Fire service budget EFR set to pass a new budget. Page 2 Mill site discussion Chamber hosts a talk about the mill site. Page 3 Access road closed Except for emergency vehicles. Page 3 Dancing queen Local girl represents the region in dance contest. Page 6 State-bound Volleyball team searches for revenge in tourney. Page 8 Police blotter Page 10 November 8, 2012 VOL. 4, NO. 45 Mount Si football begins playoff run Page 8 Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER By Jim Robison In October just before the rains began, Jim Robison, of Snoqualmie, took a drive on Mill Pond Road just east of the Salish Lodge and snapped this shot of the sun rising over Mount Si reflected in the water. By the dawn’s early light By Sebastian Moraga On Oct. 30, Snoqualmie Valley School District school board members got an F. Jeff Hogan, executive director of technology services for the district, presented a committee’s recommendation that the board adopt Option F as the new mid- dle school boundaries for the district. Option F, one of three final options available, would send all fifth-graders and all Snoqualmie Middle School sixth- and-sev- enth graders from both Fall City and Snoqualmie to Chief Kanim Middle School starting in 2013, with the exception of Cascade View Elementary fifth-graders. Students at CVES, along with students from North Bend and all the way to the southeast cor- ner of the district would attend Twin Falls Middle School. The recommendation ended a seven-week period of surveys, meetings and discussions, set- ting the table for a 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 vote at the Snoqualmie City Hall. “Option F best serves the district until such time that the district returns to having three middle schools,” Hogan said. The current Snoqualmie Middle School — housing about 460 students — will become a freshman learning center in the School board to vote on middle school boundaries By Michele Mihalovich A U.S. soldier in Kandahar, Afghanistan, a missionary in Africa, the U.S. ambassa- dor to France, and even the American astronaut up in the International Space Station will have a much easier time filling out voting ballots this election. Bryan Finney, a North Bend resident and owner of DemocracyLive, said his firm, with 22 employees, was select- ed by the U.S. Department of Defense to deliver Web-based ballots to overseas American voters, which the DoD esti- mates is 6.5 million eligible voters. Finney said his eBalloting system speeds up the process for absentee voters. Election officials around the nation snail mail ballots to military and other overseas voters, and often times, ballots North Bend company will help military vote See BOUNDARY, Page 2 See VOTE, Page 2 “Just imagine how high voter turnout would be if people could vote from their tablets and smart phones.” — Brian Finney Business owner
Transcript
Fire service budgetEFR set to pass a new budget.
Page 2
Mill site discussionChamber hosts a talk about the mill site.
Page 3
Access road closedExcept for emergency vehicles.
Page 3
Dancing queenLocal girl represents the region in dance contest.
Page 6
State-boundVolleyball team searches for revenge in tourney.
Page 8Police blotter
Page 10
November 8, 2012
VOL. 4, NO. 45
Mount Si football begins
playoff runPage 8
Your locally-owned newspaper,
serving North Bend and Snoqualmie,
Washington
Prsrt StdU.S. Postage
PAIDKent, WA
Permit No. 71
POSTALCUSTOMER
1
By Jim Robison
In October just before the rains began, Jim Robison, of Snoqualmie, took a drive on Mill Pond Road just east of the Salish Lodge and snapped this shot of the sun rising over Mount Si reflected in the water.
By the dawn’s early light
By Sebastian Moraga
On Oct. 30, Snoqualmie Valley School District school board members got an F.
Jeff Hogan, executive director of technology services for the district, presented a committee’s recommendation that the board adopt Option F as the new mid-dle school boundaries for the district.
Option F, one of three final options available, would send all fifth-graders and all Snoqualmie Middle School sixth- and-sev-enth graders from both Fall City and Snoqualmie to Chief Kanim Middle School starting in 2013, with the exception of Cascade View Elementary fifth-graders.
Students at CVES, along with students from North Bend and all the way to the southeast cor-ner of the district would attend Twin Falls Middle School.
The recommendation ended a seven-week period of surveys, meetings and discussions, set-ting the table for a 6:30 p.m. Nov. 8 vote at the Snoqualmie City Hall.
“Option F best serves the district until such time that the district returns to having three middle schools,” Hogan said.
The current Snoqualmie Middle School — housing about 460 students — will become a freshman learning center in the
School board to vote on middle school boundaries
By Michele Mihalovich
A U.S. soldier in Kandahar, Afghanistan, a missionary in Africa, the U.S. ambassa-dor to France, and even the American astronaut up in the International Space Station will have a much easier time filling out voting ballots this election.
Bryan Finney, a North Bend resident and owner of DemocracyLive, said his firm, with 22 employees, was select-ed by the U.S. Department of Defense to deliver Web-based ballots to overseas American voters, which the DoD esti-mates is 6.5 million eligible voters.
Finney said his eBalloting system speeds up the process for absentee voters.
Election officials around the nation snail mail ballots to military and other overseas voters, and often times, ballots
North Bend company will help military vote
See BOUNDARY, Page 2 See VOTE, Page 2
“Just imagine how high voter turnout would be if people could vote from their tablets and smart phones.”
— Brian FinneyBusiness owner
PAGE 2 SnoValley Star NOVEMBER 8, 2012
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fall of 2013.Hogan outlined five
reasons the Attendance Boundary Study Committee picked Option F.
Reasons included:q Community support,
via surveys, in-person and online meetings:
About 578 people par-ticipated in two commu-nity surveys. About 435 participated in the second survey, which had a bulk of people stating no pref-erence, Hogan said.
The three options pre-sented, C, D, and F, were tied at just about 33 per-cent each.
However, most of the comments on the survey, the subsequent emails and phone calls favored Option F, Hogan said. Seventy-five per-cent of the feedback came from parents in the Snoqualmie Middle School area.
q Option F provides the most straightforward tran-sition to the new transpor-tation routes.
q Option F provides the best socioeconomic bal-ance between schools.
“We based that on the
percentage of students with free and reduced lunches,” Hogan said.
