snovalleystar042612

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

April 26, 2012 VOL. 4, NO. 17

Return of a classic Page 16

2 dead, 1 missing in North Bend killing

By Michele Mihalovich

Annexation approved County allows Snoqualmie to annex DirtFish property.

Page 2

New to politics Parks commission gets 16-year-old member.

Page 3

Watery thoughts State wants comments on North Bend shoreline plan.

Page 6

Police blotter Page 8

The two women found dead in a burning, rural North Bend home April 22 both suffered a gunshot wound to the head. The family’s dog and cat were also found shot inside the home.

The women have been identified by the medical examiner’s office as Lynnettee Keller, 41, and her 18-year-old daughter, Kaylene Keller.

King County Sheriff Steve Strachan said in an interview April 24 that the situation is now being considered a doublehomicide, and police are looking for Peter A. Keller, who lives at the home and has been missing since firefighters responded to the scene.

Keller, 41, is not being named as a suspect at this time, Strachan said.

“There are many possible explanations of why he would not be considered a suspect,” he said. “But we don’t know enough yet about what happened. We want to talk to him to see if he had any involvement in this case.”

Missing man is not a suspect

Mother Joseph Tribe honors woman who set up clinics.

Page 8

Gooey Science and spelling go together.

Page 14

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

It is known that Keller lived in the home with his wife and daughter, according to Sgt. Cindi West with the sheriff’s office.

Detectives had been looking for a 2003 blue-grey Toyota Corolla, with Washington plate 911 YWK. That vehicle was located at about 5:30 p.m. April 22, parked near the North Bend Library. Police are interested in finding out how long that vehicle had been parked there, she said.

The sheriff’s office also released a public bulletin April 23 asking for help in locating Keller, described as 5 feet, 5 inches tall and weighing 175 pounds. Police are asking people to call the sheriff’s office at 206296-3311 or 911 if they have information.

Strachan said Keller is a hiker, known to camp with his dog (the one that was found dead in the home) in the North Bend and Snoqualmie wilderness, well off established trails. He said the sheriff’s office had a helicopter in the air April 23, “But since there are no indications of a particular trail he frequents, we just

By Michele Mihalovich

Top: Red gas cans are visible in front of a rural North Bend home where two women were found shot to death in a burning home the morning of April 22. Left: Multiple agencies respond to the home. Above: A bouquet of flowers was placed in front of the home.

“There are many possible explanations of why he would not be considered a suspect. But we don’t know enough yet about what happened. We want to talk to him to see if he had any involvement in this case.”

— Steve Strachan Sheriff

really don’t even know the area to focus on.”

Posters with Keller’s photo were placed at trailheads, urging people to call if they see him or

if they have information.

Keller may have a redand-silver mountain bike with him, and several handguns and rifles are missing from Keller’s residence, according to Peter A. Keller the bulletin.

Strachan said Keller has no known history of violence, and law enforcement officers have not been called out to the residence on any domestic violence calls.

And while Keller has not been named a suspect, Strachan said detectives are looking into

whether Keller had been facing any life-changing events, such as a job loss or death in the family.

“He worked at some sort of computer business and there is nothing to indicate he was experiencing trouble in his life, but we will continue to follow up on that,” he said.

Seven gas cans were in the home West was at the scene, in the 47000 block of Southeast 159th Street, April 22.

She said neighbors had called Eastside Fire & Rescue at about 8:30 a.m. when they noticed smoke coming from the house.

Firefighters had to force their way into the home to try and See KILLING, Page 3

SnoValley Star

PAGE 2

Mount Si High student commits suicide

By Sebastian Moraga

Sources for help:

A 10th-grader from Mount Si High School committed suicide April 19, Principal John Belcher confirmed.

The student, a boy, killed himself at his home, an email from Belcher to MSHS parents stated. Classes went on as scheduled April 20 in a subdued campus with its flag at half staff. At Mount Si High School, the auditorium was set up as a place for students seeking support and counsel from peers and adults.

“When a situation like this occurs, people have different ways of reacting, even if they did not have a close relationship with the person,” Belcher wrote. “Feelings such as shock, sadness, guilt, fear and anger are common. Memories of past

Mount Si High School counselors or psychologists are available at 831-8150.

Suicide Hotline: 1-800273-8255 toll free Teenlink: 1-888-4318336 toll free (Monday through Friday) Crisis Referral line: 1-866-427-4747 toll free Snoqualmie Middle School has been planning an informational meeting about youth suicide from 4-7 p.m. May 21. The meeting is open to the public.

Source: John Belcher, principal, Mount Si High School loss may surface. Those reactions may rise and fall through-

Ways for parents to help in the aftermath of a suicide: q Resist the temptation to minimize the pain, deny the feelings or give advice. Simply listen. q Offer helpful responses like “Tell me more about that,” “Have you ever felt that way before?” “I wonder if there are other things that are worrying you?” “What are other

students saying or fearing about this?” q Be emotionally available, not judgmental.

This is an emotionally intense time for children. q Ask children to be supportive of one another in any way they can.

