INSIDE: Buckley City Council splits 4-2 on budget, page 4 . . . . Digester gets official kickoff, page 6 . . . . McBarron named White River’s first Daffodil Princess, page 9 . . . Top-ranked Hornet gymnastics team knocks off tough Thomas Jefferson, page 20
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Your hometown newspaper for more than 100 years!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
What’s Inside Classified ...................... Page 25 Views .................................Page 7 Sports ............................ Page 20 Obituaries .................... Page 11 Binetti ............................. Page 24
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Pure Imagination
Difficult budget is approved by council
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By Kevin Hanson
EHS swimming slide show Enumclaw police reports updated regularly Sports scores posted the following morning Updates daily. Go to: www.courierherald.com
Editor
Making just a few last-minute changes, members of the Enumclaw City Council adopted a 2012 operating budget during their final meeting of 2011. As was the case all across the state, the process wasn’t an easy one, as the ongoing economic downturn took its toll. “This has been a very, very difficult budget season,” Mayor Liz Reynolds said. “We had our ups and downs, but I think we handled it pretty well.” The budget passed by a 6-1 margin, with outgoing council member Rich Elfers taking a philosophical, opposing stance. Stating his belief that the 2012 spending plan does not emphasize the city’s core services, Elfers cast the lone dissenting vote. Councilman Sean Krebs had made it clear he would bring
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Deadlines The holiday season brings early deadlines to the offices of The Courier-Herald, so news items will need to be submitted a full week in advance of publication for the Dec. 28 and Jan. 4 editions. Things will return to normal in early January, meaning weekend events, including sports, will appear in the print edition.
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Today, Wednesday, should bring a chance of showers and a daytime high of 44 degrees. Cloudy skies prevail the rest of the week with temperatures in the lower 40s.
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Charlie Bucket, played by McKenna Leonard, Grandpa Joe, Brock Frame, Mr. Salt, Cameron Torres, Veruca Salt, Savannah McNabb, and Willy Wonka, played by Hunter Mills, spend some time among the bubbles in the chocolate factory’s carbonation room during the Carbonado School District’s production of “Willy Wonka Jr.” Dec. 13. Earlier in the musical Willy Wonka, Mills, surrounded himself with Oompa-Loompas. See story on page 23. Photos by Brenda Sexton/To view or buy
SEE BUDGET, PAGE 24
photos go to www.courierherald.com.
Librarian books on into retirement By Brenda Sexton Staff Writer
When Enumclaw Public Library Director Bob Baer retires at the end of December, it’s the people he will miss. Not just the crew he works with inside the walls at 1700 First St., but the folks who come in looking
for assistance with research, asking specific questions about the local history, or wanting a recommendation for a good read. “I didn’t have a desire to be an administrator at a larger library,” Baer said, reflecting on his 30 years at the Enumclaw Public Library. “It would have taken me away from the front desk and the people.”
Born and raised a New Yorker, Baer went to college and worked as a librarian in New Jersey for a time. He also spent time in the Midwest. He married Nancy in 1973 and after a while they were itching to leave the East Coast. They weren’t sure where they were heading, but
SEE BAER, PAGE 23
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Goodbye, Bob Community members are invited to join Bob Baer during an open house celebrating his years of service from 6 to 8 p.m. Dec. 30 at the public library, 1700 First St.
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