SEE INSIDE: Firework show a go in Enumclaw | Page 3 . . . . East Pierce earns national EMS award | Page 9 . . . Area athletes sign letters of intent | Page 25
Wednesday, June 3, 2015 | 75 cents
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
www.courierherald.com
Council wants Cayuse Pass open all year
What’s Inside
Sports.................................Page 4 Views...................................Page 6 Obituaries.........................Page 11 Outdoors...........................Page 18 Classified...........................Page 20
By Kevin Hanson Senior Writer
This Week... • The Bonney Lake Food Bank is participating in
Weather The forecast for Wednesday calls for a 50 percent chance of showers with highs near 61. Showers may continue into the night with lows around 49. Thursday calls for a small chance of showers and sun with highs near 68, which drops to a low of 51 at night. Expect sunny skies on Friday, Saturday and Sunday with highs in the upper 70s.
Contact Us! Main Desk 360-825-2555
News ..................................ext. 3 Retail Ads .........................ext. 2 Circulation ........................ext. 1 Classifieds..................ext. 7050
Pink for Beau Tanner Grace, top, gets in position for the large group photo at the Wear Pink for Beau community event Friday. Beau Ward and his friend were burned in a gasoline explosion on May 22. Beau received burns on 60 percent of his body and has undergone four surgeries. More than $27,000 has been raised for Beau and his family on www.gofundme.com/beauward. Photos by Ray Still
Bonney Lake food bank proposes move to council By Ray Still Reporter
T
he Bonney Lake Food Bank casts a wide net of aid and community service over the city and neighboring communities. However, Executive Director Stew Bowen announced last week the food bank needs
to change locations in order to continue to offer its services to residents. During the May 26 Bonney Lake City Council meeting, Bowen presented his plans to move the food bank from its current location next to the Bonney Lake fire station to the empty gravel lot on 89th Street East, across the street from the Bonney Lake
Check the FLYER BOARD for local ads and events! Located on our Website: BLSCourierHerald.com
Community Garden. The council reacted positively to the proposal, and the move is set to be discussed at upcoming council workshops.
Service capacity reached
When the food bank started in 2009, approximately 42,000 individuals 1328014
Century Link’s annual food drive from June 1 through June 12. For each pound of food donated to the Bonney Lake Food Bank, Century Link will donate $1. For every dollar donated to the food bank, Century Link will donate $6. Donate money online at blcr.org/ matchingfundsdrive. More information about the food bank and the Century Link food drive can be found on blcr.org.
With an eye to increased economic opportunities for the region, members of the Enumclaw City Council unanimously endorsed a request that Cayuse Pass be kept open throughout the year. The council previously adopted a similar resolution, asking that Chinook Pass be maintained for vehicle traffic during the winter months. The Washington State Department of Transportation now closes the mountain passes when winter weather sets in, opening them according to springtime conditions. A resolution passed by the council May 26 noted that WSDOT keeps Snoqualmie, Stevens and White passes open all year, “providing economic benefits to communities along those highways.” It was additionally noted that the National Park
Service maintains yearround access to Paradise on the south side of Mount Rainier National Park and the Carbon River Ranger Station on the park’s western corridor. The result is a financial benefit to communities like Buckley, Wilkeson, Eatonville, Elbe and Ashford. Enumclaw, the council resolution points out, serves as the gateway to the north and east sides of the park. “The seasonal closure of Cayuse and Chinook passes deprives Enumclaw of economic benefits enjoyed by communities along highways with year-round access across the Cascade Mountain Range,” the council-approved resolution states. It is noted that Cayuse Pass was kept open all year until the early 1970s. The dollars dropped by mountain travelers are significant. A National Park Service report determined visitors spent more than $45 million in communities surrounding the national park during 2014.
were given aid between July of 2009 and June of 2010. According to Bowen, that number increased to 49,000 individuals during 2014. The food bank also served 17,920 children last year, up from 16,000 kids served between July 2009 and June 2010. Bowen said the food bank aids 4,400 people each month on average, with 40
percent of that figure being children and 15 percent senior residents. If that average stays the same for the rest of the 2015 year, Bowen expects to serve close to 53,000 people. Close to 1.6 million pounds of food was donated to the food bank in 2014
SEE FOOD BANK, PAGE 9
Tapps Island Golf Course Senior Special 60+ (Mon-Fri before noon) 18 Holes - $22 with Cart, $15 walk
Tee Times: 253.862.7011
Must present this coupon. Exp. 6/30/15
www.tappsislandgolf.com