REPORTER
COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMOND
NEWSLINE 425-432-1209
NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH | Unincorporated residents use technology to fight crime [page 3]
Meyers ready to conquer | Kentwood siblings hope to finish wrestling season on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2012 the podium together [16]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
First phase of city park to be done by spring
Election recount | Check the website for the 47th Legislative race recount results maplevalleyreporter.com or covingtonreporter.com
City Council establishes benefit district
BY KRIS HILL
BY TJ MARTINELL
khill@covingtonreporter.com
tmartinell@maplevalleyreporter.com
A project which has been more than a decade in the making will bring the city’s first soccer field to residents in the springtime in Covington. Work on the first phase of Covington Community COVINGTON Park is nearing completion. Beyond the soccer field is a trail system and eventually, as additional phases are built, the park will have so much more, according to Parks and Recreation Director Scott Thomas. “I’m working on getting phase two funding,” Thomas said. “The first phase met an important need. The population has grown by 40 percent, but no new soccer fields.
The Maple Valley City Council approved an ordinance establishing a transportation benefit district in the city at their Nov. 26 meeting. Although the exact amount of the fee hasn’t MAPLE been estabVALLEY lished yet, the benefit district is expected to cost Maple Valley drivers an extra $20 for their license tabs. The transportation benefit district is estimated to provide $320,000 annually towards maintaining, improving and preserving existing transportation facilities. The city’s real estate excise tax, which is currently used to provide $300,000 for the asphalt overlay program, has dropped from $2
[ more PARK page 4 ]
Belting It Out
Rae Solomon sings at The Spot coffee and wine bar in the Maple Valley Town Center Saturday. Solomon grew up in Enumclaw and lives in Covington. Her latest album was released in July. A former rodeo queen turned country singer, Solomon toured the last year, including opening for Blake Shelton. KRIS HILL, The Reporter
[ more DISTRICT page 4 ]
The times are changing for the Pythian Sisters of Black Diamond BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@covingtonreporter.com
Janice Ranton first joined the Pythian Sisters Temple 12 in Black Diamond when she was 16 years old. In a time before commuting, the Internet, cable television and even fax machines, lodges were the primary social function for people in town. They also served as a source for fringe benefits and philanthropic opportunities. Both of Ranton’s parents were members of a lodge. Her father belonged to the Knights of Pythias. The Pythian Sisters was the first lodge to open in Black Diamond in 1896. To become a member, girls had to be 16, English speaking and hold a belief in a Supreme
Being, which was easy for Ranton, whose family attended St. Barbara Catholic church. When Ranton became old enough to join, her mother brought her to one of the meetings along with other girls her age. As part of her initiation, Ranton had to memorize the different offices and the speaking parts. Their enthusiasm for the fraternity was evident, she said, as soon as they joined. “We learned the reciting parts before they did,” she said. It was easy, Ranton said, to become excited at the prospect of joining. In a small town like Black Diamond, few sources of entertainment were available outside the lodges. For Ranton, as well as the other girls, it gave them the
rare opportunity to dress up and attend dances, complete with a band and orchestra. “There were women there dressed fit to kill,” she said. “We didn’t see (ourselves in) mink coats, but it gave us an opportunity to dress up.” The fraternal lodges like the Pythian Sisters also acted as more than sources of entertainment and socializing. Among its other purposes was to provide a sort of health insurance for the women. When one got sick, the entire fraternity would help cover medical expenses through their dues. The fraternity would also travel to different lodges in the state, in addition to dinners and fundraising. At the time, Ranton said, [ more SISTERS page 4 ]
Pythian Sisters Lilynne Davis, Janice Ranton, Judy Warwick and Althea Craig. Formed in 1896, it is the oldest fraternal organization in Black Diamond. DENNIS BOX, The Reporter