First and foremost we’d like to thank the Selah community for supporting their local newspaper. This past year was the Selah Independent’s first full calendar year and it’s been eventful.
New businesses have popped up left and right across the city, crimes were committed and celebrations were held. Here is a snapshot of 2008 as it appeared in the Selah Independent.

JANUARY
January began on a rough note when Stagecoach RV Park was robbed. Clerk Don Stipcich was closing up for the night and went outside to warm up his car.
When he came back he was hit in the back of the head with a rock. The thief wrestled with Stipcih for a moment and stole the bank bag he had in his hand with nearly $600 in it.
New Council members, John Tierney and Summer Derrey were sworn in the week of Jan. 9 at the City Council meeting alongside reelected council members Brian Harris and Herb Schmidt.

On a lighter note Selah’s Irv “Monk” Sonker was awarded the “2006-2007 Ski Instructor of the Year” award from the White Pass Ski Resort. Sonker, 65, has been skiing for 30 years and instructing for 25 of them up at White Pass.

Jack and Julia Beckner, of Selah, celebrated their 40th Anniversary Jan. 13. Family and friends gathered at the Clarion Hotel in Yakima to throw the Beckner’s a surprise anniversary party.

During the end of January Selah schools received their very first School Resource Officer in Jerald Smith, a lifelong Selah resident. Smith said school administrators and the police department saw a need for an SRO at the Selah schools because there has been an increase in gang related activities and graffiti and fights.

The Selah Loop road project began at the end of January. County Roads Engineer, Gary Ekstedt, said the road project would cost approximately $5.8 million.

FEBRUARY
The month of February started out in a bad way as well, when an early morning fire blaze destroyed a goat barn, killing four does and nine newborn goats. More than 30 firefighters battled the fire that wiped out Dave and Linda Longmire’s barn at their North Wenas home. On top of the goats they lost everything from a prized cup Linda’s kids had given her when they were children, to the double sliding doors to the hay shed that came off Dave’s grandfather’s barn.

As the winter sports season came to an end many student athletes performed well in district competitions. Bowler Holly Wood notched 26th in the district tournament and Danielle Erickson placed 27th.

Four Viking wrestlers scored top three finishes in their district tournament with Robert Espinoza leading the pack taking first place at 125 pounds alongside Carlos Torres and Dan Escamilla who also placed first in their weight classes. Levi Needles placed third. The Selah boys’ swim team placed sixth overall in their district tournament at Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

Earlier in the year the Selah volleyball team won their third straight state championship tournament but in mid-February the Selah volleyball team received their championship rings.
“I look down at my finger, and it brings back the memories,” said Taylor Smeback.

The City of Selah landed the 2A Fast-Pitch Championships this month after a group of Selah community members approached the Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association and proposed that the tournament be moved to Selah.

At the 2A state wrestling tournament Escamilla and Torres took first place and Espinoza placed fifth overall.

Members of the Selah Chamber of Commerce’s new Economic Development Committee were introduced to the city council Feb. 12. The Selah residents on the committee included chairman Bill Jenkin, Steven Peterson, Larry Watkins, Jean Brown and Wendy Culver.
The committee was created to, “help Selah business develop, grow, promote pride and assist with community concerns.”

As the basketball season came to an end the Selah boys earned a spot in the district playoffs when they beat Othello 70-59.

Towards the end of February two local firefighters decided to raise funds for cancer by raising to the top of the Columbia Center in Seattle. Joey Wallberg and Andrew Wangler joined more than 1,300 firefighters from fire departments across the Pacific Northwest and from as far as New Zealand and France to compete in the event.

Selah patrons voted yes for education to approve the renewal of the current Maintenance and Operations Levy into the 2010 school year. Former Superintendent Larry Parsons said the levy would continue to fund programs that the state does not fund or doesn’t fully fund.

The SHS Dance team took second place at the Southridge Head Wave Invitational. The team went on to take third at the state competition.

