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February 11, 2015
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Silky smooth
By Greg Farrar
‘Crooked Beak,’ by Anne Anderson, a 28-by-40 inch painting on silk, is one of the Issaquah resident’s many works on display at Sammamish City Hall through April 9 in a gallery exhibition titled ‘A Silk Road Journey.’ See a slideshow of her artwork at www. sammamishreview.com.
Parents, homeowners now subject to hefty fines for underage drinking By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Sammamish residents who, knowingly or unknowingly, allow underage drinking on property under their control could now face a $500 fine for a first offense. At its meeting Feb. 3, the City Council unanimously voted to approve what Police Chief Nate Elledge termed a “social host ordinance.” The idea is to hold responsible the host of parties where alcohol is served to those under the legal drinking age. Sammamish is now only
the second community in King County to adopt such an ordinance. As first proposed, the new law would have levied a $250 fine for a first offense and a $500 fine for a second offense within five years of the initial infraction. At the council’s request, those dollar figures were doubled. Basically, the ordinance holds accountable the owner or leaseholder of a home at which alcohol is served to those younger than 21. The responsible person could be ticketed even if he or she is not home at the time. For example, if a parent goes on vacation and his or her teen-
age child throws a party complete with alcohol, that parent could be ticketed and fined. In answer to a council question, Elledge said his officers would have some leeway in who they ticketed. If a parent could show he or she took reasonable steps to prevent underage drinking at the residence, they might not be fined. Elledge has previously said the ordinance was not aimed at landlords who rent to underage tenants who subsequently abuse alcohol on the rental property. The ticket and fine would go to the leaseholder. According to the wording of
previous Sammamish regulations, police could fine persons found to “permit” use of alcohol by those younger than 21. Elledge has said it is often difficult to prove underage drinking was specifically permitted by a homeowner or party host. The new law sidesteps that issue. In pitching the ordinance last month, Elledge said Sammamish police respond to between 30 and 35 calls regarding underage parties every year. The initial complaint reaching police is usually regarding noise. But Elledge also said alcohol often See FINES, Page 8
Issaquah boys trounce rival Skyline, Page 6
Lee Soptich to step down as EFR chief By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Although offered a twoyear extension of his contract, Eastside Fire & Rescue Chief Lee Soptich has announced his plans to step down from the leadership of the local fire and rescue squad in January 2016. Soptich, 58, said he made his announcement to the EFR regional board of directors in December and again last month. Soptich has been EFR chief since 1995. “Everything lined up for me,” he said in explaining his reasons for leaving the department. Soptich said he and wife Carrie have paid off their Carnation home and the last of his seven children will soon graduate from college. Soptich said he and his spouse, devout Mormons, decided now is an ideal time in their lives for them to take on the church mission trips they have long wanted to tackle. “That’s just in our DNA,” Soptich said, referring to the couple’s desire to work for the church. “This is what we intend to do.” Soptich said his family would keep this area as home base and he didn’t say where the family’s first mission might take them. “But I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it’s just going to be so cool.” Sammamish City Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay is a new member of the EFR board of directors. She said the board held its annual retreat in late January and spent over four hours setting various goals for themselves. One is to formuSee CHIEF, Page 8
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February 11, 2015
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Special election will decide annexation, initiative issues By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com On April 28, voters in Sammamish and the Klahanie area bordering the city will be deciding two issues: an advisory vote on giving residents of Sammamish the right to bring initiative and referendum issues to the ballot and the annexation of Klahanie into Sammamish.
Klahanie annexation The Sammamish City Council voted unanimously to put the longtalked of annexation to a public vote. Having turned down annexation overtures from Issaquah
twice, Klahanie-area residents will decide whether or not they wish to be part of Sammamish. If the vote favors annexation, the roughly 11,000 Klahanie residents would raise the Sammamish population to approximately 66,000. Klahanie-area residents alone will vote on the annexation issue. If the vote is positive, Mayor Tom Vance said the next step is legislation formally annexing the area, which is then sent to King County. Both Vance and City Manager Ben Yazici said there are numerous issues that will need to be worked out with the county prior to annexation, most importantly figuring how many tax
dollars that originated in Klahanie might be sitting in county coffers. Additionally, Sammamish will need to reach some goals of its own, such as readying additional police officers.