How to deal with children having suicidal thoughts: Ask your children whether they have considered suicide. It will not put ideas in their heads.

out the day and even for days to come.”

School authorities noted that after-school activities would not be suspended.

An activity between highschoolers and Cascade View Elementary School students was not suspended either. Cascade View Elementary Principal Ray Wilson said maintaining even a semblance of routine may be helpful when confronted with a crisis.

“Oftentimes, it can put people at ease,” he said.

Belcher said that Mount Si High School had a closed campus April 20, the day students at the school were scheduled to hold their annual Day of Silence.

“We’re going to give Wildcat Nation a chance to just be with one another,” Belcher said.

“Most people express relief when they can talk openly about their feelings, since most people who attempt suicide are very afraid,” Mount Si High School’s Belcher wrote in an email.

Common warning signs of suicide include: Prior suicide attempts Talking about suicide, particularly about how Giving away possessions Preoccupation with death Loss of sleep, appetite, or energy Hopelessness or anxiety Drug or alcohol use Difficulty thinking clearly Excessive sleep Withdrawing after a period of trying to get attention q Recent suicide attempt by a friend or family member q q q q q q q q q q

Keep King County police services, North Bend residents tell council

By Michele Mihalovich

All nine North Bend residents who spoke at a public hearing regarding a possible change in police services told the City Council to keep its contract with King County.

North Bend, which has contracted with the King County Sheriff’s Office for nearly 40 years, decided to take a look at what the Snoqualmie Police Department would charge to serve and protect North Bend citizens.

Council chamber walls on April 17 were lined with uniformed officers and staff members from both police forces.

King County’s new sheriff, Steve Strachan, and Snoqualmie Police Capt. Steve McCulley made pitches to the council

and answered questions from councilmembers.

The proposal from Snoqualmie, guaranteed for five years, indicates that North Bend could shave $270,000 to $400,000 per year from its public safety budget.

Snoqualmie is proposing that the first year, which would probably begin in 2013, is fixed at a little more than $1 million.

It includes $384,000 in startup costs for three fully equipped patrol vehicles, one records administrator, six full-time officers and their uniforms Snoqualmie would charge North Bend $1,247,000 in 2014 for police service, with slight increases each year, until 2018, when it proposes charging North Bend $1,402,000.

Snoqualmie would also have

access to the Coalition of Small Police Agencies Major Crimes Task Force.

The proposal does not include a storefront office in North Bend, or a police chief, a position now held by Mark Toner.

The bill for King County providing the services for North Bend this year is $1,431,262.

A new bill is submitted every year to North Bend, and the uncertainty of the cost was another driver for looking at Snoqualmie to provide police service.

Not having a police chief was a concern for two members of the public who spoke to the council April 17.

“I like being able to go into See POLICE, Page 3

APRIL 26, 2012

County Council approves annexation agreement with Snoqualmie environmental issues at the site, it’s a flood plain hazard and that a motor sports facility isn’t a The King County Council good fit for the rural, residential approved a revised interlocal area. agreement that would allow the Your Snoqualmie Valley filed city of Snoqualmie to annex a a lawsuit in November to try to former Weyerhaeuser mill site stop the annexation.

April 23, despite some residents’ Rose said the group withopposition to the move. drew the lawsuit when it disAt the heart of the opposicovered King County Superior tion is the DirtFish Rally School, Court didn’t have jurisdiction which operates a specialized rally in the matter, and has since car driving instructional school. taken the issue up with the Some residents think that the Growth Management Hearings school, which held an ESPN Board, claiming that the city of Global Rally Snoqualmie We’re going to continue Cross event in must conduct March 2011, an environfull-political pressure to might be planmental impact try and show that this is ning on holdstudy of the ing regular, a seriously flawed concept area before the noisy events at annexation that is going to decrease the site. takes place.

“We have That case property values and our no intenis still in the quality of life.” tion of ever works, Rose doing that,” — Warren Rose said.

Ross Bentley, After the Resident president of three Your DirtFish, said Snoqualmie after the meetValley meming regarding having full-time bers spoke, Councilmember racing. “There is a raceway Larry Gossett addressed Larson. in Monroe and in Kent, so it “They have raised some seriwouldn’t make any sense ecoous concerns about this annexanomically to do that.” tion,” Gossett said. “Were the Snoqualmie Mayor Matt citizens given an opportunity to Larson addressed the council, voice their concerns?” saying the city has no desire “Yes, many,” Larson said, to have full-time racing in adding that several public meetSnoqualmie, but did think that ings were held. two, high-impact events a year All of the King County counwould be a good source of revcilmembers voted to approve the enue. interlocal agreement, except for The Snoqualmie City Council Pete Von Reichbauer, who was approved the language of the excused from the meeting. agreement in November, and Rose said after the meeting then King County’s transportathat he was “extremely frustrattion committee changed some ed” by the council’s vote. of the language to include “I think we’ve demonstrated restrictions on noise, lights, soundly that the public is not traffic, hours of operation and interested in annexation or havgiving notice to neighbors when ing racing in Snoqualmie. This the school applies for a specialparticular piece of property has use permit. no viability for anything except King County Councilwoman recreation because it is in a Kathy Lambert told meeting floodplain,” he said. attendees at the King County City Attorney Pat Anderson Courthouse that some citizen said the city will look over the details of the revised agreement protections were added to the and could bring it up for discusagreement that would not have sion and possibly action at its been there if the property ownMay 11 City Council meeting. ers had petitioned Snoqualmie Meanwhile, Rose said, “We’re for annexation, rather than the county and Snoqualmie entering going to continue full-political pressure to try and show that into an interlocal agreement. this is a seriously flawed concept Three people who belong that is going to decrease propto the opposition group, Your erty values and our quality of Snoqualmie Valley, addressed life.” the King County Council at the April 24 meeting.

