Snoqualmie Valley student drama shows may sparkle with ideas from Broadway, now that drama teachers Dean and Kim Snavely have completed the Broadway Teachers Workshop.

In New York, the Snavelys rubbed elbows with Broadway stars and participated in dozens of workshops, including ones detailing stage makeup, sound, lighting and higher education.

“It exceeded both of our expectations inexplicably,” said Dean Snavely, Snoqualmie Middle School music director and Mount Si High School musical theater director.

The Snavelys learned about the workshop through their licensing company, Music Theatre International. Every time a play is performed, a school must receive permission from a licensing company. The company told the Snavelys about the New York workshop, but they balked at the price.

They spoke with students, other teachers and administrators, and heard encouragement from every angle.

“Everybody said this is a really amazing opportunity for you guys to get training and to learn what is happening in the world of high school theater,” Dean Snavely said.

The couple used about $4,000 of Associated Student Body money to go to New York, and scrimped wherever they could.

“There was no extravagance,” Dean Snavely said. “We sucked the marrow out of New York City.”

They both said they would share their newfound knowledge with other drama teachers in the Snoqualmie Valley district. Dean Snavely said he would also work to bridge the gap between middle and high school drama productions.

The Broadway Teachers Workshop held two full days of workshops, with participants seeing Broadway plays at night. On the third day, they saw back-to-back plays, a theater teacher’s delight.

In the end, the Snavelys saw “Memphis,” “Million Dollar Quartet,” “American Idiot” and “Promises Promises,” with star Sean Hayes, who played Jack on the TV show “Will and Grace.” At the end of the show, Hayes spoke with the 50 teachers in the Broadway Teachers Workshop

“We got to talk to him as teachers,” Dean Snavely said, “and he got to talk to us about what in school made him want to stay with acting. That was amazingly helpful.”

The Snavelys learned that Hayes appreciated his drama teachers and engaging yet challenging productions.

When they weren’t at shows, the Snavelys attended workshops. Mount Si music and drama director Kim Snavely said she wanted to help students pursue theater in higher education, so she went to a workshop with directors from seven theater schools. The directors reviewed what they look for in prospective students, giving Kim Snavely ideas for helping students apply to college.

The couple both attended a makeup workshop, learning from the artist who worked on shows like “Young Frankenstein.”

“I can’t wait to get back to my theater class, because we do a makeup unit and I can really coach kids to be more effective,” Kim Snavely said. “It’s all about playing with shadow and light and playing with effects, especially with wrinkles.”

Dean Snavely said his favorite workshop was “Die Vampire Die,” taught by the creator of the musical “Title of Show.”

During the workshop, Dean Snavely had to find and kill his vampire — basically the clog that blocks creative people’s bursts of inspiration.

“Your vampire is the thing that gets in the way,” Dean Snavely said. “It could be your seventh-grade choir teacher telling you you couldn’t sing, and that’s your vampire.”He destroyed his vampire, but because of a pact he made with the other teachers in the workshop, he said he couldn’t reveal what it was.

“What I found when I walked out of there was I killed my vampire,” Dean Snavely said. “I have enormous creative material not only for drama, but also for choir and band. I couldn’t wait for school to start. I love my summer, but I can’t wait to try some ideas. We’re going to talk a lot about vampires.”

Laura Geggel: 392-6434, ext. 221, or lgeggel@isspress.com.

As if it were in a 1990’s game show, the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation wants to phone a friend.

Actually, thousands of them.

The foundation’s second annual Phoneathon is from 4:30-8:30 p.m. Sept. 13 and 14. Every family with children in the school district will receive a phone call from volunteer students asking for a donation.

The money will pay for tutoring at the high school and enrichment programs across the district, said Jonathan Pearlstein, chairman of the foundation’s Phoneathon committee.

Last year, high school students struggled in math, but budget cuts eliminated tutoring hours.

The money acts as a lifeline for such programs at the high school and for math and reading enrichment programs at middle and elementary schools, Pearlstein said.

The goal is $20,000, he said. Last year, the Phoneathon raised just shy of $19,000, said Carmen Villanueva, the foundation’s interim president.

Villanueva said the goal is actually $25,000. Last year, the initial goal was $50,000, but the volunteers did not have enough phones or enough hours, she said.

If the school just matches last year’s total, Villanueva said that’s OK.

“Nineteen thousand dollars is great, because it’s $19,000 more than we have to give back to the schools,” she said.

Many organizations compete for the community’s dollar, Villanueva said.

That is one reason why the foundation holds the Phoneathon less than a month into the school year.

“Unlike the PTSA at every school, our organization is completely nonpolitical and seeking to reach every student at every classroom at every school,” Pearlstein said.

The Phoneathon is the second-biggest fundraiser for the foundation.

The largest is a luncheon in spring that last school year gathered $38,000.

For the Phoneathon, a minimum requested donation is $25.

Every donation is tax-deductible, Villanueva said. Volunteer students from Two Rivers School and Mount Si High School will earn community service hours toward graduation requirements.

Villanueva said she worries people might think the foundation is the same as the PTSA or the district.

In the past, this confusion has resulted in some ugly phone calls for volunteers.

“There are people who say, ‘Do not call me ever again,’” Villanueva said. “There’s always going to be issues and people who think we’re the same as the school. We’re not.”

This year’s slogan is “Assuring Opportunity, Ensuring Excellence.” Learn more at www.svsfoundation.org.

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

A year ago, Zoe Gogan wasn’t sure where she wanted to go to college, but she knew one thing: She wanted to play volleyball for a Pac-10 university.

The Pac-10 is one of the country’s strongest conferences for women’s volleyball. Last year, it was the only conference to send eight schools to the NCAA championship tournament.

This time next year, the Mount Si High School senior will suit up for Washington State University. She has verbally committed to play for the school.

The Wildcat will be a Cougar.

Take one look at Gogan, and it’s easy to see why the school would want her. At 6-feet, 2-inches, she can dominate the floor.

Her skill and talent have earned her accolades.

Last season, she was the only player from Mount Si named to the All-State 3A Volleyball First Team, and she and teammate Robyn Schirmer shared the Player of the Year title for KingCo 3A/2A.

During the 2009 and 2008 seasons, Gogan emerged as one of the Wildcats’ key offensive weapons.

She regularly leads the team in kills.

Next season, she’ll take that power to Pullman, where coach Andrew Palileo has spent two years turning WSU’s volleyball program around.

After an 18-12 season last year, the Cougars went to the NCAA championship tournament for the first time since 2002.

“She’s a great catch for that program,” Mount Si coach Bonnie Foote said. “She’s got great arms.”

After visiting several schools, and meeting coaches and players, Gogan said she felt at home at WSU.

“I love the coaches, the girls. Everything seemed to fit,” she said.

Palileo impressed her as well.

“He really believes in his girls,” Gogan said.

Palileo is looking to build on the success of the past two years.

“We’re looking for big bombers, quick middles and good defensive players,” he said. “Now that we’re getting bigger, we’re trying to do that without losing speed.”

NCAA rules prohibit him from commenting on Gogan until after she has officially committed in November.

Palileo runs a quick offense and hard workouts, which Gogan said she appreciates.

She said she is surprised by how much she’s developed since her freshman year.

