Sound Publishing, Seattlepi.com to share content

Sound Publishing, Inc., the parent company of the Mercer Island Reporter, and seattlepi.com announced a partnership that will provide content from pnwlocalnews.com, the home of Sound Publishing’s 30 community and suburban newspapers, to seattlepi.com readers. Under the new agreement, stories each day from pnwlocalnews.com will be published on seattlepi.com. Sound Publishing headlines will be showcased on the seattlepi.com home page as well. The stories from Sound Publishing will give seattlepi.com readers a new source for local, relevant coverage of current events in communities outside the City of Seattle.

“Sound Publishing’s 30 community newspapers offer excellent coverage of the neighborhoods surrounding Seattle, said Manfred Tempelmayr, president of Sound Publishing.”

Get winter road conditions via Twitter, text, e-mail or web

The Washington State Department of Transportation offers many services to drivers to help make traveling during the winter months easier, including e-mail, text and Twitter updates. Cell phone users with the Internet can also access information on WSDOT’s Web site: www.wsdot.wa.gov.

To sign up for any of the above news alerts concerning traffic, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/new. For mobile phone users with Internet access, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/small.

When on the road, drivers can also get travel alerts and mountain pass updates by dialing 511.

WSDOT recommends that all drivers, not just those making trips over the mountain passes, carry basic winter safety gear, such as an ice scraper, small shovel, tow chain and jumper cables, with a break-down kit consisting of blanket, gloves, warm clothes, boots, flashlight, first-aid kit, extra batteries and emergency cash. WSDOT says drivers should also carry chains in case conditions change to the point where chains are required. Vehicles without chains when required may be turned around by law enforcement or be given a citation.

In preparation for winter driving, WSDOT recommends getting the battery, lights, antifreeze, heater, belts, hoses, filters, oil, wipers and brakes checked to ensure that all are in correct working capacity.

More information on the state’s studded snow tire regulations, including when to put new tires on and take them off, can be found at www.wsdot.wa.gov/winter.

Visit http://wsdot.wa.gov/traffic/passes for updated pass information and http://wsdot.wa.gov/Traffic/trafficalerts/default.aspx for local traffic alerts throughout the state.