sammamishreview022912

February 29, 2012 Locally owned 50 cents

Marriage for all

How many firefighters?

Program could reduce the number who respond to routine medical problems

Gay marriage bill could change the lives of Sammamish residents

By Caleb Heeringa

By Caleb Heeringa

Words and terminology are more than just semantics to Sage and Dana Alixander.

The Sammamish residents, who were married in California in 2008 and registered as domestic partners in Washington State shortly afterwards, may no longer have to carry the asterisk of calling the person they love their “domestic partner” in the eyes of the law. Gov. Chris Gregoire (D) signed into law a bill recognizing same-sex marriage in the state Feb. 13, prompting gay marriage opponents to begin collecting signatures for a referendum to put the issue before voters on November’s ballot.

For the Alixanders, residents of the Vintage neighborhood, legal recognition of their devoted 21-year relationship is long overdue. Dana Alixander said the

deciding votes on the matter.

Sen. Cheryl Pflug, who represents most of the city in the 5th District, and Sen. Steve Litzow, whose 41st District will cover the south half of Sammamish start-

Why send three people to do a job that only takes one?

That’s been a common rhetorical question for fire officials trying to handle a steadily increasing workload – about two-thirds of which are medical calls – in a time of tight public finances.

Eastside Fire & Rescue and King County’s Emergency Medical Service officials will be putting the theory to the test this year with a Community Medical Technician pilot program.

Under the program, the agency will staff a one-person unit that will respond in an SUV to non-lifethreatening medical calls – a broken finger, bad back pain or a nosebleed, for example. As of now, the standard EMT crew responds to those calls in a fully-equipped aid car or fire truck, tying up three responders that might be needed at more major calls.

See MARRIAGE, Page 2

See CALLS, Page 2

Contributed

Sage (left) and Dana Alixander as they said “I do” in 2008 in California. Washington may legally recognize their marriage by the end of the year. creation of a separate legal framework of domestic partnership felt almost belittling of what should be a basic civil right for her and Sage.

“Not to be flippant, but you could just as easily have said ‘You have to sit on the back of

the bus – but you’re on the bus, so what does it matter?’” she said.

All eyes were on Olympia in the weeks leading up the State Senate vote on the measure and several Sammamish lawmakers bucked their party and served as

Issaquah schools adopt new teacher evaluation system

By Tom Corrigan

Hoping to take the lead in implementing a coming change in state law, local school officials have settled on a teacher evaluation system that could end up being a model for all of Washington.

The Issaquah School District will now spend time ramping up to implementation of the new system, according to Associate Superintendent Ron Thiele, as well information released by the district.

The new teacher and principal evaluation system should be in place in time for the next school year.

In fall 2013, every Washington public

school will be implementing a state-mandated system to evaluate the performance of teachers and principals.

According to the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, the vast majority of districts in the state do not use a research-based instructional framework to guide teacher evaluations. The Issaquah district is an exception and district officials decided they wanted to be a part of any coming changes.

“We decided we wanted to be on the forefront of that,” said Sara Niegowski, executive director of communications for the district.

The new teacher evaluation system was

the choice of a selection committee consisting of district administrators and representatives of the Issaquah Education Association, the local teachers union.

Frameworks under consideration initially were studied in 13 districts, or consortiums of districts, from across the state, Thiele said. Those initial studies earned past praise from Thiele, who said he fully supports strengthening teacher evaluations.

“It’s good for the districts, it’s good for the state, it’s good for the teachers,” he added.

In the end, local officials decided to go with what is known as the Charlotte

A community says goodbye

She’s a top teacher

community page 8

schools page 12

Danielson framework, Thiele said, indicating there were several reasons for that choice.

District officials claimed there is solid evidence of a direct relationship between the use of the framework and improved student learning. Additionally, several other districts are using the framework.

Those districts include Bellevue and Bainbridge Island. As the implementation process moves forward, there could be opportunities for various districts to share resources and information, Thiele said.

Finally, the district already uses an older

Calendar...........16 Classifieds........19 Community........8 Editorial.............4 Police...............18 Schools............12 Sports..............14

See TEACHERS, Page 3

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February 29, 2012

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

EFR considers changes to its governance structure

By Caleb Heeringa

Eastside Fire & Rescue board meetings have seen their share of conflict in recent years, with Sammamish leaders balking at the annual rise in their agency dues and blocking attempts to add neighbors to the partnership.

Through the worst of the contentious battles, though, one partner of the five-partner agency has always had a secret weapon they have never wielded – mostly out of respect for the governmental equivalent of a gentleman’s agreement that underpins everything the agency does.

King County Fire District 10, which covers Klahanie and unincorporated areas south and east of Issaquah, has always served as the “employer of record” for the agency – the legal entity responsible for executing contracts with the agency’s labor union and officially carrying out the directives of the EFR board.

As the partners have begun discussing the future of the agency after the 2014 expiration of the current interlocal agreement, several partners have pointed out that the issue of who acts as the employer of record could come back to bite the agency if the board was ever faced with a truly irreconcilable conflict. “(District 10 representatives on the EFR board) are in a position that could potentially require them to do something that they feel is antithetical to

Marriage Continued from Page 1

ing in November, were two of the first Republicans to come out in favor of the measure. Rep. Glenn Anderson (R-5), joined local Democrats in favor of the measure, which passed the House easily.

Sen. Andy Hill, a Republican in the 45th also voted for the measure, though he was undecided in the days leading up to the vote. Hill was on the receiving end of pointed questions about his vote at a Feb. 18 Town Hall meeting at the Sammamish City Hall.

Hill declined to answer a question about his personal feelings on gay marriage, saying he was “conflicted,” but adding that he supported the bill after fellow legislators added amendments aimed at protecting private business owners like florists and

Funding model blues It did not take long for EFR partners to be reminded of the pitfalls involved in changing the way they pay for fire service at a Feb. 16 meeting to discuss the future of the agency.

Cities and fire districts are currently charged based on the assessed value of the area being covered by a specific station.

That has consistently irked Sammamish leaders, who point to Station 83, which spends much of its time responding to minor medical calls in Providence Point, but is mostly funded by the high-property value homes in Sammamish.

Sammamish Mayor Tom Odell, who represents the city on the board along with Councilman Ramiro Valderrama, has requested that the agency look at finding some sort of hybrid funding model, taking into account the value of an area covered as well as the amount of calls an area generates.

Fire Chief Lee Soptich said the partners went back and forth about funding models during the last go-around on the agency’s interlocal agreement, but settled on assessed value because it is tied to partners’ property tax-based revenue streams and doesn’t fluctuate from year to year like call volumes do. Just about every differing funding model would make some partners’ contributions go up and others’ go down.

Mark Mullet, one of Issaquah’s representatives on the board, summed up the conundrum facing the partners if they were to change the funding model going forward.

“You’re not going to get someone to sign off on something that makes him or her pay more,” he said.

The partners are scheduled to hold another meeting about the future of the agency in April. the best interests of their taxpayers,” Board Chairman Ron Pedee (who represents District 38) said at a Feb. 16 meeting.

“That’s an unfair expectation for us to have of them.”

Though the agency’s interlocal agreement gives the board authority to make decisions, several partners fear there is enough legal wiggle room in the current agreement that an “employer of record” could act on their own, potentially leading to a dissolution of the agenevent planners who may be morally opposed to rendering services in gay weddings. Those sorts of businesses could currently be held liable for refusing services to someone based on sexual orientation under the state’s antidiscrimination law. Hill said he also supports opponents’ efforts to bring the matter to a vote of the people.

“I voted for the bill once I got assurances that those protections were in place,” Hill told the audience. “I feel like we got a decent balance between personal liberty and religious freedom.”

Democrat Larry Springer, who voted for the measure along with other area Democrats, said he was impressed with legislators’ civility during debate over an often-contentious matter.

“This year was by the far the most deliberate, most civil and most honest floor debate I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Fellow 45th District Democrat Roger Goodman said it was more

cy. While District 10 has never made any threats of acting against the will of the board, several partners pointed out that future board members may not be as cooperative and constructive as the current ones.

“Right now we’ve got a board that all acts together,” District 10 Commissioner Mike Mitchell said. “But one entity … could pull the plug on all that. No one partner should have that kind of See EFR, Page 5

appropriate to view gay marriage as a legal issue rather than a religious one.

“You need to separate the sacrament of marriage from the legal rights conferred to couples in the law,” Goodman said.

Those legal rights are also on the mind of the Alixanders and are why the Sammamish residents continue to push for the federal government to do away with the Defense of Marriage Act and recognize gay couples.

In the current system, where marriage laws vary state-by-state, the couple’s marriage may mean nothing if they go on vacation.

They fear a worst-case scenario, where one partner is hospitalized in a life-threatening situation but the other is not allowed to see them.

Just as important, they say, is the lack of access to federal benefits like Social Security. If Dana, as the primary income source in the relationship, were to pass away, Sage would not have

Calls Continued from Page 1

EFR chief Lee Soptich said the pilot program may prove to be a more efficient and cheaper model than adding another full service unit to keep up with call volumes – which have grown around 3 percent a year recently.

“This gets us some data so that we can find out,” Soptich said.

“Down the road it may be something we can do to stem the rising tide of calls … instead of having to add crews.”

The agency has around 5,100 medical calls a year; Deputy Chief Greg Tryon said the department estimates that the CMT would be able to respond to about 400 of those.

The pilot program is funded by a $243,000 grant from King County EMS, which handles lifethreatening paramedic response and is funded by a 30 cents per $1,000 of assessed value levy across the county. About half of the firefighters in the agency – those who signed up for the hourand-a-half training – will be eligible to work the medical technician program shift as overtime on top of their normal EFR hours, Tryon said.

In addition to providing minor medical care, the unit is trained in identifying patients who may benefit from social services, like senior citizens who may need a part-time nurse or help around the house, for example.

Soptich said the pilot project is modeled after a similar two-person Community Medical Technician program used by the Kent Fire Department and South King Fire and Rescue in 2010.

Soptich said leaders in Kent credit the program for reducing calls by about 350 from people that were “familiar with the system.” access to her social security benefits. Federal law also doesn’t recognize same-sex couples when it comes to immigration issues of military veterans benefits.

Dana said she feels President Obama has been “very cautious” when it comes to pushing for gay rights at the federal level, though she’s hopeful that the issue may gain traction if Obama is reelected in November.

“I believe (his opinion) is going to evolve like Gregoire’s did,” she said. “I’m more fearful of the Supreme Court, given the conservative bent they’ve had.”

At the state level, the Alixanders said the prospect of a referendum on gay marriage brings up bad memories of Proposition 8 in California, which reversed a court ruling granting marriage rights to same-sex couples. The proposition has been ruled unconstitutional but that ruling is being appealed.

The couple said they fear that opponents will gather signatures

“A lot of them were people that didn’t know that there were any other options than to call the fire department,” Soptich said.

