<< Previous   of   Next >> Kristi O'Harran/ The Herald  (click to enlarge) Jeanett Nelson, with the Snohomish County Department of Information Services, collected 5 pounds of staples in four months.

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CONTACT THE HERALD

Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com

Yep, an even bigger staple pile

Not only was I wrong, I was laughably wrong.

Harrumph.

When workers at Sno­homish County read that an Everett office's collection of used staples, weighing 3 pounds, 12 ounces, was the largest in the world, they called foul.

Gleefully.

"When I read your article on the staple collection, my co-workers and I had to laugh," said Cathy Iredale, imaging services coordinator for the Department of Information Services. "I have an employee who has been collecting staples for four months and she has almost double that amount."

So prove it.

They did, but they had a little help on the job. Iredale's department scans paper to create electronic images. They have to pull the staples out of every document before it goes through the scanners, to the tune of 15,000 to 20,000 documents a day.

Co-worker Jeanett Nelson showed me 5 pounds of used staples, collected in four months.

She could hardly stop laughing.

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Poker players share lingo about big slick, the flop and the river. And they eat pasta salad, meats and cheese, meatballs, rolls, salad, chips and dip, and dessert.

That is what they ate at a recent Rotary Club of Lake Stevens-Granite Falls Texas Hold 'em fundraiser in Lake Stevens.

It was a hefty $100 entry fee, but Joe Stanley of Lake Stevens didn't mind, because he won $1,000 for first place.

Entry fees help the club with food bank donations, Bikes for Tykes, Scouts, scholarships and more.

There were "bounty" players, and if you knocked them out, you won poker chips from the World Poker tour.

Lake Stevens Mayor Vern Little was ousted by Michael Crane of Lake Stevens, and Police Chief Randy Celori went all in on Don Speirs of Lake Stevens and came out on the losing end of that hand.

I suggest Speirs watch the speed limit through town.

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Here's a patriotic update: I wrote about Nancy Thurmond of Everett on July 31 because she made Corps Coolers for troops overseas.

The wet scarves felt mighty refreshing around soldiers' necks on a hot, desert day.

She recently came home from a trip to Camp Lejeune, N.C., to welcome back her son, Brig. Gen. James Kessler.

We thank him for his service in Iraq.

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Fun Fact: Goofing around, I asked Bonnie Gerken, mobile services manager for the Everett Library Bookmobile, if the bus is nicknamed BM.

Nope, it's BK, not to be confused with Burger King.

Was Gerken ever called a pickle?

Stayed tuned for a later edition.



Columnist Kristi O'Harran: 425-339-3451, oharran@heraldnet.com.