issaquahpress030712

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Meet the Interfaith Amigos 

Issaquah man is semifinalist for Space Needle space flight

Retiring Sports Editor Bob Taylor shares favorite memories Sports,

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‘It Shoulda Been You’ debuts

Community,

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THE ISSAQUAHPRESS www.issaquahpress.com

QRepublicans gather for

Wednesday, March 7, 2012 • Vol. 113, No. 10

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Salmon program spawns gift

Mitt Romney emerges as top choice among local participants By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter

By WarreN KaGarISe

Republican caucusgoers gather March 3 at Discovery Elementary School to select a presidential nominee.

DEMOCRATS RESPOND Local Democrats do not gather for caucuses until April 15, but the state party organization did not remain on the sidelines as Republicans chose Mitt Romney in a statewide straw poll March 3. Washington State Democrats Chairman Dwight Pelz lambasted the GOP frontrunner and former Massachusetts governor hours after the caucuses ended.

See SALMON, Page A5

“Washingtonians are looking for a leader who will focus on revitalizing the economy and creating jobs, but Mitt Romney and the rest of the GOP slate are too busy pandering to the extreme right wing of their party to focus on the issues that matter to Washington’s middle class families,” Pelz said in a statement. Though President Barack Obama does not face a challenge for the nomination, Democrats plan to use the caucuses to elect delegates and alternates to legislative district caucuses and county conventions.

$219 million school bond could pick up tab for carpet, construction DECONSTRUCTING

By Tom Corrigan Issaquah Press reporter

THE

Voting by mail in the weeks leading up to April 17, roughly 58,000 registered voters in the Issaquah School District will have the chance to decide whether the schools can sell $219 million in bonds to pay for major renovation and maintenance projects throughout the district. The capital improvement plan presented by district officials includes a wide variety of projects, including replacing several schools, and installing new roofs and carpet at other facilities. The plan was created by a long process that started in early 2011 with meetings of a bond feasibility and development committee. That group made recommendations to Superintendent Steve Rasmussen and the package eventually had to earn the approval of the school board. The board had the final say on whether to put a bond before voters and what projects would be proposed. In dollars, the largest projects include the replacement of Clark and Sunny Hills elemen-

grassroots caucuses

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The long-running Salmon in the Classroom program at Clark Elementary School remained afloat due to a donation from a former student. Issaquah native Jerry Pearson, a Snoqualmie attorney and former Clark Elementary student, said childhood memories of salmon in Lewis Creek and concerns about budget cuts to public schools inspired the donation. “It’s important for kids to know that the salmon are an important part of the culture in the Northwest,” he said. “They need to know that salmon are so much more than just the logo on posters for Salmon Days.” Pearson recalled fishing for trout and perch in Lewis Creek as a boy growing up near the south end of Lake Sammamish. Once, he received a scolding from his mother after he brought home a salmon he pulled from the creek. Until he toured the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery on a school trip, Pearson thought of salmon as little more than “red trout.” Salmon in the Classroom, as the name suggests, enables students to raise the iconic Pacific Northwest fish from eggs to fry. Then, as the program concludes in the spring, students release the fry into creeks. The state Department of Fish and Wildlife used to administer the program, but after state lawmakers drained Salmon in the Classroom dollars in 2010, a grassroots effort formed to salvage the popular program. Statewide, about 500 schools participated in Salmon in the Classroom during a typical year before the budget cuts. In the months after the state nixed Salmon in the Classroom,

See Page B8

BOND

PART 1 OF 4 HOW THE PROPOSED $219 MILLION BOND COULD IMPACT SCHOOLS

tary schools and Issaquah Middle School, and major renovations to Liberty High School. The oldest schools in the district In talking about the bond projects, district officials are quick to point out that Issaquah Middle School (built in 1955) Sunny Hills (built in 1962) and Clark (built in 1950) are among the most aged schools in the district. In his recommendation to the school board, Rasmussen said it was no coincidence that replacing those schools

accounted for nearly half of the cost of the overall capital proposal. In the board-approved package that cut Rasmussen’s proposal by $8.5 million, the price of the three schools totals $109.1 million of the overall package of $219 million. Rebuilding Issaquah Middle School will cost $62.5 million. The price tag for Clark is $19.5 million; for Sunny Hills, $27.1 million. Officials said there are numerous efficiencies that can be achieved in new buildings. For example, it costs 27.4 percent more to heat Issaquah Middle School than Pacific Cascade Middle School, Rasmussen said. In regard to its oldest schools, the district reached the point where a decision had to be made whether to keep spending substantial dollars on maintenance of older buildings or ask voters to allow an investment in newer structures, said Associate Superintendent Ron Thiele, who also mentioned safety issues at the older schools. For example, the layout of doors at Issaquah Middle School makes See BOND, Page A6