Initiatives and referenda According to supporters, 85 percent of King County residents already have the right to mount initiative and referendum questions. Now, current Sammamish residents will have the opportunity on April 28 to tell the Sammamish City Council they, too, would like those rights. The council voted
5-1, with one member absent, to place an advisory vote regarding initiatives and referenda on the April special ballot. Councilman Tom Odell cast the lone dissenting vote. (He did not respond to a request for comment.) Initiatives allow voters to put specific questions directly on the ballot, effectively bypassing legislators. With some limits, referenda also are put before voters and are used to halt or repeal legislation adopted by local lawmakers.
City needs assistance In the case of both
issues, the city will need to act fast to get the questions before voters in April. Most immediately, they need volunteers to help write pro and con arguments for both issues. Those arguments will appear in the voter pamphlet for the election. Those with strong feelings about either topic, either for or against, are encouraged by the city to volunteer at www. sammamish.us. The City Council will select the pro and con committees who write the arguments for the pamphlet. The deadline to apply for either Klahanie committee is Feb. 11; for either initiative or referendum group, the deadline is Feb. 27.
Fine for ‘hazardous’ parking more than doubles By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Following the recommendation of Sammamish Police Chief Nate Elledge, the City Council voted unanimously Feb. 3 to increase the fines
for parking that police deem creates a hazard to others from $20 to $71. Elledge said 50 percent of parking violators ticketed in 2013 created some sort of dangerous situation for drivers or pedestrians.
HOME SERVICES
Although the council seemed sold on the idea when Elledge suggested it last month, resident Christie Malchow used the public comment portion of the Feb. 3 meeting to promote the ordinance, earning some council applause for her efforts. Malchow provided a PowerPoint presentation with photos of cars parked directly on sidewalks and in
several other seemingly inappropriate locations. Malchow said she regularly takes walks with her two children, both in strollers, along with her two dogs. She said she considers cars parked in such a way that they force her into the street a safety hazard. Besides parking on a sidewalk or blocking a sidewalk, some other examples of parking
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violations that might attract the new fines include parking on the wrong side of the road, parking within five feet of a driveway and parking where prohibited by a posted sign. Elledge said Sammamish police wrote 139 parking tickets in 2013. Councilman Tom Odell backed the fine increase, but questioned how aggressive police have been in writing tickets. Odell argued he could drive around Sammamish and easily find 139
On Stage January 22 – March 1 Box Office: (425) 392-2202 • VillageTheatre.org
SAMMI Award winners selected The SAMMI Awards Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated for 14 years to promoting and celebrating community involvement in the city of Sammamish, has announced the 2015 SAMMI Honorees. The winners are: Courage Award: the Moscaret family. Circle of Service Award: Clint Scott and Jon Bromberg. Youth Spirit Award: Niyathi Chakrapani, Maddy Fletcher and Erika Kumar. Environmental Spirit Award: Ken Abraham and Echo Chernik. Community Spirit Award: Frances Garcia Hoffman, Lisa Di Lauro and Sue Stevens. The 2015 SAMMI Awards will be presented at 6 p.m. March 21 at the EX3 Teen Center, 825 228th Ave., N.E. Sponsors and local nonprofits will be feted beginning at 6 p.m., with the award show from 7-9 p.m. This year’s sponsors include the city of Sammamish, the YMCA, the Kiwanis Club of Sammamish, Swedish Medical Center, Republic Services, the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce and others. The awards ceremony is free and open to the public. Learn more at www.sammiawards.org.
