snovalleystar011013

Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington

January 10, 2013 VOL. 5, NO. 2

New director needed Chamber director moving on to Oregon.

Page 2

Fixer-upper Bridge closed for repairs.

Page 2

Get those shots

Infant dies of whooping cough Page 3

Champion making a comeback Page 8

Search ends for skydiver

Youth wrestlers shine

By Michele Mihalovich After four days of trying to find a skydiver who went missing when he jumped from a helicopter near Mount Si, King County Sheriff’s Office has officially called off the search.

Sgt. Cindi West with the sheriff’s office said Jan. 7 that 386 search and rescue volunteers from 19 different agencies had gone over about nine square miles of terrain in search of 29-year-old Kurt Ruppert from Lake City, Fla. “After four days of looking, we’ve had no luck,” she said.

“The only areas left are steep sides and deep ravines that are not passable on foot. We don’t want to endanger the rescuers, and we’ve run out of places for them to look.”

About 2:30 p.m. Jan. 3, a helicopter pilot called the KCSO and said that Ruppert had skydived out See SKYDIVER, Page 3

By Sebastian Moraga

Maddox Harrison (top), a wrestler with the Snoqualmie Valley Wrestling Club, competes during a tournament Dec. 29, the first youth wrestling event the Valley hosted since the early 1980s. Harrison finished first in his bracket and the club finished first out of 20 teams.

Pain to laughter One-woman show explores cancer.

Page 6

No arrests yet in fatal hit and run Investigators find possible truck involved in death

Exploring culture Exchange students arrive from Korea.

Page 10

Police blotter

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Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER

By Michele Mihalovich The new year rang in on a tragic note, when someone driving a Ford pickup struck and killed a North Bend woman, and then drove away into the night.

The incident occurred at about 3 a.m. Jan. 1. The King County Sheriff’s Office said Lucinda Fisher Pieczatkowski, 57, was out with a group driving just east of the Snoqualmie Casino. The driver and Pieczatkowski (peach-aKOW-ski) got into an argument, left the vehicle and started walking in different directions.

The driver eventually walked back to the car, and the group

drove around looking for Pieczatkowski. A short time later, they found her in a ditch near the 10200 block of 394th Place Southeast.

She had been struck and killed by what police thought at the time was a 1987-1991 Ford Bronco or Ford F-150 pickup, based on headlight and turn signal light fragments found at the scene.

Police on Jan. 2 did locate a white Ford truck in the North Bend area they believe was involved in the fatal accident, but no arrest has been made.

Sgt. Cindi West, spokeswoman for KCSO, said on Jan. 7 that detectives do not want to release additional information because they feel it could jeopardize their case.

John Dochnahl, who has lived with Pieczatkowski in North Bend for seven and a half years, described her as an adventurous woman, “a very loving and big-hearted person. She was absolutely

my best friend in the world.

Everybody loved her.”

He said she wasn’t really thrilled with the town when she Lucinda first moved Fisher there.

“I told her to just give it time, North Bend has a way of growing on you,” he said.

And it did.

In no time, Pieczatkowski, a 1974 Lake Washington High School graduate, made tons of friends in the little community, and even became captain of the women’s pool league at Mount Si Pub, Dochnahl said.

Pieczatkowski and her father own a hardware and plumbing supplies business called Fisher See HIT, Page 3

Snoqualmie Ridge homes burglarized

By Michele Mihalovich Snoqualmie police are on the lookout for a U-Haul truck that may have been involved in two home burglaries Jan. 2.

Captain Nick Almquist said the burglaries happened between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. in the Silent Creek and Cascade Avenue neighborhoods in Snoqualmie Ridge.

He said no one was home at the time of the burglaries. Police were alerted when an alarm went off at the Silent Creek home.

The owner at the Cascade Avenue residence came home to find the front door kicked in and the house ransacked, Almquist said.

See ROBBED, Page 5

SnoValley Star

PAGE 2

JANUARY 10, 2013

Chamber of Commerce director leaves Valley for Oregon

By Michele Mihalovich Kevin Dwyer, executive director of the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce, accepted a job with the Corvallis Chamber of Commerce in Oregon.

Dwyer, on Jan. 7, his last day at the Valley chamber, said he’s proud to have helped turn the corner on membership

Railroad bridge closing for repairs Extensive repairs to an old timber beam bridge that carries King County’s Snoqualmie Valley Trail over Griffin Creek will require a monthlong closure beginning in mid-January, according to a King County press release.

Significant repairs have already been completed, including replacing old wooden timbers that were rotted, according to the press release. The bridge is in the Snoqualmie Valley between Carnation and Snoqualmie.

A county work crew will install additional new wooden timbers that support the bridge structure beginning Jan. 14, and

and increasing the visibility of the Valley.

From a tourism standpoint, Kevin Dwyer Dwyer said he was the first to implement a promo-

tions program at the Snoqualmie Falls.

He said a person was stationed at the falls from July 4 through Labor Day promoting the Valley.

Dwyer said people go to the falls, but then weren’t aware of all the other opportunities in the area, whether that was restaurants or recreational.

He said chamber revenues increased because of

new chamber events, like the Chamber Golf Classic held in June, which attracted 70 golfers.

“Not bad for the first year, and it was even pouring down rain during most of the tournament,” he said.

Dwyer said he also had a behind-the-scenes hand in attracting Space Labs and Motion Sports to Snoqualmie, which should be opening early this year.

Sometimes it’s just a phone call promoting the area, and sometimes, it’s helping new businesses navigate the permitting process, he said.

Dwyer, who used be the executive director for the Bainbridge Island chamber, said he’s really enjoyed his time in the Valley.

“I’ve loved getting to know the people, and the Valley is a beautiful

place,” he said. “There is a lot of untapped potential for tourism and new businesses in the Snoqualmie Valley, and I think it is poised for success.”

Chamber board members Ross Bentley and Danny Evatt will be splitting their time serving as interim directors, and putting a plan in place to hire a new director, Dwyer said.

the repairs are expected to take approximately one month, according to the release.

During the upcoming closure, the trail will be closed to all access from the 11th Street Northeast access point south to the southern end of the bridge abutment at Northeast Eighth Street.

At more than 31 miles in length, the Snoqualmie Valley Trail is the longest trail in King County’s 175-mile regional trail system, according to the release. The trail winds through the largely rural Snoqualmie River Valley, passing working farms and forests, as well as the cities of Duvall, Carnation, North Bend and Snoqualmie.