Selah’s Knowledge Bowl team advanced to the State Knowledge Bowl along with five local high school teams after they performed well at the ESD 105 Regional Knowledge Bowl earlier in the month. Participants included Joel Freeborn, Spencer Holt, Cody Alliston, Wade Floyd, Colin Anyan and Derek Floyd.

The Selah School District took safety precautions at the end of February and destroyed its supply of recalled beef, which came under investigation earlier in the month by the Department of Agriculture. The DA recalled 143 million pounds of frozen beef from Westland/Hallmark Meat Co., a California slaughterhouse.

MARCH
To begin the month of March Selah’s Yakima Valley School celebrated their 50th anniversary. The school employs 275 people who provide care for the 92 residents at the school. Since 1958 the school has provided a home for the developmentally disabled.
“There is a lot of history here that no one knows about,” said Recreation and Athletic Specialist Carol Brown, who has worked at the school for 17 years.

Members of the local American Legion Auxiliary Unit 88 completed a passage quilt as a tribute to a veteran who passed away.
The quilt was used to cover the veteran until they were taken to the mortuary and then is passed on to a family member in honor of the deceased veteran.
The quilters included Shirley Trout, Bonnie Hanses, Bonnie Kuehnert, Bessie Swaney, Lou Shellenberg, Sue Hiatt and Loraine Beard.

In the middle of March Selah Police Chief, Ricardo Gutierrez resigned. The City Council unanimously accepted the resignation. The city later paid Gutierrez $36,606 as part of a “separation agreement.”

A slew of anniversaries happened in March, including Rick and Shawnee Olson celebrating eight years, Jim and Jennie Hall celebrating 60 years and Richard and Patti Radoslovich celebrating 22 years.

Brian Vance received the Prudential Spirit of Community Award for producing a video describing the use of methamphetamines. He received $1,000 and an all-expense paid trip to Washington D.C.

Parsons, the Selah School District Superintendent, accepted a job in another school district in March. Parsons finished out the school year and began work as superintendent of the Roseburg, Ore., School District July 1.

Bobby and Vera Lakey celebrated their 56th Anniversary this month. They both migrated from Missouri to Selah as children.

Selah teenager Lauren Allan competed in the Yakima County Outstanding Teen Competition and finishing first runner up.

SHS students received recognition for special efforts in music.
Some of those recognized were: Alyssa Beemer and Heather Preston who made all-state choir, Carmel Sabater won a competition and the right to play her French horn in a state competition, Max Robinson was recognized as outstanding soloist for his performance at the Ellensburg Jazz Festival and Monica Heinz and Chelsea Sylvanus competed in a solo ensemble competition.

APRIL
It was reported in the April Fools issue of the Selah Independent that the City Council resigned. The April Fools joke brought both worried looks and laughs to citizens throughout the community.

Also in that issue, seven trees estimated to be 100 years old were removed to make way for the widening of Selah Loop Road from Goodlander to Gore Road.
“You hate to take them out, but you have to, to widen the road,” said Tanya Rodriguez, owner of Wolff’s Tree Service who was contracted with Granite Northwest to take down the trees.

Allen Schmid was nominated for the Jefferson Award for Public Service in Seattle during the beginning of April.

Selah High School Senior Johnny Martinez was chosen Mr. Selah High School, Carlos Torres was runner-up.

For the past 11 years the Selah Covenant Church has been taking a group of youth to Mexico to build houses for a family in need. This year youth members Jamie Alliston, Brooke Anderson, Stephanie Bounds, Caleb Bos, Josh Bricel, Jared Brink, Jake Cleveland, Mike Comer, Erin Collier, Kyle Crowston, Colby Flory, Charlie Ann Graf, Lexie Graf, Charlie Greiner, Garrett Gress, RJ Gunner, Jared Hansen, Matt Hesselgesser, Sky Hilliard, Andrew Isom, Dylan Jewett, Willi Kautz, Jenniie Kepler, Josh Kepler, Kelsey Kilseimer, Ashley Kinsella, Taylor Klien, Maike Kunkel, Trey LaTour, Andrew Long, Haley Martin, Jessica Martin, Katie McCorquodale, Caite Osegueda, Sadie Porter, Sarah Reifel, Max Robinson, Matt Sagen, Cassie Schwartz, Justin Valicoff, Preston Wade, Kylie Weber and Ryan Young.

