Classes go on despite outage at Cascade View
November 24, 2010
A short power outage at Cascade View Elementary did not stop classes Nov. 16, despite early reports that school would be canceled.
Around 7 a.m. that day, the school was notified by Puget Sound Energy that power would not be restored at the school until noon. However, power was restored around 7:30 a.m. instead.
School was reopened and classes went on as scheduled, a press release from Cascade View Elementary stated.
The school also recommended either calling 425-831-8494, or checking the school district’s website, www.svsd410.org, or www.schoolreport.org for more information.
Fly south with the geese and you miss winter
November 24, 2010
The last of the geese went by the other day. The late ones. The big dark geese. Headed south noisily.
I used to envy them, somehow. They go down there to the warm coastal areas where the jacks swim and the nights are chilly but livable this time of year. If they’re especially sensitive geese, they’ll keep going until there are mangoes and palm trees and the language of the people is Spanish.
But they cross over here in their long, languorous vees, and all we can do is look up and wonder what our lives would be like if we could go along. To fly over the farms and valleys, to coast along on the rising thermals, to sail down the long way to warmth and sand and comfort, how nice it might be.
But if we did that, we’d miss the snow, and the fire in the fireplace when the work was done in the evening. We’d miss how the snowy world looks just at dusk when the snow is an alpen-glow orange and tells us secrets it has saved for us all these years. If we went to the winter-feeding grounds, we wouldn’t be able to appreciate how splendid the spring will be with the basking rays of sun on our necks and the swelling of the buds in the fruit trees. To truly appreciate warmth, we must first get cold, and that’s evidently a part of our lives that the geese won’t ever get to share.
The cries of a homeless girl echo in a plea
November 24, 2010
By Stacey Cepeda
One crisp, fall morning a few years back, I boarded a bus full of preschoolers on a field trip to a pumpkin patch.
On the way back, sitting across from me was a girl who was crying and jumping up and down. The bus driver and I reminded her to stay in her seat, and I asked her what was wrong. But she was inconsolable.
A co-worker leaned toward me and whispered, “Must have been a bad night.” The four words that followed shook me for weeks to come: “You know she’s homeless.”
What? This did not compute. Working for seven years in downtown Seattle, I had seen homeless men and women. Never small children.
“She’s one of our lucky kids,” my co-worker added. Every day after preschool, the girl rode a bus to a stop where her mother waited in a car. They would drive around visiting friends and were lucky because they usually ended up with a couch to sleep on.
Letter to the Editor
November 24, 2010
City needs to fund rest of memorial costs
Regarding the Snoqualmie Valley Veterans Memorial: since it’s taken two years to collect $15,000, it will probably take another six long years to collect the remaining amount of money needed to complete this special memorial.
Based on the same, I think Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson and the Snoqualmie City Council should step up to the plate right now and fund the rest of the money needed for the memorial’s completion.
Afterall, they recently spent a chunk of change for two generic-looking stone statues on each end of the city’s main business block.
Surely a veterans’ memorial honoring Snoqualmie Valley Veterans killed in action serving our country is easier to justify and more significant than these two generic statues, especially when this veterans’ memorial will set directly across from the brand new Snoqualmie City Hall.
Jim Curtis
North Bend
Editorial
November 24, 2010
Two firefighters not too bad
The Eastside Fire & Rescue administration made a tough choice when it decided to go to an occasional two-man crew rather than blowing a hole in its budget. Maybe it should look at doing it more often.
With the department’s overtime budget running out, some EFR stations will have two, rather then three, firefighters working some shifts. Some stations, including Station 87 in North Bend, are exempt.
It could mean, occasionally, North Bend’s fire crew would have to wait longer for backup, but that should be a rare circumstance. Per a mutual aid agreement, Snoqualmie is typically the first fire station to provide backup for Station 87. That agreement is not affected by the staff reduction.
The territory comprising EFR will likely be little affected by the move.
King County gets ready for winter weather on roads
November 24, 2010
With forecasts calling for harsh winter weather headed for the Puget Sound region, King County was getting prepared for inclement weather. The county Road Services Division and Metro Transit have finalized response plans before the snow started.
The Road Services Division’s plan are flavored with salt, sand and anti-icing agents.
The agency will have about 13,000 cubic yards of sand, 600 cubic yards of salt and 45,000 gallons of anti-icing material stockpiled at 10 field offices throughout the county, according to a news release.
The county is responsible for nearly 1,300 miles of snow routes linking cities, suburban and rural areas.
Budget reductions have forced the Roads Service Division to focus primarily on major arterials and routes that carry the most traffic, according to the release.
County Council okays ‘green’ energy plan
November 24, 2010
King County leaders adopted a plan last week to cut the use of fossil fuels, and make county buildings and vehicles more energy efficient.
County Council members adopted a large-scale energy plan proposed by County Executive Dow Constantine.
The plan emphasizes the benefits of producing renewable energy, plus using the byproducts of wastewater treatment and waste disposal to produce renewable energy.
The measure also sets benchmarks for county operations and facilities. The plan calls for the county to reduce energy use by 10 percent in buildings and facilities, cut energy use 10 percent in county vehicles, including Metro Transit, by 2015 and producing or procuring renewable energy — such as the methane gas produced at Cedar Hills Regional Landfill near Issaquah — to meet 50 percent of the county’s energy needs by 2012.
The effort builds upon legislation approved by the council in 2006. The earlier measure asked the executive to develop a proposal for minimizing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving energy, increasing renewable energy purchases and continuing to develop renewable energy sources.
Residents can clean up storm debris at yard waste collection day
November 24, 2010
Due to the recent storms, North Bend has scheduled a yard waste collection day so residents can dispose of downed branches and other debris.
The event is scheduled for 12:30-4 p.m. Nov. 29 at the city’s Public Works Department, 1155 E. North Bend Way.
Residents can drop off approved materials for free. The following are approved materials: grass, leaves, weeds, tree branches and limbs up to 3-inch diameter and 3-feet long, sod, dirt, rock, concrete, asphalt, wood, construction waste, manure, and plastic bags. Bring yard waste in a container that is reusable or can be recycled.
There is no charge, but residents must show a North Bend utility or garbage bill to enter.
Call to confirm the time and date, 888-1211, ext. 0.
Police & Fire
November 24, 2010
Snoqualmie police
Suspended license
At 5:50 p.m., Nov. 12, police stopped a man driving a 1995 Chevrolet Lumina near milepost 27 of Interstate 90. The man had shown up on the police computer as driving with a suspended license. Once stopped, the man acknowledged he was driving with a suspended license because of unpaid child support. The officer told the man he would be cited for driving with a suspended license in the third degree and was advised to find a licensed driver.
Accident
At 6:58 a.m. Nov. 15, police were called to Stone Quarry Road, near the intersection of Railroad Avenue Southeast for a vehicle that had slid off the roadway into a ditch. Nobody was reported injured and the vehicle was not damaged.
North Bend Theater is still vibrant fixture at 59
November 24, 2010
When she first bought the North Bend Theater in 2006, Cindy Walker looked at the staff — mostly college and high school students — and felt invigorated.
“If these kids can run a movie theater,” she said she thought to herself, “so can I.”
Four years later, Walker still owns the 59-year-old theater, and she said it has as much left in the tank as the youths who sold its popcorn back then.
“It’s an icon out here,” she said. “There’s room for improvement and tweaks, but it is a product of the community.”
Running a theater is not easy, particularly in the midst of a small town, a struggling economy and an era where Netflix and Redbox are household names.
“It’s not day-to-day, but it’s quarter-to-quarter,” she said.
