Valley citizens fight to save middle-school sports, custodians
April 17, 2009
The Snoqualmie Valley School District needs to cut about $4.1 million from its 2009-10 general fund, but there is controversy about some of the programs on the chopping block.
About 70 people packed the district office at a Snoqualmie Valley School Board public hearing April 16 to show their support for issues like retaining both custodians and teachers, and preserving the middle school interscholastic sports system.
The $4.1 million in cuts are a response to both local and state deficits. Locally, the school district is spending about $1.5 million more than it is making. Statewide, the district is expecting to see a $2.6 million drop in funding.
District administrators are not yet factoring federal stimulus funds into the budget because “there is a tremendous lack of clarity” about when the funds will arrive and how they can be used, Snoqualmie Valley Superintendent Joel Aune said.
Mayors onboard with Valley wilderness protection
April 17, 2009
A small crowd stood on the banks of the Snoqualmie River to hear an announcement by two members of Washington state’s congressional delegation about efforts to protect a wilderness area near Snoqualmie Valley.
The event occurred at Three Forks Natural Area near North Bend on April 10. Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson and North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing were on hand to lend their support to Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Dave Reichert, who plan to protect the Pratt River Valley area and the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River.
The two members of Washington state’s congressional delegation recently introduced legislation in the Senate and House to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. The proposed legislation would add 22,100 acres in the Pratt River Valley to the Alpine Lakes Wilderness Area. It would also give the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River a wild and scenic river designation. Both measures are designed to protect the area from development and preserve its wilderness condition.
From left, King County Councilman Dow Constantine, American Whitewater Pacific Northwest Stewardship Director Thomas O’Keefe, Sen. Patty Murray, and Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson announce a new effort to get a wild and scenic river designation for the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River, and the Pratt River.
Mount Si students job shadow at Boeing
April 17, 2009
Mount Si High School sophomore Karen Hernandez participated in a job shadow at Boeing’s office in Bellevue because she fancies a career in business. Alongside about 30 other Mount Si students, Hernandez met a guard dog, joined in hands-on activities and was introduced to Boeing employees who explained how their jobs operate on a daily basis.
“I learned that teamwork is important, because if you’re doing a project, teamwork helps it to get it done more quickly and with a better effect,” Hernandez said.
Karla Steele, who works in Boeing’s Writing and Editing Services and organized Boeing’s Bellevue March 26 job shadow, said she tried to make the day as interactive as possible.
“Because we are so focused on information technology (in Bellevue), mostly what you see is people sitting behind desks and keyboard monitors and it doesn’t look very exciting,” she said.
Mount Si students, from left, Austin Rillos, Roxanne Borders, Ana Rosas, Tiana Jones and Kyra Kolodejchuk met Boeing’s bomb-sniffing dog Zodie at a job shadow in March.
Students divided over Day of Silence
April 16, 2009
The Mount Si High School Day of Silence, scheduled for April 17, has sparked discussion across the student spectrum.
Members of the Mount Si Gay Straight Alliance maintain it is a meaningful and necessary day for the members of their club and for the students at the high school.
Other students agree the Day of Silence is allowed under the first amendment, but argue the day causes controversy and divides the community. Those students are asking the GSA to incorporate the Day of Silence into the Day of Respect.
Junior Trey Botten is one of a group of students who would like to see changes made to the day.
“There is never a day I will support the oppression of homosexual individuals,” Botten said. “That’s not why we’re trying to take away the Day of Silence. Because of what the Day of Silence has become in the Snoqualmie Valley, there is really no need to bring it back here.”
Police keep watch over protests at last year’s Day of Silence at Mount Si High School.
Snoqualmie residents angry about improvement costs
April 16, 2009
The Snoqualmie City Council heard from a group of people April 13 who don’t want their property included in the assessment area for a road improvement project.
The developers of Snoqualmie Ridge Phase II paid to have Snoqualmie Parkway widened near the I-90 interchange, and state law allows the developers to collect money from properties that are benefited by the improved road capacity. The state law allows for developers to establish what are called latecomers agreements, meaning that properties which get developed after an infrastructure improvement have to pay the developers for the benefits that are received.
Pot bust in Snoqualmie swipes large stash
April 15, 2009
Snoqualmie police raided a husband and wife marijuana growing team in downtown Snoqualmie April 9.
Police seized 56 marijuana plants, grow lights, two vehicles and several weapons from a home in the 7900 block of Falls Avenue. The home was located behind the City Hall building.
The arrest of the individuals and seizure of the contraband occurred without incident around 11 a.m. The husband, 42, was arrested in front of the residence. Police knocked on the door and the wife, 53, was taken into custody.
In February, a Snoqualmie police officer smelled marijuana near the residence while responding to an unrelated call. There was not probable cause to search the residence at the time. However, an anonymous caller tipped Snoqualmie police to the drug activity occurring at the house.
Pratt River, Middle Fork get preservation nod
April 15, 2009
Editorial:
Let us add our two cents to the growing wave of support for getting a “wild and scenic river” designation for the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River.
Council votes to drop school impact fees
April 15, 2009
Resetting the school impact fees that North Bend collects to nothing bothers some members of North Bend’s City Council.
The council voted April 8 to drop school impact fees. That same night, the council and city leaders celebrated the end of North Bend’s building moratorium, which should lead to new development in the community. The two issues are related, because with new growth will come a need for new school facilities. This left Councilman Alan Gothelf wondering why the school district could not collect any impact fees to let growth pay for growth.
Snoqualmie dancers place at national championships
April 15, 2009
With one dressed in a shocking red dress and the other a black suit, Kora Stoynova and Simeon Stoynov placed in the top ten in their respective events at the National Dance Council of America’s National Ballroom Championships at Brigham Young University March 12-14.
Only a few weekends later, the couple also placed within the top 10 in certain categories at the USA Dance National Dancesport Championships in Baltimore April 3.
In addition to competing all over the world, the Snoqualmie couple created Dance Sport Emotions in Bellevue and teach their craft to about 200 people infected with the dancing bug.
Snoqualmie residents Simeon Stoynov and Kora Stoynova perform a Latin dance.
Book of recipes to benefit Snoqualmie Valley Relay for Life
April 15, 2009
Mary Ann Rohrbach mixed together a tablespoon of determination, a dozen friends, a cup of information and 378 recipes to perfect her newest creation, “Recipes For Life,” a cookbook meant to raise funds for the Snoqualmie Valley Relay For Life.
The hardcover, spiral bound cookbook covers the history of Relay For Life, healthy eating tips, resources for cancer patients and, of course, recipes.
For instance, the cookbook tells how the Relay For Life started in Tacoma in 1985 and lists vegetables such as asparagus, which fight brain, colon, lung and prostate cancer.
