Letters to the editor
October 27, 2010
NEW — 6:22 p.m. Oct. 27, 2010
Destroying campaign signs won’t change any election results
The 5th District GOP has lost the sign war every election cycle. Our election signs are put up and disappear within a few days.
This year, we decided to do things differently. The folks in our local communities don’t like the forest of signs that are an eyesore. They cost a lot of money to the campaigns, and are not ecologically friendly. We have been respectful of the hundreds of Spring signs and the few Hoover and DelBene that are displayed.
To solve this problem we have developed a strategic plan placing signs (for the most part on private property) on a very limited basis and handing out yard signs to folks who want to display them in their yard. I hope the people in the 5th District have noticed the difference.
Some people continue to destroy our signs. It is childish and disrespectful. I still have a hard time understanding why they do it. Is it that if they don’t see the name, they won’t vote for that person? The signs we are putting up cost between $100 and $150 each. Some we have had to replace two or three times.
This election is not about name recognition. It is about fiscal responsibility, jobs for our families and putting America back on the right track. Some people still need to grow up and stop the nonsense.
Bob Brunjes
5th LD Chairman GOP
Flood district reaches out to fire districts for funding
October 27, 2010
NEW — 6:21 p.m. Oct. 27, 2010
The King County Flood Control District is waiting to hear from several fire districts to find out if it will keep most of its $35 million in local tax revenue.
Falling property values and a state-imposed cap on combined property taxes have put the flood district in danger of losing its tax money.
Many taxing districts collect money from homeowners — the state, counties, cities, fire districts, hospital districts, parks districts and so on. Taken together, those taxes cannot exceed $5.90 per $1,000 of assessed value. If they go over that limit, the youngest districts lose their share first.
As property values have declined, taxing districts have raised their tax rates to maintain their revenues. In several areas in King County, that has pushed the combined rate over the limit.
Created in 2008, the flood district is among the youngest taxing districts and would be first in line to lose revenue. The district pays for flood control projects on the Snoqualmie, Cedar, Tolt and other rivers.
If the district cannot collect taxes in one area of King County, it cannot collect anywhere.
Support rural residents with a stronger voice
October 27, 2010
NEW — 6:21 p.m. Oct. 27, 2010
Among the many initiatives, proposals and charter amendments is one that may be easily overlooked but nonetheless, deserves your support.
Vote ‘Yes’ on King County Charter Amendment No. 1, which clarifies the county’s role in its unincorporated areas.
Adding the amendment’s language to the county charter’s preamble will strengthen the position of Lauren Smith, the county executive’s senior liaison with unincorporated areas.
Residents of unincorporated King County have long felt neglected by county government, which is their local government. Anyone who has spent time in Snoqualmie Valley is familiar with their grievances — county services are inadequate and unresponsive.
County Executive Dow Constantine pledged to address these problems, and he has made some promising progress in his first year in office. He has introduced reforms to streamline the permitting process of the Department of Development and Environmental Services. He created Smith’s position, Unincorporated Area Relations Manager, to serve as a voice for the approximately 343,300 residents living in unincorporated King County. About 11,000 of those people live in the upper Snoqualmie Valley.
If unincorporated residents lived in a city, it would be the second largest in King County.
Currently, Smith is helping the county make information affecting unincorporated areas more accessible to residents. Her goal is to provide “one-stop shopping for customer needs.”
Living in unincorporated King County means you have no city hall. The Metropolitan King County Council is dominated by the interests of incorporated areas.
With Smith’s appointment, unincorporated residents have gained a voice at the table. Supporting King County Charter Amendment No. 1 will make that voice stronger. Vote ‘Yes.’
North Bend man dies in ATV accident
October 27, 2010
UPDATED — 6:20 p.m. Oct. 27, 2010
Spokane County police said a North Bend man died Oct. 15 in an all-terrain vehicle accident near Reflection Lake.
