Local Life

Civic odds and ends, neighborhood stories, local color, public safety, schools, and daily Boise life.

The domed Legislative Building at the Washington State Capitol in Olympia seen from above among tall trees, with the snowy summit of Mount Rainier on the horizon under a blue sky

Local Life/November 10, 2026

Washington State Capitol tour times, cost and parking

Washington State Capitol tours in Olympia are free and last 50 minutes. Times, reservations, parking costs, holiday hours and how far it is from Enumclaw.

The brick front of the Enumclaw Municipal Building, with white columns, arched windows and an American flag on a pole in front, seen across an empty street under a blue sky and bare trees.

Local Life/November 9, 2026

Enumclaw Veterans Day 2026, what is closed and what is free

Enumclaw Veterans Day closures on Wednesday, November 11, 2026: city offices, library and schools closed; Discover Pass not needed at state parks.

The Sentinel, a bronze soldier on a stone pedestal, stands on a lawn in front of a red brick building under a clear blue sky, flanked by tall trees, with a flagpole beside it.

Local Life/November 6, 2026

Centralia Massacre of 1919, what happened and who died

The Centralia Massacre of November 11, 1919: five dead, a lynching, a disputed first shot, a trial and two monuments in one Washington park.

A mown grass strip between two paved roads runs toward a flagpole at Tahoma National Cemetery, with rows of white headstones on both sides, a line of evergreen trees behind and an overcast sky.

Local Life/November 5, 2026

Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, hours and eligibility

Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent: VA hours as of October 2026, who can be buried there, how to apply ahead of time and the drive from Enumclaw.

A crowd and horse-drawn carriages gathered before the flag-draped Territorial Capitol in Olympia, Washington, for the inauguration of Governor Elisha P. Ferry in November 1889

Local Life/November 4, 2026

When did Washington become a state? November 11, 1889

When did Washington become a state? November 11, 1889, by President Harrison's proclamation. Why it took 36 years, and what the Enumclaw plateau was then.

Seattle police officers in dark overcoats and caps stand in rows on a paved street in front of buildings, wearing white masks over their noses and mouths.

Local Life/November 3, 2026

Spanish flu in Washington state, 1918, and its mask orders

Spanish flu in Washington state, 1918: when it arrived, HistoryLink's death count, and the Seattle and state mask orders, with the dates sources dispute.

A one-story red brick police station with a white roof edge, a flagpole with an American flag, a red POLICE sign and a ramp and concrete steps to the entrance, seen across a street corner under a blue sky.

Local Life/November 2, 2026

Enumclaw police promotion and a podcast's shotgun claim

A podcast says a 2010 Enumclaw police report describes a shotgun incident. What the public record shows on the 2019 promotion, and who holds the city offices.

The front of Enumclaw's red brick City Hall behind a white colonnade, with the words ENUMCLAW MUNICIPAL BUILDING across the frieze, pink flower baskets hanging between the columns and a concrete path leading to the front door under a blue sky with clouds.

Local Life/November 2, 2026

Enumclaw City Council meetings, and how to speak at one

Enumclaw City Council meetings: 7:00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Mondays, but October ran at 6:00. How to attend, watch and speak, as of October 2026.

A late-summer view down onto Snoqualmie Pass from Guye Peak: bare, grass-colored ski runs on the slopes of The Summit at Snoqualmie, Interstate 90 curving through the valley below, a lake at upper left and forested ridges under an overcast sky.

Local Life/October 29, 2026

Snoqualmie Pass ski area history and the 1938 Ski Bowl

Snoqualmie Pass ski area history: the Milwaukee Road's Ski Bowl opened at Hyak in 1938 with night ski trains and closed in 1950. How The Summit followed.

Two Washington State Ferries crossing Puget Sound with the Olympic Mountains behind them

Local Life/October 28, 2026

Washington State Ferries winter schedule starts Dec. 27

Washington State Ferries' winter schedule runs Dec. 27, 2026 to March 20, 2027, per WSDOT. Season dates, holidays, reservations and the drive from Enumclaw.

The red ENUMCLAW LIBRARY sign of the King County Library System on a low concrete wall in front of the library's brick building, with bare trees around it and a pale sky behind.

Local Life/October 27, 2026

Enumclaw Library hours, closures and its 1923 start

Enumclaw Library hours as of October 2026, the Veterans Day and Thanksgiving closures, and how the 1991 building won its vote on the third try.

A dark metal statue of a large, long-armed, humanlike figure stands on a steep, rocky hillside among tall pine trees, under a blue sky with white clouds.

Local Life/October 26, 2026

Bigfoot in Washington, and the county law behind it

Bigfoot in Washington: a Skamania County ordinance made killing Sasquatch a crime in 1984. What it says, its penalties, and what the record leaves open.