Snoqualmie’s small businesses feeling squeezed
January 12, 2011
Hilary Shemanski makes a drink for a customer at Koko Beans in Snoqualmie. Despite the tough times other food service businesses have endured in Snoqualmie, Shemanski is confident she can succeed. By Dan Catchpole
Lunchtime at Isadora’s Café in Snoqualmie was busier than usual the week after Christmas. Regulars pulled up chairs on the restaurant’s well-worn wood floors to get a last meal before Isadora’s closed with the new year.
For the owners, Jody and Michael Sands, the decision to close the doors after two years was a long time coming.
‘Ridiculous’ theft leaves school staff, students perplexed
January 12, 2011
Snoqualmie police have arrested an 18-year-old male and a 19-year-old male in connection with the Jan. 6 break-in at Mount Si High School.
A press release from the city of Snoqualmie stated that police recognized one of the two teenagers in a surveillance tape from the break-in. Officers then obtained a search warrant for the suspect’s Snoqualmie home and gave the suspect a call. The suspect then agreed to turn himself in to police.
At the suspect’s home police located an Xbox that officers said had been stolen from the school.
The day of the theft, Mount Si High School principal Randy Taylor said the Xbox and a TV set had been reported missing the day before.
The second man arrested is from Auburn, the release said.
The two men will be booked into the King County Jail and will likely face charges of second-degree burglary, first-degree theft and malicious mischief.
The Star is not naming the individuals because they have not yet been charged with a crime.
Lindsay Masters could not contain her amazement.
“It’s ridiculous,” the Mount Si High School student said. “When I think of places to go rob, not that I would, I think of a bank or a store, not a school.”
Mailbox Peak gets grant for trail development
January 12, 2011
Snoqualmie Valley’s Mailbox Peak is receiving $325,000 in grant money for trail development from the Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program.
The popular hiking trail joins dozens of parks, trails, farm and open space projects in King County that are getting hundreds of thousands of dollars from the grant program.
For projects to receive the money, the awards must be approved by the state Legislature. However, money for the grants comes from the state’s capital budget, which doesn’t face a shortfall like the state’s operating budget.
The program has requested that the Legislature allocate money for 124 projects in 2011-13.
To be eligible, recipients had to provide matching funds. This year, cities, counties and state departments requested $192 million for nearly 280 projects.
The grant program is run by the state’s Recreation and Conservation Office.
The Washington Department of Natural Resources used a grant from the program to buy 680 threatened acres for the Mount Si Natural Resources Conservation Area.
To learn more, go to www.wildliferecreation.org/wwrp-projects/counties/King_county.
North Bend man injured in crash on Interstate 90
January 12, 2011
A North Bend man was taken to Harborview Medical Center after a crash on Interstate 90 six miles west of Cle Elum on Wednesday afternoon, the Washington State Patrol reported.
Joseph Magnuson, 21, was being treated for cuts to the head and neck, and back pain, according to a patrol news release.
The other driver, Roy K. Walker, of Washougal, Wash., was not hurt, troopers said.
Magnuson, driving a Toyota pickup, and Walker, driving a Kenworth tractor and trailer, were both headed west about 2:30 p.m.
Magnuson lost control and went sideways, then was hit by the semi, troopers said.
Magnuson was going too fast for conditions, although any charges were pending, according to the news release.
A mix of snow and rain was reported throughout the day. Intoxicants were not suspected. Both drivers had their seat belts on.
Letters to the Editor
January 12, 2011
North Bend Post Office unjustly maligned
I guess there must be some justifiable complaints about the alleged “poor service” at the North Bend Post Office. However, my own experience differs. For example, the employees have more than once diverted a letter (or parcel) to my P.O. Box that was improperly addressed to my street address where I do not have mail service.
Had it not been for a postal worker willing to take the extra time and trouble to place my mail into my P.O. Box it would have been returned to the sender. In other words, a whole lot of trouble and delay were avoided by the extra care taken by a postal employee.
On top of that, of all people to show in a photo on that front page, your photographer took a snap shot of my favorite postal service worker. She is always efficient, does not waste any time, is always pleasant and courteous and can always be depended upon for top job performance.
So, next time, try to give a little consideration to the photo you choose to accompany an article. You made it seem as though the postal worker in the picture was the target of all the ire against the North Bend Post Office.
Joe Crecca
North Bend
State budget ideas are just starting points
January 12, 2011
Gov. Chris Gregoire has presented a long list of possible cuts for Washington to balance a $37 billion two-year budget. Legislators convened this week to begin sorting the ideas and adding their own.
All of the governor’s ideas have merit, some more than others.
- Gregoire and state employees’ unions have agreed to a five-hour-per-month furlough, reducing pay by 3 percent. It’s not enough. The goal should be 5 percent.
- The idea of creating a new ferry district may get the tax-supported transportation monkey off the state’s back, but only creates another level of government and taxation. We can’t imagine the voters supporting this one.