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Hazards From Page 2 parking violations in a month. He also refuted resident complaints that had reached him after the increase was first proposed, complaints that said the increase was a moneymaking venture by the city. “It is a public safety issue… It goes beyond a simple inconvenience,” Odell said. While he also backed the increase, Councilman Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo said he didn’t want police to become “meter maids.” He suggested city officials reach out to homeowners associations and other groups to let them know about parking rules and the new fines. City Manager Ben Yazici said he would use the city’s newsletters and other means to publicize the new fines.
February 11, 2015
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Transportation, environmental issues discussed during annual council retreat By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
Protecting open spaces
Protecting open spaces and waterways, transportation needs and what Sammamish should look like in the future. Those were a few of the topics that got the most attention when council members and the administration talked about the 2015 Sammamish City Council retreat held Jan. 22-24 in Cle Elum.
Sammamish has plenty of untarnished open areas, as well as three lakes, City Manager Ben Yazici said. All need protecting or developed in ways that respect the environment. “What are the things that we can do from a legislative standpoint?” Yazici asked. “Our ordinances right now aren’t bad, but we can always do more,”
Mayor Tom Vance said. Yazici mentioned an idea he has proposed previously — transferring some development rights from environmentally sensitive areas to spots such as the proposed Town Center development. Basically, in exchange for giving up building rights in one spot, the same or differ-
ent developers could gain rights in another, Yazici said. The city wouldn’t undertake those transfers directly. “We may help facilitate and organize the transfers,” Vance said.
Transportation
council wants to see is some sort of transportation funding package coming out of Olympia, Vance said. Local officials hope to have some effect on regional transportation issues. According to Yazici, half of the Sammamish population heads north
The main thing the
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February 11, 2015
Editorial Help end domestic and sexual assault
Violence against women is on the rise, and that’s true for women and girls. February is Teen Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The highest rate of victimization for abuse and sexual assault occurs between the ages of 16 and 24, according to Break the Cycle’s CEO Amy Sanchez. No matter what age he or she is, no one should have to experience violence, whether at the hands of a stranger or someone he or she loves. Here’s what you can do to reach that lofty goal: Every day, parents teach their children by their actions what type of behavior is OK. First, set a good example. Second, talk with your children, male and female, about what is not acceptable. Hitting someone, or allowing someone to hit you, is never OK. Regarding sex, no means no, no matter what someone is wearing or any situation he or she has put himself or herself in. If you hear or see violence happening, call police. If it’s a misunderstanding, the police can sort it out. Police, when a woman, or man, comes to you and alleges any kind of assault has occurred, physical or sexual, investigate it and help prosecute those responsible. And make sure rape kits are tested to catch the assailant when his or her identity is unknown. LifeWire, formerly the Eastside Domestic Violence Program, helps victims of domestic violence. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship and needs help or would like to speak with someone about domestic violence, confidential help is available 24 hours a day, Call LifeWire at 746-1940 or 800-827-8840 toll free. No More helps all victims of domestic and sexual abuse, male and female. Break the Cycle helps empower youths to end domestic violence. Learn more about No More at http://nomore. org, Break the Cycle at www.breakthecycle.org and LifeWire at www.edvp.org.
Question of the Week How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Do you enjoy the candy and flowers, or do you wish Cupid’s arrow could double back and hit him? Share that with us or tell us about your best or worst Valentine’s Day. Email your answers to editor@isspress. com and we’ll run them in future issues.
