) Board of Commissioners voted to defend the public's right to beach access at a county road end terminating at the shoreline as per state law (RCW 36.87.130). A group of local citizens organized as Island County Beach Access (IBA) joined the County in the effort and began doing extensive research in support of the County's action. The Prosecutor's office finally filed the lawsuit in 2013, adding tidelands access to the suit, and IBA was given permission by the court to join in the action. IBA also argued that historic prescriptive easement should preserve public use at this beach property, even if the quiet title action is unsuccessful. In August 2014, Montgomery, IBA, the Prosecutor and Commissioner Jill Johnson met with a mediator to seek a resolution to the dispute. The Prosecutor negotiated a settlement agreement without IBA's involvement, and against my objection. When it was revealed, IBA urged the Commissioners to delay action until a thorough legal analysis can be done on the offer. The Prosecutor refused this request and so a restraining order has been requested from the Court. That hearing is scheduled for Friday, January 29, 2016. It is my belief that this proposed settlement conflicts with the state law noted above, does not resolve the issue of prescriptive easement, restricts First Amendment rights of those covered by the "No Assistance" section (2.g) and exposes the County to future litigation. The proposal is on the Tuesday, January 26 agenda, scheduled for 11 am public comment. Many constituents have already expressed concern about the proposal. Emails and phone calls, even an online petition of over 500 signatures opposing the settlement show the overwhelming public support for having the court decide this issue. Your input is welcome too. Island County Commissioner Helen Price Johnson (360) 679-7353 [email protected] www.islandcounty.net

A climate disaster is unfolding in Aliso Canyon near Los Angeles. A monstrous methane leak from a SoCal Gas Co. facility that was first detected in October has now spilled more than 84,000 metric tons of methane into our atmosphere, the equivalent of burning 800 million gallons of gasoline. Methane is more than 80 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide over two decades. It is the largest methane leak in U.S. history. More than 2,500 residents of the adjacent Porter Ranch community have been forced from their homes, and two schools have shut down. Children and other residents were exposed to high levels of benzene, and have suffered headaches, nausea, and nosebleeds. While Governor Brown has declared a state of emergency, and crews are working to stop the outpouring, stronger action is needed now to make sure this disaster is never repeated. Please sign the petition to ask Governor Brown to use his authority to shut down and decommission the Aliso Canyon Natural Gas Storage Facility.