http://snovalleystar.com Web site for the Sno Valley Star Newspaper Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:39:59 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en In an overwhelmingly strong show of support, teachers belonging to the Snoqualmie Education Association voted Aug. 27 to approve a new three-year contract. The vote took place at the general membership breakfast and was passed by more than 80 percent. "We are very pleased to report that school will start on ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/teachers-ratify-new-contract-school-starts-wednesday Teacher cites coalition as part of reason Mount Si High School teacher Kit McCormick is no longer a Wildcat. The AP British literature and 10th-grade language arts honors teacher accepted a position at Seattle School District's Garfield High School in July. [caption id="attachment_1061" align="alignright" width="150" caption="McCormick"][/caption] McCormick said the parent-founded group, Coalition to ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/kit-mccormick-leaves-school-district-for-garfield-high Alan Lobdell has made a career out of being a professional temporary worker. Lobdell, 56, started work with the city of Snoqualmie Monday as interim public works director, following a similar tenure and posting in Snohomish County. The term "interim," Lobdell said, has no defined time limit. "I've worked for some places for ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/city-hires-interim-public-works-director Charles Robinson Berry, 31, pled guilty to five counts of identity theft and one count of forgery July 22.  Police initially filed a case alleging that the Snoqualmie man committed more than 150 acts of identity theft and his victims ranged all over the county, residing in Redmond, Bellevue, Mercer Island, Issaquah ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/snoqualmie-man-pleads-guilty-to-five-counts-of-identity-theft After more than 20 years from its inception, Quadrant Homes' development of Snoqualmie Ridge is well into its final phase, but progress is being measured at a far slower pace than anticipated. David Dorothy, Quadrant's vice president and general manager for Snoqualmie Ridge development, who has spent much of his career shepherding ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/quadrant-acknowledges-build-out-slowdown The Snoqualmie City Council Monday granted unanimous approval to a modification of its long-standing contract with Perteet, Inc., that will simplify the engineering firm's billing format with local developers. Perteet, and its associate Rahmi Kutsal, had come under fire in recent months by local developers who protested Perteet's billing practices and charged ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/perteet-gets-new-contract-with-snoqualmie Snoqualmie Valley should be artist haven A 4,000-foot mountain. A 268-foot waterfall. Teams of wildlife. It only seems natural that the Snoqualmie Valley should be an ideal location for aspiring artists. Fortunately, one group in the Valley has decided to make it that way. The Mount Si Artist Guild was formed a little more ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/editorial-4 Dog Park Ever since people began moving into the Snoqualmie Ridge development, I have heard that there was a division of sorts from the downtown residents. Perhaps the demands of the group wanting a dog park may contribute to this feeling. sn't it amazing that we have never had a dog park ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/letters-to-the-editor-8 Snoqualmie auction to raise money for cystic fibrosis research [caption id="attachment_1089" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Team Jolene at the end of Great Strides 2007 walk in Snoqualmie. Photo contributed"][/caption] Eleven-year-old Katie Gallagher is writing a speech for an auction she hopes will raise money to fight the disease she has lived with her whole life.  When ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/an-auction-for-a-cure Having just moved back to Washington after attending college on the east coast, Erik Aldaba was in need of a job. [caption id="attachment_1086" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Job seekers check out booths at the Snoqualmie Valley Job Fair at Mount Si High School last week. Photo by Ryan Piersol"][/caption] So, when he heard about ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/snoqualmie-valley-job-fair-considered-a-success Echo Glen participates in mini Relay for Life [caption id="attachment_1079" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Participants take part in Relay for Life at Echo Glen’s Children Center in Snoqualmie. Photo by Greg Farrar"][/caption] More than 150 students spent part of their day Aug. 12 running a half-mile course to raise awareness for cancer survivors and ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/running-to-support-life There's no need to travel to Seattle or even Issaquah to find quality shows. Valley Center Stage has announced its first full official season, scheduled to open Sept. 6. The 2008-09 season includes more than 20 classes, musical performances, shows and events held at the studio theater in downtown North Bend. "The theater ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/valley-center-stage-announces-its-season-lineup   [caption id="attachment_1102" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Twin Falls Middle School Principal Ruth Moen hands a map to eighth-grader Mason Blalock and his mother, Tammy."][/caption] Ravens from Twin Falls Middle School flocked to the grand opening of their school Aug. 21 to find their classrooms, mingle with friends and sign up for school activities. "We ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/twin-falls-holds-open-house [caption id="attachment_1095" align="alignright" width="196" caption="Executive Director of The Learning Curve Kirsten O’Malley will be teaching Spanish to middle-school students at Twins Falls and Chief Kanim this fall. Photo by Greg Farrar"][/caption] Students learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs and distinguishing when to use the ‘el' or ‘la' articles will soon be ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/middle-schools-sign-up-for-spanish When 13-year-old Elizabeth Bauer of Fall City began playing the violin in fourth grade, her family didn't stop to consider the Valley's lack of opportunities for string players. "When she started, it never crossed our minds that there wasn't an orchestra," said Lois Bauer, her mother. Students rubbing rosin on their viola or ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/valley-pushes-for-a-youth-symphony