Dispatch News 2-8-2023

Career night for Clevenger fuels Cruiser victory

By Skip Smith Contributing writer

On a night when the Eatonville community gathered at Rainier Connect Arena to honor the seniors on the Eatonville High School boys basketball team, it was junior Griffin Clevenger who stole the show. His game-high 33 points helped power the Cruisers to an 87-67 victory over Elma to finish off their regular season schedule.

"So I just let them fly, and after the first one that I hit, I knew that I was in the zone and told my team to keep giving me the ball,” Clevenger said after the game.

Clevenger hit eight three-pointers on the night on his way to a careerhigh scoring performance.

"That's exactly what Griffin is capable of," head coach TJ Cotterill said. "Elma sagged on him, and he made them pay with big-advantage shots."

After both teams kept things close in the first half, which saw Eatonville leading by two at the half, the Cruisers came out in the third quarter and extended that lead. Clevenger scored 10 of his 33 points in the quarter to help put the Cruisers up by nine entering the final quarter, where Clevenger did the most damage.

While still in the zone shooting and with an electric crowd behind him, Clevenger hit four consecutive three-pointers. He hit the last one with one minute remaining from beyond NBA three-point range to give the Cruisers a 20-point lead, 85-65.

Clevenger said the crowd and the student section in particular were one keys to his stellar shooting performance.

"The student section is one of the biggest reasons I kept shooting and wasn't missing,” Clevenger said. “I

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Pierce County officials, tribes continue pushback on potential airport sites

By Spencer Pauley The Center Square

The Pierce County Council along with the Nisqually and Puyallup Indian tribes are continuing their push to halt the construction on a future airport in the region.

Last year the Washington state Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission recommended three sites for a new commercial airport in the state because the SeattleTacoma International Airport is on track to exceed its capacity by 2050. Two of the three potential locations are in central Pierce

County and in east Pierce County. County officials have already sent a joint letter in October, 2022 objecting to the two greenfield spaces as a potential airport location.

In a new resolution, the Pierce County Council recommends the Washington state Legislature extend the final greenfield recommendation deadline for the commission.

“The mission of the [Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission] was constrained due to inadequate funding and the pandemic outbreak, which limited

its ability to provide suitable public outreach, and to examine air space constraints and built environments,” the resolution stated.

The resolution added that a commercial airport on either of the recommended greenfield sites will adversely affect rural communities and rural character in the areas.

The Puyallup Tribe of Indians penned a letter to the Commercial Aviation Coordinating Commission saying that either location hinders environmental and natural resources that the tribe consider important to its traditional way of

life.

Juvenile salmon are incubated in a tribal fishery operation at Lake Kapowsin, which is within a potential airport construction area. The Puyallup Tribe also uses that site for ceremonial hunting. The Nisqually Indian Tribe also emphasized the impact that airport construction would have on the local environment as well as the local salmon population in its own letter to the Washington state Department of Transportation. The

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Photo by Todd Hobert Photography / www.toddhobert.com Eatonville's Griffin Clevenger shoots over Elma's Kyren Hackney in the Cruisers 87-67 victory over the Eagles on Thursday night.

SENIOR SCENE: How much do you have to make to file taxes?

Dear Savvy Senior,

What are the IRS income tax ling requirements for retirees this tax season? My income dropped way down when I retired in 2022, so I’m wondering if I need to even le a tax return this year.

Recently Retired

Dear Recently,

Whether or not you are required to le a federal income tax return this year will depend on how much you earned last year, as well as the source of the income, your age and ling status.

Here’s a rundown of this tax season’s IRS tax ling requirement thresholds.

For most people, this is pretty straightforward. If your 2022 gross income –which includes all taxable income, not counting your Social Security bene ts, unless you are married and ling separately – was below the threshold for your ling status and age, you may not have to le. But if it’s over, you will.

Single: $12,950 ($14,700 if you’re 65 or older by Jan. 1, 2022).

Married ling jointly: $25,900 ($27,300 if you or your spouse is 65 or older; or $28,700 if you’re both over 65).

Married ling separately: $5 at any age.

Head of household: $19,400 ($21,150 if 65 or older).

Qualifying widow(er) with dependent child: $25,900 ($27,300 if 65 or older).

To get a detailed breakdown on federal ling requirements, along with information on taxable and nontaxable income, call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a free copy of the “1040 and 1040-SR Instructions for Tax Year 2022,” or you can see it online at IRS.gov/pub/irspdf/i1040gi.pdf.

CHECK HERE TOO

Be aware that there are other nancial situations that can require you to le a tax return, even if your gross income falls below the IRS ling requirements. For example, if you earned more than $400 from selfemployment in 2022, owe any special taxes like an alternative minimum tax, or get premium tax credits because you, your spouse or a dependent is enrolled in a Health Insurance Marketplace plan, you’ll need to le.