“I’m just so appreciative that I’ve had the coaches that I have,” she said.

Gogan is considering a major in the medical field.

Zoe Gogan:

• Position: Outside hitter/middle blocker
• High school class: 2011
• Height: 6 feet, 2 inches
• Honors: 2009 All-State 3A Volleyball First Team, 2009 KingCo 3A/2A Co-Player of the Year, 2009 KingCo 3A/2A Volleyball First Team, 2008 KingCo 3A/2A Volleyball honorable mention

Carmen Villanueva began volunteering at Snoqualmie Valley schools in 1994.

The same year, her daughter Jasmin took her baby sister Chloe to kindergarten class for show and tell.

Sixteen years later, Jasmin is living in Hawaii, Chloe is a junior at Mount Si High and Carmen is the newly-appointed interim president of the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation.

And she has another show and tell on her calendar.

This one has not happened yet, but Carmen knows how she wants it to look: She wants many people there.

Villanueva said that when her time at the helm is up, she wants to show and tell people about how more people cared about the foundation.

“I’d like to see more parents involved,” she said. “Not just the same group of people in many organizations.”

A member of the board of directors of the foundation for almost three years, Villanueva was appointed interim head three weeks ago to replace then-foundation president Carolyn Simpson.

The nomination scared her a little, Villanueva said.

“It’s a big responsibility,” she said. “But I’m excited about the challenges. Filling her shoes is going to be a big task.”

Simpson said she stepped down because her youngest son graduated in June from Mount Si High School.

The main reason was time. Simpson had been involved with the foundation for eight years, the last two-plus as president.

What was an interest at the beginning had become a full-time volunteer job at the end.

“I’ve given it a good, strong eight years,” she said. “And it’s time for me to work on some other areas of my life.”

Simpson said she will continue volunteering in places like the valley’s chamber of commerce and the high school.

Her successor at the foundation, Simpson said, will need committed volunteers.

The foundation is growing, but it is small when compared to school foundations in places like Mercer Island and Bellevue, she said.

Villanueva said funding will remain the foundation’s main focus.

The state’s weak economy aside, she said she hopes the foundation’s mid-September phoneathon doubles last year’s $20,000 total.

“Unlike the PTSAs we don’t focus on one school,” she said. “We take pride on making a difference for every student.”

The foundation and the PTSAs complement one another, Villanueva said, but they also compete.

“We’re trying to get the same dollar from one family,” she said.

The foundation has made a big difference in science at the schools, and it has struggled with membership, she said.

PTSAs are nationally known. School foundations are more local and people assume the foundations belong to the PTSAs, she said.

Villanueva said she wants to be president for a couple of years after Chloe graduates. However, she is a volunteer like the rest of the foundation, so she can’t be certain.

“I have other interests,” she said. “I would like to see how things develop over the next few years.”

Besides, she is still the interim president and an election date has not been set.

Because the schools’ needs will not likely change much, neither will her approach to the job, she said.

“The requirements are the same — the passion to do what we can to make a difference,” she said.

Sebastian Moraga can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

Snoqualmie Valley taxpayers will pay less each year on school bond repayments until 2020.

The Valley’s school board and Jon Gores, the school district’s financial advisor, made the announcement at the Aug. 19 school board meeting.

Gores said the district refinanced $30 million out of a $53.5 million bond issue from 2003 at a 2.43 percent interest rate, down from an original 5 percent.

“We are looking at interest rates at historic lows,” Gores said.

Board members had said in February and again in July that they wanted to refinance the bonds, and take advantage of the feeble economy’s low interest rates.

“A sluggish economy benefits interest rates, because there’s little fear of inflation and there’s ‘flight to quality,’” Gores said. “People want to buy secure investments, like U.S. Treasury securities.”

He called such securities “riskless.”

Gores said in July the district would OK the refinance if it achieved a 4 percent minimum dollar savings of the face amount of the bonds, in this case $30 million.

Four percent of $30 million is about $1.2 million and the district is looking at a savings of $2.3 million.

“Achieved savings are significantly above their target,” Gores said Aug. 30.

A second condition was that the refinancing could not affect in any way the district’s bond rating of Aa2, the third-best rating on a 10-item scale.

“The district had its bond rating reaffirmed, so it didn’t have any impact,” Gores said Aug. 30.

The only beneficiaries are the taxpayers, he said. No money goes to the district’s general fund.

The savings mean the district will levy less each year until 2020 to pay debt service —principal and interest — on the new bonds.

The amount taxpayers will save depends on what they pay in property taxes, Gores said.

The refinancing cost the district $188,602, he said. The district had expected a $240,000 cost.

The lowered rates go into effect Jan. 1, 2011, according to a district press release.

The 2003 bond’s original date is 2013, which is when the old bondholders will be paid, Gores said. The district will pay the new bondholders at the reduced rate.

The 2003 bond issue helped pay for Twin Falls Middle School, said Ryan Stokes, district director of finance services.

The bond also paid for the expansion of the gym at Chief Kanim Middle School and a fiber optic system for the entire district.

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

The new standardized test scores released Tuesday brought mixed results for Snoqualmie Valley School District.

Some schools in the district saw big improvements in their standing relative to other Washington schools over last year. Other schools saw continued success, but some schools slipped.

This year was the first for the High School Proficiency Exam and the Measurement of Student Progress for elementary and middle schools. The tests replaced the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, which was introduced in the late 1990s.

Mount Si students scored 87.1 percent in reading, down 2 percent from the previous year, but better than state and district averages.

Mount Si scored 57.7 percent in math, down from 60 percent in the 2008-2009 school year but well above the state average 41.6 percent.

Reading scores for Mount Si slipped to 87.1, down from 89.1.

The school’s science scores increased almost 10 percentage points to 58 percent.

Despite Mount Si’s gains, the school’s principal, Randy Taylor, criticized the new test after results were released for students who took the test last spring as 10th graders.

“The reading portion took longer than anticipated, and we had kids needing more time to finish the test,” he said.

Randy Dorn, state Superintendent of Public Instruction, said in an Aug. 31 news release that the state will shorten the reading test to be taken in spring 2011.

Taylor said the math standards changed since the previous test and that it’s not fair to compare two tests with different standards.

The comparison is valid this year but won’t be next year, said Chris Barron, a spokesman for the superintendent. The state will replace the current math test with two exams on algebra and geometry in 2011.

The exams will be the third different high school math tests in three years.

Taylor criticized the move. “The kids and teachers will have to adapt to a different test again,” he said.

The Snoqualmie Valley School District declined to comment for this story.

The tests are not the only way to measure student success, Taylor said.

“There’s other indicators that say kids are being successful despite the WASL and HSPE scores,” he said, referring to the old and new standardized tests.

He pointed to the results of another standardized test — the ACT, a college-admission test — taken by juniors last school year.

“Our ACT scores … they are phenomenal, just blew our socks off.”

