Hawks ride Rawls
This week’s watchwords
Rookie back rushes for 209 yards, scores two TDs,
BLACK FRIDAY: Or will it
be green? Instead of indulging in the usual shopping frenzy, the National Park Service encourages us to get outside with a fee-free day at the Olympic and Mount Rainier national parks.
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U.S. 2: One lane of the highway near Skykom-
ish opened Sunday, and all lanes are scheduled to reopen Tuesday. The highway will be closed overnight Tuesday while crews replace a culvert.
APPLE CUP: Are you a cat person or a dog
person? The gridiron civil war is Friday, with the Huskies and Cougars settling bragging rights for another year. Televised live on Fox at 12:30 p.m. MONDAY, 11.23.2015
Literally no room for tax change
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A major issue facing members is what to do with the taxes that were collected for the now defunct courthouse. By Noah Haglund Herald Writer
EVERETT — A phantom courthouse will loom over Snohomish County Council
members when they try to pass a new budget Monday. Plans for an eight-story replacement courthouse died over the summer, a week before crews were supposed to break
ground. The question now is what to do with the stream of taxes collected for a project that fell apart for political and financial reasons. The 2016 budget Executive John Lovick proposed at the end of September would cut $4 million in annual taxes that were to be used to pay
down courthouse construction bonds. Lovick sought an early exit from bond obligations, keeping a small stream of money for emergency fixes at the current 1967-vintage courthouse. An amended budget that See BUDGET, Page A2
Knowing when to let go Emily-Mae lived just 6 short weeks, but love carries her memory on
EVERETT — Snohomish County Fire District 1 wants to change how it charges property owners, in a way the district says could be fairer for most taxpayers. There’s a hitch, though. Even if voters give the thumbs up, there’s no more room for another charge on the tax bills sent out by the Snohomish County’s treasurer’s office. The fire district is concerned that having two separate tax statements might “cause taxpayer confusion,” according to an Oct. 6 resolution by the board. Because of that, the district “regrettably deferred” on attempting a 2015 ballot measure asking voters to approve the new tax. Now, fire district staff are working with the county to see if more room can be found on the tax form. That might mean using a smaller font. Fonts were being tested down to size 6 — half the size most commonly used for business communication. Still, they’d be left with the same number of lines for room — about a dozen. “The only way to increase the lines is to get a legal-sized statement, which would be cumbersome and cost more to send out,” County Treasurer Kirke Sievers said. “If we agree with them, all of the other fire districts would want to do the same thing.” The current font size used is 10, and “I get enough calls from the elderly who can’t read the statement now,” he said. District officials hope to figure out a solution in early 2016, fire board Chairman Jim Kenny said. “Nothing’s been fixed yet,” he said. See TAX, Page A2
COURTESY OF THE KOMBOL FAMILY
Emily-Mae Roberta Kombol in the neonatal intensive care unit. She was born July 21 at 32 weeks, six days and weighed 2 pounds, 11.9 ounces.
By Sharon Salyer Herald Writer
EVERETT — When it came time for Ashley and Isaiah Kombol to bury their infant daughter, they found a place in their grief to think of others with four simple words: In lieu of flowers. Emily-Mae Kombol, born seven weeks prematurely
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July 21, weighed just 2 pounds, 11.9 ounces. She easily fit in the palm of her grandmother’s hand. She was tethered to breathing tubes and monitoring devices in the infant intensive care unit at Providence Regional Medical Center Everett for nearly all the six short weeks of life. Her parents would often remain with their daughter until
Lane pains Lexuses? Lexi? The state Department of Transportation is making adjustments to the new HOT carpool toll lanes on I-405. Travel times have actually increased for the evening commute north of Bothell (Street Smarts, Page A3). Among the potential fixes Dear Abby. . . . B3 Horoscope . . . B7
late into the evening, said Sundie Kombol, Isaiah’s mother. The one thing that relaxed both Emily-Mae and her parents was a night-light the couple received as a baby shower gift. It played lullabies and projected images of animals and ocean scenes on the ceiling. At night if Emily-Mae was fussy, “hearing the music and seeing the light made it a lot easier for
under consideration: actually limiting access on the so-called “Lexus Lanes” to Lexuses only. The ones with cupholders, please: A developer has proposed building a 45,000-square-foot indoor sports complex in south Everett to host basketball and other tournaments.
Lottery . . . . . .A2 Obituaries. . . .A6
Opinion. . . . . .A9 Short Takes . . . B4
“Think of it as a Fred Meyer with acres of hardwood floors,” the developer said (Page A3). If that means he’ll have those mini shopping carts for taking popcorn, hot dogs and soft drinks from the concession booth to the stands, count us in. Don’t know much about Sports . . . . . . . C1 Your Photos . . B1
her,” Ashley Kombol said. Emily-Mae’s battle for life involved more than just being born at 32 weeks into the pregnancy. In fact, initially she seemed to be thriving. “She gained a little more than a pound in four to five days,” her mom said. See EMILY-MAE, back page, this section
history: On this day in 1889, the first coin-operated jukebox made its debut in San Francisco at a saloon (Today in History, Page B4). The jukebox had to be unplugged, however, when some joker fed it full of quarters and had it repeatedly play Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up.”
—Jon Bauer, Herald staff
On the edge 42/34, C6
DAILY
Herald Writers
the buzz
By Rikki King and Noah Haglund
INSIDE
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Council to tackle budget
Snohomish County Fire District 1 hopes to improve how it charges property owners — but there’s no room on the physical form.
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