Keeping Snoqualmie Pass open in winter is serious work involving big explosions and a surplus U.S. Army tank. Without avalanche control, snow slides can bury vehicles or close Interstate 90, which crosses the Cascade Mountains through the pass, for hours, said John Stimberis, the Snoqualmie Pass avalanche forecaster for the Washington State Department of Transportation….
Professor calls on teachers to engage students
Daniel W. Rasmus, a former Microsoft executive and now a consultant and visiting liberal arts fellow at Bellevue College, told Valley educators to lose their fear of saying “I don’t know.” “Let’s just say we don’t know something and co-learn with students,” he said during the annual Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation fundraiser. The event raised…
Snoqualmie Valley to host extreme car race
Snoqualmie could host one of three events in the Global RallyCross Championship at the former Weyerhaeuser mill site. DirtFish Rally School is in talks with the championship’s organizer, Rally Cross Management, to finalize the deal. The school is also waiting to hear back from King County for approval to hold the event. The mill is…
King County Elections finishes bulk of hand recount of Snoqualmie Valley school bond
It took less than two hours for eight 2-person teams of King County Elections employees to finish a hand recount of more than 9,200 ballots cast in the Feb. 8 election by Snoqualmie Valley School District voters. At issue is the district’s $56 million bond to build a new middle school. The department’s Canvassing Board…
Internal fight in Snoqualmie Tribe spills over into casino
A fight in the Snoqualmie Tribal Council prompted an unexpected $14 million buyout of the Snoqualmie Casino’s CEO, but doesn’t threaten the casino’s viability in the short-term. The decision caught many members off guard because it came only two months after the council had voted to maintain casino CEO Mike Barozzi’s contract. The experienced casino…
Brakeman training returns to museum
BIt’s time to train for the train. The Northwest Railway Museum train opens its season April 2, but the museum itself won’t wait that long to train volunteer. Volunteers hold many posts — such as brakeman, switchman and attendant — and training for the positions starts 10 a.m. March 19 at the Snoqualmie depot. The training…
Railway Museum hosts benefit to restore Chapel Car 5
As the song goes, “I’ve been working on the railroad, all the live-long day.” The Northwest Railway Museum is hoping Snoqualmie Valley residents will lend a hand for one night — no heavy lifting involved. The museum’s annual benefit dinner and silent auction is scheduled for March 4 at the Salish Lodge & Spa. Proceeds from…
World-renowned musician, Emanuel Vardi dies at home in North Bend
A glittering star of the music world, violist Emanuel Vardi died Jan. 29 at his home in North Bend after a fight with cancer. He was 95. Vardi was one of the world’s leading viola players for decades; he endeavored to elevate the instrument’s status in the music world. He was also a devoted painter…
Library program gives student free tutoring help, allows adults to mentor
County libraries want children and adults in a zone. The Study Zone. The tutoring program offers online help to students in grades kindergarten through 12. Children can now meet virtually with their tutors, using library computers. The yearlong program of in-person tutoring will continue at all King County Library System branches, including Fall City, North…
Valley entrepreneur grows awareness in flower’s virtues
Angelique Saffle called calendulas hearty when she meant hardy, but Saffle should definitely be forgiven for that slip. After all, calendulas, a flower of the marigold family, have a secure spot in Saffle’s heart. “I just love that flower,” she said. Saffle, an entrepreneur from North Bend has dedicated most of the last eight years…