Other scores include:

• Cascade View Elementary scored on average 19.6 percent above state averages in all its grades’ reading tests.
• Opstad Elementary’s third- and fifth-grade reading scores of 76.7 and 78.9 percent respectively, each dropped almost 10 percentage points from last year. Both scores stand above state average. Fourth-grade reading improved 7.2 percent from 2008-09, with 81.9 percent. The school had math scores below district and state averages on fourth and fifth grades.
• Chief Kanim Middle School’s scored 88.1 percent in sixth-grade reading, 86.7 percent in seventh and 86.2 percent in eighth. On average, these scores stand 21 percentage points above the state average. The school’s math scores, 79.7, 84.8 and 78.9 percent respectively, stand on average 26 percentage points higher. “We attribute our success to the district as a whole,” he said. “It’s kind of a trickle-up effect,” Principal Kirk Dunckel said. “Kids are benefiting from good teachers all along the way, from elementary.
• Snoqualmie Elementary third-graders scored 74.6 percent in reading, a drop from last year’s 81.7 percent. Fourth-graders dropped from 75.3 percent to 69.2 percent. Fifth-graders jumped from last year’s 77.4 to 78.8 percent. The school scored better than the state average in math in fourth and fifth grades. Fifth-graders scored 50 percent in science, 16 percentage points better than state’s average, but down 9.1 percent from last year.
• Snoqualmie Middle School scored 73.3 percent in sixth-grade reading, a drop from the 2008-09 score of 82 percent. The school improved on last year’s scores in seventh-grade reading, with 77.2 percent and eighth grade, with 82.8 percent. The school scored 75.5, 74 and 68.8 percent in sixth-, seventh- and eighth-grade math, respectively. Math scores were on average almost 20 percent higher than the state averages.
• Twin Falls Middle School scored 80.3 in seventh-grade reading, a 7.3 percent jump from last year. Eighth-graders scored 86.5 percent, a 1.7 percent jump. Sixth-graders’ scored 79.2 percent, a 5.4 percent drop. Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders scored 70.3, 69.7 and 67.6 percent in math, respectively, on average 16 points above the state marks.
• Two Rivers School eighth-graders scored a 38.5 percent on their reading test. Two Rivers’ 10th-graders scored a 66.7 percent in reading, down from 69.2 in 2008-09. Tenth-graders scored 15.8 percent in math, 71.4 percent in writing and 36.8 percent in science.

Sebastian Moraga: 3926434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

KING 5’s Evening Magazine is looking for the best of Western Washington, and Snoqualmie’s Woodman Lodge is in the running for best steakhouse.

Vote for the restaurant at http://best.king5.com.

The restaurant is housed in the former lodge of Modern Woodman of America Camp 8630 in the city’s historic downtown area.

Woodman Lodge’s owner Peter LaHaye was recognized in May by the state Department of Commerce for his renovation of the building. The restaurant was one of four winners for “outstanding achievement in design.”

The city of Snoqualmie also honored the restaurant for its contribution to revitalizing the downtown area.

In a news release, Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson called the restaurant “an example of, not only rehabilitation, but also of adaptive reuse and an important catalyst for downtown revitalization.”

Two Rivers School will offer Friday classes this year for the first time, Principal Tom Athanases said.

Friday classes will end at about 12:35 p.m. and teachers will work the rest of the day on professional improvement, he said. Both things already occur at the district’s other schools.

Before the change, Two Rivers staff worked four 10-hour days, Athanases said. Now, they will work five eight-hour days.

Start time will be at 9 a.m. all five days. School will get out at 3 p.m., Monday through Thursday.

The staff at Two Rivers started talking about changing the schedule in February, Athanases said.

Besides classroom time, the students will have physical education, intervention classes and 30 minutes of advisory time with a teacher on Fridays.

Each teacher at Two Rivers advises about 20 students, he said.

The change in scheduling is permanent, said Athanases, who has been at the school for 24 years, was its director from 1992-1995 and has been its principal ever since.

The school will tweak the schedule after this year if needed, he said.

Jack Webber, a math teacher at Two Rivers, said other changes are coming to the school.

Encouraged by last month’s Summer Learning Academy, teachers at Two Rivers will bring more technology to their classrooms.

Students will use Google Earth to study Snoqualmie Valley history, they will write blogs in language arts classes, and use an electronic whiteboard in science and math.

Athanases said it was too early to tell how the students would react to the scheduling change.

“Students who like Two Rivers will go with everything,” he said. “They will find the same opportunities they have always had to get an excellent education.”

Two Rivers is split between middle and high school students. About 125 high-schoolers and 15 middle-schoolers attend.

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

Yes, the economy has not turned around, but sometimes government cannot simply slice and dice its way to a balanced budget. All ideas are on the table for increasing revenue — including an Eastside Fire & Rescue fee for ambulance rides.

Hit by falling tax revenue, contract cities, including North Bend, are interested in keeping their expenses as low as possible. Necessity has produced some interesting ideas. Charging for ambulance rides is one worth examining.

This practice exists in other parts of the country, and indeed, in other parts of King County. No critically injured person has yet to be denied a ride to the hospital because they had a maxed-out credit card.

Most agencies, when pressed, admit they don’t invest much time and energy trying to extract payments from residents who can’t afford to pay. Most insurance providers cover the cost of the ambulance ride, and they do pay their claims. It doesn’t seem to matter whether the ride is provided by a private ambulance company or a public fire agency.

But it may not be that simple. It is possible that costs would end up being passed on to residents and businesses through higher insurance premiums. EFR should study that possible impact during its discussions.

There is also some concern about the idea of double charging. After all, residents already pay for the ambulance, the salary of the emergency medical technicians, the gas in the vehicle and everything else through their taxes. Should they have to pay a second time, whether it be through a direct payment or via higher insurance?

In a fair and perfect world, no.

But today’s reality is neither of those things, and is full of examples of government double-dipping. Taxpayers already pay tolls to drive on roads they paid to build, and fees to use park facilities that they already own. Taxpayers have put up with it, recognizing the fee model as a more equitable way of distributing costs.

Unfortunately, the charge for EFR to give medical transport to a hospital or to another waiting ambulance is probably necessary.

Call it the fire department equivalent of tolling.

Faced with the steadily rising costs of health care and personnel, and repeated calls from partners to limit their annual increases in contributions, Eastside Fire & Rescue is considering charging citizens for various fire services, from ambulance rides to car crash responses.

Sammamish officials have pushed the department to see what it would take to draft a budget with a zero-percent increase next year. EFR Deputy Chief of Operations Jeff Griffin said the administration is dedicated to trying for that, but said it may be a choice between staff or program cuts, or new revenue from fees.

The plans are still in the theoretical stages now, but will be presented as alternatives as the administration puts together its 2011 budget. Griffin told the board at its Aug. 12 meeting that many other local agencies, including Bellevue and Kirkland, were considering a fee-for-service model, which gives districts a more stable revenue source that doesn’t fluctuate like property tax receipts.

“The balance between what a society wants and what it is willing to pay for is delicate,” Griffin said.

Who gets a free ride?

He also highlighted the fairness issue. Currently, whether or not a patient gets a free ride to the hospital with EFR or pays approximately $700 for one with a private company is dependent on how many units are staffed near where they live and the severity of the injury. This naturally means that rural residents near Snoqualmie or North Bend are more likely to be charged for their ride than residents in more dense areas, like Issaquah or Sammamish.

Dee Williamson, the North Bend representative on the EFR board of directors, said it was unfair that people in North Bend and Snoqualmie had to pay for ambulance rides while people in Issaquah or Bellevue frequently did not.