The trail connects with the cross-state John Wayne Pioneer Trail at its southern end and offers access to such notable destinations as Tolt-MacDonald Park, Meadowbrook Farm and the Three Forks Natural Area.

promotes programs to increase interest and engagement in the fine and performing arts.

Commission members also work toward preservation of Snoqualmie’s cultural heritage, according to the release.

Members meet the second Monday of each month at 6 p.m. All meetings are at Snoqualmie City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St. Applications are available at www.cityofsnoqualmie.org; click “City Government” and then “Commissions and Boards.” Applications, which are due by Jan. 11, may be delivered to Snoqualmie City Hall, 39624 S.E. River St., or mailed to Jodi Warren, City Clerk, P.O. Box 987, Snoqualmie, WA 98065.

Email info@ ci.snoqualmie.wa.us or call Warren at 888-1555, ext.

1118, to learn more.

whooping cough, on Dec. 13, according to a press release from King County Public Health.

In 2012 there were 752 confirmed cases of pertussis reported among King County residents, the highest number in more than a decade.

Out of respect for the family’s privacy, most details about the circumstances surrounding the death are not being shared publicly, according to the release.

But the department offers the following regarding prevention.

Infants are at the highest risk for serious illness, hospitalization and death from pertussis. Fortunately, pertussis is preventable with a widely available vaccine.

Women should be revaccinated with every pregnancy, because protection is passed from mother to baby.

Vaccinating the mother, ideally between week 27 and 36 of her pregnancy, provides temporary immunity until the baby is old enough to be immunized, beginning at 2 months

of age, according to the release.

Assuring all family members and other close contacts are up-to-date with their pertussis vaccine provides additional security, or a “cocoon” around vulnerable babies. People with cold or cough symptoms should stay away from babies because even people with mild symptoms can spread pertussis, influenza and other infections, according to the release.

Arts commission seeks members

The city of Snoqualmie Arts Commission has an opening for a new member and applications are now being accepted. To be considered, the new member must reside within Snoqualmie city limits, according to a press release from the city.

The Arts Commission advises the City Council on public artwork and

Every child should be treated the way we’d like our own children treated.

It’s our goal to implement the highest standard of care at every patient encounter whether it’s a child’s first visit, a teenager who’s headed off to college, or a special-needs adult we’ve been treating for decades.

King County infant dies of pertussis

A infant in King County died from pertussis, commonly known as

Organic salon opens in Snoqualmie

Angela Favero has opened an organic boutique salon in Snoqualmie.

The salon, Lula Ruby, at 7329 Better Way S.E., specializes in ammonia-free hair coloring and organic styling in an eco-friendly venue, Favero said in a press release.

Lula Ruby will offer products free of parabens, sulfates, propylene glycol, DEA, TEA ammonia, artificial fragrances, and animal ingredients and testing.

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Hit From Page 1 Sales in Kirkland, and she worked as a factory sales representative, traveling all over the state, he said.

Pieczatkowski and her ex-husband used to own hydroplane racing boats in the 1980s and 1990s, and she continued to love watching hydroplane boat competitions, Dochnahl said.

He and Pieczatkowski bought an RV and enjoyed camping and riding quads on the Oregon coast, Dochnahl said, “And Lucy was always a sucker for a campfire.”

He said Pieczatkowski, a woman who loved dancing and country music, was always inviting old and new friends over to the house at least once a week to gather around a campfire.

“She said they were therapeutic,” Dochnahl said. “I was very unhappy before I met her. She changed my life.”

Dochnahl has two

Troopers target aggressive motorists State troopers plan to crack down on aggressive motorists through May in a regional effort to change drivers’ behavior around commercial vehicles.

Officials said collision data shows cars cause the majority of crashes involving cars and commercial vehicles. Washington State Patrol troopers received a grant to conduct a Ticketing Aggressive Cars and Trucks, or TACT, emphasis.

grown sons, and he said they fell in love with her instantly.

“And, she treated them as if they were her own boys,” he said.

Pieczatkowski has a son herself, 32-year-old Erik Pieczatkowski, of Renton.

“He’s being so strong dealing with the tragedy, while I’m an absolute basket case,” Dochnahl said.

“This is the hardest thing I’ve ever been through in my life. I miss her so much.”

Erik described his mother as “amazing when it came to the mother role and being a friend. She always welcomed people with open arms and she loved to have a good time.”

Erik said learning the news about his mother’s death was the most shocking thing he’s ever experienced.

“I’m going to miss everything about her,” he said. “We were really close.

The friendship we had was totally unique. We were a duo that was inseparable.

This is very hard, but her

In King County, most collisions involving commercial vehicles happen on interstates and state highways. Troopers plan to patrol Interstate 90 from Seattle to North Bend and other roads.

The goal is to change motorists’ behavior around commercial motor vehicles, to reduce the number of crashes, injuries and fatalities, and to increase public awareness about unsafe driving behaviors such as cutting off trucks and tailgating.

Each year there are more new cases of skin cancer than cancers of the breast, prostate, lung and colon.

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al le annu r Schedu r. Mille with D p u k c e ch

450 NW Gilman Blvd., Suite 301A Issaquah, WA 98027 425-654-3961 www.MillerFamilyDerm.com

spirit’s going to live on, so it’s all good.”

Erik is asking that the person responsible for his mother’s death do the right thing and go to the police, or that the public call police if they have any information.

A fund has been set up to help Erik with funeral expenses at http://www. giveforward.com/inmemoryoflucindapieczatkowski.

A memorial service will be held for Pieczatkowski at 1:30 p.m., Jan. 18 at the Sunset Hills Funeral Home, 1215 145th Place S.E., Bellevue. A celebration of life will be held right after the service at the Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum, 5917 South 196th St. in Kent.

KCSO is asking people to call 206-296-3311 if they have any information about this crime. Crime Stoppers is offering a $1,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in this case. You may remain anonymous, but to receive the reward, you must call Crime Stoppers tip line at 800-222-TIPS.

Skydiver From Page 1 of the helicopter and did not show up at the landing zone after the jump. West said the landing zone was on private property at the 43000 block of Southeast 92nd Street in North Bend, and was several acres of flat land.

The pilot said a group of three men were alternating going up in the helicopter to jump.

One would jump while the others waited at the landing zone, according to a press release.

The men were on their second round of jumps when Ruppert disappeared. The pilot said the men were jumping from approximately 6,500 feet near a peak on the west side of the mountain.

The peak near the jump location is approximately 2,500 feet, according to a press release.

