★ ★ ★ FINAL EDITION ★ ★ ★
YOUR LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER SERVING SNOQUALMIE AND NORTH BEND
SNO★VALLEY
STAR
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2017
GOING OUT ON TOP
Mount Si seniors shine at Mat Classic with top-eight finishes Page 7
Snoqualmie’s Winter Magic tops $25,000 in 2016 losses BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com
STEVE RINGMAN | The Seattle Times
Austin Taylor was commuting to Kirkland when he hit a mudslide covering westbound Interstate 90 in Issaquah at highway speeds on Thursday morning. “I saw some taillights blink but that was it; too late to slow down.”
Mudslide traps 13 vehicles on I-90 east of Issaquah BY LYNDA V. MAPES AND MIKE LINDBLOM The Seattle Times
After Weyerhaeuser granted John Grade free rein to explore all its timberland properties, the sculptor searched Washington’s forested coastal regions and traditional logging areas like Aberdeen and Forks. He ultimately found inspiration just outside North Bend near Snoqualmie River’s Middle Fork. The Smithsonian Museum
had tasked Grade with creating a piece for one its galleries — something people needed to see in person to experience. Grade delivered a life-sized sculpture of a 140-year-old western hemlock tree, made from nearly one million small blocks of western red cedar. It was displayed at The Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery in Washington, D.C., in 2015-2016 and did a stint at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in 2017. As of Feb. 10, the sculpture —
called “Middle Fork” — is currently suspended from the ceiling of the Seattle Art Museum’s lobby. “I think this is the first time I’ve seen my work displayed and felt 100 percent good about it,” Grade said. “I’ve never had this kind of high. I think part of it is I’m affected by it being at home … with people who understand the context.” The western hemlock is Washington’s state tree. Grade said he considered other types
of trees but decided he wanted a hemlock, which used to be considered a junk tree for its relatively soft wood. “It had been spared from logging because no one wanted it 100 years ago,” Grade said. “It has a humble quality.” Based in Seattle, Grade said the tree’s location felt personal to him. He’s been visiting the area for 30 years. “It feels really reflective of a change in our region,” Grade said. SEE MUDSLIDE, PAGE 5
The artificial ice rink program operated by the City of Snoqualmie has net losses of nearly $80,000 since it began in 2014, according to city data. The rink, made of a synthetic material that can be skated on like ice, is the centerpiece of the Winter Magic celebration during the month of December and early January. Originally a city-sponsored program of the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce, the rink was first installed for Winter Magic in December 2014. The city spent $10,200 sponsoring the chamber’s ice rink event and netted no revenue. Bob Larson, Snoqualmie’s city administrator, said that city officials never expected the rink to pay for itself. The city is looking into opportunities to use the rink in the summer for things like broomball and shuffleboard, and to give other groups in the city opportunities to use the rink. After the city hired an events consultant in 2015 and took over many duties of hosting community events, a decision was made to buy the rink. SEE ICE RINK, PAGE 5
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