Fifteen percent of stu-dents at Chief Kanim and 14 percent at Twin Falls would qualify for free or reduced meals under Option F, he added.
q Option F does not disrupt neighborhoods recently affected by ele-mentary school boundary changes. The last bound-ary change for elementary school families was 2010, Hogan said.
q Option F creates a long-term solution for when, or if, a third middle school is built.
Twin Falls has capac-
ity for 637 students and Chief Kanim has capac-ity for 593, according to the district’s 2012 Capital Facilities Plan. Neither school has modular class-rooms.
“The district plans to put about six modular classrooms at each school, depending on where we end up with Option F,” Hogan said.
The committee was comprised of district officials including assis-tant superintendent Don McConkey, Fall City Elementary principal Dan Schlotfeldt, North Bend Elementary principal Jim Frazier, superintendent
intern Sabrina Crawford and the district’s trans-portation supervisor Jim Garhart.
The group voted unani-mously for Option F, Hogan said.
Under Option F, Chief Kanim would house 665 students in 2013, 689 in 2014 and 711 in 2015.
Twin Falls would house 835 students in 2013, 841 in 2014 and 850 in 2015.
“Open enrollment in a limited basis would solve the imbalance between the two middle schools next year and beyond,” Hogan said.
Open enrollment would allow Cascade View
and Twin Falls families to apply to enter Chief Kanim. If interest is greater than the number of open-ings, entrants might be picked via a lottery.
Hogan said the board directed the committee Oct. 30 to study a fourth option, championed by community activist Stephen Kangas.
The option would leave the boundaries intact, with all of Snoqualmie Middle School students going to one of the two other middle schools, likely Chief Kanim.
“I urge you to direct the administration to look at this option. Delay if you need to, to demonstrate you are not being heavy-handed. It will serve you in your relationship with the community,” Kangas said.
The option was dis-missed by the committee, Hogan said, because it was a short-term solution.
“They’ve dismissed it, but the board asked to go back and run the num-bers, basically,” Hogan said, adding that this new option would create sort of a modular compound at Chief Kanim.
This option would put about 900 students at Chief Kanim in the first year and more than 1,000 in 2015
School Board President Dan Popp said he had not heard support for this other option. Board Member Geoff Doy said he had received a few emails about it.
“I suggest looking at it, to see if it has legs,” Doy said.
Board member Marci Busby disagreed.
“The time has passed to look at other options,” she said. “We are scheduled to vote next week.”
BoundaryFrom Page 1
aren’t received by voters until after the election he said.
Strange things can happen when mail-ing ballots to countries around the world, like the ballots that burned in a plane crash in Shindad Air Base in Afghanistan Oct. 19, according to the Associated Press.
Finney said the Web-based ballots are housed in a Microsoft cloud, and 45 days before the elec-tions, anyone overseas
can access the interactive ballots and fill them out.
The ballots still need to be printed and mailed or faxed to the proper election office.
“We did a pilot in 2010 with the Department of Defense,” said Finney. “And because of its success, they’ve expanded it. This is the first real extensive rollout.”
Finney sees this as the future of voting in the United States, adding that our current system is antiquated, especially among the Facebook generation of voters who expect instant informa-
tion and immediate access.
“Just imagine how high voter turnout would be if people could vote from their tablets and smart phones,” he asked.
Finney said the 2000 presidential election with the hanging chads fiasco in Florida pushed him to develop an alternative for voters.
He said voters from 90 countries have used his voting technology so far, but its reach remains Earth-bound.
“We’re still trying to get the astronaut in the space station to try it out,” he said.
VoteFrom Page 1
By Caleb Heeringa
Eastside Fire & Rescue board members are scheduled to approve the agency’s $22.2 million 2013 budget at a Nov. 8 meeting.
The budget represents a 3.1 percent increase from 2012, something Deputy Chief Wes Collins attri-butes to already-agreed-to wage and benefit increases for firefighters as well as
modest increases in several programs that the agency cut back during the recent economic downturn, such as volunteer training and protective clothing for firefighters.
“After the downturn, we cut back on a lot of supplies like clothing and bunker gear,” Collins said. “Those things have a shelf life and we’re com-ing up on a bubble where they’re going to have to be
replaced.”Firefighters are due an
automatic 2 percent wage increase under the terms of their labor agreement with the agency. The cost of medical benefits will also rise by 6 percent, with employees covering any cost increase above that number.
The budget calls for no new employees and the
EFR budget calls for North Bend to pay 3.3 percent more
See EFR, Page 3
take several months to train before being ready to be deployed.
“If even eight or nine people retired in the same year it would stress our system horribly,” Soptich said. “We don’t have the staff to train that many people at once.”
In an effort to stag-ger retirements, the agency is offering up to four firefighters $58,000 “buy outs” to incentiv-ize them to call it quits. That amount of money reflects the savings the agency will realize over a three-year period when paying a rookie firefighter compared to a veteran firefighter.
“That’s $58,000 we’re going to spend anyway if (the veteran firefighter) decides to stay for that period,” Soptich said.
Mayor Tom Odell, one of Sammamish’s two rep-resentatives on the EFR board, said the buyouts make good business sense
given the prospect of hav-ing to grapple with more than a dozen retirements at once.
“It hits our books now, but when you look at it out over the next few years, it makes some sense,” Odell said. “It prevents a tidal wave of retirements and allows us to spend time rehiring and replacing them over sev-eral years.”
Partners’ annual con-tribution to the agency’s equipment replacement fund will be edging up by a bit more than $100,000 in 2013. The fund projects the eventual cost of replac-ing the agency’s fleet of vehicles and equipment over 15 years and collects money on an annual basis, hopefully avoiding sudden cost increases to partners if something suddenly breaks down. The board had elected to scale back their contributions to the fund during the recent economic downturn and
is now having to make up lost ground to keep up with the 15-year schedule.
Despite the uptick in EFR’s budget, King County Fire District 10 will actu-ally see its contribution to the agency drop by 1.4 percent, or $102,000, thanks to a combination of a 9 percent decrease in the district’s assessed value and annexations of parts of the district’s area by Bellevue and Renton. EFR determines each partner’s bill for fire services based on the assessed value of areas covered by specific
stations.The assessed value-
based funding model will also mean a significant increase in Issaquah’s bill for fire service. The 2013 budget calls for a 7.8 per-cent increase – approxi-mately $393,000 – because Issaquah’s assessed value did not fall as drastically as District 10’s, Deputy Chief Greg Tryon said. Issaquah is now respon-sible for 92 percent of the assessed value covered by Station 72, on Northwest Maple Street, compared to 83 percent last year.
