Locally owned 50 cents
april 29, 2015
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Local Everest climber safe after large earthquake, avalanche
Fish friendly
By Kathy Aslamy
Courtney Coulson (right) gives a thumbs-up as she and other Blackwell Elementary School fourth-graders release kokanee salmon fry into Laughing Jacobs Creek near the Lake Sammamish State Park boat launch April 24. It was the sixth consecutive annual release of native juveniles that were spawned at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery over the fall and winter in a program designed to reverse the danger of extinction to the species.
SLIDESHOW See more photos from the April 24 kokanee fish fry release at www.sammamishreview.com.
Council launches internal search to replace city manager By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com Following a presentation by Sammamish City Manager Ben Yazici at the April 21 City Council meeting, local officials intend to look internally for Yazici’s replacement. “It could be a good thing to stay in-house,” Mayor Tom Vance said. “We are a contract city and there aren’t too many of those around.” After roughly 14 years on the job, Yazici announced during an April 7 council meeting that he would step down in February. It was Yazici who suggested the city first look internally for his replacement. The main candidate he had in mind was Deputy City Manager Lyman Howard. Like Vance, Yazici reportedly noted the city is a contract city, which in his mind means it is run a little differently than most cities. Instead of having internal departments that handle work such as road maintenance and so on, Sammamish contracts with private firms or other entities to do the needed jobs. The
Skyline soccer wins in 5-0 romp, page 9
city even contracts with King County for its police services. Vance said Howard has worked with Yazici for at least six years. And although council members indicated Yazici’s recommendation of Howard would carry some weight, the council decided to open the application process to all city employees. Vance said the council would accept internal applications through the last week of April. If an internal candidate is chosen, he or she could be named as early as mid-May. The entire council would interview any contenders. If the internal search fails to produce a satisfactory replacement, Vance said the city would hire a search firm and cast a wide net, in and out of state, to find a new city manager. He said hopefully that process would be complete by the time Yazici leaves. The council tried to name a three-person committee to oversee at least the internal search process, Vance said, although he also See SEARCH, Page 2
Klahanie resident Dennis Broadwell and his team of climbers from Issaquah-based Mountain Gurus are safe after a 7.8-magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal and the Mount Everest area April 25. A post on the group’s Facebook page later in the day confirmed that Broadwell, 43, and the rest of the team were OK. News reports on April Dennis 27 said the Broadwell earthquake killed more than an estimated 4,000 people in and around the Nepalese capital of Kathmandu, and the death toll was expected to rise as search efforts continued. On Mount Everest, where Mountain Gurus climbers were in the midst of a two-month expedition, 18 people, including four Americans, were reported dead after an avalanche swept over the Base Camp at about 17,600 feet in elevation. Sam Tyler, of Mountain Gurus, said April 27 that he spoke to Broadwell shortly after the disaster. The team was at Base Camp when the avalanche occurred, although other teams were higher on the mountain at Camps 1 and 2, and were being lifted off the mountain via helicopter, Tyler said. It’s likely that all teams stationed on the south side of Everest, where Broadwell and his team are, will call off their expeditions, although Tyler said he didn’t know for sure. Mountain Gurus’ climbers were expecting to reach the summit in mid-May. Broadwell has posted some online updates about the expedition at www.mountaingurus.com/ blog. Here is an update that was planned before the earthquake.
April 15: Arrived at Everest Base Camp and upward
After 10 days of walking, we arrived at Everest Base Camp on April 9. It was a beautiful, sunny day with spectacular mountain views all around. The top of Everest was shining above it all. As I walked the final steps over rock and glacial ice, I spotted our camp and familiar faces. Our camp staff have been preparing our arrival for weeks, working hard to shape this rugged landscaped into a livable camp that we’ll call base camp for the next five to six weeks. Everything is difficult here. The thin, dry air makes the simplest tasks seem hard. Yet our camp is pleasant, furnished with comfortable chairs, a space heater and solar power. It’s a far cry from what the early pioneers of Hillary and Whittaker needed to endure. The following morning, we celebrated our Puja ceremony, a ritual we must complete before entering the Khumbu Icefall and the upper mountain. Although I’m not a Buddhist, I respect our Sherpa staff and their traditions, and overall, it’s great fun. The ceremony ends with the raising of prayer flags, Sherpa dancing, as well as a round of Cokes, Everest beer and local alcohol. After lunch, we say farewell to our Mountain Gurus trekkers. It was a real pleasure to have them with us on our walk to base camp. Three of us now remain: See EVEREST, Page 2 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
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