By Sam Kenyon

Gloria McNeely turned 95 on Feb. 11, and the day before, Snoqualmie City Council declared that McNeely’s birthday would now be known as “Gloria McNeely Day.” The designa-tion is in honor of the many community contributions McNeely has made to the city.

“You’ve done so much to help so many organizations,” said Lanice Gillard in a speech during McNeely’s birthday cel-ebration at City Hall. “You’re our founding mother in so many ways.”

Gillard is the chairper-son of the Snoqualmie Arts Commission of which McNeely is an original mem-ber.

McNeely has been involved with numerous local groups over the years such as the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society and the Snoqualmie United Methodist Church Choir. The choir sang two songs for McNeely at her party, one of which was written by McNeely about Snoqualmie. After the choir

finished, they led everyone in attendance in a spirited sing-ing of “Happy Birthday.”

“Ninety-five years of giving to us, it’s time for us to give to you,” said Ken Hearing, the Mayor of North Bend.

“She’s a living icon in the community,” said Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson. “Through her extensive involvement with so many different val-ley organizations, she has

touched many people’s lives over the years.”

McNeely found the celebra-tion overwhelming and hum-bling. She took to the podium for a few brief remarks of gratitude.

“I’m speechless,” she said. “People who know me well won’t believe that.”

The city of Snoqualmie

Robotic motivatorsMount Si robotics team wins award.

Page 2

No death Governor announces death penalty moratorium.

Page 3

Let’s dishHere’s a Valentine’s Day recipe for a meal with your sweetheart.

Page 6

Police blotterPage 7

Housing on holdPlanned affordable housing in Snoqualmie is put on indefinite hold.

Page 11

Larson a leaderSnoqualmie mayor takes on regional position.

Page 11

February 13, 2014

VOL. 6, NO. 7

Cheer team brings home

hardwarePage 10

Your locally-owned newspaper,

serving North Bend and Snoqualmie,

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Artist reception is Feb. 16 for ‘Celebration of Primary Colors’ show

The public is invited to a meet-the-artist reception for the ‘Celebration of Primary Colors’ show, 2-4 p.m. Feb. 16 at the North Bend Library.

The show, sponsored by the Mt. Si Artist Guild, is the first event in the refurbished com-munity room.

Artists whose work was select-ed for the show will be on hand to explain their pieces and meet the public.

The event is free.

By Safiya MerchantSeattle Times staff reporter

The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe recently donated $150,000 to the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center in Seattle.

The center in Seattle’s Magnolia neighbor-hood serves as a hub for Native American culture and art, as well as for social services to Native Americans.

Because of program and federal cuts, the center has been experiencing financial struggles since last year.

Joseph McCormick, the director of finance for the United Indians of All Tribes Foundation said the center serves as the headquarters for the foundation and that the additional funds will help with the center’s recovery.

“So we’ve had a lot of capacity that we’ve

lost and this will help us to restore that capac-ity — the staff cuts and budget cuts. We’ve also incurred some debt, and so it’ll help us to recover from that and then to begin rebuilding,” McCormick said.

McCormick said funds have been raised from other sources as well, such as individual and online donors and tribes, and that the foundation had applied for help from the Snoqualmie Tribe.

“The work that Daybreak Star does for Northwest Natives and others is critical,” said Snoqualmie Indian Tribe Chairwoman Carolyn Lubenau, in a United Indians of All Tribes Foundation news release. “The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe wanted to ensure that the Center’s programs are able to continue.”

Safiya Merchant: smerchant@seattletimes.com or 206-464-2299

Snoqualmie Tribe donates $150,000 to Daybreak Star Center in Seattle

Snoqualmie throws a 95th birthday party for Gloria McNeely

By Sam Kenyon

A pair of cakes, showing Gloria McNeely at different stages of her life, were unveiled at the party.

See MCNEELY, Page 2

By Sam Kenyon

Calvin Hancock, 17, a junior at Mount Si High School, was killed in an SUV accident at about 7:50 p.m. Feb. 8 near North Bend.

Sheriff’s office spokeswoman Sgt. Cindi West said drugs and alcohol are not believed to have been involved.

There were five people in the Toyota Landcruiser, which was driven by a 16-year-old boy. Passengers included three 17-year-old boys and a 16-year-old girl.

They apparently were driv-ing on a dirt portion of the Southeast Middle Fork Road. Reports indicate that the vehicle rolled when the driver lost control and it went down an embankment, crashing into trees and a large boulder. The boy in the left rear seat was pro-nounced dead at the scene.

The three other passengers were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. The driver was not hurt.

Mount Si Principal John Belcher released a message for the parents of students on Feb. 10. The school was closed that day due to snow.

“We will share with students first thing tomorrow if school is open,” Belcher said in his mes-sage.

“Extra support is being offered for anyone needing extra time and support when we resume school since we are closed today.

Teen killed in car crash

See TEEN, Page 2

hosted a simi-lar celebration for McNeely on her 90th birthday. Many people at the party said they looked forward to celebrating in similar fashion again five years from now when McNeely would be one hundred years old.

McNeely said repeatedly that she didn’t under-stand what all the fuss was about for her birth-day. She downplayed her local achievements and volunteerism. For her, volunteering was a way to

connect to people, espe-cially after her husband, Denton, passed away in 1987 at the age of 72.

“It is supposed to be trite and stale but it’s very

true that you get so much more back from any-thing you give when you volun-teer,” McNeely said.

Cake and refreshments were served at the party, which took place right before the usual city council

meeting. About fifty peo-ple filled the city council chambers for the celebra-tion of a local woman who gave much more than she received.

“She’s an inspiration to all of us,” said Gillard. “She is our matriarch.”

PAGE 2 SnoValley Star FEBRUARY 13, 2014

2

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McNeelyFrom Page 1

Snoqualmie City Council concerned about bill in state Legislature

The Snoqualmie City Council Feb. 11 had their second meeting in a row discussing a bill in the Legislature. House Bill 1287 would provide prop-erty tax exemptions for property owned by Native American tribes, even if the property isn’t on a reservation. If passed, this could eventually cause a drop in city revenue as property owned by the tribes becomes un-taxable.

The council is con-cerned that if such prop-erties become exempt, the lost revenue will be forced to come from everyone else’s property taxes, effectively raising property taxes for the city. Although the bill states that tribes will need to pay fees to the cities to make up the lost property tax, those fees are depen-dent upon negotiations between the tribes and the county. City Attorney Bob Sterbank is concerned that the tribe will negoti-ate lower fees that will not make up the lost property tax revenue.

“Because if the tribe can negotiate its amount, why wouldn’t it negotiate for less than it currently pays?” he said.

The bill is moving through the state House of Representatives where it is currently being read by the rules committee.

