Arlington Times, December 20, 2014

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Herald THE SUNDAY

An Edition of

Friendly hotel opens early By STEVE POWELL spowell@marysvilleglobe.com

everywhere. Page 11.

Tulalips: Hope and healing crafts. Page 13.

INDEX CLASSIFIED ADS 15-18 LEGAL NOTICES

9

OPINION

4

SPORTS

10

WORSHIP

5

Vol. 124, No. 72

Steve Powell/Staff Photo

Christa Collins, Molly Fortner and Shirani De Rose get ready for customers at the reception desk. Iris Meyer said the hotel is fantastic. “It’s finally here,” she said. “They worked really hard for this. My dad would have loved to see it.” Stephanie Blount said she does a lot of traveling, to Las Vegas up to three times a year, for example, and she said the hotel is top rate.

“The decor is both modern and rustic,” she said, adding she enjoyed the furnishings, artwork and photographs of nature in the nearby area. “It doesn’t feel like a casino hotel to me.” O’Neil said it was very important for the elders to stay there the first night.

erations of the tribe who now live in Alaska and came down just for the opening. O’Neil wanted to emphasize that all of the construction is done not only at the hotel but also in the surrounding area, so traffic is no longer a problem. “We had construction on top of construction,” he said. “It’s easier access now.” One item that has not been built yet is a pool, which will go in to the west of the casino. But that work won’t start until spring or summer, O’Neil said. The hotel offers a meeting room for up to 16 people. There is also a workout room, although O’Neil is still waiting on the weights. The tribe had around 30 employees in the mid-1990s. Now, tribal administration employs 250 and the casino, gas station and smoke shop employ another 500. The casino added 57 employees to staff the hotel.

Toy stories brighten holidays for children in Arlington BY KIRK BOXLEITNER kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com

ARLINGTON — Sara McCarter has two daughters, ages 7 and 9. She and her husband are both unemployed, and while he’s been looking for work, health issues have prevented her from doing the same. Although they receive a small amount from her Supplemental Security Income, they’ve lost their house and have

been looking for other lodging. “If it wasn’t for this, I wouldn’t be able to give my girls any Christmas at all,” McCarter said of Operation Christmas Hope, a joint project of the Arlington American Legion and Arlington Community Food Bank. McCarter’s family is one of more than 600 that was referred to the toy store in the Legion Post Hall on

Dec. 18 by not only the food bank, but also Arlington Kids’ Kloset, the Apple Preschool, the Department of Social and Health Services, and the Darrington Family Support and Resource Center. “We’ve had lots of people this year who were both directly and indirectly affected by the Oso slide in some way,” SEE TOYS, PAGE 2

Kirk Boxleitner/Staff Photo

Mary Lea Hebert helps Sara McCarter pick out toys at Arlington event.

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Christmas: Lights

ARLINGTON – “The World’s Friendliest Casino” at Angels of the Winds north of Arlington now has “The World’s Friendliest Hotel.” That is according to Jeanine Russell, one of the Stillaguamish tribal members who stayed at the $27 million hotel on its opening night Dec. 15. “The employees are so accommodating,” she said. “And it’s absolutely gorgeous.” General Manager Travis O’Neil said things went so well that the hotel planned to open for business Friday, Dec. 19. Cost of the 125 rooms over five floors ranges from $114 to $279 a night. LaVaun Tatro, whose house used to be where the smoke shop now is, said it was an honor to stay there opening night. “We’ve come a long way,” she said of the tribe. “I’m very proud. Everything is so nice.”

“Those were their houses” that were torn down to make room for the hotelcasino, he said. The Stillaguamish got into the gaming business later than most tribes, opening the casino 10 years ago. The tribe didn’t have enough land for a casino until the tribal council decided to clear out housing in the early 2000s where the casino, hotel, gas station and smoke shop now sit. O’Neil said the hotel is ready, except for some minor decor additions. So while online reservations won’t start until Jan. 2, 2015, the staff is prepared to go. Only one staff member is from the tribe. O’Neil said he would like more, but they all have other careers as the Stillaguamish were late joining the gaming industry. The 280 tribal members are spread out all over the country. Blount, Russell and Meyer represent three gen-


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