The men waiting at the landing zone said their line of sight was blocked, so they did not

PAGE 3

see Ruppert jump out of the helicopter.

Ruppert was wearing a “winged suit” and the speed and height of the jump would enable him to travel a large distance in a short amount of time.

West said the likelihood of Ruppert surviving was thin.

“He wasn’t dressed for anything other than landing,” she said. “He did have thin thermals on, and possibly shorts, but he was not equipped to be out in that weather. And we don’t even know if his parachute deployed.”

West said the two men Ruppert went jumping with that day stuck around all weekend to assist investigators in trying to narrow down a search location.

She said the two weren’t allowed to help in the actual search, only trained volunteers were allowed on the dangerous terrain.

West said the weather conditions during the search efforts haven’t been ideal either. On Jan.

“We don’t even know if his parachute deployed.”

— Cindi West King County Sheriff’s Office

3, the day Ruppert went missing, rescuers were dealing with screaming winds and snow. She said the next three days were mostly very cold and rainy.

West said KCSO was in constant phone contact with Ruppert’s parents in Florida. She said the family was notified Sunday that the search was being called off and they were “as you can imagine, extremely upset. Our only option right now is if we get a clear day, we’ll send the helicopters up.”

West said she had never heard of people skydiving at Mount Si before the incident.

“Usually at this time of year, we’re getting calls of injured hikers, so this was a very unusual circumstance,” she said.

Opinion

PAGE 4

Editorial

JANUARY 10, 2013

Letters

Here’s what ‘can do’ attitudes can accomplish A pack of dedicated volunteers set a Dec. 15 goal for opening an emergency winter shelter for the homeless.

Paula Matthysse, one of nearly 30 volunteers who met weekly since Nov. 7, admitted that date was kind of a moving target.

So much had to be organized. They had to find a place to host the shelter; find sleeping mats and blankets and then storage for the mats; organize evening meals and a light breakfast; train staff and volunteers; secure a temporary use permit from the city of North Bend; organize two public meetings with neighbors; allay citizen fears about the homeless; develop partnerships with organizations that could help, like the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital and Congregations for the Homeless; and find money.

Check. Done. Did it and done that. Somehow this group, which wants to do anything to save the lives of homeless people of the Snoqualmie Valley, managed to accomplish just that.

North Bend Community Church, which is hosting the temporary shelter, opened its doors Dec. 23.

Anyone who attended those weekly meetings knows that the Dec. 23 opening was a Christmas miracle.

“I don’t know if something’s in the water here or what, but I’ve never seen anything come together so quickly,” said Congregations for the Homeless Executive Director Steve Roberts, who has been helping the volunteers. “This community is just wonderful.”

And we agree. Those committed volunteers should be proud of themselves. They came together, facing challenges from several fronts, but they never gave up. Other communities could learn a thing or two from this group.

Number one, never give up on something you believe in.

Now comes the next challenge … running the shelter and keeping it open until at least March 7.

The shelter still needs help from the community — whether it’s a commitment of time, a pledge of money or making a meal. Learn how you can help at www.facebook. com/SnoqualmieValleyWinterShelter.

WEEKLY POLL What’s the biggest lie people say during the New Year’s holidays?

A. Sure, bring the kids.

B. I can’t wait for the snow.

C. My diet starts tomorrow D. I just get better with age.

Vote online at www.snovalleystar.com.

Deborah Berto

Publisher

Kathleen R. Merrill

Managing editor

Michele Mihalovich

Editor

Nathan Laursen Advertising manager Sebastian Moraga

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Finding bliss in the squalor of poverty Earth is the home of us all, but as I live in a small tent in a windy and rainy, forested area of North Bend, I am considered homeless. My moneyless life consisted of writing outdoors for the entirety of the day and creating music during the night.

Writing tirelessly, since we humans are gifted with two hands to share the burden of writing. Perhaps my idle attitude toward paying work is a trait to be frowned upon, and so I am deserving of my fate.

An angry, drunken roommate and my joblessness have led me here. But the gain of wisdom hinges not on riches. Paper and pens are still plentiful and learning is always free. Time moves forward and no matter our circumstances, we may all seek to reach the sky eventually. My odd perspective follows.

Surrounded by a landscape of such fascinating natural beauty, most ride interchange-

able vehicles to their next seemingly all-important destination.

The journey has been forgotten.

Convenience fosters ease of attaining the result. But it is in the action performed that we learn and grow most, not its completion. There is more to the mind than the little section governing the spoken internal voice.

Much that we observe becomes memory, although we may not consciously register it at the time. The sensation of nature is a kindness to the eternal witness hidden within each of us. Here, of all places, we are blessed by wild splendor of a sort beyond boring unbroken fields and endless buildings.

My homelessness, thankfully, clarifies what is necessity and what is superficial. For me, to find bliss in the squalor of poverty allows contentment in all states of higher comfort I may ever experience.

All things are relative. A child raised to be happy with nothing appreciates much more of

what they obtain than one who has always had everything. My exposure to this is better having just turned 24, than in my elder years. What we find normal is a changeable point on an infinite scale, and the scale is kept throughout life.

Max DeGroot North Bend

Criminals are the problem, not guns

Two days after the Sandy Hook school shootings in Connecticut, there was an incident in San Antonio that could have ended up as yet another tragedy. But it did not.

It was not a lead story on the national networks either because the mainstream media would rather focus our attention on guns being the reason for what happened in Connecticut. They only report shootings by criminals, not stories where a gun was used in self-defense.

See LETTERS, Page 5

Home Country

One day, all mysteries will be solved There were two little boys down at the Doughnut Hole Café the other day, standing outside, just waiting. They didn’t have long to wait. The Greyhound bus pulls up just about 1 each afternoon, give or take a little.

When the bus pulled up and parked and the brakes went whoosh, those two little boys had eyes like saucers. They took in everything, from the mud on the tires to the snow clinging to the mud flaps.

The driver stepped down and helped her passengers out, proudly wearing the Greyhound uniform. She had pride in her eyes, too, as we all know how that mountain can get when it’s snowing.

It’s always been that way.

There have always been little guys watching and wondering as the people get off for their lunch stop. Where are these people from? What was it like up on the mountain? I wonder if I could drive the bus someday when I’m grown.

