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January 14, 2015
eview R sammamish www.sammamishreview.com
Eastlake wrestlers take charge, Page 6
Underage drinking could result in fines for party ‘hosts’
By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
By Greg Farrar
Miranda Roybal holds a gift Bible and gift kneeling pillow, and sits next to Owen Stoutt, her best friend and one of the members of her Court of Honor, during her quinceanera Mass held Jan. 10 at Eastlake Catholic School. See a photo gallery at www.sammamishreview.com.
If the City Council moves forward with a proposed new ordinance, Sammamish would be only the second King County city in which police could fine the “host” of any gathering at which liquor is served to those under the legal drinking age. The ordinance, proposed in September by Police Chief Nate Elledge, received its first reading before the council Jan. 6. As the ordinance is written, violations would result in a $250 fine. That seems likely
to change, as council members almost unanimously voiced the opinion that dollar figure was too low. When the ordinance is brought back to the council for a second reading, fines will probably equal $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second offense occurring within five years of the initial infraction. Dubbed a “social host ordinance” by Elledge, the proposed rules would hold responsible the owner or leaseholder of a home at which alcohol is served See FINES, Page 5
Spanish ceremony marks girl’s Hazardous parking transition to young adulthood could be hazardous to violators’ wallets
By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
“For me, it reaffirms her commitment to the Catholic Church, to living the way she was brought up to live,” dad Larry Roybal said. “It’s just to say, ‘You’ve kind of hit the big time,’” said mom Heidi Roybal, noting daughter Miranda, 15, needs now to get ready for college and will soon be able to drive, among other adult responsibilities. In a first for Eastside Catholic School in Sammamish, where Miranda is in her first year of high school, her family and friends gathered the evening of Jan. 10 for a traditional Spanish quinceanera, to mark, as her parents put it, Miranda’s transition from a young girl to a young woman. The event started with a roughly hourlong Mass in the chapel at Eastside Catholic, then moved down the road a bit to the banquet hall at Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church, where the even turned into a full-blown celebration, complete with food, a large cake, a Mariachi band and a DJ for dancing. “It’s not just a party,” Father Kevin Duggan, of Mary, Queen of Peace, said while giving a blessing to open the festivities. “It’s a celebration of life… Miranda has now entered a new stage of life.” During the service at Eastside Catholic, Miranda said she would be presented with traditional gifts such as a Bible and a rosary courtesy of her “padrinos,” her godparents and other adults who have served as mentors or been a part of Miranda’s life
so far. Her padrinos include an older sister, her grandparents and Eastside Catholic teacher Lisa Abraham. Those people were introduced at the beginning of the celebration at Mary, Queen of Peace, along with the members of Miranda’s Court of Honor, nine girls and nine boys chosen by Miranda, friends to help her celebrate and mark the occasion. The person she described as her best friend, Owen Stoutt, 15, accompanied her throughout the evening. Both Miranda and Owen said they have been friends since grade school.
By Greg Farrar
The Mariachi Fiesta Mexicana band performs at the Mary, Queen of Peace Catholic Church banquet hall during the fullblown quinceanera celebration, attended by more than 150 family and friends for Miranda Roybal on her 15th birthday. “I’ve always been there for her and she’s always been there for me,” Owen said. “He knows everything about me,” Miranda said. While they certainly were there partly for the fun, members of Miranda’s Court of Honor also acknowledge the serious side of the evening. “It means we’re going to be there for Miranda in the future,” said Austen Hornish, 14, talking about being a member of Miranda’s Court of Honor. Most of the court members said they had heard of a quinceanera, but had never been to one or took part in one previously. Blue was obviously the color of the night. It See CEREMONY, Page 3
By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Certain parking fines will jump from $20 to $71 per violation, if the Sammamish City Council follows the advice of city Police Chief Nate Elledge. Local police wrote 139 parking tickets in 2013, Elledge told the council at its regular meeting Jan. 4. Among those violations, 50 percent created some sort of hazard to drivers, pedestrians or others, Elledge said. Examples would include cars parked on sidewalks or blocking sidewalks. Another example would be a car parked too close to a fire hydrant. Drivers already would receive a fine if police noticed them parked improperly in any of the above manners. But that fine usually is $20, an amount consistent with most Eastside cities, Elledge said. The problem is that $20
doesn’t attract much attention from those fined, he said. Many don’t bother paying the fine immediately. City rules require parking fines be paid within 15 days of a violation, but only a mere 11 percent of fines were paid on time in 2013. As the discussion continued, council members noted it easily can cost more than $20 to park legally in downtown Seattle. With all that in mind, Elledge proposed legislation instituting the steep increase to a $71 fine for any parking violation that results in creating See PARKING, Page 3 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
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