Track Clears Hurdle

Supporters of horse racing in Auburn cleared a major hurdle Friday when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers granted a permit to fill wetlands for the construction of a racetrack.

Northwest Racing officials announced last week that ground-breaking is set for a week from Monday. The group wants to replace Longacres, which had been Western Washington’s only thoroughbred track. Longacres closed in 1992 after The Boeing Co. purchased the site.

A lawsuit filed by the Citizen’s Alliance to Protect Our Wetlands is currently before the state Supreme Court.