OPINION
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Don’t take your eyes off a kid in the bath By Sandra Collins Special to the Review We all know you should never take your eyes off your kids in the bath. But, there comes a time when you put your 4-year-old in the bath and 90 percent of the time sit on the toilet and watch them play. Then….with the bathroom door open, you run and put a load of laundry in and come right back. Then, you sprint down the hall, throw it in the dryer
and come right back. Well, this day the phone rang. It was my friend and next-door neighbor. We can chat anytime, anywhere about anything. So, I quickly grabbed the phone and trotted right back to the throne to sit and chat with one eye on the tub. I closed the foggy glass bathtub doors so he could contin-
ue his top secret Navy Seals deepsea-diving mission and I could have my conversation about what we both were making for dinner. Then, it happened. It got quiet. Never a good sign with an active preschooler. Just as I slide open the door I take in a whiff of…what? Is that poop I smell? Oh my gosh! I yell into the phone
to my now very curious neighbor. OH… MY… GOSH! Not only has my son pooped in the tub but in two seconds flat he had smeared it on the wall and proceeded to take a bite out of what looked like a good-sized Baby Ruth bar! This is not happening! Whyyyyyyyy? He then smiles up at me with brown teeth and says, “What, Mom?” It’s official: We are now the white trashiest family in all of Sammamish!
in an individual. They also cause countless problems with pregnancies and childbirth. This is because of the more than 4,000 different chemicals found in cigarettes, 43 of which cause cancer. What’s more is that I have only scratched the surface as to the quantity and severity of the harmful effects of cigarettes. What really bothers me is why cigarettes are allowed to be produced at all. Cigarettes should be completely banned from the public. The only reason to continue the production of cigarettes is that without cigarettes one-fourth of America would temporarily experience withdrawal symptoms from this highly addictive substance. The long-term result, however, would far outweigh the temporary lull in America. America would in general be much healthier and worried less about their medical bills and more about their projects at work.
In fact, there would be less taxes for the working class of America because fewer people would be in the hospital dealing with the diseases they obtained by smoking. In closure, cigarettes should be banned to make America healthier and wealthier. Jack Fuchs Sammamish
Letters to the Editor Seahawks: Turn your fan fervor to your own life or that of others
I was inspired by the fervor we all applied to the Seahawks. Our entire region collectively joined hands in unity for a single cause. The amounts of time, energy and money spent was prodigious, and grew to a loud roar by Sunday afternoon. Then, a collective sadness swept over us Sunday evening. Even though it wasn’t official, Monday was a day of mourning. Today, I am struck by the thought that we all placed such a huge amount of ourselves into an event over which we had so little influence. Even with all our combined might, we remained mere spectators in this beautiful game of football. What if we applied that same amount of time, energy and money into engaging with our own lives? What if we figured out how to stop rushing
Review sammamish
from crisis to crisis? What if each of us took the time to figure out what really makes us tick? That’s when we stop being spectators of others’ lives and start truly living our own. Let’s be the place where this all begins and show the world how it’s done. Go team! Manya Vee Edmonds
Cigarettes: Banning them would make us healthier, wealthier About 20 percent of teens were reported using cigarettes in the past year. Your child could be smoking cigarettes, shortening his or her life expectancy right now. Plenty of studies have been done proving that cigarettes cause lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, strokes and heart disease. In fact, cigarettes harm nearly every organ in the body and lower the overall health as well as life expectancy
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Join the conversation Something on your mind about your city? Tell us about it. Yo u r t h o u g h t s should be no more than 350 words, but can be just a paragraph or two. Deadline to get in the coming paper is noon Friday. Email to samrev@isspress.com is preferred but you can also mail your comments to Sammamish Review, P.O. Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027.
STAFF Joe Heslet..................... General manager Kathleen R. Merrill........ Managing editor Neil Pierson................................ Reporter Greg Farrar......................... Photographer Deanna Jess............................Advertising Rebecca Morrissey...................News clerk
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SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Retreat From Page 3 every day, while the other half heads south. “We need to know what is going on in those corridors,” he added.
Visions of the city’s future
council members want Sammamish to remain a largely bedroom, suburban community, Councilman Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo said. In addition to tree retention, ValderramaAramayo also mentioned widespread desire for pedestrian and bike paths throughout the city.
