Public in dark about hospital board hijinx
May 22, 2013
The May 2 board meeting of the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital district was a jaw-dropper for newcomers. But even for regular attendees, the board and staff hit a new low.
The public meeting was fraught with name calling, gavel pounding and the hospital attorney yelling at a member of the public about an unrelated topic when he dared to suggest ideas for a more open and transparent hospital board. People who regularly attend these meetings often see the contentious behavior — namely between Commissioner Gene Pollard and the rest of the commissioners and staff.
North Bend Theatre deserves benefactors
May 15, 2013
Owners of a North Bend icon are asking the community for help.
Very few small-town movie theaters have survived the public’s modern love of technology.
Bigger, brighter, flashier, faster … that’s how we roll today.
And yet, the 72-year-old North Bend Theatre has been lovingly tended to by multiple owners, and has thrived.
The local political landscape heating up
May 8, 2013
Things are starting to heat up in local elections, with a couple of folks beginning to make announcements about running.
This week, however, Snoqualmie Councilwoman Maria Henriksen announced that she would not seek re-election.
Editorial
May 1, 2013
Don’t miss out on the new North Bend
North Bend is turning in to quite a happening place, and we love seeing it.
When the city faced a decade-long moratorium on new development, city leaders did not just give up. Read more
Editorial
April 24, 2013
Take old prescriptions to the police station
Prescription drugs left in medicine cabinets and bedside stands are both a national problem and a local problem — one you can help eliminate by turning in expired medicines. National Take Back Initiative is April 27, scheduled by the Drug Enforcement Administration.
In the last five Take Back events, law enforcement agencies have collected more than 2 million pounds of prescription drugs. It is estimated that 33 million containers of pills go unused every year, just in Washington state.
Editorial
April 17, 2013
Candidates wanted, filing dates near
There is still time left to file for elected office if you have any desire to run for some of the open seats in the Snoqualmie Valley.
This election season, Snoqualmie has five open seats within city government, which include positions currently held by Mayor Matt Larson, and councilmembers Bob Jeans, Bryan Holloway, Maria Henriksen and Kathi Prewitt. Read more
Editorial
April 10, 2013
Metro funding benefits everyone
Two years ago, the $20 car tab fee to fund King County Metro seemed like Metro might have overreached during the good times and needed to scale back to reflect new economic realities.
The fee was approved by the Legislature for two years, 2013 and 2014. The County Council implemented the fee, along with some bipartisan reforms that have help put the transit service on firmer footing.
Editorial
April 3, 2013
Knives on planes policy is nonsensical
It’s been nearly a dozen years since 9/11. Memories of that day have faded, but not if you are an airline traveler in a long security line at the airport, questioning whether the added security actually protects passengers from terrorists.
After all this time, we’ve learned to accept the new norm in airport security. After turning over pocketknives and having the short file on nail clippers removed for all these years, the Transportation Security Administration’s new policy allows small knives back onto planes. We agree with flight attendants, little knives can be big security risks.
Editorial
March 28, 2013
School board needs leader for open seat
Snoqualmie Valley School District Board Position 1, which covers the city of Snoqualmie, is open for the taking. All you have to do is toss your hat into the ring for the November election.
There is much going on in this giant, 400-square-mile school district that stretches from Sammamish to Snoqualmie Pass.
Editorial
March 21, 2013
Tattoo shop should be allowed here
The North Bend City Council had a chance to move in the direction of being more business friendly, but blew it when it outlawed tattoo parlors.
David Herman, a tattoo artist who wanted to set up a shop in North Bend, did his due diligence by checking with city staff to make sure his business would be allowed from a home in the downtown commercial district.