Gloria McNeely

The auditorium will be set up as an optional Drop-In Room to provide a quiet, safe place where students could go for sup-port from other students

and counselors. We are also working to moni-tor all of our students and reach out to those who seem to need sup-port. Additional district counselors, staff, admin-istration, and faith based community will be invit-ed to support students and staff during this dif-

ficult time tomorrow.”“Our sincerest thoughts

and prayers go out to the student’s family, friends, teachers and neighbors today for their loss.”

Sam can be reached at skenyon@snovalleystar.com or via Twitter @samuel_kenyon.

TeenFrom Page 1

Mount Si High School’s robotics team, the Mount Si-Borgs, recently won the Motivate Award at the FIRST Technology Competition (FTC) at the Robotics Inter-league Championship. This is the first year Mount Si partici-pated in the event. Mount Si teacher Kyle Warren started the team.

The Motivate Award is given to a

team that is confident, represents the core values of the FIRST organization (gracious professionalism and collabo-ration), achieves amazing results, and exemplified positive teamwork.

To qualify for the inter-league championship event, the team had

Contributed

The Mount Si Robotics team members are pictured with their award.

Mount Si High robotics team wins Motivate Award

See ROBOT, Page 8

Win tickets to see the Harlem Globetrotters

The world-famous Harlem Globetrotters have been thrilling families and millions of fans for 88 years, with their exciting innovations to the game of basketball.

Last year, the Globetrotters did some-thing unparalleled in the history of sports and entertainment. They let fans vote on new rules to be used in actual games. It was so much fun, they are doing it again, and

there are cool new rules to choose from on the 2014 “Fans Rule” World Tour.

Now, you have a chance to see the Globetrotters at 2 p.m. Feb. 17 at Key Arena in Seattle. And you could go for free. Go to www.snoval-leystar.com and enter to win a pair of tickets to the game.

Drawings will be Feb. 14. Winners must be able to come to The Issaquah Press office, 1801 12th Ave. N.W., Suite D1, Issaquah, to get their tick-ets on Feb. 14 or 17, after they have been notified.

By Jennifer SullivanSeattle Times staff reporter

Gov. Jay Inslee is calling a moratorium on execu-tions while he is governor.

“Equal justice under the law is the state’s primary responsibility,” Inslee said during a news conference Feb. 11. “And in death penalty cases, I’m not convinced equal justice is being served.”

Inslee said there was “too much at stake” in death penalty cases in what he termed an “imperfect system.”

Inslee cited the high cost of trials and appeals, the apparent randomness in which death penalties are pursued and concerns that executions do not deter crime as reasons for his decision. Inslee said he is not asking the state Legislature to abolish the death penalty.

“As governor, it is on my shoulders to come up with a decision for our whole state,” Inslee said. “I have made a decision. It is not an easy one.”

There are currently nine men on Washington’s death row.

He said that if a death penalty case crosses his desk for action, he will issue a reprieve, which will potentially only be in effect while Inslee is gov-ernor. He said he does not intend to commute any death sentences.

“The citizens of the state of Washington can be assured the men of death row will be in prison for as long as they live,” he said.

When questioned, Inslee acknowledged the

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graphs in the Feb. 7 edi-tion of the SnoValley Star should have carried photo credits. They were provid-ed by Calder Productions. The SnoValley Star is com-mitted to accuracy. If you have a concern about an article in the newspaper or online, email editor@snovalleystar.com.

Gov. Jay Inslee declares moratorium on death penalty in statemoratorium may not necessarily save money, particularly since appeals will still likely be filed. However, the move could prompt county prosecu-tors to not seek the death penalty in some cases, thus realizing some sav-ings.

Reprieve vs. commutation

According to the state Attorney General’s website, “Under RCW 10.01.120, the Governor has the authority to com-mute a death sentence to life in prison at hard labor and, upon a petition from the offender, to pardon the offender. A commuta-tion is generally defined as a lessening of the criminal penalty, whereas a pardon is often defined as the ter-mination of the criminal penalty.”

The Attorney General’s Office also said that the governor “has the power to issue a reprieve (also called a stay of execution or a “respite”) to tempo-rarily delay the imposition of a death sentence. A reprieve is to be issued “for good cause shown, and as the Governor thinks proper.”

“Washington’s Constitution and state statutes grant the governor significant powers over the fate of individuals sen-tenced to death,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson said in a statement Tuesday morning. “Consequently, the governor has the authority to hit the ’pause’ button for executions in Washington.”

However, Ferguson said his office will continue to represent the state when

death-row inmates file challenges to their convic-tions or sentences with the federal courts. Currently, there are four such cases before the federal courts, he said.

Two men from King County are on death row:

• Dayva Cross, who murdered his wife, Anouchka Baldwin, 37, and stepdaughters Amanda Baldwin, 15, and Salome Holle, 18, on March 6, 1999, in Snoqualmie;

• Conner Schierman, who murdered neighbors Olga Milkin, 28; her sons Justin, 5, and Andrew, 3; and her sister, Lyubov Botvina, 24, on July 16, 2006, in Kirkland.

In one potential King County death penalty case, costs are now near-ing the $7 million mark in the prosecution of Joseph McEnroe and Michele Anderson, who are accused of killing six members of Anderson’s family on Christmas Eve 2007 in Carnation.

King County prosecu-tors are also seeking the death penalty against Christopher Monfort, who is accused of killing Seattle police Officer Timothy Brenton and wounding Officer Britt Sweeney on Oct. 31, 2009.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, in a writ-ten statement, said the legal ramifications of Inslee’s “reprieve poli-cy” appear limited and that state law remained unchanged. However, he said in the short term it is likely to cause more delays, expense and uncer-

tainty.“A moratorium alone

will not resolve the issues raised by the Governor,” Satterberg said. “Let’s have an informed public debate and let the citizens of Washington decide if we should keep capital pun-ishment in our state.”

Green River Killer spared

The death penalty has come under fire in Washington state for a variety of reasons, includ-ing what some have termed inconsistencies in when it is sought.

For example, in the case of Green River Killer Gary Ridgway, King County prosecutors gave up on capital punishment in exchange for his coopera-tion in providing detec-tives details that helped solve dozens of open mur-der cases. Ridgway pleaded guilty to 48 counts of aggravated first-degree murder in 2003 and was sentenced to life in prison.

State Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, has repeatedly introduced leg-islation to ban the death penalty

Of the governor’s moratorium, Carlye said, “It’s a profound shift. He has opened a legitimate conversation. … It sets in motion a legitimate and genuine public conversa-tion.”

But he said the morato-rium would not likely spur legislative action this year, noting that last Friday was the cutoff for non-budget-related bills to make it out of committee.

“In 2015, we will ask

the public to join us in this conversation,” said Carlyle, who will push for a bill then.

Sen. Mike Padden, R-Spokane Valley, chair-man of the Senate Law and Justice Committee, disagreed with Inslee’s decision, calling it “short-sighted.”

