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Vol. 15 No. 17 n January 12, 2022 - January 18, 2022
MARYSVILLE • ARLINGTON • SMOKEY POINT • LAKEWOOD • TULALIP • QUIL CEDA VILLAGE
Mayor Nehring looks back on 2021, forward to 2022 By Christopher Andersson christopher@northcountyoutlook.com Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring sat down with the North County Outlook to talk about the city’s 2021 accomplishments. The city stayed on track for many of their big construction goals last year, such as the new Civic Campus. “We’ve been getting a lot of projects done, even among some of the supply chain issues and COVID still being a reality,” said Nehring. The expansion of the culvert area of State Avenue, from 100th Street to 104th Street, made a good deal of progress. “It’s not completed yet but a lot of the difficult work is done and we were able to keep that on track,” said Nehring.
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER ANDERSSON
Marysville School District Superintendent Chris Pearson, left, and School Board President Paul Galovin teleconference with Tulalip Tribal Board member Misty Napeahi during the board’s Jan. 5 meeting.
MSD will wait to decide MPHS mascot By Christopher Andersson christopher@northcountyoutlook.com
PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER ANDERSSON
Marysville Mayor Jon Nehring talks with Marysville’s safety and risk manager Will Stuflick on Jan. 7. Marysville has also dealt with the retirement of many of their major department heads over the last two years, including the direc-
tors of the parks, utilities and community development departments, as well as the retirement of their police chief.
“It was basically a turnover of our entire director team,” said Nehring. “We See NEHRING on page 2
Marysville school officials will wait until at least the first week of April to decide whether Marysville Pilchuck High School will keep their mascot. Due to a state law passed last year, schools that used Native imagery either had to obtain permission from a local tribe to continue or to change their mascot.
Initially the Tulalip Tribes requested that the district move on from the Marysville Pilchuck High School’s ‘tomahawk’ imagery, however after one of the Tribes’ general council meetings last year a vote of the public caused the Tulalip Tribal Board to send a letter to rescind that request just before a mascot change was approved by the
See MASCOT on page 5
Yanity recognized for decades of service as Stillaguamish leader By Christopher Andersson christopher@northcountyoutlook.com
COURTESY PHOTO
Snohomish County Council member Nate Nehring, right, presents former Stillaguamish Tribal Chairman Shawn Yanity a resolution recognizing Yanity’s many years of service.
Former Stillaguamish Tribal Chairman Shawn Yanity was recognized by the Snohomish County Council for more than two decades of service to the Stillaguamish Tribe and the community-at-large. Yanity has served as chairman of the Stillaguamish Tribe since 2004, with only a brief one-year period in 2009 to 2010 where he served as a board member. Before becoming chairman he had served as vice-chairman since 1998. “It’s been a true blessing to be able to not only work for my people, the Stillaguamish, and improve the quality of our lives but to
help with Snohomish County,” said Yanity. Yanity stepped down in September 2021 and announced his retirement. The Snohomish County Council recently passed a resolution to recognize Yanity for his service to the community. “In addition to his positions within tribal government, Shawn has been a dedicated advocate for preserving the culture and fishing and hunting traditions of the Stillaguamish people,” said the resolution. Yanity has served on boards such as the EPA Local Government Advisory Committee and the Snohomish County Sustainable Lands Strategy. In 1987 he helped start the South Fork
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Hatchery Program which supports local salmon populations. By working with the Snohomish County Drug Task Force Yanity brought a lot of programs to the Stillaguamish Tribe and broader community. “He [former Snohomish County Sheriff Rick Bart] put a phenomenal thing together bringing people together to learn about drug addiction, how to stay away from it and then we started a mixture with our clinics that serves our people but also the community as well,” said Yanity. “We’re the first tribe in the nation to
See YANITY on page 2
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do that, to open up our methadone clinics to nonNatives.” Yanity’s wife Tonya recalled how busy he was during the Oso landslide and mobilizing the Stillaguamish Tribe to help with recovery. “Before we even had shelters set up we had 1,700 bottles of water being delivered by the Red Cross,” she said. The Stillaguamish Tribe has helped a number of local nonprofit organizations while Yanity was chairman, including the Snohomish County Boys & Girls Clubs
NEHRING Continued from page 1
knew those retirements were coming and were actually able to put them off for a few years." The city looked outside to fill a few of those positions, such as the chief of police, and promoted from within for others, such as the city’s Parks, Culture and Recreation Department director. “That type of transition is always critical for a city,” said Nehring, who added you can lose a lot of experience and institutional knowledge, but added that the new directors are filling their roles well so far. Nehring noted a number of challenges for the police in 2021. “There’s a lot of things that have been put in place that have made it more difficult to do proactive policing,” he said. “We’re still doing the best we can with that but some of that has been limited." Embedded social workers, along with new mental
and the Arlington Community Food Bank. During his time as chair the Tribe was also a big funder of community projects such as the Haller Park splash pad, which the Stillaguamish Tribe donated $500,000 to help complete. Yanity thanked Snohomish County officials for their partnership over the years. “The work relationship that we have has been phenomenal when it comes to taking care of our elders, law enforcement, roads and natural resources,” he said. Snohomish County Council member Nate Nehring brought the resolution forward and said he appreciates Yanity’s service.