- Combining the many authorities overseeing education from early childhood through universities could improve the education system and save money. But it won’t happen this year. Can the idea be studied without additional expenses?
Police Blotter
January 12, 2011
Snoqualmie blotter
Suspended license
Around 8:30 p.m., Dec. 31, a police officer traveling south on the 7000 block of Railroad Avenue Southeast, saw a red Kia in front of the patrol car, drifting past the fog line for about two blocks.
The driver, once stopped, was unable to provide proof of insurance and a status check revealed his driving status was suspended due to four unpaid parking tickets. He was told he would receive a citation in the mail and received a ticket for lacking proof of insurance.
Lost and found
Around 2:13 p.m. Jan. 1, two people left their wallets at the police department, on the 34000 block of Southeast Douglas Street. The wallets, which belonged to high school students, were taken to the school a couple of days later.
Camping permit
At 5:46 p.m. Jan. 3, a man contacted police asking if he could build a fire in the woods near the golf course. The golf course let the transient man sleep in a shed for the night.
DUI
At 11:00 p.m. Jan. 4, police saw a Honda van travel westbound on Southeast Ridge Street near the intersection of Douglas Avenue Southeast. The driver rolled right through the stop sign, on a night with wet roads and spots of snow and ice.
Police clocked the driver, 36-year-old Tonya M. Guinn, at 44 mph in a 25-mph zone. When police stopped her, the officer immediately notice the odor of intoxicants from within her Honda as well as her watery, red eyes. After failing field sobriety tests and declining a breath test, she was arrested for driving under the influence. She was booked into the Issaquah City Jail.
Snoqualmie fire
- At 10:57 a.m. Dec. 31, Snoqualmie EMTs responded to Community Park for a 55-year-old male who injured his back while sledding. Patient was evaluated, and transported to the hospital by private ambulance.
- At 4:25 p.m. Dec. 31, Snoqualmie EMTs responded to Silent Creek Avenue Southeast for a 3-year-old female who had gotten her leg trapped in her bicycle.
- At 7:20 p.m. Dec. 31, Snoqualmie EMTs responded to Railroad Avenue Southeast for a 27-year-old female with abdominal pain. Patient was evaluated and transported to the hospital by private ambulance.
- At 11:20 p.m. Dec. 31, Snoqualmie EMTs responded to Snoqualmie Casino for a 35-year-old female with a medical problem. Patient was evaluated and left with her boyfriend.
- At 8:09 p.m. Jan. 1, Snoqualmie EMTs responded to Snoqualmie Ridge for a medical call. The patient was treated and then transported to the hospital by private ambulance.
Medical Clinic honored for quality pediatric care
January 12, 2011
For the second year in a row, the Snoqualmie Ridge Medical Clinic has received a Healthcare Quality Award for pediatric care from the medical insurance company Premera Blue Cross.
The clinic, which is operated by the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District, was one of 10 medical practices in Washington to receive the award. The recognition is based on meeting or exceeding nationally recognized standards for care.
Premera Blue Cross highlighted the clinic’s performance in treating asthma, strep throat and ear infections in children.
Money for I-90 animal crossing project could go to other projects
The state’s project to build animal crossings over and under Interstate 90 east of Snoqualmie Pass could run into funding problems with the new state Legislature.
Valley entrepreneur grows awareness in flower’s virtues
January 12, 2011
Angelique Saffle called calendulas hearty when she meant hardy, but Saffle should definitely be forgiven for that slip.
After all, calendulas, a flower of the marigold family, have a secure spot in Saffle’s heart.
“I just love that flower,” she said.
William and Olivia Grosvenor pick calendula in a field. Their mother, Angelique Saffle, has turned this flower in to a cottage industry in the Valley. Contributed
Saffle, an entrepreneur from North Bend has dedicated most of the last eight years to study, research and preach the virtues of the calendula, a flower known for its curative powers on human skin.
Saffle grows her own calendulas in Snohomish and at the foot of Mount Si; she gets her own children to pick the flower; she uses her own flowers to produce calendula extract, and then she sells that via her company, Bodyceuticals Organic Body Care, and the store she co-owns in North Bend.
‘7 Deadly Sins’ serves up satire on stage
January 12, 2011
Singer and actress Eva Moon likes to turn things upside down, forcing her audience to see the world from a new perspective. That is what she’s done with one of her favorite stories, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” in her show “7 Deadly Sins…and Me.”
While Dickens’ tale is the story of a cold-hearted miser being transformed by visits from three spirits into a generous person, Moon tells a darker — but lighthearted — story.
Singer Eva Moon performs with her band, the Lunatics. Moon’s self-produced musical “7 Deadly Sins… and Me” will be at North Bend’s Valley Center Stage . Contributed
Moon’s protagonist lives a good life and is bound for heaven, where the character’s sister is. But this heaven is dusty, staid and dull. Her sister wants to save her from spending eternity there, and sends the spirits of the seven deadly sins of the Christian tradition — wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy and gluttony — to visit the main character.
