Image taken from NWAC website of their member school map. Courtesy image

Sports

Junior college sports landscape could see some serious changes

Court ruling in Tennessee could affect NCAA eligibility for Washington athletes.

Mount Rainier National Park has around 2 million visitors a year. Image courtesy the National Park Service

Northwest

The mountain is out and it tells cold deadly tales

Data shows that since 2007, Mount Rainier has become the second most dangerous National Park in the winter.

A northern giant hornet seen on an apple. (Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Agriculture)

Northwest

Invasive ‘murder hornets’ found in WA have been eradicated

The hunt for invasive “murder hornets” is over in Washington and the rest of the U.S. after three…

Blotter bug

News

CPS finds allegations against Spanaway daycare unfounded

A local 10-month-old was sexually assaulted. The family accused staff at Kids Space Learning and Daycare.

Do you like arena events at the Enumclaw Expo Center like the summer Pro Rodeo? A recent grant from 4Culture will help the organization increase seating. Photo by Vic Wright / vicwright.zenfolio.com

News

Plateau organizations receive $1.6 million from 4Culture for operations, capital projects

This includes the Enumclaw Expo Center, Arts Alive!, the Neely Mansion, the Enumclaw and Black Diamond historical societies,…

Operating Engineers Local 302 union representative Tony Frascone spoke at the Dec. 10 council meeting, comparing union cost of living adjustments to non-union wage increases. Photo by Ray Miller-Still

News

Buckley union employees take complaints to public comment

A Operating Engineers Local 302 representative said employees will not work without a contract.

This map shows the voting precincts in the cities of Enumclaw and Black Diamond, plus the ones in unincorporated King County. Image courtesy King County

News

Election precinct analysis: Enumclaw, Black Diamond stays red, but rejected some initiatives

While the cities mostly supported Republicans, a majority of voters voted against Initiative 2109.

Courtesy of the Grand Kyiv Ballet.

Life

Ukraine’s most prestigious dancers bring ‘The Nutcracker’ to South King County

On Sunday, Dec. 22, the Grand Kyiv Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” will showcase the most prestigious ballet dancers from…

Veronica Garcia gives an interview after winning the 2A girls 400-meter final at the 2024 Washington State Championships at Mt. Tahoma High School in Tacoma. (Screenshot from Runnerspace.com video)

Sports

Proposals seek new rules for transgender athletes in WA schools

Other proposals target student-athlete transfer rules and girls flag football.

Image courtesy Oakpointe
Oakpointe is currently required to build two ballfields and a tennis court off SR 169, north of the city. The company has proposed paying the city of Black Diamond a fee of $1.8 million to not build these facilities, as it does not believe this area is a good place to build these sports fields.

News

Millions in park funds and a Lake Sawyer Park expansion is on Black Diamond’s table, but deadlines are looming

Oakpointe has proposed a way to greatly increase the city’s Parks department funding and make the open space…

Photos by Vic Wright / vicwright.zenfolio.com
Hundreds of people bundled gathered along Enumclaw’s Cole Street to celebrate the Christmas season with the Chamber of Commerce’s annual Santa Parade, and the festivities could be heard far beyond downtown. Floats traveled down the street for more than an hour and featured local businesses, school clubs, and familiar characters like the Grinch and Santa Claus (who, as we reported last week, no longer vacations in Enumclaw, but of course he still attended the event). The festivities continue on Dec. 14 with the Chamber’s last 5 p.m. Snow on Cole event. For more photos of the parade, go to page 8.

Life

Holiday cheer in the ‘Claw | Slideshow

Some photos from this year’s Santa Parade.

Anthony Chilcott

News

Jury deliberations conclude in Chilcott inquest

The six-person panel found Detectives George Alvarez and Josh Lerum mostly complied with King County Sheriff’s Office policies…

In this graph, you can see that the vast majority of Enumclaw School District 10th graders don’t drink — but in 2023, 13% reported drinking alcohol within the last 30 days of taking the survey. Screenshot

News

How healthy are ESD youth? Surveys shows fluctuating substance use and strong protective factors

Hundreds of local students were asked questions about positive and negative interactions with substances, bullying, teachers, parents, and…