Everett Daily Herald, December 27, 2014

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The to-do list See the eagles

Toy stories

A bit more Christmas

Learn the story behind toys and check out more than 35 different ones, along with a huge collection of whistles from around the world, at 2 p.m. today at the Snohomish Library, 311 Maple Ave.

Classical and jazz musicians meld their skills in a holiday show at 2 p.m Sunday at the Floyd Norgaard Cultural Center, 27130 102nd Ave. NW, Stanwood; suggested $15 donation, 18 and younger free.

SATURDAY, 12.27.2014

EVERETT, WASHINGTON

Forest Service staff and volunteers will be at Howard Miller Steelhead Park, Milepost 100 and Marblemount Fish Hatchery on Highway 20 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Sunday to provide information and eagle viewing opportunities. Look for the yellow “Eagle Watcher” signs.

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75¢ (HIGHER IN OUTLYING AREAS)

Trafton school’s fate is unclear

Duo charged in pot robbery A woman who worked for the victim, and pretended not to know the suspects, is accused of setting up the crime. By Rikki King Herald Writer

LYNNWOOD — The robbery plan was no masterpiece. For one, the woman’s acting terrified for the surveillance

cameras wasn’t particularly convincing. Then there was the tattoo. She pretended not to know the suspects — except one of them had her name inked on his arm. A Lynnwood-area medical

marijuana grower lost roughly $20,000 worth of product and supplies in the violent November holdup. Police allege it was set up by a woman who had briefly worked as a plant-trimmer at the man’s house just hours before. The woman and one of the robbers were arrested Dec. 9. Both were booked at the Snohomish County Jail on $500,000

bail and were charged this week with robbery. The Snohomish County sheriff ’s Major Crimes Unit has served multiple search warrants in the ongoing investigation. At least one other suspect remains at large. The robbery was reported See POT, Page A2

Still kicking up her heels

The first and only tenant to rent the property after it was closed by the Arlington School District in 2010 has decided to end its lease.

Original Rockette Eleanor Leight, 92, teaches and choreographs dance

By Kari Bray Herald Writer

TRAFTON — The fate of the historic elementary school here once again is up in the air. The Oso Community Chapel decided in November to stop leasing the old Trafton Elementary School building. Since fall 2011, the church had used the space for meetings, classes and, more recently, to store donations during the Oso mudslide recovery efforts. The church was the first and only tenant to rent the school after the Arlington School District closed the school in 2010, over objections from former students and from parents of children who attended the rural school in its final years of operation. When it closed, Trafton Elementary was the oldest continuously running school in the state. The district has no plans to lease the building to another tenant. “We definitely want to keep it in good repair at this point, but we’re not doing any major renovation work or anything,” district spokeswoman Andrea Conley said. “I don’t think (the school board) is at the point of making any decisions on what to do with the property. We just don’t have the money to staff it.” The building is recognized as a historic site on state and national registers. It gained those designations in 2008, 120 years after the school was founded and 96 years after it was rebuilt following a fire. Trafton Elementary is a twostory white schoolhouse with a gray roof crowned by a bell-tower and a smattering of moss. It’s on Jim Creek Road immediately off Highway 530 northeast of Arlington. Next to the school, there’s a picnic shelter painted with a bright orange tiger, Clifford the

GENNA MARTIN / THE HERALD

Eleanor Leight, 92, of Snohomish, was one of the original Radio City Rockettes. She now teaches dance classes and is the choreographer for the Silver Steppers senior dance group at the Mill Creek YMCA.

Herald Writer

SNOHOMISH — As a Radio City Rockette, she entertained troops during World War II with the group’s famous synchronized, eye-high kicks and sharp dance numbers. Now, at 92, Eleanor Leight is showing off her choreography and teaching dance. She hasn’t missed a step, coming up with routines and instructing young

Business . . . .A10 Classified . . . . B1 Comics . . . . . .D2

and old dancers here for nearly half a century. “She’s absolutely a gem in our community,” said Brenda Chovanak, a coordinator at the Snohomish Senior Center where Leight teaches. Leight started her professional career at a ballet company in Philadelphia. By her teens, she was teaching, having grown too tall to be part of the cast. Soon after, the company disbanded when the men were drafted to

Crossword . . .D2 Dear Abby. . . .D3 Good Life . . . .D1

Horoscope . . . B4 Lottery . . . . . .A2 Obituaries. . . .A8

fight in WWII. Leight turned to tap dancing and in 1942 auditioned for the Rockettes, a precision dance company that then performed four times a day out of Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The Rockettes are perhaps best-known for the grand finale of each show, in which the dancers intertwine arms, form a chorus line and kick in unison. Leight had the look and the legs for it.

Opinion. . . . .A13 Short Takes . . .D4 Sports . . . . . . . C1

ROY ROBINSON

“They were very particular about your legs,” she recalled. “I practiced and practiced. Dancers are like athletes. It’s hard work.” Leight said she didn’t have much trouble with the Rockettes’ grueling schedule but being part of the group demanded near perfect performances. A person would sit in the audience during shows, See KICK, Page A7

THE BUZZ: Whew. Sales of McDonald’s super-size french fries will resume in Japan. Page A2

See SCHOOL, Page A2 Sputtering 47/38, C6

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