health workers are still part of the city’s strategy to help individuals get out from under addiction issues. COVID-19 continued to challenge the city in new ways. “Supply chain issues affect us like they also affect the private sector,” said Nehring. Planning for the future gets more complicated with uncertainty in availability and cost. “It makes it difficult to budget for our future,” said Nehring. The biggest effects of the pandemic came in 2020, said Nehring. “It was an underlying issue with certain things, but I think 2020 was really the heavy wave of impact with closures. We moved beyond that a little bit,” he said. In 2022 Nehring expects the largest challenge for the city to be the economy. “It’s the strangest economy I’ve seen, certainly in my time as mayor but really in my professional life,” he said. “We have a situa-
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It has been a pleasure to work with Shawn. I think he has done a phenomenal job as Chair of the Stillaguamish Tribe and he has been a fantastic partner here in North County.
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Nate Nehring
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“It has been a pleasure to work with Shawn. I think he’s done a phenomenal job as Chair of the Stillaguamish Tribe and he has been a fantastic community partner here in North County,” said Nehring. He added that Yanity is a great example of a leader who makes the right decisions for their community.
“Shawn is the embodiment of a servant leader and I wish him all the best in his retirement,” said Nehring. Yanity said he appreciated the recognition from the Snohomish County Council. “Definitely didn’t get into politics for any recognition, but this is very humbling,” he said.
tion where there’s a lot of demand but there’s not a lot of supply and there’s a worker shortage." The city has many open job positions right now and the labor shortage effects their ability to fill those openings. That inevitably causes a delay in the work the city wants to do. Nehring said a number of projects are still scheduled for the city though. “I’m also excited to hopefully see the groundbreaking on the new interchange,” he said. The long-planned interchange at I-5 and SR-529 would add a new route into Marysville and is currently planned to begin later in the year. “I am a little concerned because the state, who are the lead agency, notified me that they did not receive any bidders within the bid amount,” said Nehring. “Due to a labor shortage no one bid with the amount they put out there." Washington state will need to find a contractor for the project within the
budget for it to proceed. “I’m still hopeful that will happen,” said Nehring. Marysville’s new Civic Campus will provide a new building for all the city’s major departments, including for police, jails, courts and administrative offices. “And it’s not just the building. I think people are going to be excited about the outside amenities available,” said Nehring. The area around Comeford Park is being redesigned to become a public downtown hub. “It’s a community asset. It will be an incredible gathering place for our community,” said Nehring. Recreation projects such as trail extensions are planned for 2022. “I’m also excited to see some of the smaller projects such as the pickleball courts up in Jennings Park,” said Nehring. There are a number of people who have requested the courts over the last couple of years. “We have an active pickleball community and this thing is going to get a ton of use,” said Nehring. “If you go down to Cedarcrest Middle School in spring or summer you’ll see a ton of people playing pickleball in just a makeshift court that they have made,” he added. Through the COVID pandemic Nehring said the city’s main goals are still to provide necessary services while making progress on larger plans. “We’ve always made it our goal to deliver all the essential services of government and move forward with our projects,” he said. Sure, you love our paper... but don’t forget to
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January 12, 2022 - January 18, 2022 NORTH COUNTY OUTLOOK
County's COVID rates at record highs ____ “ By Christopher Andersson christopher@northcountyoutlook.com
COVID-19 case rates for Snohomish County reached record highs after more than quadrupling in the span of two weeks. “This week’s case rate is nearly double the previous week which was already double the week before that,” said Snohomish Health District health officer Dr. Chris Spitters during a Jan. 5 press briefing. The two-week average of the daily case rate reached 997 per 100,000 people in the week ending Jan. 1. “Basically that is 1 percent of the total population who became new reported cases in the county,” said Spitters. That daily case rate is a new record for the county which far exceeds any previous mark set locally. Previously, the high point was 496 cases per 100,000 people. A total of 5,583 new cases were reported between Dec. 26 and Jan. 1. Hospitalizations have typically lagged behind reported cases by a week or two, although the county is already seeing hospital use spike up. A total of 101 hospitals beds in the county were used in the week of Dec. 26 to Jan. 1 for COVID-19 cases.