B8 B7 B1 B3

Opinion ............ A4 Police & Fire .... B7 Schools ............ B6 Sports ........... B4-5

See CAUCUSES, Page A5

Caucusgoers throughout Washington gathered March 3 in the initial step to select delegates to the Republican National Convention. Precinct caucuses Republicans gathered at community centers, schools and other public places March 3 to participate in a nonbinding straw poll and elect delegates to legislative district caucuses.

Legislative district caucuses Because King County is so large, Republicans select a smaller group of delegates to the King County convention at legislative district caucuses. Republicans in the 5th Legislative District — the district encompassing most Issaquah neighborhoods — plan to hold legislative district caucuses March 31 in Maple Valley.

County convention Delegates elected at the legislative district caucuses

then participate in the King County GOP convention April 28. The event determines the local delegates to the state Republican convention.

State convention Gathered in Tacoma from May 30 to June 2, Republicans intend to select 40 of the state’s 43 delegates to the national convention. State GOP Chairman Kirby Wilbur and two other state party leaders complete the delegate lineup.

National convention Republicans plan to nominate a challenger to President Barack Obama in late August at the Republican National Convention. The convention runs from Aug. 27-30 in Tampa, Fla.

REGISTER TO VOTE Unregistered voters looking to cast a ballot in the April 17 special election need to register online or by mail by March 19. Ballots for the all-mail election are expected to go out March 28. You must have a valid Washington driver’s license in order to register online. Go to www.kingcounty.gov/elections/ registration.aspx. From there, you can find a form to use for mail-in voter registration. Forms are also available at King County Elections and branches of the King County Library System. March 19 is also the deadline for previously registered voters to change information such as name or address. Would-be voters also may register in person at one of two locations — King County Elections headquarters, 919 S.W. Grady Way, Renton, or the King County Voter Registration Annex, King County Administration Building, 500 Fourth Ave., Room 311, Seattle. Call 206-296-8683. Voters who have never registered or voted in Washington previously have until April 9 to register, but all registrations after March 19 must be done in person.

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E ................. Classifieds ........ Community ...... Obituaries ........

Republicans clustered at community halls and elementary schools in Issaquah and nearby communities March 3, as a long presidential nominating contest offered local caucusgoers a chance to shape the national contest. Issaquah caucusgoers headed to Discovery and Issaquah Valley elementary schools, and Colin Hall at Providence Point, to support the GOP candidates vying to face President Barack Obama in November. Mitt Romney trounced the other candidates in the 5th Legislative District and King County, and topped the straw poll statewide. Observers said support in the Washington caucuses’ nonbinding straw poll could boost the former Massachusetts governor on Super Tuesday, a 10-state contest March 6 and a make-or-break test for candidates. Romney received strong support from caucusgoers gathered at the local elementary schools. Though U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich also mobilized supporters for local caucuses, Romney emerged as the frontrunner. Romney’s moderate politics appealed to caucusgoers from the Eastside — a suburban electorate

THE PATH TO THE NOMINATION

QUOTABLE “No matter what the result is, whether I get selected or not, being enthusiastic and doing what your heart says is something I’ve learned. Everything you do, you have to put your best in.”

— Saurabh Saxena Issaquah resident who is competing in the Space Needle Space Race 2012 — a contest to launch a civilian on a suborbital flight. (See story on Page B1.)

By GreG Farrar

A Thing for Seuss Alison Lee, an Issaquah High School junior dressed as Thing 2, listens as Emma Deiner, 8, asks to have the Cat in the Hat painted on her cheek during the ‘Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!’ party March 2 at the King County Library Service Center.

SOCIAL MEDIA Connect with The Issaquah Press on social media at www.twitter.com/issaquahpress and www.facebook.com/issaquahpress. Scan the QR code to go to www.issaquahpress.com.


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