You’ll also need to le if you’re receiving Social Security bene ts, and onehalf of your bene ts plus your other gross income

and any tax-exempt interest exceeds $25,000, or $32,000 if you’re married and ling jointly.

To gure all this out, the IRS o ers an online tax tool that asks a series of questions that will help you determine if you’re required to le, or if you should le because you’re due a refund. It takes less than 15 minutes to complete.

You can access this tool at IRS.gov/Help/ITA – click on “Do I Need to File a Tax Return?” Or you can get assistance over the phone by calling the IRS helpline at 800-829-1040.

CHECK YOUR STATE

Even if you’re not required to le a federal tax return

this year, don’t assume that you’re also excused from ling state income taxes. e rules for your state might be very di erent. Check with your state tax agency before concluding that you’re entirely in the clear. For links to state tax agencies see Taxadmin.org/state-taxagencies.

TAX PREPARATION HELP

If you nd that you do need to le a tax return this year, you can free le through the IRS at IRS.gov/ FreeFile if your 2022 adjusted gross income was below $73,000.

Or, if you need some help, contact the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (or TCE) program. Sponsored by the

IRS, TCE provides free tax preparation and counseling to middle and low-income taxpayers, age 60 and older. Call 800-906-9887 or visit IRS.treasury.gov/freetaxprep to locate services near you. You can also get tax preparation assistance through the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide service. Call 888-2277669 or visit AARP.org/ ndtaxhelp for more information. You don’t have to be an AARP member to use this service.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “ e Savvy Senior” book.

Image by Steve Buissinne from Pixabay

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY APPLICATIONS

OUR LADY OF GOOD COUNSEL CATHOLIC CHURCH

Reverend Dominic Chikankheni

253-875-6630 ext. 127

229 Antonie Ave. N. 253-875-6630

Saturday Mass...........4:00 p.m.

Wednesday.................6:30 p.m.

Join us Sunday at Home Spun Ministries

Where church is the way it should be!

10:30 AM WORSHIP SERVICE 37117 103rd Ave Ct E, Eatonville, WA www.homespunministries.com

(360) 832-4315

Pastor Larry Dorothy

LIVING WORD LUTHERAN CHURCH

10515 269TH ST. E., GRAHAM, WA 98338 www.livingwordlutheranchurch.com

(253) 846-1276

SUNDAY 9:30 AM WORSHIP SERVICE

Cruiser wrestlers move on to regionals

By Skip Smith

Contributing writer

e Eatonville Cruisers boys and girls wrestling teams had strong showings at their respective 1A Evergreen Conference league tournaments in Eatonville and Hoquiam on Saturday.

e Cruisers had both of their girls competing at the tournament at Hoquiam High School.

Sophomore Ashlynn Kistenmacher nabbed a rst-place nish in the 120-pound division to clinch her spot at regionals this weekend. Junior Brooke Ostendorf claimed a fth-place nish in the 130-pound weight class and will be an alternate for regionals.

e boys tournament took place at Eatonville High School. e Cruisers had 12 wrestlers compete for their ticket to the regional tournament. ey will send seven wrestlers to

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fed o them. e student section was the best it's ever been. Our whole team was in a good mood from warmups all the way to the end of the game. We were all connecting and playing as a team and having a fun time with each other and enjoying a great and fun senior night, which was much deserved for this year's seniors."

Cotterill emptied his bench at the 1-minute mark to allow his senior players receive an ovation from the crowd before the clock hit zeros.

" e energy from our crowd was incredible,” Cotterill said. “We saw in Alaska how electric that environment was and their crowds, and our guys had been talking a lot about how great it would be to have something like that. We had that against Elma, and what a great experience for all of these seniors. You think about all they went through the past two seasons, and to give them a senior night as hopping as that was truly special.”

regionals and two alternates.

Kasey Whitney grabbed rst place and the top step of the podium in the 138-pound class. Riley McFadden (132 pound) and Carsen Pero (285 pound) both took home secondplace honors. Jacob Ostendorf (160 pound) and Logan Shipman (170 pound) grabbed third-place nishes, while Payton Hughey (113 pound) and Justen Koch (120 pound) both placed fourth. All will move on to regionals this weekend.

