SEE INSIDE: Black Diamond votes to assume water rights | Page 3 . . . . Buckley to host Pierce County Council | Page 14 Enumclaw grad rises through BYU Cougar ranks | Page 24
Wednesday, September 16, 2015 | 75 cents
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King and Pierce counties hope to bridge White River
What’s Inside
Views...................................Page 8 Obituaries.........................Page 11 Home and Garden........Page 15 Sports.................................Page 24 Classified...........................Page 27
By Kevin Hanson Senior Writer
This Week...
Build it and they will come. While that might be the premise of a classic baseball film, it also applies to the popular Foothills Trail. As boosters continue adding to the ribbon of asphalt, it is blanketed by walkers, joggers and bicyclists, from serious athletes to families out for a Sunday stroll. But those who enjoy the trail can only go so far. The White River, as it flows between Enumclaw and Buckley and makes up the King-Pierce county line, provides a beautiful-butdaunting physical barrier. Getting a span across the river has long been on the trail enthusiasts’ wish list. All it requires is a pot of money. That, and the political desire to make things happen. The Metropolitan King
• Beautify Bonney Lake
volunteers will be working rain or shine on Saturday, Sept. 19, from 8 a.m. to noon. Sign up as a volunteer at http:// www.beautifybonneylake.org • The Enumclaw Rotary Duck Race, originally
scheduled for Sept. 12, has been postponed due to salmon running in the creek. The race will be rescheduled to a later time. • Yom Kippur begins on the evening of Sept. 22 and ends the next evening.
Weather
Summer looks to be officially over as the forecast for Wednesday calls for rain with highs near 62 and lows around 51. Thursday also expects rain with highs near 65 and lows near 51. Friday, Saturday and Sunday will also most likely see rain with highs in the low 70s and lows in the low 50s.
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Getting back in the groove Bonney Lake High School students are prepared and ready to go for another school year as summer ended faster than many would have liked. Photos by Ray Still
County Council took a step in that direction Sept. 8, unanimously approving an interlocal agreement through which King County and its partners will seek funding to get a bridge across the river. While a cooperative approach – involving both King and Pierce counties, as well as Enumclaw and Buckley – has long been talked about, recent developments a bit west have jumpstarted discussions. As the state’s Department of Transportation oversaw construction of a replacement bridge over the Puyallup River, the fate of the old bridge centered upon its potential use on the Plateau. The old bridge sat just north of downtown Puyallup and not long ago was scooted to nearby, vacant property. The massive steel structure is in a holding
SEE BRIDGE, PAGE 6
Bonney Lake fireworks ban debate | Week 2 Editor’s note: Each year since the early 2000s, the issue of banning fireworks inside the Bonney Lake city limits has come before the City Council. This year the unusually dry weather and increased danger of brush and wildfires has raised the discussion to more than just a spark and fizzle. A town hall meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Justice and Municipal Building, where residents will have the opportunity to discuss whether or not the city should enact a fireworks ban. Courier-Herald reporter Ray Still has organized an in-paper debate on the question of whether Bonney Lake should or should not ban fireworks. The three debate
participants are Justin Evans and David Baus, Bonney Lake residents running for Council Position No. 2, and Karen Gower, public relations district director with TNT Fireworks. For this issue, Evans, Baus and Gower will rebut statements made in last week’s issue when each debater answered why, or why shouldn’t, Bonney Lake enact a fireworks ban. The final debate will be published in the Sept. 23 issue. The Courier-Herald encourages our readers to participate in this debate by sending questions and comments to Ray Still, rstill@courierherald.com. Questions and comments may also be posted to the debates online.
Anti-ban
Pro-ban
David Baus
Justin Evans
Anti-ban
Karen Gower
Bonney Lake resident
Bonney Lake resident
TNT public relations
I believe what’s best for the people of Bonney Lake are to have those living in the community deciding. Being a resident of Tacoma and an employee of TNT Fireworks, Ms. Gower’s conflict of interest in this matter is blatantly obvious. There are some really passionate people living in this community, many of whom have been great allies with this topic and thousands of other resi-
Banning fireworks because of safety concerns resulting from an unusually dry season are a necessity that should be managed at the state/ county level. The county issued burn bans when the public is at risk. This year when I walked through my neighborhood on the Fourth; I saw water buckets, lawns were watered and there were several fire extinguishers ready for use.
I have many years experience with the non-profits that sell state-legal fireworks and my participation as a member with the State Fire Marshal’s Office Fireworks Technical Advisory Group meetings throughout the year. This gives me access to many facts and experiences that my pro-ban contributor may question but actually after reading his bio, I assume he is an expert on manufacturing
SEE EVANS, PAGE 4
SEE BAUS, PAGE 6
SEE GOWER, PAGE 5
2015
See pages 15-21