Events Mt. Si Artist Guild will host Art in the Park, an event that invites Valley artists to Gardiner Weeks Park from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. Aug. 30. The park is located next to Bendigo by the Senior Center in North Bend. The Guild will display art for sale and ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/calendar-7 Texan comes from behind to win by two shots [caption id="attachment_1108" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Above, Tom Kite celebrates after sinking his final putt at the Boeing Classic. At right, Kite talks about the tournament trophy that sits on a table in front of him. Photo by Ryan Piersol"][/caption] Tom Kite's self-proclaimed string of ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/kite-stakes-second-boeing-classic-title Snoqualmie Ridge resident spends third year as caddie   [caption id="attachment_1111" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Tom Sulock, right, watches the action alongside Jack Ferenz during the opening day of the Boeing Classic at TPC at Snoqualmie Ridge. Photo by Ryan Piersol"][/caption]  After sinking a long putt during the final round of the Boeing Classic on ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/28/hanging-with-the-pros Group still hopes for successful negotiations before possible strike [caption id="attachment_1048" align="alignnone" width="267" caption="Rally participants show their support for the Snoqualmie Education Association Aug. 18. Photo by Laura Geggel"][/caption] A group of about 50 local teachers gathered outside the school district administrative officein the rain Aug. 18 to show their solidarity for ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/teachers-rally-in-rain [caption id="attachment_1044" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="A group of skateboarders hang out at the Snoqualmie City Council meeting Monday night. The group attended the meeting to encourage the city to build a new skate park. Photo by Ed Farrell"] [/caption] The conference room at Snoqualmie's Public Works building meeting room was packed to overflowing ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/skaters-dog-owners-turn-to-city [caption id="attachment_1039" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Homes like this one on Snoqualmie Ridge may take a little longer to sell than first expected. Photo by Ryan Piersol"] [/caption]   There was no question that Harry Oestreich, Snoqualmie's finance director, had the undivided attention of the city council.The meeting was called specifically so Oestreich could brief ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/snoqualmie-facing-slower-buildout A 20-year-old man drowned Saturday afternoon in the Snoqualmie River near North Bend.According to Eastside Fire & Rescue reports, the man, identified Tuesday by the King County Medical Examiner's office as Ryan B. Lu, was swimming with a friend at a spot known as "The Lagoon," near the Middle Fork ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/man-drowns-in-river-near-north-bend [caption id="attachment_1030" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Mount Si ASB President Ben Olson sits with Key Club and National Honors Society President Gillian Kenagy at the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network’s Key Leaders Summit in Duvall. Photot by Laura Geggel"]    [/caption] Surrounded by an audience of concerned community members, two Mount Si High School students did ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/valley-teens-present-anti-drug-strategies The city's Public Works Committee Monday gave tentative approval to a revised payment schedule with Perteet Inc., the city's contract engineering consultant.Perteet had come under scrutiny in recent months after a series of allegations were delivered to city officials by developers who questioned Perteet's billing practices. The new schedule, according to ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/perteet-on-track-for-new-payment-schedule Community Center Genius, absolute genius!The Snoqualmie City Council should be commended and thanked for the agreement they have reached with the YMCA to operate the proposed Community Center. Nationally and locally the YMCA has distinguished itself as the premier human services organization. Committed to an impressive set of values, the YMCA programs ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/letters-to-the-editor-7 Skateboarders and dog lovers have a lot in common, it seems. Both groups attended Monday's Snoqualmie Parks Board meeting, both wanting park space for their chosen recreation. While Park Board members made it clear that there is no funding for either a skateboard park or an off-leash dog park, both groups ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/editorial-%e2%80%93-special-interests-have-park-needs-too [caption id="attachment_1008" align="alignright" width="300" caption="The school district’s parking lot contains six new buses. The new vehicles have several features, including pointed-down exhaust pipes that help dissipate fumes toward the road. Photo by Laura Geggel"]    [/caption] The next time Jim Garhart, the school district's director of transportation, receives a call from a parent ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/new-software-helps-manage-school-buses ASB President takes over reigns from sister [caption id="attachment_1013" align="alignnone" width="200" caption="Ben and Cailee Olson take a moment from celebrating Cailee’s graduation from Mount Si High School in 2008. The siblings have served Mount Si High School as ASB President for two consecutive years. Photo by Laura Geggel"][/caption] The Olsons are keeping ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/it-must-run-in-the-family How big is the district? About 400 square miles with 10 schools, which covers parts of Redmond,Fall City, Snoqualmie, North Bend and areas all the way to Snoqualmie Pass. This fall, about 6,000 students and 320 teachers are expected in classrooms throughout the district. Who is in charge? Joel Aune begins his fourth ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/qa-to-help-get-prepared-for-the-school-year   [caption id="attachment_1001" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Twin Falls Middle School teacher Dawn Frearson unpacks boxes in her classroom at the new school. An open house will be held for Twin Falls Middle School Aug. 21. Photo by Laura Geggel"][/caption] Community members can finally stop peaking through the windows at Twin Falls Middle School ... http://snovalleystar.com/2008/08/20/twin-falls-open-house-set-for-aug-21