FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
YOUR LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER SERVING SNOQUALMIE AND NORTH BEND
SNO★VALLEY
STAR
SWEEP SUCCESS Critical 3-pointers by
Mount Si’s Patterson help Wildcats complete season sweep of Newport Knights Page 7
Police chief settles into new jurisdiction
BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com
What surprised new Snoqualmie Police Chief Perry Phipps most when he moved to town were things many locals don’t think twice about. A simple trip to the Issaquah Fred Meyer, for example, amazed Phipps — the size of the salmon filets; not having to sign a form and scan his ID to buy Sudafed; pistols, rifles and shotguns in the sporting goods aisle.
“I walked in there and saw all the guns that were on display in the cabinet. I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me?’ ’’ Guns and ammo are much more restricted in Phipps’ former home of California, and meth production is such a problem that buying simple cold medicine is monitored. There’s no doubt that working in the relatively small, quiet towns of Snoqualmie and North Bend will be a change of pace from Phipps’ 30-year career in Visalia, a city of about
130,000 in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Visalia is a predominately agricultural area with a high level of gang and crime issues, Phipps said. While serving in the Visalia Police Department’s gang unit, Phipps was part of some significant arrests. “Literally, three-quarters-of-amillion dollars sitting on a table with dope everywhere in the house,” Phipps said, describing a Visalia bust he was part of in the mid-2000s.
The Visalia Police Department receives about 170,000 calls per year, Phipps said, while Snoqualmie police take about 7,000. Phipps was in charge of a $32 million budget as a captain in Visalia, which employs nearly 150 police officers. The relative lack of crime in Snoqualmie and North Bend gave Phipps pause when he first came to town for the job interview. He relished workSEE PHIPPS, PAGE 3
Perry Phipps
Mullet seeks to expedite work on dangerous Interstate 90 interchange BY LIZZ GIORDANO lgiordano@snovalleystar.com
STUART MILLER | smiller@snovalleystar.com
Suzan Zoey (left) sings a traditional Native-American song in the Samish language and English for the crowd, as Kim Ewing listens in.
KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE Valley residents honor the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com
“I am tired, I am weak, I am worn Through the storm, through the night Lead me on through the light Take my hand, precious Lord And lead me home.” A choir sang one of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite songs to a capacity crowd at
Snoqualmie United Methodist Church on Jan. 16 in celebration of King’s birthday. Just before that, Pastor Lee Carney Hartman recited King’s last words, spoken to musician Ben Branch minutes before King was shot: “Ben, make sure you play ‘Take My Hand, Precious Lord’ in the meeting tonight. Play it real pretty.” About 100 people congregated to celebrate MLK Day
at the church in downtown Snoqualmie. It is a bittersweet day for most, celebrating one of America’s greatest men, but mourning his murder and the injustice he stood against. At times the mood was somber and reflective, and at other times hopeful and proud — like when the crowd came together to sing “This Train is Bound for Glory” and “My Country, ’Tis of Thee.” Kim Ewing was a key organizer of the event. After an incident several months ago,
SEE MLK DAY, PAGE 8
Calling the Interstate 90 interchange at State Route 18 “one of the most dangerous interchanges in our region,” Sen. Mark Mullet (D-Issaquah) wants to use extra gas tax revenue to speed up a fix to the corridor by five years. Mullet spearheaded a letter dated Jan. 16 sent to Sen. Curtis King (R-Yakima) and Rep. Judy Clibborn (D-Mercer Island), both chairs of the transportation committees for their respective chambers, urging them to reconsider the timeline for the project. The letter said, “The dangerous nature and gridlock at the intersection have forced drivers and freight to take alternate routes on roads that were not meant to function as main thoroughfares. The situation is untenable now. The state can’t wait to start the design process until 2023 and to have the new intersection completed in 2028.” The interchange project is part of the $16 billion Connecting Washington transportation package passed in 2015. According to the state
Department of Transportation’s website, the funding to begin the design phase of the project will become available in July 2023. During a Jan. 4 meeting with Issaquah’s elected officials and city staff members, Clibborn said the state Legislature needs to develop criteria for prioritizing road projects. “There isn’t a single area, with a project, that isn’t asking for their project to be moved up,” Clibborn said. “I’m trying to make sure I get our project bumped up and someone else doesn’t beat us to it,” Mullet told The Press. “In addition to the surrounding communities, this intersection is of extreme importance to nearly all Eastern Washington freight that travels to the Port of SEE LETTER, PAGE 3
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
SNOVALLEY STAR
School project remains in foundation phase BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com
Seven months ago, a group of Snoqualmie Valley School District officials used a jackhammer to break apart ceremonial cement slabs at Mount Si High School, signaling the start of construction on a brand new, state of the art school. Driving by the campus, one will notice a lot of dirt, rocks, workers, trucks and a couple of cranes — but nothing visibly built. No foundation or structures, much less classrooms or wings where the new school will be. Where has the fruit of a half-year’s labor gone? It’s all in the ground. Workers have been digging their way down, as deep as 65 feet, working to sow the seeds of the $208.2 million rebuild and expansion. By the time they’re done, 4,880 column holes will have been dug and filled with gravel to prepare the site for the large school building that will hover above the ground, supported on stilt-like columns. Day in and day out, cranes have been plunging tall, vibrating metal tubes into the ground. The weight of the tubes
STUART MILLER | smiller@snovalleystar.com
Construction workers continue to drill vibrating tubes into the ground to loosen and prepare the foundation for a new Mount Si High School.