“I think that is going off on his own and is certainly nothing the Legislature has autho-rized,” Padden said, noting that Inslee had not con-sulted him.

“I question it, I really do,” Padden said of the moratorium. “To victims it’s the wrong message. The relatives who have suffered the deaths. They have gone through 10 years or more of waiting. ... For the governor to uni-laterally take that away I think is wrong.”

Cal Coburn Brown, the last person executed in the state, died by lethal injec-tion in September 2010 for the 1991 murder of Holly Washa in SeaTac.

Jonathan Lee Gentry, sentenced for the 1988 murder of 12-year-old Cassie Holden in Kitsap County, is expected to be the next inmate in line to be executed. Last month, the state Supreme Court rejected a petition for release filed by Gentry’s defense team. Gentry just filed another appeal, based on DNA testing.

A source said Inslee spoke with Holden’s father Monday night.

Kitsap County Prosecutor Russ Hauge said Tuesday morning he is disappointed by

Inslee’s announcement and its potential impact on Gentry’s case. Hauge said he could “see an end in sight” for the Gentry case, because after more than 20 years the man had exhausted most of his appeals.

“If ever there was a case that warranted the death penalty, it’s the case of Jonathan Gentry. This is exactly this is what the statute was meant to address,” Hauge said.

Pam Mantle, whose daughter, son-in-law and two young grandchildren were among those fatally shot in Carnation on Christmas Eve 2007, said she was disappointed by Inslee’s announcement.

“We have put our lives on hold,” said Mantle, who with her husband has sat through nearly every court hearing for defendants McEnroe and Michele Anderson over the past six years. “I think if it was his family he would perhaps feel a lot differ-ently.”

“Executions are down”

Richard Dieter, execu-tive director of the Death Penalty Information Center in Washington, D.C., said Inslee is not the first governor in the nation to oppose the death penalty.

Last year, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper granted a reprieve to an inmate who killed four people at a Chuck E. Cheese’s restaurant in 1993 after finding the

See DEATH, Page 7

front her.The four-

man coffee’d-up deputation walked into the store en masse. Doc had been assigned the role of Grand Inquisitor, since he pried into people’s private lives as part of his offi-cial duties.

“Hi guys,” Sarah said, smiling. “What can I do for you?”

“Sarah,” Doc said, “we’d like to know … you know … so we can put an end to all the specu-lation.”

“Know what, Doc?”“Well, why do you have that

sign up there. ‘Love and Other Fiction.’ You know. Is it some-thing in your past? Did you have an unhappy love affair?”

“You certainly come right out with it, don’t you, Doc?

“Well … it’s like this. I need-ed a sign up there and I painted that one and put it up. That’s why.

“As for any unhappy love affairs I may have had, how many women had you con-sorted with before you met Mrs. Doc? How about you, Herb? Dud? Marvin? Let’s get it all out on the board and talk about it.”

Ten minutes later, the guys ordered fresh coffee back at the philosophy counter.

“I never thought Sarah would be like that,” Herb said.

“Yeah,” said Doc. “Kinda nosy, isn’t she?”

“Some things are just … per-sonal, Doc,” said Dud.

Marvin just quietly smiled and put sugar in his coffee.

Slim Randles can be reached at homecoun-try8@gmail.com. Being hard of hearing takes all the fun out of gossip. For a free test, call Beltone 1-866-867-8700.

OpinionPAGE 4 FEBRUARY 13, 2014

Make every day Valentine’s Day

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Home Country

Slim RandlesColumnist

Think tank tackles question about love

Give your loved ones an extra hug today. Give them two tomorrow for Valentine’s Day.

For the unthinkable happens here in the valley.Five people were in a car that rolled on the Southeast

Middle Fork Road Saturday. A teenage boy was pro-nounced dead at the scene.

He was a junior at Mount Si High School, an athlete, a bright student and beloved.

Hours later a trucker was killed in a freakish accident at the truck stop in east North Bend. He was run over when he was helping direct a semi that was backing up.

As parents and spouses, we get caught up in the day-to-day minutiae of life. We get in too big a hurry to call our mothers. We go to bed at night, telling ourselves we’ll call our friends tomorrow and set up a dinner date.

Who has time in the morning for a hug? We’re too busy directing our children and our spouse.

Have you done your chores; did you pick up your dirty clothes? Who is stopping at the dry cleaners on the way home, who is taking the family dog to the vet and why didn’t you fill up the gas tank when you drove my car over the weekend?

There are schedules to keep, places to be, carpools to run and homework.

We’re all in such a big hurry we forget the important things.

We need to hug our teenagers more and grouse at them a little less. We need to smile at our spouses more often and worry about what didn’t get done a lot less. We need to tell our children we’re proud of them.

Smile at them more often. Stop and play a game with them. Or just sit down with them and ask them questions about their day.

We need to tell our husbands and wives we appreci-ate everything they do for the family and for us. Smile at them more often, too.

We need to call those friends whose voices we miss, we need to stop by the retirement center and tell mother that we care.

Forget the housework temporarily. Enjoy your loved ones instead. Take an extra few minutes after dinner and call a friend, just to check in and say hello.

For we never know when tragedy will strike, when something will happen and we won’t be able to say I love you one more time.

Don’t make it just a Valentine’s Day thing: Make hugs and love your way of life.

No on Initiative-594Those who oppose the Second

Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America are rabid about preventing hon-est citizens from exercising their right to keep and bear arms. They refuse to understand the phrase, “The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”

The anti-Second Amendment rabble has even flown in gun control advocates from out of state. Had Gabby Giffords’ inju-ries been caused in a traffic col-lision would she have attacked the make and model of the vehicle that did her harm? Of course not.

Does anyone think she would have been stumping 700 miles from home to ban knives, axes

or baseball bats had any of them been used to cause her egregious injuries? I don’t think so and neither does anyone else.

The criminal who shot Ms. Giffords and murdered six oth-ers bought his gun at a retail shop and passed the required background check. Therefore, the proposed initiative would have had NO impact on Gifford’s unfortunate shooting. She is merely exploiting a trag-edy to push her own agenda.

The real purpose of Initiative 594 is universal gun registra-tion so that the government will know who has the guns and where they live and that is why you should vote “No” on I-594 and “Yes” on I-591.

Joe CreccaNorth Bend

Building is empty, cupboards are empty, bank account is empty

As a contributor to the Mt Si Food Bank I am deeply disturbed about the recent events that have taken place and request your help.

Please join me in ask-ing the following pastors to return the furniture, food and approximately $350,000 to the Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank (old food bank by location, new food bank by name).

q Charlie Salmon, of Church on the Ridge

q Rick Skeen, of Snoqualmie Church of the Nazarene

q Steve Qualls, of New Life

The subject was love, of course, with Valentine’s Day upon us. That’s why the grizzled and semi-grizzled members of the world dilemma think tank had settled upon it. Well, to be fair, they agreed to talk about some-one else’s love life, naturally.

