North Bend man dies in ATV accident
October 22, 2010
NEW — 8:45 a.m. Oct. 22, 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.
North Bend seeks nominations for 2010 Citizen of the Year Award
October 22, 2010
NEW — 6:00 a.m. Oct. 22, 2010
North Bend is seeking nominations for its 2010 Citizen of the Year Award.
The award is meant to honor an individual or business that has gone above and beyond to make North Bend a better place to live. Their participation can come from professional or volunteer efforts, or by some other extraordinary contribution to the community.
“This is a prestigious award that the City of North Bend wishes to bestow to upon a special person or business whose hard work, spirit and dedication make our community great,” Mayor Ken Hearing said in a news release.
Children safe after Fall City bus crash
October 21, 2010
NEW — 10:07 a.m. Oct. 21, 2010
No children suffered serious injuries after their school bus collided with a Subaru Impreza in Fall City the afternoon of Oct. 13.
Trooper Christy Martin, of the Washington State Patrol, said the crash occurred at about 3:45 p.m. on state Route 202 near the intersection with Fish Hatchery Road.
Martin said the Subaru pulled out of a driveway without noticing the bus traveling west on 202. The bus hit the car, injuring the Subaru’s driver, an 18-year-old woman, and her younger sibling, a teenage girl.
EFR budget cuts North Bend, Fire District 38 costs
October 21, 2010
Eastside Fire & Rescue’s 2011 budget reduced how much several partners, including North Bend and Fire District 38, pay into the agency. EFR’s board of directors passed the budget Oct. 14.
The cost savings are the result of the elimination of two positions through attrition, estimated revenue from new ambulance transport fees and a lower-than-expected cost of living increase. Added up, expenses increased by one-third of a percent.
These increases are being shouldered by Sammamish and Issaquah. The two cities are seeing 0.75 percent and 2 percent increase, respectively, to their EFR bill.
North Bend will pay 1 percent less and fire districts 10 and 38 will pay 1.4 percent less and 2.5 percent less, respectively.
The differences are due to changes in each partner’s assessed value, EFR Deputy Chief Jeff Griffin said.
EFR greenlights ambulance fees
October 21, 2010
NEW — 10:06 a.m. Oct. 21, 2010
Where are you hurt?
Do you know your name?
Are you paying with debit or credit?
Beginning next year, Eastside Fire & Rescue will charge patients for ambulance rides in nonlife-threatening situations. The fire agency’s board of directors adopted the new fees in a 7-1 vote at its Oct. 14 meeting.
The board also considered charging fees for responding to car crashes, but voted 5-3 against it.
The estimated revenue from the new fees won’t make up the about $500,000 in savings EFR is looking for in its 2011 budget, according to EFR Chief Lee Soptich.
The fees were proposed as part of EFR’s attempt to come up with a budget for 2011 that meets rising costs and does not increase costs for its partners, which include North Bend and Fire District 38. Sammamish and other EFR partners have pushed the agency to not increase its costs.
To do that, the board either has to add fees or cut services, Soptich said.
Case of MRSA reported at North Bend Elementary School
October 21, 2010
UPDATED — 10:05 a.m. Oct. 21, 2010
A student at North Bend Elementary School has been diagnosed with a staph infection commonly known by the initials MRSA.
The identity, age and gender of the student have not been released, although he or she is reported to be doing well, though not attending school yet.
The case was first reported Oct. 7 via an e-mail from the school to parents. Carolyn Malcolm, the Snoqualmie Valley School District’s public information coordinator, said the child’s legal guardian notified the school that the child had been diagnosed with the condition.
Originally dubbed methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, MRSA is an infection that is resistant to certain antibiotics, though not all. The condition is transmitted most frequently by skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces touched by someone infected.
The school has cleaned and disinfected the areas that might have been infected, an e-mail from the school to parents said.
Calls to the King County Public Health department and the school’s PTA were not returned.
Fairness issue defines state income tax debate
October 21, 2010
I-1098 could raise money for schools, deter businesses
A state-sponsored spread in the Sept. 6 issue of Fortune magazine touted Washington as a land of natural beauty, educated residents and, oh yeah, no state income tax.
No state income tax for now, at least.
Initiative 1098, a measure on the November ballot, calls for instituting a state income tax on the richest 1.2 percent of earners. The measure could be a $2 billion boon for education and health care.
Initiative backers said the measure aims to correct a structural imbalance and lessen the reliance on sales tax — a revenue source subject to the roller-coaster fluctuations of the economy.
Letters to the Editor
October 21, 2010
Our firefighters have earned our respect
Dear awesome firefighters,
Thank you for being there in case we need you.
These are the words written on a card that accompanies a basket of goodies each year. This basket is delivered annually to the local firehouse from my family on Sept. 11.
It is to say thanks and to remember those who perished in New York City on this day. Many brave firefighters gave their lives to save those in the World Trade Center.
I fear that those brave, awesome men now turn in their grave. Did they read the article in yesterday’s Seattle Times? The one about the firefighters in Tennessee that let a family’s house burn to ashes because the family did not pay a $75 fire protection fee.
They lost everything including their two dogs. The neighbors begged the firefighters to save their neighbor’s home and offered to pay the fee themselves, but to no avail. Were they trying to set an example? An example of what, that we serve, but only those who pay?
This is appalling and sickening to me. It makes me ask, “What has this world, our country, come to?”
I don’t know if our rural areas are required to pay a fee for fire protection. If so, please know that if a firefighter stands and allows a home to burn down and does nothing, then he/she should be ashamed to wear his/her uniform.
I know in my heart and trust that the firefighters in the Snoqualmie Valley would never do this. Your job is at times a very dangerous one and you, like our nation’s police and military, represent this country’s finest.
Thank you, for being there in case we need you.
Suzy Cassidy
North Bend
Our choice for liquor, state representatives
October 21, 2010
Liquor store initiatives
Vote no on I-1100 and I-1105. Double initiatives on the November ballot call for the sale of liquor to be taken away from the state. The two are similar but not the same. Both would close state liquor stores, and take price-setting authority away from the Liquor Control Board.
We don’t have a problem with either of those changes, but the price-setting authority allows the state to channel needed funds directly to our cities and counties. This is the wrong time for the change, adding to the burden of our cash-strapped cities. I-1105 goes even further, repealing all state liquor taxes.
Volunteers needed to beat back weeds
October 21, 2010
Volunteers are needed to beat back the weeds at Three Forks Off-Leash Dog Park and Natural Area from 9 a.m. – noon Oct. 23.
The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust planted a buffer of native plants between the Meadowbrook Slough and the dog park. However, these plants are not large enough yet to shade out the non-native, invasive vegetation that threatens the park and surrounding natural area.
The work is part of Make a Difference Day, a national day of community service.
City of Snoqualmie staff members will work with community volunteers to pull out any non-native species. Children must be accompanied by an adult the entire time. Volunteers are welcome to stay the entire time, or drop by and help out for as long as they can.
The work will go on rain or shine, so participants are asked to dress for the weather and wear sturdy footwear, long trousers and long-sleeved shirts. They should bring a water bottle, work gloves and a shovel if they have one.
For information, call the Parks and Recreation Department at 831-5784.
If you plan to attend, R.S.V.P. to info@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us so staff members know how many tools to bring.
The park is at 39903 S.E. Park St.