If a fire department rig does not have to leave its area to reach a hospital, it can take patients there free of charge. If the rig would have to leave its area to reach a hospital, or if the rig were too busy, a private ambulance would be called.

“The issue becomes that people in Issaquah that are close to the hospital get a free ride,” Williamson said. “If it were equal, that would be wonderful, but we in North Bend never get the free ride, because the paramedics can’t leave North Bend.”

About 35 percent of patients in the area are transported by EFR, while private companies handle 65 percent. Griffin said that ratio would not change under the fee program; the agency would just recoup some of its costs and time spent carting people into hospitals in Bellevue or Seattle. Griffin said admitting a patient to Overlake Hospital Medical Center in Bellevue takes a unit out of commission for an hour and a half on average.

If the fee program were approved, the board would have to determine what to charge, whether it would bill patients itself or forgo approximately 15 percent of the revenues to pay an outside company to do billing. The board would also have to consider how hard to go after those who don’t pay — would it send them to collection agencies or forgive the debt?

Plan would generate needed revenue

All of those factors would affect how much EFR would make from the program annually, but Griffin estimated it could net the agency between $262,000 and $367,000. At the end of 2009, the district passed a budget that took approximately $300,000 from reserve funds and still had a $241,000 hole, which was made up by union employees forgoing wage increases and finding a cheaper health insurance plan.

At least one board member, Chairman Ron Pedee, said he is philosophically opposed to the idea. Pedee spoke at length against the proposal, calling it a “double billing” of taxpayers who have already funded the services with their tax dollars.

“Our job is to do the most good for the most people with the resources the public has provided for us,” he said. “It seems improper to charge them again for a service we feel is prudent given that they’ve already paid for it.

“Do we need the money? You bet,” he said. “But it’s disingenuous for public agencies to be grubbing around for fees they can tack on when the public has specifically said they don’t want that.”

To transport or not?

Pedee disagreed with the idea that charging patients for services would somehow make the system fairer. He suggested that if the aim was truly to make the system more equitable, the agency should consider getting out of the transport business completely, focusing local units on first response while letting the private companies handle transports.

“Fairness on a call-to-call basis is impossible,” he said. “It’s possible for me to experience response time ‘X’ and my neighbor to experience response time ‘XX.’”

King County medical directors are against districts charging for rides as well, Griffin said. The group feels that the fee would be double-dipping taxpayers who already pay money through their Medic One levy that is routed to individual districts for ambulance service — about $1.3 million dollars a year of a budget of more than $20 million.

The hospital administrators also fear that the elderly or those on fixed incomes might shy away from seeking medical attention, because they could not afford it and the fee would put pressure on emergency medical technicians to consider economic factors in their care.

Griffin downplayed suggestions that EMTs would have an economic incentive to transport people instead of giving them over to private services, saying that district policy still requires that departments prioritize keeping units in their regular areas over transports.

In its contract with private ambulance service American Medical Response, “it states that in the event of an emergency, we could have 25 additional ambulance trips into our area within an hour,” Griffin said. “We don’t want to lose that capacity. We have no interest in driving the private companies out of business.”

Caleb Heeringa: 392-6434, ext. 247, or cheeringa@isspress.com. Laura Geggel contributed to this report.

Nellie M. Gamble, of Fall City, died Aug. 25, 2010, at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. She was 89.

Burial was held at Hillside Cemetery, Issaquah.

Nellie was born June 12, 1921, in Barnesville, Ohio, the daughter of Harry and Edna Holland. She was raised in Ohio and married Wilfred E. Gamble on Jan. 1, 1940, in Barnesville. 

They moved to Issaquah in 1977 and then she moved to Fall City in 1997. Recently, she has lived at the Red Oak Retirement Center in North Bend. 

In her leisure time, she enjoyed taking care of children and spending time with her friends and family.

She was preceded in death by Wilfred in 1979.

Survivors include her son Harry Gamble, of Fall City; daughter Patricia Ann Russell, of New Garden, Ohio; sister Ruth Huntsman, of Canton, Ohio; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren.

Remembrances may be made to the Alice Clewell Scholarship Fund c/o Martha Faloon, 9501 state Route 9, Hanoverton, Ohio 44423.

Arrangements are by Flintoft’s Funeral Home and Crematory. 

Friends are invited to share memories and sign the family’s online guest book at www.flintofts.com.

Events

Mount Si Artist Guild’s Art in the Park, 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. Sept. 4 and 11, Gardiner Weeks Park, (south of Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum, 320 Bendigo Blvd.) North Bend. Artists will demonstrate painting techniques and have paintings for sale. There will also be a yard sale with old art supplies, books and prints.

Snoqualmie Family Fun Night, 6-7:30 p.m. Sept. 2, by Snoqualmie Community Park, 35016 S.E. Ridge St.

Grangestock Open Mic, 7 p.m. Sept. 3, Sallal Grange, 12912 432nd Ave. S.E., North Bend

Northwest Railway Museum Labor Day Train Rides, Sept. 6

Sallal Grange Lecture Meeting, 6 p.m. Sept. 6, 12912 432nd Ave. S.E., North Bend. Come for a lecture and dinner. See what the Grange is all about. For information, see www.sallalgrange.org.

Open mic, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 7, Twede’s Café, 137 W. North Bend Way, North Bend.

Open mic, 7-10 p.m. Sept. 8, Isadora’s Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie.

Healthy Community Coalition meeting, 2-3:30 p.m. Sept. 9, Riverview School District, 32240 N.E. 50th St., Carnation. Will include Business Leaders Panel discussion.

Sallal Grange cleanup party, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. Sept. 11, 12912 432nd Ave. S.E., North Bend. Come help clean up Sallal Grange’s grounds. For information, see www.sallalgrange.org.

Stroke and Diabetes Support Group, 11 a.m. Sept. 14 and 28, Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Join the free group, facilitated by a nurse, for discussions and support. For information, call 888-3434 or visit www.mtsi-seniorcenter.org.

Open mic, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 14, Twede’s Café, 137 W. North Bend Way, North Bend.

Open mic, 7-10 p.m. Sept. 15, Isadora’s Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie.

Family Night: Mad Science, 6:15 p.m. Sept. 17, Si View Community Center, 400 Orchard Drive, North Bend. Spellbinding event illustrating the principles of air pressure. Dinner served from 6:15-7 p.m., craft project time from 6:30-7 p.m., and the show starts at 7 p.m. Fee: $10 per family suggested donation. Family Nights are co-sponsored by Encompass and the Si View Metro Parks District.

Ed Wynn’s Variety Show, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25, Valley Center Stage, 119 E. North Bend Way, North Bend. Enjoy an evening of laughs, music, dancing and more. Tickets cost $12.50 for adults and $10 for children and seniors. They can be purchased online at www.valleycenterstage.org.

Introduction to genealogy, 11 a.m. Sept. 27, Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Free. Learn how to build a family tree.