NOVEMBER 8, 2012 SnoValley Star PAGE 3
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Correctionsq Snoqualmie City Councilwoman Maria
Henriksen was misquoted in the Oct. 25 article, “Snoqualmie council considers changes to fire-works law.” Her full quote at a Sept. 24 meeting was, “Last year we made some progress with educa-tion and temporary signage in the parks. Last year was the first year of many that there were no fire-works in the park next door to us.”
q A story featured in our Oct. 25 issue, “Snoqualmie Ridge will again host Night on a Dark Trail” misspelled the last name of coordinator Mark Hennig.
q A story in the Star’s Nov. 1 issue, “Former Wildcats hitter will play for New Zealand” misiden-tified the nickname of the New Zealand national team. The team is known as the Diamond Blacks.
ContributionsChange in partner contributions to Eastside Fire
& Rescue in 2013 (Total/ percent increase)q King County Fire District 10: $7,133,973/-1.4 percentq King County Fire District 38: $1,424,228/2.4 percentq Issaquah: $5,406,969/7.8 percentq North Bend: $830,754/3.3 percentq Sammamish: $6,041,036/3.1 percentSource: EFR 2013 budget
agency is hoping to keep personnel costs in check by waiting until August or September of next year to replace two firefighters who are retiring early next year.
The retirements are two of what Chief Lee Soptich hopes are many more in the coming years. Soptich said more than 30 of the agency’s 125 firefighters are eligible to retire in the next several years. If all of those employees elected to retire at the same time, the agency would be faced with a significant staffing issue, since new employees
EFRFrom Page 2
Ribbon cutting
The Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce is hosting a ribbon cutting for Snoqualmie Physical Therapy at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 14 at 7713 Center Blvd. No. 160 in Snoqualmie.
Access road to Lake Alice is now closed
The first phase of the Lake Alice Road repair is complete, and the access road from Southeast Sorenson Street on
Snoqualmie Ridge closed Oct. 26 except for emergency vehicles, according to a press release from the city of Snoqualmie.
The access road through Snoqualmie Ridge will be closed until work begins again next summer. However, vehicles used for fire, emergency medical, public safety services or public works may continue to use the access road, according to the press release.
A section of Alice Lake Road was closed for emergency repairs to an underground culvert.
Direct questions to Ashley
DeForest, King County commu-nity relations planner, at [email protected] or 206-684-1154.
Get the Real Dirt on the Snoqualmie Mill Site
The Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce is holding an open house at the Snoqualmie Mill Site from 5-7:30 p.m. Nov. 15 at 7001 396th Drive S.E., Snoqualmie. There will be door prizes and refreshments, according to a press release from the chamber.
The open house affords the public an opportunity to review and comment on the Sensitive Areas Study of the former mill site. This document includes a detailed study of existing site con-ditions, including biology, geol-ogy, fill, wetlands and wetland buffers, streams and stream buf-fers, wildlife habitat, environmen-tal issues, topography, and the physical history of this mill site, according to the press release.
Scientists and consultants who have documented their investigations of the site will be on hand to discuss what they
have discovered, according to the press release. Participants include:
q Goldsmith – Land Surveyor, Civil Engineer, Land Use Consultant, Water Resources Engineer
q Raedeke Associates – Wetland Ecologist, Soils and Wetland Scientist
q Cedarock Consultants – Principal Fisheries Biologist
q David Wilma – Historianq David Battey, Resident Mill
Area Historian
Cougar comments were dismissive
I am writing in reference to Sebastian Moraga’s Oct. 11 article “Cougar has North Bend man worried.”
The dismissive and callous comments by state fish and wild-life representative Chris Moszeter will create more harm than good for Riverbend residents. His downplaying the cougar attack on one resident’s 15-year-old pet showed an unbelievable lack of compassion. For most of us, our pets are family members.
His statement, “You’re more likely to be killed by a vending machine,” was even more unbe-lievable. For one thing, vending machines are not wild creatures who stalk their prey.
He seems to think this event was an isolated event, when in fact we’ve had numerous cases of pets gone missing, and evi-dence of both cougars and bears searching for food. Moszeter’s comment that the cat is “snack-ing on dogs” might be amusing to him but horrific to pet own-ers. Wouldn’t it have been more helpful to actually address resi-dents’ concerns and to provide helpful information on how to protect our children and pets?
And, there are many young chil-dren in Riverbend who weigh less than the 75-pound dog!
By being blatantly dismis-sive and not providing helpful information, Moszeter’s attitude can only add fuel and fear to the fire. Why is there no plan to host a community meeting to empower and enlighten rather than patronize residents?
If Moszeter represents the position of the fish and wildlife department, residents need to organize at the grassroots level and seek helpful counsel. And finally, Moszeter’s attitude and words are only one small shred of what’s truly plaguing our community and our world — we just don’t seem to care about each other anymore.
Susan OldsRiverbend
Bus cuts — why us?We are writing in regard to the
cuts in the Snoqualmie Valley Transportation budget, which have resulted in the termination of shuttle service to Two Rivers School. Since the termination took effect Sept. 24, our school has experienced a dramatic drop in attendance because students continue to lack any means of transportation.
One of the students, who lives way out on the outskirts of Fall
City, rarely makes it to school now. Another is usually late get-ting to school, and has to wait two hours after school every day for her ride. We fear that many students missing school who expect to graduate soon will fail their classes and as a result fail to graduate on schedule.
We need the shuttle to get to school, so we can receive our education like students at other schools in the district. Without the shuttle, Two Rivers School as we know it is in danger. As an alternative school, Two Rivers has flexible scheduling, and the SVT shuttle provided rides that fit our needs and the needs of the school. The shuttle cannot be easily replaced.