The unit will be on duty from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. – the hours the agency expects to have the most minor medical calls. It will be based out of EFR Headuarters, on Newport Way in Issaquah, but will respond anywhere within a 20-minute response radius – an area that stretches as far north as Station 82 in the Sahalee area and as far east as the west part of North Bend, Tryon said.

Sammamish Mayor Tom Odell, one of the city’s two representatives on the board, said he was skeptical that the agency could afford the program once the county grant money runs out, but said the model makes sense – not every medical incident needs three people on scene. The agency’s board has discussed using a similar model to respond to some of the medical calls at Providence Point, a retirement community near Station 83 – which is mostly funded by Sammamish but spends more time responding to Issaquah than any other partner.

“I’m interested in seeing how this turns out,” Odell said.

“Conceptually it seems like a good way to go.”

Tryon said that no matter what happens, the program is going to give local firefighters a deeper understanding of citizens’ needs.

“Whatever becomes of the program, the information that the firefighters gain will be of great help in their day to day encounters with the citizens of Eastside Fire & Rescue,” Tryon wrote in an email. “This program is giving us access to resources for our customers that we have been unaware of in the past, and should be of great help to our patients in the future.” to get both an initiative defining marriage as being between a man and a woman and a referendum repealing the recently passed law on the ballot, potentially confusing voters. Fundamentally, they say it feels wrong to leave their relationship up to a vote of the people.

“My life should not be up for a vote,” Dana Alixander said. “It feels like (people who vote against gay marriage) are bullying us. Not bullying like calling people names on the playground, but silently, by voting, they are bullying us.”

As far what should be up for a vote, Dana said she has some ideas.

“How about the Kardashians – how about we put their marriages up for a vote,” she said.

“People laugh, but that’s what’s happening to us.”

Reporter Caleb Heeringa can be reached at 392-6434. ext. 247, or cheeringa@isspress.com.

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

February 29, 2012 •

Sammamish representative tapped for County Council committee posts

By Warren Kagarise

The local representative on the King County Council will act as a leader on regional justice issues, after the board reshuffled members’ assignments for 2012.

Following the annual reorganization, the Sammamish representative, Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, serves as chairwoman for the Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee.

Members recommend policies related to criminal justice and emergency management, plus human services and housing programs.

The council announced the changes to committee assignments Jan. 30. In addition to committee assignments, all nine council members serve on the Committee-of-the-Whole.

“King County has achieved a lot over the last several years, but

City OKs recycling events Sammamish will once again offer citizens the chance to recycle scrap metal, electronics, used oil and other hard-to-dispose-of materials.

On Feb. 21, the council unanimously approved contracts with Olympic Environmental Services to run four recycling events and distribute cheap composting bins to citizens. The events are funded through more than $100,000 in grants from King County Solid

it’s critical that the council mainserves on the committee, too. tain its focus on maximizing taxThe longtime councilwoman also serves on the payer dollars and improving service delivery,” council Vice Transportation, Economy and Chairwoman Jane Hague said.

Environment Committee. The Lambert serves on the Budget panel handles a broad portfolio, including and Fiscal Management develop“King County, along Committee — ment, roads with the state and and salmon the group responsible for recovery federal governments, outlining poliissues. continue to face fiscal Members cies related to challenges.” also appointthe 2013 county spending ed leaders – Larry Gossett, regional complan.

County Council Chairman – In the mittees. The recent reshufboards offer a fle, the council created the forum for development and Government Accountability, review of countywide plans Oversight and Financial and policies.

Performance committee which is The committees include elected officials from other responsible for recommending steps to improve efficiency, effec- local governments, in addition tiveness and performance in to council members. county government. Lambert Lambert is a representative

to the Regional Policy Committee. The board reviews and recommends policies related to criminal justice, environmental, public health, housing and waste issues.

In unanimous decisions, the council also chose Larry Gossett to continue as chairman and Hague to remain vice chairwoman. The chairman and vice chairwoman set the agendas for council and Committee-of-the-Whole meetings, and coordinate legislation schedules.

“King County, along with the state and federal governments, continue to face fiscal challenges,” Gossett said. “We will meet those challenges, and the responsibilities of providing mandated services while supporting those in our community in crisis, in a bipartisan and transparent manner.”

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Teachers Continued from Page 1

version of the Danielson system.

“That will help us in training our teachers and principals,” Thiele added.

In the past, a move toward a new evaluation framework gained the support of the Issaquah district teachers’ union.

The district’s current methods could use some toughening, said Phyllis Runyon, head of the Issaquah Education Association.

“You have to know the negatives before you can move forward,” she said.

There has been some speculation that the state’s move toward standardized teacher evaluations is somehow linked to the idea of teacher merit pay. That is not the case, according to Thiele. The state legislation creating the pilot programs and what eventually will be evaluation requirements make no mention of merit pay, he said. The issue also has not been a local consideration, Thiele said.

“It’s not part of the work we’re doing,” he said.

Waste and the Washington State Department of Ecology.

Administrative Services Director Mike Sauerwein said more than 3,000 people participated in 2010’s events, dropping off more than 100 tons of material that might otherwise end up in local landfills. Citizens can also purchase outdoor compost bins at the events for $25 – less than a quarter of their retail price.

The city has yet to schedule the events for 2012, but hopes to have them in the spring, summer and fall, Sauerwein said.

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February 29, 2012

Review editorial Caucus meetings are worth the time Republican caucuses will be held this Saturday across the state, including here in this area. It does matter.

There will be no presidential primary in Washington this year. Legislators decided to save the $10 million expense. Now it’s up to you to take action, but it will take more than an armchair vote and a stamp. Democrats will caucus April 15.

Four years ago, fewer than 100,000 people participated in state caucuses, but 1.4 million voters cast ballots in the primary. With only the caucus in play, the turnout is expected to double.

Registered voters willing to attend their groupedprecinct caucus will have to sign a card declaring that they do consider themselves to be a Republican before being allowed to vote for their choice for Republican Party nominee for U.S. President.

The best part of a caucus meeting is the conversation among the participants. It’s an opportunity to meet like-minded people who are your neighbors, but it is also a time to be open minded as you listen and learn from the discussions about the various candidates and their platforms. There is no need to voice your own opinion, but the opportunity is there if you choose to share your passion for one candidate over another. The outcome of the caucus vote is more of a straw poll than a mandate. It will give delegates to the Republican national convention an indicator of who to support when the vote actually decides who the party nominee will be.

If attending the national caucus is your interest, the precinct caucus gathering could be the beginning of your quest. Delegates to the county convention are elected, and those delegates in turn elect delegates to the state convention and so on.

The caucus is also a good place to find out how to get involved by helping to put up signs, work telephone banks, help with mailings, doorbell or make a monetary donation.

Registrations begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, with the meeting to begin at 10. Crowds are expected to be large, so arrive early. Call 990-0404 for caucus sites, or go to www.kcgop.org/caucus-locator.

Poll of the week Which movie should have won best picture?

A) The Artist B) The Descendants C) Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close D) The Help E) Hugo F) Midnight in Paris G) Moneyball H) The Tree of Life I) Warhorse To vote, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

OPINION

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Sammamish Forum Another deserving name Last week the local press reported a proposal to name a stretch of 233rd Avenue after Officer Stan Chapin, deceased, but there is an even more deserving person after whom this long-awaited traffic circle ought to be named.

Our former mayor and active Councilman Don Gerend, who was instrumental in bringing this access to Eastlake about. I have worked with him for many, many years on this issue, and while I know we all mourn the passing of Chapin, Gerend had more to do with this traffic circle than any other person in public service.

Why does a person have to die to be recognized. Fortunately, Gerend is alive and well and surely deserves recognition in his lifetime.

Let us honor Don Gerend with this road.

Katja May Sammamish

Keep church out of state Churches have all the right in the world to have their opinion regarding just about anything, including marriage.

On the other hand, in this country we have a separation of church and state. Therefore the church would have to keep their opinion behind their church door.

When the church starts mingling with the affairs of the state they stop being a church and become a political party. They should be treated as such and lose all their rights and privileges, including tax exemptions.

What difference does it make to the church if two men or two women want to get married. If the church does not believe in same sex marriage, then they have the privilege not to perform a religious ceremony uniting the couple. Simple!

The law has passed, now those backward-minded people want to change the law and impose their will upon same sex (not necessarily homosexual) couples.

What do you think the Supreme Court would say if I start a petition to ban the Mormon religion? How

about banning the Catholic Church? Oh let us not forget the Muslims, Hindus, the Pentecostals etc.

Leave those people who want to marry their loved one alone. If you think they will burn in hell, that is their business. In my opinion it is the priests, mullahs, rabbis and religious extremists who are going to burn, not the people at whom they point their holy fingers.

Harry Saiyan Sammamish

A belated thank you During the unusually warm weather a couple of weeks ago, I took my young children to Pine Lake Park for the afternoon. After the snow, ice and wind storms that we’ve experienced this winter season, the park was certainly in need of some care and maintenance.

That afternoon, there was a group of about 10 people, all ages, raking and picking up the large tree branches and various debris left by the recent storms in the area. I asked one of the individuals if they were with a particular group, and was told it was just a group of city volunteers.

I would like to say thank you to those individuals, and any others who have helped our beautiful Pine Lake Park recover a bit from the harsh winter. I am happy and proud to live in an area where we not only have so many great parks, but a community of volunteers that help keep them enjoyable for everyone.

Cynthia Lorrain Sammamish

Teach students CPR Together heart disease and stroke take more lives in the state of Washington than any other cause of death. In October 2009, at 38 years old, I suffered sudden cardiac arrest. I was lucky to be at the right place at the right time and received immediate medical care.

I now live with a pacemaker and continue to educate myself about heart disease.

Published every Wednesday by

Issaquah Press Inc. All departments can be reached at 392-6434 fax: 391-1541 / email: samrev@isspress.com www.sammamishreview.com 45 Front St. S. / P.O. Box 1328 Issaquah, King County, WA 98027 Annual subscription is $30 or $55 for two years Add $15 outside King County / $20 outside state

Heart disease kills more women than all cancers combined every single year. I volunteer and advocate for the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women cause. That’s why I traveled to Olympia Feb. 13 for the American Heart Association’s Heart Disease Education Day. I went to speak to our District 5 Reps. Jay Rodne and Glenn Anderson.

It is my hope that they will support House Bill 2294. This bill requires CPR to be taught in our state’s high schools as a graduation requirement. Students can receive CPR training in less than 20 minutes and at little or no cost to the school.

Effective CPR can double or even triple a victim’s chance of survival.

As a mother, it makes my heart happy to think of a whole generation of high school graduates with the tools and knowledge to save my life and the lives of the more than 325,000 people who die in our country of sudden cardiac arrest every year.

Cardiovascular diseases may be the leading killer in Washington but through their actions, lawmakers have the power to improve the health of our families and children, and to help more patients become survivors of heart disease and stroke.

Dawn McCutcheon Sammamish

Letters Sammamish Review welcomes letters to the editor on any subject, although priority will be given to letters that address local issues. We reserve the right to edit letters for length, clarity or inappropriate content.

