Winners all around
The to-do list Bizarre bazaar: Oddmall, which is part art show, part nerd fest, is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. today and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at Holiday Inn, 3105 Pine St., Everett. Free. Read more on Page D1.
EdmondsWoodway, Jackson both in state title games, Page C1
Have a taste: The Skagit Wine & Beer Festival is 4 to 8 p.m. today at Skagit Valley Inn and Convention Center, 2300 Market St., Mount Vernon. $40 per person or $70 per couple. On ice: See princes, princesses, skating mice and more at “Disney on Ice” at Xfinity Arena in Everett. Shows are 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 and 7 p.m. today and 1 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $12 to $72. ●
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Fire district squeezed thin With a levy increase rejected, officials in rural Arlington are puzzling over what to do next to keep providing services. By Rikki King Herald Writer
ARLINGTON — Leaders at Snohomish County Fire District 21 in rural Arlington are
exploring their options after voters rejected a levy increase in the general election. More than 55 percent of voters said no, according to preliminary election results. The levy
would have raised the district’s fire-service tax from 69 cents per $1,000 of property value to $1.50 per $1,000. The district commissioners want to talk to neighbors before deciding whether to seek a levy again next year, Fire Chief Travis Hots said. The district has one of the
lowest overall tax rates for firefighting and emergency medical services in the county, Hots said. It’s one of the few volunteer fire departments left here. “We can’t provide the same level of service that the majority of the county gives for a lot less See FIRE, Page A5
They have pledged to contribute $1.86 million to the United Way of Snohomish County, which will use the money in a variety of ways.
Forever families found
Children given permanent homes on National Adoption Day
By Dan Catchpole Herald Writer
from the Bible in which Jesus spoke of the blessings for those who clothed, fed and housed strangers. “To be a Christian is more than going to church. If we serve God, we really want to serve him,” Todd McNeal said. For the McNeals that means
EVERETT — Boeing workers are reaching deep in their pockets to support United Way of Snohomish County. They’ve pledged to give $1.86 million next year, an increase of nearly 9 percent — or about $151,000 — over their contribution this year. The money is the United Way of Snohomish County’s largest yearly contribution, according to a news release from the group. It comes through the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound, and is given out over the course of the year, rather than all at once. United Way will use the money to support a variety of programs, including early learning, child development, career and job skills training, and North Sound 211, a phone service staffed by volunteers who help callers find available health and human services. “This pledge from Boeing employees is the single largest contribution that we get,” Neil Parekh, United Way’s spokesman, said. “It makes a huge difference in what we do.” It makes up about 20 percent of the group’s annual budget, which is typically between $9 million to $10 million, he said. “We have a long-term relationship with United Way of Snohomish County,” the fund’s president, Kathleen SnedenCook, said in the news release. “They are tireless in their effort to ensure the value of each and every contribution is maximized.” Several members of the fund’s board of trustees live in Snohomish County. The group contributes to 10 United Way organizations in the metro Puget Sound area.
See ADOPT, Page A2
See BOEING, Page A2
MARK MULLIGAN / THE HERALD
Three-year-old Hilah McNeal clutches a sign that reads “Today I was adopted” as she poses for photos with the rest of her family Friday morning at the Snohomish County Courthouse in Everett. Hilah was adopted Friday along with two sisters, Ana, 11, and Mariela, 12.
By Diana Hefley Herald Writer
the buzz
EVERETT — The girl spent 1,052 days in foster care. On the 1,053rd day, wearing a new dress and glittery gold shoes, Hilah McNeal held up a homemade cardboard sign that read: “Today I was adopted.” The 3-year-old girl wrapped
her arms around her oldest sister as Todd and Mary McNeal legally welcomed three new daughters into their family on Friday as part of the Snohomish County’s National Adoption Day celebration. Along with Hilah, the McNeals adopted two sisters, Mariela, 12, and Ana, 11. The Mill Creek couple have been foster parents
Oh, bother Bear bottom: Officials in the Polish town of Tuszyn are objecting to a proposal to place a sculpture of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh in a playground because “it doesn’t wear underpants because it doesn’t have a sex. It’s a hermaphrodite.” Pooh wears a red shirt but no pants (Page A7). Considering scantily clad
to all three. Hilah was an infant when she came into their home. The older girls have been with the McNeals since 2013. The McNeals have been foster parents for a decade and provided a home for about 100 children. “It’s just a way to live our faith,” Todd McNeal said. He reflected on a passage
figures in Eastern Europe, who should Poland be more concerned about: A pantless plush bear with a honey dependency or a shirtless Russian leader with a territory addiction?
ent of the award (Page D4). The award does qualify Leno for the next opening on a late-night television talk show, but he’s 18th in line behind the other recipients. And Mark Twain.
Never the Twain shall meet: Former “Tonight Show” host Jay Leno receives the Mark Twain Prize for humor Sunday night on PBS. Leno is the 17th recipi-
Got us feeling all right: The Library of Congress honored pop singer Billy Joel with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song this week. A concert, to be broadcast
Boeing workers plan to give big
on PBS on Jan. 2, featured Joel and other pop stars performing for Washington, D.C., officials. Democrats and Republicans were seen sitting side by side, clapping to the same beat (Page D4). In hopes that similar camaraderie might break Congress’ gridlock, each day’s session will now begin with a bipartisan singalong of “Piano Man.”
—Jon Bauer, Herald staff
INSIDE Business . . . . .A8 Classified . . . . B1 Comics . . . . . .D2 Crossword . . .D2 Dear Abby. . . .D3 Good Life . . . .D1
Fleeting 49/44, C8 VOL. 114, NO. 285 © 2014 THE DAILY HERALD CO.
Horoscope . . .A6 Lottery . . . . . .A2 Obituaries. . . .A6 Opinion. . . . .A11 Short Takes . . .D4 Sports . . . . . . . C1
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