When we’re small, our world and our view of it tends to be smaller as well. The exotic places of the world — to an 8-year-old — aren’t Singapore or Nairobi or Calcutta. The exotic places tend more toward Smithfield and Riverbank and Oakdale

and Cottage Grove. At 8 years old, the world’s horizon is Thompson Ridge, rather than the Pacific Slim Randles Ocean. But Columnist that doesn’t make the world any less fascinating.

Those little boys knew that, after lunch, those people would get back on that bus (they even have a restroom on the bus, you know) and they would go out of town in a diesel rush and cross the bridge on Lewis Creek and then disappear. But

they know that bus will be going right past their grandparents’ house in about two hours. They asked and they know. The people on that bus might be able to look out and see Grandpa’s dog Sadie as the bus goes by.

I wonder what Sadie’s doing right now? If I were on that bus right now, I could get off there and see. And someday I will.

Someday I’ll get on and ride and I’ll know what’s out there. I’ll know…

Brought to you by Slim’s award-winning book “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.”

Learn more at www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim. html.

Write to us Snovalley Star welcomes letters to the editor about any subject, although we reserve the right to edit for space, length, potential libel, clarity or political relevance. Letters addressing local news will receive priority. Please limit letters to 350 words or less and type them, if possible. Email is preferred. Letters must be signed and have a daytime phone number to verify authorship. Send them by Friday of each week to:

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P.O. Box 1328 q Issaquah, WA 98027 Fax: 391-1541 q Email: editor@snovalleystar.com

SnoValley Star

JANUARY 10, 2013

Letters From Page 4 On Dec. 17, two days after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a man entered a restaurant in San Antonio to shoot his ex-girlfriend.

After firing at patrons in the restaurant, he continued shooting as he made his way across a parking lot to a movie theater.

But before assailant Jesus Manuel Garcia could hurt any more innocent people, an off-duty policewoman fired shots at him. He was wounded and sent to a local hospital.

Robbed From Page 1 It appears the thieves were “looking for pre-

At a time when many are focusing on guns being the problem, what happened in San Antonio shows that guns in the hands of honest citizens are a force for good, not evil. A person with a concealed weapons permit and a pistol could also have stopped the assailant.

The problem is crime and criminals, not guns. Many more people lose their lives in traffic accidents and drownings than in shootings, but you don’t hear any outcries against cars or swimming pools.

And right after the shootings in Connecticut, 22 people were stabbed in China. Where guns are outlawed, the criminally-

minded will find another means to inflict violence upon their victims, especially if they are defenseless!

Shouldn’t we all be wondering why what happened in San Antonio wasn’t a lead story in the national news? News stories hardly ever chronicle the defensive use of guns.

The only ones we ever hear about are those involving violent crimes.

In the above case, I understand that only the local media covered this story.

San Antonio will be giving the off-duty police officer a medal. She deserves it!

Joe Crecca North Bend

scriptions based on the evidence in the house,” he said. “Plenty of high dollar items were left behind.”

Almquist said neighbors reported seeing the U-Haul truck near where the two homes had been robbed.

Anyone with information should call the police department at 888-5555.

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JANUARY 10, 2013

Snoqualmie businessman reaches 50-year milestone and retires

By Sebastian Moraga From behind his deep baritone, a chuckle escapes. Big dreams? Hardly.

“It’s a rather small dream,” said the 82-year-old Ed Wentz, owner of Snoqualmie’s Wentz Electronics for the past 50 years.

“I’ve had a place on Whidbey Island since ‘64, about 40 years, and I have never spent a whole week there yet.”

That’s how you know you’ve worked hard in your life. But that’s Wentz, a man whose work ethic is as sturdy as the business it built, providing radio service for fire departments and school districts across western Washington.

Fifty years after he started, he has decided to call it a career.

Sort of.

His sons Russell and Bob will continue in the same line of work, as Dad gradually lets go of the reins, but he will remain involved.

“My two boys are working for me, doing all the fieldwork for the past 10 years,” Ed said. “One is in Enumclaw, and one is in Bothell, and they’ve taken over those areas.”

The Snoqualmie shop still has loggers coming in with their

radios and the Wentzes will keep running the shop like Dad would, even if he is no longer around so much.

“We give the customers the kind of services we would expect,” Ed said. “They always have been number one with us.”

The focus may remain the same as in 1962, but the technology has changed.

“In the old days, you had to order a crystal for a certain frequency, you plugged it on the radio and that’s the only frequency you operated on,” Ed said. “Now it’s done with a computer, and you can have 100 frequencies.”

He then quipped, “Surely, you couldn’t have 100 crystals in there.”

And yet, some things about the business have not varied, Russ said.

“Some applications of the two-way radio are still the same,” he said. “Still used for public safety and school safety in school buses.”

It used to be used in all kinds of businesses, if they could afford it. The heyday was in the 1970s, Russ said. Now, the cell phone reigns. Still, companies with a larger employee base benefit from two-way radios, he

Contributed

Ed Wentz (center) built a family business that has remained afloat through 10 American presidents. Wentz will retire this year and hand the reins to his children Russ and Bob (second and fourth from left respectively).

Bookending the photo are Ed’s right-hand man for 35 years Dave Desalle, and Ed’s daughter Donna who works in the family business along her brothers and her sister Judy (not pictured). added.

“You don’t get charged for airtime or things like that,” he said. “You just have a fixed fee every month. It’s not designed for long conversations like a cell phone.”

Ed’s daughter Donna is the office manager and her sister Judy is the bookkeeper. The

fifth sibling Margie, is a nurse in Spokane. Ed’s right-hand man, Dave Deselle, has worked in the shop as a technician for 35 years.

Ed got his start working with his father, an electrician, in 1947, a year before he graduated from Lake Washington High School.

“He pounded into me that I had to go work for an electrician,” he said. “I got my training from him.”

While working in his father’s business, he realized that none of his father’s employees — including himself — knew what See WENTZ, Page 7

One-woman musical looks back with laughter at a tough call

By Sebastian Moraga She calls herself special.

In 2011, Eva Moon’s mother had tested positive for the BRCA 1 gene. That twist of DNA means there was a 50-50 chance she and her two sisters had the gene, which skyrockets a person’s chances for developing ovarian and breast cancer.

All three got tested. Sister negative, other sister negative, Eva positive.

“I’m the special one,” Moon, an actress and singer from Redmond, said with a laugh.

About 1 million people in the U.S. carry a known BRCA mutation, said Anna Satusek Kuwada, outreach coordinator for FORCE, a support group for people with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer. So Moon – and Satusek Kuwada — are indeed special.

To combat the odds of getting breast cancer, Moon started making plans for surgery right away.