Letters should be typed and no more than 350 words.

Include your phone number (for verification purposes only).

Deadline for letters is noon Friday prior to the next issue.

Address letters to: Sammamish Review Letters Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027 fax: 391-1541 email: samrev@isspress.com

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SAMMAMISH REVIEW

February 29, 2012 •

School funding cuts may not be as severe as first expected

By Tom Corrigan

Probably to no one’s surprise, local officials are taking a waitand-see attitude towards budget and revenue news coming out of Olympia.

The state House of Representatives passed its version of a 2012 supplemental budget on Feb. 21.

In total, the spending plan slices about $890 million from the current budget. While local school officials have been steadying themselves for budget cuts, the House plan largely leaves funding in tact, said Issaquah School District Superintendent Steve Rassmussen.

However, Rasmussen quickly noted the state Senate must still act on its version of the budget.

Rasmussen didn’t say so, but the two plans almost certainly will need some work to blend them into one document, which still would need approval by Gov. Chris Gregoire.

Notably, the House plan does not include Gregoire’s suggestion to cut the school year by four days as a cost-cutting measure.

Local and state school officials have come out firmly against that

proposal.

One key feature of the House plan moves a total of $405 million in education payments from May and June of 2013 to July 2013. The change moves the payments from the current biennium into the next budget cycle.

“It’s a bit of gimmickry they’ve been using in recent years,” Rasmussen said.

For now, a proposal to eliminate local levy lid lifts seemed more troublesome to Rasmussen.

According to information released by the Washington State School Directors’ Association, the House proposal reduces funding under the heading of Local Effort Assistance starting in August 2013, though those dollars are not affected in the 2012-2013 school year. As part of the LEA reduction, local levy lids would be rolled back by 4 percent starting in January 2013.

In the face of past cuts, the state legislature allowed districts to put levy lid lifts before voters.

Voters in both of Sammamish’s school districts approved lifts up to the new maximum.

Under the House proposal, Sammamish schools would lose those extra dollars.

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In the past, local officials described those added funds as critical.

Even prior to the House budget announcement, there was some potentially good news for the schools coming from Olympia.

On Feb. 16, the state Economic and Forecast Council revised its previous revenue projections upwards by $96 million.

“It has been a long time since I’ve heard good news on the economic front,” Randy Dorn, state school superintendent, said in a press release.

Dorn went on to argue those previously unanticipated dollars should mean no new cuts to basic education.

To back up his argument, Dorn cited January’s state Supreme Court decision that ruled Washington still is not meeting its constitutional obligation to fund education.

“Not only should there be no further cuts, we should begin investing more in education,” Dorn said.

EFR Continued from Page 2

authority.”

But with that authority comes greater responsibility and risk – Pedee said the “employee of record” could be on the hook if the agency was ever sued. The agency’s agreement contains language ensuring that partners are not held legally liable for “damages … arising out of … negligent acts” by the agency, but that does not apply to the employer of record.

“As soon as the lawsuits start flying … we assume that everyone is going to be a man or woman and honor (the agreement,)” Pedee said. “We shouldn’t have to wait for a problem to occur to test that.”

EFR Deputy Chief Wes Collins floated one possible solution – the formation of a non-profit to govern the agency. While the legal details would need to be ironed out, Collins said the articles of incorporation of the nonprofit could be written in a way that keeps EFR’s current governmental structure. The main difference would be that a non-profit could hire and fire employees, balancing the legal threat amongst the partners and eliminating the worst-case scenario of

5

a rogue partner, he said.

EFR Fire Chief Lee Soptich said in a later interview that the nonprofit was a discussion starter to get partners thinking of different models for the agency going forward and that there weren’t a lot of examples of non-profit professional fire departments around.

One of the tradeoffs would be that, depending on how it was set up, a non-profit could give the agency some more permanence, making it easier to tackle longterm capital investments without the renewal of an interlocal agreement always looming in the nearterm future. EFR has struggled to get partners on board with major projects like a remodel of their headquarters in recent years – Sammamish, in particular, was not keen on spending up to $500,000 on a building that belonged to District 10.

“I like the more permanent side of things, but that may not meet the needs of all the partners,” Soptich said.

No matter what the next version of EFR looks like, Pedee said it would be a mistake to leave the employer of record issue unaddressed.

“This is an exposure that we all knew about,” Pedee said. “As elected officials we should have our heads examined ... that we’ve allowed ourselves to have this exposure.”

6 •

February 29, 2012

Obituaries Claire Ellyn Thompson Jan. 15, 1992 – Feb. 12, 2012 Claire Ellyn Thompson was born to Diane (nee McKeand) and Lee Thompson on Jan. 15, 1992, in Austin, Texas. She passed away Feb. 12, 2012, in Redmond.

Claire attended Eastlake High School and graduated in 2010.

She was attending Seattle Central Community College and planned to transfer to the University of Hawaii to study nursing.

Claire loved concerts and get-togethers, and had a real passion for music and dancing.

Claire Ellyn She truly Thompson enjoyed spending time with her friends.

Throughout her junior high and high school years, Claire spent time with and mentored special education students, which ignited her desire to pursue a nursing career.

Claire was a unique and wonderful young lady as evidenced by her beautiful smile, warm

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heart, and dedicated love for cats and nature.

She is predeceased by her paternal grandmother Patricia Thompson and her maternal grandfather Kenneth A. McKeand.

Claire is survived by her loving family: Diane and Morrie Benveniste (mother and stepfather); Lee Thompson (father), brother Warren Thompson (21); sister Madeline Thompson (17); grandmother Judith McKeand; grandfather H. Keith Thompson; aunts Diana Teoli (Bill) and Janet Sylvester (Doug); uncles Clay Thompson and Kenneth McKeand; as well as many cousins, extended family and caring friends.

Her family appreciates donations in Claire’s memory to MEOW Cat Rescue, P.O. Box 58, Kirkland, WA 98083-0058.

A celebration of life was held in Sammamish on Saturday, Feb. 18.

James Edward Hamstreet James Edward Hamstreet, long-time resident of Sammamish died Feb. 10, 2012.

Jim was born on March 3, 1943 in Sheridan, Wyo. His parents were James Lewis Hamstreet and Margaret Ellen Upton. He is survived by his brothers, Chuck Hamstreet of Bellingham and Richard Hamstreet, of Randall.

In 1994, Jim joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints. He was a mentor to many young adults and was very involved in scouting, helping many boy scouts reach the rank of Eagle Scout.

Jim will be missed by many in our community. He devoted his life to helping others.

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

King County shoreline plan for lake is under review

By Warren Kagarise The state Department of Ecology requested input from residents as officials evaluate the King County-developed plan for shorelines, including Lake Sammamish.

The updated plan is designed to guide construction and development on almost 2,000 miles of marine, stream and lake shorelines countywide.

The proposal combines local plans for future development and preservation, plus recent development ordinances and related permitting requirements.

The county Shoreline Master Program includes some Lake Sammamish shoreline in Lake Sammamish State Park. Though Issaquah surrounds Lake Sammamish State Park on all sides, the park is in unincorporated King County, and county rules apply to the lakeshore inside the park.

“This is the first major update of King County’s Shoreline Master Program in three decades,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said

County bumps overdue property tax notices from September to June King County plans to start notifying homeowners about

Get involved Citizens can comment on the proposed King County Shoreline Master Program until March 16. Direct comments and questions to David Radabaugh at david.radabaugh@ecy.wa.gov or 649-4260. Review the proposed program and related documents online at www.king county.gov/shorelines and www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/ shorelines/smp/mycomments/king_county.html. Or see the documents in person at the King County Department of Development and Environmental Services office, 900 Oakesdale Ave. S.W., Renton, or the state Department of Ecology office, 3190 160th Ave. S.E., Bellevue. Call 649-7190. in a statement. “It will make environmental protections more predictable and transparent for our residents, and safeguard our lakes, rivers, and Puget Sound for generations to come.”

Citizens can submit public comment to the Department of Ecology until March 16.

Statewide, about 230 counties and cities intend to update shoreline plans in the years ahead. Sammamish completed its update of the city’s Shoreline Master Plan last year.

Under the Shoreline Management Act, Department of Ecology officials must review and approve proposed shoreline

programs for counties and cities before the plans can take effect.

King County Council members adopted the Shoreline Master Program in 2010.

State legislators passed the state Shoreline Management Act in 1971, and the public later adopted the measure in a referendum. The legislation resulted after residents raised concerns about permanent damage to shorelines caused by uncoordinated and unplanned development.

The state Supreme Court upheld the Department of Ecology’s authority to conduct such reviews last year.

overdue property taxes sooner, officials announced Feb. 21.

Officials plan to start sending notices in June, rather than September. County Executive Dow Constantine initiated the policy change after input from taxpayers and County

Councilman Bob Ferguson.

The county assessor mailed property tax bills in early February. The deadline for firsthalf property taxes is April 30.

Though the county is not See TAX, Page 20

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Former Issaquah Board member on state education board

By Tom Corrigan

Though she was defeated in voting for Western Position 3, former Issaquah School Board member Connie Fletcher will retain a seat on the Washington State Board of Education thanks to Gov. Chris Gregoire.

While appointments need legislative approval, Gregoire directly names seven members of the 16-member board.

Fletcher first began serving on the state board in 2009. Her seat expired in December and she lost a bid for re-election to Mukilteo’s Kevin Laverty.

In total, five members of the state board are elected by public school board members from Washington.

For the immediate future, Fletcher said she hopes to continue what she called the state board’s amping up of high school graduation requirements. The economy is dependent, she added, on well-prepared high school graduates.

And as more future jobs are going to require some college or technical school training, Fletcher said it is the job of public schools to ensure high school graduates are ready for some form of higher education.

“It means we must increase the rigor of the courses offered,” she said.

In that vein, the state board last year made changes in the number of credits students need to graduate from high school.

Required English and social studies credits were increased by one and a half credits, while the number of elective credits needed was dropped.

Looking toward the future, the perceived achievement gap between students of different backgrounds needs to be closed, Fletcher said. Regulating or setting standards for Internet-based education also is on her mind.

“That’s a huge, burgeoning part of the education system right now,” Fletcher said.

School funding is obviously a huge question in Washington, but Fletcher said the state school board has no direct control over state funding of education.

Fletcher served on the Issaquah school board for 16 years until 2009, when she announced she would not run for another term. She also served for three years as president and officer of the Washington State School Directors’ Association, according to a state board press release.

February 29, 2012 •

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8 • February 29, 2012

COMMUNITY

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Sammamish designer goes for big time on NBC show

By Lillian Tucker

Lizzie Parker’s clothing shop is tucked away in Issaquah’s Gilman Village surrounded by wooden sidewalks and flowers sprouting out of weathered barrels. Inside, Angus, an English bulldog, lies on the wood floor looking up at the racks of clothes his owner designed and made herself.

Used to make herself, that is.

