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.

Reynolds said his wife became suspicious when she received a phone call on Christmas Eve day from her 9-year-old son’s cellphone, a phone the family knew was in the charred apartment.

He said they called the number back and a man answered, saying someone had sold him the cellphone.

Reynolds said he then asked the apartment manager if he could go back to the apartment and check on it, which happened the last week of December.

And getting in was no easy task, he said. The manager had to unlock a security fence and then unscrew plywood securing the Reynolds’ door. That is when Reynolds discovered his wife’s heirloom jewelry, a laptop, Xbox, Blackberry and other items, totaling more than $3,000, were missing from the apartment.

“Whoever did this took their time,” Reynolds said. “They took the expensive jewelry and left the costume stuff. They also had to unscrew each screw to remove the plywood.”

The one thing the thief didn’t have to do was get over the security fence, which didn’t go up until a week after the fire, he said.

Reynolds reported the break-in to police Jan. 2, and learned that his apartment was the only one with missing items.

North Bend Police Chief Mark Toner agrees that the break-in probably happened before all of the apartment security measures were in place.

“Thieves are bad enough, let alone hitting the victims when they are particularly vulnerable due to circumstances out of their control,” he said.

The Reynolds family is now living at Rock Creek Ridge apartment in North Bend. Reynolds said the property management for that apartment complex is the same that manages Mount Si, and they are the ones who got them resettled into the new apartment.

He said the “Rock Creek people,” who were responsible for securing the damaged apartment complex, have been very good to his family.

“Nobody is the bad guy here,” he said. “Except the criminal who stole our stuff.”

Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

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.

The department set up listening stations, where personnel listed feedback from the public about topics such as trail connections, current recreation uses at Middle Fork Snoqualmie and Mount Si, and concerns about opening up more areas to recreation.

As soon as people said they would like to see better access to trails already in the area, another person would say that a paved road takes away from the natural beauty and ruggedness of the area.

A man named Brad, who didn’t want to give his last name, said he’s concerned that paved roads would increase what’s already prolific in the area, “beer bottles and used condoms.”

Additionally, department staff had written down that one person asked for better equestrian access and camping, but the very next comment was to minimize horse trails due to high maintenance costs.

A woman from the Snoqualmie Tribe wanted to make sure that all sacred tribal sites were protected, while another woman said she was concerned about the spread of noxious weeds and wanted to make sure the department had a plan in place for quick eradication. Mountain bikers expressed their concerns about losing their network of illegal trails. As it stands now, there is one legal mountain bike trail in the area, off the Little Fork Trail. It’s a multiuse trail, and mountain bikers can only use it every other day and only in the summer, said Mike, who would not give his last name.

Because of limited trails for mountain bikers, several “bootleg” trails have been created in the past four to 10 years, he said.

“And they are very well- maintained and not creating any erosion problems,” he said.

But the public also listed illegal mountain bike trails as a concern in the corridor.

McClelland said people could sign up for email updates and that an online survey would be available soon for more public input.

On the Web

Learn more about the Snoqualmie Corridor at www.dnr.wa.gov/Recreation-Education/Topics/Recreation-Planning/Pages/amp_rec_ snoqualmie_corridor_recre.aspx.

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.

For nearly 40 years, community members have envisioned the construction of a facility that will pay tribute to the historical presence of the tribes and the vital role they continue to play in the nation and in the local community.

Thanks to the work of renowned Choctaw architect Johnpaul Jones, the UW Intellectual House longhouse will itself be a work of art that distinguishes itself from other campus buildings while honoring Native American culture and traditions, according to the press release.

Learn more about the 19,000-square-foot longhouse, scheduled to open in 2014, at www.washington.edu/diversity/tribal_relations/hok/index.shtml.

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.

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.

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.

“Fortunately or unfortunately, it seems as though everything for politics has kicked into gear six months early,” said Bob Brunjes, 5th District GOP chairman and a Snoqualmie resident. “We’re getting unprecedented calls. People are calling and wanting to know where to go and wanting to know what the process is.”

State legislators suspended the 2012 presidential primary in order to save the cash-strapped state about $10 million, although the primary generated more interest among voters.

In 2008, fewer than 100,000 people participated in caucuses statewide, but 1.4 million voters cast ballots in the primary.

(Local Democrats plan to hold caucuses April 15, but Obama does not face a challenge for the nomination.)

Come caucus Saturday, participants select a candidate in a straw poll and then elect candidate delegates to the county convention. The straw poll is meant as a snapshot of candidates’ support. The delegates elected to the convention determine actual support.

State GOP leaders use results from caucuses and party conventions to gauge support for candidates, and then — at the state convention — elect delegates to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Fla.

The local party is planning for the caucus crowd to double from 2008. Organizers also expect to see a shift in caucusgoers.

“The demographic is a lot younger now,” Brunjes said. “It truly is the moms and dads in their late 30s and early 40s. They’re much more involved than they ever have been.”

The local affair differs from the most-celebrated caucus: Iowa, a quadrennial kickoff for presidential nomination clashes.

“We don’t have the candidates out here. We don’t have $6 million in television advertising. We don’t have the satellite TV dishes or the candidates’ buses,” LaBrue said. “It’s really low-key.”

How voters choose candidates is universal. Organizers said most caucusgoers conduct research beforehand and arrive prepared to discuss a chosen candidate.

“There are some people that philosophically support certain things. Some people support personalities. Some people decide on the spot — or change their mind,” LaBrue said. “I mean, it’s all possible.”

5th Legislative District caucus site

 Snoqualmie Valley and Preston

•  Mount Si High School Commons
•  8651 Meadowbrook Road Snoqualmie

Get involved

Local Republican leaders expect a crowd for the March 3 caucuses to help determine the GOP nominee for president.

Registration for the caucuses starts at 9 a.m. and the caucuses start at 10 a.m.

If a voter intends to participate in the process, he or she must bring identification and proof of voter registration to the caucus site. A voter must caucus in the precinct where he or she is registered to vote. (King County voter registration cards contain precinct information.)

Washington does not have partisan voter registration, but you must be willing to sign a form declaring you “consider yourself to be a Republican” at the caucus site, and also agree not to participate in any other party’s 2012 nominating caucuses.