and the vibrations work together to drive them into the ground between 25 and 65 feet deep, depending on the placement of the column. While pushing dirt out of the way, the tubes compact the soils they are sinking into. Once at the desired depth, gravel is loaded into a large tray on the ground, and then hoisted by the crane operator to a funnel at the top end of the tube. The gravel is dumped into the tube, filling the
hole five feet at a time. Sometimes, compressed air is shot at the gravel to further compact it. Most of the holes aren’t for the future building’s stilts, but rather for firming up and stabilizing the alluvial soils of Mount Si’s campus. The measures help protect against damage from soil liquefaction that can occur after an earthquake, preventing the building from tilting — or worse. Structural columns where the school’s foot-
ing will be are dug up to 65 feet deep, while most ground-firming columns are around 35 feet deep. The holes are dug several feet from one another, but are denser where the structural footing will be. Clint March, the project’s manager, said it takes two minutes for the workers to vibrate a 35-foot deep hole into the ground and 21 minutes to complete the column. When filled, a verified engineer and independent testing agency sign off on the
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hole. One of nearly 5,000 circles drawn on a site map is colored complete, and the workers move on to the next hole. By Jan. 11, workers had about 700 columns finished, Marsh said. They are averaging about 32 complete columns per day, but working toward a goal of 40 per day. Rain and melting snow have presented difficulties for work crews. Trucks struggled at times on the slick ground of the work site, Marsh said. Besides helping manage some of the ground moisture, freezing temperatures in recent weeks slowed things down. “The cold makes things
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Brennan Dalgleish Wrestling Mount Si senior, Brennan Dalgleish, beat wrestlers from both Bothell and Inglemoor at 220 pounds Jan. 5th in a double dual meet. He wrestled as a junior at last year’s Mat Classic state tournament and hopes to earn a state medal next month. During the El Cajon, CA invitational tournament in December, Dalgleish only lost one match and that was against the California state champion.
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more difficult,” Marsh said, like “just getting your clothes on and off to use the Porta-Potty.” Like the work crews, students and staff have had to adapt to the project. Schusman Avenue, which runs along the west side of campus, has become a bus lane. The front offices and entrance were recently moved to the west side of the school as well. Assistant Superintendent Ryan Stokes said officials have made an agreement for the Mount Si baseball team to practice and play at the future Snoqualmie Valley Athletic Complex in North Bend, but the field will likely not be built in time for the spring season. Alternate plans are being explored, including using warehouse space for practices. Despite all the commotion, students and staff members have been tolerant of the temporary changes and the work going on outside their classrooms, Marsh said. “They’ve been fantastic,” Marsh said. “The teachers have been great, the students exemplary. It’s a pleasant surprise.” So far, work is on schedule, Marsh said. He expects bidding for the building construction contract to open March 7, and a contractor to start work in April. The new school is expected to open in 2019.
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SNOVALLEY STAR
PHIPPS From Page 1
ing graveyard shifts in Visalia. “I worked 20 years of graveyard. Loved graveyard,” Phipps said. “Working weekends, graveyard, there’s nothing like it.” Driving through town his first day, Phipps said he thought, “Too small, no crime.” But he decided to look deeper. “I went to a couple businesses and just sat down to kind of get a feel of the community as a citizen and not as a cop, or wanting to move here as a chief or anything,” Phipps said. “I just got a great feeling about it. Then the next day the interviews started, and everybody was so nice. And thank God they selected me.” During the selection process, interviewers asked Phipps if he’d be willing to back up officers on a call, or respond himself if needed. “Absolutely, because I do miss some of that police work,” Phipps said, noting that being promoted to higher administrative levels has pulled him away from traditional law enforcement work. “I might feel like a real cop once in a while.” While the crime situation has changed since his move, Phipps said he will miss the people in Visalia more than the action.