The problem – the romantic mystery – was Sarah McKinley. It started small, with just a few people wondering why this attractive woman was – still or again (no one knew which) – single.

In a valley where being single is looked upon as a sin of omis-sion, all those inquiring minds wanted to know.

And then, about six months after Sarah opened the Read It Now Bookstore, she threw ever-lasting gasoline on the fire by hanging the now-famous sign on a long bookshelf, saying “Love and other Fiction.”

This spurred on speculation (none dare call it gossip) about an unhappy love affair in Sarah’s past. The most interesting specu-lations centered on:

1. Losing a lover in a foreign war.

2. Secretly lusting after an actor on afternoon television’s “As the Worm Squirms.”

3. Being left at the altar by a scoundrel.

Naturally, no one came right out and asked her, as that would be … pushy? Rude? Nobody’s business?

The “girls” down at the Curl Up ‘N Dye beauty salon couldn’t get the job done, so the world dilemma think tank decided to do the manly thing and con-

Joe Heslet General manager

Sherry Grindeland Editor

Sam Kenyon Reporter

Ari Cetron Page designer

Michelle Comeau Advertising rep.

4

See LETTERS, Page 5

4

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 SnoValley Star PAGE 5

5

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Christian Centerq Don Erlitz, of

Mountain View Assembly of God

Over the years, these assets were gathered and donated by our commu-nity (you, local businesses and our cities) with the intention of serving needy people at the food bank located at North Bend Community Church. As of today, these assets are in storage and in one of these churches bank accounts.

I’ve read these pastors intend to start a second food bank. In my opinion, the valley doesn’t need a second food bank. The one we have serves the community successfully. I’ve also read that because these assets were raised under the pastors’ ministry EIN number, this legally allowed them to take the assets.

I went to the IRS web-site to review non-profit status of the Snoqualmie Valley Ministerial Association. The status is “The federal tax exemp-tion of this organization was automatically revoked for its failure to file a Form 990-series return or notice for three consecutive years.” This is dated May 15, 2013.

I’m guilty of placing

higher standards on these gentlemen; after all they are pastors and leaders in our community. But, this entire situation is confus-ing, sad and doesn’t make any sense.

Please call or write to these pastors. If you are a member of their churches, please have a conversation with them. Ask them to be heroes, to set aside pride and make this right.

Jesus said, “Father, for-give them; for they do not know what they are doing.”

Dusty Cavaliere North Bend

Feeding the hungry is not a church vs. state issue

While healthy com-petition can be a very good thing in the busi-ness world, there should not be competition when it comes to feeding the hungry in our commu-nity. The decision by the Snoqualmie Valley Ministerial Association (SVMA) to withhold sup-port from the Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank is wrong.

In my opinion, the SVMA’s actions perpetuate the idea that faith-based organizations and commu-nity-based organizations cannot work together. This is a disservice to every church that is a true part-ner in our community,

and to the local organiza-tions that serve and wel-come everyone.

When Pastor Charlie Salmon of the SVMA states, “It came down to remaining a faith-based organization or a secular non-profit,” he leads us to believe that the legal holder of an entity’s tax designation determines the heart of the opera-tion.

I strongly disagree.The SVMA should have

filed appropriate paper-work and taxes so as not to lose non-profit status. It should not create an environment where all staff and board members resign.

The heart of an orga-nization is the staff, the board and the volunteers who give their time and energy, and, who tire-lessly demonstrate their moral and Christian call to action. To give the impres-sion that the SVMA pro-vides the only faith-based direction is both frustrat-ing and deceitful, espe-cially to the staff, pastors, churches and volunteers who support the new food bank.

The Snoqualmie Valley Food Bank just has a new name. It operates at the same location and is run by the same great team that has served our com-munity for many years.

All funds and resources donated to the new food bank will be used to pro-

vide food and resources to our neighbors. The resources that were raised by the existing team (not the SVMA) were donated in good faith and should be transferred to the SVFB, not left in a bank account or storage unit.

We need to communi-cate this to the leadership of SVMA. We do not want or need a competing “reli-gious” food bank. Let’s focus on what is most important, feeding the hungry in our valley.

Susan GillespieSnoqualmie

LettersFrom Page 4

Deadline looms for photo contest

You can win $100, but hurry! The dead-line for the annual Snoqualmie Valley Photo Contest, sponsored by the SnoValley Star, is Feb. 21.

Awards of $100 will be presented for the best in each of the three cate-gories: Life in the Valley (people); animals/pets; and Northwest nature (scenics).

Staff members of the Star will select the best photos and will consider composition, lighting

and originality. Photos may not be composites or changed dramatically from the original pic-ture.

Email digital files to photocontest@snoval-leystar.com. Include the name, address and phone number of the photographer, plus the story behind the photo. All entries become the property of SnoValley Star and its parent com-pany for use in any of its publications.

Winners will be announced in the March 6 issue of the Star.

PAGE 6 SnoValley Star FEBRUARY 13, 2014

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By Sherry Grindeland

Wow your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day with a delicious, gourmet home-cooked meal. Wait, don’t turn that page.

It is really, really easy.The recipes come from

Brandon Near, the lead cook in the fine dining division at Snoqualmie Casino. Near over-sees the kitchen at the Terra Vista Restaurant. The restaurant has an impressive view of the valley and Mount Si and an even more impressive menu of high-end fare.

He understands home cooks don’t have the convenience of someone else to do the dishes and ability to purchase top-grade steaks that start at $25 on the restaurant menu.

How about delicious risotto and exquisitely braised chicken thighs?

“These recipes aren’t hard,” he said. “Chicken thighs are inexpensive and the sauce is good. The chicken and the risot-to go together well.”

Near demonstrated the dish using chicken thighs with the drumsticks still attached but you can just use plain thighs if desired.

And if you prefer vegetarian fare, head straight to the risotto recipe.

Start your dinner with a small green salad and end it with something chocolate. Wine, of

course, is optional.Voila! You’ll dine well and

your sweetheart can return the favor by taking you out for a meal over the weekend, when restaurants won’t be so crowded.

The recipe serves six, so be sure to adjust proportions.

Braised Chicken Thighs 6 chicken thighs w/drum-

sticks2 cups low sodium chicken

broth1 medium white onion,

diced* (should be about 2 cups)1 or 2 carrots, diced* (should

be 1 cup)1 cup diced* celery4 cups diced* tomatoes5 cloves garlic, roughly

chopped2 tablespoons tomato paste2 bay leafs1 tablespoon oregano½ cup sherry (can substitute

chicken stock)6 tablespoons canola oil (can

use other salad or vegetable oil)

* large diced or chunky instead of fine little pieces

Generously salt and pepper the chicken thighs. Set aside.