Miscellaneous
Each council member was allowed time to discuss his or her vision for the future of Sammamish. Members generally felt transportation issues need some attention, as do environmental questions, such as coming up with a suitable tree-retention plan. Yazici, Vance and others said they were surprised by the similarities in the ideas expressed by various council members. “That’s a nice foundation for future work,” noted Tim Larson, city communications manager. For the most part,
Valderrama-Aramayo said the council talked about better ways to engage with the community, including holding socalled roundtable discussions with residents. Prior to the retreat, Valderrama-Aramayo and others suggested the council might want to hold its retreat closer to home, which could encourage greater public participation. Officials said four or five residents attended parts of the retreat. The retreat was held at the Lodge at Suncadia in Cle Elum, about an hour and a half drive from Sammamish. Larson gave the cost as $15,000.
Sammamish needs volunteers to write pro and con statements for the voters pamphlet regarding the Klahanie Annexation Ballot Measure. The pro and con committees responsible for the statements will be be appointed by the City Council. If interested, contact City Clerk Melonie Anderson at manderson@sammamish.us, or 425-295-0500. The application deadline has been extended to Feb. 11.
Please be aware that all email communication with Council Members or City staff is a public record and is subject to disclosure upon request.
Police blotter Theft from vehicle Someone swiped a backpack containing a laptop computer, a passport and some business documents from an unlocked car parked Jan. 22 in the 1800 block of 208th Place Southeast. The theft was reported at 12:15 a.m. Attempted burglary Someone entered a garage at about 3:20 a.m. Jan. 25 in the 27000 block of Southeast
February 11, 2015 24th Way, and rifled through the contents of a car parked inside. The suspect(s) likely entered the home, but nothing was reported stolen. The residents might have interrupted the crime in progress, as reports say they watched a car speed away. Vandalism Someone egged a car traveling on Southeast 20th Street near 216th Avenue Southeast at 1 p.m. Jan. 25. The paint was damaged during the incident.
Read this week’s Calendar of Events at www.sammamishreview.com.
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Sleepy burglar Pillowcases were the only items reported missing when someone used a resident’s stashed house key to enter a home in the 20000 block of Southeast 27th Place at about 7 p.m. Jan. 26. Suspicious circumstances A woman drove up a long driveway in the 2000 block of 239th Place Southeast, got out of her car, banged on the home’s door and yelled, “Let me in!” She then
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walked around the home, looking in through windows. She eventually got back in her car and left. The incident took place at about noon Jan. 31. Break-in Someone entered a garage in the 1700 block of East Lake Sammamish Parkway overnight Jan. 27. Nothing was reported stolen. Sammamish Review publishes names of those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.
Name: 9607/All Critters Animal Hospit Meet Sunshine, a 5-year-old snow white Width: angora mix with dazzling green eyes. This 20p11.333 beautiful gal enjoys curling up for a snuggle with a friend. Depth: 5 Her favorite thing to do is just lounge around and soak up all the sunshine. in As with all of our fabulous felines, volunteers spendPage: time with Sunshine every morning, On brushing and playing with her. She would be 5a delightful addition to a home looking to add a relaxed and loving cat to their home. Request Come to the Seattle Humane Society and Sunshine meet Sunshine Page: 0 today — you may just fall in love. Type: To adopt this or other animals, call the Humane Society for Seattle/King Display County at 641-0080 or go to www.seattlehumane.org. All animals are spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, and come with 30 days of Color: pet health insurance and a certificate for a vet exam from VCA All Critters. Black Sponsored by VCA All Critters Animal Hospital File Name: :09000-
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Sammamish homeowners who need help in maintaining their property or home, but are either unable to afford or perform necessary repairs, can get assistance. Call Sammamish Cares, a consortium of local community service organizations banded together with the city to aid local homeowners.