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 “Though it was hard to leave there, I think it was just time,” Phipps said. He was surprised, however, to learn that there are multiple connections between Visalia and the Snoqualmie area. It turns out that his best friend from the Visalia Police Department, who travelled to Snoqualmie for Phipps’ swearing-in at the Jan. 10 City Council meeting, has family in Snoqualmie and North Bend. Another person in the crowd at Phipps’ swearing-in was wearing a Redwood Rangers shirt from a well-known high school in Visalia. “He lived there for 26 years and moved here about two-and-a-half years ago from Visalia,” Phipps said. “This world is so small. You think you’re getting away, and nobody knows you and you don’t know anybody else. Then lo and behold, all of a sudden you got this and this.” Stranger or not, Phipps said he’s felt very welcomed during his transition to valley life. Snoqualmie police officers have not been standoffish or had an unapproachable attitude that you might see elsewhere, he said, and the quality of officers is very good. Citizens and scenery helped sell Phipps on the move to Snoqualmie. “The beauty of this area is unmatched,” Phipps said. “Then the people that you meet here are so very genuine and
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welcoming. It’s a breath of fresh air. Literally, a breath of fresh air from where I’m from.” Though Visalia is situated on a flat valley floor near Sequoia National Park, the smog gets so bad that most of the year you can’t even see the foothills from town, Phipps said. Smog coming from the Bay Area and Sacramento gets trapped in the valley, combining with agricultural chemical spraying. The air quality can affect people’s health. Now, in his new town, “just about anywhere you go you see something beautiful,” Phipps said. Snoqualmie and North Bend are not the first small towns where Phipps has served. He began his career in Carpinteria, a beach town of about 11,000 near Santa Barbara, Calif. He worked there for twoand-a-half years before moving his family to the more affordable city of Visalia. Interim Chief Jim Schaffer will stick around for a little while to show Phipps the ins and outs of the town he’ll be protecting and serving. Schaffer came out of retirement in June to fill the vacancy left by Steve McCulley’s sudden retirement. Phipps spent a busy
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“The beauty of this area is unmatched. Then the people that you meet here are so very genuine and welcoming. It’s a breath of fresh air. Literally, a breath of fresh air from where I’m from.” Perry Phipps Snoqualmie Police Chief
first week, starting Jan. 9, meeting folks around North Bend and Snoqualmie and getting acquainted with the community. “It’s nonstop,” Phipps said. “Chief Schaffer is running me ragged right now. It’s a good thing, though.” One of Phipps’ main duties taking over the department will be hiring several new officers. He said two candidates are in the final phase of hiring and can be expected on the streets shortly. Phipps said he intends to take his time evaluating Snoqualmie’s department and its needs. “I think my biggest focus is to make sure I assimilate and become part of this community more than they become part of me,” Phipps said. “I’m just here to try to fit in and make a difference. That’s what I would like.”
GREG FARRAR | gfarrar@snovalleystar.com
Brake lights glow Aug. 8 as westbound traffic is backed up for a mile exiting Interstate 90 at state Route 18 and Snoqualmie Parkway in a view looking west.
LETTER From Page 1
Tacoma, and to Kent and Auburn. Washington State Patrol also maintains a weigh station at this intersection that forces trucks to become entangled in this gridlock,” the letter said.
The letter is signed by all 5th district legislators: Mullet, Rep. Jay Rodne (R-Snoqualmie) and newly elected Rep. Paul Graves (R-Fall City). King County Councilmember Kathy Lambert, Snoquamlie Mayor Matt Larson and North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing also he letter.
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
OPINION
SNOVALLEY STAR
To the Editor Channel fears to positive acts
STUART MILLER | smiller@snovalleystar.com
The Snoqualmie United Methodist Church choir performs during the ‘Live the Change We Seek’ event Jan. 16 in honor of Martin Luther King Jr.
Valley View
Celebration brings meaning to MLK Day BY STUART MILLER
While I was covering or many people, Snoqualmie Martin Luther King United Day means a day off Methodist work, sometimes spent Church’s doing volunteer work “Live the Stuart Miller Change We or enjoying free parking and entrance to state and national Seek” event as parks. a journalist, I couldn’t help but I will confess that I have get caught up in the gravity of often spent MLK Day much like the day. Memorial Day or Veterans Day Having never attended an — knowing the reasons why it is MLK Day event like that, I did a holiday and taking some time not know what to expect. I susto think about the importance pected that it might be a small of what it represents. But for me, gathering of a couple dozen and I suspect many others, it people, mostly members of the often ends there. church. I can’t think of one MLK Day, I was quite wrong about that. before last Monday, when I By the time the event was in full gathered with my community swing, every pew in the church to celebrate the man that gave was full. Little kids, teens, so much to this country before adults and older folks were eventually paying the ultimate all crammed into that church price for his vision. together — most, I assume, by
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SNO★VALLEY
STAR Published every Friday by The Issaquah Press Group 1085 12th Ave. NW, Suite D1 | P.O. Box 1328 Issaquah, King County, WA 98027
choice. MLK Day doesn’t carry that semi-obligatory church attendance that holidays like Christmas and Easter do for Christians. The speakers of the day had thought-provoking, relatable and honest words for those gathered at the church. What really did it for me, though, was the music. I’ve always had a propensity for being moved by gospel music — but I nearly always am hearing it through speakers, prerecorded or broadcast through a series of electronics before it hits my ears. However great a recording may be, there is something special about hearing — and seeing — a hundred people sing together right in front of my eyes. I almost felt guilty taking pictures as the congregation sang “This Train Is Bound For
Glory” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” It was like I was stealing a moment that was too sacred for pictures to represent it. Did I mention that I’m moved by gospel music? But of course, I took some photos and a video anyway, which you can view at snovalleystar.com. It’s my job, after all. It was a privilege to be able to attend the MLK Day event in Snoqualmie this year. After seeing what MLK Day can be like, it will be hard for me to take such a special holiday for granted anymore. Email reporter Stuart Miller at smiller@snovalleystar.com. Valley View is a weekly column by SnoValley Star reporter Stuart Miller. It does not necessarily represent the editorial views of the newspaper.