Legal Notices LEGAL NOTICE
SUPERIOR COURT OF WASHINGTON FOR SNOHOMISH COUNTY IN THE MATTER OF THE ESTATE OF JAMEY TODD OMAN, Deceased, NO. 21-4-02241-31, PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS, RCW 11.40.030)
THE CO-PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVES NAMED BELOW have been appointed as co-personal representatives of this estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the co-personal representatives or the co-personal representatives’ attorney at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the court in which the probate proceedings were commenced. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) Thirty days after the co-personal representatives served or mailed the notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(1)(c); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 and RCW 11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent’s probate and nonprobate assets.
DATE OF FIRST PUBLICATION: January 5, 2022. Co-Personal Representative: Ada Evans Co-Personal Representative: Jesse Oman Attorney for Personal Representative: Steven J. Peiffle, WSBA #14704 Address for Mailing or Service: P.O. Box 188, 103 North Street, Arlington, WA 98223
Court of probate proceedings and cause number: Snohomish County Superior Court, Cause No. 21-4-02241-31.
“A similar surge of hospitalizations is being seen throughout the region,” said Spitters. “There are long wait times in the emergency room." The hospitalization peak for the county was 120 hospital beds being used in a week, which was set in 2021. The healthcare system has spent the last two years working in stressful and busy conditions, which has taken a toll on their capacity. “The local healthcare system now appears to me as running on fumes, especially in regards to limited staffing and progressive burnout. I think it is in as precarious a situation as it has been since the pandemic started,” said Spitters. “Their efforts continue to be heroic but they’re becoming tapped out." Deaths due to COVID are about 10 to 15 weekly, which is less than the previous high of 40 to 50 weekly. “Those are still substantial. Every one of those who go leave family and colleagues behind,” said Spitters. “It’s really easy to get caught up in numbers and see it in abstract terms, but
we really have to remember the human component. Each one of the numbers is a real person and it’s affecting businesses, schools, all of our lives,” said County Executive Dave Somers. Somers said he has recently tested positive for COVID-19 for the first time during the pandemic as well, despite having two vaccine shots and a booster. “My wife is immunocompromised because of critical medical treatment she is receiving and that really puts an emphasis on the importance of protecting ourselves as best we can to protect others who can be even more vulnerable,” said Somers. “I encourage everyone to get vaccinated and to get your boosters,” he added. Spitters said recent models show that the omicron variant of the virus is spreading so rapidly that the case rate and hospitalizations are likely to continue to rise until mid-February to mid-March. Use of masks, social distancing measures and other precautions will likely continue to be necessary. “We really want to try to
continue all these efforts because the rational goal is not to eliminate COVID. That is not in our future. We’re not going to declare unmitigated victory over the virus,” said Spitters. Somers said the case rate would only be worse without the effort of those wearing masks and staying safe. “It’s bad now but imagine how bad it would be now if people just gave up on wearing masks or socially distancing,” he said. “It’s clear to me we have to keep going with our protective measures as best we can,” he said.
Spitters said that now is the time to purchase higher quality masks instead of only relying on a cloth face coverings. Individuals can also use both a medical mask and a cloth face covering for additional protection. The COVID-19 situation is changing rapidly now that the Omicron variant is so easy to spread. “Unfortunately, as you’re all aware, the Omicron variant poses a significant challenge to our health and peace of mind,” said Spitters. He said that guidance
This week's case rate is nearly double the previous week which was already double the week before that.
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Dr. Chris Spitters
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may change rapidly in the coming weeks as officials adapt to the new situation. “The next month or two is going to be rough on everyone,” he said.