Demand is far too great for the designer to handle on her own now that Parker’s line of modern knitwear is set to gain national attention when NBC’s reality show “Fashion Star” premieres March 13.

Thus, Parker’s waxed jersey leggings, dresses, tops and asymmetrical jackets are all being put together in Los Angeles – that’s one long commute for this Sammamish mother of two.

To get her designs on the show, Parker draws a pattern of the design she envisions, from that she sews and perfects a first sample. The sample is sent to L.A. where Parker regularly travels to consult with everyone from the person who treats the jersey – made from Parker’s fabric of choice — to the person who sews on the tag.

“Everyone assumes it’s so

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Lizzie Parker reviews some of the clothing in her store in Issaquah. glamorous,” said Parker. “But it’s a lot of physical work.”

Humble beginnings The designer didn’t always

have this much help. Once upon a time it was just Parker, her garage and two industrial sewing machines she bought off Craigslist that were constantly

being un-threaded by her cat.

Parker was taught by her grandmother to sew on a treadle sewing machine.

Using the foot pump on the

old-fashioned machine, she logged many hours as a girl making teddy bears.

Taking a long break from sewing, Parker grew up, earned a business degree and entered the corporate world.

In 1998, she and her husband were both working for Microsoft and bought a house in Sammamish. Three years later she left her job to stay at home with their new baby boy, and before too long Parker began brainstorming about businesses she could start from home.

Then in 2003, she turned her family’s garage into a one-woman clothing factory, designing pieces that fit her life experiences – from attending board meetings to attending bath time.

“I always started with jersey. It is something I gravitate toward,” Parker said. “When I started my line the whole ‘designer denim’ was going on and everyone was wearing knit tops, jeans and nice shoes.”

But it wasn’t just the fashion of the time that inspired Parker.

The designer also pulls from the music that has been blasting out generations of stereos.

“I have a closet love of metal music,” she confessed. “Clearly I See FASHION, Page 9

“A celebration of life” is a mom’s gift to terminally ill son

By Tom Corrigan

Behind her, a party is in full gear, with lots of noise and conversation, a clown blowing up balloons and younger children racing around a public room in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Duthie Hill Road in Issaquah.

For her part, Joyce Moore is in a clown costume, as is the party’s guest of honor, her son Michael Stallman. Moore tells a visitor the event is a celebration and nothing less. It is a happy occasion, she insists.

“It is a celebration of Michael’s life,” Moore said.

Stallman, who will be 52 in March, has Down syndrome. He has survived health issues including open-heart surgery and a blood clot.

“He breezed right through it all,” Moore said.

In October, Stallman was diagnosed with a fatal brain tumor. Refusing to mar the atmosphere at her son’s party, Moore said with only the slightest cringe that her son has only a few months left. She got the idea for the remembrance party after mulling over what to do for Stallman’s upcoming birthday.

“He’s always been such a happy guy,” she said, touching on a theme that would come up again and again among celebrants.

For his part, Stallman didn’t have a lot to say. A button on his shirt stated, “To Know Me is to Love Me.” Asked if that is true, he smiled and nodded.

Now living in Sammamish, Moore spent many years as a nanny for children in the area.

“We became kind of like family,” Mark Disalle said.

He and wife Peggy Disalle described Moore as a nanny and kind of a grandmother to their children. Mark Disalle spent much of the party pushing Stallman around in his wheelchair while Peggy Disalle used her cellphone to videotape people’s remembrances of Stallman. The couple both said that Stallman and their children had become well known to each other over the years.

“Michael has been a big part of their lives,” Peggy Disalle said.

“He’s kind of a friend and an older brother,” said Emma Radich, 15. Moore was also her nanny when she was younger.

See CELEBRATE, Page 9

Photo by Tom Corrigan

Friends and family gathered last week, in the words of his mother, to celebrate the life of Michael Stallman, seated center. His mother Joyce Moore stands

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

February 29, 2012 •

Fashion

judged by buyers for Macy’s, Saks Fifth Avenue and H&M. Additionally, the day after each episode is aired the week’s winning design will be available for purchase at the three retail stores.

“It’s about making clothing that America wants to wear. It’s not about making a dress out of grass or banana peels,” said Parker. “It’s about the business of fashion, which is one of the things that attracted me to it.”

While the show was filmed over the course of several weeks last summer, Parker is contractually obligated not to give anything away. But she did admit that her biggest competition on

Continued from Page 8

am not going to bring back spandex and flannel.” However, she does draw on the look. Her “waxed Lizzie seamed legging” was inspired by the skin-tight leather pants worn in the music video for Guns ‘n Roses “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” To achieve the rock-star look the leggings are hand-coated with a wax treatment that gives each pair a unique and worn-in look.

“I like it to have a little edge to it – but still be suitable for women of any age,” said Parker.

She does not market to any one specific age group and recalls selling the same dress to an 80year old woman and an 18-yearold. “It’s about being versatile and comfortable and making it your own with your accessories and your bag.”

Jodi Collins went into Parker’s store one day just to look around and quickly became a devoted customer. The designer’s fabrics work well for Collins, who travels often and always with her Lizzie Parker pieces stuffed into her carry-on – the only luggage she takes.

“Lizzie is one of a kind - she takes time out to help me pick out the clothes I need for my trips,” said Collins. “I absolutely love her clothes, her fabrics, her style, her sense of humor, her

Celebrate Continued from Page 8

Stallman is an uncle to Brittney Townsend, another party attendee. She said Stallman would walk to her elementary school regularly, often bringing candy bars for the two of them, candy apparently taken secretly from a stash in his home.

“He’s the most honest and genuine person I’ve ever known in my life,” said Ron Lund, a cousin of Stallman’s.

Stallman helped bring people together, said Ron Lund’s wife Amanda Lund.

“He bridges gaps,” she said.

Some might remember Stallman from the 14 years he spent washing dishes at Truck Town in North Bend. Others might have met him and Moore in the guise of their respective alter egos, Sparky and Jingles.

Stallman and Moore spent the past 15 years or so working as professional clowns, which is why they decided to wear costumes for the party. Moore said she and her son visited birthday parties, schools and retirement homes in the area.

Stallman reportedly has a fascination with firefighters. It was remarked he had about worn out

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Lizzie Parker said she likes her designs to work for women of all ages. honesty and most of all her willingness to make every woman look her best at any function.”

Her big break?

Parker’s fashions will be showcased, along with those of 13 other designers, this spring on NBC’s “Fashion Star.” Hosted by Elle Macpherson, the show follows the contestants through various challenges as they compete for a multi-million dollar prize to launch their line nationally. Each week they will be advised by mentors Jessica Simpson, Nicole Richie and John Varvatos and

his DVDs of the old “Emergency” TV show. To mark the celebration at the church, Eastside Fire & Rescue sent a rescue truck to pay Stallman a surprise visit.

Stallman was presented with a medal from firefighters, who also let him try on some turnout gear, including a coat and helmet.

Stallman gave the firefighters an impromptu hand salute while posing for a picture.

While Stallman has a keen interest in firefighters, his passion, several partygoers said, is his “putt-putt,” a golf cart given him by an older brother. Mark Disalle said Stallman would live in the cart if allowed to do so.

“It’s one of his favorite things in life,” Disalle said.

A few days after the party, Moore said Stallman enjoyed his celebration but was apparently a bit worn out. He went to bed when it was over and slept until noon the next day.

Ron Lund said the party was a great idea and a lot of fun, but admitted the occasion was obviously bittersweet.

“You never want to be in a position to have to say, ‘Goodbye,’” he said.

Reach reporter Tom Corrigan at 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcorrigan@isspress.com. To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

the show was herself.

“You are really trying to be better than you were last week,” she said. “I have a store, two kids, a house…for me to go and only have to focus on design and really think about who I want to be was great.”

It doesn’t look like life will be that straightforward anytime soon for Parker. When “Fashion Stars” first airs on March 13 Parker will be at the premiere party in New York.

Immediately after that she is set to fly to L.A. for Fashion Week where she is presenting her new line.

“Even though I didn’t have the most glamorous beginning I am

9

excited to have my brand be more national,” said Parker. “Who gets to have this experience? It was great and I am thankful but you have to have fun and enjoy it – and I did.”

After L.A., Parker said she plans to focus more on her online exposure which will include photographing her pieces in all sizes so that customers will have an easier time deciding what’s best for them. To see her designs visit www.lizzieparkerstore.com.

Reporter Lillian Tucker can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242 or ltucker@sammamishreview.com.

To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

February 29, 2012

Big Trees, Inc. provides instant Greenbaum Home Furnishings mature landscaping for homes offers design assistance Big Trees, Inc. provides instant mature landscaping for homes Trees for shade, trees for privacy, trees for color — Big Trees, Inc. has them all, and you won’t have to wait for your new trees to grow up!

Moving a mature tree in your yard is another specialty of Big Trees. Whether you want to take a sentimental tree with you or relocate a tree on your property, the pros at Big Trees can do it.

Big Trees is a Snohomish retail nursery providing 300 different varieties of large From left, Jamie Whyte, Todd Holmes, and owners trees 7 to 25 feet tall. Big Nancy & Ross Latham Trees offers larger stock than most nurseries.

Big Trees, Inc. helped kick-off a major “We start in size where most nurseries construction project at Seattle University. stop,” explains Nancy Latham, who coThe library remodel required a complete owns the company with her husband demo of the area and eight trees up to 18 Ross. “We have evergreens starting at 10 feet tall were successfully relocated to feet and deciduous trees starting with 2new homes within the campus. inch trunk diameters and only get bigger “Big Trees, Inc. crews worked very hard from there! And we warranty all new under very challenging site conditions trees that are planted by our crews.” and did a great job getting these large For 30 years, Big Trees has provided trees transplanted successfully,” recalls professional installation by its transplantBecki, the facilities manager at Seattle U. ing crews.

Big Trees does offer free estimates.

“Planting and transplanting large trees Design and consultation services are also requires experience and skill,” said Ross. available. Clients have plenty of accolades “Our crews have the knowledge to get for Big Trees professionalism. trees planted and moved successfully.”

“Wow! I’m so impressed with the qualRoss says that 60 percent of Big Trees’ ity of the trees, the quality of the service business is from homeowners looking for and the quality of the employees at Big instant impact in their yard. But the comTrees. A big thank you for helping create pany also serves cities, golf courses, unia little privacy in my backyard,” writes versities, corporate campuses and conTrish. struction companies.

The nursery is open Monday- Saturday.

Nancy says the company is especially No appointment necessary! To learn proud to play a part in saving trees when more, call 360-563-2700 or visit they might otherwise be destroyed. www.BigTreeSupply.com

Spring has Sprung!

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Shopping for home furnishings and accessories can be exciting, but overwhelming. Having a wellorganized showroom to help you envision the possibilities in your home is a good first step. Having a complimentary in-store design assistant help you meet your budget and lifestyle needs makes the shopping fun and easy.