STAFF Charles Horton.......................................General manager Scott Stoddard...............................................................Editor Stuart Miller............................................................. Reporter Neil Pierson.............................................................. Reporter Greg Farrar.....................................................Photographer
CORRECTIONS We are committed to accuracy at the SnoValley Star and take care in our reporting and editing, but errors do occur. If you think something we’ve published is in error, please email us at editor@snovalleystar.com.
We believe that encouraging mutual understanding, tolerance and participation among all citizens is vital to democracy. However, recent events have left us feeling at times divided, frightened and hopeless. It is our goal to turn back these feelings, instead making this an opportunity to take deliberate, positive action to strengthen our great nation. We have selected Jan. 20 as the date we will channel our energy for good causes, starting here in the Snoqualmie Valley. What do we ask? n Write a letter to your government representative to relay your concerns, applaud them for their service or make a suggestion. Make your voice heard! n Send a letter of support and recognition, or a donation, to your favorite charity. Let them know their work is appreciated. n If you would like to say hello to neighbors joining in this action, stop by Pacific Crest Environmental, 1531 Bendigo Blvd. in North Bend between 4 and 7 p.m. Jan. 20 for a letter-writing festival! What will we do? n Provide free stamps and stationary for up to 250 letters. n Provide addresses for government representatives and charitable organizations. n Put them in the mail on Jan. 21. Our belief is that through a collaborative community effort, we can channel our energy into positive change for the good of all. Katy Hawley and Lauren Carroll North Bend
CONTACT US All departments can be reached at
(425) 392-6434
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SNOVALLEY STAR
Calendar of events Saturday, Jan. 21 Family Bootcamp, 9:05 a.m., Snoqualmie Valley YMCA, 35018 SE Ridge St., to learn more email Amy Scofield at ascofield@seattleymca.org Preschool Education and Enrichment Fair, 10 a.m. to noon, Si View Community Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend, 888-3434, free Town of Snoqualmie Falls Video and Discussion, all ages, 10 a.m. to noon, Meadowbrook Farm, 1711 Boalch Ave., North Bend, 8311900 Level Up Your Writing, for adults, 10:30 a.m. to noon, North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., 888-98045 Aging Well Learning Community has been canceled Bernie Jacobs Quartet, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Piccola Cellars, 112 W. Second St., North Bend, jazzclubsnw.org/northbend The Winterlings, 8 p.m., Black Dog Arts Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. SE, 831-3647
Sunday, Jan. 22 Brunch with The Groovetramps, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Black Dog Arts Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. SE, 8313647 Aging Well Learning Community, for adults ages
FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017 50 and older, 2:30-5 p.m., North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., 888-98045 Danny Kolke Trio, 6 p.m.; Vox Outside the Box Vocal Jam, 7:30 p.m., Piccola Cellars, 112 W. Second St., North Bend, jazzclubsnw.org/northbend
Monday, Jan. 23 Sno-Valley Indoor Playground, ages newborn to 5, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Si View Gymnasium, 400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend, $1 per child, 888-3434 Merry Monday Story Time, ages newborn to 24 months, 11-11:45 a.m., North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., 888-98045 Creative Movement preschool classes, 11:20 a.m. Si View Metro Parks, 400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend, 8311900 Study Zone, homework and tutoring help for grades K-12, 3-5 p.m., Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. SE, 888-1223 Snoqualmie City Council meeting, 5-7 p.m., City Hall, 38624 SE River St. Project Linus No-Sew Quilts, ages 10 and older, 7-9 p.m., Sallal Grange, 12912 432nd Ave. SE, North Bend, 831-1900
Tuesday, Jan. 24 Busy Bees preschool classes, 9:45 a.m., Si View
Metro Parks, 400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend, 831-1900 Story Times: toddlers ages newborn to 3, 10-10:30 a.m.; preschool ages 3-6, 11-11:45 a.m., Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. SE, 8881223 Mt Si Senior Center trip to Ocean Shores/Quinault Casino & Lodge, 10 a.m. Jan. 24 to 4 p.m. Jan. 26, shared room $270 for members/$320 for non-members, meet at 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend, 888-3434 One-on-One Computer Help, for adults, 1-3 p.m., North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., 888-98045 Study Zone, homework and tutoring help for grades K-12, 2:30-4:30 p.m., North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., 888-98045 North Bend Economic Development Commission meeting, 4-5:30 p.m., 126 E. Fourth St. North Bend City Council workstudy, 7-9 p.m., City Hall, 211 Main Ave. N.
