Enumclaw Courier-Herald, December 30, 2015

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Wednesday, December 30, 2015 | 75 cents

What’s Inside Views...................................Page 4 Obituaries.........................Page 7 Sports.................................Page 10 Classified...........................Page 11

Coming up... • The Bonney Lake Medal of Arts nominations are

due Jan. 4. The award is for an individual of any age or an organization that has made a significant contribution to and promoted one or more of the various arts in Bonney Lake – music, visual arts, performing arts, digital and literary. The first award will be selected by the Arts Commission. • A New Year’s Eve celebration is scheduled at the Enumclaw Senior Center, 1350 Cole St., at 11 a.m. with music by Community Blend.

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By Ray Still

but criminal charges relating to the deaths of the family members have not to be filed.

ith the end of 2015 right around the corner, it’s time to examine everything that happened over the last 364 days of the year before setting goals for the next. For the Courier-Herald, that means taking a look at all the news stories that touched the Plateau, whether they be tragic deaths and senseless crimes or triumph over adversity and celebrations of enduring life. These stories, and many, many more, define us just as much as we define them. How we move towards the future is determined by how we view the past; these are your stories, and these stories are you.

2. SR 410 closed in both directions at White River Bridge for several days

W

Reporter

1. Bridge collapsed, killed Bonney Lake family

It took only a second for the state Route 410 sidewalk-widening project in Bonney Lake to go from going smoothly to ‘the worst tragedy’ the city has ever seen.

The closure of the SR 410 White River bridge greatly interfered with the lives of some Plateau residents when damage was found to the structure on April 4 during a routine inspection. The damage was done to a steel overhead support structure, and the bridge had to be closed and repaired before anyone was allowed

2015

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Enumclaw resident Ryan Rothermel was charged with third-degree child rape on May 15. Police arrested Rothermel after discovering he had sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl while living in a home with her, the girl’s mother and Rothermel’s girlfriend. Rothermel was living in the home for approximately a year before he was arrested. Police were alerted to the crime, documents stated, when a witness overheard Rothermel telling other people about his relationship with the girl. Rothermel has a criminal history, including attempted voyeurism with sexual motivation, fourth degree assault, second degree criminal trespass, resisting arrest and two counts of domestic violence court order violation.

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Weather The forecast for today, Wednesday, calls for partly cloudy with a high of 33 and an overnight low of 25. Thursday should be the same as Wednesday but with an overnight low of 29. Friday looks to be a little warmer with a high of 36. The overnight low will be 34 and mostly cloudy.

3. Enumclaw man charged with third-degree child rape

On April 13, a chunk of the barrier wall on the SR 410 bridge over Angeline Road in the city fell and killed Josh Ellis, his wife Vanessa and their eight-month old son instantly as they drove in their truck under the overpass. It quickly came to light that the demolition plan for cutting the barrier wall may not have been followed correctly, which resulted in the deaths of the Ellis family. The Department of Labor and Industries fined WHH Nisqually, Highmark Concrete Contractors, Station Companies and Hamilton Construction/American Concrete a total of $87,000 for workplace safety violations and a wrongful death suit has also been filed against the construction companies and Bonney Lake,

across, blocking the only passage many drivers take to get between Enumclaw and Buckley. The state Department of Transportation originally announced closure dates to happen during weekends throughout the holiday season, but plans were changed following a meeting between the DOT and Enumclaw, Buckley and Bonney Lake business owners. The bridge is now scheduled to be closed day and night April 15 - 23.

4. Enumclaw-born baker competes on Cake Wars Not all the top news stories of the year are dark and dreary; some happen to be quite delicious, as Enumclaw baker Natalie Vorpahl could say. Vorpahl and her business partner Kristina Serfass at Baked Custom

Cakes in Seattle competed on the Food Network Channel’s Cake Wars last year, which was aired

July 13. The two bakers came away as winners of the competition, which was all about wedding cakes. They received a $10,000 prize. “It was kind of a pretty crazy experience with the cameras in your face constantly,” Vorpahl said about the experience. “It’s nerve racking enough making a wedding cake without being filmed.”

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