Wrestlers Sam Reece (170 pound) and Isaiah Duncan (195 pound) both placed fth and will be alternates at regionals.

e regional tournament for the girls will be Saturday at Shelton High School, and the boys regionals will be at Castle Rock High School. Wrestlers will need to place third or better at regionals to advance to Mat Classic XXXIV at the Tacoma Dome, Feb. 17-18.

e Cruisers nished the regular season with a 12-7 overall record and were 7-1 in Evergreen Conference play. For the second consecutive season, they are the Evergreen Conference champions and are the No. 1-seed heading into the District 4 playo s. ey will host the No. 4-seeded Castle Rock Rockets at 6 p.m. Friday at Rainier Connect Arena.

A win in that game will advance them into the semi nals where they will host the winner of the No. 3 Elma vs. No.-2 Seton Catholic game on Tuesday. e results of that game will not be available before press time.

EATONVILLE 87, ELMA 67

Eatonville 17 23 19 28 - 87

Elma 15 23 12 17 - 67

Eatonville: Gri n Clevenger 33, Shay Brannon 16, Walker Bruun 16, Kyle Cox 9, Shane Taylor 5, Mark Nueva 5, Hunter Klumpar 3.

Elma: Cason Seaburg 22, Traden Carter 13, AJ Holmes 12, Carter Studer 7, Gibson Cain 6, Grant Vessey 4, Kyren Hackney 3.

Photo by Amber Kistenmacher e referee raises the hand of Eatonville's Ashlynn Kistenmacher declaring her the winner of her match Saturday in Hoquiam. Kistenmacher took rst place in her 120-pound weight class to advance to the regional tournament in Shelton Saturday.

Lady Cruisers limp into the district playoffs

By Skip Smith Contributing writer

= e Eatonville girls

basketball team had a rough time last week when the Cruisers dropped their nal two games of the regular season to Hoquiam and Elma to nish the season with a 12-7 overall record, 4-4 in Evergreen Conference play.

Eatonville welcomed the Hoquiam Grizzlies to Rainier Connect Arena Feb. 1 in a crucial Evergreen Conference game.

With both teams tied at 4-2 in the Evergreen Conference standings, the Lady Cruisers needed a win over Hoquiam to lock up a second-place nish and the No. 2 seed in the district playo s.

Unfortunately for Eatonville, the Grizzlies

came out on top, 53-40.

e Lady Cruisers were a little short-handed on the night, with Bailey Andersen nursing an injured ankle, sophomore post Lillian Bickford out with a broken nger and freshman Sadie Mettler out, as well, but Eatonville took a three-point lead into the second quarter at 10-7.

e Grizzlies battled back and outscored the Cruisers 17-13 in the second frame to take a one-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Both teams traded buckets and the lead in the third, but Hoquiam won the battle in the quarter and took a sixpoint lead into the nal frame at 42-36.

e Cruiser o ense stalled in the nal quarter as they only mustered four points, and the Grizzlies picked

up the win. With only three substitutes on the bench, a few Cruiser players found themselves in foul trouble early in the game, which a ected the team's play. at

Robert (Rob) Lee Mettler

Fondly “Papa Rob”

December 11, 1953 - January 1, 2023

Robert (Rob) Lee Mettler of Ashford was born December 11, 1953, to Frank and Rose (Suter) Mettler, the youngest of five boys and passed January 1, 2023, at the age of 69. He was very proud of his Swiss heritage, enjoying many family events at the Swiss Park in Bonney Lake. He grew up in Elbe, Washington. Rob was a graduate of Eatonville High School, Class of 1972, where he excelled in football, basketball, and baseball.

He is survived by his wife Donna Mettler and together they had two children, Ryan Lee Mettler (Katie) and Sarah Jean Turner (Joel). They blessed them with three grandchildren, Waylan Mettler (19), Bodie Turner (15) and Sadie Mettler (14). Rob idolized his grandchildren and was the best Papa ever. He was so proud of each of their accomplishments, and would do anything for them. He is also survived by three brothers, Frank (Linda), Jim and Punk Mettler, as well as many special nieces and nephews, and numerous cousins. Brother David predeceased him in 2017.

Rob enjoyed growing up in a small-town community. He had long-kept ties to the people he grew up with and the generations to follow. He and Donna did not miss a football, volleyball, or basketball game once his grandkids started playing sports. They loved watching the grandkids and their friends from an early age through high school, and now college. Rob enjoyed driving his dump truck, especially after his retirement from Washington State Department of Transportation. Families from the Ashford, Elbe, and Eatonville areas would wave as he drove his Mettler Trucking dump truck to deliver rock to his local customers. Of his many fine qualities, Rob was always willing to help anyone, and did so with a smile. He spent nearly 40 years involved with the Morton Loggers Jubilee, as Assistant Jubilee Arena Director and enjoyed working with brothers Sonny and Punk, and son Ryan each year. The Jubilee is truly “Mettlerized”.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, February 11, 2023, at Columbia Crest STEM School, 24503 State Route 706 East, Ashford, WA, at 11:00 a.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Eatonville Dollars for Scholars, P. O. Box 1155, Eatonville, WA 98328. He would be very pleased for future EHS graduates to benefit through this worthy scholarship program.

foul trouble caught up to them late in the game when two of their starters, Andersen and Sara Smith, and reserve player Ella Gendreau fouled out of the game, leaving Eatonville to nish the nal seconds of the game with only four players on the court.