Greenbaum Home Furnishings in Bellevue has been furnishing Eastside homes for 52 years, providing the highest level of service From left, siblings and business partners and products along with profesSteve Greenbaum, Cindy Greenbaum-Lindner sional advice for all aspects of the home. The 40,000 sq. ft. showroom and Jon Greenbaum provides decorating ideas for your primary living spaces, but also for home staff for keeping generations of customers offices and home theaters, children’s bedcoming back. rooms, breakfast nooks or vacation “Our employees have worked for us for homes. an average of 18 years,” said Jon. “They Greenbaum’s offers products from over understand how important it is to listen as 50 quality manufacturers. In addition to we help you meet your needs.” furniture and accessories, you’ll find winThe Greenbaum family loves their dow treatments, blinds, wallpaper, carpetwork, but also loves helping to make a difing, hardwood flooring, installation, space ference in the community. planning, shipping, delivery, service and “We have worked with Fred set-up. If they don’t have what you’re Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, the looking for, then their goal is to help point Pete Gross House and the Seattle Cancer you in the right direction so you can com- Care Alliance on many projects,” said Jon. plete your project.

“We participated in ABC’s Extreme Home Greenbaum’s is a local family owned Makeover a few years ago. We work to and operated business that loves serving support foster children and make countits community and its clients. Co-owner less donations to organizations who proJon Greenbaum says the family is pasvide furniture to people in need.” sionate about your home.

Greenbaum is proud to be “different by “We know there is a big difference design,” a slogan that applies to their store between buying something out of pure merchandise as well as their business necessity verses purchasing something to practices. To learn more, visit www.differcreate an environment that feels good entbydesign.com or call 425-454-2474. Find every night when you come home from a Greenbaum just off I-405 at 929 118th Ave busy day,” said Jon. SE, Bellevue. The showroom is open He credits the amazing, knowledgeable daily.

February 29, 2012

MM Comfort Systems Celebrates 35 Years - Expands Offering Heating & cooling to total home performance What were you doing in 1977?

In 1977 the Kingdome opens and MM Comfort Systems is born. While things didn’t work out so well for the Kingdome, they sure did for MM Comfort Systems!

Initially named B&B Heating, quality work and technical expertise brought great success to the new business. The company steadily grew and in 1986 moved to a larger facility in Redmond.

It remains there to this day (behind Pomegranate restaurant) for quick access to all its Eastside and Puget Sound area customers.

National Contractor of the Year History highlights for the growing company include being named National Residential HVAC Contractor of the Year in 1991 and becoming part of a leading Seattle mechanical contractor in 1993.

In 2001, key employees purchased the residential business, establishing the MM Comfort Systems name. Over the years, several local HVAC companies have been absorbed by MM Comfort Systems – most notably Heritage Heating of Tacoma which resulted the opening of a Sumner office in 2009.

MM Comfort Systems is owned by long-time Sammamish resident Craig Williamson.

MM Comfort Systems provides service, replacement and remodel customers with expert, friendly solutions for: • • • • • •

Heating Air conditioning Indoor Air Quality Water Heaters Fireplaces Emergency Power

Thousands of Seattle/Tacoma area customers enjoy ‘Planned Maintenance’ services designed to ensure uninterrupted comfort, efficiency and safety.

Service with a smile from Diana Torres, Becky Farnworth, Cheri Fischer and Lili Martinez.

After 35 years of providing exceptional service, MM Comfort Systems has an army of happy customers. Take a look at what customers are saying about them under “About Us/Testimonials” on the company’s web site.

“Prompt, courteous, experienced and skilled.

Best home repair / remodel contracting experience we’ve ever had” Ernest, North Bend “It was a nice change to see real professional work with attention to detail” Karl, Sammamish Total Home Performance Today’s homeowners are increasingly sophisticated and want comfort and efficiency solutions that address their entire home. MM Comfort Systems has always taken a consultative approach and is now offering Home Energy Assessments and additional green solutions such as air duct sealing and insulation.

PSE and/or manufacturer rebates are currently available on a limited time basis. MM Comfort Systems knows the ropes and helps customers take full advantage of all incentives.

Free consultations are available on an appointment basis.

Comfort and Efficiency from Friendly Experts you can Trust.

Sammamish E.nopi teaches math and English to all grades E.nopi, established in 1976, is one of the world’s largest educational service providers, with more than 2.5 million members world-wide, and is now located in Sammamish at the Pine Lake Plaza on 228th Avenue.

E.nopi caters to students from pre-school to high school and has garnered numerous, prestigious awards for its contribution to the development of successful children’s educational programs.

“Today, there is a large gap between what schools can Sammamish E.nopi teaches math, reading and offer and the high expectations writing skills for preschool to high school. of parents for their children’s academic growth,” said owner Binita for analytical thought and a creative Mehta, a 7-year resident of Sammamish. mind.

Sammamish E.nopi complements English curriculum is comprised of 4 schools and bridges parents’ expectation basic language skills: listening, speaking, gap by offering after-school supplemental writing, and reading for skill and compremath, reading and writing programs. hension. Parents across the country are E.nopi’s curriculum, tests, workbooks, embracing E.nopi, including parents of a and teaching tools are presented to stumathematics graduate, Timothy and dents through E.nopi’s philosophy - be at Samantha Choo. “eye-level” with the child. This means that “A friend brought my wife to an E.nopi the E.nopi program is individualized to center,” recalls Timothy. “She managed to the student’s ability and needs. convince me to go with her. I was “We believe that learning should be impressed with the syllabus and realized fun, interactive, and engaging,” said that I have bought many mathematics Binita. “Our curriculum reflects that.” books but what we actually needed was a While fun, they are serious. E.nopi’s “program” and not piles of textbooks. curriculum is recognized by the NCTE After two years in E.nopi, we are relieved and NCTM. that our son is more confident and indeMathematics includes both “basic pendent in his work.” thinking” and “critical thinking”, enabling Classes are offered 3-7 p.m. Tuesdays students to use reasoning skills such as and Thursdays. Find out why Enopi has sequencing, comparing, planning, more than 2.5 million students in the hypothesizing, analyzing and critiquing. world! To learn more, visit www.samUseful for all disciplines, critical thinking mamishenopi.com or call the Director of helps build problem solving skills and log- Sammamish Enopi, Ms. Binita Mehta, at ical reasoning to unlock a child’s potential 425-890-0896.

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12 •

February 29, 2012

schools

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Louise Elson, Teacher of the Year gives students her all

By Lillian Tucker

Louise Elson, wearing a headset microphone, effortlessly blocked huge balls rolling around the gym while funky rhythms bounded from the stereo. As a physical education teacher at Margaret Mead Elementary School, this is a typical day at the office.

“I just want them to enjoy exercise,” said Elson about her students. “The worst thing to me would be if someone said they had a horrible P.E. teacher. I want them to feel like they could do anything they wanted.”

The opposite of her worst fear has come true. On Feb. 10, she received the 2012 Lake Washington PTSA Council Award for Outstanding Educator.

“This is such a treat to be recognized for something like this,” said the P.E. teacher who brings nearly two decades of experience to the job. “There are some great people around me that thought to put my name up.”

This the second year that Elson was nominated for the award.

“Lake Washington is a huge school district – it’s a huge honor,” said Renata King, co-president of Mead’s Parent Teacher Association. “P.E. teachers are kind of pushed to the side sometimes. She is just as instrumental

to those children as their all-day teachers.”

Above and beyond Her nomination letter was long, full of the many extras she does for the students; time-consuming endeavors that go above and beyond Elson’s job description.

“She is very involved in the school. She gives up a lot of time without asking for reimbursement,” said King, “When I go by the school on the weekend her car is there in the parking lot.”

To begin with she founded Mead’s Running Club.

Each day she leads children on a run during the lunch break and after school, that way regardless of a student’s schedule they can still join in.

Elson also works to coordinate runs with other schools and teachers.

Just like their teacher, who doesn’t get paid for leading the jogs, members of the running club don’t get P.E. credit.

However, they do get to count the exercise toward the monthly “Fitness Star” program, another of Elson’s undertakings. Each month she makes calendars for the children to take home.

There they record what they do each day to stay fit outside of P.E. class. Those that complete the calendars and turn them in at

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Louise Elson, recently named the Lake Washington School District’s Outstanding Educator corrals an omniken ball during class. the end of the month get a prize and get to sign a large poster that Elson hangs up in the gym to showcase the student’s determination.

At the end of the year children who have completed at least

seven of the ten calendars get a Fitness Star medal.

“That is a lot of record keeping for someone in elementary school,” said Elson. “They really want it. It’s cute.”

When the school needed to

raise money using a walkathon Elson immediately got her hands dirty coming up with different obstacle courses and fitness stations for the children to choose See ELSON, Page 13

Blackwell celebrates international diversity

By Lillian Tucker

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Blackwell’s music students perform the kinder polka for the audience at the elementary school’s International Night.

Throughout the year Adrienne Sabo teachers her music students at Elizabeth Blackwell Elementary songs and dances from around the world. So when the children were asked to perform at the school’s international celebration they were more than ready.

Thirty booths representing different countries transformed Blackwell’s auditorium into an international fair Thursday, Feb. 24. The place was packed for the music students who sang and trotted and polkaed their way around the globe.

The fifth- and sixth-grade students mixed things up with a traditional English dance set to the sounds of a Belgium rock band.

Fourth-graders joined the older students for an American dance

they nicknamed “popcorn” for the way they popped along with the music. Children in Sabo’s third-grade class paraded around the stage, changing partners to the song “I don’t care if the rain comes down.” The second- and third-grade students borrowed a page from Sweden with a Fjaskern dance while the youngest students did a kinder polka.

“They really love to dance,” said Sabo. “For them to hear the different sounds and different ways to do things they are gong to be better at listening and appreciating different cultures.”

That’s what Blackwell’s “International Night” was all about – students sharing their own cultures and learning about those of their classmates.

See NIGHT, Page 14

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Makenzie Malsam makes dean’s list

Whitworth announces laureates

Makenzie Marie Malsam, of Sammamish, was named to the dean’s list at Clemson University for the fall 2011 semester. To qualify, students must have a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99.

The following Sammamish residents were named to the Laureate Society at Whitworth University for the fall 2011 semester: Mary Bosseler, Lindsey Hubbart, Kylie Grader and Jenna Hoole. To qualify, students needed to achieve a GPA of 3.75 or higher.

EWU dean’s list The following Sammamish residents were named to the dean’s list at Eastern Washington University for the fall 2011 semester: Jase Butorac, Mitchell Collier, Courtney Duda, Derek Gewald, Ashlee Harden, Colin Kamien, Cameron Lee, Danielle Matthews, Kristin Milton, Deanna Poulin, Nicholas Washburn, Jeffrey White and Kate Zopolos.

Andrew Hankey on honors list Andrew Hankey, of Sammamish, was named to the honors list at Graceland University. To qualify, students must achieve a GPA between 3.65 and 3.99.

