Calling all turkeys! North Bend food bank needs turkey donations
November 9, 2011
Mount Si Helping Hands Food Bank needs help collecting 340 turkeys by Nov. 16.
Donations can be dropped off from 9 a.m. to noon on Mondays and Tuesdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
Arrange a special drop off time by calling the food bank’s director, Heidi Dukich, at 785-6789.
Learn more at www.mtsifoodbank.org.
Health agency urges whooping cough prevention
November 9, 2011
State health officials said whooping cough, or pertussis, is a serious concern as infants contract the disease at a much higher rate than other people.
The rate of whooping cough in babies is almost 10 times greater than the combined rate of all people of all ages statewide. The state Department of Health said 58 infants younger than 1 received whooping cough diagnoses in 2011. The total includes 22 infants hospitalized for whooping cough and two babies that died from the disease.
“Whooping cough is a serious illness, especially for babies who are too young to be vaccinated,” Dr. Maxine Hayes, state health officer and pediatrician, said in a statement. “Older kids and adults can help protect babies by getting the pertussis vaccine. By being vaccinated, close contacts of infants create a protective ‘cocoon’ for newborns and infants who can’t yet be vaccinated or have not completed their initial vaccine series.”
What to knowLearn more about whooping cough and preventing it from Public Health – Seattle & King County at www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/communicable/diseases/ pertussis and the state Department of Health’s Immunization and CHILD Profile at www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/Immunize. Or call 360-236-3595. The state agency maintains a weekly pertussis update to track cases statewide.. |
Pertussis is highly contagious and spreads easily from person to person through coughing and sneezing. The disease causes coughing spells so severe that it is difficult for infants to eat, drink or even breathe. Pertussis can lead to pneumonia, seizures and even death.
Older children and adults may experience milder symptoms than babies, and may mistake the condition for a cold or persistent cough.
Editorial – Each one of us can serve our country
November 9, 2011
Veterans Day is always a day for quiet reflection and gratitude for the men and women who have served the United States during its nearly 250 years.
This year, Veterans Day will be especially meaningful for Snoqualmie Valley residents. The Snoqualmie Valley Veterans Memorial will be dedicated at 11 a.m. Nov. 11, 2011.
The monument honors the Valley’s veterans and pays a special tribute to those young men and women who went to war and did not return. There are more than 70 names on the memorial stone.
Around the stone sit 10 large rocks, one from the Valley’s cities and larger communities. For years to come, the rocks will keep a silent vigil around the memory of the fallen.
The monument has been many years in the making. It is the product of long hours and support from all across the Valley. It is being dedicated because Valley residents have not forgotten their fallen neighbors.
Gina Estep recognized by Leadership Eastside
November 9, 2011
Since becoming the North Bend Community and Economic Development director, Gina Estep has put in countless hours trying to invigorate the city’s economy.
Her office on Fourth Street is crammed with proposals, reports, maps and other materials. Sometimes she is joined by her black Lab, Bear.
Estep’s hard work was recognized Oct. 20 when she received the Community Choice award from Leadership Eastside at the group’s annual banquet.
Gina Estep, far left, poses with other award winners at the Leadership Eastside annual banquet. Contributed
She is the award’s inaugural recipient.
Her efforts have included her organization of the city’s all-volunteer branding team, the Downtown Block Party, the North Bend Film Challenge, the Banff Film Festival and the Warrior Dash.
The branding team’s work produced a new logo for the city — “Easy to find, hard to leave” — and saved the city several thousands of dollars by drawing on local volunteer talent rather than hiring a marketing company.
“I wish it could be a team award,” Estep said.
Estep was one of 47 nominees from the Eastside.
Four finalists were presented at the banquet to Leadership Eastside members, who voted on the winner.
High-octane leader is coming to senior center helm
November 9, 2011
How does the Mount Si Senior Center’s new executive director get downtown? She’ll probably call him.
One idea B.J. Libby has for the center is a celebrity golf tournament, with people like Seattle SuperSonics legend “Downtown” Freddy Brown raising cash.
“I have no problem asking people for money,” said Libby, who was chosen Oct. 25 to replace Ruth Tolmasoff, “and telling them why we need it.”
B.J. Libby, the new executive director at the Mount Si Senior Center said she wants to include more of the community in the center’s activities. Contributed
Libby spent the past two years in Bellevue as the marketing director and volunteer event coordinator for Elderly and Adult Day Services.
At EADS, she created a golf tournament she said she hoped will lure celebrities like Brown, Jack Sikma, Gary Payton, Fred Couples and Lori Matsukawa in 2012.
“I’m putting this tournament together for Sept. 20,” she said, adding the center’s tourney would happen the next day.
