Permanent Woodland memorial to honor teens

Woodland — Katie Blacklaw and Eddie Denson were high school freshmen in April 2009 when they were struck and killed by an Amtrak train as they stood on the tracks, waiting for a different train to approach from the opposite direction on neighboring tracks. They probably couldn’t hear the warning whistle approaching behind them, authorities have said. Now, a permanent memorial to the two 15-year-olds is being installed nearby by Patti Luke and Jamie Kitchen. It’ll have two raised garden beds built out of railroad ties, connected by a bench, garden arch, plaque, geocache and sign about railway safety. A current memorial of stuffed animals will be moved away from the tracks and included, too. “If we save even one life by making someone aware of rail safety then we have done our job,” said Luke. If you want to donate to the project, deposits can be made to the Katie Blacklaw/Eddie Denson Memorial Structure Account at any US Bank. Contact thelukes1@live.com for more information.