Night Continued from Page 12

“We see all different facts and foods from all over the world,” said 13-year-old Avery Barley who accompanied his little brother on stage to perform a hip-hop dance for everyone.

Alana Richardson, who moved to Sammamish from the United Kingdom when she was younger, showed off two traditional Irish dances.

Eleven-year-old Pooja Senapati was surrounded by her classmates after she put on an Indianstyle dance. The sixth-grade girls all giggled when she said her jewelry was very heavy.

Jane Williams, whose daugh-

Jordan Mixsell on dean’s list Linfield College has named Jordan Mixsell to its fall semester dean's list. In order to qualify, students completed 12 graded credits and held a rank in the top 10 percent of their class.

Heather Leavitt on dean’s list Heather Leavitt was among more than 560 students at Eastern Oregon University named to the dean's list for the 2011 fall term. To qualify, Leavitt maintained a GPA of 3.5 or higher while completing a minimum of 12 hours of graded coursework. ter attends Blackwell, said that at first she was reluctant to host the Hawaiian booth purely because of her family’s busy schedule. But in the end she made time – and coconut pudding for the event.

“We wanted to do it for her,” said Williams. “It’s good for them to know different parts of the United States have different cultures.”

Ruth Odell, who is married to Sammamish’s Mayor Tom Odell, used to teach at the school and made a special visit to attend the event. When she arrived she was greeted by hugs from several students.

“Blackwell is such a multi-cultural school,” she said. “This school has that rich feel of cultures and the kids all get along together.”

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February 29, 2012 •

Elson Continued from Page 12

from.

“Our PTSA does a super job of supporting us at times when the money is cut back,” said Elson.

With her help the walkathon raised thousands of dollars for the elementary school.

Last year Elson went a step further and served on the PTA board as a teacher representative.

This year she traded in that role to take on an even larger responsibility as co-chairwoman of the Student Advisory Council.

After considering more than a dozen charity ideas the children voted on the Sparrow Club, which is a national non-profit organization of school-based clubs that assist children in medical crisis.

“It’s about having kids see how their work is actually helping someone,” said Elson. “It’s worth while so we are going to jump in.”

Juggling time “This year seems to be a little crazier than most,” said Elson, who originally figured that

because her children were in college she would have more time. But overloading her schedule is nothing new.

While earning her Bachelor of Science at the University of Pittsburgh Elson spent two years as a student teacher and ran on the Panther’s track team, competing in the 400, high jump and mile relay, which took her all the way to the 1979 nationals.

Now with her Masters in Athletic Administration and having completed a two-year Washington State professional certification program, Elson teaches 37 classes a week.

During the half-hour classes students play different games that she has either made up or read about and adapted.

Elson was dodging balls during a game of “Asteroids,” where students move around the gym on scooters trying to avoid or deflect omniken balls, which look like huge beach balls.

“The kids get so excited when they come in and see those,” said Elson.

Another favorite is “Castle Ball,” in which the children break into small teams and build castles by stacking hula hoops against each other.

The students are responsible

13

for protecting their castles and rebuilding them when they are knocked down. At the same time they can also go on the offensive and throw balls at other castles.

“It’s great because they are working on their throwing for accuracy, offense and defense,” said Elson. “There is a lot of life lessions: people have to get used to their castle being knocked down and be OK with it.”

Elson spends a lot of time coming up with these games and reading about new ones online.

Still, she fits in time to cycle, ski and train for the occasional half marathon.

Most importantly, she said, you have to have your own system and perfect it.

“I’ve gotten a good pacing down so that I can provide the right amount of energy to each class and still have some left.

That is the key to this job,” she said. “The kids are great. I just don’t think I could have a bad day when I come in.”

Reporter Lillian Tucker can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242 or ltucker@sammamishreview.com.

To comment on this story, visit www.SammamishReview.com.

14 •

February 29, 2012

sports

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Lady Wolves pave the way to state with 40-point win

By Lillian Tucker

Playing as if it were its last game the Eastlake girls basketball team secured a trip to state Saturday, Feb. 25 with a 75-37 win against the Rogers Rams.

From the start to the sound of the final buzzer the Eastlake Wolves overwhelmed Rogers, sinking two baskets for every one of the Rams.

“That was a phenomenal game,” said Eastlake coach Sara Goldie. She said that she saw a sense of urgency at practice the day before what would have been the players’ last game had they not won. “I thought if this is going to be my last practice with the kids then we are going to focus and have fun…it kind of got contagious.”

The determination was definitely strong in senior guard Bella Zennan, who led the team with 15 points, sinking 71 percent of her shots and racking up three rebounds and three assists.

“We are really lucky to be in this spot,” said Zennan. The Wolves finished second in the KingCo conference, earning themselves a shot at the 4A state championship. “I want to take advantage of it. I don’t want to look back and have any regrets.”

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Senior guard Taylor Yoneyama holds off the ram’s defense at Saturday’s regional game.

That attitude was present on the court as the Wolves continually put the pressure on Rogers.

By the end of the first half

Eastlake was up 43-15. But the players and the coach didn’t see the score as an excuse to relax. In the locker room at half time

Photo by Greg Farrar

Skyline students and their families take a break from signing their letters of intent to play college sports.

Scores of Sammamish athletes set to play in college As the school year creeps closer to spring and eventually grad-

uation, many of the area’s senior athletes have already signed letters of intent to join college teams from around the nation.

From Eastlake High School Shayla Page will play women’s

soccer at Seattle Pacific University; Michael Gallager will dribble for the University of Washington’s men’s soccer team.

Gino Bresolin is set to be a new addition to the football team

Goldie warned the girls that Rogers would come out of the gate hungry to close the gap.

“We knew that they were

at the University of Texas, El Paso; Ryan Lewis will play football at the University of Pittsburg and Kendra Morrison has signed on to sink three-pointers for the women’s basketball team at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

From Skyline High School Jack Pruitt is set to join the University of Denver’s lacrosse team; Dom Randle will compete in men’s soccer at the University of Southern California; Nicole Candioglos plans to play women’s soccer at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas; the University of Denver’s women’s soccer team will be getting Tina Vargas.

Drew Mathews will run track at the University of Kansas; Damian Greene is set to join the football team at the University of Wyoming; Maddie Magee will play volleyball for the University of Oregon.

Will Parker has signed on Seattle Pacific University’s men’s basketball team; Lucas Shannon will play basketball at Saint Martins University; Jimmy Sinatro is joining Gonzaga University’s baseball team.

Ali Northey will compete in gymnastics at the University of Washington and Katie Kinnear

going to come out really fired up,” said senior guard Caleigh McCabe, who scored 14 points with six rebounds, four steals and one assist. “We had to match their intensity.”

The Rams did come back fighting and outscored the Wolves 1514 in the third quarter. But the comeback wasn’t strong enough.

As Rogers missed more field goals than usual, Eastlake powered through the final quarter 185 with every player contributing.

“We knew that they were a threat from the outside so we had to stay on them in the perimeter,” said senior Kendra Morrison, first team KingCo 4A all-conference team. “Whoever came off the bench gave it their all.”

The Wolves are now in the state’s top 16 and headed to state for the second time since 1997 when Goldie was a player, not a coach.

That year Eastlake finished eighth. The Wolves also competed in the state tournament in 2007 but did not place. The team is set to face Central Valley at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 1 – the first game of the double-elimination state tournament.

“Going to the Tacoma Dome See STATE, Page 15

will swim for the University of California, Los Angeles.

Sign up for spring trail run in Sammamish Registration is now open for the May 26th Soaring Eagle Trail Run. Participants can choose to take part in the 5-mile, 10-mile, marathon or 50K. All runs will take place in Sammamish’s Soaring Eagle Park where Evergreen Trail Runs is hosting the event. Registration is $25-$50.

Check in is Saturday, May 26 at 7:30 a.m. at the park with the first run starting at 8:30 a.m.

For more information and to sign up visit www.evergreentrailruns.com.

Sammamish basketball players named to KingCo all-star team Basketball players from both Eastlake and Skyline high schools have been selected for the See KINGCO, Page 15

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

February 29, 2012 •

15

Skyline Cheerleaders take 7th at nationals

By Lillian Tucker

The Skyline Cheerleaders have finished another successful season of competition with a seventh-place finish at nationals.

Skyline’s Silver and Green squads traveled to Orlando, Florida Feb. 11-12 where they gathered with 22,000 athletes at Walt Disney World for the National High School Cheerleading Championship.

The more than 600 teams were split into different categories depending on their size and types of routines. The Skyline Silver squad competed in the “Medium Varsity Non Tumbling” group where they finished seventh. Skyline’s Green team performed in the Medium Varsity Division 1 category – one of the hardest divisions, according to head coach Stephania Lemeshko – but did not place.

Before journeying across the country for nationals, Skyline took on squads from around the state on Feb. 4 and came out on top. With a score of 231 points the Green team took first place in

KingCo Continued from Page 14

KingCo 4A Basketball 2011-2012 all-conference teams. For the boy,s Will Parker from Skyline has made first team.

Parker averaged 14.6 points, 3.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game this season with a total of 306 points. Eastlake’s Brandon Lester and Skyline’s Lucas Shannon made second team.

On the girls first team is Kendra Morrison from Eastlake and Megan Wiedeman of Skyline.

the medium 4A division, finishing ahead of Ballard, Marysville Pilchuck, Battle Ground and Bellarmine Prep.

With just two points less than Moses Lake the Silver team came in second in the large 4A category with 219 points total. After the state competition finished, rumors made their way through the cheer community that there was a possible scoring mistake that would have put Skyline Silver in first place. However the Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association, who hosted the state tournament, maintains that all the final scores are correct and that the silver team did place second.

“Unfortunately we had a judge that misunderstood how our process worked and she was unable to contain her comments and that caused some confusion,” said Mike Colbrese of the WIAA. “Someone thought there was a miscalculation of numbers and there was not.”

Both Skyline squads took first place at the state championship in 2011.

With a total of 327 points this season Morrison averages 13.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.

Wiedeman scored 333 points for her team this year, averaging 13.3 points and 13.7 rebounds per game.

Allie Wyszynski, also from Skyline, made the second team.

Eight players also received honorable mention, including Hayley Smith, Rachel Shim, Max Browne and Bryan Cikatz, all from Skyline, and Marijke Vanderschaaf, Caleigh McCabe, Eric Holmdahl and Michael Hwang, all from Eastlake.

Photo by Lillian Tucker

Eastlake’s Kendra Morrison goes for a field goal. The KingCo all-conference first-teamer, who averages more than 13 points per game is ranked 16th in the state.

Vanderschaaf, who landed 40 the Skyline High School girls percent of her shots in basketball team last week.

In their final game of the Saturday’s game. “If we keep up Continued from Page 14 our energy it will do good things districts tournament the for us at state.”

Skyline Spartans lost to has been our goal since the Stanwood 50-61. The team finSkyline girls out ishes the season with a record beginning of the year,” said sophomore Marijke Things did not go as well for of 17-8.