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February 11, 2015
Sports
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
Skyline finishes fourth, Eastlake sixth at KingCo wrestling By Neil Pierson npierson@sammamishreview.com The Skyline High School wrestling team finished fourth with 142 points at the Class 4A KingCo Conference tournament, held Feb. 6-7 at Issaquah High School. The Spartans won two individual championships, had four finalists, and will send nine
qualifiers to the Region 2 tournament Feb. 14 at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore. The top five wrestlers in each weight class advanced to regionals. Skyline’s two champions were 120-pounder Nathan Swanson, who eked out a 3-2 decision over Mount Si’s Duncan Harrison in the final; and 132-pounder Garin Swanson, who beat Redmond’s Kyle Nazareth, 6-0.
Skyline’s Adrian Abraham (160) advanced to the final before a loss to Issaquah’s Colby Starren, and Kona Bertolino (106) took second after a loss to Issaquah’s William Tickman. The team’s other regional qualifiers included Scott Huff (third, 126); Jacob Gehrett (fourth, 138); Paul Abboud (fifth, 120); Akash Yechuri (fifth, 126); and Matthew Oss (fifth, 182).
Eastlake finished sixth out of nine teams at the KingCo meet, scoring 111 points and advancing six individuals to the regional round. The Wolves’ top placer was 195-pounder Jacob Kaufman. He advanced to the final with two convincing victories before dropping a 9-5 decision to Bothell’s Aaron Ibanez. Eastlake’s William Galarpe
(132) took third with a 12-1 major decision against Inglemoor’s David Wang. James Jensen was third at 160, pinning Issaquah’s Kai Hapke in 2 minutes, 41 seconds, and Noah Morse was third at 182, beating Issaquah’s Daniel Quaranta, 9-6. Eastlake’s Martin Miller (113) and Matt Budoff (220) also advanced to regionals by placing fourth in their divisions.
Red-hot Taylor McKerlich Issaquah boys leads Skyline girls to win rout Skyline, send message By Neil Pierson npierson@ sammamishreview.com
As a sophomore, Taylor McKerlich was mostly successful on offense when she got good position under the basket. A year later, after diligently working on her jump shot, she has proven to be an even more valuable commodity for the Skyline High School girls basketball team. McKerlich poured in a game-high 24 points — 15 of them in the first half — and led the Spartans to a 66-39 rout of rival Issaquah in a Class 4A KingCo Conference matchup Feb. 5 at Skyline. She showed off her expanded range, routinely hitting jumpers from 12-15 feet, and even sank a third-quarter 3-pointer that brought her teammates on the bench to their feet. Afterward, McKerlich was humble and deferred credit, even though the 24 points doubled her previous scoring high this season. “Our team did a really good job of moving the ball around and got some really good passes, and I was able to convert my shots,” she said. Junior Maddie Adamson helped facilitate Skyline’s strong ball movement, assisting on several baskets and adding eight points. “Mostly on offense, I just tried to see the court a lot,” Adamson said, “and I tried to see main players
like Taylor, and tried to get to get them the ball.” The Spartans (12-5 overall, 11-4 KingCo) wanted to start the game quickly after they struggled to get going a night earlier against Mount Si. Skyline eventually won that game, 54-39, by going on a big third-quarter run, but the players didn’t want to repeat the pattern. Coach Joe Fithian “mainly just said, right from the start, we’ve got to do it all the way through the game and not stop,” Adamson said. Kailey Kassuba’s 3-pointer put Skyline up 13-5 in the first quarter, and after a brief Issaquah rally, the Spartans broke free with a 16-6 run for a 15-point halftime lead. By Greg Farrar Skyline didn’t There are plenty of arms flying as Skyline High School cough up the momentum after the freshman wing Jade Loville gets double-teamed by break, bottling up the Issaquah’s Tatum Dow (left) and Ellen MacNary during the Eagles (9-9, 7-8) with fourth quarter of their Feb. 5 basketball game. a tenacious defensive effort. McKerlich said 12 points for Issaquah, tage in their playoff the players have been but the Eagles didn’t find opener, while the Eagles focusing on recovery and consistent offense and will have to go on the help-side defense in pracwere held below 10 points road. Adamson indicated tice to