With the loss to Hoquiam, the Cruisers were in a must-win situation for a chance to nish in second place. ey would need to beat Elma and have Montesano beat Hoquiam to force a tie for second with Hoquiam and then let the tiebreaker system sort it

out.

Montesano did their part and beat Hoquiam, but the Lady Cruisers fell to the Elma Eagles, 48-36, eliminating their shot at second place.

Struggling with injuries, Eatonville trailed the entire game and were hampered by turnovers all night.

Andersen led Eatonville with 16 points, putting her at 490 points for her career, only 10 points shy of the coveted 500-points club.

e Cruisers nished in third place in the Evergreen Conference and

have received the No. 3 seed in the district playo s. ey will travel to Vancouver, Washington on ursday to take on the No. 2-seeded King's Way Christian Knights. at game will tip o at 6 p.m.

Box Score HOQUIAM 53, EATONVILLE 40

Eatonville 10 13 13 4 - 40

Hoquiam 7 17 18 11 - 53

Eatonville: Bailey Andersen 14, Hannah Kralik 9, Hailey Hall 5, Brooke Blocker 5, Sara Smith 3

Hoquiam: BonneySpradlin 17, Folkers 11, Chloe Kennedy 11, Broadhead 7, Cady 4, Howard 2, Gordon 1

Box Score ELMA 48, EATONVILLE 36

Eatonville 4 12 11 9 - 36

Elma 9 16 10 13 – 48

Eatonville: Bailey Andersen 16, Alayna Meyer 6, Hailey Hall 6, Brooke Blocker 4, Sara Smith 4.

Elma: Mia Monroe 14, Aaleigha Weld 10, Eliza Sibbett 9, Olivia Moore 8, Emmie Spen-

cer 4, Jackie DeMoss 3.

Photo by Sara Rath

Eatonville girls basketball coach Deanna Andersen instructs her team during a timeout in the Cruisers’ game against Hoquiam.

Help Wanted

Pioneer Farm Museum is hiring tour guides for the 2023 season. If you like history, animals, kids, pioneer and Native American Culture, call Aaron at 360-8326300 or email pioneer@rainierconnect.com. Must be 18. Starts at $16/hr.

FRIENDS OF EATONVILLE LIBRARY HOSTING BOOK SALE

The Friends of Eatonville Library is hosting a book sale from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the library. The event is a special bag sale, with each bag costing $3. Residents are invited to check out the Eatonville Library lobby for books, CDs and more provided by the Friends of the Eatonville Library to aid the programs the library offers the community. Book donations are accepted during the week, with Fridays the preferred day. Applica-

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tribe added that an airport in either location would hinder air and water quality of the rural land.

“Airports should be located in identi ed urban growth areas, not in rural areas dedicated to support those urban areas,” the Nisqually

tion forms to join the Friends of the Eatonville Library are also available and welcomed.

ALCOHOL ANONYMOUS MEETINGS OFFERED

Alcoholics Anonymous is available for people who have a problem with alcohol. Meetings begin at 7 p.m. Tuesdays, noon Wednesdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at the corner of Carter and Rainier.

ALANON HELP

Alanon is available to help people struggling with a loved one’s drinking. Call 425-830-0314.

Indian Tribe wrote. Final consideration on the resolution was made Tuesday during the next Pierce County Council meeting.

e Washington state Department of Transportation did not respond to e Center Square’s request for comment.

NOTICE IS GIVEN the Town of Eatonville, in concurrency with requirements and guidelines from the Washington State Dept. of Ecology (RCW 90.58 and WAC 173-26, Part III), is updating its Shoreline Master Program. The Town has gained conditional approval pending the adoption of recommendations and additional requirements directly from the Department of Ecology. Copies of the recommendations are available at Town Hall, 201 Center St., open Monday through Friday from 8:30 am and 5:00 or available upon request via email. The town is accepting public comments on these recommendations, and you may submit them in writing to planner@eatonville-wa.gov no later than 5 pm on Monday, March 6th. Any person may comment on whether to adopt these recommendations within 14 calendar days no later than 5 pm February 21st. Any person may comment on the project and/or receive a copy of the final decision.

Published: February 8, 2023