A year in review: Our top stories, photos of 2022
Published 1:30 am Friday, December 30, 2022
And just like that, another busy year has come and gone.
Our staff here at the Valley Record are gracious and honored for another year covering the vibrant Snoqualmie Valley. We thank you for continuing to support your local community newspaper and making our work possible. From our newsroom in downtown Snoqualmie, we have worked over the last 12 months to bring you the stories and moments that shaped the Valley in 2022. With 2023 on the horizon, here’s a look at some our best and most read stories from the last year:
1. North Bend’s newest cafe is all about the outdoors, sustainability and great coffee
Our most read feature story of 2022 told the story of Arete Coffee Bar in North Bend. Located inside Pro Ski and Mountain Service, the shop was opened by Meghan and David Schumacher in February. The couple dreamed of opening a “space where you can come get great coffee and dream about being outdoors.”
2. Superintendent gets $600k severance with Snoqualmie Valley School District
Our most read news story from 2022. The Snoqualmie Valley School District reached a $600,000 agreement with Superintendent Lance Gibbon in exchange for his resignation in November. Gibbon had been on the job for less than two years when the school board suddenly asked for his resignation. School board members cited Gibbon’s lack of focus on “teaching and learning” as the reason for his separation.
3. Snoqualmie Mill Site development gets approval, construction expected in 2024
After a long and arduous process, the Snoqualmie City Council unanimously approved the Snoqualmie Mill Site Development Master Plan, paving the way for a decade-plus long construction of the planned community on the former Weyerhaeuser Mill Site to kick off in 2024. The Mill Site will require a hefty amount of environmental cleanup because the site poses a “high risk to human and environmental health,” according to the Department of Ecology.
4. Valley leaders celebrate start of SR-18/I-90 interchange construction
A month before construction on the $188 million SR-18/I-90 interchange project got underway, an array of elected officials, including Gov. Jay Inslee, gathered near Snoqualmie to ceremoniously move the first dirt of the long-coveted project. While it was a joyous celebration, it held a somber undercurrent as local leaders reflected on the number of lives lost on the dangerous roadway. The ceremony came after funding for expanding the remainder of State Route 18, near Tiger Mountain, was earmarked during the 2022 state legislative session, ending a 30-year-long effort.
5. Meet Snoqualmie Police Department’s new behavioral health specialist
A new member joined the Snoqualmie Police Department this year as its first behavioral health specialist. Stephanie Butler joined the department in the fall as part of a pilot program funded through the state budget. Her novel position involves working alongside Snoqualmie police, fire and other first responders to address a growing mental health need in the community. Butler said her goal is to help keep people from cycling through the emergency room.
6. Fall City considers moving downtown totem pole
Fall City’s totem pole has been a landmark in the town for nearly a century, but it will move to Baxter Barn early next year. The 43-foot-tall pole has an inglorious backstory and Snoqualmie Tribe members have long expressed frustration with the pole, which sits on their ancestral lands. The pole was carved by a white man, and appropriates an art style from tribes in British Columbia and Alaska that was never practiced by Snoqualmie or other Coast Salish people.
7. Temporary closure at Carnation Farms highlights lack of resources for small farmers
Lulu Redder, a small livestock farmer in North Bend, was one of many across the region impacted by the sudden closure of Carnation Farm’s state-approved poultry processing plant. Across the state and locally in Snoqualmie Valley, meat producers have struggled for years to find reliable options to package and distribute their products.
8. More than ten years, $10 million later, Tolt Avenue construction comes to fruition
After more than a decade, and a total of 13 different grants, Carnation — a city with a $2 million general fund budget — finished the $10 million revitalization of its downtown core. The road repaving and beautification are part of larger efforts by the city to improve economic vitality and livability of Carnation and develop a proper main street.
9. Snoqualmie Shelter Services celebrates 10 years
Today what is the only homeless shelter in the Snoqualmie Valley was once just a group of concerned residents trying to provide warm beds for those sleeping outside during the winter. In this story, Jennifer Kirk, executive director of Reclaim (formerly Snoqualmie Valley Shelter Services), reflects on the origins of the shelter now in downtown Snoqualmie. Over the decade, it went from providing beds in churches during the winter to a 24/7 year-round shelter amid a growing need for housing.
10. Like father like son: Henley carries torch for Valley’s local music
Six months after the death of his father, Morgan Henley hosted the 15th annual BrodieNation Music Festival. Just before the show, he reflected on the influences of his father, the mythical Hippie Henley Henn Haus. Henley, who lived along Tolt River Road and was beloved for his unique lifestyle, concerts and bringing the community together, started a tradition Morgan carries on.