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January 12, 2022 - January 18, 2022 NORTH COUNTY OUTLOOK
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Eagle Festival returns Feb. 4-5 By Christopher Andersson christopher@northcountyoutlook.com Arlington’s Eagle Festival is scheduled to return to downtown Olympic Avenue this year on Feb. 4 and 5. “We’re bringing back some of the traditional events for the Arlington Eagle Festival,” said Sarah Lopez, Arlington’s community engagement director. The free festival brings nature exhibits and education to Arlington for local families. “It’s centered on nature and learning about how to be more environmentally friendly, which is something a lot of families like,” said Lopez. The festival celebrates the return of eagles to the Stillaguamish Valley. “The eagles usually come back to Arlington in December and stay for a few months,” said Lopez. The event started as a way to bring people into Arlington and has continued for many years as a local tradition. “It started as a way to attract people to downtown Arlington when we were
working on Olympic Avenue construction,” said Lopez. Many of the usual events will return as part of this year’s festival. “There will be chainsaw carvers in the downtown parking lot,” said Lopez. Carvers will be at the Legion Park parking lot on Feb. 4 and Feb. 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The traditional art show and contests held by the Arlington Arts Council will be held at the Olympic Theater and Cafe on Feb. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The theater is at 107 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington. “The Sky Valley Tractor Club will display their tractors,” said Lopez and that display will be available on Feb. 5 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A couple of food vendors will also be available throughout the day in the downtown area. The Eagle Festival brochure lists some activities to take locals out into nature as well, including activities that cost money such as paddle rafting on the Stillaguamish River and free activities such as a bird iden-
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One of the chainsaw carvers at Arlington's Eagle Festival on Feb. 1, 2020, works on a wood sculpture. tification walk hosted by Arlington Audubon. “We’ve highlighted some other areas where you can see birds as well,” said Lopez. Other new activities will also be a part of the festival. “The chamber will be holding an event that is like a passport walk,” said Lopez. Families can participate for $5 and go to different businesses to learn a variety of nature facts. Each business will give participants a stamp and kids can receive a stuffed animal from a completed passport.
“There will be a petting farm similar to the one that was at the Arlington Street Fair last summer,” said Lopez. Last year, art painted on plywood canvasses was put up along the Centennial Trail for the festival, an activity that will continue this year. Those who stop by Arlington City Hall can collect a piece of plywood, paint it on their own and then return it to City Hall by Feb. 1. More information about this year’s Eagle Festival is available at arlingtonwa. gov/168.
AAC hosts Eagle Festival art contests By Christopher Andersson christopher@northcountyoutlook.com The Arlington Arts Council will again host art, photography and haiku contests relating to nature as part of this year’s Eagle Festival. The contests are open to Snohomish County residents and beyond. “Every year we provide this space at the Eagle Festival for nature art and eagle photographs,” said Sarah Arney, president of the Arlington Arts Council. “All the work will be on display this year at the Olympic Theater and Cafe." The theater is at 111 N. Olympic Ave., Arlington. The Arlington Arts Council hopes to encourage local artists to display their work with the contest. “Our mission is to support community artists by giving them the opportunity to show their artwork,” said Arney. “We want to inspire people to do art and to share it with the community." The Eagle Festival Art Show’s biggest contest is an eagle photography contest. Each contestant can submit up to one photo. A $200 cash prize is awarded to the best photograph and that image is printed on next year’s Eagle Festival poster. The Nature Art contest will collect art pieces of any
medium with some connection to the flora and fauna of the Pacific Northwest. Best of Show winner will receive a $100 cash prize and a ribbon. The fee to enter is $5 per piece with up to two entries total, including the eagle photo. The entry fee for children is a donation to the local food bank. Submissions to the Nature Art Contest or the eagle photography contest can be made at the Olympic Theater and Cafe from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Feb. 4. “All the community is invited to participate in it,” said Arney, who added that artists who reside in Snohomish County, Skagit County or Island County are allowed to submit. The Nature Haiku contest returns for Snohomish County residents to present poems in the traditional haiku format about nature. The non-rhyming poems should have three lines of five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second line and five syllables in the final line. “Cash prizes are also available for the Haiku contest winners,” said Arney. First prize for each group will be $25. Age groups range from 6 to 9, 10 to 15 and 16 and up. Entries have been used in public art around Arling-
ton in the past. All entries should be submitted by midnight on Jan. 31. Submissions can be made at arlingtonwa.gov/ haiku or by mail to the city of Arlington’s Recreation office at 238 N Olympic Ave.,
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Arlington, WA. Art will be displayed at the Olympic Theater and Cafe as part of the Eagle Festival on Feb. 5. More information about the contests and how to enter is available at arlingtonwa.gov/haiku.