Wednesday, Jan. 25 Sno-Valley Indoor Playground, ages newborn to 5, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Si View Gymnasium, 400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend, $1 per child, 888-3434 North Bend Parks Commission meeting, 6-8 p.m., 126 E. Fourth St. Future Jazz Heads, 6 p.m., Piccola Cellars, 112 W. Second
St., North Bend, jazzclubsnw. org/northbend Snoqualmie Valley School District presents Guiding Good Choices, for parents or guardians of youth ages 9-14, 6-8 p.m., Chief Kanim Middles School library, 32627 Redmond-Fall City Road, Fall City, free Open Mic Night, 7 p.m., Black Dog Arts Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. SE, 831-3647
Thursday, Jan. 26 Story Times: toddlers ages newborn to 3, 10-10:45 a.m.; preschool ages 3 and older, 11-11:45 a.m., North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., 88898045 SnoValley Book Club, for adults, 1-2 p.m., Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. SE, 888-1223 Study Zone, homework and tutoring help for grades K-12, 4:30-6:30 p.m., Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. SE, 888-1223 Dancing with Disney preschool classes, 5:30 p.m., Si View Metro Parks, 400 SE Orchard Dr., North Bend, 8311900 North Bend Planning Commission meeting, 7-8 p.m., City Hall, 211 Main Ave. N. Family Story Time, all young children welcome, 7-7:34 p.m., Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. SE, 888-1223 Reuel Lubag and Danny
Mosque hosts ‘meet your neighbor’ Jan. 28 Last year’s “Muslim Open House” at Snoqualmie City Hall was such a success that the Snoqualmie Mosque is hosting similar event called “Meet Your Muslim Neighbor” on Jan. 28. “Neighbors and friends have asked for a repeat of the event,” said Mujeeb Mohammed, who is helping organize it. It was standing room only at City Hall when around 200 community members showed Kolke: Double Piano Band, 7:30-9:30 p.m., Piccola Cellars, 112 W. Second St., North Bend, jazzclubsnw.org/northbend West My Friend, 7:30 p.m., Black Dog Arts Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. SE, 831-3647
Friday, Jan. 27 Sno-Valley Indoor Playground, ages newborn to 5, 9:30-11:30 a.m., Si View Gymnasium, 400 SE Orchard
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up to learn about Islam, ask questions and meet their Muslim neighbors last year. It will be an opportunity for the community to get together and share commonalities, Mohammed said, and promote harmony with other faith groups and the general public. The first hour will feature presentations, and the second hour a question-and-answer period. The event will run from 10 a.m. to noon Jan. 28 at Timber Ridge Elementary School, 34412 SE Swenson Drive, Snoqualmie. Dr., North Bend, $1 per child, 888-3434 Count Us In, for ages 12-24, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. SE, learn more at allhomekc.org/the-problem Missoni Lanza, 8 p.m., Black Dog Arts Café, 8062 Railroad Ave. SE, 831-3647 Queensryche, ages 21 and older, 8 p.m., Snoqualmie Casino Ballroom, $25, bit. ly/2jpSvnH
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
Blotter
sequently arrested on an outstanding warrant out Snoqualmie police reports of Sammamish.
Shoplifting At 12:37 a.m. Jan. 8, a suspect known to the police stole a hat, candy and car freshener from the North Bend 76 Station at 520 E. North Bend Way.
Acting up at the sub shop
At 1:12 p.m. Jan. 8, a male subject began acting aggressive, swearing at everyone and standing on a table at the North Bend Subway at 470 E. North Bend Way. The subject was arrested when police arrived and subsequently booked on two additional outstanding cases of obstruction.
Construction cable caper
Sometime between Jan. 7 and 9, someone stole cable from a construction site on Southeast Snoqualmie Parkway.
Try jail for a place to sleep
Minors in possession
Fire & Rescue to a report of a natural gas odor inside a medical clinic on Main Avenue South in North Bend. The crews found no problem, but remained onsite to monitor the building with its 5-gas capabilities until Puget Sound Engergy arrived to take over.
At 8:33 a.m. Jan. 11, two youth apparently under the influence of something were spotted heading into a public women’s restroom at a community park at Cold damages 34816 SE Ridge St. One 15-year-old youth had mari- sprinkler head, juana and was detained for causes alarm minor in possession and At 1:25 p.m. Jan. 5, later released to the cusSnoqualmie firefighters tody of his mother. responded to an automatic commercial fire alarm Shoplifting at the Mount Si Freshman A male suspect was Campus. Upon arrival, the arrested at 4:54 p.m. Jan. 12 crew was directed toward shoplifting a pack a razors the gym and was advised at the North Bend Bartells it was not a drill. The crew at 248 Bendigo Blvd. S. The noticed an odor of bad suspect was subsequently air coming from a closet trespassed from the prop- inside the gym. They erty for one year. found a broken sprinkler head, likely damaged by the cold weather. The sysHit & Run tem was shut down and At 12:38 an unspecified maintenance was advised brown, work truck struck to contact a technician to a 1992 Chrysler Imperial make repairs. A fire watch in the Truck Town larking was set and the crew left lot at 46600 SE North Bend the scene. Way and left the scene.