Heat three tablespoons of the oil in a large oven-proof pot until it begins to smoke. Add chicken thighs skin side down first and sear until golden brown. Once the skin is nice and crispy flip them over and do the same to the other side. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.

Dump off dirty oil. Add the remaining three tablespoons of oil to the same pot and heat.

Add the onions, carrots, cel-ery, and garlic. Stir them occa-sionally, cooking until they are fragrant and started to become

soft – about five minutes. Add the diced tomatoes and cook until they start to release their juice, about another seven min-utes.

Add tomato paste, bay leaf, oregano and cook five more minutes.

Deglaze the pan with the sherry or with a half cup of chicken stock. – that means pour in the sherry and stir up the yummy little bits on the bottom of the pot.

Then add the chicken broth and simmer.

Place the chicken thighs back in the pot, skin side up, covering the chicken with as much liquid as possible.

Cover the pot with aluminum foil and bake in a 325 degree oven for 60 to 75 minutes.

Chicken should be tender and falling off the bone. Remove the chicken from the liquid.

Strain all the vegetables out of the liquid. Put the liquid back into the pot and put it on the stove over low-medium heat. Cook the sauce to reduce (thicken) it.

“You can reduce the sauce as far as you want,” Near said. “I like mine similar to a thin gravy.”

Wild Mushroom and Leek Risotto

1 pound mushrooms, sliced (Use any mixture of mushrooms you’d like. Near used Hedgehog, Porcinis and oyster mushrooms.)

2 leeks, washed and diced (Use only white and pale green parts)

2 cups heavy cream8 tablespoons or one stick

butter1½ cups Arborio rice1 white onion, chopped ½ cup white wine

6 cups chicken stock, warmed2 ounces Parmesan cheese

Melt four tablespoons butter in a sauce pot. Add diced leeks and cook until they start to turn tender. Add mushrooms and cook five to seven minutes, until they start to release their liquid.

Add the cream and cook until the mixture is reduced (con-densed) by one-third. The mix-ture should be thick but slightly runny. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Remove from pot and set aside.

Clean the pot and add two tablespoons butter and melt. Add the chopped onions, cook-ing until tender.

Add the Arborio rice and cook for about one minute. Deglaze with the white wine. Cook until fully absorbed.

Add warm chicken stock, stir-

ring in ½ cup at a time. Stir con-stantly and wait until each addi-tion is almost totally absorbed before adding more.

Keep stirring – this should be stirred constantly while cooking.

After adding the last of the chicken stock, stir in the final two tablespoons of butter, the Parmesan cheese and the mush-room-leek-cream mixture.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, put a large scoop of the rice in a large soup plate. A dinner plate works, too, but then serve a small pitcher of the chicken sauce on the side. Artistically arrange a chicken thigh on top of the rice. Ladle one-third to a half-cup of sauce over the whole thing.

Garnish with a parsley sprig.

Bon appétit!

Make Valentine’s Day a culinary treat

By Sherry Grindeland

Snoqualmie Casino Chef Brandon NearsharedrecipesforBraisedChickenThighsandLeekandWildMushroomRisotto.

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 SnoValley Star PAGE 7

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North Bend Police

Person warrants investigation

Police responded at 1:52 a.m. Feb. 5, to the 46000 block of Southeast 137 Street to reports of suspicious activ-ity. Two teenage males were observed prowling near the caller’s vehicle. One of the young men had an outstand-ing warrant.

Bad timingAt 12:27 a.m. Feb. 5 in the

460 block of East North Bend Way where a subject violated a court order by contact-ing a former dating partner. Unfortunately this happened in the presence of a police officer.

Cat burglarPolice responded at 5:15

p.m. Feb. 5, to the 1500 block of Northwest Eighth Street to reports of burglary. Jewelry was taken from a standing jewelry chest in the master bedroom closet of a resi-dence.

Gimme shelterPolice responded at 9:20

a.m. Feb. 4, to the 300 block of East Second Street to reports of trespassing.

The caller reported that one or more persons entered the empty home and slept inside.

Snoqualmie Police

Crash, bang!An officer responded at

6:08 p.m. Jan. 27 to the inter-section of Center Boulevard Southeast and Snoqualmie Parkway for a two-car, non-injury blocking collision.

Wet dutyAn officer responded to a

call for help from a resident in the 8200 block of Falls Avenue Southeast.

Water was spraying all over the bathroom and the shut-off valve was frozen and the resident couldn’t turn it off. The officer had the same lack of luck. They called the fire department to assist.

Suspicious vehicle report

Police responded to a call to the 7800 block of Baker Avenue Southeast. The caller had, reported a suspicious-looking light-colored vehicle roaming the neighborhood in recent days.

The officer was unable to locate the vehicle.

Curses, caught again!Officers, during a routine

traffic stop near the intersec-tion of Southeast 378th Street and 85th Avenue Southeast, discovered the driver had sev-eral outstanding warrants. He was booked in the Issaquah Jail.

Nap interruptedOfficers were dispatched to

check on a suspicious vehicle parked at a construction site. A suspect was passed out behind the wheel. He was taken into custody and booked because he was under the influence of something that impaired his physical control.

North Bend fire

Accident with injuries

Five engines were dis-patched at 1:08 p.m. Jan. 30, to the 40500 block of Eastbound I-90, east of Bendigo, to provide emergen-cy medical service to a motor vehicle accident that caused injuries.

Trash fireOne engine was dispatched

at 2:19 a.m. Feb. 2, to the 1600 block of Rock Creek Ridge Boulevard Southwest for a trash or rubbish fire that was contained.

Many enginesEighteen engines were

dispatched at 1:45 p.m. Feb. 3, to the 14100 block of 452 Avenue Southeast to contain a structure fire. The house was destroyed by the fire.

TaxiTwo engines were dis-

patched at 9:23 a.m. Feb. 6, to the 17500 block of 462 Avenue Southeast to give medical assistance. The crews provided patient transporta-tion.

Snoqualmie fire

Cleaning up a messFirefighters were dis-

patched Jan. 30 to the area of Snoqualmie Parkway and Southeast Center Street for a fuel spill.

The Snoqualmie Public Works Department was also at the scene and placed absorbent pads down and evaluated the spill. It was unknown where the spill originated.

Near disasterFirefighters responded

to the downtown area of Snoqualmie, Feb. 3, for a chimney fire. Crews found the chimney on fire and spreading to the roof of the

Police and fire reports

state’s death penalty system to be “imper-fect and inherently inequitable,” according to The Denver Post. Dieter said the move means that the inmate won’t be executed while Hickenlooper is governor.

“Death sentences are down. Executions are down. Six states in the last six years have repealed the death penalty,” Dieter said this morning. According to the DPIC, seven states have an effective moratorium on executions.

