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A Christmas Calendar | Check out what’s coming up to celebrate the holiday season [19]
Clothes for the holidays | The Renton Kiwanis Clothes Bank is in need of clothes this FRIDAY, DEC. 7, 2012 holiday season and all year round [3]
World at his feet | A mountain runner from Renton has won a world title [14]
Post-Heuschel process begins Gov.-elect Jay Inslee picks Renton school superintendent as his chief of staff. By TRACEY COMPTON tcompton@rentonreporter.com
Mary Alice Heuschel, left, was appointed last week by Gov.-elect Jay Inslee as his chief of staff. Submitted
As the Renton School District looks ahead to hire a new permanent superintendent, out-going superintendent, Mary Alice Heuschel, is leaving behind a legacy that put the district “on the map” educationally at the state and national level, according to her peers.
Last Friday, Gov.elect Jay Inslee announced that Heuschel will be his chief of staff when he takes office Jan. 16. The Renton School Board was expected to name her interim School Board President replacement after the Todd Franceschina on Renton Reporter press replacing Mary Alice deadline on WednesHeuschel day evening in a special meeting at district headquarters. The board was also to discuss the district’s
“It will need to be someone who will ‘buy in’ to where we are now and continue the great work that is being done in the district.” Renton
An end of an era for antique district Beverly Franklin has sold antiques in Renton for 40 years; economy takes its toll on Cedar Chest Antique Mall
plan to hire a search firm to conduct the nationwide superintendent search. Heuschel said she would leave behind information and material and be readily available by phone for her interim and permanent successors in the months following her departure. “I will help in any way I can,” she wrote via email. “This fabulous district and community will attract high-quality candidates.” In her first few days as Inslee’s chief of staff, Heuschel expects to be very busy. “The legislative session will have started; there will be an administration full of [ more Heuschel page 8 ]
City Council adopts city’s $457 million, 2-year budget
By DEAN A. RADFORD
By DEAN A. RADFORD
dradford@rentonreporter.com
dradford@rentonreporter.com
Beverly Franklin has always had a knack for finding treasures from people’s homes and even in, well, the dumpster when she was a child. Franklin’s career “I just realized, My finding and selling God, I could make a antiques in Renton living at this.” Beverly goes back about 40 Franklin, owner of Cedar years. Her antique stores, first the Chest Antique Mall Downtown Renton Antique Mall and now the Cedar Chest Antique Mall, have been mainstays of downtown Renton’s antique district for a quarter century. Now, at 81 and facing some health issues, she’s ready to make her last sale. “I hate giving it up, but healthwise it’s time for both of us,” Franklin said. The other half of that “us” is David Olds, who has helped Franklin parttime for a number of years. Before then, he owned
The Renton City Council adopted on Monday the city’s $457 million budget for the next two years. The biennial budget for 2013-2014 includes $202 million for the General Government Fund that is used for police, fire and emergency services, parks, street repair and other basics required to run a city. “This budget continues our commitment to fiscal discipline, while focusing on providing high quality services to our community,” said City Council President Rich Zwicker. Despite an estimated shortfall of $5 million per year, mainly due to reduced property values and rising costs, the balanced budget minimizes staff layoffs and preserves core services, according to the city. Instead the city’s workforce is re-
his own antique shop in Seattle’s Fremont district. Franklin is in the midst of a goingout-of business sale that ends with her traditional early closing on Christmas Eve. After that, her doors at 916 South Third Avenue close forever. Franklin got involved in antique sales
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in the 1970s, after getting laid off in the 1970s from Boeing. She got a job in Oregon, but the company wouldn’t pay for her move. She stayed put. So she started to sell “stuff ” in Renton and “I just realized, My God, I could make a living at this.” That’s not true today, she [ more antique page 7 ]
[ more budget page 2 ]
206-949-1696 info@marciemaxwell.com 709035
Beverly Franklin will close her Cedar Chest Antique Mall after Christmas Eve, following a weeks-long sale of antiques at her Third Avenue shop. dean a. radford, Renton Reporter