The increased interest in the caucuses prompted the King County Republican Party to develop a caucus locator for people interested in the process, www.kcgop.org/caucus-locator. Or call 990-0404 for caucus sites.

Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

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.

“I was really scared last year,” board member Scott Hodgins said. “And this is a bigger cut.”

Aune agreed.

“After three to four years of heavy-duty reductions, we don’t have many cards to play,” he said. “There are no more aces in the deck.”

The court’s ruling means, if not a reshuffling of the deck, at least a new, better-looking hand. Aune asked the audience at the Jan. 12 school board meeting to reach out to legislators.

“Let them know this is no small decision,” he said.

The court recognized that the Legislature had redefined education and is due to increase support in 2018. It decided to continue to review the case until then, at least. Aune wondered how the Legislature would fill the multimillion-dollar gap in six years.

Aune called the Legislature’s track record when complying with the Constitution “terrible” and said he hoped that the courts would come through with their promise to watch that.

State Rep. Glenn Anderson, R-Fall City, said the ruling seems to mean the court intends to watch the Legislature to see if it follows through with education reforms already in the works.

He said funding education is something the state should have been doing right all along.

Anderson is the sponsor of a bill that would require legislators to fund basic education first, and then move on to all other matters.

The legislation first was proposed four years ago, according to Anderson who said that during that time, state Democrats have put education in the same basket as other state needs, cutting it right along with other programs.

“That’s nuts,” he said, arguing that studies show investment in education ultimately leads to reductions in the amount of spending needed for social programs.

The eagerness of some politicians to still consider K-12 an option for cuts worries Aune.

“While I’m hopeful,” he said, “it’s concerning to me that some legislators said in the wake of the decision that K-12 cuts are still on the table.”

He added that no Valley-area legislator had said that.

State Rep. Jay Rodne, R-North Bend, said he supports the Supreme Court’s decision and believes it will be the necessary catalyst to ensure the Legislature gets serious about this issue.

“It is clear to me, and the court agrees, that our state is not adequately funding basic education. Our students and schools deserve better than this and state lawmakers must now deliver on the court’s expectations,” Rodne said.

The amount of funding for K-12 schools continues to drop as a percentage of the state budget, Rodne added. That percentage was 46 percent 30 years ago and now sits at 43 percent.

“Not only do we need to increase this percentage, but the Legislature must understand that other state programs do not rise to the level of importance as education,” he said.

For now, Aune smiled when talking about the court’s decision.

“It’s a very positive day for K-12,” he said. “It will do nothing but help. The question is how.”

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.

North Bend Police

Drive much?

Clue that you might have had too much to drink? It’s when a deputy in a patrol car has to slam on his brakes to avoid your black SUV, which is heading straight for him.

King County Deputy Shaman Wicklund reported the incident happening at 3 a.m. Jan. 24 at West Fourth Street in North Bend.

Wicklund said the driver, Keith Anthony Forte, 39, of Redmond, said he had just consumed “one shot and one beer at the last call” before leaving Snoqualmie Casino.

Forte’s blood alcohol content readings registered a .108 and .103 percent; the legal limit is .08 percent. He was taken to the Issaquah Jail.

My uncle has the munchies

A 29-year-old Issaquah woman was issued a citation Jan. 29 for shoplifting pudding tubs and ice cream from Safeway in North Bend. Police say the woman told them she was taking care of a sick uncle and she couldn’t afford the foods he enjoys eating.

She also told police she’d been arrested in Issaquah the previous week for the same thing. Police noticed a syringe with a brown liquid in her purse and that she appeared to be under the influence of some kind of intoxicant.

She was taken to the Swedish emergency room in Issaquah for medical attention.

Irreconcilable differences

Two male truck drivers who were riding together as a team apparently had a falling out, with one of the drivers leaving in the truck and stranding the other at Truck Town in North Bend.

The stranded man, who lives in Utah, came out of a restaurant Jan. 18, only to discover the truck and all his possessions gone. When he called the company to report the incident, he was told the other driver no longer wanted him as a relief driver.

The company representative told police that the stranded man’s property would be mailed to his residence.

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.

According to the press release, King County Solid Waste received requests, primarily from residents in the Cedar Falls and Enumclaw service areas, to reinstate the service at those facilities.  They received only limited comments about the changes at the urban transfer stations.

King County estimates restoration of service at Cedar Falls and Enumclaw will cost approximately $200,000 per year.  The costs will be monitored as the service is reinstated and a supplemental appropriation request may be made if necessary.

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?”

Blatt and many other parents spoke out mostly against the proposal during two evening meetings Feb. 6 and 7 at elementary schools in Fall City and North Bend.

A few parents did express support.

“Say a million dollars has to be cut,” Karen Wilder, a bus driver for the district, said Feb. 6. “You start with the lesser of the two evils. One hundred and fifty thousand dollars in transportation is better than losing two teachers, or art or losing band.”

Don McConkey, assistant superintendent for the Snoqualmie Valley School District, said the suggestion might definitely help minimize the impact of a reduction in force.

“If there’s a RIF, this may help some positions,” said McConkey, who conducted the two meetings. “Even though there may not be a direct correlation.”

The proposal targets only affects half-day, not full-day kindergarten classes.

The proposal would eliminate mid-day bus routes, which the state does not fund.

Some parents worry about how the back-and-forth schedule would affect their children’s behavior.

Snoqualmie’s Nicole Cummins’ son attends five-day preschool, with weekends off. He acts out a little more on weekends, she said.

“If we go to this proposal, we are always going to have to adjust,” she said. “He won’t behave as well as if we were going five days a week, and I don’t want my son to be labeled a problem.”

Snoqualmie parent Lisa Ramsden agreed.

“That makes me heartbroken,” she said. “The start of kindergarten shapes a kid’s whole attitude toward school.”

Megan Roberts, another parent from Snoqualmie said schools in her former hometown of Pocatello tried the All Day-Alternate Day proposal, with dismal results.

“The first-grade teacher had to scale back and teach again what children had in kindergarten,” she said.