make sure no one in two quarters. there’s no magic formula is left on an island against Both teams are headed for the Spartans as they an opposing scorer. to the playoffs and finish try to continue their sucJade Loville, a 5-foot-9 the regular season this cessful season. freshman, came off the week. Skyline travels to “Just keep going hard bench and led the way in Redmond, while Issaquah on defense and offense, the second half, scoring hosts Bothell. Both games keep running our stuff 10 of her 17 points in the start at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11. just like we have been for fourth quarter. The Spartans are Lauren Longo and assured of a top-four seed the whole entire season,” she said. Nicole Victory each scored and home-court advan-
By Neil Pierson npierson@sammamishreview.com The Issaquah High School boys basketball team won’t finish this season with an undefeated record in conference play because of a January home loss to Skyline. Few people wearing purple and gold will remember that, however, after Issaquah avenged the loss with a dominating, 68-35 victory at Skyline on Feb. 5. The Eagles had already cemented the Class 4A KingCo Conference regular-season title, and sent a message that they’re ready to win big games again, a year after going all the way to the state semifinals and a third-place finish. “We had so much energy coming out,” junior guard Scott Kellum said. “This is a huge game for us, to come back in their house and beat them after they came in our house and beat us. “Everyone contributed. It’s a full, all-around good game, and we came to play.” Issaquah (15-4 overall, 14-1 KingCo) went on a big run late in the first quarter, capped by Trevon AryTurner’s last-second 3-pointer, to lead 18-8. The second quarter was more of the same, and likely removed all doubt about the final result. The Eagles’ swarming zone defense got the Spartans completely out of synch, forcing several turnovers and turning them into easy points at the other end of the floor. Senior Ty Gibson scored nine of his game-high 14 points during the second quarter as Issaquah went to halftime with a 33-13 lead. For Skyline (9-10, 8-7), most of its losses this season have been by fewer than 10 points, so a 20-point halftime deficit was a bit jarring, coach Bill McIntyre said. “You hope they can come back and dig in, but I think that just kind of shocked them a little bit,” McIntyre said. One of Issaquah’s keys was bottling up Skyline senior guard Robert Biegaj. Mission accomplished, as Biegaj scored four points, none in the final three quarters. “Robert is a great player — he’s one of the best players in our league,” Eagles coach Jason Griffith said, “and so our kids knew coming in that we would have to make things hard for him.” None of the other Spartans were able to pick up the scoring slack. Braden Ahlemeyer led Skyline with eight points. See BOYS, Page 7
SAMMAMISH REVIEW
February 11, 2015
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Scouts’ rite of passage marks big achievement
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By Neil Pierson npierson@ sammamishreview.com
“Our game plan was just to fly around, make it difficult for everyone,” Kellum noted. “Don’t let them catch it easy, get steals, deflections, all we can do.” Kellum had 13 points and three rebounds, and 6-foot-5 junior forward Jack Dellinger added a spark off the bench with 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals. With a 49-21 lead after three quarters, Issaquah emptied its bench for the final eight minutes, and didn’t lose any intensity. The starters were cheering for the reserves, a quality epitomized when Dellinger banked in a wild shot while being fouled, and the entire bench jumped up in unison. “We all want to see each other do well,” Kellum said, “and it’s so awesome to play for this team.” Both teams finished the regular season Feb. 10 after press time, and will begin the playoffs this weekend. Neither squad is trying to get too high or too low because of the result against their KingCo rival. “I felt coming in that if we kept the game in the 50s, it could be a competitive game,” McIntyre said. “I didn’t want to get into a shootout again. “When we scored 76 points on them the first time, that was the most they’ve given up all season, and it was the second-most we’ve scored. You’re talking about trying to catch lightning in a bottle twice.”
