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COMMUNITY | Volunteers, city make progress on Hylebos wetlands repairs [10]
VOL. 17, NO. 7
MIRROR
F E D E R A L WAY
DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
OPINION | Rep. Kochmar: What Sound Transit measure means for voters [6] Roegner: Has City Hall captured Jim Ferrell? [6] BUSINESS | Ulta beauty store coming to downtown Federal Way [12] CITY | Council to discuss direction of marijuana moratorium during special meeting [18]
SPORTS | Federal Way athletes FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2015 | 75¢ sign letters of intent [4]
Mark Koppang announces run for City Council
POLICE | Suspect buries himself to escape police [19]
Community gathers to construct new garden at Lakota
BY SARAH KEHOE skehoe@fedwaymirror.com
Longtime Federal Way resident Mark Koppang, 51, has announced his bid for election to the Federal Way City Council Position 5. The position is currently filled by Councilman Bob Celski, who recently stated he will not run for Council after his term expires at the end of this year. Koppang has run for office two times, including running against Kelly Maloney, who was appointed to the Council seat PosiMark Koppang tion 2 in 2013. “I’ve been serving the community in different capacities for several years,” Koppang said. “Federal Way is a great city and a young city full of potential. I would love to be a part of helping it grow.” Koppang said his priorities will include continuing the efforts to revitalize the downtown core and encourage employers to stay in, and relocate to, Federal Way. He also wants to partner with organiza-
BY KELSEY BAKER UW News Lab
D
Above, Native American healer Seneca Elder Golden Warren performs a traditional blessing at Lakota Middle School’s new community garden on Saturday. Left, city officials and volunteers hold ceremonial shovels to signify the start of the new garden. Photos courtesy of Bruce Honda
[ more KOPPANG, page 15 ]
espite wind and relentless rain, students, teachers and community members came equipped with tools and enthusiasm to begin construction of a community garden at Lakota Middle School. On Saturday, volunteers hauled soil, spread bark chip and built garden beds that will soon be home to various crops. The garden has been in discussion for over two years as a way to enrich Lakota’s Integrated Environmental and Sustainability Academy. Eighth grade teacher and coordinator Laurie Sukola explained how the academy originated. “It all started with kids saying, ‘we want to see something grow.’ They wanted to see something out here come to life.” So Lakota staff members created a program to support students’ interests. Integrated Environmental and Sustainability Academy began with one sixth grade class and one seventh grade class comprised of 25-30 students. There was one teacher per grade, who was responsible for teaching each subject with an environmental focus. Soon the program became so popular that parents were asking to extend the academy into eighth grade. Now, the academy is available for grades six through eight, but students must be chosen through an application process to participate. A community garden has been a part of the academy’s vision from the very start, but the school’s PTA is responsible for making it a reality. The project has been funded, planned and executed by Lakota’s PTA and will continue to be in the future. Upon completion, the garden is projected to produce 9-10,000 pounds of food per year, including lettuce, peas, cucumbers and more. “This will really help our students grow and get hands on experience,” Sukola said. “Our goal is [ more GARDEN, page 16 ]
Couple’s unusual love story that went national going strong after 36 years BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com
After his second divorce, Patrick Godfrey sat with his mother looking at old family photos. “I came across this picture of Margery and I from high school and I said to my mom, ‘I don’t know why
I had to have these other marriages, why couldn’t I have married Margery in the first place, had a normal marriage, children and life?’” Patrick Godfrey, 72, recalled of a moment more than 30 years ago. “I didn’t understand why I had to do all this other stuff.” But he had an “overwhelming sense” he could have it that way and began to look up Margery’s maiden name, Southworth, in the phonebook, however,
he had no luck with the 1520 he found. “My mom thought I should probably go back to the hospital since I was barely divorced and shouldn’t be looking to create a relationship,” he said. Then in his mid-30s, the California native had been married twice, had a daughter with his first wife, a son with his second and had just got custody of his stepson. He was also battling
alcoholism. “I figured I’d just raise the boys,” he said. “That was my principle objective.” The couple had dated in high school but had gone their separate ways — Patrick Godfrey had been back and forth from Hawaii working as a Tahitian musician and assistant director to the Hawaii Medical Association and his sweetheart had graduated college, worked at Schick [ more LOVE, page 3 ]
Patrick and Margery Godfrey had an unusual encounter that brought them together years after high school. RAECHEL DAWSON, the Mirror