Chapel railcar’s final destination is restoration for Snoqualmie museum
March 10, 2011
Meg Graham, a wooden-boat builder, inspects a window frame on Chapel Car 5, Messenger of Peace, at the Northwest Railway Museum’s restoration building. By Dan Catchpole
America has always been a nation on the move — Boeing and blue skies, Ford motors and freeways, the Model T, prairie schooners and Pullman sleeper cars.
The locomotive carried America into the Industrial Age. The locomotive — riding ribbons of steel, carrying people, produce, products and pastors.
Pastors?
Alongside being on the move, religion is one of America’s great passions.
The two combined in the 19th century on board chapel cars — rail cars designed and commissioned to carry the gospel into the country’s far-flung communities. The American Baptist Church and several other denominations fielded their own cars.
In 1917, one of the Baptists’ cars — Chapel Car 5, Messenger of Peace — rolled into North Bend, where it spent a week, while the minister held services.
Valley legislators to host town hall meeting in Snoqualmie
March 10, 2011
State legislators for the 5th District are hosting a town hall meeting from 3-4 p.m. March 12 to meet with constituents in the training room of the Snoqualmie Fire Station, 37600 S.E. Snoqualmie Parkway.
Sen. Cheryl Pflug, and Reps. Jay Rodne and Glenn Anderson are holding meetings in Snoqualmie, Issaquah and Maple Valley. They will give attendees an update of the 2011 legislative session and answer questions.
The state Legislature must close another looming budget shortfall this year, which could require a combination of program cuts, tax increases and higher fees.
North Bend man is uninjured after losing control of his truck
March 10, 2011
A North Bend man lost control of his pickup while driving on state Route 202 just west of Tolt Hill early the morning of March 4.
His truck went off the roadway, landing in a ditch. The truck was standing on its grill, leaning against a tree.
Property taxes increase for most Snoqualmie Valley homeowners
March 10, 2011
Snoqualmie Valley homeowners’ tax bills are likely higher this year due to levies passed in 2010.
Property tax bills for the first half of 2011 were mailed out in February, and must be paid or postmarked by May 2. Homeowners who handle their tax bills through their mortgage lender will see the increase in the form of higher monthly escrow payments.
Average levy rates vary in the Valley. In Snoqualmie, homeowners will pay between $11.86 and $12.67 per $1,000 of assessed value — an increase from the $11 paid by the city’s average homeowner the previous year.
That rise came despite a decline in the average home price in Snoqualmie by $200 to $413,300. The average homeowner will pay $359.07 more in taxes.
It is a similar story in North Bend, where rates jumped from $10.32 per $1,000 of assessed value in 2010 to $11.46.
The increases don’t necessarily mean taxpayers will pay more. A fall in a home’s value means the rate has to rise just to pay the same amount.
Valley group promotes growing your own food
March 10, 2011
Want to be more independent? More self-sustaining?
Try your hand at growing your own food. A local group wants to help you get started.
Transition Snoqualmie Valley, which promotes sustainable living, is holding a workshop about growing your own food.
Snoqualmie continues talks with police union
March 10, 2011
Negotiations continue between Snoqualmie and the union representing the city’s police officers. Police have been working without a contract since Dec. 31.
“There are no major stumbling blocks,” City Administrator Bob Larson said.
Nonetheless, more meetings are scheduled.
“We’re having very good negotiations,” Larson said.
The union represents 14 police officers.
Letters to the editor
March 10, 2011
Sheriff’s office has its priorities backward
I have a concern about the article titled “Little League needs lawn moving help after mower is stolen” in the March 3 paper.
I feel terrible about the Little League storage shed being broken into. My concern is the information about the King County Sheriff’s Office, particularly the statement “Due to budget cuts, property crimes below $10,000 are a low priority.”
Late last fall, a deputy sheriff spent three weeks in the Si View area ticketing folks that did not come to an absolute complete stop at a three-way stop. As a result to me it is clear that we either have too many deputies or poor leadership about who determines the dispatch priorities.
Thomas Som
North Bend
Rest in peace
In loving memory of Mike Busby — Feb. 10, 1946 – March 5, 2010.
We miss you and love you so much.
The Busby family
Snoqualmie
Legislators need your input more than ever
March 10, 2011
State representatives will be more approachable than ever this Saturday, March 12. Constituents from the 5th Legislative District might want to save the date for a face-to-face opportunity to share views with their elected officials about reduced services and possible fees now before the Legislature.
Decisions made in Olympia now could affect you and your family for years to come.
Your representatives are prepared to hear from you about increased classroom sizes in public schools, benefit changes for state employees, reduced road maintenance, tolling of the two Lake Washington bridges, user fees/permits for state parks, increases in college tuition, a proposed new tax district to pay for ferries, closure of mental health facilities, loss of state sponsored health insurance for children and myriad other issues weighing heavy on your mind.
Hearing from the voters is what will help drive the tough decisions legislators are contemplating how to address a $4.6 billion deficit in the 2011-13 state budget. That deficit could grow by several hundred million dollars when the state’s revenue forecast is released this month.
The 5th Legislative District delegation, including Sen. Cheryl Pflug, Rep. Jay Rodne and Rep. Glenn Anderson, will host a town hall meeting from 3-4 p.m. at the Snoqualmie Fire Station. The 5th District includes the upper Snoqualmie Valley, Issaquah, Sammamish and other parts of east King County.
Spending an hour with your state representative may be your best shot at getting your point across, loud and clear. No need to drive to Olympia or be lost among the e-mail messages. This is the time for up close and personal.
Your state representatives will be there. Will you?
State Legislature saves flood control district funding
March 10, 2011
Flooding is a part of life in the Snoqualmie Valley. It is a question of when, not if, the Snoqualmie River will spill over its banks.
That constant dynamic has kept the King County Flood Control District busy since it was created in 2007.
But falling house prices threatened the district’s ability to collect taxes this year. A state cap on property taxes for newer taxing districts threatened to cut off its revenue.
A last minute deal with eight fire districts saved the district’s 2011 levy. But the flood control district was expected to face the same problem in 2012.
The state Legislature has granted the flood control district at least a temporary reprieve.
The House and Senate passed legislation March 4 to exempt the district from the state-imposed cap on property levies. Fire districts are also not limited by the cap, which limits the amount of combined property taxes to $5.90 per $1,000 of assessed value.
Most taxing districts, which include hospital and park districts, are maintaining their budgets while home values are falling. That means they have to take a bigger share per $1,000, which has pushed some up against that cap.
Police Blotter
March 10, 2011
Snoqualmie Police
Stop driving, already
At 9:50 a.m. Feb. 25, police traveling east on Railroad Avenue Southeast observed an expired tab on the rear plate of a 1990 Geo Storm. The driver told police she was buying the car but had no bill of sale, registration or proof of insurance. A status check showed the driver had a suspended license due to 11 unpaid tickets, many of which were suspended-license citations. She was arrested and taken to the Snoqualmie Police Department for fingerprinting. Since the Issaquah Jail was not accepting female inmates, police informed the driver she would receive a citation in the mail.
Lighten up
At 10:30 a.m. Feb. 26, police monitoring traffic near the intersection of Southeast Center Boulevard and Snoqualmie Parkway noticed a 1988 Honda Accord with tinted windows that looked darker than the law allows. The registered owner check showed a suspended license for an unpaid ticket. The driver, who turned out to be the registered owner, was cited for driving with a suspended license and received a verbal warning about the windows. Given the snow, dirt and ice on the vehicle, police could not verify the legality of the dark glass.