We understand that the cut in funding must result in the cutting back of SVT service. But, we question how and why Two Rivers School was singled out for termination. What other possi-bilities were considered? Weren’t there routes besides MT54 that could be trimmed, or across-the-board reductions in service that would keep us from the chop-ping block?
In short — why us?Olivia Barragan, Mason
Blalock, Patrick Brown, Dylan Cook, Jordin Forgey, Cortney
Harris, Darian Michaud, Taylor Mosier, Alexis VanWolvalaere
Two Rivers School students
hard, because it has those minor bass buttons in it and it took me forever to learn not to miss them.
“It was after that. You see, I put the accordion back in the car and we went in for a lunch they gave everyone.”
“What’s wrong with that?”“I forgot to lock the car. We
were halfway through lunch when Anita asked me if I’d
locked the car and then it hit me that I might not have locked it. She insisted I run right out and check and that’s what I did. And that’s when I lost my faith in human beings.”
“Oh, Dud,” Doc said, “some-one stole your accordion?”
“No, it was still there in the back seat. But someone had put two more in there with it.”
He shook his head. “Pearls before swine.”
Brought to you by the national award-winning book “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Read a free sample at www.slim-randles.com.
OpinionPAGE 4 NOVEMBER 8, 2012
Speak up abouttransit changes
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Editorial Letters
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If you could name a superstorm, how would you name it?
A. After my ex-spouseB. After my accountantC. After this itch I’ve got that just won’t go awayD. After Congress
Vote online at www.snovalleystar.com.
King County Metro Transit is reaching out to the Snoqualmie Valley to learn more about how residents can best use bus services. It couldn’t come at a more perfect time.
Snoqualmie Valley Transit, a service that allows people to call in and schedule a ride, ceased lower Valley operations Sept. 21, according to B.J. Libby, who oversees the non-profit service as the executive director of Mount Si Senior Center in North Bend.
Residents in Carnation, Duvall and Monroe, as well as students from Two Rivers School, no longer have that ser-vice available to them.
At the same time, Metro says a lot of their buses in those areas are empty or have very low ridership. What’s a transit provider to do? That’s where you come in.
Metro is beginning to reach out to community organiza-tions and the public to explore service partnerships. Its first project is in the Valley.
Recommendations will be made to the King County Council this winter and any transit changes would be implemented in June 2013.
The goal is to get more people where they want to go by making better use of Metro resources. Metro recognizes that a one-size-fits-all approach to bus service may not meet every community’s needs, and is seeking cost-effective and innovative transit options for rural King County.
Metro’s 5-year plan for alternative service delivery pro-vides a framework for providing alternatives to fixed-route bus service in less-populated areas. Read more at www.metro.kingcounty.gov/have-a-say/projects/alternative-service/snoqualmie-valley.
Share your comments at next week’s community meet-ing from 5-7 p.m. Nov. 13 at Fall City Elementary School.
Can’t make the meeting? It’s as easy as picking up the phone to share your thoughts, 206-684-1162, or email to [email protected].
The Valley has long been short on public transit solu-tions. New approaches are needed, but must also meet the needs of many to be affordable. Metro is listening, so let your ideas be heard.
By Slim Randles
Dud was awfully quiet all through the daily dissemina-tion of anything on page one of the Valley Weekly Miracle, which wasn’t like him at all. Just sucked down caffeine and silently shook his head now and then.
“Anita okay, Dud?”“Oh … sure, Doc.”“You okay?”He nodded, and then looked
up with a wistful, philosophical look that our guys don’t usually get until after the buttered toast. “Sometimes, I think it’s pearls before swine, that’s all.”
We waited.“Music, I mean. You know
how you practice and practice and then you get good enough to actually do something? Well, I took the accordion and went to the accordion festival to com-pete … well, you know I’m not really that bad anymore…”
“You’re getting pretty darn good on that thing, Dud.”
“Thanks, Steve. Well, we drove down to the capitol and I got in the competition and did okay. Placed third in polka. I played that new piece. It’s kinda
4
NOVEMBER 8, 2012 SnoValley Star PAGE 5
5
CommunityPAGE 6 NOVEMBER 8, 2012
6
By Sebastian Moraga
Katia Lucas, a 13-year-old from Snoqualmie Middle School, represented the Pacific Northwest in the Dance Masters of America Junior Miss Dance contest in August.
Lucas earned a spot after win-ning the Pacific Northwest version of the contest in December. That was Lucas’ second pageant ever.
The local pageant, for girls ages 9-12, was held near Factoria, while the national ver-sion occurred in Anaheim, Calif.
At the contest, she per-formed a jazz dance number, the same routine she performed in Factoria and has performed throughout her career as a danc-er, which began nine years ago.
“It was an amazing opportuni-ty to be with all the winners from the other regions,” Katia said. “You get to learn how to work with people you’re not used to; you learn to cope with different people, people not the same from your dance studio. It’s not people you have known before, and you get to be friends with them.”
Shaun Lucas, Katia’s mom, loved seeing her daughter on stage in Mickey Mouse’s home-town, even if she didn’t place
among the top competitors.“I cried my eyes out,” she
said. “Just the accomplishment of competing against all those girls, it was so exciting. Taking the whole family down to Disneyland and just experience it with her.”
The contest, Shaun said, bases its choices on merit and ability.
“It’s all done based on how artistic the girls were, and that’s impressive,” she said. “If you were from a lower-class family you would never know it.”
The environment is competi-tive, but you would also never know it, Katia added.
“Everyone wants to win, but you kind of hide it,” Katia said. “You try to be nice to everyone, of course.”
Besides the jazz performance, the girls had interviews in front of judges in formal attire. Then they performed on stage.
“You had to wear stage makeup so people can see your features from offstage, otherwise you looked like a ghost,” Katia said. “It was really cool.”
The hardest part was having the family close by but not too close by.
“I was in a hotel, and you were mostly on your own,” she
said. “It was kind of hard to find where you had to go and always had to be on time. If you were late, you got docked off points.”
Still, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Shaun said. Katia said losing did not begin to disappoint her.
“They were amazing, abso-lutely phenomenal,” she said of her competitors in Anaheim. “I would have been very surprised
if I won.”Some competitors showed up
pressured by their dance studios to win the contest. Katia said that was not the case for her.