Burst pipe launches hunt Natural gas smell for shutoff valve investigated At 6:12 p.m. Jan. 5, Snoqualmie fire reports
At 6:14 a.m. Jan. 9, a subject in a Toyota Corolla was found parked in Truck Town at 46600 SE At 1:06 p.m. Jan. 5, North Bend Way where Snoqualmie firefighters he said he was trying to responded0113 withLAM Eastside take a nap. He was subLAURA F.FINAL.SR-SV.CMYK.PDF 03.18369.THU.0119.2X5.LAM
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hose connection burst. The crew first confirmed there was no exterior threat to the residence, then located and closed the water shutoff valve. They left the homeowner with instructions for when the plumber arrived.
Steam sets off fire alarm
At 8:41 a.m. Jan. 6, Snoqualmie firefighters responded to an automated fire alarm at the Mount Si Freshman Campus. They discovered the alarm was triggered by district employees steam cleaning a room. The alarm was reset and the crew remained on scene until work was complete.
Burst water pipe triggers fire alarm At 12:35 p.m. Jan. 6, Snoqualmie firefighters were dispatched to an automatic fire alarm at the Snoqualmie Tribal building on Ethan Wade Way Southeast. The crew discovered a burst sprinkler pipe in the main entry triggered the alarm. Facility staff alerted the alarm company.
Residential gas problem
Snoqualmie firefighters were dispatched at 2:01 p.m. Jan. 6 to investigate the smell of natural gas in a home on Pinehurst Avenue Southeast. The homeowner said the igniters on the stove keep shutting off. The crew’s investigation found no smell of gas, which it confirmed with its 5-gas detector. The gas line was shut off and the unit unplugged. The occupant was then given permission to re-enter the house.
Water pipe bursts at school
online arrangements available At 4:08 a.m.1205 Jan. 8, cascadememorial.com LAURA D.noPROOF.SV.CMYK.PDF-JAN LAM 01.17964.FRI.0105.2x2.LAM
GREG FARRAR | gfarrar@snovalleystar.com
The Northwest 9-Ball Championship five-day event held Jan. 11-15 at the Snoqualmie Casino ballroom attracted billiards players from the Pacific Northwest and across the U.S., Canada, and other countries like Japan to compete in 76 three-player teams and more than 180 singles events for money and trophies. Competitors played in double-elimination brackets on 32 tables in the inaugural event at the casino and players were elated with the accommodations according to organizers who booked the venue for the week.
Snoqualmie firefighters investigated an automatic fire alarm at Opstead Elementary School. Upon arrival, the crew discovered bells and strobes going off and a panel showing water flow. On the back side of the school, they found a burst pipe. A district employee was called and EFR took over the scene.
Tree falls on power lines
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Snoqualmie firefighters were dispatched 1:24 p.m. Jan. 8 to investigate an automatic fire alarm triggered by a power failure at the Salish Lodge and Spa. The crew found no fire and left the panel and repairs for a technician in route.
Tree falls, sparks
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Power failure sets off fire alarm
At 10:24 a.m. Jan. 8, on power lines Snoqualmie firefightSnoqualmie firefighters ers investigated a tree and PSE were dispatched down on Stilson Avenue to a reported tree down Southeast that also landand arcing on power ed on power lines caused lines in an unspecified by high winds of 50-60 location at 4:07 p.m. Jan. mph gusts. Upon arrival, 8. Upon arrival, the fire residents were already in crew blocked the road to progress of clearing the tree. The crew advised the prevent access while PSE cleared the tree and roadresidents to keep clear way for safe travel. The due to the possibility of electrocution. They stated crew cleared the scene after PSE was finished they’d take that chance completing their repairs. and continued to remove the tree. A King County In addition to the above Sheriff’s officer arrived, calls, Snoqualmie EMTs was advised of the situresponded to nine medical ation, then advised the aid incidents, bringing the residents of the dangers total number of calls to involved. The fire crew date in 2017 to 47. Last year, left control of the scene there were 1,122 calls. to the officer with Tanner LAURA F.noPROOF.SR.CMYK. PDF 0104 LAM
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
SPORTS
SNOVALLEY STAR
GREG FARRAR | gfarrar@snovalleystar.com
Mount Si junior Kinsey Steskal wrestles Inglemoor’s Alejandro Ruiz at 120 pounds in a Jan. 5 double dual meet.