Donald McEwen, 63, was riding a 1994 Polaris four-wheeler in rural Spokane County at about 5:40 p.m. when the ATV rolled atop him, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
McEwen had been traveling to the area for nearly 35 years as a hunting party tradition. Police said he drove on rutted Waldrons Lane to Lodge Pole Lane to help guide the rest of the hunting party to a camp. During the drive, the ATV rolled.
Other members of the hunting party heard McEwen cry for help. They rushed to the scene and discovered him pinned beneath the vehicle. Other party members started cardiopulmonary resuscitation on McEwen, but could not revive him.
Beware of deadly mushrooms in King County forests
October 27, 2010
NEW — 6:19 p.m. Oct. 27, 2010
Local public health officials recently offered a piece of advice to forest foragers: beware.
Public Health – Seattle & King County called for mushroom foragers to exercise caution after a poisoning related to the amanita phalloides — or death cap — species of mushroom.
The poisonous amanita phalloides mushroom has been spotted often in forests and backyards throughout the fall. (Photo contributed)
Eating the poisonous mushroom landed a Bellevue woman in the hospital last month, but she has since recovered.
“It takes extensive knowledge to know which mushrooms are safe to eat and which are poisonous,” Dr. David Fleming, Public Health – Seattle & King County director and health officer, said last week. “Amanita phalloides look very much like some edible types of mushrooms and increasingly can be found in the wild, in local parks and even in our own backyards.”
Hildegard Hendrickson, coordinator of wild mushroom identification in the Seattle area for the Puget Sound Mycological Society, said the episode served as a reminder for fungi foragers.
“There are no shortcuts,” she said. “You have to identify every mushroom before you plan to eat it, so that you don’t get poisoned.”
The toxic death cap mushrooms cannot be distinguished from safe mushrooms by taste or smell.
Police Blotter
October 27, 2010
Snoqualmie police
It’s not mine, officer
At 1:17 a.m., Oct. 16, an officer saw a man on the sidewalk, puffing out of a glass smoking pipe and holding a lighter, near the intersection of Southeast Ridge Street and Southeast Center Boulevard. The officer walked up to the man, who tried to conceal the pipe once he saw the officer approaching. After checking the pipe and sensing the odor coming from the man’s lips, the officer arrested him for possession of marijuana. The officer had seen a woman near the suspect and tried to contact her. She was uncooperative and said she had no idea the man had marijuana on him. The man replied that the marijuana belonged to several women, including the one the police contacted, who had been with him at a concert. A bag of marijuana was found in the man’s pockets. He was charged and later booked.
Thefts
- At 11 a.m. Oct. 17, a woman reported her GPS system had been taken from her unlocked vehicle during the night in the 34500 block of Southeast Burke Street. She said nothing else was missing and she found a green purse on some bushes near her home that may be linked to other thefts in the area. The GPS system is valued at $300.
- At 11:15 a.m. Oct. 17, a man reported someone stole an iPod from his unlocked vehicle parked in his driveway behind his house in the 6500 block of Silent Creek Avenue. The man said the iPod was the only thing missing and the thief didn’t take cash inside his glove box, a pair of sunglasses and other gadgets. No latent prints or signs of forced entry were found and there was no serial number for the iPod.
- At 11:45 Oct. 17, a man reported to police that someone stole a Zune and a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses from his unlocked vehicle. The vehicle was parked in his driveway in the 6400 block of Douglas Avenue Southeast. The thief didn’t take cash on his front seat and a Bluetooth headset. There were no signs of forced entry.
- At 5 p.m., Oct. 17, a woman reported her purse missing from her unlocked car parked in her driveway in the 34500 block of Cochran Street Southeast. The purse was found by a woman whose car had also been broken into. The purse had a wallet with credit cards and a driver’s license missing.