“For me, it was more about the experience, and just having fun with this,” she said. “Not really caring too much and just trying your hardest.”
Katia recommended the con-test for other girls,
“Don’t think about it as a win-ning experience,” she said. “Just think of it as an experience to be better at what you love doing.”
She said anyone can do it, “but you have to be good, I guess.
“I have been dancing since I was 3, so it comes easier to me. If I just started dancing, I don’t know. It’s not something you can pop in and win and go to nationals.”
Teen tests her abilities against elite dancers at Junior Miss Dance contest
Contributed
Katia Lucas represented the Pacific Northwest in the Dance Masters of America national ‘Junior Miss Dance’ contest last August in Anaheim, Calif.
Contributed
The Northwest Watercolor Society announced Barbara Seese Koefod, of Snoqualmie, has been accepted into its 21st Annual Waterworks 2012 Membership Exhibition, through Nov. 28. The painting ‘Bivouac’ was one of 55 selected out of 181 to show in the exhibit at Kaewyn Gallery, 10101 Main St., Bothell. Koefod is a teacher in the Lake Washington School District.
Picture perfect Winter Pineapple Classic returns to North Bend
The Winter Pineapple Classic, a 5K obstacle course and fun-draiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, returns to Mountain Meadows Farm Nov. 10.
The event, followed by a post-event luau that gives the fundraiser its name, gives 100 percent of its proceeds to the society.
Anyone 8 years old or older may participate, registering in teams of two or more. The fast-est teams, either single-gender or co-ed will win prizes. More prizes will be given to the best costume. Every participant will receive tee shirts, a free pass for the food line, a goodie bag, a free beer if you’re 21 or older, “and the satisfaction that you are fighting blood cancers,” a press release stated.
The first wave of participants starts at 9 a.m. and continues every 15 minutes thereafter. Last wave starts at 1 p.m.
Teams will be categorized as Honu (Hawaiian for turtle, for teams that plan to walk), Wiki (Hawaiian for fast, for teams that plan to run and walk) and Kekoa (Hawaiian for warrior, for
teams planning to win the race). People without teammates may sign up as an individual and will be assigned to a team.
Each participant must raise a minimum of $50, which is sepa-rate from a $50 registration fee.
The first Pineapple Classic in 2006 had 750 participants raising $95,000. The next year, the event raised $200,000. This year’s event will try to raise half a million dollars.
Mountain Meadows Farm is at 10106 422nd Lane S.E., North Bend.
Celebrate Veterans’ Day in the Valley
For the next few days, the Snoqualmie Valley will take a moment to honor and thank the veterans of our armed forces. Events at area schools, cafés and organizations will help our communities commemorate the efforts of men and women in uniform.
Nov. 82:15 p.m. North Bend
Elementary School Veterans’ Day assembly
Nov. 98:50 a.m. Snoqualmie
See VETERANS, Page 7
Music/ entertainment
q Arridium, 8 p.m. Nov. 10, The Black Dog Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie, 831-3647 (DOGS), admission is $5.
q Crazy Love, theatri-cal revue, 8 p.m. Nov. 15-17, The Black Dog Café
q Holiday Artisan Fair and Wine tasting 3-8 p.m. Nov. 23, The Black Dog Café. Call to reserve. tables available, $15.
q Songwriters in the round 8 p.m. Nov. 24, with Jay Pinto, Jean Mann, Steve Fletcher, Camelia Jade and Mike Antone. The Black Dog Café.
q Peter Tilton and Trace, 8 p.m. Nov. 30, The Black Dog Café.
Events
q Santa’s Toy Shop Toy Drive at the North Bend Substation of the King County Sheriff’s Office, 1550 Boalch Ave N.W., to Dec. 11. New, unwrapped toys for chil-dren tots to teens wel-come. Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday. Santa will visit the toy shop at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1.
q Veterans’ Day
Lunch, noon, Nov. 8, Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S. If you are a veteran, your lunch is free. Meals for non-veterans and seniors are $3 and $6 for people younger than 60 years old.
q Ski and Snowboard Swap, 9 a.m. Nov. 10, Snoqualmie Middle School. Proceeds benefit the Snoqualmie Valley ski and board clubs. Email [email protected]. Bring your washed, used ski and snowboard equip-ment and clothes to sell at the swap, and you will receive 70 percent off the sale price of new equip-ment.
q ValleyFest craft festi-val, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Nov. 10, Mount Si High School, 8651 Meadowbrook Way S.E. Gifts, clowns, face-painting, passages, great food and plenty of crafts. Special guest: Santa.
q Fundraiser for the Wounded Warrior Project, noon, Nov. 10 at Finaghty’s, 7726 Center Blvd. S.E., Suite 110. Buy raffle tickets from noon to 8 p.m.. All proceeds go to the Wounded Warrior Project. You may directly donate at the bar or with your phone and QR codes on posters around the pub. Performance by Petty Thief to follow at 9 p.m.
q The Snoqualmie
Valley Museum presents: “Beyond Smokey: The USFS In The Snoqualmie Valley,” 1-5 p.m. Saturdays through Tuesdays, 320 Bendigo Blvd. S., North Bend
Volunteer opportunities
q The Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank is looking for volunteers to help unload food at noon Mondays, sort food at 9 a.m. Tuesdays or hand out food on Wednesdays. Call 888-0096.
Classes
q Adult/senior tap lessons. Learn basic steps and rhythms, traveling time steps and shuffles. Wear comfortable cloth-ing and bring your tap shoes the first day. Fees are $7 for drop-ins or $30 for a five-day punch card good for 90 days. Lessons start Tuesdays at 1:15 p.m. at the Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., through Dec. 18.
NOVEMBER 8, 2012 SnoValley Star PAGE 7
7
Elementary School Veterans’ Day assembly.
9 a.m., Cascade View Elementary School Veterans’ Day assembly.
9:15 a.m. Fall City Elementary School Veterans’ Day assembly.
9:30 a.m., Opstad Elementary School Veterans’ Day assembly.
