Review sammamish
Locally owned
November 19, 2014
Girl Scouts learn some lessons about local government By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
Sammamish Planning Commission member Cynthia Krass thought it highly appropriate that her audience of about 50 Girl Scouts could potentially earn a badge dubbed “Finding Common Ground.” They would earn that badge partially by attending a Local Government Night put on Nov. 13 at Sammamish City Hall by Krass and City Councilman Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo. Ranging in age from fifthgraders to high school students, the Scouts and their parents came from Sammamish, Issaquah and other Eastside cities. Krass told the gathering that one big issue facing the city is how many trees officials want to allow developers to remove in the course of new construction. The key, she said, is finding that sometimeselusive common ground, in this case a number that protects the environment, but also recognizes property owners’ rights to develop their land. She declined to guess what the right number might be. To help the Scouts learn about their local government, Valderrama-Aramayo and Krass spent about an hour outlining not only the tree question, but also several other well-publicized issues facing the city. Those included the possible annexation of the Klahanie neighborhood and how to deal with homelessness. Representing the grassroots group Citizens for Sammamish, local activist Harry Shedd talked about his group’s push to bring referendum and initiative rights to the city. Krass and ValderramaAramayo’s message about working together to solve problems apparently wasn’t lost on at least a few of the Scouts. Scout Amber Lee said she liked the idea that some government committees and groups work together to figure things out. She added she attended the proSee SCOUTS, Page 2
Months of work led police to theft suspects By Tom Corrigan tcorrigan@isspress.com
By Greg Farrar
One of 20 students from the audience who went onstage takes her turn in a demonstration about gouging an assailant’s eyes, using a foam block held by Issaquah High School teacher Karin Walen.
Courage, strength define Fight the Fear event By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com
Issaquah High School junior Aanya Nigam is done being silent. She’s done feeling fear, embarrassment and shame for a past incident that doesn’t deserve it, and she’s intent on speaking up, so others know they don’t have to experience those emotions. That’s why, on Nov. 13, the brave teen stood in front of a packed Issaquah High School theater and recounted the night she was raped. “I’m a survivor,” she said, “and my story doesn’t end here.” Nigam’s story was just one of the few shared at an intimate evening dedicated to empowering girls through self-defense and sexual assault prevention. About 200 girls from Issaquah, Skyline and Liberty high schools filled the theater for the school district’s Fight the Fear event, organized by Issaquah High teacher Karin Walen and Maywood Middle School teacher Meggan Atkins. Atkins and Walen are known
On the Web Learn more about the Fight the Fear Campaign at http://lookingoutfoundation. org/campaigns/fight-the-fear. for offering self-defense classes at Issaquah and Liberty high schools, but the Nov. 13 event was less about going in-depth on those skills, and more about instilling a confidence through strength, raising sexual assault awareness and bringing the district schools together for an important night of education. The offender in a sexual assault isn’t usually a masked stranger, students learned; it’s most often someone the person knows. In Nigam’s case, it was her first serious boyfriend during her freshman year at a different school. A dog lover, Nigam told a story about Xavier, her black Lab mix, and the patience he exhibits when told, “No,” as his favorite treat sits in front of him. He’ll pace around the treat, she said, but he certainly won’t
SLIDESHOW See more photos from the Fight the Fear event at www.sammamishreview.com. touch it until she gives him the OK. She used the example to offer a poignant question. “So why does a dog, a shelter dog, have more control than my boyfriend had that night?” she asked. Another speaker, Jen Hopper, shared her experience as the survivor of a 2009 rape and stabbing attack that took the life of her partner Teresa Butz. For all that she lost that night in Seattle’s South Park neighborhood, Hopper said she gained something, too. “I gained an unwavering faith in myself, knowing myself as strong, as resilient, knowing that no matter what life threw at me, I could get through it and I could be whole again,” she said. See FIGHT, Page 2
Sammamish Police determination, video and an alert resident helped lead to the arrests of three suspects in connection with what might be 30 or more car breakins in Seattle, Redmond, Mercer Island and other areas in King County. Some of the cases go as back as far as July. Sammamish contracts for police protection with the King County Sheriff’s Office. Local sheriff’s personnel became involved in what has become a well-publicized case several months ago, Sammamish Sgt. Tony Garza said. Sammamish Detective Tracey Dodd asked for special permission to keep investigating the thefts after looking into the circumstances surrounding a possible Sammamish victim, Garza added. As they moved forward, police eventually uncovered surveillance video of the suspects using what officials believe was a credit card stolen in one of the suspect groups’ many alleged break-ins. Sammamish police decided, Garza said, to make use of a website operated by Lake Forest Park Police. The site allows officials to display pictures of unidentified suspects and invites the public to chime in if they recognize anyone. Police received some See THIEVES, Page 2 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
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