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FRIDAY DECEMBER 23/11
TOYS GALORE | Renton Salvation Army fulfills wishes [8]
Picture perfect | Popular photography studio Hudson’s Portrait Design moves from REPORTER NEWSLINE 425.255.3484 Renton to Tukwila [3]
Eagles start well | Read about the Lindbergh boys basketball team that’s among the league leaders [12]
Levies, bond could help out Renton schools The Renton School District will ask voters this winter to fill the budget gap not covered by state, federal or district funds raised from rental facility fees with two levies and one bond measure on the Feb. 14 ballot.
The measures are needed to fund everything from classroom learning materials, math instruction, software licenses, bus transportation, and safety improvements to a badly needed new middle school. If the measures are approved, collection would begin in 2013. The district estimates that they would cost taxpayers an additional 69 cents per
$1,000 of assessed valuation initially, raising the rate collected to $5.40 per $1,000. Homeowners with a home valued at $252,000 would pay a total of $1,361. Maintenance and operations make up 30 percent of the budget and every four years the district has to ask taxpayers for a renewed commitment to funding, said Randy Matheson, district spokesperson.
Merry Christmas!
Renton fire stations spread cheer with toy giveaway
[ more LEVY page 7 ]
Sweet success found in making pies BY TRACEY COMPTON tcompton@rentonreporter.com
BY TRACEY COMPTON tcompton@rentonreporter.com
Santa Claus made an early visit to a Renton family on an antique fire engine truck and was wwescorted by vehicles and firefighters from Station 17 on Monday. The very special trip and parade of equipment was part of a program developed with Communities in Schools of Renton and the Renton Firefighters Local 864 Firefighters Benevolent Fund. Communities in Schools identifies lowincome families in need and the Firefighters Benevolent Fund gives $250 to each fire station for each family. One family is assigned to each fire station and in addition to those funds, firefighters contribute money as well. “It happened last year with a station looking for a family and then it turned into a family per station and now it’s gone to outside the city of Renton,” said Sue Paro, executive director of Communities in Schools of Renton. “We’ve grown just in between last year and this year.” As the vehicles arrived at the apartment complex where Linda Beckwith and her family lives, the spectacle drew attention from children like the Pied Piper. Santa arrived and passed out candy canes, but his intended audience was with Beckwith’s three boys. The boys - Gabriel White, 3; Antonio
This comes in the form of the Education Maintenance and Operations Replacement Levy, which was on the 2008 ballot and will expire in 2012. A second levy is being put on the ballot that provides for math, reading and writing instruction, student assessment, teacher
Santa, specially sent by Renton Fire and Emergency Services, visits Antonio Beckwith, James Beckwith and Gabriel White. TRACEY COMPTON, Renton Reporter Beckwith, 7 and James Beckwith, 9 - stood in excited amazement and shock as Santa climbed from the truck. Santa, a Renton firefighter, brought in a sack of goodies with the help of other staff from Station 17 to the Beckwith’s home. The boys tore into one present each and saved the rest for Christmas. Linda Beckwith, their mother, called the experience great. “I’ve been feeling great all week; it’s really nice because my kids wouldn’t have had anything,” she said. “I lost a lot of hours on my job, so this was great that
they were able to do that for my kids.” All Renton Fire Stations plus District 20 in Skyway participated in the toy giveaway program. About two weeks ago Linda Beckwith went shopping with Capt. John Hettick and Firefighter John Hollcraft from Station 17. “John and I pushed the cart and it was a wonderful experience,” said Hettick. Beckwith loaded up the cart, but only wanted to get gifts for her children and mother. [ more FIREFIGHTERS page 7 ]
With a bit of serendipitous luck, Richard Tynes went from unemployed to overworked by Thanksgiving, all with the help of his mother’s pie recipe. Tynes is the man behind Ms. Margie’s Sweet Potato Pies. The pies first appeared at the Renton Farmers Market this summer and became so popular that they eventually landed a place on the shelves at all four Uwajimaya grocery stores in the greater Seattle area. But, it all happened by chance. Tynes was holding on to a moneymaker. Its potential he hadn’t fully realized yet when he was baking in the kitchen one day as an out-of-work carpenter. “I can’t really tell you why I started,” he said. “I just started messing around in the kitchen one day and trying to perfect my mom’s recipe and boom, bam!” Tynes remembers the day his version of this mother, Margie Tynes’ sweet potato pie came together. One of his daughters told him he finally got it right and said, “This is Thanksgiving and Christmas all wrapped in one,” he remembered. Tynes’ mother will never get to taste his version of her pies, she died in 1991. The first thing one detects about Tynes’ pies is the cinnamon. Some have even been tricked into thinking that they are pumpkin pies because of their sophisticated mix [ more PIES page 14 ]
206.949.1696 www.marciemaxwell.com Marcie Maxwell Associate Broker, Realtor & CRS
Lisa Lam
Realtor, CRS, ABR & ASP
549223
BY TRACEY COMPTON tcompton@rentonreporter.com