A feedback sheet for parents at the meetings offered two more suggestions:

q Monday through Wednesday on one week, Monday and Tuesday the next week; Thursday and Friday the third week, then Wednesday through Friday the following week.

q Every other day the entire year: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Tuesday, Thursday, Monday.

Some parents questioned whether the district had listed the two latter suggestions to make their original suggestion more palatable. McConkey denied that was the case.

“The second proposal was considered by a district in Sumner,” he said.

At the same time, McConkey said teachers had grown comfortable with the way things are.

“They have been teaching that way for years, so they know it,” he said. “In order to change that, we are going to have a conversation.”.

At North Bend Elementary School, McConkey told parents that every district that had considered a similar program had done it for one reason: Cost savings.

“There will be more and more school districts looking at similar models,” he said.

Some parents said misery loving company is not reason enough to adopt the proposal.

Stacey Daniels, a parent from Fall City, assailed the model, which would entail a total of five days of school in November 2012.

“So much time is spent teaching them to be social,” Daniels said, “that having five days in November makes me want to say, ‘What’s the point?’”

The Snoqualmie Arts Commission will dedicate a new piece of public artwork at 10 a.m. Feb. 11  on the front steps of the Snoqualmie Community Center,  35018 SE Ridge St.

The sculpture, titled “Tah Dah,” stands 18 feet high with the top section revolving in the wind.

New Snoqualmie artwork

The dedication will occur just prior to the grand opening of the Snoqualmie Community Center and Snoqualmie Valley YMCA open house.

According to a Feb. 7 press release from the city of Snoqualmie, “Tah Dah” is one of more than ten works of public art in Snoqualmie. The two most recent works are in Snoqualmie City Hall – a glass mobile by Eden Rivers and a vitreous enamel mural of Snoqualmie Falls by Kathleen Frugé-Brown. Also at City Hall is a panel of five murals by Snoqualmie artist Dick Burhans depicting the Snoqualmie Valley timber industry.

Learn more about the Snoqualmie Arts Commission and artwork in Snoqualmie by contacting Nicole Sanders at nsanders@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us or 888-5337.

Free drop-off of wood debris from the recent storm is available Feb. 4 – 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the corner of Snoqualmie Parkway and State Route 202.

No leaves, sod, grass clippings, food waste or animal waste will be accepted, nor construction debris or any other type of solid waste.

This service is offered courtesy of the City of Snoqualmie and is open to Snoqualmie residents and businesses. King County is offering other free drop-off points for citizens of greater King County. Check locations and times at www.kingcounty.gov.

The Snoqualmie Parks & Recreation Department will host a free 45-minute workshop for homeowners on how to assess tree damage and take corrective steps that may salvage limbs that are not too badly damaged. The workshop will be on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 1:00 p.m. at the Snoqualmie Community Center/ YMCA, 35018 SE Ridge Street on Snoqualmie Ridge.

Also, soft-surface and wood-chip trails damaged by the recent winter storm have been cleared and are open for use.
For more information, contact Joan Pliego with the city at 888-1555, ext. 1125 or go online at www.cityofsnoqualmie.org.

Parents and teachers crowded the conference room at the Snoqualmie Valley School District offices Jan. 26 and waited hours to speak their mind.

The issue of whether the district will turn the 40-year-old Snoqualmie Middle School building into a ninth-graders-only annex of the high school in 2012 will remain unresolved for at least 30 more days.

Given the tenor of the discussion Jan. 26, several people, however, seem to have made up their minds.

“Both my daughters attended Chief Kanim at the peak of its size and it was fine,” said Liz Piekarczyk, co-chair of the Snoqualmie Valley PTSA Council. “I’m more worried about Mount Si not having a freshman learning center than about having to buy a couple of portables.”

The district has three of the county’s 58 middle schools. The county’s middle schools average 700-plus students; Snoqualmie Middle School has 460, Chief Kanim Middle School houses 404, and Twin Falls Middle School carries 575, said Ryan Stokes, the district’s finance director.

A 50-50 split of the SMS students would result in two campuses of 600-plus children, likely requiring up to seven portable classrooms at each school to accommodate them.

“It would be a big change for us to go from 400 to almost 700,” Chief Kanim Principal Kirk Dunckel said.

Tony Manjarrez, a teacher at Snoqualmie Middle School, asked the school board to consider the high cost of extra-curricular activities with two schools.

One fewer school may mean students would have one fewer nearby place for activities.

“With two schools, will it increase cost of transportation for extra-curricular programs?” Manjarrez asked. “What will we do? Where will we go? Seventy percent of our students participate in activities.”

While some district staffers voiced worries that teachers might not be able to serve children as well once classrooms swell in size, other employees said the district had lived once through a two-middle-school scenario, and survived.

“Those of us who have sophomores,” parent and district employee Betsy Evenson said, “have had sixth-graders in a two-school model and eighth-graders in a three-school model.”

The two-school model, Evenson argued, has its advantages.

“I love Chief Kanim,” she said. “But the two-school model challenged my child more socially.”

Other parents argued the two-school model presents other, more dangerous challenges.

“In terms of student safety, it doesn’t look good,” said Stephen Kangas, an Opstad Elementary School parent. “And it’s a bit discouraging to not hear one bit about student safety.”

After meeting with a small group of concerned neighbors Jan. 24, organizers of the Festival at Mount Si are moving to revamp their plans for this year’s event.

“We will be moving forward with a different option,” said Jill Massengill, president of the board of directors for the nonprofit North Bend Education and Cultural Association.

Festival planners had to develop an alternative layout for the 2012 gathering because Si View Park will undergo extensive renovations at the time of the festival, slated for Aug. 10-12.

Because of those renovations, the park will not be available for even limited use during the festival, said both Massengill and Minna Rudd, program coordinator for the Si View Metropolitan Park District.

According to Massengill, with the park not available to host vendor booths, one option was to place those booths on Southeast Orchard Drive. The street would have been closed, with even local resident access restricted. But according to several sources, that idea just did not sit well with some Orchard Drive residents.

“Our immediate concern was, how are going to get in and out of our homes?” asked Kirsten Jestrab, who said she wanted to make it clear she was speaking only for her and her family, not other Orchard Drive residents.