North Bend Theater

Thursday, Sept. 2, 7 p.m., “Salt”

Friday, Sept. 3, 5 and 8 p.m., “Eat, Pray, Love”

Saturday, Sept. 4, 5 and 8 p.m., “Eat, Pray, Love”

Sunday, Sept. 5, 2 and 5 p.m., “Eat, Pray, Love”

Monday, Sept. 6, 7 p.m., “Eat, Pray, Love”

Tuesday, Sept. 7, 7 p.m., “Eat, Pray, Love”

Wednesday, Sept. 8, 10 a.m. Mommy Matinee, “Eat, Pray, Love;” 1 p.m. Adults-only Matinee, “Eat, Pray, Love;” 7 p.m. Girls’ Night, “Eat, Pray, Love”

Thursday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m., “Eat, Pray, Love”

Volunteer opportunities

Snoqualmie Valley Hospital is accepting applications for ages 16 or older to volunteer in various departments of the hospital.

Contact Volunteer Coordinator Carol Waters at carolw@snoqualmiehospital.org to arrange an interview.

Spanish Academy invites volunteers fluent in Spanish to participate in summer camps on their three-acre farm-style school. Must love kids and nature! Call 425-888-4999.

Senior Services Transportation Program needs volunteers to drive seniors around North Bend and Snoqualmie. Choose the times and areas in which you’d like to drive. Car required. Mileage reimbursement and supplemental liability insurance are offered. For more information, call 206-748-7588 or 800-282-5815 toll free, or e-mail melissat@seniorservices.org. To apply online, go to www.seniorservices.org and click on “Giving Back” and then on “Volunteer Opportunities.”

Mount Si Senior Center needs volunteers for sorting and sales in the thrift store, reception and class instruction. The center is at 411 Main St., North Bend. Call Ruth or Janet, 425-888-3434.

Hopelink in Snoqualmie Valley seeks volunteers for a variety of tasks. Volunteers must be at least age 16. Go to www.hope-link.org/takeaction/volunteer.com or call 425-869-6000.

Adopt-A-Park is a program for Snoqualmie residents to improve public parks and trails. An application and one-year commitment required. Call 425-831-5784.

Study Zone tutors are needed for all grade levels to give students the homework help they need. Two-hour weekly commitment or substitutes wanted. Study Zone is a free service of King County Library System. Call 425-369-3312.

Classes

Beginning watercolor class, 9 a.m. Sept. 11, Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Free.

Acting and comedy improv class meets from 7:30-9 p.m. Mondays, Sept. 27 – Nov. 15, Valley Center Stage, 119 E. North Bend Way, North Bend. Classes taught by Gary Schwartz. Cost: $90 for eight-week course. Drop-in fee: $15 per class.

S.A.I.L. (Stay Active and Independent for Life) exercise class meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Mt Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Led by certified exercise instructor Carla Orellana. Call 425-888-3434.

Quilting, noon – 9 p.m. Sept. 12 and 23, Mt. Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Bring your projects to these free classes.

Clubs

Mount Si Fish and Game Club meets at 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of the month, October through May, at the Snoqualmie Police Department.

Mt. Si Artist Guild meeting, 9:15-11 a.m. third Saturday of each month at the Mt. Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend.

The North Bend Chess Club meets every Thursday from 7-9 p.m. at the North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St. All ages and skill levels are invited.

Sallal Grange meets the first Friday of each month for a potluck and open mic with our local musicians. The potluck starts at 6 p.m. with the music from 7 p.m. – midnight. Open to all and all ages, 12912 432nd Ave. S.E., North Bend. Visit www.sallalgrange.org.

Snoqualmie Valley Rotary Club meets at 7 a.m. every Thursday at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club Restaurant. All are welcome. Visit www.snoqualmievalleyrotary.org.

American Legion Post 79 and the American Legion Auxiliary meets at 6 p.m. the second Thursday at 38625 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie. Call Rich and Pam Collingwood at 425-888-1206.

Snoqualmie Valley Garden Club meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday at the Mount Si Senior Center, North Bend. Call Linda at 425-453-8630

Snoqualmie Valley Kiwanis Club meets at 7 a.m. every Thursday at the Mount Si Golf Course restaurant in Snoqualmie. E-mail snovalley@member.kiwanis.org.

Snoqualmie Fraternal Order of Eagles Women’s Auxiliary meets the first and third Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Men’s Aerie meets the first and third Wednesday at 7 p.m. Meetings are held at 108 Railroad Ave. Call 425-888-1129.

A cancer survivor group meets 9 a.m. the second Saturday at Sawdust Coffee in the North Bend Factory Stores mall. E-mail Lisa Newell at newellvl@yahoo.com.

Snoqualmie Valley Youth Hub provides cultural, athletic, recreational and educational opportunities to more than 4,000 young people in the Valley. Call 425-831-1900.

Loyal Order of Moose, 108 Sydney Ave., North Bend. Men meet at 6 p.m. the first and third Monday.

Women meet at 7 p.m. the third and fourth Tuesday. Call 425-888-0951.

Mount Si Fish and Game Club meets at 7:30 p.m. the first Thursday of the month at the Fall City Firehall.

Washington Freemasons meet at 7:30 p.m. the first Wednesday at Unity Lodge No.198 in North Bend. Call 425-888-5779.

Moms Club of North Bend meets at 10 a.m. the first Wednesday of the month at the North Bend Library. Children are welcome. Visit www.momsclub.org.

To submit an item for the community calendar, send to editor@snovalleystar.com or via www.snovalleystar.com.

• North Bend and Snoqualmie city offices are closed for Labor Day, Sept. 6.
• Snoqualmie Community and Economic Affairs Committee, 5:30 p.m. Sept. 7, 38624 S.E. River St.
• North Bend City Council, 7 p.m. Sept. 7, 411 Main Ave. N.
• North Bend Public Safety and Health Committee, 3 p.m. Sept. 8, 211 Main Ave. N.
• Snoqualmie Public Safety Committee, 5 p.m. Sept. 9, 37600 S.E. Snoqualmie Parkway
• North Bend Planning Commission, 7 p.m. Sept. 9, 211 Main Ave. N.

[Click to go to slideshow]

Bernhard Langer (right) and Nick Price inspect a green in the final round of the Boeing Classic. Langer stayed one step ahead of Price all day to win the tournament. (Photo by Dan Catchpole)

The summer of Bernhard Langer continued a little longer at the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge beneath overcast skies. He won the tournament Aug. 29 with an 18-under-par 198.

Langer has dominated the Champions Tour this year with five wins, including two of the tour’s five major tournaments. Those wins include the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Golf Course in Sammamish earlier this month.

“It must be the air here in Seattle,” he said. “It also might be the greens — both courses have very good greens.”

He finished the three-round Boeing Classic with an 18-under-par 198, tying the tournament record set last year by Loren Roberts. At the Senior Open, Langer shot four rounds in the 60s. He became the first player to win five events in a season on the over-50 circuit since Craig Stadler did it in 2004.

“I think right now I’m playing as well as I’ve ever played,” Langer said.

Nick Price matched that level of play through the first two rounds. By the final day, it was a two-person tournament.

But Langer, who started one stroke ahead of Price, was steadier through the final round.

“He’s like a metronome out there,” Price said, waving his arm back and forth for dramatic effect.

Langer was cool and calm on the greens, needing only an average 25 putts per round.

Price ran into trouble early in the day, bogeying three straight holes in the front nine. But he recovered and pulled to within two strokes of Langer when the German bogeyed the 11th hole.

The South African Price had opportunities to birdie several times in the back nine, but couldn’t put the pieces together.

“I needed my A-game today, and I didn’t have it,” he said.

Price started the tournament by matching the record for the first 18 holes with a nine-under-par 63.