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MASCOT Continued from page 1
Marysville School Board. The proposed new mascot for MPHS would be the Mountaineers. School board officials were hoping to gain more time to discuss the issue but were also concerned that state funding to support a mascot change would be gone soon. That funding is now being reserved for Marysville. “During our conversation with [State Superintendent of Public Instruction] Chris Reykdal we have been told we were going to have money set aside, the same money that we were going to be able to get on Dec. 31, because of the relationship we’re building right now,” said Marysville School Board President Paul Galovin at the Jan. 5 meeting. The Tulalip Tribal Board
is now requesting to discuss the issue further. “What we’re wanting to ask the school board is for some time to start to setup some meetings to meet board to board and to understand all the perspectives that have come to the table,” said Tulalip Tribal Board member Misty Napeahi. The Tulalip Tribes are having another general council meeting with the public in March and hope to reach a resolution there. “We would prefer to bring the vote back to the members during the March meeting,” said Napeahi. Napeahi noted that there is major caveat with the recent COVID outbreak and that meeting is not a certainty at this point. “There’s a lot of division around this subject and we do think there is a better way if we work together,” she said. “I’m happy that we have
Father-Daughter Dance returns Feb. 5 and 12 By Christopher Andersson christopher@northcountyoutlook.com Local fathers and daughters can create a special night together on the dance floor at the annual FatherDaughter Valentine’s Dance in Marysville. This year’s event will be held on Feb. 5 and 12, with two dances each night from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The cost is $25 per couple. The dance is held at Cedarcrest Middle School at 6400 88th St. NE, Marysville. “We are pleased to bring back the Father-Daughter Valentine’s Dance here in Marysville,” said Andrea Kingsford, recreation coordinator with the city of Marysville. The dance was canceled in 2021 because of the COVID pandemic. “It was early enough in 2020 that we were able to hold the event that year,” said Kingsford. “We’re glad to have it back for 2022 … we are very pleased to be able to bring it back." Some light refreshments will be provided, along with music and 5x7 photos to commemorate the night. “It will be a similar event to years past,” said Kingsford. Sound Source Seattle will be providing the music and activities again. “We have our beloved DJ Canon coming out,” said Kingsford. Families often come out to the event for many years. “There are fathers and daughters who have attended since the daughters were little,” said Kingsford.
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I really think they like it as a special night just for fathers and daughters.
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Andrea Kingsford
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“It’s become a family tradition for many.” Many go out to a nice restaurant and take the time to dress up for the event to make it a fun night. “I really think they like it as a special night just for dads and daughters,” said Kingsford. Kingsford hopes the event provides a special night for fathers and daughters to come together. “They have fun together and they make memories together,” she said. “We love to give families the opportunity to spend some time together in a positive environment,” she added. Preregistration is required for the event, and can be done online or by calling the Marysville Parks, Culture and Recreation office at 360-363-8400. Space is limited and the event is popular and tends to fill up quickly in January. “This event sells out every year,” said Kingsford Kingsford wanted to recognize community organizations and families which help keep the event going every year. “Thanks you to our continuing sponsor Gamut 360 and to all the families who participate in this event every year,” she said.
come to an understanding with the Tribes so that we can talk about it a lot more,” said School Board member Katie Jackson. The initial Tulalip letter requesting change was initiated because of members of the Tulalip Youth Council who came and presented their arguments to the Tulalip Tribal Board. Many Tulalip Tribal members support the mascot as well. “We fought so hard to make sure that it was there,” said Don Hatch, a Tulalip Tribal member and former School Board member. Members of the Tribes originally petitioned for
January 12, 2022 - January 18, 2022 NORTH COUNTY OUTLOOK
Native representation in the form of a mascot when Marysville Pilchuck High School was formed. Tulalip Tribal member Ray Sheldon Jr. said he felt that changing the mascot will not improve issues of Native discrimination. “People will say they’re picked on and everything else. You know, I’m 64 and I’m still picked on as an Indian person,” he said. “Even if they’re Mountaineers those kids are still going to be picked on that aren’t the color white,” said Sheldon. Further complicating the issue is that the Tulalip Tribes’ second letter is likely
not enough to meet the legislative requirements for MPHS to keep their mascot according to both the school district’s legal counsel and Tulalip officials. “Because of the RCW and because of how the law is written you do need a resolution from us to move forward,” said Napeahi. Hatch said at the meeting that he was frustrated by the legal semantics. “Now we’re getting so technical that they’re saying ‘we need a different kind of letter,’” he said. “It’s almost a slap on the hand. You told us to write a letter and we wrote a letter." The school district has
also sent out a public survey to more than 2,400 community members and students. Sixty-four percent disagreed with the mascot change, 10 percent were neutral and 26 percent supported the change. At this point, however, state law still requires a change from the school district until they receive an official resolution from the Tulalip Tribes. “We sent out a survey to see how the community feels about this change, although it’s important to note that it is only as relevant as the law allows,” said Marysville School District Superintendent Chris Pearson.
