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Your hometown newspaper
Wednesday, January 21, 2015 | 75 cents
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Bonney Lake bans marijuana businesses
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By Ray Still Staff Writer
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Weather The forecast for today, Wednesday, calls for morning fog with a high near 48. Thursday shows a 30 percent chance of rain and mostly cloudy with a high near 50. Friday will look similar to Thursday. A chance of rain continues Saturday with partly sunny skies and a high near 54. Sunday should be partly sunny and 52.
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Rock and Roll Art
Rock balancing involves no wires, supports or glue – just a lot of time, patience and a little bit of luck. Several rock stacks line the trail near Sky Island in Bonney Lake, assembled by an unknown artist. Photo by Ray Still
The official vote for a ban on marijuana businesses in Bonney Lake brought about one of the largest City Council meetings of the year. Many citizens voiced their approval, or disapproval, of a recreational marijuana store in the city at the meeting. Although citizen comments appeared to split the room nearly in half over the issue, the City C ou nci l rema i ned unswayed by residents who wanted a recreational marijuana store and voted 6–1 to approve Ordinance No. 1502 (D15-08A) on Jan. 13. This ordinance effectively bans marijuana growers, processors and retail stores from operating in the city limits.
“I think this is the right step,” said Bonney Lake Mayor Neil Johnson by phone Friday, who was absent from the meeting. “I think Bonney Lake didn’t need a retail establishment.” Johnson said that the majority of people he and other council members talked to over the past few months were against a marijuana retail shop inside the city, and while he knows the majority of residents voted to approve 1-502, he said most people didn’t understand the initiative would open the city to marijuana businesses. The City Council is basing their ability to ban marijuana businesses from Bonney Lake on the opinion of Washington’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
SEE BAN, PAGE 10
Back in the spotlight: Roach wins American Open By Ray Still Staff Writer
I
t’s been six years since Bonney Lake resident Melanie Roach competed in weightlifting at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, placing sixth. Last month, though, Roach came back into the spotlight by winning the American Open, a biannual national weightlifting competition. The competition was
held last December in Washington D.C., where Roach placed first in the 53 kilogram (116.8 pounds) division. “I was not ever planning to returning to weight lifting again,” Roach said. “It was completely unplanned.” Roach performed two different kinds of lifts at the American Open – snatching and the clean and jerk. Snatching is when a
person picks the barbell off the floor and raises it straight above their head in one smooth movement. Roach snatched 73 kilos, or more than 160 pounds. The clean and jerk is a dual-movement lift. The lifter takes the barbell from the f loor to holding it across their deltoids, and then jerks it up above their head. Roach clean and jerked
SEE LIFTING, PAGE 10
Melanie Roach clean and jerks more than 213 pounds at the American Open. Photo courtesy Melanie Roach
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