Langer responded by setting a new record for the first 36 holes.

Seattle-native Fred Couples drew thousands of spectators to TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, but ran into trouble in the back nine during the second day, which put him out of contention.

He said his performance was “disappointing.”

Couples said he has been working on his iron game with his coach, Paul Marchand.

Couples’ position on the leaderboard didn’t matter as he walked up the 18th hole’s long fairway toward the green.

Thousands of fans on the hillside overlooking the green broke into applause as he approached.

They can expect to see him again next year, he said.

“I am going to play every single year,” he said. “That’s a given.”

This year, Couples finished the Boeing Classic in third place with a nine-under-par 207.

Fast Facts

• Dave Rummells opened each round with an eagle. However, that streak wasn’t enough to fuel him through the rest of the tournament. He finished tied for 21st place with a two-under-par 214.
• Nick Price continued the curse of the first-round leader. Since the Boeing Classic began in 2005, no first-day leader has won the event.
• Players were split on the 14th hole, which features a dog leg and a steep drop from the tee box to the green. Players can take the safe route and hit onto the fairway or shoot over a canyon for the green. Over the tournament’s three days, players went for the green 116 times and for the fairway 116 times. Tournament winner Bernhard Langer played it safe each day.
• The Boeing Classic set a new attendance record with 75,000 spectators over the three days.
• Langer has earned more than $2 million this season.

2010 results for past winners

• 2005: David Eger finished tied for 46th place with a three-over-par 219.
• 2006 and 2008: Tom Kite finished tied for 57th place with a six-over-par 222.
• 2007: Denis Watson finished tied for 68th place with a nine-over-par 225.
• 2009: Loren Roberts finished tied for 13th place with a five-under-par 211.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

Nothing beats a great burger. Not even raindrops falling on it.

Just ask the students at Chief Kanim Middle School.

Sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders at the Fall City school braved the rain, in shorts and T-shirts some of them, to celebrate the start of a new school year with a barbecue outside the school Aug. 26.

“We’re trying to create an open, friendly atmosphere. We know that the start of the year can be stressful on parents and kids,” Principal Kirk Dunckel said.

About 380 students will attend Chief Kanim this year, Dunckel said, up about 50 from last year.

“We’ve got a big sixth-grade class coming in,” he said, adding that almost all of the 50 are sixth-graders.

Yummy as the burgers were, the students knew that the barbecue also meant vacation was over. Not that all of them minded.

“We’re getting a new hallway and a new carpet,” said Harrison D’Anna, a seventh-grader.

Dakota Bethell, an eighth-grader, said he was in no hurry to become a high school freshman. He said he will miss everything about Chief Kanim when the year is up.

Seventh-grader Cameron Page said he did not want to leave, either.

“I’m good being young,” he said.

Not everything was tasty burgers and self-aware children. Some tended to serious business, too. Children checked out classrooms, parents paid fees, talked to the school’s PTSA, or learned about the school’s newest fund-raiser: the Hawk-A-Thon.

Students will ask friends, neighbors, parents and relatives to sponsor them and then will team up in groups of six to run relays Sept. 17 on the school’s track.

Start time is 8 a.m. Each grade will run for one and a half hours. Seeking sponsors is optional but “highly encouraged,” said Lori Hollasch, co-chair of the Hawk-A-Thon. Participation in the relay is mandatory.

“No student in the school will run just the one lap,” she said.

Donations can be made online. Go to the school’s PTSA webpage, www.ckmsptsa.org, then click on “see our Hawk-A-Thon page.” On the next page, scroll down, click the yellow “Donate” button and follow the instructions.

The Hawk-A-Thon replaces the magazine sales, whose company fees diverted funds that could have gone to the school.

“Sixty percent of the money they raised would go to the magazine company and only 40 percent would stay at the school,” Hollasch said.

Last year, the magazine sales brought in $34,000 before the split. The school collected $13,600, she wrote in an e-mail.

The goal for this year’s Hawk-A-Thon is $24,000.

“We decided to start out cautious, see how it is received,” she said of the Hawk-A-Thon not starting at $34,000 or a similar amount.

Besides overhead, all of the money collected at the Hawk-A-Thon will go to the school’s Associated Student Body and PTSA in a 60-40 split, Chief Kanim PTSA president Cathy Renner said.

“We’re guessing that we are going to keep over 95 percent,” Hollasch said.

Volunteer at the Hawk-A-Thon by e-mailing PTSA grants committee chairwoman Betsy Evensen at betsyevensen@hotmail.com.

Surely, Tom Stapleton would have appreciated it.

A man whom his friends say thrived on making you smile would have loved seeing his fellow firefighters smile during his life celebration Aug. 17.

A man whom his friends say loved helping others would have loved seeing firefighters help firefighters attend the ceremony at Pickering Barn.

Stapleton, a cancer survivor and longtime Eastside Fire & Rescue firefighter EMT, husband and father, died in his sleep Aug. 10. The North Bend resident was 52.

Seven days later, crews from around the area filled in for EFR crews so they could honor their comrade.

Firefighters from Duvall worked in Carnation; firefighters from Snoqualmie filled in at North Bend; firefighters from Fall City filled in at the EFR station on the Sammamish Plateau, and Mercer Island firefighters worked in Issaquah.

The city of Seattle provided the Seattle Firefighters’ Pipes and Drums; the city of Bellevue provided an honor guard to go along with Eastside Fire Pipes and Drums.

Volunteers from EFR replaced paid personnel.

All of the replacement crews received large pizzas from EFR.

“We purchased pizzas as a small token to say thanks for letting us spend time with Tom and his family,” said Greg

Tryon, battalion chief for EFR.

Since their friend had not died in the line of duty, there was no parade of fire trucks on Gilman Boulevard on the way to Pickering Barn.

Instead, the trucks wore a dark diagonal stripe on their logos and firefighters wore a black “shroud” across their badges.

Above the badges, most firefighters wore something else as they reminisced about Stapleton.

“To know Tom was to smile,” said Tryon, who knew Stapleton for 17 years.

Smiling was a way for the firefighters to get a handle on the death of a man who had received a clean bill of health just a few months ago.

Anecdotes about how some people likened Stapleton to Cosmo Kramer mixed with tales about him and a fellow firefighter wondering how to split a stick of string cheese.

“Me being a nice guy,” EFR firefighter Rick Scriven said in a speech, “I gave him one-third of it.”

The crowd laughed.

On the next sentence, Scriven’s voice broke and he had to stop talking.

“We’d love to know why he’s not with us, but we don’t, and that’s equally hard,” Tryon said.

The celebration of life was an opportunity to reassure not just Stapleton’s family, but the families of other firefighters, too, said Jon Parkinson, a lieutenant with EFR who called Stapleton the best guy he had ever known.

“It’s a way to let other people in the department know that if something tragic happens to them, these very people will be behind you,” he said.

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

Tannim Salisbury, of Twin Falls Middle School, and Laurel Kroschel, of Mount Si High School, won awards at the Evergreen State Fair’s “Living Evergreen” essay contest Aug. 26.

Salisbury finished first in the middle school division and Kroschel finished second in the same division, which included students from sixth to ninth grade.