Adult members included: Natalie Albin, Brad Albin, Alice Anderson, Scott Anderson, Brenda Brink, Patti Greiner, Ben Howie, Rachel Howie, Bob Isaak, Sherrin Melcher, Scott McCorquodale, Bob Nass, Wendy Nass, Lisa Pooler, Barry Reifel, Ellen Reifel and Dave Robinson.

Selah residents ran in the 26.2 mile Yakima River Canyon Marathon in April. Hundreds of people came all the way from Canada to Norway to run in the event. Marty Brueggemann finished in 200th place followed by Dennis Higbee who finished in 251st place and Wendi Peterson who got 343rd.

An inferno struck in the middle of April when a golf cart shed and 23 golf cars were destroyed in a fire at Elks Golf and Country Club. Fifteen firefighters from Selah and 16 firefighters from various fire departments battled the blaze. Selah Fire Marshal Jim Martin estimated that the 1,872 square foot building would cost more than $100,000 to rebuild.
The City of Selah and Matson Fruit Company continued to battle with Matson’s plans to expand its operations into an area that is zoned commercial in the North Wenas commercial district.

The Skate Park Association made a pitch to the City Council this month and the council was receptive. The council approved the site for the skate park next to the tennis courts on North Wenas Road. The Association collected more than $5,000 in donations at that time and the council approved $20,000 for the park. The Association collected other grants for the park as well.

Selah hired a new police officer in Scott Boyd who grew up in Selah and graduated from SHS in 1995. His Dad, George Boyd, was on Selah’s police force from 1972 into the mid-90s.
SHS students Elizabeth Sanchez, Brian Vance and Brittany Wells took first in the State competition at the Washington FCCLA State Leadership Meeting in Wenatchee. They went on to compete in the National Leadership Meeting in Orlando.

Students from Selah High School received Masonic Achievement awards including Ahlisa Rodriguez, Jody Laker, Jr., Justin Mills, Jody Lakey, Dustin Gatchalien, Wouter Daemen, Max Robinson, Colin Anyan, Brian Vance, Charlotte Graf, Michelle Cousins, Sarah Lee, Kaitlin McHenry and Collette Wick.

Selah High School Senior Hannah Younie was crowned Miss Selah 2008. “Practice makes perfect,” Younie said after the event. This was Younie’s fourth time competing in the pageant. Erica Poole and Karem Escalante took second and third.

A crew of eight volunteers turned out to clean up the Old Pioneer Cemetery in Selah toward at the end of April.
“It looks way better than it looked before,” said clean-up organizer Kathy Smith. Members of the Selah Kiwanis Club and others spend the day with rakes, weed whackers and a lawn mower in an effort to bring the cemetery back into tip-top shape.

Selah firefighters were dispatched again to Elks Golf and Country Club when a grass fire started by a power line that had been cut. Within minutes a call came in from the club to report a fire inside the building itself.

MAY
Known as Grandpa Dan throughout Selah, Dan Anderson was announced to serve as Grand Marshal for the Selah Community Days Parade 2008.

Monson Fruit Company owners and employees donated their time and money to create a landscape feature at the McGonagle Park. The feature required four loads of rock, two loads of gravel, two loads of bark, seven loads of dirt, two loads of river rock, 50 plants and shrubs, five rolls of weed guard and staples, six bins of beauty rock and 24 trees.

Councilman Brian Harris resigned from the Selah City Council effective May 9. Harris cited family reasons for his decision.

Thirteen Selah High School math students competed in the Washington State Math Council State Competition and hundreds of top math students from approximately 30 schools participated.
Selah students that competed were: Cody Alliston (who finished in first place overall in the Individual Topical event), Charley West, Kyle Washut, Hank Harris, Colin Anyan, Wade Floyd, A.J. Lakey, Jamie Alliston, Brenton Leeper, Kyle Smith, Drew Washut, Andrew Isom and Grant Bardwell.