Obituaries JOY ELIZABETH PERRY
Joy Elizabeth Perry, 87, passed away December 9, 2021, in Lake Stevens, Wa s h i n g ton. She was born February 27, 1934 in Santa Barbara, California, the daughter of Adolph and Ellis Aarset. Joy graduated from Santa Barbara high school and college, then moved to Bellingham, Washington to attend Western State University and complete her studies. It was there she met her husband of 36 years, Graham Perry. An accomplished violinist, Joy was the concertmaster of the Cascade Symphony Orchestra, which originated in 1962 in Edmonds, Washington. Although she retired from playing in 2004, Joy continued to be a devoted supporter of the symphony. She also taught orchestra, choir and English in the Northshore School District for many years. In addition to her parents, Joy was predeceased by her husband, Graham, and brother, Tim Aarset. Surviving are her two sons, Aaron and Mark, her daughter, Leah, and eight grandchildren. Joy was immensely proud of her family and leaves behind nothing but beautiful memories. Joy touched the lives of everyone she met, grace and beauty personified. Although no formal service is planned, remembrances may be mailed to 2811 121st Avenue SE, Lake Stevens, WA 98258.
RACHAEL MUNN BANNING 1933-2021 Adventuress turned Hospice nurse. Survived by children Duane, Sherry, Karla Gruenberg, Casey and Rachael York. Her smile is missed.
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Opinion
January 12, 2022 - January 18, 2022 NORTH COUNTY OUTLOOK
n GUEST OPINION
Concerns about the recently approved sales tax increase On Wednesday, Dec. 15, the Snohomish County Council approved an increase to the countywide sales tax to fund affordable housing and behavioral health treatment programs. I had significant concerns with the proposal and the process that was used to bring it forward for consideration. In this month’s column, I will highlight my concerns and reasons I voted ‘no’ on the sales tax increase. In 2015, the Washington State Legislature authorized local governments to impose a 1/10 of 1 percent sales tax increase for housing-related services with a vote of the people. This meant that a County Council or City Council could place a ballot measure before the voters and it had to be approved by a majority of the voters in order to increase the sales tax. In 2020, the Legislature changed that RCW and allowed local governments to impose the tax increase by councilmanic vote. This change meant that County or City Councils did not have to go to the voters to increase the sales tax rate for affordable housing and behavioral health programs. The ordinance (21-098) was proposed by the County Executive and Council Leadership and introduced on Tuesday, November 30th. The proposal used the loophole created by the legislature to bypass the voters and increase the sales tax without a vote of the people.
Nate Nehring
This was the subject of my first concern with the proposal. Just because we could pass the tax without a vote of the people didn’t mean we should. I proposed an amendment that would have sent the issue to the ballot. My amendment failed on a 3-2 vote with Councilmember Low and I voting to send it to the ballot. Additionally, I was concerned that the proposal was rushed through at the last public hearing before Christmas. Usually, we spend much more time on a proposal, including committee meetings and a robust public process before taking a final vote. Instead, this proposal was introduced on Wednesday, December 1st and a Public Hearing and vote was scheduled for Wednesday, December 15th, only two weeks later. We heard from 390 residents via email and over 40 residents testified at the Public Hearing. This showed a significant public interest in the tax increase and warranted much more consideration and time to work through the questions
and concerns that were raised. Rather than waiting and taking more time, the Council pushed the proposal through on the 15th with Councilmember Low and I objecting. Since the Council moved forward and the sales tax increase will go into effect, I will be shifting my efforts to accountability and effectiveness of the programs it will fund. We have seen hundreds of millions of dollars being spent on addressing homelessness in Seattle and King County with little success; it is critical that Snohomish County does not replicate that model. My focus moving forward will be making sure that these newly created programs are actually accomplishing the intended results by creating affordable housing and ending the cycle of homelessness and behavioral health issues. If you have thoughts about how these funds should be used or what metrics we should measure success with, please do not hesitate in reaching out to my office at nate.nehring@snoco.org. Nate Nehring is a member of the Snohomish County Council and represents District 1 which includes Arlington, Darrington, Granite Falls, Marysville, Stanwood, and unincorporated north county. He can be reached by email at Nate.Nehring@ snoco.org or by phone at 425512-4810.