Jestrab lives on what she described as the Orchard Drive cul-de-sac near Si View Park. She said if the street was completely blocked, she and at least three other residents would not be able to reach their homes except on foot. Jestrab said she and others were asked to park off-site, away from their homes for the three days of the festival.

“I actually like the festival quite a bit,” she added. “But they were actually asking quite a bit.”

Instead of completely blocking Orchard Drive, Massengill talked about moving booths and vendors to the far end of Si View Park. The booths still would be in the street, but would not block any homes.

“I think it’s our only choice,” Massengill said.

Orchard Drive still would be blocked to through traffic, but residents would be able to come and go from their homes.

That is the arrangement every year for the festival, Massengill said, adding the proposal still awaits the approval of police officials, who must sign off on closing any streets.

For her part, Jestrab said festival and park officials at the Jan. 24 meeting all seemed receptive to the comments of residents.

“They were really nice, nice people,” she added. “They were really concerned about what we thought.”

One suggestion made by one resident was to simply cancel the festival for this year, Massengill said, quickly adding that was never a serious consideration in her mind.

“That would be devastating,” she said, adding about 25,000 people attended the festival and the grand parade every year.

The festival and its booths will be back in Si View Park in 2013, Rudd said. As for the planned renovations to the park, they should start in June. Improvements to the park will include it being leveled, fields reseeded, restrooms improved and a picnic shelter added, Rudd said.

Tom Corrigan: 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcorrigan@isspress.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

Mihalovich’s career stops have included the Medford Mail Tribune in Medford, Ore., the Ashland Daily Tidings in Ashland, Ore., and The Wenatchee World and the Wenatchee Business Journal in Washington. In the 1990s, she also worked for the Fort Dodge Messenger in Iowa and as a communications specialist at Iowa State University.

Mihal-ovich started with the Star Jan. 23.

Michele Mihalovich

“I’m thrilled to be a part of the SnoValley Star team, and learning about the Snoqualmie and North Bend communities,” she said. “I hope to hear from our valued readers as to what we are doing right and what we need to work on.”

Mihalovich will cover the municipalities of Snoqualmie and North Bend, and the police and fire beats for both cities. An avid hiker and a big football fan, she will also cover the Mount Si High School Cheer Squad and the school’s football team.

“I love moving to new areas,” she said. “There are so many new hiking trails and restaurants to explore. As a writer, I have always operated under the philosophy that everybody has a story to tell. I can’t wait to hear what our communities have to say.”

Call Mihalovich at 392-6434, ext. 246, or email editor@snovalleystar.com.

“It feels great,” he said. “I work with a lot of terrific people, so it was actually quite the surprise. So many people here are worthy of the award.”

Tom Meagher

Meagher, the city’s permits and office coordinator, worked in advertising at the defunct King County Journal until six years ago when he sought a more stable line of work.

“The year I left, it was clear the newspaper business was suffering some hard times,” he said. “It was clear to me I had to find a new place to find a job.”

He loved the North Bend area, and at the time working for city government seemed like a pretty stable job.

“Of course,” he said, “that was before the downturn.”

Downturn notwithstanding, here he is and he likes his job.

“I’m kind of the hub of the wheel,” he said. “All the spokes come in for all the permits. I manage and coordinate all the permits we issue here at the city.”

The job likes him back.

“He is one of our more proactive employees,” said Gina Estep, Meagher’s supervisor. “He’s one of those people who initiates things, he steps up to the plate. Tom takes his time to walk people through whatever issue they have, so when they leave, they have the information needed.”

This is the 13th year of the award. Staff accountant Beth Waltz won it in 2008. Public Works employee Larry Shaw won it in 2009 and Assistant City Engineer Tom Mohr won it in 2010.

The city of Snoqualmie does not have an Employee of the Year award.

Meagher, Estep said, “is basically the backbone of the department, he keeps it running. He’s got a big job and he does it well, and he does it with a smile, which is huge.”

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

Drunken driving

On Jan. 4, just after midnight, police pulled over Tiffany M. Padilla-Glen, 29, of Des Moines, on Ballarat Avenue.

According to the report, she didn’t pull over right away, so a second deputy was called to the scene and she did eventually pull over.

Beer cans were spotted in the car and Padilla-Glen told the officer she drank two whiskey and 7-Ups earlier.

She agreed to two breath samples, which resulted in a .213 and .198 blood alcohol content readings.

Police arrested Padilla-Glen for driving under the influence and driving while her license was suspended.

She was driven to her boyfriend’s house and released.

Escapee arrested

Police arrested Roy Jackie Woody Jr., 26, of North Bend, on Jan. 5, on a felony warrant for escape.

A friend in North Bend phoned the police when she learned that there was a warrant for Woody’s arrest.

She said she kicked him out, but he harassed her and would not leave her trailer park.

He was arrested without incident.

Snoqualmie police

Generator stolen

At 9:30 p.m. Jan. 21, the owner of Gianfranco’s restaurant, 8150 Railroad Ave. S.E., reported his generator stolen. The owner told police he had used the generator to power the restaurant during the outages that week.

When the power returned, he unplugged the generator and was going to let it run for a few minutes with no load on it to cool down.

After a while, the owner heard the generator stop and thought it had run out of gas. He went to check on it and could not find it.

The generator was a Honda 7500, valued at $2,500.

The owner said the generator weighed more than 250 pounds and it would take at least two people to lift it.

The owner found no serial number for the generator and the police checked the area but found no one.

Dog attacked through fence

At 10:29 p.m. Jan. 21, police received a report from a dog owner residing in the 8000 block of Silva Avenue Southeast. The man said another dog had attacked his dog through a fence.

The owner said his dog had been injured and that he believed a woman was walking the other dog.

The dog owner requested police that the attack be documented.

Cable line down

At 11:36 a.m. Jan. 22, police responded to a call from the 7800 block of Pickering Court Southeast.

A woman reported that a wire was down near the fence. Police located the wire and recognized it as a downed cable TV line.

The Star publishes names of those arrested for DUI and those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports. No information was available regarding fire calls.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Snoqualmie’s population jumped from 1,631 residents in 2000, to 10,670 in 2010. That’s a 554 percent increase.

