Covington/Maple Valley Reporter, January 30, 2015

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REPORTER

COVINGTON | MAPLE VALLEY | BLACK DIAMOND FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015

A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

NEWSLINE 425-432-1209

LOCAL | Maple Valley City Council considers refinancing bond [page 3]

Falcon Win | Kentlake girls beat Tahoma Bears at home. [10]

Washington’s smoke signals: marijuana myths

WEBSITE | Check the website for breaking news, sports and weather stories. maplevalleyreporter.com or covingtonreporter.com

Neighbors: The grass isn’t always greener

BY RAY STILL

BY ERIC MANDEL

rstill@courierherald.com

emandel@covingtonreporter.com

In the Reporter’s and Courier-Herald’s second installment of our Washington’s smoke signals series on marijuana, the topic of myths around pot are tackled.

Drive through most neighborhoods in Maple Valley, Covington or other small cities in the region and they usually appear to be peaceful, friendly places to live. That outward appearance is probably accurate, unless there is a battle brewing between some neighbors. In a majority of neighbor disputes, it’s hard to pinpoint the exact cause for MAPLE all the feuding. VALLEY One side makes claims against a neighbor’s behavior and the other side alleges the first is a bad neighbor. Maple Valley Detective Jason Stanley said he’s seen neighborhood disputes and is grateful he gets along with his own neighbors. In his mind, there’s little worse than a neighbor dispute — being a prisoner in your own home. “They’re not even compelling stories

Think back to high school health class – you may have seen the old propaganda film “Reefer Madness,” originally released in 1938, though it was revived and brought back to schools in the 1970s. Sparing the plot details of the film, it paints marijuana as “the new drug menace which is destroying the youth of America in alarmingly increasing numbers.” The film claimed marijuana is a violent [ more SMOKE page 6 ]

Practice at the Park

Tahoma High football star Amandré Williams, left, practices with his dad, Tyrone, at Ravensdale Park Saturday. The park will be open for a limited schedule starting Feb. 2. The grand opening is planned for the spring. DENNIS BOX, The Reporter

Nonprofit coordinates donation to Sierra Leone BY ERIC MANDEL emandel@covingtonreporter.com

Officials from The Bridge of Hope are coordinating with the city of Kirkland to donate a surplused Kirkland Fire Aid car to assist with the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone. There is a lack of sterile transportation options in Sierra Leone for suspected Ebola patients. The disease spreads when Ebola patients and non-Ebola patients are transported in the same vehicle. The donated aid car will be used to transport patients to Magbenteh Hospital in the town of Makeni, in Sierra Leone. According to a fire department press release, there are only three such

aid cars serving the over five million people in the country. Mike Jeffery, Battalion Chief for the Kirkland Fire Department and Director of Operations for The Bridge of Hope, a nonprofit organization in Maple Valley, said the interior of the aid vehicle is made of easily washable linoleum, stainless steel and plexiglass. The stretcher is vinyl. These products are much more easily decontaminated. “They need specific vehicles that they can keep isolated and clean,” Jeffery said. The aid vehicle was originally purchased eight years ago for about $125,000, according to Jeffery. With more than 60,000 miles of use, Jeffery said the vehicle

would likely be sold at auction for less than $15,000, which is the value at which a city can donate surplused items to areas of need without public approval. A privately donated Suburban that will be used at the Sierra Leone Bridge of Hope compound will be shipped alongside the aid vehicle. Various hospitals and medical personnel also donated roughly five tons of supplies that include gloves, gowns, syringes, catheters, trauma supplies, vitamins and aspirin, Jeffery said. Despite the dire need for the aid vehicle and supplies, Jeffery said the contract-related slowdown at the West Coast seaports are causing major shipment delays. “We’re not on the queue right now for any outgoing ship at this time,” he said. “We’re trying to get our foot in the door. We’ve been on the phone literally for months.” Jeffery said he is considering transporting the aid vehicle and [ more NONPROFIT page 2]

[ more NEGIHBORS page 7 ]

A surplused aid truck from the city of Kirkland, with an assist from The Bridge of Hope, will be donated with medical supplies to the Ebola relief effort. Contributed photo


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