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North County Outlook is published every Wednesday and mailed direct to households and businesses in Marysville, Arlington, Smokey Point, Tulalip and Quil Ceda Village. Letters to the editor, community news and story ideas may be e-mailed to editor@northcountyoutlook.com, or sent to the mailing address below. The Publisher reserves the right to edit material for content, grammar, taste, style or length, and all submitted items are published at the sole discretion of the Publisher. News Deadline: Friday before publication 5PM editor@northcountyoutlook.com
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Communities
January 12, 2022 - January 18, 2022 NORTH COUNTY OUTLOOK
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Marysville wrestlers return to action By Nathan Whalen nathan@northcountyoutlook.com
After spending the holiday break on the shelf due to COVID protocols, wrestlers in Marysville returned to action Jan. 6. Marysville Pilchuck’s boys wrestling team and the girls from both Marysville Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell grappled with Oak Harbor on Jan. 6 at Marysville Pilchuck High School. The Tomahawk boys team lost to the Wildcats 45-27, while the Marysville girls teams, which compete together, won 54-30. “We wrestled hard. It didn’t go our way,” Marysville Pilchuck boys wrestling coach Marcus Haughian said. He complimented the efforts of Andon Merrick, who wrestled at 152 pounds, and Jaelin Pirone, who wrestled at heavyweight. “Both of our senior captains wrestled how they were supposed to and won the matches they were
in,” Haughian said. Merrick pinned Oak Harbor’s Jeremy Lujan in the second period and Pirone needed a takedown in an overtime period to win 4-2 over Oak Harbor’s Michael McGuffey. Sophomore Malakai Childress (126 pounds), freshman Joseph Davis (145 pounds) and sophomore Drew Pirone (220 pounds) won via pin against their opponents from Oak Harbor. The Jan. 6 match against Oak Harbor was one of the first duals for the Marysville girls wrestling team, said Andie White, who coaches girls from both Marysville Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell. “It was good energy having the boys and girls wrestling at the same time,” White said. A similar match took place in December against Cascade. She said Juju Kilroy, wrestling at 135 pounds, won via pin. Alivia White, wrestling at 190 pounds, had a pin, as well as Stephanie Corro, who was wrestling at 140
pounds. Junior Payten Humbyrd, wrestling junior varsity at 145 pounds, wrestled her first match and got a victory. The girls wrestling team has 23 wrestlers from the two high schools. White said the team is young, but a couple of wrestlers could compete in the postseason. The Jan. 6 match was the first match since wrestling programs in the region were paused due to a COVID outbreak that was tied to several wrestling tournaments that took place in early December. Eighty confirmed COVID cases in Snohomish County were tied to those tournaments. Haughian said it’s been tough battling COVID and the weather that caused cancellations of more events in late-December. The wrestling programs were paused for 10 days due to COVID protocols and an additional four days due to the snow. The cancellations for wrestling continued in January. The Jan. 3
PHOTO BY NATHAN WHALEN
Marysville Getchell sophomore Stephanie Corro wrestles against a wrestler from Oak Harbor. wrestling match between Marysville Getchell and Marysville Pilchuck has been postponed. Ferndale was supposed to participate in the Jan. 6 match at Marysville Pilchuck, however they couldn’t attend due to snow in Whatcom County. For the Marysville girls, they had the entire winter break off, White said. Two wrestling tournaments, one boys tournament and one girls
tournament, are scheduled to take place Jan. 14 and Jan. 15. The Marysville Ladies Premier Dual Tournament takes place Jan. 14 at Marysville Pilchuck High School. The tournament features eight teams. Then, on Jan. 15, the Marysville Premier Wrestling Tournament, takes place at Marysville Pilchuck High School. “We host a bunch of good teams,” Haughian said.
Arlington girls top Stanwood 57-47 By Nathan Whalen nathan@northcountyoutlook.com Two scoring runs bookending a Jan. 8 game between Arlington and Stanwood helped give the Eagles a victory. Arlington’s 14-point run in the first quarter and a 10-point run in the fourth quarter helped the Eagles top Stanwood 57-47 in a Wesco Conference game. Arlington coach Joe Marsh said the team didn’t get off to a great start and Stanwood played well. Stanwood started the first quarter with a 9-2 lead before Arlington scored 14 points to close the quarter leading 16-9. Stanwood came back in the second quarter with the help of free throws and tied the game at halftime 26-26. “We fouled them right back into the game,” Marsh said of the second quarter.
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“We settled down on defense in the second half.” The scoring remained even in the third quarter, with the period ending in a 35-35 tie. Then, later in the fourth quarter, the Eagles pulled ahead eventually winning by 10 points. “We finally woke up in the third and into the fourth quarter,” Marsh said. He complimented the efforts of team captains senior Keira Marsh and junior Jenna Villa, who each scored 15 points. Marsh noted that a couple of freshmen stepped up too.
Kierra Reese scored eight points and Jersey Walker came off the bench to score eight points as well. Sophomore Samara Morrow also scored eight points. The Jan. 8 win against Stanwood came one day after Arlington lost to Tahoma 84-61. Marsh said Tahoma is a really good 4A team, which is undefeated, and the Eagles hadn’t played in three weeks. Arlington’s record is 5-1. “It was good to get that under our belt before we played Stanwood,” Marsh said of the loss against Tahoma.