Inslee’s actions also recall those of then-Illinois Gov. George Ryan, who first imposed a moratorium on executions in 2000. He then emptied death row in 2003.

Seattle Times staff reporter Andrew Garber, Brian M. Rosenthal and Sara Jean Green contributed to this report. Jennifer Sullivan: 206-464-8294 or jensullivan@seattletimes.com. On Twitter @SeattleSullivan.

DeathFrom Page 3

See BLOTTER, Page 8

Two from North Bend make Linfield dean’s list

Katricia Stewart and Andrew Villeneuve, of North Bend, were named to the Linfield College dean’s list for fall 2013. Villeneuve and Stewart are in the top 10 percent of their classes at the McMinnville, Ore., School.

Franklin named to Wake Forest University dean’s list

Katherine Franklin, of North Bend, was named to the Wake Forest University Dean’s List for fall 2013. To qualify, stu-dents must achieve a GPA of 3.4 or higher.

PAGE 8 SnoValley Star FEBRUARY 13, 2014

8

SNOQUALMIE VALLEY

• Life in the Valley (people)

• Animals/pets • NW nature (scenics)

WINNERS!

to be awarded in each category:

AmateurPhoto

Contest

Send your best high-resolution digital photo to PhotoContest@SnoValleyStar.com.Include name, address and phone number of the photographer, plus the story behind the photo. Limit three entries per person.

Photos may not be dramatically altered from the original. All entries become the property of SnoValley Star and its parent company for use in any of its publications.

Deadline: February 21, 2014

Winners will be announced in the SnoValley Star on March 6

Margot Baglen Margot Ann

Baglen, of Snoqualmie, loving wife to Don and abiding mom to Lori, passed Thursday, Jan. 30, 2014.

A private cel-ebration of her life will be held.

Please view photos, share memories and sign the family’s online guestbook at

www.flintofts.com. Arrangements are by Flintoft’s Issaquah Funeral Home, 392-6444.

Mary Brunstad JonesNovember 29, 1920 – February

9, 2014A longtime North Bend resi-

dent, Mary is survived by her children Robert Jones, Judith Petersen, Linda Joslin and Vicki McLellan.

She was preceded in death by her son Ronald Jones.

Friends are invited to sign the family’s online guestbook at www.flintofts.com.

Margot Baglen

Obituaries

participated in two quali-fier events, and as a result, started the event with a ranking of 21 out of 24 teams. However, in the championship round, the team won five out of six games, resulting in an impressive increase in ranking to 11th overall.

The FTC is one of the two high school level robotics competitions that are held annually by the FIRST organization.

In Washington State, more than 150 high school teams partici-pate each year. Robotics competition season runs from September through January.

RobotFrom Page 2

residence. Firefighters were able

to extinguish the fire in the chimney and what had spread into the attic.

The cause was deter-mined to be accidental and the damage estimat-ed at $50,000.

There were no injuries reported.

Full disasterFirefighters responded

to the area of 452nd Avenue Southeast in North Bend Feb. 3, to a reported house fire.

Crews assisted with extinguishment. The house was a total loss.

The Star publishes names of those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.

BlotterFrom Page 7

Humane Society offers Valentine’s Day specials

Need a little extra love in your life?

The Seattle Humane Society is celebrating Valentine’s Day with half-price adoption fees Feb. 14-16 for dogs and cats three years and older.

View available pets online at www.seattlehumane.org or come visit them in person at the orga-nization’s Bellevue facility, 13212 S.E. Eastgate Way.

Seattle Humane is open seven days a week, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday,

and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday through Wednesday.

North Bend City Council meeting cancelled

The North Bend City Council meeting for Feb. 18 has been can-celled.

The City Council will hold their next regular meeting at 7 p.m. March 4 at the Mt. Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend.

All city offices will be closed Feb. 17 for Presidents Day, a national holiday.

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 SnoValley Star PAGE 9

TUES

18

q Teen Mid-Winter Break: Whirlyball, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 S.E. Ridge St., Snoqualmie, $50-55, ages 11-15, register online at www.seat-tleymca.org

q School’s Out Early Swim, 12:45-1:45 p.m., Si View Pool, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive, North Bend, $2/youth and senior, $3/adult, $9/family

q Public Works Committee meet-ing, 5-6 p.m., City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, 831-4919

q Planning & Parks Committee meeting, 6:30-7 p.m., City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, 831-4919, 888-5337

q Jam Session, 7 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, 292-9307

q Planning Commission meeting, 7-8 p.m., City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, 831-4919, 888-5337

q Parks Board meeting, 7-8 p.m., City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, 831-4919, 831-5784

YOUR WEEK

MON

17

q Mid-Winter Break Camp, 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. through Feb. 21, Si View Community Center, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive, North Bend, $180, info@siviewpark.org, 831-1900

q Teen Mid-Winter Break: Rock Climbing and Swimming at Matt Griffin YMCA, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 S.E. Ridge St., Snoqualmie, $50-55, ages 11-15, register online at www.seattleymca.org

q Mid-Winter Hoops Basketball Clinic, 9-11:30 a.m. through Feb. 19, Chief Kanim Middle School, 32627 S.E. Redmond-Fall City Road, Fall City, $55, grades 3-6, www.siviewpark.org

q Mid-Winter Pro Baseball Clinic, 10 a.m. to noon through Feb. 19, Chief Kanim Middle School, 32627 S.E. Redmond Fall City Road, Fall City, $75, ages 9-14, www.siviewpark.org

q Christian Henriksen Project, 7 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, 292-9307

SUN

16

q First Bake Sale of 2014 Fundraiser for American Cancer Society Snoqualmie Valley Relay for Life, sponsored by Super Troopers Relay Team, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., North Bend Ace Hardware, 330 Main St. S.

q Winter Stories and Crafts, 1:30 p.m., Cedar River Watershed Education Center, 19901 Cedar Falls Road S.E., North Bend, stories and crafts about local wildlife’s winter adaptations, all ages, free, www.seattle.gov/util/crwec

q Danny Kolke Trio, 6 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, 292-9307

q The Commodores, 7 p.m., The Ballroom at Snoqualmie Casino, 37500 S.E. North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, ages 21 and older, $30-60, tickets available through Ticketmaster

SAT

15

q ‘Meadowbrook 101,’ 10 a.m. to noon, Meadowbrook Farm, 1711 Boalch Ave., North Bend, presentation on the colorful history of the Snoqualmie Valley, all ages, free, 831-1900

q Aging Well With Consciousness Book Club: ‘Water for Elephants,’ by Sara Gruen, 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. S.E., 888-1223

q Winter Adventure Hike, 1:30 p.m., Cedar River Watershed Education Center, 19901 Cedar Falls Road S.E., North Bend, 2-mile hike around Rattlesnake Lake, all ages, free, www.seattle.com/util/crwec

q Aria Prame Quartet, 7 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, 292-9307

q Songwriters Circle with Jay Pinto, Jean Mann, Jim Page and Sonya Heller, 7:30 p.m., The Black Dog, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie, 831-3647