The 15 boys who stood on the stage were mostly solemn, but some of them allowed grins to creep across their faces as they absorbed the magnitude of the moment. Cub Scout packs across the country hold annual transition ceremonies for 11- and 12-year-olds who’ve fulfilled the requirements to join Boy Scouts. Cub Scout Pack 682, which draws its members from Issaquah and Sammamish, honored its graduating fifthgraders Feb. 3 at Pacific Cascade Middle School. “Our pack is about 75 scouts, and when we have an event like this, we get almost 200 people,” said Greg LaMont, the pack’s Cub master. “It’s a very big pack. It takes a lot of the parents to volunteer time to make our pack work.” The room was adorned in blue and gold, the traditional colors of Cub Scouts, and after about 90 minutes of eating, entertainment and leadership recognition, the 15 soon-to-be Boy Scouts took their place on the stage. Thirteen of the 15
By Neil Pierson
Alex Hammingh is adorned with a new scarf and his Arrow of Light award, signifying his transition into Boy Scouts during a Feb. 3 ceremony at Pacific Cascade Middle School. were given Arrow of Light awards, the highest honor for Webelos before they join Boy Scouts. Webelos must navigate a 20-month
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of leadership. The goal is to turn an adult-run Cub Scout pack into a youthled Boy Scout troop. The boys took turns walking across a small bridge, signifying the transition to Boy Scouts, and were given new scarves to mark their passage. All of the transitioning scouts plan to join Issaquah-based Troop 636, a decision they made on their own. Most of them are in their fourth year of working together, having joined Cub Scouts in second grade. “They have to actually interview their next place that they want to go,” LaMont said. “It’s a really cool time for them to really kind of test out the waters, see who they want to be with, how they want to grow and how the pack works.” LaMont noted that Troop 636 has traditionally turned out a large number of Eagle Scouts, a noteworthy accomplishment because only 5 percent of all Boy Scouts achieve the Eagle rank. The newly-anointed Boy Scouts attend Challenger, Cascade Ridge and Endeavour
elementary schools. They are Noah Brandes, Ayden DeGuzman, Ethan Dutcher, Jon Foust, Alex Hammingh, Nolan Lee, Max Morrey, Cole Ogren-Butail, Preston Stampfl, Austin Adee, Sean Brady, Riese Cox, Kayden Jambor, Andrew Lum and Gabe Taylor. Moving into Boy Scouts presents more challenges, but also more rewards. Camping and hiking trips often increase from two days to a full week. They’ll learn first aid, forestry and mountaineering skills, and increase their leadership capacities. LaMont credits Pack 682’s other leaders — there are two adults who supervise each of the pack’s 11 dens — for helping the boys get to this point. But not every Cub Scout moves on, something LaMont recognizes. “If they don’t check off everything, I usually just tell them they did their best, because we have sports, we have family issues, we have things going on, and the kids need to be able to be successful along with their other groups they do.”
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Fines From Page 1 turns out to be a factor. For those age 15 to 21, car accidents are the No. 1 killer, Elledge added. Locally, between 2009
Chief From Page 1 late a worthy process for replacing Soptich. “He’s given us plenty of time,” she said. “And,
and 2011, 40 percent of local DUI incidents involved drivers younger than 21. He said that figure then dropped, but the numbers are starting to increase once again, although he did not have exact figures. Mercer Island is the other local city to adopt a
so-called host law. In the two or three years since that city adopted those rules, only one ticket has been written, although a number of warnings were also given, Elledge said. Mercer Island police credit the low numbers to simply having the law on the books, he added.
frankly, it might take some time to find the right person… This is not something you do overnight.” With that in mind, Huckabay said she and other board members decidedly appreciate the lead time Soptich provided prior to his planned leav-
ing. Soptich is not the only member of the EFR leadership who will be moving on. Soptich said Deputy Chief of Planning Wesley Collins and Human Resources Manager Ingrid Anderson-Boyle also plan to step down.
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