Theft after house fire kicks local family when it’s down
February 8, 2012
By Michele Mihalovich Chad Reynolds stands in front of the remains of his charred apartment, which was burned in a Thanksgiving Day fire at the Mount Si Court Apartments in North Bend. Someone later stole jewelry and electronics from the vacant apartment.
Chad Reynolds’ luck went from bad to worse. His family was one of six who lost their homes in last year’s Thanksgiving fire at the Mount Si Court Apartments in North Bend.
And if that wasn’t bad enough, someone broke into the vacant apartment and stole electronics and jewelry that hadn’t been damaged in the fire.
Public weighs in on Snoqualmie Corridor
February 8, 2012
About 150 showed up at an open house Feb. 1 to give their two cents about how the Washington Department of Natural Resources should manage 53,000 acres of newly acquired land referred to as the Snoqualmie Corridor. And those ideas often conflicted from one user group to another.
Doug McClelland, assistant region manager for the South Puget Sound Region, led the presentation part of the open house, held at Snoqualmie Middle School.
He said the main planning focus is going to be on the Middle Fork Snoqualmie area and the Raging River State Forest, to decide what recreational opportunities should be in the area, and whether any areas should be closed to recreation.
“We want to see how we should manage these areas for the next 10 to 15 years,” he said. “And we want to see if there are opportunities for connections to other areas. Not just DNR lands to DNR lands, but also DNR lands to North Bend, Snoqualmie, Issaquah and Preston.”
Map courtesy Washington Department of Natural Resources Map depicts the 53,000-acre area known as the Snoqualmie Corridor. The Washington Department of Natural Resources is trying to determine the recreational uses and possible restrictions.
Those “connections” could be roads, multiuse recreational trails or commuter bike routes.
Laura Cooper, a University of Washington graduate student helping the department with the project, told the group that the open house was the first of seven phases the project would go through before possible adoption in fall 2013.
She said the department would take a close look at the land itself, taking into account riparian, wetland and other habitats. Officials are also going to inventory fish-bearing and nonfish-bearing streams and conduct biological and geographical mappings of the area.
Snoqualmie Tribe pledges $100,000 to Intellectual House
February 8, 2012
The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe has pledged $100,000 to support the design and construction of the University of Washington’s Intellectual House, a longhouse-style facility to be built on the UW Seattle campus that will serve Native American students, faculty and staff, according to a press release from Jaime Martin, of the Snoqualmie Tribe.
The donation will be matched by the UW’s matching fund initiative, yielding a total of $200,000.
“The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe is proud to support the House of Learning longhouse on the University of Washington campus,” Tribal Administrator Matt Mattson said. “The contributions of native people to the history of this region will be respectively and appropriately symbolized and represented at the state’s most high profile institution of higher learning.
The Intellectual House will be an asset to the campus and a tremendous resource for native students going through the university experience.”
Tribal involvement has been a priority for the UW, according to the press release. In addition to the engagement of Native American students, faculty and staff in various planning committees, tribal representatives have also served on the project’s Planning Advisory Committee and Elder’s Committee.
Poster contest is open to young artists
February 8, 2012
The annual Snoqualmie Arbor Day poster contest is open to children in fourth and fifth grades, according to a press release from the city of Snoqualmie.
This year’s theme is “Trees are Terrific in All Shapes and Sizes.”
Contest details, such as poster size, medium and submission requirements, are posted on the city’s website at www.cityofsnoqualmie.org in “Events & Activities” in the middle of the page. The deadline for submissions is Feb. 24. More information about the upcoming Arbor Day event, which will be held April 21 at Railroad Park in downtown Snoqualmie, will be out soon. Call 831-5784 or email info@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us.
Get free inspections for storm damage
February 8, 2012
Unincorporated area residents and businesses that suffered property damage in the recent snow, ice and wind storms can obtain free building inspections, King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert said in her monthly newsletter.
The county has waived the fee to help residents speed up repair to their property, she said. Priority service will be given for damaged structures requiring permits for repairs.
Request a damage assessment inspection by calling 206-296-6630 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
GOP gears up for caucuses, a chance to pick presidential nominee
February 8, 2012
Local Republicans could tilt the national contest to nominate a GOP challenger to President Barack Obama, as residents across Washington gather for caucuses early next month.
King County Republican Party officials and Republicans statewide plan to hold caucuses March 3. Interest in the caucuses is high, party officials said, amid a spirited nomination battle.
In King County, GOP leaders plan to group multiple precincts at central caucus locations. The consolidation is meant to reduce confusion among potential caucusgoers.
Officials organized caucus sites at locations throughout the 5th Legislative District, which stretches from Issaquah to the Snoqualmie Pass, and from Sammamish to Maple Valley.
The rough-and-tumble contest for the GOP nomination means Washington could offer a crucial boost to a candidate. In 2008, Democrats still faced a nomination clash between Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, but John McCain emerged as the presumptive Republican nominee long before the Evergreen State caucuses.
“Washington is generally out of the loop,” Issaquah political consultant Terry LaBrue said. “The northwest corner of the U.S. is considered deep blue country. We’re not a player.”
But the potential for a long road to the nomination — and a chance to put a stamp on the state-by-state campaign — boosted voter interest.
District leaders offer cautious praise for supreme court ruling
February 8, 2012
It’s great news, for now.
