I can hardly believe it — this is my tenth New Year here at the Courier-Herald.

I’m far more, um, loquacious, than my editor Dennis Box was when it comes to these Top 10 news story lists, especially with these introductions.

“As 2014 comes to a close the Courier Herald looks back at some of the top stories of the year,” is all he wrote a decade ago. “A year in a newspaper documents the highs and lows, dreams realized and tragedy found; is it the stories of the many people who make up a community.”

Hm. Really, does any more need to be said?

Well. Yes. Because I like to talk and draw out my soap box speeches with metaphors and $10 words like loquacious.

I love looking back at a year of news every New Years. There’s so much that happens here on the Plateau that even I forget the vast majority of events, from big things like court cases to sports titles and little stories like the opening of Bonnie’s Buns and astronauts visiting local elementary schoolers.

But looking back over a decade? That’s just… nuts. The Plateau is slow, and oftentimes loathe, to change, but change we have. And have forgotten so much.

The 2014 Top Ten list had more than its fair share of devastation and darkness — a young girl was raped at the Enumclaw library, a Buckley toddler died after a truck went off the road and hit his wagon, and two were killed in an airplane crash.

There were storms, literal and figurative — a November windstorm (sound familiar?) tore through Enumclaw and accusations of violations of the Open Public Meeting Act blasted the Enumclaw Fire Department’s Board of Directors.

And there were victories — EHS’ KC Moulden took her second gold medal at the Mat Classic and at the shot put (in total, the talented athlete would get another gold in wrestling and two more in the track and field shot put event by the end of her high school career) and Travis Martin Lear was sentenced to 25 years for the aforementioned rape.

These stories live on in the hearts and scars of some. But in many ways, these events are now the stuff of legend, keepsakes gathering dust in the corners of our minds — if they were ever a part of our life to begin with.

But that’s why The Courier-Herald is here. To record the terrible, wonderful things that happen; to help brush off those packed-away memories, make them gleam, and share them with our new neighbors.

This is how communities are built. And when communities forget their history, when they lose those shared connections of triumphs and tribulations, they fall apart.

So go into this new year remembering what connects you to others, be it joy or pain, sorrow or celebration.

And as we move through 2025, reach out and make more connections. Be present; be steadfast; be a helping hand.

Make stories. Create legends.

I’m so very excited to tell them.

Happy New Year.

10) “And what name should we put you under? Mount Rainier to require summer reservation to visit” (Jan. 24)

This may not be the biggest story for the Plateau, but the new reservation system at Mount Rainier certainly affected people all across the state and tourists from abroad. Starting last year, Mount Rainier National Park required people to reserve their visits in order to take in the sights at Paradise and Sunrise. This pilot program was an attempt to limit long wait lines and improve visitor experiences not by limiting the number of people who entered the park, but controlling when they did to reduce crowds. Reservations are only needed in the peak season, from late May to early September.

9) “Bomb cyclone aftermath: wrecked homes, cars, but no injuries, says EFD” (Nov. 27)

Yup — this might be recent news, but it’s relevant here because the Plateau was hit hardest by the Nov. 19 bomb cyclone that tore through Western Washington and cut power to tens of thousands of residents. While wind speeds elsewhere reached up to 60 mph, Enumclaw experienced gusts up to 74 mph. Luckily, the local fire department said no one was injured or killed because of the storm or the resulting power outage, which for some lasted up to 10 days.

8) “Red Enumclaw swallowed by blue 5th Legislative District” (March 27)

Enumclaw is being represented by Democrats in the state legislature for the first time since 2016, when former Rep. Christopher Hurst declined to run for Legislative District 31’s Position No. 2 seat. The switch to LD 5, a Democrat stronghold, was caused by a redistricting effort in Eastern Washington.

Courtesy photo Team USA rally hand bikers Travis Gaertner, Katerina (Kate) Brim, and Matt Tingley; the team took the bronze in the Paris Paralympics last September.

7) “Gaertner wins bronze in Paralympic hand biking” (Sept. 18)

How often does an Enumclaw resident go to the Paralympics? We think this is the first. Travis Gaertner took bronze in the Paris Paralympics last September in the hand biking relay with his teammates Matt Tingley and Katerina Brim representing Team USA. Gaertner is an internationally-known hand biker and competes across the world; before this, he was a twice-gold medal winner in wheelchair basketball, representing Canada.

6) “New Enumclaw special event policy likely means less Cole Street closures” (Jan. 10)

While the overall issue of Cole Street closures by a group of private business owners was mostly a 2023 issue, the city of Enumclaw (not the city council) changed its special events policy and no longer paid for the permits necessary for closing Cole Street. Instead, the Enumclaw Business Owners Collective, a grassroots organization that used to close Cole Street for various reasons, ranging from special events to just for pedestrians to be able to walk in the street while shopping, waiting for a restaurant table, or enjoying fire pits, needed to pay for those permits. The issue was polarizing, as some businesses said it helped them out with increased business, and others saying it was unfair that public money was being used to help benefit said businesses while others were being negatively affected.