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16 •

February 29, 2012

Events

calendar

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

public calendar

Paper reveals its shape

Teen Late Night, featuring music, Xbox, pool, foosball, table tennis, $1 slices of pizza and other snacks for sale is from 710 p.m. March 2 at the teen center. Free for members, $5 for sixth-12th grade students who are not members.

2

March 1 Sammamish Planning Commission, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall March 6 Sammamish City Council meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall

An exhibition called “Love Songs” sponsored by artEAST, including the work of some Sammamish artists, is running at the artEAST Art Center and UP Front Gallery through March 3. Visit www.arteast.org for times and information.

3

Pioneer Quilts and the Oregon Trail, this program will feature true stories of intrepid women quilters who braved the westward migration of the 1800s at 7 p.m. March 7 at the Sammamish Library.

March 7 Sammamish Parks Commission meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall March 9-11 Lake Washington School Board retreat in Leavenworth March 13 Sammamish City Council study session, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall

7

How to Start a Business: Learn the resources that are available to you through the Small Business Administration, the steps in starting a business, how to write a business plan, and how to do research at 2 p.m. March 9 at the Sammamish Library.

9

10

eBooks 101: eReaders and Digital Downloads, drop in to look at popular eReaders, OverDrive and Adobe Digital Editions software, ages 13 and up at 1 p.m.

March 10 at the Sammamish Library.

focus on faith Wednesday Night Youth Group for sixth to 12th grade students. The group meets from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday nights at Sammamish Presbyterian Church.

Wednesday night youth group will have games, worship and fun for students in grades

The art exhibit “Come Sit a While,” featuring the work of Hannah Viano, opens March 9 at City Hall.

Home Business Expo: Find out about some of the home businesses throughout Sammamish.

The city has a large business base, many of which go unseen. the expo will allow people to find what the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce calls “hidden treasures” across the city. The expo is set for 10 a.m.-3 p.m. March 10 at the Sammamish EX3 Teen Center.

Home businesses may sign up at www.sammamishchamber.org.

Master Chorus Eastside, featuring several Sammamish residents, will hold a St. Patrick’s Day concert March 11 at 3 p.m. at the Kirkland

11

six-12 from 7-8:30 p.m.

Wednesdays at Sammamish Presbyterian Church.

Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) allows mothers of young children time to make friends share stories and grow spiritually. The group generally meets twice a month on Thursday mornings at Mary, Queen of Peace Church. Visit www.mops.org.

A Toast to the Lord, a faithbased Toastmasters club, meets from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Friday at the Fire Station No. 83 on

Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $20 or $15 for students and senior citizens. Call Master Chorus Eastside at 392-8446.

Education Expo: Information for parents with children aged newborn to teen. Exhibits include schools, tutors, cognitive trainers, camp providers and more from 4-9 p.m. March 15 at Skyline High School.

15

Get Loose with Seuss, is for children ages 3-7 with an adult. Get to know the work of Dr. Seuss with music, theater, rhyme and movement at 1 p.m.

March 16 at the Sammamish Library.

16

Issaquah–Pine Lake Road. They offer job interviewing skill development for those seeking employment or a career change; motivational and inspirational speaking training. Call 427-9682 or email orator@live.com.

The Macro Asset Perspective: A Wealth Accumulation Seminar, discover the value of proper horizontal diversification diversification between tax treatments and the potential rewards of this strategy at 7 p.m. March 21 at the Sammamish Library.

21

Feng Shui Tips for a Harmonious Home and Life: discover how to create greater harmony in your home using Feng Shui, the Chinese art of placement and design to enhance positive living at 7 p.m.

March 22 at the Sammamish Library.

22

time, scrapbooking/stamping, mom and baby playgroup, quilting/knitting and walking group, classes, studies and themed days.

9:30 a.m. Wednesdays. Call Jo Lucas at 837-1948.

Mary, Queen of Peace youth groups are for children in sixtheighth grade and ninth-12th grades. Meetings are at 6:30 p.m.

Sundays. Call the church at 3911178, ext. 129.

Healing Prayer Service. If you desire to make space for God in a peaceful setting. The fourth Tuesday of every month, 7 p.m., at Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Email tamara@missiolux.org or call 890-3913.

Faith United Methodist Church offers “Faith Cafe” for women of all ages. Drop-in coffee

Celebrate Recovery is a Christ-centered program offering support on Mondays, 7-9 p.m.,

March 14 Issaquah School Board meeting, 7 p.m. at district headquarters, 565 N.W. Holly St. in Issaquah March 15 Sammamish Planning Commission, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall March 19 Sammamish City Council meeting, 6:30 p.m. at City Hall Sammamish Arts Commission meeting, 7 p.m. at City Hall March 20 City Council office hours, 5:30 p.m. at City Hall March 26 Lake Washington School Board worksession, at 5 p.m. followed by a business meeting at 7 p.m. at the L.E. Scarr Resource Center, located at 16250 N.E. 74th St., Redmond

Pine Lake Covenant Church.

Visit www.missiolux.org, or call 392-8636.

Griefshare, a support group for those who have lost a loved one is from 7-9 p.m. Thursdays at Sammamish Presbyterian Church.

Moms in Touch International invites Christian moms and grandmas to replace their anxiety with peace and hope through prayer. Visit www.momsintouch.org. Contact Linda Yee at lindaryee@comcast.net.

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

VOlunteers needed Saint Patrick’s Day at the Preserve, volunteers will meet to clean up and maintain the Evans Creek Preserve from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 17.

The Sammamish Symphony needs volunteers to help with a concert from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Eastlake High School. Jobs include: box office ticket sales, will call line, handing out programs, taking tickets, line management and setting up tables with marketing materials.

Visit residents in nursing homes. Friend to Friend matches volunteers with residents in Sammamish nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

Volunteers are asked to visit residents a couple times a month for a year. Orientation will be provided. Background check required.

Call 1-888-383-7818.

Evergreen Healthcare is seeking volunteers to help serve patients throughout King County.

Volunteers, who will be assigned to help people in their own neighborhoods, provide companionship, run errands, do light household work, or give a break to primary caregivers. Volunteers will be supported by hospital staff. Call 899-1040 or visit www.evergreenhealthcare.org/ hospice.

The King County LongTerm Care Ombudsman Program needs certified longterm care ombudsman volunteers. After completing a four-day training program, visit with residents, take and resolve complaints and advocate for residents. Volunteers are asked to donate four hours a week and attend selected monthly meetings. Contact Cheryl Kakalia at 206-694-6827.

Eastside Bluebills is a Boeing retiree volunteer organization that strives to provide opportunities for retirees to help others in need and to assist charitable and nonprofit organizations. 10 a.m.noon, the third Wednesday of the month at the Bellevue Regional Library. Call 235-3847.

LINKS, Looking Into the Needs of Kids in Schools, places community volunteers in the schools of the Lake Washington School District.

Opportunities include tutoring, classroom assistance and lunch buddy. Email links@lwsd.org or visit www.linksvolunteer.org.

Eastside Baby Corner needs volunteers to sort incoming donations of clothing and toys and prepare items for distribution.

Visit www.babycorner.org.

Volunteers are needed to visit homebound patrons with the King County Library System’s Traveling Library Center program. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and have reliable transportation. Call Susan LaFantasie at 369-3235.

Sammamish Citizen Corps Council needs volunteers to help support the Community Emergency Response Team and other groups. Email info@sammamishcitizencorps.org, visit www.sammamishcitizencorps.org or attend the meeting from 7-8 p.m. first Wednesday of every month at Fire Station 82.

Volunteer drivers are needed for the Senior Services Volunteer Transportation Program. Flexible hours, mileage, parking reimbursement and supplemental liability insurance are offered. Call 206-448-5740.

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February 29, 2012 •

Library activities Beginner ESL Class, 7 p.m.

March 1, 8, and 15.

Intermediate ESL Class, 10 a.m. March 6.

Hindi Story Time, for children 3 and older with an adult, 4:30 p.m. March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Spanish Story Time, for children 3 and older with an

adult, 10 a.m. March 5, 12, 19 and 26.

Swaddler Story Time, for children birth-9 months with an adult, 11 a.m. March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Waddler Story Time, for children 9-24 months with an adult, 10 and 11 a.m. March 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30.

Toddler Story Time, for children 2-3 with an adult, 10 and 11 a.m. March 7, 14, 21 and 28.

Preschool Story Time, for children 3-6 with an adult, 10 a.m. March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.

17

Pajama Story Time, for children 2-6 with an adult, 7 p.m.

March 5, 12, 19 and 26.

Talk Time, conversation practice for adults who want to improve their English language skills, will take place at 12:30 p.m. March 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29.

Musik Nest, for children 2-3 with an adult. Share songs, dance, rhythm and new ways to enjoy music with your toddler, 10:30 a.m. March 24.

The Sammamish Book Group will meet at 7 p.m.

March 21. Contact the library for this month’s title.

18 •

February 29, 2012

POlice Blotter Custodial interference On Feb. 18, police made contact with a divorced couple in a dispute over who was to have custody of their children during midwinter break.

Police consulted a courtordered parenting plan that said that the father should have the children for mid-winter break during even years and advised the mother, a Sammamish resident, to arrange to have them dropped off.

The case was documented for the courts.

Stolen lock box A real estate lock box went missing from a home on the 20700 block of Northeast 38th Street between Feb. 12 and Feb. 17. There were no signs that anyone had accessed the home.

Vehicle prowl A stereo was stolen out of a vehicle in the parking lot at The Knolls Apartments overnight Feb. 14.

The suspect somehow forced open a locked door and took the stereo. Police have no suspects.

Boot theft A pair of tan Sorel boots were stolen from the front porch of a home on the 2900 block of 204th Lane Northeast Feb. 11 or Feb. 12.

Mental health issue Police trespassed a North Dakota man from a Sammamish home in which he used to live Feb. 12.

The owner of the home called police after finding the man in her back yard. The man, who suf-

fers from schizophrenia, told police that he used to live at the home and was returning to “check on the house.”

The owner found the back door of the home unlocked though it had been locked when she left.

The man was trespassed from the property.

Vehicle prowl A GPS unit and a laptop were stolen from two unlocked vehicles at a home on the 18700 block of Northeast 55th Street overnight Feb. 9.

Burglary A laptop was stolen from a home on the 20600 block of Northeast 34th Place overnight Feb. 10.

The resident told police that they had heard their dog barking at around 3:30 a.m. Feb. 11 but thought nothing of it.

When the resident got up the next morning, the door to their vehicle, which was parked in the garage, was ajar and the laptop was missing from the trunk.

Police are unsure how the suspect entered the garage, as there were no signs of forced entry and the garage door was locked.

The case remains under investigation.

Driving high A 17-year-old Sammamish resident may face a driving under the influence charge after being pulled over near the corner of Northeast 16th Street and 216th Avenue Northeast at around 3 a.m. Feb. 11.

The officer pulled the teen over after clocking him driving 38 mph in a 25 zone and failing to use a blinker when turning.