The Selah High School FFA club excelled at the Central Washington Livestock Show in Toppenish.
Sarah Daniels was a Grand Champion, fitting and showing, and received a Blue Ribbon on two market steers; Casey Reason received a Blue Ribbon, market hog, and third place market hog; Stephanie Dell received third place individual in livestock judging. In Livestock Judging Selah took 4th and 7th as a Chapter out of 17 FFA teams.

In a three to one vote, the Selah City Council denied a planning commission recommendation to retain a high-density designation and multifamily (R-3) zoning on three parcels on Southern Avenue. The properties included 903 Southern Avenue, 605 Southern Avenue and 503 Southern Avenue.

Selah High School graduate, Carrie Schramm, was one of a handful of students whose achievements were highlighted at the WSU Spring Commencement Ceremony May 3. Schramm was one of 2,400 undergraduates and graduate students who participated in the 112th spring commencement.

JUNE
Students from the Fort Simcoe Job Corps carpentry program helped prep the new skate park site for its grand opening June 21. Sixteen students helped get the site outlined and ready to go, according to Lead Carpentry Instructor John Rocha.

The Selah School Board chose Debra Howard from two finalists for the superintendent position.

Jacob Mahugh was one of nearly 1,100 fifth through eighth grade students who were honored for their outstanding verbal and or mathematical abilities by the University of Washington at an award recognition ceremony May 18.

Monson Fruit Company received a Community Pride Award at a City Council meeting in May. Eric Monson, Leonardo Zuniga, Javier Plaza and Adon Ruiz accepted the award.

Matson Fruit Company finalized the purchase of 14.38 acres for $2,250,000 from Otis Vineyards, LLC in Selah, north of Matson’s current fruit packing and shipping facility. Matson has operated in Selah for more than 80 years.

As spring sports came to a close, Selah had many student athletes advancing to state competitions. The Selah girl’s softball team fell just short of state after losing to East Valley. Brett Blashan headed to state for track and field championships and not only won the gold in the long jump but also broke the 2A record with a leap of 23 feet, 2.75 inches. The Viking 4x100 relay team composed of Blashan, Hugo Peralta, Quincy Davis and Travis Luke placed second in the competition. Kierstin Wilson recorded a career best throw in the javelin.

JULY
The Selah Independent celebrated its first anniversary July 4. The Independent is the first paper Selah had since the Optimist ceased publication in 1992.

Former Optimist writer Josie Charcas told writer Denise Keller that she read every issue cover to cover the day it arrived.
“The idea of a community newspaper is to talk about all the great things happening in the community,” said Editor Martha Goudey.

Garner Construction announced that they would build a 64-unit hotel. Also planned were a convention center and a restaurant on North Wenas Road. The project was expected to be complete by February 2009.

Kevin Jorgensen was chosen by the Selah City Council to replace Brian Harris, who resigned his council position. Council member Summer Derrey cast the sole no vote on the selection, noting she supported one of the six others who applied for the position.

A lengthy obituary for Richard Matson was published in the July 9 paper. Matson was a 1943 graduate of Selah High School. He eventually became head of the family business, Matson Fruit Company. He was remembered for his love of horse camping, bird watching, story telling and family.

Selah resident Christy Wood was one of 298 teachers selected from more than 3,000 applications to attend the Honeywell Educators and Space Academy Program. Wood, who taught at East Valley Central Middle School, said she participated in such simulations as walking on the moon, working in a frictionless environment and “G-force activities,” which allowed participants to feel the force experienced by astronauts during launch.

Selah High School senior Brian Vance was elected vice president of community service for the national Family, Career, Community Leaders of America at the FCCLA National Leadership Meeting in Orlando, Fla.
He was the first national officer elected from Selah. Selah High School also won a national award for their financial fitness education program at the FCCLA meeting.

Selah residents Bob and Kerrie Rigimbal made the front page of the July 30 issue for their work rescuing horses. They had rescued at least 34 horses bound for slaughter in Canada. The Rigimbals were also seeking land for their Kidz ‘n Horses Outreach program. They hope to pair troubled teens with rescued horses, to the benefit of both.