Mayor Matthew Larson said on Jan. 30, the first day of a two-day City Council retreat, that when he was first elected to the council 10 years ago, the city had four police officers for every 1,000 residents.

By Michele Mihalovich Snoqualmie Fire Chief Bob Rowe explains his staffing concerns regarding the fire department to the City Council at its Jan. 30 retreat.

“Today, that number is 1.27 officers per 1,000. That concerns me and I think we should start planning for this now,” he told the council.

Larson said the town may appear to be a “rosy” picture because the streets may look fine, new houses were built and emergency personnel show up when you dial 911.

“We may be victims of our own success,” he said. “But the status quo has not been keeping up with our service needs … We need to stay in the driver’s seat and be proactive, not reactive.”

Snoqualmie Fire Chief Bob Rowe, told the gathering of elected officials and city staff members that the fire department has not hired any new, full-time firefighters since 2003.

Nancy Tucker, the city’s planning director, said that the national recommendation is 1.7 firefighters for every 1,000 people.

Snoqualmie’s fire department is currently at .92 firefighters for every 1,000 people.

Rowe said he has three shift supervisors, six firefighters and 15 volunteers, but 57 percent of the time during the day shift he only has two firefighters on duty.

He said state law dictates that during a rescue situation at a burning building, four firefighters must respond. That allows two to fight the fire outside while the other two attempt to rescue anyone inside the building.

If only two firefighters are available, they can only fight the fire from outside.

Rowe said the department “luckily” only has about four to six major fires to respond to in any given year.

“But it makes me lose sleep when I think about a major fire happening when we only have two on duty at that time,” he said.

The Snoqualmie Police Department has four sergeants and eight officers, numbers that have remained about the same since 1999, Larson said.

Police Chief James Schaffer said the department’s motto is “No call too small,” and that officers make it a point to respond to every call.

In 2010, the police conducted 2,836 traffic stops; in 2011, that number jumped to 3,671. In 2010, they responded to 4,807 incidents; in 2011, the number was 6,017. Police helped 74 citizens last year who called because they were locked out of their cars.

“But this isn’t the town it was in 1999, when we only had about 1,500 people,” he said.

Schaffer said his sergeants and officers will still be able to “police” the community at its current numbers, but responding to every call may not be possible if the community continues to grow.

Snoqualmie Finance Director Rob Orton said the city has taken some recent financial hits, like issuing only 112 single-family, residential building permits in 2011, when the average used to be 300-plus before the economic downturn. He said sales tax collections, and the Business and Occupation tax in 2011 were down by $100,000 each, and the “unregulated” utility tax was down $50,000.

He also pointed out that an entry-level, full-time police officer earns about $90,000 annually, and an entry-level, full-time firefighter makes about $80,000.

When the mayor heard those figures, he said, “Now that is just highlighting my concerns.”

City leaders were expected to discuss possible solutions at the second day of the retreat on Jan. 31, which was after the Star’s deadline.

Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

Gina Estep, Community and Economic Development director, suggested the city might go the same route as Ellensburg.

She said that town used its City Hall as an anchor for the downtown area, and also created a nonprofit organization that helped pay for updating some of the buildings.

Most of the North Bend council members expressed frustration over the snail-paced progress of revitalizing downtown and were optimistic about the new direction.

City Administrator Duncan Wilson said he’s heard from a large number of people saying that they are concerned about the vibrancy of downtown.

Estep was instructed to look into the nonprofit aspect of the plan and see if there was any funding to create a concept design so the public could see how the downtown could look.

The council identified the plan, and several other issues as priorities for 2012, but they’ll decide the order of the priorities at a later date.

Much of the council’s time was also dedicated to what should, or could, be done about the noise and fumes from the TravelCenters of America truck stop, referred to as “Truck Town” by locals.

Should the city ban all semi-truck idling, limit idling and/or require facility upgrades? And could the city afford enforce to the ban if an ordinance were approved?

Wilson said he would get a strategic plan together before the council’s Feb. 26 workstudy session.

Wilson, or rather who would replace Wilson, was also the topic of much discussion at the retreat.

Wilson’s last day is May 15, and the council talked about what kinds of qualities they’d like to see in a new city administrator.

All of the City Council members said they hope the new administrator will have a law background, like Wilson does. They also listed a strong financial background and previous city administration skills as qualities they want in a new administrator.

Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

Free wood debris recycling will be available on Feb. 4-5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., to all King County residents at four locations: Cedar Falls, Enumclaw, Kent and Shoreline.  See below for full details and contact information.

Locations:

·        Cedar Falls Drop Box, 16925 Cedar Falls Rd., North Bend

·        Enumclaw Recycling and Transfer Station, 1650 Battersby Ave. E, Enumclaw

·        Shoreline Recycling and Transfer Station, 2300 N 165th St., Shoreline

·        Kent’s Russell Road Park, 24400 Russell Rd., Kent (external)

Details: These events are open to King County residents only. No contractor or commercial loads at the Kent location. The collection sites and events are exclusively for wood debris from the recent storms. Stumps, logs and limbs no longer than six feet in length are allowed. Please place material on a tarp or sheet of plywood for ease of removal.

Restrictions: No brush, leaves, grass clippings, sod, soil, construction or other debris. People bringing wood debris are reminded to secure their loads.

Contact information: King County Solid Waste Division – 206-296-4466
Website: http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/garbage-recycling/storm-debris.asp

A magnitude .9 earthquake hit four miles south of North Bend at 4 p.m. on Jan. 30, making it the third small quake to register in North Bend in January.

According to Pacific Northwest Seismic Network’s website, the earthquake occurred at a depth of 12.2 miles.

The second earthquake, which occurred Jan. 16, had a magnitude reported as high as 2.1 and as low as 1.6, and had a depth of about 9.7 miles. The quake’s epicenter was 1.3 miles north of North Bend.

According to the same site, the first earthquake felt in North Bend in 2012 was on Jan. 14. A 1.1 quake occurred at 2:50 p.m., 3.9 miles southwest of the city.