6 p.m. “Songs For Peace” dinner and concert fundraiser for care pack-ages to soldiers in Iraq
and Afghanistan. Tickets are $20 for a three-course, Thanksgiving-style meal. Hosted by the Black Dog Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie.831-3647 (831-DOGS)
Nov. 9 is the last day
of a drive to collect items for troops in Afghanistan. Send food items, personal care items, cards, drawings and letters by contact-ing the American Legion Auxiliary Post 79 at 38625 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie.
VeteransFrom Page 6
Community Calendar
Submit an item to the community calendar by emailing [email protected].
SportsPAGE 8 NOVEMBER 8, 2012
8
By Sebastian Moraga
Some screamed, some shout-ed, some cried, some remained silent. But every expression seemed to say the same thing: We’ll get them yet.
“We played our game and we fought the whole time. We didn’t come out on top, but wait ‘til state,” said Wildcat freshman Anna McCreadie, one of the volleyball players who lost the district champion-ship game to the Mercer Island Islanders in five sets in Seattle Oct. 27.
It was the third time Mount Si had lost to the Islanders in the 2012 season.
“The game showed us we have to work so much harder this week in practice, so we can beat teams like these,” Wildcat Jenn Rogers said.
Mount Si did earn a ticket to state for the sixth year in a row.
The excitement of the trip to Lacey’s St. Martin’s University was tempered by having come so close to beating the Islanders.
The Wildcats came back from six points down, 15-21, to win the first set 25-23. Mercer Island won the second set 25-22, and Mount Si won the third set 25-21. In the fourth set, Mount Si could not repeat the come-back and lost 25-16.
In the fifth set, Mount Si jumped to an early 5-2 lead, causing head coach Bonnie Foote to jump off her seat and scream “Good job.”
Mercer Island reacted and evened the set at 9-9 when a Mount Si block went out of bounds. On the next point, Mercer Island took the lead. The two teams went back and forth all the way to the end. At
Mount Si volleyball will return to state tourney
See VOLLEY, Page 9
By Michele Mihalovich
As far as senior football sea-sons go, this one has been amaz-ing for Mount Si High School’s football team, said Wildcat Jimbo Davis. And it’s not over yet.
State and school records have been broken. The Wildcats ended the regular season with an 8-1 record, their best in years. On Nov. 2, they trounced Auburn Mountainview 52-7 and now head into the state playoff round against Glacier Peak next weekend.
And as Davis, who pulled a Lion’s pass out of the sky Friday night, as well as put a touch-down on the board, tells it, “We’ve just been taking it one game at a time. I’m basically just having fun with my friends. We all grew up together.”
That longtime connection might explain what the seniors, and some juniors, have done on the field this year.
Senior kicker Cameron Van Winkle, on Oct. 5, broke the state record for career field goals, which marked his 34th at the time. He’s since made several more field goals, including a 23-yarder against the Lions Friday night, his eighth this season. Van Winkle, who has committed to University of Washington, also leads KingCo 3A conference ‘end of the regular season’
stats with the most kicking scores: 66 points in the nine-game regular season.
Seniors Beau Shain and Trent Riley also lead the conference in most interceptions: four and three, respectively. However, Riley grabbed another intercep-tion during the Mountainview game, as did senior Hank Van Liew.
Riley also leads the confer-ence for the most touchdowns during regular season, wrack-ing up 16 – that’s four more than Bellevue’s John Nguyen. However, Riley posted three more touchdowns at Friday’s game, and broke Mount Si’s previous record of most touch-downs in a season, which was 18.
Van Liew and junior Evan Johnson lead KingCo 3A in solo tackles, with 42 and 40 respec-tively. Senior Hunter Malberg is ranked fourth, with 35 solos and 45 assists.
And for sacks this regular season, Bellevue’s Myles Jack
takes the title with 10 (and posted six more in the first half of their first playoff game Friday), but is followed by so many Wildcats, they need mentioning: seniors Griffin
McLain (6), Zack Blazevich (6), Stephen Nnabue (4), Jordon Aune (2), Joey Cotto (2), Van Liew (2), as well as juniors Johnson and Shain, each with two.
Wildcat junior quarterback Nick Mitchell made a little bit of school history Friday night as well. He broke the school
Mount Si record breakers head to second round
By Calder Productions
Wildcat Trent Riley catchs a Nick Mitchell pass in the Nov. 2 playoff game against Auburn Mountainview. Mount Si won 52-7.
See FOOTBALL, Page 9
By Sebastian Moraga
Senior blocker Lauren Smith (left) during the district championship game in Seattle against Mercer Island. Mercer Island overcame the Wildcats in five sets. Both teams qualified for state.
“We’ve just been taking it one game at a time. I’m basically just having fun with my friends. We all grew up together.”
— Jimbo DavisMount Si wide receiver
NOVEMBER 8, 2012 SnoValley Star PAGE 9
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Snoqualmie Valley School District is going to have a sealed bid surplus sale on Saturday, November 17th, 2012 at the district transportation bus parking lot (8001 Silva Ave SE, Snoqualmie, WA. 98065) from 12:00 pm–3:00 pm. All bids must be received in person. All bids to be opened at 3:00 pm. “Items offered include” - vehicles, classroom furniture, maintenance equipment, lunch room tables, file cabinets, etc.
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14-14, two controver-sial calls favored Mercer Island, giving the Islanders the lead, the match and the trophy.
Foote slammed her notebook on the ground on the last call.
“We took too many mental vacations, too many times during that match,” Foote said. “When you get a lead, you keep a lead. If you play consistent volleyball for long periods of time you are going to win the match.”
Lindsay Carr had 32 kills, 21 digs, three assists and two blocks. Lauren Smith had 41 assists, 9 digs, 1.5 blocks and one ace.
Lexie Read had 12 digs, five kills, one assist, one ace, and 1.5 blocks. Rachel Hayford had 13 digs and Gen Knoppi had 19 digs and three assists.
Foote added, “My girls deserved that match. They are classy, they don’t celebrate before the match, and they will remain classy. We’ve got to get a lot better this week. If we
do that, we can have a shot at it.”
Mount Si began its weekend with wins against Ingraham and Eastside Catholic Oct. 26, and Lakeside Oct. 27. The win against Lakeside earned the Wildcats a state berth.
