- ....Breaking News.MOUNT VERNON, Wash. (AP) - The Washington Transportation Department says 67,000 vehicles a day used the stretch of Interstate 5 through Mount Vernon that is now blocked by the collapse of the Skagit River bridge. Mount Vernon is about 60 miles north of Seattle and 40 miles south of the Canada Border. The roadblock on both directions of I-5 is expected to cause a major disruption in trade and tourism between Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. The Transportation Department has set up detours. The closest is within sight of the I-5 bridge and mostly used for local traffic between Mount Vernon and Burlington. The department also is recommending detours using Highway 20 and Highway 9 that add tens of miles to a trip. Officials are urging drivers to avoid the area if possible. .. ...

01/01/13 New State Laws



OLYMPIA, Wash. - Several new state laws go into effect at the stroke of midnight Tuesday - making us safer, making it tougher to drink and drive, and making it a little easier to make ends meet.

On the safety front, all apartments, condos, hotels and homes will be required to have carbon monoxide monitors.

In the winter of 2006, carbon monoxide killed eight people who were trying to stay warm or cook indoors.

Another new state law makes it tougher for convicted drunk drivers to drive drunk. All ignition interlock devices in our state will now snap a photo as the driver gives a breath sample.

The miminum wage in our state went up by 15 cents to $9.19 an hour, the highest of any state in the union.

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