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.
Police Blotter
February 8, 2012
Snoqualmie Police
Meat me out front
An Elderberry Avenue Southeast resident reported to police that at 2:45 p.m. Jan. 30 a man in a white van approached her and her children while they were in the garage. She said he asked if her family were “meat-eaters.”
He apparently was selling meat. She asked him to leave, but he went to the front door and knocked. He eventually left.
King County to restore Cedar Falls free recycling services Feb. 11
February 8, 2012
New: 2:51 p.m., Feb. 8, 2012
King County Solid Waste Division will reinstate free recycling services at the North Bend Cedar Falls Drop Box and Enumclaw Transfer Station on Feb. 11, according to a press release from the city of North Bend.
In an effort to save $400,000 per year, King County stopped the free recycling collection services at Shoreline, Houghton, Renton, Enumclaw and Cedar Falls transfer stations on Feb. 1. Read more
Kindergarten parents worry about schedule overhaul
February 8, 2012
Call it nap-gate.
The new model for half-day kindergarten in 2012 presented by the Snoqualmie Valley School District has parents upset about what would be expected of their five-year-olds.
The Snoqualmie Valley School District’s budget-trimming suggestion would turn Kindergartners’ half-day schedule into two sets of all-day school days with alternating Fridays.
“The new model may have 28-38 more new hours of contact with the teacher but it did not factor in any nap time or downtime,” said North Bend parent Jaymie Blatt Feb. 7. “Is it realistic to ask a small child to go to school for a full day with no nap time or downtime?” Read more