The Wildcats’ first round match at state is against Glacier Peak 9:45 a.m. Nov. 9. Mount Si has finished sixth in the last three trips to state.
A sixth-place finish won’t cut it this year, McCreadie said.
“Mercer Island should be scared right now, because we are getting better,” Foote said. “Every time we play them, we add a little more fuel to that fire. We are going to get them.”
VolleyFrom Page 8
Mercer Island should be scared right now, because we are get-ting better. Every time we play them, we add a little more fuel to that fire. We are going to get them.”
— Bonnie FooteMount Si volleyball coach
Runner participates at state in Pasco; soccer out at M.I.
Bailey Scott closed her 2012 season as a cross country runner with a 43rd place finish at the state meet at Pasco’s Sun Willows golf course.
Scott, a junior, was the only Mount Si High School runner at the event Nov. 3, where 139 female and 144 male runners
competed. She finished with
a time of 19 minutes, 53.8 seconds. Her best 2012 mark occurred at the KingCo Conference championships Oct. 18, where she posted a time of 19 minutes, 32.93 sec-onds.
Amy Eloise Neale from Glacier Peak took first place, with 17 minutes, 3.6 seconds. Bellevue’s Julia Ellings was the top 3A KingCo runner, finish-
ing 22nd with a time of 19 minutes, 30.7 seconds.
In soccer, Mount Si High School’s 2012 sea-son ended in dramatic fashion, with the team losing the first game of its conference playoffs to Interlake on a penalty kick shootout 3-2.
The game at Mercer Island High School ended tied 0-0 in regulation and after two overtimes.
The shootout loss was the first loss in eight
matches for the Wildcats and the last prep career match for KingCo 3A Player of the Year Miranda Rawlings, who moves on to play for Division I University of Nevada-Las Vegas this fall.
“The stars were just not aligned for us tonight,” head coach Darren Brown wrote on his team’s web-site. “PK shootouts can go in any direction, and there has to be an end-ing.”
By Calder Productions
Wildcat Cameron McLain catchs a Nick Mitchell pass in a Nov. 2 playoff game against Auburn Mountainview. Mount Si won 52-7.
record of four touchdown passes in a game when he tossed five Friday, but he shattered the school’s record of touchdown passes during a season, which was 16 and now stands at 24.
At Friday’s game against the Lions, Mitchell, in addition to passing for 273 yards and five touch-downs, ran four yards for a score.
Two of those touch-down passes went to Cameron McLain and Davis, but three sailed into Riley’s hands.
There’s no mistak-ing the connection that Mitchell and Riley have with each other, espe-cially since this is their first season together as quarterback and wide receiver.
Riley said the two of
FootballFrom Page 8
them worked a lot togeth-er on the off season, and Mitchell said that when they could have been sleeping in on Saturdays,
the two of them were out working on their plays at 8 a.m.
We’ll see if those old and new connections are still holding when
Mount Si faces Glacier Peak at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at Veterans Memorial Stadium, Snohomish High School, 1316 5th St., Snohomish.
PAGE 10 SnoValley Star NOVEMBER 8, 2012
10
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North BendPotted plant lover
Mount Si Senior Center reported that someone stole a potted plant from the premises sometime between Oct. 19-22.
VandalismPolice received a report
that about 8 p.m. Oct. 24, someone broke out a vehi-cle window at the QFC parking lot.
Unhappy with your ticketing decision
A 19-year-old Fall City man was arrested for reck-less driving at 2:37 p.m. Oct. 25. According to a police report, the man initially was given a ticket for “driving too fast for conditions,” after colliding with another vehicle. The man got upset with the deputy, got into his vehi-cle, revved the engine and then sped toward the dep-uty who was walking back to his vehicle. The man then got back on Bendigo
Boulevard and drove 75 mph in a 50 mph speed zone. The deputy caught up with him and arrested him for reckless driving and transported him to Issaquah Jail.
CD theftsA North Bend woman
reported Oct. 25 that sometime during the night, someone smashed the vehicle’s passenger side window, which was parked at Rock Creek Ridge Apartments, and stole 20 CDs out of her Jeep.
Coats and radio thefts
An Ellensburg man reported Oct. 25 that sometime during the night, someone smashed the passenger side window of his vehicle, which was parked on West Ribary Way, and stole two coats and a satellite radio.
SnoqualmieNot happy with his coffee
At 6:11 a.m. Oct. 28,
Snoqualmie police were called to a disturbance at Starbucks on Center Boulevard.
An employee reported that a man was yelling and scaring staff and cus-tomers. The employee said they managed to get the man out of the store and then locked the door. The man was trespassed from the business.
Not a good place to park
Police at 11:53 p.m. Oct. 28 found a vehicle in a ditch on Mill Pond Road, and were unable to locate the driver.
FraudA Snoqualmie resident
reported Oct. 29 that someone used his credit card for a delivery in Chicago.
Very odd indeedA Snoqualmie resident
reported Oct. 30 that he was trying to sell a fish tank for $500 on the Internet.
The man said a person who was interested in
buying the fish tank sent the resident a check for $2,800, requesting the extra payment be sent through Western Union back to him. The informa-tion was forwarded to the FBI.
Look what I learned today
Police received a 911 hang up call at 4:48 p.m. Nov. 1. A child had learned how to call 911 from firefighters at school that day.
North Bend fire calls
q Three fire engines responded to a vehicle accident with no injuries at 5 p.m. Oct. 26 at the 37200 block of Southeast North Bend Way.
q Four fire engines responded to a vehicle accident with injuries at 8:27 p.m. Oct. 26 at west-bound Interstate 90.
q Two fire engines responded to an unauthor-ized burning call at 4:57 p.m. Oct. 27 at the 43000 block of Southeast Mount Si Road.
q Four fire engines
Police blotterresponded to a vehicle accident with injuries at 10:36 p.m. Oct. 28 at west-bound Interstate 90.
q Two fire engines responded to a vehicle fire at 8:12 p.m. Nov. 1 at the 100 block of Southeast 146th Street.
