Teens help special-needs athletes play softball
June 22, 2011
April Snow’s Prince Charming does not live in a castle, does not wear fancy outfits and does not even attend balls.
Rumor has it, he can catch them pretty well, though.
Prince Charming’s real name is Max Haverfield, he’s 10 (five years older than April) and he plays baseball for the Snoqualmie Valley Little League.
Snow plays Little League baseball, too, in the league’s Challenger program for children with special needs.
By Sebastian Moraga Xavier Bumb, Makenzie Davis, Hayley Aman and Matthew Shanley (from left) gather ’round third base during a baseball game in North Bend.
Each of the 18 children in Challenger has a “buddy,” an able-bodied Little Leaguer who acts as a companion on the field. Haverfield is Snow’s buddy and has been all season long.
“She calls him her Prince Charming,” said Deanna Haverfield, Max’s mom.
Both children attend North Bend Elementary School.
On June 12, during one of the last practices of the season, Snow left her spot on the infield to race toward her mother Lynn in the stands. Max kept pace behind Snow.
Calendar
June 22, 2011
Events
North Bend Farmers Market and Summer Concert Series, 4-8 p.m. June 23, Si View Park, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive. See a performance by Ali Marcus at 5:30 p.m.
Teen Summer Reading Pizza Party, 3-5 p.m. June 24, North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., North Bend. School is finished, and it’s time for fun at the library. Games, music and food. Ages 12-18.
Dance YOUR Way, 7 p.m. June 24, Si View Community Center, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive, North Bend. Get your family and friends together and come to Si View to dance the night away to your favorite tunes. Each participant may bring a piece of music appropriate to all audiences to share. Please bring your music on CDs labeled with your name. Music line up is first come first serve, pre-register early! All children age 12 and under must be accompanied by an adult. Fee: $5 per person.
Jeff Warren, 7:30 p.m. June 24, The Black Dog, 8062 Railroad Ave., Snoqualmie. All ages welcome. Read more
Fireworks stand at casino is open through July 5
June 22, 2011
The Snoqualmie Tribe’s first fireworks stand is open through July 5 on the tribe’s reservation, site of Snoqualmie Casino.
The stand is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day.
Some fireworks are permitted on July 4, from 6-11 p.m. in Snoqualmie, and 9 a.m. to midnight in North Bend and unincorporated King County.
State law limits ground devices to 50 milligrams of explosive material and aerial devices to 130 milligrams. The cities of North Bend and Snoqualmie have information on their websites about which devices are allowed in city limits.
All fireworks — not just the big ones — can cause injuries. A recent fireworks report released by the Washington State Patrol and the Office of the State Fire Marshal said sparklers cause 27 percent of all fireworks-related injuries.
The closest local displays of fireworks will be at the Great Carnation 4th of July Celebration at Tolt-McDonald Park and the Bellevue Family 4th at Bellevue Downtown Park.
EFR backs county’s new life vest requirement for rivers
June 22, 2011
Trying to beat the heat by basking on a river? Take a life vest along — or risk an $86 ticket.
The Metropolitan King County Council passed a measure in a 5-4 vote June 20 requiring boaters and swimmers to wear life vests on the county’s major rivers from July through October. The law exempts fishermen who are 18 and older, divers and designated public swimming areas.
Children 12 or younger are already required to wear life vests while on vessels shorter than 19 feet long under current state law.
The King County Sheriff’s Office will enforce the new measure, which requires wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device on portions of the Raging, Snoqualmie, Tolt, Cedar, Green, Skykomish and White rivers in unincorporated areas.
First-time violators will get a warning, but subsequent violators could face fines of up to $86.
Support for the measure galvanized behind concerns about dangerous river conditions after a year of heavy snowfall.
The tumultuous winter flood season changed river channels and reoriented logs, creating a challenge for boaters and swimmers. The snowpack in some Cascade river basins is about 200 percent of normal.
Eastside Fire & Rescue leaders supported the measure after King County Executive Dow Constantine proposed it.
King County experiences about 23 drowning deaths per year, said EFR Deputy Chief Jeff Griffin.
Many voices pray with one message
June 22, 2011
Tribe honors ancestors, calls for protection of Snoqualmie Falls
Members of the Snoqualmie Tribe pray beneath a big cedar tree above Snoqualmie Falls. The falls is the tribe’s most sacred site. By Dan Catchpole
Fifteen members of the Snoqualmie Tribe and supporters gathered in prayer and protest above Snoqualmie Falls early June 21.
They joined other American Indians across the country calling for protection of their sacred sites.
2011 Summer Fun Guide
June 22, 2011
New principal chosen at Two Rivers School
June 21, 2011
Amy Montanye-Johnson will become the next principal at North Bend’s Two Rivers School, a Snoqualmie Valley School District press release stated.
Montanye-Johnson accepted the district’s job offer but the hiring will not become official until June 23 at the Snoqualmie Valley Schools board of directors’ meeting.
Opposition to Snoqualmie Tribal Council digs in for protracted fight
June 19, 2011
The Snoqualmie Tribe’s division deepened Saturday when a group of members voted to throw out the current Tribal Council and hold new elections.
The move is the latest in an ongoing dispute. But formal opposition to the current government has been growing, and opponents are digging in for a protracted fight to wrest control of the tribe from what they say is an illegitimate government.
North Bend bans medical marijuana facilities for one year
June 17, 2011
North Bend City Council has banned marijuana dispensaries in the city’s limits for one year. The city’s administration recommended the ban because it felt state law was too vague about how patients can get medical marijuana.
The council unanimously voted at its June 7 meeting to adopt an ordinance banning the opening or operation of any medical marijuana dispensary for one year under the city’s emergency clause. A public hearing on the ban is scheduled for July 19.
Caregivers find resources, laughter at senior center
June 16, 2011
NEW — 11:30 a.m. June 16, 2011
Every Monday morning, caregivers and senior citizens gather at the Mount Si Senior Center for another session of laughing yoga.
Herman Shey (left), Juanita Erwin, Cleo Krenzler and Oksun Cave rub each other’s shoulders during laughing yoga at the Mt Si Senior Center. The free class targets caregivers, allowing them time to loosen up and have fun, but anybody can attend.
