Covington/Maple Valley Reporter, May 11, 2012

Page 1

Reporter

covington | maple valley | Black diamond

newsline 425-432-1209

local | Bringing acting into the opera world [page 3]

DOWN TO THE WIRE | Final game of the season showdown decides winner of SPSL Friday, May 11, 2012 North fastpitch crown [12]

A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

Hope in ample supply at fundraiser

WEBSITE | Check the website for breaking news stories and weather updates. maplevalleyreporter.com or covingtonreporter.com

Medical marijuana access point ‘unsafe’

BY KRIS HILL

By TJ Martinell

khill@maplevalleyreporter.com

tmartinell@maplevalleyreporter.com

Elizabeth lost her job, her house and her car in 2010. After five months of couch surfing with her son, who was then 3, Elizabeth found a safe place in Maple Valley to help her get back on track: Vine Maple Place. She arrived in September 2010 and moved into a cozy apartment at Vine Maple Gardens, a small transitional housing development owned by Vine Maple Place, a private faith-based non-profit which was founded in Maple Valley in 2000. Vine Maple Place provides transitional housing and services for homeless parents and their children. While she was recovering from her triple whammy, Elizabeth discovered life had thrown another unexpected surprise at her. “I found out a few weeks after I got here that I was pregnant with my daughter,” she said. “I didn’t like the situation I was in. I came here already in my head, I knew what I wanted to do, I had goals in place.” Raising her son on her own, going through the pregnancy with

Green Society Group owner Chris Schoonover has received a stop work order and unsafe notice from the city of Maple Valley. According to Schoonover, an official from the city posted the notices to the entrance of his Maple Valley business on May 3, after his permit was allegedly denied by the city due to its moratorium on medical marijuana gardens and dispensaries. “I was greeted at the desk and told they weren’t accepting it from me,” Schoonver said. “I thought he was joking. He said, ‘We’re not recognizing any permits until the moratorium is lifted.’” Schoonover’s attorney, Jay Berneberg, stated in a telephone interview he is considering whether to file an emergency injunction against the city’s unsafe notice, though Berneberg said he and his client are looking at other options as well. “My clients are not quitting,” he said. Calling the city’s actions “corrupt” as well using an expletive to describe the situation, Berneberg called it a weak attempt by Maple

[ more HOPE page 4 ]

Music Is The Spice of Life

Olivia Craven, an eighth grader at Tahoma Junior High, shows off her pizzicato skills on the cello during the Maple Valley Youth Symphony Orchestra’s “Spice of Life” concert May 4 at Maple Valley Presbyterian Church. dennis box, The Reporter To view a slide show go to www. maplevalleyreporter.com.

[ more MEDICAL page 5 ]

Stand in Motion on the move with new album By TJ Martinell tmartinell@maplevalleyreporter.com

Maple Valley natives Mark Hooton and Alex Silvi, the members of the band Stand In Motion, have been doing anything but in the past year. Having already released an EP “Reflections,” in August, they are set to release their first full-length album, “Between Here and There,” May 22.

Having known each other since first grade at Rock Creek Elementary their journey as musicians has also been intertwined with their friendship. Although they always had an interest in music they didn’t start playing until they were at Tahoma Junior High. There they started to experiment with an old stereo recorder. Hooton played the piano and guitar and sang while Silvi played the drums.

At Tahoma High, however, they fell out of contact and went their own separate ways musically, each forming his own band. The bands, however, did not last long and split up their junior year. In 2011 they reconnected and their mutual passion for music inevitably brought them back to where they had started. Looking back, both Hooton and Silvi believe the separation was beneficial. “Those few years definitely made us more mature,” Hooton said. “It was vital to have those years apart. It wouldn’t have been the same without those years on [ more BAND page 5 ]

Stand In Motion band members Mark Hooton (left) and Alex Silvi (right). Hooton and Silvi are 2011 Tahoma graduates. Photo courtesy of Daniel Benitez.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.