Students wrote about why it’s necessary to be environment-friendly and how to improve conservation measures and sustainable living practices

First-place winners received a $200 U.S. Treasury bond, second-place winners received a $100 bond and third-place winners received a $50 bond. The first-place winners will read their essays in front of Snohomish County leadership, the press release stated.

Almost a year after downtown Snoqualmie was hit by racist graffiti and vandalism, a Snoqualmie man pleaded guilty to the spree and assaulting a police officer. He was sentenced to more than four years in prison.

Adam Moore pleaded guilty June 17 in King County Superior Court to three counts of malicious harassment and third-degree assault of a police officer. He was sentenced to 37 months for the assault and 50 months for the malicious harassment.

The 24-year-old had been charged with nine counts of malicious harassment.

Moore was arrested July 11 after biting a Snoqualmie police officer outside a bar in the city’s historic downtown. After his arrest, he spent time in and out of a state mental hospital, but was found to be mentally competent.

At the time of his arrest, Moore was the lead suspect in connection to the hate graffiti drawn with spray-paint and pen on the exterior of several churches and other buildings, according to Snoqualmie police.

According to the King County prosecutor’s office, Moore was charged in connection with graffiti found:

q June 9 at the Nazarene Church, 39051 S.E. Park St., and Mount Si High School, 8651 Meadowbrook Way S.E.

q June 21 at Scriptures Christian Store, 8150 Railroad Ave. S.E.

q June 28 at St. Claire Episcopal Church, 8650 block of Railroad Ave. S.E.; United Methodist Church, 38701 S.E. River St.; and Our Lady of Sorrows, 39025 S.E. Alpha St.

q June 29 at the Scriptures Christian Store. Graffiti was also found next door outside the Snoqualmie Tribal offices.

q June 30 at Snoqualmie Market, 8030 Railroad Ave. S.E.

The graffiti included swastikas and phrases such as “white power” and “kill religion.”

A Snoqualmie police officer questioned Moore July 11 outside Smokey Joe’s Tavern in downtown Snoqualmie after police received a malicious mischief report just after midnight.

Moore had allegedly placed a poster featuring swastikas and racist statements in the men’s bathroom at the tavern.

According to police reports, Kasel recognized Moore from surveillance photographs as a suspect in the hate graffiti and in three fires lit overnight at downtown locations June 30.

Kasel attempted to question Moore outside the tavern about the racist poster. Moore told the officer he wouldn’t answer his questions and used racist epithets against him. When Kasel told Moore he was being detained until he “figured out what was going on,” Moore punched him several times in the face before another Snoqualmie police officer arrived, according to court documents.

While the two officers tried to get Moore under control, he bit Kasel’s arm, breaking the skin, according to court documents. After Moore was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car, he spit on the car’s windows, and pushed against the door and cage with his feet and back.

Moore has a history of assaulting police officers, according to prosecutors. Court documents show Moore has two prior convictions for custodial assault in 2007, and convictions for third-degree assault and third-degree attempted assault in 2006. During a mental health evaluation in 2007, Moore said he wanted to “kill a cop,” according to charging papers for the assault.

As part of his sentencing, Moore is not allowed to have any contact with Kasel for five years.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

Landowners can learn how to protect forests from fires, diseases and insects at a forestry stewardship class offered by the Washington State University Extension and the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

The course aims to teach participants how to develop a personal forest stewardship plan — how to provide habitat, enjoyment and income for years to come. Maintaining a healthy forest helps protect watersheds, wildlife habitat and aesthetics.

Moreover, a stewardship plan could also qualify certain owners for property tax reductions.

Many forested properties face high risks for fire, disease, insects and problems related to crowding, invasive plants and other factors.

The course runs from 6:30-9:30 p.m. Sept. 21 through Nov. 16 at the Preston Community Center, 8625 310th Ave. S.E. The cost to register is $175 per family. Find registration information at http://snohomish.wsu.edu/forestry/CP10Preston.htm, or call WSU Extension Forester Kevin Zobrist at 357-6017.

The Washington State Patrol is investigating a one-vehicle crash on Snoqualmie Pass that killed a man Aug. 28.

Troopers don’t know how or exactly when Edward C. Traweek crashed his 2002 Chevrolet Blazer, according to Trooper Trisena John, a WSP spokeswoman.

The 53-year-old Maple Valley man’s car left the eastbound lane of Interstate 90 near the pass’ summit early in the morning, John said. A trooper found the man’s body, which had been thrown from his vehicle, at about 6:30 a.m.

Traweek was not wearing his seat belt, she said.

Snoqualmie

Dead animal

At 8:30 p.m. Aug. 21, an officer was contacted about a dead dog at the Fraternal Order of Eagles’ beer garden near the corner of Southeast King Street and Railroad Avenue Southeast. A witness told the officer he saw a large, off-leash Husky dog attack and kill a Shih-Tzu on a leash. The officer told the owners of both dogs that King County Animal Control would review the case.

Car accident

At 10:09 p.m. Aug. 21, an officer was called to the 34000 block of Southeast Osprey Court, where he found a 53-year-old man who had been hit by his own car. A friend of the man said the man went outside his friend’s house to start his car, which was backed into the driveway. He said the man opened the driver’s side door, reached inside and started the car. The car moved in reverse and caught the victim with the open door, pinning him against the house. The man never lost consciousness but complained of chest pains to the EMTs and was taken to a hospital. No alcohol use is suspected.

Car theft

At 11:30 p.m. Aug. 22, a woman contacted Snoqualmie Police about her car being broken into on the parking lot of Snoqualmie Point Park. The woman said a bag of clothes had been stolen from the vehicle and that she discovered the theft about 9:30 p.m. The woman also said she saw suspicious-looking people drive away when she discovered her broken window. The woman gave police the people’s license-plate number. The driver was contacted and said he had been there with his fiancée and his dogs.

Peddling

Between 7:11 and 7:58 p.m. Aug. 23, officers responded to complaints of people selling frozen steaks without a business license. Police found one of the solicitors had a misdemeanor warrant out of Kitsap County. The solicitor was arrested.

DUI stop

At 11:08 p.m. Aug. 24, an officer noticed a gray 2004 KIA driving over the fog line near the intersection of Snoqualmie Parkway and Fisher Avenue Southeast. The driver drove over the fog line again, with all four wheels this time and drove on the shoulder for about 50 feet before returning to her lane. As the road turned, the driver drove over the fog line and onto the shoulder a second time. When stopped, the driver said she had dropped her cellphone and had been looking for it. Her speech was slurred and she said she had a few drinks with friends earlier. She failed sobriety tests and was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. A bottle with expired Vicodin pills was found in her car and later destroyed.

Drug possession

At 11:20 p.m. Aug. 24, officers were sent to the 38600 block of Southeast Newton Street to check on a potential burglary. Two officers arrived and found two teenage males in the parking lot. Officers contacted them and one of them said he had tried to open the door to a school nearby, but that he was just playing. There are ‘No Trespassing’ signs posted on school grounds.. Since the teenager seemed fidgety, the officer asked him if he had been smoking marijuana. He said no. He asked the other teenager, who replied he had pipes and marijuana in his backpack. Both teenagers were arrested.

North Bend

Lost debit card

North Bend police received a report of a lost debit card Aug. 17. The alleged victim told police she had lost the card around 6 p.m. Aug. 8 at the Chevron station at 745 S.W. Mount Si Boulevard. She said the card had been used at Jet Mart in Kennewick and that she had cancelled it.