According to United State Geological Survey’s website, North Bend, Palmer and Stampede Pass suffered minor damage following an earthquake on April 29, 1945. Slight damage occurred in a number of other towns in the area and large rockslides occurred on the west face of Mount Si.

Many reports described moderately loud to explosion-like sounds accompanying the ground shaking. This earthquake was felt over the greater portion of Washington, a small section of western Idaho and near Portland, Ore. A strong aftershock caused additional slight damage at North Bend about 10 hours later; another aftershock on May 1 was widely felt, according to the website.

Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246 or editor@snovalleystar.com

“We have made it easy for residents to dispose of debris so they can quickly put the storms of last week behind them and move on with life,” he said.

Free wood debris recycling for King County residents will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Jan. 28-29, and again on Feb. 4-5 at four locations:

·         The Shoreline, Enumclaw and Cedar Falls solid waste facilities. For directions and hours, visit http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/index.asp.

·         At Kent’s Russell Road Park, 24400 Russell Rd., Kent. Clean wood debris will be accepted from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

“People living in our unincorporated and rural communities are facing numerous challenges in the wake of the wild weather of the last two weeks,” said Metropolitan King County Council Chair Larry Gossett. “This is one way to ease the financial burden that will come with cleaning up the damage to their homes and property.”

“In the aftermath of a major storm, it is important that King County work with citizens who are doing their part to recover,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn, who represents Southeast King County. “The people who are bringing in debris from the storm are often not just helping themselves; they are also pitching in and helping their neighbors as well. I applaud the decision to help citizens recycling this wood debris.”

“Some rural residents in areas with more trees suffered significant hardships in the aftermath of last week’s severe winter storms,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, who represents northeast King County. “Much of the damage was not covered by homeowners insurance, but they can take advantage of this opportunity for free disposal of waste wood. Those who incurred storm-related costs and damages also are reminded to report them at www.kingcounty.gov/damage.”

“The recent winter storms downed trees and branches, leaving significant debris in their wake,” said Councilmember Bob Ferguson, who represents North King County. “Waiving the fee for storm-related debris at the Shoreline Transfer Station will assist north end residents who are cleaning up after the storms.”

“There are neighborhoods in Kent littered with tree debris from not only the snow and ice storms of last week, but the high winds that have come through the region this week,” said Councilmember Julia Patterson who represents Kent on the County Council.  “Free recycling for area residents demonstrates a high level of responsiveness from County government following these major storms.”

The collection sites and events are exclusively for wood debris from the recent storms. Stumps, logs and limbs no longer than six feet in length are allowed – no brush, leaves, grass clippings, sod or soil can be accepted. These events are open to all King County residents. People bringing wood debris are reminded to secure their loads.

King County Solid Waste Division Director Kevin Kiernan says residents have several additional storm debris disposal options available, including curbside recycling (yard waste cart) and commercial recycling companies that charge a fee for their service, but may prove to be more convenient for some residents.

Storm debris disposal information is available online at http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/index.asp, or by calling the recycling hotline at 206-296-4466 or 1-800-325-6165 ext. 64466.

Photo courtesy of Washington State Patrol An overturned truck stopped traffic on Interstate 90 for 90 minutes Jan. 18, on what turned out to be the beginning of four days of icy roads, closed highways and houses in the dark in the Valley. The driver of the truck was not hurt, and over the course of the storm no fatalities were reported.

A furious mix of snow, wind and ice that paralyzed the Snoqualmie Valley between Jan. 18 and 21 left more than 10,000 people in the dark as tree limbs collapsed and downed power lines.

By the time power returned Jan. 22, the storm had left a trail of mudslides, icy roads, small fires and closed highways.

The bad weather cancelled dozens of events and meetings, from regularly scheduled ones like school days to long-awaited ones like the grand opening of the Snoqualmie YMCA.

No fatalities were reported, although some suffered minor injuries in vehicle accidents on Interstate 90.

Snow began in earnest Jan. 18, with the first major incident occurring at 1:36 p.m. when a truck carrying tomatoes jackknifed in the westbound lanes of Interstate 90 just east of North Bend.

The truck crashed against a guardrail, and blocked traffic for about 90 minutes. The driver was not hurt. Two hours later, a man and a woman escaped unhurt from a mudslide that high-centered their car on westbound I-90.

By the time Jan. 19 rolled around, some areas of North Bend were reporting more than 20 inches of snow. Crews closed Snoqualmie Pass for avalanche control several times.

Meanwhile, the snow turned to ice in the lowlands and overloaded trees began falling all over the Valley.

By the evening of Jan. 19, multiple collisions had Interstate 90 closed from Ellensburg to North Bend.

Tree branches falling on power lines had almost the entire Valley in the dark. More than 5,000 customers in Snoqualmie, 4,900 customers in North Bend and about 600 in Fall City had suffered power outages.

A day later, the outages extended to the area west of the summit of Snoqualmie Pass.

The Washington State Department of Transportation also closed state Route 202 between Snoqualmie and Fall City and state Route 18 between Interstate 90 and Auburn. In North Bend, Edgewick Road was closed, and in Snoqualmie, Tokul Road and Lake Alice Road also were closed.

With power out, families did what they could to stay warm, and that almost turned into tragedy for some residents of North Bend.

At 2:53 a.m. Jan. 20, people at a residence in the 45100 block of Southeast 130th Place in North Bend had placed candles on a cardboard box when a fire began.

Eastside Fire & Rescue units arrived and controlled the fire. Nobody was injured and the building suffered minimal damages.

By Jan. 21, snow began turning to rain and the Valley began a long, slow crawl back toward normalcy.

Power was restored Jan. 22, classes reopened normally Jan. 23 and roads reopened across the Valley.

Then, the evening of Jan. 23, a noninjury accident involving a semi truck required WSDOT crews to lead traffic around the scene of the crash from mileposts 32 to 36 on eastbound Interstate 90.

The benign weather of Jan. 23, accident aside, belied what the Valley braced for later on in the week, as experts predicted more rain and gusty winds.

Several issues remain unresolved, like the new date of the YMCA’s grand opening.

Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson said the city had not settled on a new date yet, hinting that it could be soon or it could be months before the ceremony occurs.