FRI

14

q Kids Night Out: Valentines for a Cause, 6-9 p.m., Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 S.E. Ridge St., Snoqualmie, ages 2-12, dinner provid-ed, donations taken at door, pre-register online at www.seat-tleymca.org

q Kids Night Out at Mt. Si Gymnastics Academy, 6-10 p.m., Mt. Si Gymnastics Academy, 1546 Boalch Ave. N.W. Suite 20, North Bend, ages 3 and older, $25, registra-tion required, www.mtsigymnasticsacad-emy.com, 292-3152

q Kids Night Out, 6-10 p.m., Si View Community Center, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive, North Bend, grades K-5, $25, pre-reg-istration required, 831-1900

q Jon Hansen and Kelley Johnson: Valentine Romance, 7 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, 292-9307

q Laura Lagerstadt, Pink Camel and Jay Pinto, 8 p.m., The Black Dog, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie, 831-3647

WED

19

q Laser Tag at Laser Quest, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 S.E. Ridge St., Snoqualmie, $50-55, ages 11-15, register online at www.seat-tleymca.org

q AARP Tax Help, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., bring picture ID, last year’s tax return and current tax docu-ments, 888-0554

q Future Jazz Heads, 5 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, 292-9307

q Finance & Administration Committee meet-ing, 5:30-6:30 p.m., City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, 831-4919

q Jazz Heads, 7 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, 292-9307

THUR

20

q Pacific Science Center and IMAX, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 S.E. Ridge St., Snoqualmie, $50-55, ages 11-15, register online at www.seattleymca.org

q School’s Out Early Swim, 12:45-1:45 p.m., Si View Pool, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive, North Bend, $2/youth and senior, $3/adult, $9/family

q Tim Kennedy +1, 7 p.m., Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend, 292-9307

q Paul Green Jazz Night, 7:30 p.m., The Black Dog, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie, 831-3647

q Sharon Corr, 7 p.m., The Ballroom at Snoqualmie Casino, 37500 S.E. North Bend Way, Snoqualmie, ages 21 and older, $10-30, tickets available through Ticketmaster

Bring a loved one or someone to fall in love with to Valley Center Stage’s production ‘Love Letters’ at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 14-15, at Valley Center Stage, 119 W. North Bend Way, North Bend. Tickets are $17/adults and $14.50/seniors and students. Purchase tickets at http://bit.ly/1aNM4Sg.

SCHEDULE THIS:

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Send items for Your Week

to newsclerk@isspress.com

by noon Friday.

THE CALENDAR FOR FEBRUARY 14-20

9

SportsPAGE 10 FEBRUARY 13, 2014

10

The Mount Si High School cheer squad recently finished in second and third in the state and eighth in a national compe-tition. The Mount Si Silver cheer squad – the junior varsity – won the JV State Championship.

The state competition was held at the University of Washington’s Hec Edmundson Pavilion in Seattle.

Cheer divides into two teams for competitions. The Mount Si Red includes tumbling in its rou-tines and the Silver competes in the non-tumbling category. The Red team finished third in the medium varsity division and the Silver team was second.

Cheer coach Jessii Stevens explained that this year the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, the gov-erning body over sports and activities, changed the state competition. The WIAA com-bined divisions – based on the number of squad members – meaning Mount Si was compet-ing against larger teams.

“It made a huge difference for the girls on the floor,” Stevens

said. “It was harder.“I’m proud they finished

third against the larger teams.”Sixteen of the Mount Si cheer

squad competed in nationals at the Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida Feb. 7-9.

There were three rounds of competitions: preliminaries, semi-finals and finals.

“We peaked at nationals,” Stevens said. “I felt sorry for the girls because they would be so nervous, almost sick, before they went out on the floor.

“Cheer isn’t like playing basketball. If you have a bad moment in basketball and the other team scores two points, you have the rest of the game to make back the points, you have more chances.

“In cheer, you only have one chance. They’re under such high pressure, I feel for them.”

Stevens commented that she was extremely proud of the team.

“They were just phenomenal to watch,” she said. “Our kids hit perfect routines every time they were on the floor.”

By Calder Productions

The Mount Si Cheer team, seen here during a Jan. 31 basketball game against Juanita, brought home awards at the state and national level.

Mount Si cheer squad places high in state and national competitions

By Sam Kenyon

The Mount Si girls ended their season on Feb. 8, with a loss to Mercer Island. The away loss was the first game of the loser-out playoff tour-nament. The Wildcats fin-ished their season with an overall record of 3 - 18.

Mount Si went down by 10 in the first quarter and was unable to recover.

They kept pace with the Islanders in the second quarter, only scoring one point less than Mercer Island.

But the Islander’s came strong out of halftime and poured in 10 more points than the Wildcats in the third quarter, which quieted any hope Mount Si had of victory. The final score was

68-47.“In the third quarter, they

hit some shots and we just couldn’t get momentum going again,” said junior point guard and the team’s leading scorer Elizabeth Prewitt.

Despite the poor win record, the team main-tained a posi-tive attitude all season. Coach Megan Botulinski always praised her

team’s mentality and refusal to let the losses prevent them from playing hard.

“The next day we would come into the gym and we were just ready to go have a good practice and stop think-ing about the last game and look forward to the next game,” Prewitt said.

Two seniors will be

graduating from this team, which means a lot of return-ing strength for next year’s squad. This year, the team was very young, and it was a rebuilding season. Next sea-son the returning experience will help the Wildcats.

Prewitt said the team incorporated the younger players into the team’s chem-istry this year, and that will pay off next season.

If they can maintain the same positive attitude and work ethic, they expect next year to have a much stronger record.

“I think it’s positive, look-ing ahead,” Prewitt said. “One of the fortunate things about only losing two seniors is that we’ll have pretty much the same core group of girls. And we were able to already have this season to build our relationships and learn how to play with each other. And that just moves into the next season.”

Loss to Mercer Island ends Mount Si girls basketball season

By Sam Kenyon

The Mount Si Wildcats earned at least another three games in their postseason with their dominating 56-40 win over the Juanita Rebels Feb. 8.

Mount Si was able to play to their strengths and dominate the post area. Senior center Tyler McCreadie had a strong first half which set the tone for the whole game. Juanita could not compete with McCreadie’s size inside.

“I just wanted to go out there and kind of be an ani-mal,” McCreadie said. “That was my mentality.”

The Wildcat defense hound-ed the Rebels all night, forcing turnovers and frustrating their opponent. The hard-driving play gave Mount Si a 29-16 lead at halftime.

Mount Si controlled the game in the start of the sec-ond half. Where in the first half, McCreadie’s size as well as the height of sophomore forward Parker Dumas kept the Wildcats in control of the post, the third quarter was led by some hot shooting.