- At 8:40 a.m. Oct. 19, a woman reported her truck had been broken into. She had parked it unlocked in her driveway in the 34300 block of Southeast Burke Street. An iPod Nano, an FM receiver and an orange-and-gray canvas computer bag with a Seattle Children’s logo on the front were missing. The bag contained papers documenting training hours for the past year and a stethoscope. There was no damage to the car and no signs of forced entry.
Spooky fun fills Snoqualmie Valley for Halloween
October 27, 2010
NEW — 6:18 p.m. Oct. 27, 2010
Stay safe
To help trick-or-treaters stay safe on Snoqualmie streets, Snoqualmie firefighters will hand out 1,000 glow sticks and necklaces starting at 6 p.m. Oct. 31. The firefighters, who have been doing this for 11 years, will distribute the items at various locations on Snoqualmie Ridge and in downtown Snoqualmie.
North Bend’s Xiomara Pilon cracks a hair-raising smile while cooking up some witches’ brew during a Halloween event last year in Snoqualmie Valley. (Photo by Alice Romano)
Halloween events
- Teeny Weeny Halloweeny: The Mount Si High School Choir is hosting an activity night, featuring Halloween crafts, a haunted house and costume contest, 4-8 p.m. Oct. 29, Mount Si High School, Wildcat Commons, 8651 Meadowbrook Way S.E., Snoqualmie. Cost: $5 for children; adults free. For ages 1-10.
- Halloween costume contest and safety class: All ages are invited for a costume contest and tips regarding staying safe while trick-or-treating, 6-7 p.m., Twin Falls Middle School, 46910 S.E. Middle Fork Road, North Bend.
- Halloween Train: All aboard for a Halloween ride and events at the Snoqualmie Depot! Activities include an old-fashioned cider press demonstration and live music, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Oct. 30-31, Northwest Railway Depot, 38625 S.E. King St., Snoqualmie. Wear your costume for $2 off.
Snoqualmie Valley snowbirds reconnect in annual Yuma picnic
October 27, 2010
Longtime Snoqualmie Valley residents Willie and Rosemary Munson have given up on the area’s winters.
The couple, both in their 80s, head south for the winter. They’re a couple of SnoValley snowbirds.
The annual Snoqualmie Valley Picnic in Yuma, Ariz., draws dozens of snowbirds every year. Some picnic-goers make new friends. Others reconnect with long lost ones, including two men who hadn’t seen each other since they were in first grade in Preston. Contributed
There is one day of the winter they especially look forward to — the Snoqualmie Valley Picnic in Yuma.
For seven years, Valley residents spending the winter in the Southwest’s warmer climate have gathered every February for fun and good food. Last year’s picnic drew 84 people. One year, 140 people came out for the get-together, Willie Munson said.
The gathering offers a chance for folks to swap memories and trade stories.
The past and the future team up at the Daughters of American Colonists
October 27, 2010
Marie Anagnost said she had always felt like she came from nothing.
The one-time resident of Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, New York and longtime Washingtonian said her father could only talk to her about his own parents. Any generation beyond that and he was lost.
So, North Bend’s Anagnost, a retired educator who taught Latin and German at Bellevue High School, began to teach herself about where her family had actually come from. And “nothing” wasn’t on the list.
A Civil War battlefield was. And so was The Mayflower. And so was a showdown with the Ku Klux Klan in Indiana that cost her father his job for not wanting to join.
A little more research showed that another of Anagnost’s ancestors had scribbled his name on something called the Magna Carta.
The genealogy bug kept biting, and Anagnost joined the area chapter of the Daughters of the American Colonists.
Smaller than the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Daughters of the American Colonists require that their members prove their descent from before July 4, 1776, its Snoqualmie Falls chapter president Winifred Sihon said.
The Daughters of the American Revolution require proof of ancestry from Independence Day on.
James Frederick Greenback
October 27, 2010
James Frederick Greenback, known by many as “Good Guy,” died at Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland on Monday, Oct. 18, 2010. He was 64.
James Frederick Greenback
A gathering of friends and family will be held at a later date.
