FEBRUARY 4, 2026
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ISSUE 58
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Cruisers Hold Off Steilacoom as USPS Osborn Jr., Twedt Deliver Career Nights Postmark Changes Could Cost Taxpayers T by Skip Smith
Staff Report
expert wrote, noting the risk that mailed returns now may receive late postmark dates and be deemed untimely by authorities. DEADLINES BEYOND TAXES The implications extend beyond tax returns. Time-sensitive communications such as legal filings, government benefit notices, responses to administrative deadlines and even mail-in ballots can all hinge on a postmark date. In recent elections, absentee ballot acceptance has in some states depended on the date a stamped envelope appears to have been mailed. With mail now routed more frequently through centralized, regional facilities, election officials and voters alike may see greater uncertainty in whether ballots will be accepted based on a postmark.
USPS CHANGES, 5
Eatonville’s Sam Twedt rises above the defense for a mid-range jumper during league action, part of a career-high 18 point performance for the Cruiser guard.
CRUISERS, 3
Early Deficits, Tough Defenses Sink Eatonville in Two League Losses by Skip Smith
T
he Eatonville Cruisers endured a challenging week in 2A SPSL League play, dropping road games to Washington and Steilacoom despite stretches of strong effort, improved rebounding, and late-game resilience. On Tuesday, Jan. 27, Eatonville fell 51-41 to the Washington Patriots at Washington High School after digging an early hole and spending much of the night trying to climb out of it. The Cruisers struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the opening quarter, scoring just four points while being outrebounded 18-6 during a 12-2 Patriot run. Morgan Laird and Delaney Livernash each scored two points in the period, with Livernash’s pair of free throws stopping the run at the 2:28 mark. Washington led 12-4 after one. Eatonville responded in the second quarter with better energy and much better work on the glass. The Cruisers opened on a 7-2 run to cut the deficit to three before Washington answered with a 10-0 burst fueled by a three pointer, inside buckets, and a free throw to stretch the lead to 24-11 midway through the quarter. Dakota Montgomery stopped the run with a rebound and put back, and Jordyn Green followed with a three pointer to make it 24-16. Trailing 26-18 with a minute left in the half, Livernash knocked down two free throws and Josie Lavergne scored inside to trim the lead to four. Eatonville
HEATHER QUIRIE
“The implications extend beyond tax returns. ”
HEATHER QUIRIE
A
significant change in how the United States Postal Service dates mail known as postmarking - could have far-reaching effects for taxpayers, voters and anyone who relies on mailed documents to meet deadlines, experts warn. The change, which took effect in late 2025, alters what the date on a postmark actually represents, potentially exposing people to penalties, rejected ballots, or missed filings if they aren’t aware of what’s different. For decades, many Americans have trusted the postmark as evidence of when an item was mailed. Under old expectations, if a taxpayer dropped a tax return or payment into a mailbox on or before a deadline, the postmark would generally reflect that same date, protecting the sender from late-filing consequences. But a recent update to the USPS’s Domestic Mail Manual clarifies that the date printed on a postmark now reflects when mail is first processed by an automated sorting facility - not when it was dropped off. In practice, this means a tax return placed in a blue collection box or handed to a postal carrier on Tax Day may be postmarked several days later, once it reaches a regional processing center. For rules like the Internal Revenue Service’s “mailbox rule,” which treats a tax return as timely filed if it bears a due-date postmark, that shift could trigger penalties and interest even if the taxpayer mailed the form on time. “The change fundamentally shifts the reliability of the ‘mailbox rule’ that taxpayers have depended on for decades,” one tax
he Eatonville Cruisers closed out the week on a high note Friday night, using grit, rebounding and timely shooting to earn a 60-56 2A SPSL League victory over the Steilacoom Sentinels at Rainier Connect Arena. The win gave Eatonville its fourth victory of the season and provided a lift in front of a loud home crowd at Rainier Connect Arena. The Sentinels and Cruisers traded baskets early, with neither team able to gain separation in the opening quarter. Eatonville’s Sam Twedt scored four points as the teams finished the period tied 10-10. Eatonville found a brief rhythm to start the second quarter, opening on an 8-3 run to take an 18-13 lead. Steilacoom responded, but the Cruisers carried a 27-24 advantage into halftime behind seven points from Jeremy Osborn Jr.
Eatonville senior Dakota Montgomery rises for a shot in traffic during the Cruisers’ matchup with the Washington Patriots. Montgomery finished with a career-high six points in the contest. closed the half on an 8-2 run and went to the locker room down 28-24 after out rebounding Washington 11-5 in the quarter. Montgomery came off the bench to grab four rebounds that directly led to four points. Washington regained control early in the third, opening the half with a three pointer that sparked a 13-3 run and pushed the lead to 41-27 with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter. Avery Crowder ended the run with a steal and basket and added another bucket before the horn. Her four points helped Eatonville pull within 43-31 heading to the fourth. Both teams struggled to score early in the final period, combining for 10 turnovers before any points were scored. With 5:37 left, Montgomery again broke through by securing a rebound and scoring on the put
back. That basket sparked a 5-0 Cruiser run that cut the deficit to 46-38 with just over two minutes to play. Washington answered down the stretch with free throws and timely baskets to seal the 51-41 win. Green led Eatonville with 11 points and six rebounds. Laird finished with 10 points, four rebounds, and four steals. Livernash added seven points and five rebounds, while Montgomery posted a career-high six points and 10 rebounds off the bench. Lavergne pulled down 12 rebounds as the Cruisers held a slim 48-46 edge on the boards. Three nights later, Eatonville was back on the road and ran into a tough Steilacoom Sentinels defense in a 48-23 loss Friday, Jan. 30, at Steilacoom High School.
LEAGUE LOSSES, 3