The teen exhibited signs of intoxication and performed poorly on field sobriety tests.

A search of the vehicle revealed two small pill bottles containing marijuana.

SAMMAMISH REVIEW The teen, who admitted to smoking the marijuana earlier in the evening, was transported to the hospital for a blood draw to determine his level of intoxication.

He was released to his father.

Stolen lock box A real estate lock box was stolen from a home on the 3600 block of 211th Place Northeast between Feb. 4 and Feb. 9.

There were no signs that anyone had accessed the home.

Suicide attempt A Sammamish woman in her 30s was transported to the hospital after attempting suicide Feb. 18.

The woman’s boyfriend called police after finding her unresponsive after swallowing prescription medication and alcohol.

Police stood by as she was rushed to the hospital for medical attention and a mental health evaluation.

Stolen car A Sammamish resident reported that someone had stolen his car at around 12:40 a.m. Feb. 18.

The resident left the vehicle running in the parking lot of the Madison Apartments and went to QFC. When he returned “two or three minutes later,” the gray 2000 Mitsubishi Galant was gone.

Driving is a privilege An 84-year-old Sammamish man was arrested for driving with a suspended license the afternoon of Feb. 17.

The officer pulled the man’s vehicle over on the 4400 block of Issaquah-Pine Lake Road because the vehicle did not have functioning brake lights.

A check of the man’s license revealed that it had been suspended the day before because he refused a court order to retake the

driver’s exam.

He was released at the scene.

Copper theft A resident on the 500 block of 207th Avenue Northeast reported that someone had stolen two copper light pillars from the front of his driveway between Feb. 7 and Feb. 10.

The pillars, which cost around $2,000 to replace, were likely stolen to be sold as scrap metal.

Vandalism A resident on the 700 block of 218th Avenue Southeast reported that someone had thrown a softball-sized rock through one of his windows at around 12:50 a.m.

Feb. 15.

The resident told police he suspected it had been two males in their 30s that he had confronted earlier in the evening.

The resident said he had seen the two males walking down the street with a wheelbarrow full of fertilizer and with a bicycle stacked on top.

Thinking that the items were stolen, the resident confronted the men and “words were exchanged.”

A neighbor on the 21700 block of Southeast Eighth Street reported that someone had slashed the tires of their vehicle and a horse trailer overnight that same night.

The case remains under investigation.

Domestic violence A 28-year-old Sammamish man was arrested on suspicion of fourth-degree assault after allegedly holding his girlfriend against the wall by her neck Feb. 14.

The girlfriend told police that the man had come home intoxicated and argumentative.

The two got into an altercation while giving their son a bath, during which time he allegedly held her against the wall, causing noticeable redness

around the neck.

The man, who had scratches and cuts on his face from the woman, told police that she had thrown the first punch.

The man was booked into Issaquah Jail on suspicion of domestic violence.

Beauty king Police responded to the home of a 28-year-old Sammamish man who had sent his ex-girlfriend a text message threatening to cut himself Feb. 14.

Police called the man, who told police it was a big misunderstanding and that he had only sent the message to gain attention from the ex-girlfriend.

Police met the man at his parents’ house to confirm that he was not a danger to himself. The man, who was drinking from a tequila bottle, appeared intoxicated but showed no signs of having cut himself and did not appear suicidal.

According to the police report, the man told police that he was not going to harm himself because he was “too pretty for that.” The man’s father agreed to keep an eye on his son.

Lunch break Two high school students were found in possession of marijuana paraphernalia near the corner of Beaver Lake Way and 259th Place Southeast at around noon Feb. 13.

An officer stopped the teens after seeing them stopped at a dead end acting suspiciously.

The inside of the car smelled of burnt marijuana and the teens turned over a glass pipe and an empty jar with marijuana residue.

The officer called the parents of the driver and advised them of the situation. They were escorted back to school to attend their afternoon classes.

Vandalism A vacant home on the 27200 block of Southeast 13th Place was spray painted overnight Feb. 11.

The suspect or suspects spraypainted several curse words on the home and a nearby bulldozer.

The vandalism caused around $1,400 in damage.

The case remains under investigation.

Items in the police blotter come from Sammamish Police reports.

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

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Classifieds

To place your ad call 425-392-6434 Deadline: Monday Noon

2-Commercial R.E./Sale

63-Items for Sale/Trade

117-Class/Seminars/Train

COMMERCIAL BUILDING AND shop with live in apartment, Kimberly, Idaho.

4,000sqft. Walk to bank, postal, grocery and restaurants.

Very Secure compound, $265,000 owner financing (208) 420-4129 <w>

BOX (50 PIECES) of costume jewelry, $3/each. 425-8379816

ALLIED HEALTH CAREER training -- Attend college 100% online. Job placement assistance. Computer Available. Financial Aid if qualified. SCHEV certified.. Call 800-481-9409. www.CenturaOnline.com <w>

42-Mortgage & Escrow LOCAL PRIVATE INVESTOR loans money on real estate equity. I loan on houses, raw land, commercial property and property development. Call Eric at (800) 563-3005. www.fossmortgage.com <w>

SAWMILLS FROM ONLY $3997 -- make & save money with your own bandmill. Cut lumber any dimension. In stock ready to ship Free Info/DVD: www.NorwoodSawmills.com, 1-800-578-1363 Ext. 300N <w>

134-Help Wanted UP TO 30K, breeding program. We buy everything you raise. 4â&#x20AC;&#x2122; space 2 hours week.

Free animal with appointment.

Trades as good as cash. (509) 720-4389 <w>

134-Help Wanted

134-Help Wanted

134-Help Wanted

SPORTS CLERK NEEDED. The award-winning Issaquah Press is looking for a part-time sports clerk (10 hours/week) to compile the weekly scoreboard, write briefs and maintain a calendar for sports at four high schools and other sporting/recreation events. Occasional writing and photography opportunities possible. Associated Press Style knowledge a plus. Send resume (clips if you have them) to: editor@isspress.com.

DRIVER -- INEXPERIENCED/ EXPERIENCED. Unbeatable career opportunities. Trainee.

Company Driver. Lease Operator. Earn up to $51K. Lease Trainers earn up to $80K. (877) 369-7105, www.centraldrivingjobs.net <w>

tails, have basic computer experience, good communication, grammar and written skills, and enjoy a fast-paced environment. Reliable transportation needed, mileage allowance provided. Earn $2535K (Base + commissions) first year, plus benefits.

Job description available on request. Email cover letter, resume and references to Jill Green at: jgreen@isspress.com

DRIVER -- $0 Tuition CDL (A) Training & a job! Top Industry Pay, Quality Training, Stability & Miles. Short employment commitment required. 800326-2778, www.joinCRST.com <w>

ADVERTISING SALES REP The Issaquah Press, Inc. seeks a motivated, outgoing person for outside sales for our four community newspapers with a focus on Newcastle News. Territory includes Newcastle, Renton, Factoria, Eastgate and portions of Bellevue. If you have sales experience, motivation and a passion for great customer service, we want to meet you!

You must have the ability to juggle many deadlines and de-

142-Services DIVORCE $135. $165 with children. No court appearances. Complete preparation. Includes, custody, support, property division and bills. BBB member. (503) 772-5295, www.paralegalalternatives. com?divorce@usa.com <w>

205-Personals ADOPTION -- ADORING, financially secure loving family longs to provide everything for your baby. Full-time mom, outdoor adventures, happy home.

Expenses paid. Trish 1-888219-8605 <w> LOOKING TO ADOPT: Happily married, loving couple desire to adopt newborn. Expenses paid. Please call tollfree 888-869-2227. Kristine & David <w>

TO ADVERTISE CALL 392-6434 Ext. 222

SAMMAMISH REVIEW

Tax Continued from Page 6

required to send a delinquency notice, officials send a courtesy notice in late September to about 9,000 taxpayers.

The property owners receiving the notice missed the April deadline and did not pay property taxes by Sept. 1.

Officials timed the notice to be close to the Oct. 31 due date for second-half property taxes.

Officials said the June notice will go to about 14,500 taxpayers.

The county expects about half of the taxpayers receiving the notice to pay before July 1 to avoid the monthly interest charges and December penalty outlined in state law.

School officials offer information on planned construction The Issaquah School District administration and the district capital projects staff plan an

informational session on proposed capital improvements at Clark Elementary, Issaquah Middle and Tiger Mountain Community High schools.

The public session is set for 5:30 p.m. March 8 at Issaquah Middle School, 400 First Ave. S.E. Voters can fund the projects though passage of a $219 million bond issue appearing on the ballot in the April 17 special election.

Plans call for replacement, expansion and relocation of all three schools. If the projects go forward, Issaquah Middle would move to the current site of Clark Elementary.

Clark Elementary and Tiger Mountain would share the current Issaquah Middle location.

The total estimated cost of all three projects is $85.9 million.

According to the district, the coming presentation will cover the logistics, possible timing and potential layout of all the new campuses as well as how the construction might impact neighboring communities.

Under state law, district offi-

February 29, 2012 •

cials are not permitted to promote the bond package to voters.

School officials are allowed to offer the public information on the bond and the proposed capital improvement plan.

State enlists teenagers to clean up litter Issaquah teenagers can join the effort to clean up Washington parks and roadsides soon.

The state Department of Ecology’s Northwest Regional Office in Bellevue plans to hire about 72 teenagers to help clean up area roadsides, parks and recreation areas during the summer. Ecology Youth Corps members also learn how to better care for the environment through the program.

Youths ages 14-17 can apply through April 10 to work with one of Ecology Youth Corps crews cleaning up litter this summer in King, Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties. Crews work Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., in a four-week session.

Sessions run from June 28 through July 25 and again from July 26 through Aug. 21.

Participants earn $9.04 per hour.

Teenagers can pick up applications through area school counselors and at www.ecy.wa.gov /programs/swfa/eyc/nwro.html.

Dollars for the Ecology Youth Corps program comes from a dedicated fund called the Waste Reduction, Recycling and Model Litter Control Account.

The account is funded by a voter-approved tax on items related to the litter problem.

Learn about King County’s 911 system at citizen academy King County residents can learn how the 911 emergency dispatch center operates as the King County Sheriff’s Office hosts a 911 Citizen’s Academy next month.

The academy is meant to educate citizens about the role 911 communications specialists fill in the public safety system.

20

The program is also designed to prepare people for dialing 911.

Plans for the daylong class March 31 include information about the history of 911, call taking and police dispatching, training, King County geography, agency partnerships, citizen training and what national certification means for residents.

In addition to the classroom session, academy participants can spend a two-hour session with on-duty communications specialists. The “sit-along” time is meant to offer a practical demonstration of the lessons learned in the academy.

The academy is open to anyone at least 18 years old without a felony conviction who lives or works in King County.

The application is available at the sheriff's office website, www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff/Enforcement/911Center/2012Cit zensAcademy.aspx, or by calling 206-205-6625 or by emailing KCSO911FB@kingcounty.gov.

Space for the program is limited. The application deadline is March 9.