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COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMOND
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MARIANNE BINETTI | T’was the week before Christmas in the yard [page 10]
BOYS HOOPS | Any team can win on any HOLIDAY GREETINGS | The staff of The given day in the tough South Puget Sound Reporter wishes all a merry Christmas and Happy New Year. FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2011 League North division this season [11]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Law aims to keep drivers focused
Study to look at how to improve SR 516
BY TJ MARTINELL
BY TJ MARTINELL
tmartinell@covingtonreporter.com
tmartinell@covingtonreporter.com
In Covington, sitting idly at a green light because you’re changing the radio station could get you honked at. Now, thanks to a recently passed ordinance, it could cost you $250 for inattentive driving. At its Oct. 25 meeting, the City Council passed an Inattentive Driving Ordinance. The new ordinance, according to Covington Police Chief Kevin Klason, COVINGTON is intended to provide police with greater flexibility when issuing tickets to drivers. “It’s kind of a gap filler,” he said. “It will be one more tool the officers will have that will educate and correct bad driving behavior.” Klason explained that previous to the new ordinance officers were only able to issue infractions for negligent driving. This, he said, left a middle ground unfilled for drivers who deserve more than an infraction, but not negligent driving, which carries a $550 penalty. “If a motorist is driving down
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is currently conducting a study of state Route 516 and plans to release the final report in early 2012. The decision to study the corridor was made by the state legislature last year, according to Covington’s Public Works Director Glenn Akramoff. “It’s a request that Maple Valley, Kent, Black Diamond and Covington all made as a request through the Legislature,” he said. The study, he stated, is designed to help the cities, as well as the Legislature, see where work can be done. “It’s really to look at the corridor, look at some of the deficiencies,” he said. “The key thing is collecting data and looking at it in a holistic way. That’s really the whole purpose of it.” “Essentially it’s to see if there are needs on the highway and if so what the costs to make them better,” said Tom Washington, who works at the WSDOT Urban Planning Office. “We’re going through here trying to study the
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Some Winter Planting
Maggie Naffziger plants trees as a part of the Americorps restoration of the Dorre Don natural area in Maple Valley. Naffziger is a member of Civilian Community Corps based in Sacramento, Calif. The restoration is designed to promote native plant and tree species, as well as remove invasive species. TJ MARTINELL, The Reporter To view a slide show go to www.maplevalleyreporter. com and to buy photos go to the Web site and click on the photo reprints tab.
Christmas store offers gifts for families in need BY KRIS HILL khill@maplevalleyreporter.com
On Christmas morning children in Covington and Maple Valley who may not have expected to find much under the tree will be pleasantly surprised. That’s because earlier this week parents were able to shop at the Maple Valley Food Bank’s Christmas store, which was set up in a vacant storefront at Four
Corners, for toys, clothes, gift cards and even bicycles. The food bank expected a slight increase in clients this year, which would be in line with the trend of more requests since the economy took a nosedive in 2008. Volunteers began setting up the Christmas store last week, explained Angela Wilhelm, a project coordinator for the food bank who started working part-
time in June for the non-profit. “This is my first Christmas and it’s huge,” Wilhelm said. “Families who are already clients are invited to participate in this program. They get an appointment time. We distribute gifts on Sunday and Monday. We have this wonderful new place.” The store is decorated with donated Christmas decor “to make it look welcoming,” Wilhelm said. More than 20 volunteers helped sort through donations, set up the tables in the store and prepare for the clients who would be visiting on Sunday and Monday. During the days parents visited [ more GIFTS page 4 ]
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Jake Whitbeck, 18, hangs baby clothes while other volunteers sorted items for the Maple Valley Food Bank’s Christmas store on Dec. 15. KRIS HILL, The Reporter