Athlete of the Week
‘Tough as nails’ Steskal a threat for state wrestling
BY NEIL PIERSON npierson@ snovalleystar.com
For someone with barely a speck of wrestling knowledge, it didn’t take Kinsey Steskal long to earn the respect of her Mount Si teammates and coaches. Steskal, a junior, is the only female wrestler at Mount Si and has progressed quickly since taking up the sport as a sophomore. First-year coach Josh Mitchell is enjoying what she brings to the team. “She is tough as nails and doesn’t back down from any of the boys,” Mitchell said. Steskal, who competes at 120 pounds, spoke with the SnoValley Star before a recent practice session as the Wildcats prepared for the Jack Reynolds Invitational, Jan. 14 at Issaquah High School. Question: How did you get started in wrestling? Answer: I was a gymnast for a while, up until ninth grade, and then I decided I didn’t want to do it anymore. My dad had done wrestling when he was in high school, so I thought that would be a fun thing to try. He always talked about how it changed his life and I decided, the way my life was at the time, to start wrestling and hope it
changed my life.
Q: How difficult was it at first, coming into Mount Si’s wrestling room without experience and wondering if you belonged? A: I started wrestling with not the slightest clue of it. My dad talked about it and I had watched it here and there, but I didn’t even know they had wrestling shoes. I knew nothing about wrestling. The coaches would tell me to do something and I had no idea what it was. It was like they were speaking a different language and I wasn’t hearing anything. Eventually, I started picking it up. At first, it kind of felt like everyone was irritated with me because I was so much worse than them. Q: Coach Mitchell is complimentary of your work ethic and attitude. Do you see improvement in yourself at this point? A: I definitely feel like I’m getting a lot better. I’m coming to the part where I can actually hold my own in the guys’ varsity matches. And I do pretty well against girls – last year, I got second in subregionals. My goal this year is to go to state. It’s going to take a lot of hard work. Last year, I was just trying SEE STESKAL, PAGE 8
CURT CARLSON | Calder Productions
Mount Si Freshman guard Tyler Patterson (11) puts up a shot with a Newport player’s hand in his face during the second quarter of the Wildcats’ Jan. 10 basketball game against the Knights.
Wildcats complete season sweep of Newport Knights
BY NEIL PIERSON npierson@ snovalleystar.com One of the key themes to Mount Si’s 3-8 start to the season was letting early leads slip away in the fourth quarter. In their Jan. 10 outing, the Wildcats not only overcame a strong start from the Newport Knights, they closed out the win by making plays when they mattered most. Freshman guard Jabe Mullins scored eight of his game-high 15 points in the fourth period as Mount Si answered every challenge Newport put forth, winning 58-50 and sweeping the season series from the Knights in Class 4A KingCo Conference boys basketball action in Snoqualmie. The Wildcats (4-8 overall, 3-4 KingCo) are finding a rhythm under first-year coach Jason Griffith and are in good position to earn one of the conference’s six
playoff berths. At the halfway point of the KingCo schedule, they’re tied with Woodinville and Inglemoor for fourth place, one game clear of Eastlake and Newport for postseason safety. And after beating Inglemoor in their previous outing, the Wildcats have won consecutive games for the first time in nearly three years. They hadn’t done it since beating Interlake and Juanita in January 2014, when they were competing at the 3A level. For Griffith and his players, a key to beating Newport was not being overconfident. The Wildcats hammered the Knights, 71-37, when the teams met Dec. 19 in Bellevue. “We were worried about how we were going to start just because of the previous result when we played them,” Griffith said, “so we preached to them all week about not taking them lightly, coming out focused.” “We knew that they
were going to come out really strong because we embarrassed them last time at their place,” Mullins added. “… We talked about it but we just didn’t come out strong.” The Knights were the aggressors in the first eight minutes as junior guard Elliott Thompson scored seven of his teamhigh 14 points, giving Newport a 15-7 lead. The Wildcats responded with defensive adjustments, keeping Newport’s guards out of the lane, and with a balanced offensive attack. Six players scored in the second quarter and Mount Si trimmed its deficit to one, 24-23, at halftime. Turnovers have plagued the Wildcats all season and they were more protective of the ball as the game wore on. “We had eight (turnovers) in the first half, which we weren’t happy about, but again, it was on us,” Griffith said. “It’s a lack of throwing bounce passes, being lazy with
our passes. I thought Newport did a good job in the first half of pushing us pretty far beyond the 3-point line to set up our stuff. They’re a tough defensive team.” The lead changed hands a couple times in the third quarter, but it was freshman guard Tyler Patterson who gave Mount Si some needed momentum when he stroked a pair of 3-pointers in the final minute of the period. Patterson, who recently returned after fracturing his foot, reclaimed his starting role and finished with 10 points, allowing junior Brendan Botten to return to the sixth-man role he excels at. Newport got within a point with 4 minutes, 5 seconds to play, but Mount Si took charge from there. Gavin Gorrell, who had 13 points for Mount Si, found LJ Linton under the hoop with 1:48 on the clock. Moments later, Mullins stole the SEE SWEEP, PAGE 8
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FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