Senior point guard Jack Nelson helped seal the victory with solid throws from the three-point line.

“It felt really good to know that we’ve still got a lot more

basketball to play,” Nelson said. “It feels like we’re playing our best basketball at the right time. We were confident com-ing in and we’ll be confident going forward.”

Juanita did stage a late game rally to slightly threaten Mount Si’s dominant performance, but that was due more to the Wildcats not playing with the same gusto due to their big lead.

Although happy with the win, Coach Kyle Clearman was not pleased with the way his team got lazy down the fourth quarter stretch.

“We did a great job through three quarters of sticking to our game plan and doing what we do,” Clearman said.

Nelson led the team in scor-ing with 19, including shoot-ing a scorching 4 of 6 from downtown, sinking all the made three point shots for the Wildcats.

Nelson also had one assist and two rebounds.

The next leading scorer was McCreadie with 16, 11 of which came in the first half. McCreadie also had three

assists, three blocks, one steal, and 10 total rebounds.

Dumas was the other Wildcat to score in double digits with 11 points. He rounded out his box score with four assists, two blocks, and four rebounds.

Senior forward Beau Shain had a rough night from the floor, shooting just 2 of 12 for 4 points. But the aggressive Shain contributed in other

ways, includ-ing pulling down the team-high in rebounds with 14, as well as three assists and one steal.

The team earned another three games

for their season with the win, which is especially meaning-ful for the players on the team who will be graduating, like Shain.

“Now we’re guaranteed three more games, which is always good, being a senior and every-thing,” he said.

The Wildcats played a tough Bellevue team Feb. 11, after the SnoValley Star print edition deadline.

Sam can be reached at skenyon@snovalley-star.com or via Twitter @samuel_kenyon.

Mount Si boys win playoff berth

“We were confident coming in and we’ll be confident going forward.”

— Jack NelsonPoint guard

“In the third quarter, they hit some shots and we just couldn’t get momentum going again.”

— Elizabeth PrewittPoint guard

FEBRUARY 13, 2014 SnoValley Star PAGE 11

11

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Man killed in truck accident

A man named Romeo Head died in an accident involving a semi truck Feb. 9. The 37-year-old trucker was killed near Ken’s Truck Town in North Bend.

The accident occurred while Head was assisting another trucker. Head was helping the other trucker back up by directing him when he was accidentally run over.

Head reportedly lived in the Midwest.

Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson is elected Sound Cities Association vice president

Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson has been elected vice president of the Sound City Association (SCA), which represents 36 cities in King County and

provides a regional voice for nearly one million people.

“Mayor Larson’s knowl-edge of local and regional issues and enthusiasm for bringing people together to solve problems makes him the perfect leader to serve as our new vice pres-ident,” said SCA Executive Director Deanna Dawson.

Larson said SCA pro-vides a voice for King County cities with a population of fewer than 150,000 through leader-ship in areas such as eco-nomic and community development, transporta-tion, land use, health, government operations, the environment, educa-tion, public safety, social welfare and other public policy issues.

“SCA gives our cit-ies a powerful regional voice, provides members an opportunity to con-nect and network, and offers tremendous tools to learn what other cities are doing,” said Larson.

Larson is currently serving his third term as Snoqualmie’s mayor. He has held many offices in Snoqualmie in the past, including mayor pro-tem, city council member, chairman of the planning commission, and parks board member.

As an Advanced Certified Municipal Leader — a certification earned through the Association of Washington Cities — Larson enjoys serving in leadership roles in local and regional capacities.

For two years he held the position of president of the Snoqualmie Valley Governments Association. He also currently serves on the King County Flood Control District Advisory Board. Larson was named the 2012 Elected Official of the Year by the Alliance of Eastside Agencies, an

association of more than 50 health and human-services organizations and governments serving east King County.

SCA, which was former-ly known as the Suburban Cities Association, was established more than 40 years ago to help King County cities act locally and partner regionally to create vital and thriv-ing communities through advocacy, education, lead-ership, mutual support and networking.

For more informa-tion, please visit www.SoundCities.org.

Scam alert: Washington State Patrol issues warning

The Washington State Patrol announced a tele-

phone scam occurring in Washington State request-ing people to give their Social Security number when they call an (813) Florida area code phone number as part of an iden-tity theft investigation.

The State Patrol received reports of indi-viduals getting phone calls from people identifying themselves as an official from the “Washington State Police” and the “U.S. Justice Office.” The callers are requesting people to “call today” to an (813) area code number in Florida to confirm their Social Security number.

Identity thieves pose as businesses, banks, or gov-ernment representatives in order to obtain personal information. They appear to be legitimate and sound convincing. Never reveal information to anyone

you do not know.The State Patrol rec-

ommends that if you are called by someone repre-senting themselves as a WSP employee, and asking for your personal identity information, to call a local WSP office to confirm the caller is an employee with the agency and to contact the office they work in for why they need your infor-mation.

Helpful websites about how to protect yourself from identity theft can be found at:

q Washington State Attorney General www.atg.wa.gov

q Washington State Patrol/Department of Licensing Identity Theft Unit www.dol.wa.gov

q Federal Bureau of Investigation

www.fbi.gov/scams-safe-ty/fraud.

Imagine Housing has informed Snoqualmie that it will not be seeking design or permit-ting approvals from the city for its proposed affordable housing project in Snoqualmie for an indefinite period of time.

Imagine Housing has been working on plans to develop the S-20 parcel for more than two years to build workforce hous-ing in the Snoqualmie Ridge

community. The 12-acre parcel is next to the Eagle Point neigh-borhood.

The timeline for develop-ing the site is delayed as the city, owner of parcel S-20, and Imagine Housing address the challenges of developing it.

The land is designated for affordable housing by the Snoqualmie Ridge II Mixed Use Final Plan.

“Though there are chal-lenges to work through, Imagine Housing remains committed to developing affordable hous-ing for working families in Snoqualmie,” said Ann Levine, Executive Director of Imagine Housing. “We will continue our efforts and collaboration with the city and the community to provide the affordable housing that originally was envisioned as

part of the master plan.”“The Imagine Housing team’s

commitment and perseverance is commendable and deeply appreciated,” said Mayor Matt Larson. “The city of Snoqualmie has been very successful in pro-viding affordable housing as part of a balanced and equitable master plan. We will continue to seek every opportunity to meet the affordable housing needs of

this community as we approach the full build-out of Snoqualmie Ridge.”

Although the project has not been formally brought before the Snoqualmie City Council, Mayor Larson, council members and the city admin-istration are supportive of an affordable housing option for Snoqualmie residents of moder-ate income.

Proposed affordable housing project delayed in Snoqualmie

PAGE 12 SnoValley Star FEBRUARY 13, 2014

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