5) “Enumclaw LGI development residents win $2.3 million for breach of contracts” (March 6)

After residents of the Suntop neighborhood in Enumclaw sued developer LGI for damages to their home after a February 2021 snow and wind storm, an arbitration judge ruled in favor of the homeowners, requiring LGI and subcontractor Laer Enterprises to pay $2.3 million. The arbitrator found that the companies breached their contracts with homeowners and did not comply with the Consumer Protection Act.

4) “Long-awaited community center vote is here” (April 17), “Community Center bond failure follows growing pattern of tax increase rejections” (May 1)

The Enumclaw City Council took a swing at asking voters to fund a community center via a $19.5 million bond. However, there was strong opposition to the proposal, which only garnered 48% of the vote during the April 23, 2024 special election. The center would have included a new senior center, Arts Alive!, and Enumclaw Chamber of Commerce space, a commons, a full-sized gym, classroom spaces, and more. While support for tax increases. both local (bonds for new Enumcalw School District schools and facilities) and county-wide (a property tax to build new crisis centers), has been spotty on the Plateau for years, it seems locals have become even more opposed as residents appear leery of government accountability with tax dollars and citing the general state of the economy.

Courtesy photo The White River girls golf team, playing at MeadowWood in Spokane, took first in state this week. Pictured left to right is Alle Klemkow, Sophie Ross, Anna Rose, Lexie Mahler, Abby Rose.

3) “Enumclaw lacrosse, WRHS girls golf win state” (May 29)

Will the Hornet lacrosse team make it a hat trick by taking state this year? If 2023 and 2024 are indication, there’s a good chance. Last year, Enumclaw went to state with an overall 15-4 record. The final match was a nail biter, with Hornets were tied with Bellingham 3-3 until the final quarter. However, Enumclaw pulled away to end the game 14-6.

Of course, lacrosse wasn’t the only team celebrating a hard-earned victory — WRHS’ girls golf also took state, thanks to the efforts of Lexie Mahler, Alle Klemkow, Sophie Ross, and Abby Rose (who shot Day 1 but was cut). The team overall got 109.5 points, more than 20 ahead of second-place West Valley-Spokane.

Additionally, WRHS boys nabbed second in state.

Photo by Ray Miller-Still The Black Diamond Elementary gym was filled on Feb. 27 to with locals eager to ask questions about Segale Property’s proposed mine north of Cumberland.

2) “Segale Properties, locals clash at public meeting over proposed gravel mine” (March 6), “Resistance against proposed gravel mine gaining steam” (March 20)

Locals rallied hard in March after mining company Segale Properties revealed plans to construct a gravel mine outside of Enumclaw and Black Diamond. There are many concerns shared by could-be neighbors and other residents about noise, extra traffic, the potential impacts to the environment, and access to open space. The gravel mine proposal is currently going through King County’s review process to determine if the project would have an environmental impact and, if so, would need to come up with plans to mitigate those effects.

This story promises to be one of the biggest in 2025.

Photo by Ray Miller-Still The old Paulson Chevrolet dealership had to be torn down last September, removing a 150 year-old piece of history from Enumclaw.

1) ”The Lee, after a century of serving food on the Plateau, is closed” (June 12), “More than 100 years of history, gone in one day; old Paulson Chevy dealership demolished” (Sept. 4)

Ok, yes, we’re fudging here with two stories in one, but it was a bad year for local history. On June 12, The Lee, Enumclaw’s oldest restaurant, closed. The owner, Diane Mills, worked at the restaurant since she was 14 years old. A Tim’s Kitchen now operates out of the building.

While closing The Lee was a slow process, as Mills worked hard to find a restaurant owner that could carry on her business’ legacy, even under a different name, the collapse of the 150-ish year old Paulson Chevy dealership building, just across the street from the former Lee restaurant, collapsed last September. According to officials, a load-bearing beam inside the building failed, causing the roof to bow over the sidewalk. After a day of deliberations, officials declared the building condemned and quickly took it down.

Crowds surrounded the building all day to watch the demolition.

Photo by Ray Miller-Still Tim’s Kitchen putting up its own sign up after The Lee restaurant closed late May.

Photo by Ray Miller-Still A car that was crushed by a tree that fell during the November bomb cyclone.

Photo by Todd Overdorff / sonscapeimages.com No. 11 Jack Popke powers through defenders for an Enumclaw Score during the final state match against Bellingham.