Snoqualmie fire calls
q EMTs assisted EF&R Oct. 26 with injuries from a motor vehicle accident
q EMTs responded Oct. 27 at Snoqualmie Casino to assist a person experi-encing stroke symptoms.
q EMTs responded Oct. 27 to Mount Si High School to assist a student with a sports injury.
q EMTs responded Oct. 28 at Snoqualmie Casino to assist a person experi-encing a headache.
q EMTs responded Oct. 28 at Snoqualmie Casino to assist a person experi-encing stroke symptoms.
q EMTs responded Oct. 28 at Snoqualmie Casino
to assist a person experi-encing dizziness.
q Firefighters responded Oct. 29 to an automatic fire alarm at the Nexus building on Snoqualmie Ridge. Firefighters deter-mined burnt popcorn set off the alarm.
q Fire fighters respond-ed Oct. 31 to a fire alarm at Technical Glass on Snoqualmie Ridge. Fire fighters found contractor doing construction that set off the alarm.
q Firefighters responded Oct. 31 to a fire alarm at a residence on the Ridge. Found smoke detec-tor tripped by theatrical smoke being produced for Halloween.
q EMTs responded Oct. 31 at Snoqualmie Casino to assist a person experi-encing light-headedness and fainting.
The Star publishes names of those arrested for DUI and those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.
schoolsPAGE 11NOVEMBER 8, 2012
11
By Sebastian Moraga
Sit in a circle, close your eyes and then hold your arms straight in front of you.
Then, take a deep breath, as your friends give you clues on whether what you’re holding is in the shape of a cat or a skel-eton.
Lay flat on your back, breath-ing with your belly. Then, turn your head and stick your tongue out at your neighbor.
Concentrate, stay focused, keep your poise. Unless you find a bug; then feel free to start gig-gling.
What, you’ve never practiced yoga?
Yoga done Snoqualmie Elementary School style, that is. A different flavor of the ancient practice, with games mixed in with the exercises, keeping chil-dren engaged and limber.
“I have this knee thing and yoga works well for it,” student Mia Bel said.
Besides their arms, knees and legs, the students work out their funny bone. When a student shows off her double joints, her
buddy calls it “creepy.”The students manage to have
fun, although they did not choose to do yoga. Almost all of them point to one person as responsible for making them show up once a week to sit on a mat in an empty gym — their mothers.
“My mom works at home,” student Ashlyn Klein said. “I think she was trying to get rid of me, so I don’t get loud around the house.”
Bel agreed.“My mom said, ‘I’m going to
find every activity I can, so you don’t annoy me,’” Bel said.
Classmate Ella Svensson said her mom had a different con-cern.
“My mom wanted me to do it because it’s a good exercise, and it takes the pain away,” third-grader Svensson said.
It helps when a buddy joins a class.
Student Connor Knowles said he joined because of his mom and because his pal had joined, too.
Joey Sands, the pal, said he joined because of football-
induced pulled muscles in his legs, and because Connor is there.
So is Connor’s mom.“They get a little antsy,” said
Erin Knowles, the class’ instruc-tor. “So, we do little games. Sitting still is very difficult for
them.”Besides the laughs and the
stretches, students practice other “muscles,” like trust and com-munication, taking turns when they talk and treating each other with respect.
The goal, Erin Knowles said,
is to turn this one hour per week into a lifelong skill.
“I would like them to want to come back, and I would like to see more kids join,” she said. “Have the kids enjoy the pro-gram, enjoy doing movement, instead of playing video games.”
Yoga class teaches areastudents downward joy
By Sebastian Moraga
To hear Alysa Vermeulen tell it, making it in theatre is simple: When in doubt, Tinkerbell out.
“Last year, we were perform-ing at the high school,” the sixth-grader from Snoqualmie Middle School said during a break of the school’s drama club. “We were doing a game and it was supposed to last a minute and they left me alone on stage with 30 seconds left.”
So she decided to flap her arms around, repeating “Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell, Tinkerbell,” until her minute was up.
“They started to laugh, they thought I was a really good actor,” Vermeulen said. “They were like, ‘Look! She can make herself sweat.’”
The students at drama club – four boys and 41 girls—vary from newbies to veterans. The class teaches them strategies and techniques more than scripts, and the children love their teacher Stephanie Lynn Merrow for it.
“In this class, we do more improv and less planned act-ing,” said first-year student Paula Bachtal, “it’s more suspense-ful and you have to think a bit
harder.”Twelve-year-old Kaitlin
Losansky, who has been acting for eight years, calls Merrow the best teacher she has ever had.
“She actually teaches you something, she doesn’t just give you lines.” Losansky said.
Merrow, a teacher of drama and dance for the past 15 years, asks her charges to connect with their audience at all times. Never turn your back on them, always project your voice, and if they laugh at you, it’s a good thing.
“Make sure they know what’s going on,” said student Abbi Zuray. “Make everything clear.”
The students play games, crack one another up, but in the meantime, they build up their nerves for when the audience is someone outside Drama Club.
“It keeps us from breaking down and crying in the middle of things,” said SMS student Erika Khosrovian.
These children can’t drive yet, but they are driven to theater. It’s a career they are building, even this early on. Club member Taylor Lamb smiled when a class-mate said she would be famous by appearing in the paper.
For Calie Rose, the club helps her combat her shyness, she said, recurring even to a cer-tain mantra. When in doubt, Tinkerbell out.
She was the performer after Vermeulen finished flapping.
“I thought, ‘if Alysa did that,” Rose said, “I probably will be able to do my sketch.”
Classmate Allison Caswell agreed.
“A lot of us did not know a single thing about improv or drama,” she said. “Now we know there’s one more opportu-nity. We can be actors or actress-es and not be afraid.”
Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or [email protected]. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.
The world is a stage for Snoqualmie Middle School thespians
By Sebastian Moraga
Snoqualmie Middle School’s Drama Club members strike a pose during their weekly class. Students learn improv skills instead of learning lines from a script.
By Sebastian Moraga
Ashlyn Klein (left) watches yoga instructor Erin Knowles conduct a lesson at Snoqualmie Elementary School, while classmates Mia Bell and Mackenzie Barnes follow along. The students learn yoga while playing games once a week after school.