Evan Mettie was entered into the rolls of the “Combat Order of the Spur,” and awarded spurs and a Stetson hat for his achievements as a member of the Army’s 33rd Cavalry unit during combat in Iraq by Capt. Michael Hunter. Mettie Mettie suffered a severe injury in 2006 when the Humvee he was riding in came under attack.

The obituary for Tim Paschen, owner of PlayNTrade video game store, appeared in the same issue. Selah Says asked youngsters what they liked best about Paschen. “He was nice, always happy and full of joy. He was a good man,” said Coleton Pittner.

Kelli Graves was the subject of a story on natural weight training. Graves, a registered nurse, came to body building later in life. She was scheduled to compete in the Washington State Natural Bodybuilding, Fitness and Figure Championships. She wanted to promote a healthy, active lifestyle, both for herself and others, especially you girls.

AUGUST
The first Selah/Naches Relay for Life raised $37,000 to be used to support cancer research. Forty four cancer survivors joined with family and friends to raise the money, which exceeded expectations by $17,000.

Future Farmers of America students did well in the West Valley Fair. In addition to livestock contests, there was also a tractor driving competition. Mike Comer was the high point youth in that contest, as well as winning blue ribbons for his breeding gilt pig, his market hog fitting and showing and received the President’s Award for his Tractor in the Parade.
Other FFA students who did well include Patrick Gonseth, whose lamb was named the Grand Champion Market Lamb, Emily Burton, who won blue ribbons for her breeding gilt and fitting and showing, Nick Groth, who won a blue ribbon for his market steer and was named Reserve Champion for Fitting and Showing and Kolton Wentz, whose breeding gilt was reserve champion.

Selah High School cross country coach Rick Becker won the USA Master’s National Track and Field Championships held in Spokane. Becker, 53, finished the 10,000 meter run (about six miles) in 34:22.94, nearly two minutes ahead of the next runner in the division.

Gregg Turck’s Ace Arms gun shop was the subject of a business profile. Turck told writer Scott Klepach that Selah was the right place for a gun shop, especially for him.
“I like to shop in Selah, get gas, don’t like to leave town,” he said. “I decided to open my own (store).”

Clay Forenpohar’s experience at a four-week, military style boot camp in Harlingen, Texas was the topic of a front page story in the Aug. 20 issue of the Independent. The 14-year-old was not sent to the camp because of discipline problems. His parents, Kathy and Vern wanted him to learn new skills. Clay had mixed feelings about going.
“I didn’t want to go, but I was all right with it,” said Clay. He got in better shape and learned some discipline. His mother said she saw more maturity and self-discipline in him after he returned.

The story of two girls struggle with Lyme disease was the topic of a frontpage story the last week of August.
Megan Pooler and Jenna Sutton were bitten by tics when they were young girls. Years later they developed symptoms that were variously diagnosed as being caused by arthritis, a thyroid condition and a neurological disorder.
Both women found their way to a specialist, who started them on intravenous anti-biotics, which helped their condition.

SEPTEMBER
Octogenarian Mike Trout recounted some memories of early day Selah for a frontpage story the first week of September. The story recounted Trout’s memories of growing up in Selah in the 1920s.
He told how the town curfew was signaled nightly by a ringing bell, the way politically appointed Postmasters changed with new presidents and how he once sold 105 bicycles to an employer who didn’t have room for employees to park their cars were among his vivid memories.

Readers learned of funding problems the Raptor House Rehab Center was undergoing in another story. The Raptor House, a 501 (c) 3 non profit that cares for injured and sick birds, has been in East Selah for 11 years. But it cost $1,200 a month to feed and care for the 14 birds housed there and owner Marsha Flamn was struggling to come up with it.

In that same first-week issue, Martha Goudey announced her retirement. Goudey had been the Independent’s only editor since it started in 2007.
“Thank you for trusting me with your stories,” she wrote in her last column.

