Memorial Day is for remembering, honoring
May 23, 2012
While most will enjoy the three-day weekend to mark the beginning of summer, Memorial Day is much more. It’s the day set aside to honor the men and women from the United States military who have died in service to their country.
This national holiday is especially poignant while our country is at war. Soldiers are still fighting in far-flung corners of the world for the liberty that affords us a carefree day in the park, chowing down on barbecue or watching the Indianapolis 500 — what most of us will do this weekend. Read more
Ready to run for political office?
May 17, 2012
If you are interested in politics and want to make a difference at the state level, this is the week to take the next step.
The deadline to file to run for the state Legislature is this Friday. From there, it’s full speed ahead to raise campaign funds, seek endorsements, doorbell the voters and recruit volunteers to put up yard signs for the next six months.
Snoqualmie and North Bend are part of the large 5th District, with two House and one Senate seat. Of course, there are other state offices up for election next November, everything from governor to insurance commissioner, but the legislative seats are more local-centric.
If you come with a law enforcement background, the position of King County Sheriff is seeking candidates. Or if you like real power, go for the 8th Congressional District seat, representing voters from Issaquah to Wenatchee.
All of these races need volunteers as much as they do candidates. Pick your favorite and lend a hand. It’s a great way to learn about the democratic process.
Prefer a closer-to-home run for City Council, school board or fire commissioner? Start preparing — the 2013 campaign season will be here before you know it, but the filing date is a year away.
But if you’re not quite ready to jump into a council or mayoral seat, maybe test the waters of local politics by volunteering for a commission or board seat.
In North Bend, you could be a member of commissions that deal with economic development, parks or planning, or work with the transportation benefit district board.
In Snoqualmie, you have 10 commissions or boards to choose from, everything from the arts commission to the Meadowbrook Farm preservation board.
Inquire about open seats by calling North Bend’s city clerk at 888-7627 or Snoqualmie’s city clerk at 888-1555.
And the children will lead us
May 10, 2012
It takes a special someone to voluntarily get involved in small-city government.
Everybody knows where the mayor, city councilmembers and planning commissioners live. Those elected and appointed officials will tell you that constituents have no problem calling them, day or night, to voice their opinions or dissatisfaction about something happening in the city. Angry emails and Letters to the Editor are par for the course.
People get involved in politics for a lot of reasons. Sometimes, it’s in their blood — they come from a long line of civic-minded family members. Sometimes, it’s out of pure frustration with current leaders and how they are handling community matters or dealing with the public.
But sometimes a noble cause drives a person to jump into the hotbed of small-town politics. Such is the case with 16-year-old Aubrey McMichael, of North Bend, who was appointed to the city’s Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission on April 17.
McMichael said she loves the city parks and wants to help keep them beautiful.
“I also think it’s important to have a teen’s perspective on the board,” the Mount Si High School sophomore said.
She said as much to the council after it confirmed her for the full-voting-rights youth position, but also said she was looking forward to seeing how government works first hand.
Seeing the process could be a life-changing, positive event for her. She could love it so much that she continues to pursue a political career: earning a political science degree, campaigning for elected positions, developing a platform to sway voters, creating laws that protect human rights, seeking the office of the President of the United States.
Or she could be bored to death by the never-ending meetings, seeing that the wheels of government turn oh-so-very-slowly, or learning that compromise can often be a bitter pill to swallow. We hope, though, that she loves it and wants to continue after her term ends in August.
National news is not the real story here
May 2, 2012
We would hope that when North Bend makes national headlines, the story would be less shocking than a North Bend man shooting his wife, daughter and pets and then killing himself in a standoff with law enforcement.
But that was not the case this past week.
Daily, the story unfolded with details few of us could comprehend in our small, and normally sleepy community.
A house fire morphed into finding two women dead. Peter Keller who lived at the home was missing. Then we learned that his wife and daughter had been shot in the head and the fire was started to cover up the crime. Charges were filed against Keller.
We learned of Keller’s background: a gun enthusiast, computer repairman and survivalist preparing for the “end of the world” who had a problem with authority and spent eight years carving out a fortified bunker on Rattlesnake Ridge.
And when we heard that officers had found the bunker, that Keller was trapped inside and facing a standoff with police, we cringed at how the standoff might end. Would there be a shootout? Would SWAT team members lose their lives?
This type of situation does not happen in our neck of the woods. This is the kind of story we watch on national television about other areas, other people.
In the end, Keller took his own life and we can at least be thankful that this tragic chain of events did not result in any more deaths.
Now that Keller is gone, we are left with a string of unanswered questions —mainly, what drove him to kill his wife of 21 years and his 18-year-old daughter, who was just beginning her adult life?
Sadly, we may never know the answers. But this community must find a way to celebrate Lynnettee and Kaylene’s lives while at the same time finding a way to put this heartbreaking and ugly chapter of Valley history behind us.
Teen suicide breaks community hearts
April 26, 2012
Like the rest of the community, we were devastated to hear that a Mount Si High School sophomore had killed himself.
We can’t imagine the pain his family, friends, teachers and schoolmates are going through. Prayers are being whispered for everyone in the community as we try to understand his choice.
This is the second school year in a row that Mount Si students have had to face the loss of a friend by suicide, after an 11th-grader killed himself in September 2010.
In 2007, suicide was the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15-24, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.