The surgery – surgeries, actually a hysterectomy and mastectomy— were daunting. If she were to forgo the procedures, her odds of getting cancer were nearly 90 percent.

“I had friends who tried to

If you go The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping My Genes q A one-woman musical written and performed by Eva Moon q 8 p.m. Jan. 18-19, 119 W. North Bend Way, 831-5667. q Tickets are $12.50 and $10 for senior citizens. talk me out of them. ‘You still have a 13 percent chance of not getting cancer,” said Moon, who created a one-woman musical comedy about her journey called “The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping my Genes.”

“My response was , ‘would you fly on a plane that had a 13 percent chance of not crashing?’

I was very confident I was doing the right thing,” she said.

The hysterectomy required little second-guessing. Both mom (uterine) and grandma (ovarian) had fought battles with the Big C. Grandma had lost hers and mom would fight one more year until ultimately succumbing in 2012.

The mastectomy was a different story. It cut, she said, to the

core of feeling like a woman.

“It was a bigger thing to give up for me,” she said. “But I didn’t want to wait until after I had cancer.”

Besides, during this time, she was watching her mother die of cancer. This only made her resolution stronger to have the surgeries.

“You just do what you have to do,” she said, adding that every human has to face challenges.

In a way, the show itself was a challenge. She had the mastectomy in February, 2012, reconstructive surgery in May, and then in late summer, she decided to write a song about it.

“It was called “Ta-ta, tatas,” she said. She played it for a friend who suggested she do a show. Within a week, she had a draft of it, with nine songs and a monologue.

“It came out really fast,” she said. “It must have been needed to come out.” She did not want to write one at first, thinking that repeating her story over and over might keep her stuck in her past pain.

“It hasn’t been the case at See SHOW, Page 7

Contributed

Eva Moon, singer and actress from Redmond, performs her one-woman musical ‘The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping My Genes.’

SnoValley Star

JANUARY 10, 2013

Contributed

Russ and Bob Wentz continue the family’s legacy of working in the field of electronics on site atop the Enumclaw Hospital.

Wentz From Page 6 happened inside a transformer, “All we knew was how to hook the wires up,” he said.

He began studying electronics at home and got a job at Shinner Electric in Snoqualmie.

“Worked there for eight

years, then I was in the Navy Reserves for 18 years. Worked electronics there, too,” Ed said.

Then, he broke out on his own. His shop stands right next to his home, giving him one of the all-time great commutes.

“When half of my body is at work, the other half is still at home,” he joked.

Back in the sixties, Ed’s wife — who died six years ago — used to help the budding busi-

ness, answering a radio.

“But she had her hands full raising five kids,” Ed said. Now the children seem ready to continue on the family business.

“I learned a lot from him,” Russ said, echoing his dad. “He has been a great influence for me as a father and an employer.”

The work keeps Ed young, Russ said.

“He’s 82 and still going

PAGE 7

strong,” he said. “It’s the way he’s built.”

Ed’s business and his years as a volunteer for the Snoqualmie Fire Department — where he installed the radio equipment — made him a steady presence in a community he said he never considered leaving.

“Who wants to move away from all this rain and snow?”

Ed said, another gravelly chuckle fleeing his lips.

Kim Ferree, a volunteer with the fire department remembered a time where the wet stuff flooded the fire hall’s command post in 1990.

“We all picked up our necessary equipment and headed for Ed’s office,” he wrote in an email, “it was only inches above water. That became our temporary command post.”

Snoqualmie is almost synonymous with Ed, to the point that the city’s noon siren has a direct connection to him.

“The original fire siren on the old fire hall located where the City Hall is now, was maintained by Ed,” Ferree wrote.

“When they tore the fire hall down, Ed relocated it to downtown and set the noon timer.

His company maintains it today.”

Now, however, the siren’s song tells Ed it’s time to jump in the motor home and travel.

Maybe, he said, he’ll go to Las Vegas and lose some money. Or maybe even Whidbey Island.

“If I don’t do it now, I’ll die on this job,” he joked.

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Show From Page 6 all,” she said. Instead, she’s planning to take her show overseas, with one night scheduled for London in the summer of 2013 and two nights, Jan. 18 and 19 scheduled for North Bend’s Valley Center Stage.

“I’m so glad I wrote it,” she said. “Every word of the show is the absolute truth.”

The show, she said, is anything but a downer.

Satusek Kuwada agreed, calling the show brave and beautiful.

“It has the potential to not only provide a voice for the thousands of women like us living with a BRCA mutation, but to educate and make aware a much larger audience,” Satusek Kuwada wrote in an email.

The show, she said, carries a message to people that they can overcome these challenges.

“There are so many women out there for whom this is still in front of them or some other challenge they face, it doesn’t even have to be cancer,” she said. “I have an opportunity to stand on a stage and tell people that you can get through hard things and you’ll still be yourself. You will still be whole in some way. You have a wonderful life ahead of you, even if you can’t see it.”

Sports

PAGE 8

JANUARY 10, 2013

Mount Si boys learn about more than basketball at Holiday Classic

By Michele Mihalovich While the rest of Snoqualmie Valley enjoyed their Christmas loot, the Mount Si High School boys basketball team boarded a plane for the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego.

This is the third holiday classic coach Steve Helm has organized for the boys to attend.

The first was in Boston, and last year they traveled to Maui, Hawaii.

Helm said these tournaments are doing more than just keeping the players focused on basketball during the Christmas break.

“This is a great learning experience for them,” he said.

“They’re learning how to travel, board a plane, navigate airports.

Some of them have never flown before or left the Valley. So, not only are they playing basketball, but they’re also being exposed to new cultures, learning history. This year they got to experience a sunny day at the Pacific Ocean and visited Sea World.

Some may never get back to these places, so I think that’s the main reason I like to take them.

But, these trips are also a great time for team bonding, which is

Up next Mount Si vs. Lake Washington q 8 p.m. Jan. 11 q At Lake Washington High School

Contributed

Mount Si High School boys basketball team enjoying a little down time at the Pacific Ocean between games at the Torrey Pines Holiday Classic in San Diego, held Dec. 26-29. everything you could want as a coach.”

The first day of play at the Classic was Dec. 26, when the Wildcats went up against Aliso

Niguel High School, a team ranked seventh in southern California, Helm said.

Two of his star players had to sit out of the tournament due

to injuries: guard/forward Trent Riley suffered lower back pain and some achilles issues, and guard Levi Botton continued to nurse a sprained ankle, Helm said.