Larson applauded the performance of city crews during the storm.

“We fared pretty well, in large part thanks to the commitment from the city staff. They really knocked themselves out,” he said. “They were going two to three nights without sleep.”

The city will assess the full extent of the damage in the coming weeks, Larson added.

A resident of the Valley for more than a decade, Larson called this storm the worst he has seen in terms of damage to trees.

On the other hand, he noted that no serious injury accidents had been reported, snowplows had damaged no curbs, and the blackout lasted fewer days than in past storms.

Lastly, the Snoqualmie Valley School District has moved the last day of school from June 11 to June 15 to give students time to make up for the snow days.

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

There are a few options, starting with a special storm debris collection from noon to 4 p.m. Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the North Bend Public Works Yard, 1155 E. North Bend Way.

Cheryl Proffitt-Schmidt, administrative services director for the city of North Bend, said the event is only for North Bend utility customers and citizens must bring a copy of their North Bend utility bill to the collection site.

Allied Waste, now called Republic Services, is helping with the special collection. Proffitt-Schmidt said the collection is only for wood debris from the recent storm, and all limbs and branches need to be cut into 4-foot lengths.

No other form of garbage or recyclables may be dropped off.

“We just knew there was going to be a big need for this,” she said. “It’s only for these two days, but if the floodgates open and two days aren’t enough, then maybe we’ll schedule more days.”

Joan Pliego, Snoqualmie’s communications coordinator, said the city will hold a free collection point for woody debris at the former holiday tree lot, on the corner of Snoqualmie Parkway and state Route 202, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, and again on Feb. 4 and 5.

She pointed out that the collection is only for Snoqualmie residents and that no leaves, sod, grass clippings, food or animal waste will be accepted.

Sammamish is also holding a special storm debris collection this weekend. Mike Keller, the parks resource supervisor, said he’s expecting a pretty big turn out.

“We’ve held these after storms in the past and easily collect hundreds of yards,” he said.

Again, this is only for Sammamish residents and only tree branches and yard debris will be taken.

Collections will be held at Beaver Lake Park ball fields, 2526 244th Ave. S.E., and East Sammamish Park, 21300 N.E. 16th St.

Collections will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

If you’re not a local resident, Doug Williams, spokesman for King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks, said garbage haulers have told him that customers may set out twice the normal amount of trash at no extra charge on the next regular collection day.

He said the county is not offering any special collections for storm debris.

“We want everyone to be able to clean up the mess this storm left us, but try and get another use out of it, such as firewood,” Williams said.

He also said the county’s website offers a list of companies that remove downed trees and fallen tree limbs, and then recycles the waste, usually for landscaping uses.

Go to http://your.kingcounty.gov/ solidwaste/wdidw/material.asp.

Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

The deadline to enter the SnoValley Star’s Snoqualmie Valley Photo Contest is Feb. 3. Awards of $100 will be presented for the best in each of 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 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.

The high credit rating allows the county to borrow money for projects at a lower cost to taxpayers.

“We can be proud of today’s decision by Moody’s, because it recognizes our prudent management to create efficiencies, set aside savings and partner with our employees to reduce costs,” County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement.

In addition, Standard & Poor’s, another credit rating agency, and Fitch Ratings, reaffirmed high marks for the county.

Moody’s assigned negative outlooks to King County and other governments Aug. 4, following the Aug. 2 confirmation of the U.S. government’s AAA sovereign rating and assignment of a negative outlook. The ratings and outlooks issued by the various credit agencies came before the county’s planned $20 million bond sale to purchase 250 acres of Maury Island shoreline.

The Fijian government announced Dec. 27 its decision to grant the nation’s first exclusive gambling license to One Hundred Sands, which has announced plans to build a $290 million, five-star luxury casino resort on Denarau Island, in a partnership with the Snoqualmie Tribe.

In a telephone interview, Larry Claunch, chairman of One Hundred Sands, said he and the tribe have been talking for about five months, and while the tribe hasn’t yet put any money into the deal, they are negotiating the tribe’s financial stake. The tribe has committed to joining the venture as a partner, Claunch said, and will have ownership in the casino, as well as an active advisory role.

He said the conversations got started with Snoqualmie Tribal Administrator Matt Mattson first, when Mattson traveled to Fiji and investigated the possibilities.

The new venture is a long way — nearly 6,000 miles — from the tribe’s casino, which opened in 2008 with a $330 million debt.

The tribe swung open the doors right at the bottom of the recession and in the middle of one of the worst winters in years. The tribe’s budget, built on rosier expectations, cratered.

The tribe has since restructured its debt, and the casino is doing better, reports by outside analysts show, and its bond rating has improved.

Claunch said he beat out more than 50 other competitors for the sole gambling license granted by the Fijian government, in part he said because of his inclusion of a Native American tribe in the venture. He said that was important to him personally, because he liked the operations tribes run in the United States. Of the Snoqualmies, he said, “I have visited their casino and it’s spectacular. I so admire the work they have done.”

The news, first reported in the Fiji Times, was controversial in Washington state.

“It’s hurting our tribe. It’s pretty sad,” said Kanium Ventura, elected to the tribal council in September 2007.

He was later suspended by the council in an internal dispute, a move later overturned by the tribal court, but then renewed by the tribal council again.

“They are supposed to take this to the membership,” Ventura said. “There is no benefits for us at Fiji. I don’t think it will make much.”

Other tribes have looked at gambling operations in other locations, including the Muckleshoot, which for a time looked into partnering in a tribally owned casino in Las Vegas — before dropping the idea.

But the Snoqualmies are believed to be the first tribe in Washington, and perhaps the country, according to W. Ron Allen, chairman of the executive committee of the Washington Indian Gaming Association and chairman of the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, to enter into a gambling operation overseas.

The latest move by the Snoqualmies comes at a time when the tribe is struggling with other issues, including an enrollment audit in response to allegations that many tribal members, including some of its leaders, don’t meet the one-eighth blood-quantum requirement in the tribe’s constitution to be a Snoqualmie.

The tribe less than a year ago spent $14 million to buy out the contract of its former casino CEO’s employment contract.

The first phase of the Fiji project will include a luxury resort and casino with 500 slot machines, convention center and banquet facilities.

