SEE INSIDE: Sumner teen honored for lifesaving actions | Page 8 . . . . Plateau club wins at Legion tourney | Page 11 . . . . Teens’ unique health needs | Page 16
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Wednesday, August 7, 2013 | 75 cents
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Just a leisurely Sunday ride...
East Pierce firefighters begin coat drive By Theresa De Lay Staff Writer
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The Sumner Fine Arts Festival took place Friday, Saturday and Sunday in downtown | Page 9
Weather The forecast for today, Wednesday, is sunny with a high of 80 and low near 55. Thursday’s forecast looks the same. Friday’s high will reach 78 with cloudy overnight skies. Saturday and Sunday will be partly sunny with highs reaching 76 and lows near 56.
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The Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire opened Saturday for the first of three weekends. The Cavallo Equestrian Arts group performed Ma’Ceo, their Romani-themed acrobatics show, Sunday afternoon. The group also puts on jousting shows during the Faire. Photo by Daniel Nash
It’s the beginning of August and a new winter coat is likely the last thing on your mind. While the sun is beaming hot and the weather is still dry, IAFF Local 3520 — the union that represents East Pierce Fire and Rescue — is seeking donations for Operation Warm. Each donation to Operation Warm will help provide coats to Pierce County children in need. The coats will be acquired from Operation Warm and distributed by East Pierce firefighters in the Sumner School District this fall. They are guaranteed to be American made, a fact that Local 3520 President Mike Westland is proud of, because it helps to ensure jobs stay here in the United States as opposed to being sent overseas, he said. Coats distributed through the program will be brand new, which fulfills an important need that is often overlooked. A good quality coat will shield children from the elements, but it also provides a higher sense of self-esteem, said Westland. Lack of sufficient winter wear has been shown to deter regular attendance during colder months,
See coats, Page 15
Homeless camp sweep kicks off police presence in forests By Daniel Nash Staff Writer
Bonney Lake police discovered at least two homeless camps in the Washington State University forest July 30, one littered with hundreds of possibly stolen gambling pulltabs. The discovery occurred during a planned sweep of the forest to find and break up transient camps — and hopefully recover a handgun recently reported stolen. In the past five weeks, the department received reports of seven successful and one attempted vehicle
prowl outside the shopping centers north of the forest; three prowls were reported in the past week. The crimes occurred at various times of day and often in the space of minutes, leaving police no clear pattern to follow, Officer Daron Wolschleger said. “When a theft happens out here, usually the suspect will run to the woods, take what they want and discard everything else before moving on,” he said. The roughly 150-acre forest is thick with growth and dozens of rough trails, making police searches on foot or bike difficult at best;
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felony crimes will warrant a K-9 search. The area’s relative seclusion has made it a prime spot for concealing criminal activity, ranging from underage drinking to drug activity and, in some cases, sexual assault. “(When a crime is reported) we can contain it with patrol cars from outside, but it’s still a huge area to cover,” Wolschleger said. During warmer months, the forest has also been known to house illegal camp sites. Last summer, the city shut down “Paradise Cove,” a particularly sophisticated vagrant encampment replete with power,
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a kitchen and a structure sturdy enough to ride out the 2012 ice storm. Police had been planning for weeks to sweep the forest for camp sites in a recently acquired all-terrain vehicle. Department officials plan to use the buggy — a Kawasaki Mule 610 — to eliminate the trials of searching Bonney Lake’s forests. The vehicle is designed to traverse rough terrain and hopped several curbs in and out of the forest easily during the operation. The report of a .45 caliber pistol
See mule, Page 2