The Wildcats lost that game 46-43. The following day, Mount Si took a 71-63 beating from Mission Prep, and on Dec. 28, lost to Walnut Grove Gators, the second ranked team out of Vancouver, B.C., he said.

Mount Si did come away with a win the next day, however, beating Yale Secondary, ranked number three in Abbotsford, B.C., 59-51.

Now that the Wildcats are back on Washington soil, it was time to get back into KingCo conference play.

Helm said he finally got Riley and Botton back on the court for the Jan. 4 game against Sammamish, when the team had a 64-41 win over the Bellevue team. Wildcats overall record stands at 6-1.

Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www. snovalleystar.com.

Javelin thrower working on elbow after tear State champion keeps working toward goals

By Sebastian Moraga With one hurl of his javelin last spring, then junior Bradly Stevens became the top thrower in the nation for his age group.

His 205-foot-10-inch throw broke his own school record, and earned a first place at the state meet in Tacoma.

Then he threw again, that same day.

“Right about here,” he said lifting his arm sideways and flexing it 90 degrees so his fist was just above his temple, “I felt a pop.”

At first, he did not want to accept it, because he knew what lay ahead.

His brother, WSU javelin thrower and former Mount SI High School recordman, Kyle Stevens, had heard his elbow pop while throwing, and had been out a year.

Still, he could not deny that something was wrong. He threw, but he returned to the sideline

holding his elbow.

“It didn’t hurt, but it felt like blood rushed to it,” he said. “It felt really warm.”

Stevens had had a stellar junior season, so the prospect of a year’s rehab felt like someone had thrown a javelin at his future. Senior season is when colleges really make their move to snag the best athletes out there, and his dream of joining his brother in Pullman seemed in jeopardy.

But then Kyle stepped up, serving as a guide for his younger sibling.

“If it wasn’t for Kyle I would be a lot more worried and cautious,” he said. “Or I might just go the other way and not be cautious and blow my elbow out again.”

He only thought of quitting once, when he first saw the scanned image of his torn elbow.

“The doctor said, ‘You’ve completely torn it,’ and I thought of what Kyle went through and thought, ‘Should See JAVELIN, Page 9

By Sebastian Moraga

Bradly Stevens, Mount Si High School javelin thrower, broke his brother Kyle’s school record, his own record and was the best junior thrower in the state and the nation during his stratospheric 2012 season.

SnoValley Star

JANUARY 10, 2013

PAGE 9

Strong California trip gives grapplers boost for rest of the season

By Sebastian Moraga Sometimes the biggest victories don’t appear on the stat sheet.

Mount Si High School wrestlers traveled to San Diego, Calif., last month and placed eighth among more than 40 teams from Arizona and California.

“Being a team no one had heard of, it was still really fun to place high at such a big tournament,” wrestler Mitch Rorem

wrote in an email.

Rorem finished seventh in his weight class, 195 pounds.

Nate Whited finished fifth at 220 pounds. Tim Corrie finished second at 182 pounds, losing the finals by one point.

“Our big guys came up big,” said head coach Tony Schlotfeldt.

The good showing gave the team a boost of confidence for the second half of the season Rorem

wrote.

“In wrestling, confidence and experience are the two biggest factors, so this tournament was without a doubt a great way to start off the last half of the season,” he wrote.

Rorem wrote he wrestled really well against a tough draw. He lost in the quarterfinals to the eventual tournament runner-up.

“The score was 1-1 with 30 seconds left, and I tried a throw which was not

Javelin

Up next Bellevue at Mount Si q 7:30 p.m. Jan. 10 q Mount Si High School successful, and I ended up pinning myself,” he wrote.

“That’s the way it goes sometimes, and I always like to be the one to take the last chance in a close match like that.”

“I want to go somewhere that will help me get to the Olympics in 2016.”

From Page 8 I even throw anymore?’ but then I snapped right out of it, thinking ‘You probably won’t get into college if you don’t do this.’”

Surgery, known to baseball fans across America as “Tommy John” surgery, happened Aug. 17. Less than four months later, he’s already throwing again, which has surprised his offseason coaches.

The throws reach 130 feet, about 70 feet shorter than that next-to-last throw in the spring, the one that broke all the records.

The newer, shorter dis-

— Bradley Stevens Javelin thrower

Contributed

Kyle Stevens and his brother Bradly show off the scars from their respective Tommy John surgeries. tance, frustrates Bradly somewhat, given the heights he reached in 2012. He said he could throw 130 “in my sleep” last year.

Nevertheless, his offseason coach, Jan Olov, keeps his spirits up, telling him it’s almost unheard of for someone to throw 130 feet, four months after Tommy John surgery.

It seems to be working.

Bradly wants to make state again in 2013. Not just

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“Getting braces wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. My teeth are really straight today because of the doctors, nurses, and of how they told me to take really good care of my teeth. All of the people who work here at Kirby Nelson are super nice and it was actually fun coming for my appointments.” – Ryan Stuit

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state, but the state finals, the second day of competition.

“I have already gone to state as a sophomore and I didn’t make the finals,” he said. “If I didn’t make the finals this year, it would be like sophomore year again.”

Not only that, but his grades are up. A 2.0 student last year, his GPA has jumped to 3.2, he said. All in the name of getting to a

good college and fulfilling yet another dream.

“I want to go somewhere that will help me get to the Olympics in 2016,” he said. “My dad is looking forward to flying down there and watching me and Kyle throw.”

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext.

221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

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Ryley Absher and Rorem finishing third and Whited and Cole Palmer finishing fifth. Justin Edens wrestled as a fill-in for the injured Bruce Stuart at 145 pounds, and he also finished fifth.

Next up for the Wildcats is a trip to…nowhere.

They get to stay home Jan. 10 to host the Bellevue Wolverines. It’s the ‘Cats’ first home league dual since November.

Varsity wrestling starts at 7:30 p.m.

Solid Rock Rebecca Turner, L.P.C.

Ryan Stuit

Besides, he added, tough losses, like the one in San Diego turn into tough wins in the post season.

“Placing seventh in a large tournament like that was very cool, and it was even cooler to place alongside my teammates Nate Whited and Tim Corrie,” he wrote.

The second half continued with a fifth-place showing at the Everett Classic, with Eli Clure,

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PAGE 10

Schools

JANUARY 10, 2013

Valley musicians honored

By Sebastian Moraga

Tina McCollum, of the Snoqualmie Sister Cities Association, learns the intricacies of a Korean social media phone application from three exchange students, Kim Do Hyeon, at right, Kim Ji Seong, at center and Lee Hwa Seon at left.