In a prepared statement, Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said the venture “provides a malleable fusion between the Western ideas of casino gaming with the strong cultural values of tribal and community life.”

Groundbreaking is proposed in March.

Lynda V. Mapes: 206-464-2736 or lmapes@seattletimes.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

At the Jan. 12 school board meeting, Aune said the transformation of the building is not a question of if, but one of when.

“If we choose to move forward in the fall of 2013, we have a good deal of work to do in the next 18 months,” he said.

Board member Carolyn Simpson said the board should make the “if” a part of the equation again.

“The original plan never anticipated only two middle schools,” she said. “The original decision to create a freshman learning center anticipated a third middle school being built.”

Two bond measures meant to raise money for a third middle school failed in 2011.

Simpson said the district needs to make sure the enrollment numbers are “rock solid” before turning the SMS building into an annex of the high school.

“We need to hold a public hearing,” she said. “I don’t think we talked to the public. I don’t think we talked about the impact of taking over SMS for the high school without a replacement middle school. I believe we have some time.”

Aune said during the Jan. 12 meeting that if the ninth-grade annex suffers a delay, Mount Si High School would exceed capacity in 2013.

Simpson disagreed.

“We have until 2015,” she said. “We are not over capacity in 2013, we meet capacity in 2013.”

Disparity aside, Aune called for a work session next month to discuss the next steps of the conversion of SMS into an annex of the high school. Simpson applauded that.

“It’s really important, and I really hope we really delve into this for the next two months,” she said.

If and when the board delves into the topic, Aune suggested the group examine several areas beforehand, including:

The impact the decision will have on the children’s educational program.

• Where the projected enrollment and capacity figures stand.
•  What the economic climate looks like.
• Whether this is the right time.
• How much the state can help.
•  If the district requires one, how long of a delay to have.

“The decision we need to make in mid-March is,” Aune said, “do we move forward in 2013 or do we delay?”

Cigarette run

At 10 a.m. Jan. 14, police on northbound Railroad Avenue Southeast saw a car pass them near the intersection of Snoqualmie Parkway.

A status check showed the driver had a suspended license for refusing a breath test.

When police contacted him, the driver said he knew his license was suspended but he was just getting cigarettes for his father.

Police told him he should not drive anymore and that he would receive a criminal citation in the mail for driving with a suspended license.

Drunken driving

At 10:35 p.m. Jan. 14, police responded to a complaint that some men who looked intoxicated were disrupting customers at Papa John’s pizza, 7328 Better Way S.E. Police learned that the two men left the store in a silver Dodge pickup.

Police saw the Dodge make an illegal U-turn and speed away.

They stopped the truck near the intersection of Snoqualmie Parkway and Railroad Avenue Southeast. As police approached the Dodge, the driver, Edward Robert Thomas, 45, handed police a debit card, thinking it was his driver’s license.

Police asked the driver if he was sure. The driver said yes. The officer replied he did not take Visa.

The driver fumbled as he searched for his license, and he had bloodshot, watery eyes and smelled of alcohol.

After failing a breath test, police arrested Thomas for driving under the influence. He was taken to the Issaquah City Jail for booking.

North Bend police

Suspicious charges

At 12:24 p.m. Dec. 30, a woman told police her bank had notified her that some suspicious charges had been made to her account — three $800 purchases at a Walmart in Colorado, a place she has not been to recently.

After determining the fraudulent nature of the charges, the card was cancelled.

Missing methadone

At 9:25 a.m. Jan. 3, a woman came to the North Bend station of the King County Sheriff’s Office, saying someone had stolen her methadone.

On Christmas Eve, she had her methadone hidden in a boot. That day, she had 16 guests at her house.

On Dec. 26, she realized that 14 days’ worth of pills had disappeared, approximately 154 pills. She said she did not know who might have taken them.

Making a getaway

At 11:52 p.m. Dec. 30, police patrolling North Bend approached a vehicle on 424th Street and North Bend Way, when the vehicle sped away, spinning tires and leaving a cloud of tire smoke.

Police activated their lights and the vehicle immediately stopped.

The driver, Donald Ray Ashby, 51, had a strong odor of alcohol. He gave police his I.D. but could not produce a registration or proof of insurance.

After looking for a while, he stopped and stared straight ahead. Meanwhile, a motorist pulled over on the shoulder and said, “That’s the vehicle.”

When Ashby saw the other driver, he started the engine, revved into drive and fled.

He drove into ditches, knocked over street signs, hit mailboxes and garbage cans on his getaway. After a chase, Ashby finally lost control of his vehicle near an Interstate 90 on-ramp.

Police began ordering Ashby out of the car and he responded by gulping from an alcoholic drink, shouting expletives and daring the police to shoot him. After several ignored commands, Ashby drank the entirety of the can of FourLoco and did not exit the car until several deputies approached him and dragged him out.

Ashby kicked and screamed his way to the patrol car and continued kicking once inside. He later vomited inside the patrol car.

A check of Ashby’s status showed he was a convicted felon with a suspended license. He was booked into King County Jail for investigation of eluding, a class C felony.

One angry customer

At 10:20 a.m. Jan. 3, a customer entered Bank of America’s North Bend branch, 128 Bendigo Blvd., and told a teller he had a problem with the bank and that he would not leave until the bank fixed it.

The customer, Dimitri Nicholis Evanoff, 68, of Wapato, told the teller he would blow up the teller and the bank.

The teller told him to have a seat and went to the manager, who recognized Evanoff as a belligerent client who had wanted to overdraw his account a week earlier.

The manager approached Evanoff, who continued with his threats, so the manager called the police.

Evanoff told police he threatened the bank personnel because he was angry with them. Police booked Evanoff into King County Jail on charges of threats to kill and threats to bomb, a class B felony.

According to the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network’s website, the earthquake occurred at 4:04 a.m. and had a depth of about 9.7 miles. The quake’s epicenter was 1.3 miles north of North Bend.

According to the same site, it is the second tiny earthquake felt in North Bend in 2012. A 1.1 quake occurred at 2:50 p.m. Jan. 14, 3.9 miles southwest of the city.