The organization said one in 100,000 children ages 10-14 commits suicide. For adolescents ages 15-19, that number jumps to nearly seven in 100,000.
In Washington, an average of two youths commit suicide each week, according to the Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
And in a recent state survey, more than one in every 10 high school students reported having attempted suicide, and one in four said they had seriously considered it.
Spring clean the medicine chest, too
April 18, 2012
Nothing says spring like multiple days of sunshine in a row and the explosion of brilliant yellow daffodils and dandelion blooms.
Whether or not spring cleaning is on your to-do list, now is a good time to add emptying your medicine cabinet of old or unused prescriptions.
Law enforcement in North Bend and Snoqualmie are hosting one-day pill drop offs on April 28, National Drug Take-back Day.
Last year, law enforcement officials in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington collected 21,500 pounds of unused pharmaceuticals that homeowners didn’t quite know what to do with.
These include everything from antibiotics, pain killers, sleep aids, blood pressure medicines and anything else the doctor prescribed. Many are outdated.
North Bend Police Chief Mark Toner said the service is offered as a public safety measure because prescription drug abuse is a serious and growing problem in this area.
On Earth Day, give a nod to the planet
April 11, 2012
Even though Earth Day is April 22, the entire month has turned into an opportunity to show our appreciation for the third rock from the sun.
People all over the world demonstrate their appreciation for the planet and demand its protection, as well as organize events to clean her up.
Washington is no different.
Opportunities abound this month with special projects to do your part, like the Washington Coast Cleanup 2012, which happens April 21.
According to the Coast Savers website, 8,246 volunteers collected 277 tons of trash from our coastline between 2000-2010.
Figuring an average contribution of five hours per volunteer, that’s a total of 41,230 volunteer-hours contributed. If that’s the route you’d like to go for the 42nd Earth Day, go to www.coastsavers.org/washington.html.
But there are plenty of opportunities right here at home.
There was a shooting, but you are still safe
April 4, 2012
It’s easy to go into panic mode when violence occurs in a community.
A North Bend man shot and killed an intruder, a stranger, after the guy broke through his sliding glass door and threatened to kill him and his girlfriend March 30.
We panic because our homes are our sanctuaries, our safe places. It’s where we conduct rather mundane, routine activities. We wake up, race to get ready for work and feed the kids before school. We watch TV, play video games, mow the lawn, host barbecues, relax by the fireplace or Facebook our friends. And then we settle in for a good night’s rest so we can do it all over again the next day.
We don’t expect to wake up at midnight to the sound of shattering glass and a stranger in our home threatening to kill us.
The thought that the suspect could have chosen our house rather than the one on Southeast Orchard Drive is terrifying, and shakes the foundation of feeling safe in a small town.
North Bend Police Chief Mark Toner points out in a press release that this is an unusual situation for the city.
“This was a random event that could not have been predicted,” he said.
And it is the randomness of the event that is so frightening.
But the chief also highlights that the town has not had a murder since 2004. And that is a good point.
According to NeighborhoodScout, which compiles crime rates from FBI data, the chance of a North Bend resident becoming a victim of a violent crime, such as rape, murder or armed robbery, is one in 944, compared to state numbers, which are one in 318.
In Snoqualmie, those chances go down even more — one in 1,524.
So yes, the randomness of the break-in and the shooting is scary. But the truth is, violent episodes in our community are rare.
You don’t need to panic, but you do need to be smart about eliminating opportunities for becoming a victim. And sometimes, sadly, like last Friday, there is nothing you can do to stop it.
Closed meetings are never the right choice
March 28, 2012
The North Bend City Council decided to handle a controversial issue behind closed doors rather than face the public.
State law says all meetings of governing bodies, even informal sessions, should be open and accessible to the public, with only a handful of specific exceptions.
North Bend is claiming that it fell into one of those exceptions on March 20 when it met secretly (no public notice was given) before a public meeting to discuss citizen appeals to being placed in a sewer district.
Duncan Wilson, North Bend’s city administrator, said public notice wasn’t necessary because the councilmembers, city staff and an attorney were discussing a quasi-judicial matter, and not a legislative matter.
Even if North Bend was following the letter of the law, government should always err on the side of the public’s right to know.
Being a city councilmember comes with responsibilities to the public. And yes, sometimes it’s messy, unpopular and uncomfortable.
But councilmembers were elected to represent their constituents. They are answerable and accountable to them.
And that is why they did a grave disservice to the public…and to the 10 property owners who deserved to hear how the council came to make their decision about the appeals.
The back door meeting may have been within state law guidelines, but it was a bad choice for people elected to serve the public.
If nothing else, this meeting certainly circumvents the intent of the Public Open Meetings Act.
Valley community knows no city limits
March 21, 2012
When community members are in need, borders do not matter.
That is what happened last weekend, when two mayors put aside their friendly rivalry, and helped an elderly couple who own Mountain Creek Tree Farm in Snoqualmie, which was damaged by a flash flood.
North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing and Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson enjoy ribbing each other. They make jokes about the other town at City Council meetings. If Snoqualmie gives a citizen a key to the city, North Bend will give the citizen a bigger key. And so it goes.
But this weekend they put aside any differences, real or in jest, and picked up rakes and shovels and helped dig out 500 of the 1,000 Christmas trees that had been buried by a flash flood in February.
They were also joined by their family members, several Boy Scout troops and Venture crews, and friends and neighbors who live near the Christmas tree farm.