STESKAL From Page 7
to learn a couple moves. I knew maybe two or three moves and I got pretty good at those, so I was able to go places. I need to learn more and be able to do moves on both sides, not just my dominant side. It’s not only working at practice, but also outside practice – running, jump-roping and doing whatever I’m told so I can get stronger, faster and better. Q: Washington didn’t have a girls state tournament until 2007. What is it like seeing your sport become more popular with girls? A: It’s really interesting. I’m so excited that there’s more girls. I love when I can see small girls, like 6- 7-, 8-yearolds, where they train them young. There’s going to be more when they’re in high school and I think a lot of those girls are going to enjoy the sport. Q: Do you have any Mount Si teammates in particular who push you
to improve? A: Probably Spencer Marenco. He’ll wrestle me sometimes because he’s of the ones close to my weight. He’s a lot better than me but he knows, ‘Maybe don’t pin her right away.’ He’ll stop, even though I feel like it risks his practice, because he knows I need correction on this or that. Yesterday at practice, his older brother, Mason, went inside with me and a couple other guys and worked with us on each individual skill. Q: You also run cross country and track at Mount Si. What do you like to do outside of sports? A: I focus a lot on school because that’s a huge part of my life. It’s very academically centered. I’m usually doing homework when I’m not doing sports and I also have a job, working at Lucy Activewear. Most people complain about having a job, but I can’t spend enough time in my job. I always ask for more hours. I also really like art and I want to study neurology in college.
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SWEEP
MLK DAY
ball and cruised in for a breakaway layup, pushing the lead to nine and virtually assuring the win. Linton, who rarely left the floor and earned Griffith’s praise for doing yeoman’s work as an undersized forward, said the Wildcats did a good job of containing Newport’s Thompson and Ben Golan. They combined for 27 points but didn’t take over the game. “They like to drive a lot and have ball screens, so we just like to hedge that, make sure to push them out a little bit, let our guards come back and recover,” Linton remarked. The Wildcats are getting healthier with Patterson’s return and the likelihood that Gordon McCreadie will play soon. The 6-foot-9 sophomore went through pregame warmups against Newport, signaling his near recovery from a back injury. “He’ll really help us down low, getting offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and getting some inside game,” Mullins said of McCreadie “… Once we get more balanced, then our team will be a lot better.”
she was feeling isolated and wanted to find a way to connect with people in her community. Ewing and her elderly mother were walking out the front door of Ewing’s downtown Snoqualmie home when a car drove past them and a racial slur — the “N word” — was shouted at them. “Last time I heard that directed at me was probably when I was 10 years old,” Ewing said. That was around 1967, when her family was living in Florida. Her father worked for Boeing in the state. Though the Jim Crow era had legally ended, Ewing said, it was still alive in her Florida town and other pockets throughout the South. She remembers separate facilities for white people and people of color. The Ku Klux Klan burned a cross on her family’s lawn. A neighbor sicced a dog on her and her white friends as they walked home from school. “That’s when you know the world is crazy,” Ewing said. “There’s that much hate in the world. People hold it in their hearts.” After hearing about
From Page 7
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Reggie Garrett performs toward the end of the MLK Day celebration.
some hateful letters and Schwartz said he is sick slurs toward Muslim resi- of the anger being thrown dents in town following between people with difthe presidential election, fering opinions these days. Ewing felt a community “You don’t have to celebration for MLK Day be close to people to do could help unite valley that,” Schwartz said. “You residents. do have to get close to “This is the perfect people to unify.” time to start a tradition Ewing said she of celebrating Martin searched for other Luther King’s birthday,” community MLK Day Ewing said. “If anyone celebrations and found can pull us together in nothing other than one this country, it’s him. in Seattle. She hopes that He’s our Mandela, our Snoqualmie’s MLK Day Gandhi. He’s the one.” celebration will continue Tod Marshall, the state in coming years. poet laureate, spoke at When people get the event, as did Gary together and deal with Schwartz, executive direc- each other person-totor of the Valley Center person, Ewing said, they Stage in North Bend. tend to work things out. Schwartz challenged Monday’s event also the audience to a couple of marked the launch of a improv exercises that loosgrassroots campaign called ened up the crowd and had “Live the Change We Seek,” the whole congregation which aims to promote participating and laughing full and equal inclusion in together by the end of his liberties guaranteed to all time at the podium. citizens in the Snoqualmie “I knew there would Valley and beyond. be speeches and poems,” Ewing hopes the camSchwartz said after the paign can team with event. “A lot of my work other groups, such as experiences offer a more One Snoqualmie, to host profound way to commore unifying events in municate.” the future. SANDY/LAURA F.noPROOF.SR.CMYK. PDF 0104 LAM 02.17636.THU.0112.X4.LAM
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