The next issue readers were introduced to new reporter Chris Thorn, a recent Eastern Washington State University journalism graduate who joined the Independent. He and his wife, Heather, were raised in the Yakima Valley and live in Selah.
“We want to build our careers in the Yakima Valley,” said Thorn. “Both our families are here and we’ve always liked it here.”
One of Thorn’s first stories was about Kiwanis Club charter member Roy Lewis, recounting Lewis’ life of public service. Lewis was in the military in Korea when he was struck by the plight of hungry children there.
“I saw kids begging for food” Lewis said. “That encouraged me to do something.”
Lewis got involved in the Kiwanis Club. He was a board member, serving at various times as secretary, treasurer, vice-president and president. He is proud of the work the Kiwanis Club has done to serve Selah youth.

Kay Klashke retired from her secretary job at John Campbell Elementary in September. She worked 38 years with the Selah School District.
“It’s time to take a long recess,” she said. But not too long. She planned to help out as a classroom aid in her daughter, Kim Munson’s class at Robert Lince Elementary School.

Selah Independent publishers Mike and Pat Lindsey were in Wasilla, Alaska when Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin was announced as the Republican candidate for vice president. The Lindseys owned the Frontiersman, Wasilla’s weekly newspaper, from 1993-96. Mike Lindsey wrote about the experience in a column.
“I had met Sarah when she was on the Wasilla City Council,” Lindsey wrote. “In fact, I recall our editorial department was pretty aggressive with our news coverage of city events.”
The whole state was talking of the nomination and there were plenty of views both pro and con.
“It was an exciting time to visit Alaska and to have owned the newspaper of the VP candidate. And it’s great to be part of the community journalism community where we try to be fair and impartial,” he concluded.

OCTOBER
Don Gronning joined the Independent as editor, it was announced in the first October issue. Most recently he had been working as a reporter at the Daily Record newspaper in Ellensburg, but Gronning has worked as an editor, photographer and writer at papers in Mexico, Hawaii, Washington and Idaho and published his own paper, Northwest Rodeo Scene, from 1985-1989.

Coaches aren’t just for athletes, they are for teachers, too, writer Denise Keller explained in a story about academic coaches. The Selah School District has had academic coaches since 2003 and has 11 academic coaches. “We work with teachers to help them help kids,” said Selah Junior High math coach Kim Newell.

Credit was still available to buy houses and cars but it was tightening up. That’s what Don Gronning reported in the Oct. 8 issue. A person’s credit score was far more important now than in the past. A person with a 720 credit score could borrow $250,000 at a 5.87 percent interest rate. A person with a 630 score would be offered the same mortgage at 7.12 percent interest. That would amount to a $206 a month difference or $74,000 over the life of the loan.

The Selah High School soccer field got a huge makeover, thanks to volunteer effort. While many helped, Vern Forenpoher and Chad Atkins were at the forefront of the effort.

A man facing a murder charge for his alleged role in a jailhouse beating was returned to jail after turning himself in to Selah Police following a shooting in Selah. No one was injured in the shooting, in which six shots were fired.

Construction on property along North Wenas Road was well underway in October. A tire store, hardware store, restaurant, auto parts store and hotel were in various stages of construction.

The seasons for Selah High School Viking fall sports teams were well underway by mid October. Both the football and volleyball teams were undefeated.

By the third week in October, voting was underway in Yakima County, a vote by mail county. Hotly contested gubernatorial, presidential, county commission and state representative seats were up for grabs.

Selah military people were in the subject of articles Oct. 22. The story of Air Force Staff Sgt. Dustin M. Hawk’s work with spy planes was told.
Hawk, a 2002 Selah High School graduate, worked on the plane’s fuel systems and was stationed in the Mohave Desert in California.
The other military story was of Mark and Kathy Nedrow of Selah traveling to South Carolina to see their son, Maj. Jeff Nedrow, be promoted to Lt. Colonel. Jeff, a fighter pilot, is a 1989 graduate of SHS and a 1992 graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Longtime Selah Police officer Stacy Dwarshuis was hired as Selah’s Chief of Police, a position that had been vacant since March when the previous chief resigned. Initially three people applied for the position but one didn’t have the required education and another withdrew.
Dwarshuis has been with the department 26 years.