Korean exchange students learn about America while in the Valley

By Sebastian Moraga The three girls with the shy smiles asked their new American friend to repeat herself. What was that she said?

Tina McCollum, the American friend and one of the leaders of the Snoqualmie Sister Cities Association, obliged, repeating the colloquialism sometimes used in place of OK. The girls, 16-year old Ju Yeon Yu, 16-year old Eunsu Suh and 16-year-old Ji Yeon Lee giggled a little more, before repeating the colloquialism among themselves.

“Okee-dokee!” Suh said. “Okeedokee!.”

Su is one of 10 students from Gangjin, South Korea visiting the Valley for the fifth annual student exchange between sister cities Gangjin and Snoqualmie.

“It’s our fifth year welcoming students,” Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson told the delegation, which included the principal of the students’ high school, Jae Sung Jung. “So, it feels like we are welcoming friends and family.”

Larson, through translator Agnes Shin, advised the students to embrace the differences instead of fearing them.

“It won’t always be easy,” he said.

“It will be different culture, different people, different smells, and that won’t always feel comfortable, but that’s what is great about an exchange program; it introduces young people to another side

By Sebastian Moraga

Ju Yeon Yu, Eunsu Suh and Ji Yeon Lee check their phones while waiting at the Snoqualmie City Hall for their host families to pick them up. of the world.”

High school in Korea lasts three years, and these students just finished their ninth year of schooling, so they are the equivalent of American sophomores, although they just graduated from their city’s middle schools.

“I hope that with an open mind,

they are able to incorporate themselves into the new global arena,” said Sung through translator Shin. “They are all excellent students, and I hope they are able to fit in OK, understanding the U.S. culture.”

Lee Hwa Seon, one of the students, said she hoped to make “American friends and visit the most famous places in America.”

Seon and the rest of the students spent two months preparing for the trip.

Preparation included tests and trips to buildings designed to look like American neighborhoods where they practiced their speaking skills.

They arrived at Snoqualmie City Hall the afternoon of Jan. 7, where their host families picked them up.

McCollum told the group that the student showing the best leadership and English skills will get to return in 2014 as a chaperone for the next group.

She also advised them to look people in the eye, not cover their mouth when they spoke and make as many friends as possible during their time at Mount Si High School.

The Korean delegation is one of two arriving this month to the Valley. A delegation of students from Peru arrives Jan. 19.

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@ snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

The 2013 Washington Music Educators Association elected students from three middle schools in the Valley among its all-stars for 2013.

Each student had to submit a recorded audition to be selected. They will all perform in a special concert in Vancouver, Wash., in February, a press release from the Snoqualmie Valley School District indicated.

The students are: q Snoqualmie Middle School sixthgraders Georgia Schnepf, Keira Mix, Meghan McLaughlin and Julie Cleveland, youth choir; seventh-graders Alison Caswell and Hayla Takele, treble choir; and seventh-grader Tyler Bateman, band q Twin Falls Middle School seventhgrader Adele Werner, clarinet; eighthgrader Kaitlyn Rogers, choir q Chief Kanim Middle School seventh-grader Angel See, clarinet; and eighth-grader Claire Old Loohuis, choir q Boone Hapke, Mount Si High School 11th grader, bassoon q Christian Henriksen, Mount Si High School 11th grader, flute Hapke and Henriksen receive in February for three days of intense rehearsals in Portland, culminating in a performance on the final day of the conference, the release stated.

Aptitude test coming is Jan. 18 Mount Si High School will be administering the ASVAB, Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 18 in the school’s career center.

Students must sign up by Jan. 11.

The test includes a multiple-choice aptitude test battery, an interest inventory and other tools. Scores can help students discover how well their skills have developed areas of career interest and also may be used for military enlistment.

The ASVAB has been provided to high school students since 1968. It was developed by the United States Department of Defense to encourage students to increase their self-knowledge and understand how that information could be linked to job characteristics both in the civilian and military world.

MSHS principal honored The Washington Association of Secondary School Principals selected Mount Si High School principal John Belcher as the KingCo Conference Distinguished Principal of the Year for 2012.

Belcher arrived in 2011 to Mount Si High School after a seven-year stint as principal of Omak High School.

Belcher “brings a tremendous energy, a strong focus on student voice, tireless commitment to raising achievement and pervasive pride for all things Mount Si,” said district Superintendent Joel Aune in a press release. “Students throughout our district will continue to benefit from John’s superb leadership as they attend Mount Si High School.”

The award followed seven criteria, including a willingness to take risks to improve student learning and a commitment to fostering a positive school climate, reflected by the school’s staff and student morale.

Calendar

JANUARY 10, 2013

Music/ entertainment q Lubag/Gibson Project, 7 p.m. Jan. 12, Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, 292-9307 q Sundaes on Monday with guest Ariana Herrera, 8 p.m. Jan. 18, The Black Dog, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie, 8313647 q The Sallal Grange will host a Contra Dance, 7 p.m. Jan. 18, featuring the band “Busted Cup” with Amy Carroll as the caller.

12912 432nd Ave. S.E. in North Bend. 888-0825.

Admission is a suggested donation of between $5 and $10.

PAGE 11

SNOQUALMIE VALLEY

See her before London does

Events q The Eastside Firefighters Benevolent Fund, providing relief to poor people in the communities served by EFR, will host a Cut-A-Thon Jan. 12 and 13, at the Great Clips, 14030 Main St. N.E. in Duvall. $5 from every regularly-priced haircut will go toward families in need. Walk-ins welcome, or you may check in online at www.greatclips.com, or contact the salon at 425-844-9571.

North Bend Library Unless otherwise noted, all events occur at 115 E. Fourth St. North Bend, 888-0554. Libraries will be closed Jan. 21 for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s holiday. q Study Zone, 2 p.m.

Jan. 13, 20. Drop in during scheduled hours for free homework help in all subjects. For teens. q Infant and Family Story Time, 11 a.m. Jan. 14, newborn to age 3 with adult, siblings and older children welcome. q Drop-in eReader Assistance, 6 p.m. Jan. 14, learn how to download eBooks to your eReader or computer during this digital download demonstration. q Talk time, 6:30 p.m.

