GLOBE THE MARYSVILLE
Christmas: Outside lights and displays all over town. Page 11.
WEEKEND EDITION 21,2014 WWW.MARYSVILLEGLOBE.COM 75¢ WEEKEND EDITIONDECEMBER JUNE 8TH, 2014 WWW.MARYSVILLEGLOBE.COM 75¢
Herald THE SUNDAY
An Edition of
Toy story Spoiler alert: It has a happy ending BY KIRK BOXLEITNER kboxleitner@marysvilleglobe.com
Sports: Wrestlers pin, but lose. Page 10.
Kirk Boxleitner/Staff Photo
Colleen Goad picks out toys for her daughters as her family faces tough times.
MARYSVILLE — With three children and a husband whose job injury left him unable to work, Colleen Goad is one of many Marysville parents who found her family facing a challenging Christmas. “He was a furniture delivery man who broke his back,” Goad said, as she checked out the girls’ toy selections for her 8- and 13-year-old daughters at the Red
Curtain Arts Center Dec. 17. “He’s been on L&I the past two years, which gives us a little bit of income, but we could still use a little bit of help, and this definitely helps a lot.” Goad learned about the Marysville Community Food Bank’s Toy Store through The Grove Church. “I don’t want my kids to think that Christmas is just gifts, but SEE TOYS, PAGE 2
Tribe: Wake up to the hotel Stillaguamish spowell@marysvilleglobe.com
Tulalips: Hope and healing crafts. Page 13.
INDEX CLASSIFIED ADS 15-18 LEGAL NOTICES
9
OPINION
4
SPORTS
10
WORSHIP
5
Vol. 120, No. 75
ARLINGTON – “The World’s Friendliest Casino” at Angels of the Winds 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. 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.”
Steve Powell/Staff Photo
General Manager Travis O’Neil shows one of the new rooms with two queen beds in it. 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.
“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 raring 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-
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 mid1990s. 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.
1187789
By STEVE POWELL