Two Selah School District teachers were honored with state awards for their work in substance abuse prevention. Anne Gloe and Beth Miller were awarded the Exemplary Outstanding Outcomes Awards for their Tobacco Prevention and Policy Enhancement program.

The Viking football team traveled to Prosser to play the perennial powerhouse in an battle of the unbeatens. Selah lost 33-13. Despite the loss, Selah fans were excited about the team, which was having the best season in 18 years.

NOVEMBER
The City of Selah’s budget process was underway by the first week of November, with department heads formally making presentations to the council. Increases in solid waste, water and sewer fees were likely, it was reported in the Nov. 5 issue.

Selah High School’s James Currell brought a state cross country championship back to Selah. He won the sate 2A meet by two seconds, the fourth student athlete in Selah history to win a cross country championship.

Selah athletic teams proved to be true student athletes.
The boys cross country team had the highest grade point average in the state, a 3.82. Other Selah athletic teams also received recognition for superior grades.
Volleyball players had a 3.55 GPA, the girls swimming team had a 3.53 GPA, the girls cross country team had a 3.46 GPA, the fall drill team had a 3.35 GPA and the fall cheerleaders had a 3.2 GPA.

Selah veterans were honored with school assemblies and Veteran’s Park, a new city park dedicated to them. More than 30 volunteers worked on the park, which is located behind Lince Elementary School.

The City of Yakima’s proposal to replace their aging swimming pools by build a multi-million dollar aquatic center was the topic of a Nov. 19 cover story. Yakima proposed financing the construction with a 1/10th of 1 percent increase in sales tax in the Public Facilities taxing district.
The city councils of Selah, Yakima and Union Gap would have to agree to put the project before voters in order for the aquatic center to go forward.

Jim Clifton’s work with teaching woodworking students at Selah High School was the subject of a front page story by writer Denise Keller in the Nov. 26 issue. Students built a variety of woodworking projects, from bookcases to fishing rods in Clifton’s class. The self-confidence they gained from these projects was important because it was based on practical, hands-on skills, readers learned.

DECEMBER
Some members of the Selah City Council were skeptical about a regional aquatic center after they heard a presentation from the City of Yakima in late November.
While some council members were cautiously supportive of the regional center, the council agreed to fund a study to see if the Selah Pool at Wixson Park could be turned into an aquatic center.

The state Human Rights Commission found reasonable cause to believe the City of Selah had illegally discriminated against police dispatcher Janine Beghtol when it eliminated her job while she was recovering from an operation.
City officials denied they discriminated illegally.

They said Beghtol’s job was eliminated as a cost cutting measure and that the city no longer did its own dispatching. The next step is for the city and Beghtol to negotiate a settlement, Washington State Human Rights Commission Executive Director Marc Brenman told the Independent.

Jerry Kobes of Selah repaired bicycles that were collected, repaired and donated to needy youngsters in a combined project with the Selah Kiwanis Club, the Selah Chamber of Commerce, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Department and the Selah Police Department. The bikes were distributed  by the Salvation Army.
“It’s not just me, there are other people that work on it,” Kobes told the Independent.
He said John Henry, Herb Schmidt and John Tierney were Selah community members who helped. Some 20-25 bikes are given away each year in a program that goes back 30 years.

Wenas Valley author Betty Maier published her first book, a set of remembrances called “For Mom and Sarah.” The book recounted her life growing up in Yakima.
She had a book signing at the Selah Library the first week of December and has two other books written and ready for publishing.

The city of Selah passed its budget, which included 4 percent pay increases for city staff.

Les Schwab opened its new tire store on North Wenas Road just in time for the first snow of the year. Store manager Eric Skoien said the Selah store would employ about 20 people.

The Selah girls eighth grade AAU team finished their basketball season without losing a game, finish 6-0 and winning the annual “Bring Your Game” tournament in Yakima.
“These girls have more heart, more desire and more will to win than anybody I’ve ever coached before,” said Coach Rick Harris.