SEE INSIDE: Pierce County lifts marijuana ban | Page 5 . . . White River basketball teams sweep Lancers | Page 12 Area sports roundup | Page 13
Wednesday, December 23, 2015 | 75 cents
www.courierherald.com
Bonney Lake Food Bank expands as funds shrink
What’s Inside
Views...................................Page 6 Obituaries.........................Page 7 All About Pets..................Page 8 Sports.................................Page 12 Classified...........................Page 14
Coming Up...
By Ray Still
• Enumclaw residents
can have their live Christmas tree disposed of by the city during the week of Dec. 28. Trees must be less than 6 feet high and free of tinsel and flock. Have them ready to go by your normal garbage pickup date. • Want to nominate a Bonney Lake resident for an arts award? The first annual Medal of Arts Award nominations must be submitted to the city by Jan. 4. Download a nomination form on the city website at www. citybonneylake.org/ events
Weather The forecast for this week calls for more of that famous Pacific Northwest liquid sunshine all week long. Gear up for showers Wednesday through Sunday, with highs in the low 40s and lows in the mid 30s. Chances of snowfall are expected on Thursday.
Contact Us! Main Desk 360-825-2555
News .................................ext. 3 Retail Ads .........................ext. 2 Circulation .......................ext. 1 Classifieds.................ext. 7050
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
Reporter
Dreaming of a white Christmas
This Frosty doesn’t have to worry about melting in mild weather. Each hay barrel body section weighs 1,500 pounds, meaning this snowman weighs over 2 tons. The masterminds behind this project were Kalen Green and Robert Chess, and the 15 foot giant resides on Sumner Buckley Highway. Photo by Ray Still
The holiday season is a time for gratefulness and gift-giving, and not just for families and friends. Food banks like the one in Bonney Lake have come to rely on the holiday spirit as a bulk source of revenue. The October, November and December months often bring in a large portion of the money that goes toward financing the food bank for the next year. This year, though, the Bonney Lake Food Bank seems to be coming up short on financial donations as December quickly comes to a close. Between October and Dec. 9, the food bank
received almost $13,000 in donations, compared to the $20,000 that was donated the previous year during the same time period. “It just feels tight,” said Executive Director Stew Bowen. “This time of year, I’m used to going to the post office and getting handfuls of checks. And this year, it’s just not there.” Luckily for the food bank, its fiscal year begins in July, so a bountiful spring and early summer season could help the food bank catch up in its funds in order to stay at its current level of operation, which costs roughly $96,000 a year.
SEE FOOD BANK, PAGE 3
City of Enumclaw budget ‘Salmon cannon’ coming to Sumner; Troutlodge signs partnership with Whooshh approved by council By Kevin Hanson Senior Writer
Dollars and cents are traditionally the primary order of business during December’s gathering of the Enumclaw City Council. That held true last week when the city’s 2016 budget received a formal blessing. The council authorized the next year’s spending plan during its Dec. 14 session and – also in keeping with tradition – cancelled its second
meeting of the month. The budget generally ref lects the mood of the nation, which is enjoying renewed confidence in the economy. Councilman Chance LaFleur, a major player in this year’s budget deliberations, recalled being introduced to the term “deficit spending” when he joined the council four years ago. This time around, he noted, the
SEE COUNCIL, PAGE 3
Letters to Santa ........page 11
By Ray Still Reporter
After a summer of helping pink salmon traverse up the White River, the Bellevue company Whooshh Innovations will be partnering with Sumner trout broodstock giant Troutlodge in developing safer ways to transport live fish from area to area. “We’re an early adopter,” said Troutlodge CEO Steve Brown in a press release. “We’ve been carefully watching the
progress that Whooshh has made in terms of fish health and welfare. Because of this, we at Troutlodge are very committed to using this technology. We believe it will not only be better for the fish but also safer for our workers.” Under the terms of the agreement, signed Dec. 3, Whooshh will deliver two 65-foot transport systems that will help Troutlodge ship live Rainbow Trout broodstock around their main facility in Sumner
called Trout Springs. The first system will be delivered in early 2016. Troutlodge was established in 1945 and is currently the world’s leading producer of trout eggs, sending nearly 500 million eggs across the world every year, said John Dentler, director of government relations at the company. Whoosh Innovations, which started in 2007, has patented a system of live
SEE SALMON, PAGE 4
Picture YOUR ad here! Reach thousands of households all over the Plateau
Call your advertising representative 253-862-7716