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Wednesday, March 19, 2014 | 75 cents
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Heavy rains cause damage Council
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Wash outs close roads in Osceola, near Flaming Geyser By Dennis Box Editor
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Weather The forecast calls for rain Wednesday with a high near 47 and lows to 39. Rain is forecasted to continue Thursday with highs to 49 and lows to 38. Friday will bring partly sunny skies with a high to 51. A chance of showers returns Saturday and Sunday with highs to 55 and lows to 40.
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After more than a week of rain with little relief, the roads near Enumclaw and Black Diamond have taken a beating. A landslide Sunday has closed a portion of Green Valley Road near Flaming Geyser Park. The road was still open Sunday, according to King County Road Services Division, but was closed Monday while crews cleared the damage. Last week a road washed out in Osceola across from Tom DeSanto Greenhouses on Southeast 456th Way. The road was closed the morning of March 11 after a rain storm washed out the slope and part of the road. Rochelle Ogershok, public affairs coordinator for the roads division, said debris from the rain flood-
See Rain, Page 8
City attorney apologizes to Councilman Darrell Dickson By Kevin Hanson Senior Writer
The rain storm flooded this culvert March 10 causing a wash out on the slope and damaging the Southeast 456 Way. The road is closed for repairs. Photo by Dennis Box
Public testimony leans against recreational marijuana sales By Kevin Hanson Senior Writer
One after another, citizens stepped to the podium and asked Enumclaw city officials to slam the door on the sale of marijuana for recreational use. Their comments came during a March 10 public hearing at City
Hall, conducted as part of the evening’s regularly-schedule council meeting. The hearing was made necessary on Jan. 27, when the council took the seldom-used step of declaring an emergency and passing an immediate, six-month moratorium on the production, processing or retail of recreational marijuana
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within the city limits. The entire issue stems from the November 2012 statewide vote in support of Initiative 502, allowing the recreation use of marijuana by adults. And the council’s January action came in response to a decision by the state’s attorney general that individual communities retain the right to regulate how marijuana is handled within their borders. One requirement of January’s moratorium was a public hearing, aimed at determining the community’s general view on marijuana. Of the 13 who stepped forward to share an opinion, 12 decried the
Fallout from the political fireworks accompanying a late-February session of the Enumclaw City Council was evident when city leaders next gathered on March 10. The session opened with City Attorney Darrel Dickson Mike Reynolds apologizing to Councilman Darrel Dickson and concluded with Councilman Hoke Overland suggesting the
See CONDUCT, Page 8 potential, legal sale of recreational weed in Enumclaw. Only one took a middle-of-theroad stance. John Damazio made it clear from the start he wasn’t taking a position either way. But, he emphasized, his hope is that the city council will eventually render a decision based solely on cold, hard facts. “I want you guys to pull your emotion out and make your decision based on facts,” he said. “A few things we’ve heard here tonight are, in my opinion, not based in fact,
See Marijuana, Page 8
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EMERALD DOWNS SEASON 19 DEADLINE: March 24th at 4pm
Easter is right around the corner!