Jan. 14, improve your speaking and listening skills in this English conversation group. Learn more about American culture and meet people from around the world. q Toddler Story Time, 10 a.m. Jan. 15, share the world of books with your child and come for stories, songs and surprises. Ages 2-3 with adult. Younger children and siblings welcome. q Preschool Story

Valley Center Stage presents ‘The Mutant Diaries: Unzipping My Genes,’ a one-woman musical about beating cancer “and living to sing about it,” written and performed by Eva Moon at 8 p.m. Jan. 18 and 19 at 119 W. North Bend Way, 831-5667. Tickets are $12.50 and $10 for seniors.

Time, 10:45 a.m., Jan. 15, ages 3-6 with adult.

Siblings welcome. q One-on-one computer assistance, 1 p.m.

Jan. 16, get extra help on the computer or with any special projects you have. q Family Story Time, 6:30 p.m. Jan. 16, all young children welcome with adult. Wear your pajamas if you like.

Snoqualmie Library Unless otherwise noted, all events occur at 7824 Center Blvd. S.E., Snoqualmie, 888-1223.

Libraries will be closed Jan. 21 for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s holiday. q Drop-in eReader assistance, 11 a.m. Jan. 10, 17 learn how to download eBooks to your eReader or computer during this digital download demonstration. q Family Story Times, 7 p.m. Jan. 10, all young children welcome with adults. Wear your pajamas if you like. q Preschool Story Times, 1:30 p.m. Jan. 14 and 10:45 a.m. Jan. 16, ages 3-6 with adult. Share the world of books with your child and come for stories, songs and surprises. q Study Zone, 3 p.m.

Jan. 15, drop in during

scheduled study hours for free homework in all subjects from volunteer tutors. q Young Toddler Story Times, 10 a.m. Jan. 16, ages 6-24 months, with adults, younger children and siblings welcome. Enjoy bouncy rhymes, familiar songs and stories with your little one. q Anime and Manga Club, 3 p.m. Jan. 16, watch anime movies, eat popcorn and practice your manga drawing. All skills levels welcome.

Amateur Photo Contest

home services

to be awarded in each category: • Life in the Valley (people) • Animals/pets • NW nature (scenics)

Classes q Zumba classes for people with special needs, 10:15-11 a.m.

Saturdays from Jan. 5 to Apr. 27, $7 drop-in fee or punch-pass fee of $30 for five visits. Taught by Jill Saitta, this class is designed to help people of all ages with mobility, physical endurance and cognitive learning.

First parent class is free.

Students ages 8 and younger must participate with a parent or caregiver. Si View Pool, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive, North Bend, 888-1447.

Send us your calendar item by emailing us at smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

WINNERS! Send your best high-resolution digital photo to PhotoContest@SnoValleyStar.com.

Include name, address and phone number of the photographer, plus the story behind the photo. Limit three entries per person.

Washington State Construction Contractor law requires that all advertisers for construction related services include the contractor registration number.

Photos may not be dramatically altered from the original. All entries become the property of SnoValley Star and its parent company for use in any of its publications.

Deadline: February 8, 2013 Winners will be announced in the SnoValley Star on Feb. 21

SnoValley Star

PAGE 12

EFR extends deadline for volunteers

Eastside Fire & Rescue needs volunteer firefighters to serve rural communities in rural King County, including Lake Joy, Maple Hills, Preston, Tiger Mountain and Wilderness Rim. The agency needs men and women to assist in delivering emergency firefighting and medical services. The application deadline is 5 p.m. Jan. 23. The minimum age to apply to is 18. Applicants must have good driving records and live within five miles of a station.

The process includes a written exam, tests for physical ability, a psychological evaluation and the applicant’s interview. The agency provides a medical physical exam and all required clothing for volunteers.

Complete the application at the agency website, www.eastsidefirerescue.org. Or, pick up applications between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays at the agency’s headquarters station, 175 Newport Way N.W.

JANUARY 10, 2013

Police blotter

Police bust 795 motorists for DUI

Police in Issaquah and King County busted 795 motorists for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs during a holiday season crackdown.

The national Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over DUI enforcement campaign included law enforcement agencies at the local, state and national level. The effort started Nov. 21 and lasted through New Year’s Day. Statewide, law enforcement officers arrested 3,446 drivers for DUI. In King County during the same period in 2011-12, officers on routine and extra patrols arrested 960 people for DUI. The local effort is organized and supported through the King County Target Zero Task Force, a regional push to crack down on unsafe driving practices.

Funding for the extra patrols came from a Washington Traffic Safety Commission grant.

Want your local news updates daily?

Find SnoValley Star on Facebook or follow us on Twitter @SnoValleyStar

Snoqualmie

Is that a gun in your pocket?

A store owner on Falls Avenue Southeast phoned police about 1 p.m. Dec. 23 to report that she approached a suspicious customer she thought might be stealing.

The customer had a concealed weapon and got upset about being confronted. The customer left the store, then came back and left again.

North Bend fire calls

SPD officers assisted King County Sheriff’s Office at 11:12 p.m. Dec. 26. Two subjects on West North Bend Way suffered from sword cuts on their hands and one subject was being non-cooperative.

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Two fire engines responded to a vehicle fire at 3:16 p.m. Dec. 25 on westbound Interstate 90.

Six fire engines responded to a vehicle accident with injuries at 10 a.m. Dec. 26 on westbound Interstate 90.

Five fire engines responded to an unauthorized burning call at 1:38 p.m. Dec. 28 near eastbound Interstate 90.

Two fire engines responded to an unauthorized burning call at 6:42 p.m. Jan. 1 on Southeast 147th Street.

One fire engine responded to a vehicle

accident with injuries at 5:43 a.m. Jan. 2 on westbound Interstate 90.

Snoqualmie fire calls

Firefighters responded Dec. 28 to an alarm at the Snoqualmie Ridge Medical Clinic and found technicians working on the alarm.

EMTs responded Dec. 29 to a rollover vehicle accident on Southeast Reinig Road. The vehicle had left the roadway and rolled down an eight-foot embankment, but the driver was uninjured.

Firefighters were dispatched Dec. 29 to assist Fall City Fire Department for an out‐building fire, but were cancelled while in route. Fall City was able to extinguish the fire.

Firefighters responded Dec. 30 to assist Fall City FD with a reported house fire.

Once Fall City arrived, they found burnt food on the stove. All additional units were cancelled.

Firefighters responded Dec. 31 to the Technical Glass building for a fire alarm, which had been set off by contract workers on site and reset.

The Star publishes names of those arrested for DUI and those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.

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