Arlington’s last game was Dec. 15, which was a win against Shorecrest. After that games against Lake Stevens, Everett, and the Top of the Peak tournament at Glacier Peak High School were canceled due to COVID protocols and snow. “It’s hard to get continuity when you’re out that long,” Marsh said. Arlington’s season continues Jan. 12 when they travel to Edmonds-Woodway and then on Jan. 14 when they travel to Shorewood. Both games begin at 7:15 p.m.
PHOTO BY NATHAN WHALEN
Arlington sophomore Samara Morrow drives the ball during a Jan. 8 game against Stanwood.
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Communities
January 12, 2022 - January 18, 2022 NORTH COUNTY OUTLOOK
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n WHISTLING GARDENER
Compost helps gardens survive extreme weather got burned last Recently I had summer, if you one of my readdidn’t remove ers reach out to any damaged me and inquire foliage last year about how all then you can the weather exprune back and tremes of 2021 By Steve Smith might impact our garden- clean them up in March of ing experiences in 2022. It this year. They should be is a good question that is good as new, sort of. After the big heat wave worth exploring, especially in the summer, we had since I suspect this won’t be the last time we see such to suffer through three extremes in temperature, months and 18 inches of rainfall, and snow. Here are incessant rainfall in the fall, again setting more resome of my thoughts. Last year broke records cords. Excessive rain in and in the heat department of itself isn’t necessarily a for the entire northwest. problem, but it does creI found it especially chal- ate some consequences delenging considering that pending on the type of soil. I was trying to establish a Because our predominant new garden and all of my soils (classified as “glacial young plants were still just till”) are dense and poorly getting their feet on the drained, they tend to beground (well, roots would come saturated, driving out be more accurate). I was necessary oxygen from the watering like a fool for soil pore spaces, thus reabout two weeks and for sulting in roots suffocating the most part I was success- and dying. It takes plants ful in saving the landscape. some time to regenerate My water bill took a pretty root systems, so this kind of big hit but, in the grand damage can be long lasting scheme of things, it was and lead to overall decline cheaper than replanting and loss of vigor. Heavy half of the garden. I also rains can also compact managed to prevent any the soil, further driving sunburn on the plants by out oxygen and washing making sure none of them out nutrients, which leads were moisture-stressed. If to increased acidification. this kind of event happens The solution to all of these this year, my best advice challenges is to maintain a would be to make sure generous layer of mulch on you have plenty of mois- the surface, which can act ture around your plants, as a sponge and soften the no matter how many years impact of the rain drops, they have been in the absorb moisture before ground. This can be best it saturates the lower soil accomplished with soaker profiles, and help maintain hoses and generous appli- the biological activity of cations of mulch (which the soil, which is so critical can be compost, bark or in plant health and happimost any kind of organic ness. If you didn’t add any matter). As for plants that new compost to your beds
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this last fall, make sure to do it this spring. Also, adding lime will help offset the acidification and spreading a generous application of organic fertilize will replace any leached-out minerals that plants need to grow. Once all this snow is gone and the weather warms up a bit, I suggest you get with the program and weed, feed, and mulch. You and your plants will be glad you did. Finally, just as the year was wrapping up, that old Polar Vortex decided to drop on down into the Puget Sound region and give us some of the coldest temperatures in over a decade. Again, in my new garden I am now seeing freeze damage on young yet-to-be-established plants that only time will tell if I need to replace them or just prune them back. I have burned camellias, gardenias, pepper bush, and soft caress mahonia to name just a few. Most of my perennials seem to be fine, with the possible exception of some guara that is looking a little iffy. It is best not to rush into pruning or replacing frozen plants until they have had a chance to push out some new growth. You should know by late February or mid-March or possibly not until April (for hardy fuchsias) whether or not they are going to survive. It goes without saying that plants can withstand foliar damage as long as their roots don’t freeze, and of course to solution to protecting roots is, yes, drum roll please, more compost on the soil surface.
Compost can help protect your garden from extreme weather. By now you have probably figured out that my mantra of making yearly applications of compost to our gardens is the easiest way to keep them healthy and protected from weath-
er extremes. Whether you make your own, buy it one bag at a time, or have truck loads of bulk material dumped in your driveway, just do it. It is your best defense against extreme
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weather. As always, stay safe and keep on gardening!
Steve Smith represents Sunnyside Nursery in Marysville and can be reached at sunnysidenursery@msn.com.
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