Death penalty costly – in dollars and in ethics
April 1, 2009
Editorial:
Cal Brown’s reprieve from death row two weeks ago presents an opportunity to re-evaluate the value of the death penalty in Washington State. We can understand a desire for justice to be served, but on balance, capital punishment does not deliver.
Letters 4-2
April 1, 2009
Girl’s story
Wildcats impress in field events at first home meet
April 1, 2009
A big day from Kyle Stevens, and an all-around impressive day in the field events, led the way for the Mount Si boys track and field team in its first league meet of the season March 26 at home against Issaquah.
Stevens won two events on the day, one of which included an eye-popping number. The senior not only captured first in the javelin, he tossed it 181 feet, 3 inches, more than 30 feet better than his closest competitor and within five feet of the best-recorded throw in the state this spring. Stevens also won the triple jump with a leap of 36 feet, 10 inches.
Mount Si’s Kyle Stevens hurls the javelin during the Wildcats’ meet with Issaquah on March 26.
Softball team rolls past Cedarcrest
April 1, 2009
The Mount Si softball team picked up an easy win with an 11-4 beating of Cedarcrest March 30. The win made the Wildcats 1-2 on the season.
Mount Si got started early, scoring two runs in both the second and third innings. Cedarcrest countered with some offense of its own and managed to get within 4-3, before the Wildcats completely punched them out with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Benefit concert to celebrate Morgan Penry’s life
April 1, 2009
Mount Si High School freshman Morgan Nicole Penry passed away at 9:35 p.m. March 12 at Children’s Hospital in Seattle. The 14-year-old, who had been hospitalized for a month, had a tumor in her lung.
The eldest of three children, Penry was born to Heather and Jason Penry June 7, 1994. Her father, who goes by Jay, recalled his daughter’s love for singing and dancing.
“She was always smiling,” Jay said. “She always wanted to dance with somebody. She was a really happy baby.”
North Bend moves forward with annexation
March 31, 2009
North Bend has received enough formal petitions to move forward with its plans to annex part of its urban growth boundary.
“We are in possession of what we believe to be 64 percent of the assessed valuation of the annexation area,” City Administrator Duncan Wilson said.
Wilson said that the city was excited that the annexation process seems to be moving forward faster than expected. He is not alone. Rob Manelski, President of the Wood River
Home Owners Association, was also excited at the news that the city has received enough petitions to move the annexation forward.
Brilliant pitching effort not enough for Mount Si baseball team
March 30, 2009
Wildcat winning streak snapped at Liberty
When the Mount Si baseball team is beaten, it will typically acknowledge that it was by the opponent.
March 30 at Liberty, however, it seemed more like the Wildcats were beaten by the sport they were playing – a sport that can allow a team to dominate all but a few plays, yet still lose.
Mount Si got a one-hitter out of pitcher Frank Tassara and put runners in scoring position in four innings. None of that mattered, though, because at the end of the game, the scoreboard still read: Liberty 2, Mount Si 1.
“That’s baseball for you. You win some of these and you lose some of these,” head coach Chaz Carr said. “It’s a growing experience for us. We’re young, so we’re going to have games like this. But, we still battled.”
The loss snapped a three-game winning streak, one which had help push the Wildcats into the thick of the KingCo 3A/2A race early in the season.
Perhaps no one was more unfortunate than Tassara, who only gave up a solo home run in the fourth inning as part of an impressive pitching effort that also included three walks and nine strikeouts. Liberty’s only other run came in the sixth off two errors and a walk.
“The guy just stuck his bat out and hit Frankie’s fastball, and that’s all they got off of him,” Carr said. “If he keeps throwing like that, he’ll keep proving that he’s one of the toughest pitchers in the league.”
Mount Si put runners on base in both the second and third innings, and had runners at second and third with only one out in the fourth, yet failed to score in any of those situations. The Wildcats finally got on the board in the fifth when Tassara drew a lead-off walk and advanced home on two passed balls and an error.
Two more runners were left stranded by Mount Si in the sixth, before the Wildcats went into the top of the seventh behind 2-1. Tim Proudfoot laced a one-out double to put the tying run on second, but the next two batters were retired on a fly out and a strikeout.
North Bend Parks Foundation seeks more members
March 30, 2009
The North Bend Parks Foundation wants more members, said chief fundraising officer Tami Asars.
The organization has 15-20 members, but it needs to grow in order to continue its mission of helping the city to develop parks and promote quality of life amenities in the city.
The parks foundation is comprised of North Bend and surrounding area residents who want the city’s park system to keep up with the overall expansion of the city, according to Asars. The group formed in the middle of 2008, and incorporated as a non-profit organization that can receive tax-deductible gifts.
“We do what we can to help parks and open spaces,” Asars said.