Before she unfurls the red carpet for luminaries, Libby said she will meet with all board members, staffers, volunteers and supporters of the center.
Libby’s first day is Nov. 7.
State starts tracking prescription pain medication purchases
November 9, 2011
State health officials have started collecting information regarding purchases of prescription pain medication to crack down on a statewide overdose problem.
Officials rolled out the Washington State Prescription Monitoring Program in October to reduce abuse and promote safe prescription drug use.
The program collects information on commonly abused medications.
Information from pharmacies and health care providers is collected and stored in a central database.
Starting in January, health care providers can view their patients’ prescription history dating back to the start of data collection.
The program also allows patients and law enforcement officials to view the prescription records.
Officials said physicians and pharmacists could use the data to intervene earlier to identify dangerous drug interactions, address misuse, recognize undermanaged pain or see the need for substance-abuse treatment.
The number of people dying from prescription pain medication overdoses is growing in Washington.
The rate of overdose deaths involving prescription pain medications doubled from 2000 to 2010.
Since 2006, deaths from unintentional drug overdoses have surpassed the number of deaths from automobile crashes.
Your best photos could win cash prizes
November 9, 2011
Nearly everyone has a ready camera these days, and now you can do more than post your favorites to Facebook. Your best photos could win $100!
The SnoValley Star is introducing a Snoqualmie Valley Photo Contest. Awards of $100 will be presented for the best in each of the three categories: Life in the Valley (people), animals/pets and Northwest nature (scenics).
Staff members of the Star will select the best photos and will consider composition, lighting and originality. Photos may not be composites or changed dramatically from the original picture.
Digital files can be sent to photocontest@snovalleystar.com by the Feb. 3 deadline. Include the name, address and phone number of the photographer, plus the story behind the photo. All entries become the property of SnoValley Star and its parent company for use in any of its publications.
Winners will be announced in the Feb. 16 issue of the Star.
Police Blotter
November 9, 2011
Snoqualmie Police
Drunken driving arrest
At 12:05 a.m. Oct. 30, police saw a black 2002 Acura traveling eastbound in the 38400 block of North Bend Way.
It looked like the Acura was tailgating the vehicle in front of it.
The vehicle swerved from lane to lane until police stopped it near the intersection of Eighth Street Northwest.
The driver, 44-year-old Michael Vetsch, of North Bend, smelled of alcohol and had bloodshot eyes. A passenger in the Acura told police that the car was his and that Vetsch was the designated driver.
Vetsch told police the passenger with the cigar kept reaching over and playing with the radio and that’s why the car kept swerving.
After failing the first of two sobriety tests, Vetsch told police, “You got me,” and refused to continue with the tests.
He was arrested for driving under the influence and taken to the Snoqualmie Police Department.
Search for unclaimed cash in Department of Revenue database
November 9, 2011
The state Department of Revenue returned unclaimed property to a record 108,441 claimants during the 2011 fiscal year, due in part to a sharp increase in businesses reporting unclaimed property to the state.
The number of individuals claiming property during the same period increased by more than 10,000 from the previous fiscal year. Individuals claimed $46.5 million in the fiscal year ending June 30.
Revenue Director Suzan DelBene said the number of businesses reporting unclaimed property increased substantially over the past decade, from fewer than 5,000 to more than 26,000. The director attributed publicity and continuing educational efforts to the increase in reporting.
Unclaimed property includes unclaimed paychecks, utility deposits, bank accounts, uncashed refunds, life insurance proceeds, stocks and bonds, and contents from safe deposit boxes.
During the past fiscal year, the Department of Revenue added 750,000 names and a record $102.5 million to the searchable online database of unclaimed property at www.claimyourcash.org. The database contains more than 3 million names and $821 million.
Snoqualmie rapper vows to stay true
November 9, 2011
You look at him and think, another white guy who has yet to glance in a mirror.
Then you listen to him talk about his rap music, and think, he might just be for real.
Then you listen some more and realize that the pseudonym aside, the last thing he wants to be is an imitation.
Ronnie Hamilton, aka Ronnie Dylan, will travel to a hip-hop competition in California to compete against other rappers in early December. Contributed
Ronnie Hamilton, a.k.a. Ronnie Dylan, wants to be himself, first or last, banker or rapper, broke or rich.
“Sometimes, I daydream about being in Vegas living the life,” the 17-year-old Snoqualmie resident said. “Other times, I see myself in an apartment in Seattle, not making the most money, but being happy. This makes me happy.”
Rap, he said, is his passion and he has let it consume his reason.
This self-described philosopher, writer and rapper is a 17-year-old Eastside Catholic High School student whose 2-year-old rap career continues a love affair with writing.
“I’ve been writing since I was 12,” he said.