Car prowl

A Seattle resident told police that her car had been broken into between 4:45 and 7 p.m. Aug. 23 along Southeast Homestead Valley Road. The 31-year-old woman had parked to go rock climbing. When she returned to her car, the rear passenger side window had been broken. A Nikkon digital camera and lens was missing from the car, she told police.

Stolen appliances

At 8:44 a.m. Aug. 24, North Bend police received a report of a burglary that occurred between 8 p.m. Aug. 23 and 8:40 a.m. Aug. 24 at the Kitchen Collection store in the Factory Outlet Stores mall. The store’s assistant manager told police that a window had been smashed, and a kitchen blender and mixer had been stolen. The total damage and loss was estimated to be nearly $800.

Bernhard Langer holds his hands up in victory after finishing the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. (Photo by Greg Farrrar)

The summer of Bernhard Langer continued a little longer at the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge beneath overcast skies. He won the tournament Aug. 29 with an 18-under-par 198.

Langer has dominated the Champions Tour this year with five wins, including two of the tour’s five major tournaments. Those wins include the US Senior Open at Sahalee Golf Course in Sammamish earlier this month.

“It must be the air here in Seattle,” he said. “It also might be the greens — both courses have very good greens.”

He finished the three round Boeing Classic with an 18-under-par 198, which tied the tournament record set last year by Loren Roberts. At the Senior Open, Langer shot four rounds in the 60s. He became the first player to win five events in a season on the over-50 circuit since Craig Stadler did it in 2004.

“I think right now I’m playing as well as I’ve ever played,” Langer said.

Nick Price matched that level of play through the first two rounds. By the final day, it was a two-person tournament.

But Langer, who started one stroke ahead of Price, was steadier through the final round.

“He’s like a metronome out there,” Price said, waving his arm back and forth for dramatic effect.

Langer was cool and calm on the greens, needing only an average 25 putts per round.

Price ran into trouble early in the day, bogeying three straight holes in the front nine. But he recovered and pulled to within two strokes of Langer when the German bogeyed the 11th hole.

The South African Price had opportunities to birdie several times in the back nine, but couldn’t put the pieces together.

“I needed my A-game today, and I didn’t have it,” he said.

Langer hoists the Boeing Classic trophy over his head. Mount Si is reflected in the trophy. (Photo by Greg Farrar)

Price started the tournament by matching the record for the first 18 holes with a nine-under-par 63. Langer responded by setting a new record for the first 36 holes.

Seattle-native Fred Couples drew thousands of spectators to TPC Snoqualmie Ridge, but ran into trouble in the back nine during the second day, which put him out of contention. He said his performance was “disappointing.”

Couples said he has been working on his iron game with his coach, Paul Marchand.

Couples’ position on the leaderboard didn’t matter as he walked up the 18th hole’s long fairway toward the green. Thousands of fans on the hillside overlooking the green broke into applause as he approached.

They can expect to see him again next year, he said. “I am going to play every single year; that’s a given.”

This year, Couples finished the Boeing Classic in third place with a nine-under-par 207.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.

For the third day in a row Dave Rummells has eagled the first hole in the Boeing Classic at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge. Rummells started the day tied for 13th place with a three-under-par 141.

German Bernhard Langer leads the field with a 15-under-par 129 after the first two rounds. South African Nick Price trails Langer by one stroke. In third place is Tom Pernice, Jr., with a 10-under-par 134.

Seattle-native Fred Couples is tied for ninth place with a four-under-par 140.

King County Council members have called for County Executive Dow Constantine to develop a plan to help people transition from jail to society, and to prevent them from re-offending.

Issaquah-area County Councilman Reagan Dunn serves as chairman of the council Law, Safety, Health and Human Services Committee. He touted the proposal after council members’ unanimous decision July 19.

“It’s important that we as policy makers consider how best to move people from jail back to living constructive lives,” Dunn said in a statement. “Sometimes, a very small adjustment will keep someone from re-offending. That’s something we should think about and plan for.”

King County has missed out on opportunities to compete for more than $100 million in federal money through the Second Chance Act. The program requires local governments to create re-entry plans to keep former offenders out of jail.

“King County is already very successful with the re-entry programs that we have,” Dunn said. “It would be a mistake for us not to take advantage of every opportunity to build on that success.”

Snoqualmie has openings on both the city’s Arts Commission and Economic Development Commission. The commissions advise Snoqualmie City Council and the mayor on policy.

The Arts Commission works to promote and develop programs that engage public interest in fine and performing arts. It also works to preserving Snoqualmie’s cultural heritage. It meets the second Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Snoqualmie City Hall.

The Economic Development Commission provides guidelines for maintaining and improving Snoqualmie’s economy to help the city’s long-term financial stability. It is involved in preparing the economic development portion of the city’s comprehensive plan. It meets on the fourth Monday of each month from 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. at Snoqualmie City Hall.

To apply for one of the positions, fill out a volunteer application form posted on the city’s website at www.cityofsnoqualmie.org. Click on the ‘City Government’ tab, then ‘Commissions & Boards’ to reach the form. The finished copy can be submitted at Snoqualmie City Hall, 38624 S.E. River Street, or by mail to City of Snoqualmie, Attn: Jodi Warren, City Clerk, PO Box 987, Snoqualmie, WA 98065.

For information, contact Jodi Warren at at jwarren@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us or 425-888-1555, x1118.

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Bernhard Langer drives from the rough onto the green on the first hole. (Photo by Dan Catchpole)

Seattle-native Fred Couples birdied the first two holes, sinking a long putt on the second hole. But the fan favorite ran into problems on the third hole, which he bogied.

Couples finished the day tied for seventh place with a 4-under-par 68. He trails leader Nick Price by five strokes.

Price, who was paired with Couples and Bernhard Langer, birdied the first four holes to start. His 63 matched a tournament record for the opening round set in 2006 by Massy Kuramoto.

Tom Pernice Jr. trails Price by one shot with a 64. His day included two eagles and a bogey.

Hal Sutton and Bernhard Langer each shot 66 to tie for third.

A Boeing 777 to be delivered to FedEx flies over Snoqaulmie Valley before buzzing TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge to kick off the Boeing Classic. The Champions Tour event features a rematch between Seattle-native Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer, who finished second and first, respectively, at the US Senior Open at Sahalee Golf Course in Sammamish in early August. (Photo by Dan Catchpole)

The Boeing Classic is underway.

Despite early rain and continuing overcast skies, the Champions Tour tournament started on time at TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge, Friday Aug. 27.

The Classic’s traditional flyover started the three-day tournament. A Boeing 777 dropped down from the clouds, banked hard in front of Mount Si and flew over the course’s 18th and first holes.

This year’s tournament features another showdown between Seattle-native Fred Couples and Bernhard Langer. The two lead in the Champions Tour’s Charles Schwab Cup. Langer and Couples faced off in early August at the U.S. Senior Open at Sahalee Golf Course in Sammamish. Couples led the field until the fourth hole, when he needed eight strokes.

In his debut year on the Champions Tour, which features golfers at least 50 years old, Couples has yet to win a tournament.

Dan Catchpole: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com.