MATT DRISCOLL: LIKES THE TASTE OF LEAD>>>

Almost as though they read our booze soaked minds, Exit 133 and King 5 TV are talking about something we here at the Weekly Volcano were discussing this weekend at a news staff meeting.

Construction is now in full swing on developer Mike Cohen's massive "Point Ruston", which will radically transform the old Asarco Smelter site in Ruston into some of the most beautiful and, no doubt, expensive property this area has ever seen.

The question on everyone's mind seems to be the implications of cleaning up the Asarco mess. As has been well documented, nearly a century of smelter activity at the Asarco sight has left the soil at Point Ruston rich with pollutants like arsenic and lead.  Asarco has reportedly cleaned up 75 percent of the mess, leaving Cohen and Co. to deal with the rest - something Cohen agreed to when he purchased the waterfront property. Though construction is underway as we speak, the cleanup process could take as long as ten years - with the EPA monitoring the whole process to make sure things are done correctly.

We don't claim to be psychic or know the future here at the Weekly Volcano, but something tells us there's bound to be a hangup or two over the next ten years while cleaning up the Asarco environmental disaster and erecting high priced homes and business real estate in its place. We're not psychic, but it seems like a pretty safe bet.

Only time will tell. We'll be here to keep you posted.