FRIDAY, JANUARY 20, 2017
YOUR LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER SERVING SNOQUALMIE AND NORTH BEND
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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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