That was the attitude among Snoqualmie Valley School District leaders regarding the Washington State Supreme Court’s 7-2 ruling that stated the Legislature is not living up to its constitutional mandate to fund basic education.
“It could not have been better news for education,” Superintendent of Valley Schools Joel Aune said. “Does that mean that K-12 will be immune in the coming legislative session? Only time will tell.”
The ruling came in the so-called NEWS lawsuit, filed in 2007 and named for the coalition of school districts, teachers unions and education advocates that led the suit. The Snoqualmie Valley School Board repeatedly expressed its support for the lawsuit.
The group known as the Network for Excellence in Washington Schools asked the court to help enforce a 1978 ruling that also said the state was not living up to its paramount duty to pay for basic kindergarten through 12th-grade education.
In the conclusion of its ruling, the court majority opinion stated that Article IX, Section 1 of the state Constitution makes it the “paramount duty of the state to amply provide for the education of all children within its borders.”
“The state has failed to meet its duty under Article IX, Section 1 by consistently providing school districts with a level of resources that falls short of the actual costs of the basic education program,” the opinion further states.
The decision comes while district leaders prepare for a rough six months of budget planning.
Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget might impact the district to the tune of up to $1 million, said Ryan Stokes, the district’s finance director. Aune and newly sworn-in school board member Geoff Doy calculated that to be the equivalent of 12 to 14 teaching jobs, although nothing is set yet. Doy’s new colleagues offered dire warnings of what lies ahead.
Letters
February 8, 2012
Thank you, everyone
A huge thank you to everyone who braved the snow and cold to attend the Mount Si High School Jazz Band fundraiser at Boxley’s on Jan. 17.
We were able to raise more than $2,000 to help these kids represent Mount Si and the Snoqualmie Valley at the Savannah Music Festival’s Swing Central High School Jazz Band Competition & Workshop in Savannah, Ga., in late March. Earlier in the day, these young musicians spent three hours rehearsing with and learning from Wycliffe Gordon, jazz trombonist and current faculty member at the Manhattan School of Music in New York.
Gordon was sent from Swing Central to do a clinic in advance of the festival. He was a brave soul himself, driving from Battleground to us during Snowpacolypse 2012! A big thank you to him for his gift of time and talent. In addition, and as always, Boxley’s Danny Kolke (and his family) opened their doors not only for the morning session (since the schools were closed) but also for a warm place for good food, good music and fundraising. We are so lucky to have Boxley’s and all that they do as part of our community.
Thanks again to all who supported these kids. This is an expensive trip (roughly $1,000 per person).
If you were unable to make it but would like to support us, you can still make a tax-deductible donation either online via PayPal at www.jazz-attheclub.com (click the “Donate” button on the left menu) or by sending a check payable to MSHS Band Boosters, P.O. Box 92, North Bend, WA 98045. Please put “Swing Central” in the memo line. We have less than a month left to raise funds.
Jane-Ellen A. Seymour
MSHS Band Boosters Board
Council retreats set good fiscal example
February 8, 2012
There are boundless examples of government agencies spending excessive amounts on frivolous things, but it’s a rare occasion to see it in North Bend or Snoqualmie.
For example, there are many city councils and school boards around the state that still think it’s OK to spend a couple of days at a resort for an annual retreat of council members.
Even if participants pay for their own rooms, the costs get higher than need be.
The size of a city or its budget should matter when it comes to setting a good example.
We wholeheartedly believe City Council members need time together for less formal talks to get better acquainted and to set annual goals for themselves and the city administration.
Keeping the retreats local not only makes it more available for interested citizens and city employees to attend and listen, but also keeps city costs to a reasonable level.
North Bend City Clerk Susie Oppedal said the total cost of the City Council retreat held Jan. 27 at Boxley’s restaurant was just $568.86. This included a continental breakfast and lunch for 17. The city didn’t even bring in a facilitator.
We expect the cost for the Snoqualmie City Council retreat was very similar, held at the city’s fire station meeting room Jan. 30-31.
Choosing to keep costs at a minimum is responsible government at its best.
Spending money at local businesses gets another round of applause.
Landscape artist pays tribute to his youth
February 8, 2012
Evergreens, meet Everclear. Real garden, meet Soundgarden.
Adam Gorski, a landscape architect from North Bend, has created “Grunge Garden,” a leafy display of evergreens, willows, sequoias and other greenery reminiscent of the music that captured Seattle’s and the world’s attention in the early 1990s.
The plants and trees have been shaped to look like a guitar, a set of drums and a pair of grunge-y boots.
By Sebastian Moraga A drum set doubling as a water feature is the centerpiece of ‘Grunge Garden,’ a leafy tribute to the music that dominated the 1990s. Its creator, Cornell grad Adam Gorski, graduated from high school in 1994, and paid tribute to the tunes of his youth with this garden, which includes amplifiers and a Pearl Jam song.
Gorski reached in and reached out when producing this piece. He reached out to friend Davey French, guitarist for Everclear and Snoqualmie resident, for advice.
And he reached in to his memories of high school in the 1990s.
“I remember graduating high school in 1994,” said Gorski, owner of Gorski Landscapes, who attended high school in Rochester, N.Y. “Everywhere in the whole country, Seattle music was at the forefront.”
When Kurt Cobain died in 1994, Gorski said, many classmates took the day off. Looking back, he added, classmates may have used the rocker’s death as an excuse to skip class.
