Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
January 30, 2014 VOL. 6, NO. 5
Baskteball fights against Liberty Page 15
Valley may soon have dueling food banks the freezers, the walk-in cooler, and all the supplies. The new Organizers from both food food bank is starting with empty banks agree: The important space. thing is to provide food for the “The important part of all needy people in the Snoqualmie this is serving the people in Valley. need,” said Heidi Dukich, execuUnfortunately, things will be tive director of the new food confusing for a week or two for bank. “This is about how can those who need food, those who we best serve our community, donate and those who volunto help people stay healthy and teer. thrive.” The newly-formed Marilyn Evlitz, who has been Snoqualmie Valley executive director Food Bank opens of the Mt. Si Food Snoqualmie Feb. 5 at the North Bank since Nov. Bend Community 15, agreed. Valley Food Church. The Mt. Si “We’re here to Bank Food Bank moved serve people,” she Open 9:30 a.m. out of the same said. “These people to 6:30 p.m. each space this week. need to be fed.” Wednesday The Mt. Si Food The develop122 E. Third St. Bank is looking for ment of the new North Bend a new home. food bank began Both groups last fall when identified the Dukich, who is same reason for the split — relithe former executive director gious affiliation. The old food of the old food bank, and a bank operated under the ausnumber of other volunteers, pices of the Sammamish Valley resigned. Ministerial Association. The new According to Griffith and othfood bank will be a secular noners, the food bank board at that profit. time hoped to separate from “The food bank did not want the ministerial association and to be beholden to the SMVA,” become a separate nonprofit. said Mark Griffith, vice president Charlie Salmon of the minof the new food bank board and isterial association said they pastor at the Mt. Si Lutheran wanted to keep operating the Church in North Bend. food bank to serve the commuThe old food bank owned, See FOOD, Page 3 and took with them, the shelves,
Mount Si knocks off Liberty
By Sherry Grindeland
The jazz singer Courtney Cutchins supports community’s youth Page 2
Learn the rules Local officials may have to train in open records laws Page 3
Who wants in Hospital district to review applications Page 10
Police blotter Page 12
Taxes for buses Snoqualmie council on board with proposal Page 13
Boys split a pair Win one, lose one to LIberty. Page 14
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
By Greg Farrar
Samantha Holmes, Mount Si High School gymnast, has great vertical form on her vault routine for a score of 8.15 points during the Wildcats’ meet against Liberty High School Jan. 23. For more see Page 14.
North Bend man charged in jealousy-fueled car chase By Christine Clarridge Seattle Times staff reporter A modern-day duel between rivals was played out in dark SUVs racing on Interstate 90 at more than 100 mph, weaving recklessly through traffic — a screaming toddler in one vehicle and a vengeful man in the other, prosecutors say. The motive behind the chase Jan. 15 that ended when both vehicles crashed near Issaquah wasn’t road rage, as the Washington State Patrol, prosecutors and even witnesses initially believed. It was jealousy, prosecutors
say. The man who allegedly initiated the high-speed chase, Desi C. Beltran, 29, of North Bend, has been charged with one count of second-degree domestic-violence assault and two counts of second-degree assault. He is being held in King County Jail in lieu of $250,000 bail and is to be arraigned Feb. 4. The other driver, Hugo Yanez, 32, of Bellevue, was arrested on unrelated warrants after the chase, but has not been charged in the incident. A spokesman for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office said a charging decision will be made once the
police investigation has been forwarded to them. According to documents from prosecutors and police investigators, the woman at the center of the conflict is a 27-year-old Cle Elum resident with a 2-year-old son. She had spent Jan. 15 at a casino with Yanez, whom she described to police as a friend, prosecutors say. But Yanez says they were romantically involved. At the casino, the woman told Yanez she needed to pick up her son from her mother’s Cle Elum home and asked him to drive her in her Ford Freestyle, according to police.
Yanez agreed, but when they arrived, the woman told him to “get out of the car and lay low” until she had picked up her son because she had a contentious relationship with her mother, according to the State Patrol. Her mother, however, came outside with the child, saw Yanez and did not like the looks of him, investigators wrote. According to a report she filed with the Kittitas County Sheriff’s Office a short time later, the older woman initially told police that Yanez had “ripped” her 2-year-old grandson from See CHASE, Page 3