SEE INSIDE: Enumclaw’s safe haven for songbirds | Page 3 . . . Walking 1,000 miles for pulmonary hypertension | Page 4 ‘Before I Go to Sleep’ review | Page 7 . . . White River baseball coach’s last season | Page 11
Wednesday, February 3, 2016 | 75 cents
What’s Inside Views...................................Page 6 Obituaries.........................Page 8 Sports.................................Page 11 In The Kitchen.................Page 15 Classified...........................Page 17
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Looking at history
By Ray Still
• Enumclaw’s annual Wine and Chocolate
Assistant Editor
event will be held Feb. 5 from 4 to 10 p.m. and Feb. 6 from 2 to 10 p.m. at the Enumclaw Expo Center. Tickets cost $20, but pre-ordered tickets only cost $15. • The Bonney Lake Police Department is
Weather The forecast Wednesday calls for rain with highs near 45 and lows near 38, with Thursday continuing the pattern. Friday may see some sun with highs near 48 and lows around 37. Saturday calls for more rain but Sunday should see some sun, with highs in the mid 40s all weekend.
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Sumner traffic project to cost $17 million March deadline to secure state funding
Coming up...
preparing to host their annual boating education classes. Classes are held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 5, March 29 and April 9 at the Bonney Lake Public Safety Building. Classes cost $25. Contact Jim Ehnborn at puyallup. safe.boating@gmail.com for more information.
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Ruggles Larson, 81, was principal of Dieringer Middle School from 1978-1987. Larson attended Dieringer School District’s 125 birthday Jan. 25 and looked at the new history wall installed at North Tapps Middle School that details the history of Pierce County’s second oldest district. Photo by Ray Still
Improving mental health education and treatment on the Plateau By Dennis Box Editor
Plateau residents will see an expansion of services available to those suffering from mental illness and family members caring for someone in a crises. The services include education for family, police, educators and medical personal. There will also be more professional services available for those needing treatment. The two sources for the growth of services are Rainier Foothills Wellness Foundation, which received a $182,000 three-year grant for mental health initiatives on the Plateau from Catholic Health Initiatives. Also Valley Cities, a community behavioral health center, is opening a clinic in Enumclaw at 1335 Cole St. The clinic is expected to open in April.
Shelly Pricco, RN, the important part of the plan. Mental Health Community A gatekeeper is a person resource coordinator for trained in the symptoms the foundation, outlined of mental illness who can three goal for the grant. assist both an individual in Pricco said the first goals crises, family members and is improving treatment and others in the community. support services. There are a numThe second goal ber of programs is to increase the and facilities the mental health literfoundation will acy in the commuprovide to the comnity, which includes munity with the police, firefighters, help of the grant emergency medifunds. Shelly Pricco cal technicians and • In March the other health care foundation is providers. beginning a 12-sesThe third goal is to sion education program increase the mental health called National Alliance on literacy of the broader Mental Illness Family to communities. Family. The class is geared The plan is to improve for families who are supawareness of mental ill- porting individuals 16 and ness and reduce the stig- older. ma attached to those with The program is free and mental health problems. the first session is 6 p.m. Pricco said improving gatekeeper skills is an SEE TREATMENT, PAGE 5
Unlike the rush hour traf- contributes to the problem fic drivers experience on - the city says the highway is Traffic Avenue in Sumner, congested about five hours the city’s plans for improv- a day. And according to the ing the state Route 410 overpass seem to be moving DOT’s 2014 annual traffic report, the half-mile stretch along smoothly. In mid-January, the city of SR 410 that goes from put improving the high- the Puyallup River to past way overpass and the the East Main Ave ramps Traffic Avenue/Main Street receives the most traffic on intersection on the top of that highway. On average, 71,000 vehiSumner’s 2016 legislative goals, and since then, cles drive past milepost 9.02, Sumner’s “hidden problem,” a third of a mile northwest of as Mayor Dave Enslow put Sumner’s highway overpass, on a daily basis. it, has been getting noticed. Milepost 9.53, located “Representative Stambaugh has made this a right after the ramp to East priority, and Rep. Stokesbary Main Avenue, has a daily average of has also been 61,000 vehivery sup- ”The ideal scenario is cles. p o r t i v e , ” to get $300,000 from M i le p o s t said Carmen 10.12, located P a l m e r , the state to leverage right before S u m n e r ’ s a grant from the the SR 162 communicaramps, has tion’s direc- Puget Sound Regional an average tor. “They’re Council.” of 60,000 trying to figCarmen Palmer, vehicles pass ure out what Sumner it daily, makoptions there ing it the are as far as funding, given it’s a short third most-traveled portion session and given every- of the highway. thing else going on with the state... But there’s lots of supStarting this spring, port, and we really appreciSumner plans to apply for ate that.” funding in order to start the project design and environAccording to the city, the mental permitting process. traffic problem is multifacThe cost for the design eted; Sumner’s population and engineering is estimated doubled since the overpass to be $2.2 million. was built in 1967. Currently, ”The ideal scenario is to more than 30,000 cars use get $300,000 from the state the intersection and over- to leverage a grant from pass every day, along with the Puget Sound Regional 3,000 freight trucks. Traffic on SR 410 also SEE TRAFFIC, PAGE 21
3-year plan
Thousands of vehicles
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