Warren Rose, of Snoqualmie, asked the council if it was aware Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar.com. Comment at of the strong opposition to the www.snovalleystar.com. annexation, and said there were

By Michele Mihalovich

SnoValley Star

APRIL 26, 2012

Aubrey McMichael named to parks commission

By Michele Mihalovich The North Bend City Council confirmed 16-year-old Aubrey McMichael’s appointment to the city’s Parks, Recreation and Beautification Commission on April 17.

The city in 2007 started allowing one youth position on the commission with that person having full voting rights. The youth member must be between 16 and 18 and live in the Snoqualmie Valley School District.

Mike McCarty, senior planner for North Bend, said there are a total of seven citizens, including the youth position, serving on the commission.

“The youth position was added as our youth have an important voice to provide in planning for our city that is, unfortunately, often underrepresented,” he said. “Youth have a valuable perspective that we wish to capture. This is particularly the case with regard to planning for parks and recreation facilities and opportunities, with which youth, as a whole, are highly involved.”

Park commissioners provide recommendations to the City Council regarding planning for future park facilities within the city, he said.

“They review proposed park plans, advise on the creation of

Police From Page 2 my city and talk to my police chief,” Cam Webster said.

Wade Holden said, “The little bit of money you’re going to be saving is chicken feed. We need our chief here.”

However, Webster, Holden and the others who spoke were much more concerned about

Aubrey McMichael city policies that inform park planning and development, and provide recommendations on park and public space improvement and beautification projects,” he said.

McMichael, of North Bend, is filling the previous youth position, held by Cody Roell, who resigned in January when he moved out of the area. Her term will end in August.

McMichael said before the meeting that she loves the city parks and wants to help keep them beautiful.

“I also think it’s important to have a teen’s perspective on the board,” the Mount Si High School sophomore said.

See PARKS, Page 7

Snoqualmie police officers not being able to cross over the county line into the unincorporated areas of North Bend if they took over police services.

Right now, King County deputy boundaries are fluid regarding city limits and the unincorporated areas. And the county borders 91 percent of North Bend.

Residents were also concerned about the different dispatch systems used by Snoqualmie and King County. Snoqualmie has

Killing From Page 1 get the women out of the living room.

It was initially believed that a couch had purposely been placed to block rescue attempts through the front door, but Strachan said that is just how the family had arranged the furniture in the living room.

Firefighters also found seven gas cans with gasoline in them inside the home, and the sheriff’s office bomb unit and fire investigators were called to the scene, West said.

Bartell Drugs’ 59th store to open in North Bend

PAGE 3

Learn more about Bartell Drugs at www.bartelldrugs.com.

Bartell Drugs has announced plans to open a new store in downtown North Bend, located in Borgen Plaza at the northeast corner of Bendigo Boulevard and Park Avenue, according to an April 20 press release from the family-owned chain.

Construction at the location is scheduled to begin late this year, with an opening expected in mid-2013.

The North Bend location will be Bartell Drugs’ 59th store and will be the first “all-new” store to showcase the chain’s recently introduced “next generation” interior concept, according to the press release.

It will feature expanded product offerings, bright new displays, décor accents and other improvements designed to enhance the total shopping experience.

“We have been exploring expansion into the Upper Snoqualmie Valley for many years and have considered several possible locations,” said Chairman and CEO George D. Bartell in the press release. “This is a site that can conveniently serve area residents, from Fall City to Snoqualmie Pass.”

The Borgen Family Properties, LLC, in partnership with BrookWater Fund, LLC, are owners of Borgen Plaza.

Founded in Seattle in 1890, Bartell Drugs owns and operates stores in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties. Family-owned and operated, it is the nation’s oldest drugstore chain.

Larger trout await anglers on state’s biggest opening day

its own dispatch system, called a silo because no other police can hear what’s going on over the radio. So if Snoqualmie did take over police services for North Bend’s city limits, King County deputies just across the line in unincorporated areas of North Bend would be out of the loop.

Linda Grez lives just outside of that boundary, and said she’s concerned.

“Plus, we’d be giving up the years of experience King County has in the area,” she said. “The

learning curve could take years if Snoqualmie takes over. I know Chief Toner and I’ve been impressed with him. That would be a lot of knowledge and experience lost without King County.”

Dave Workman brought up the fact that accountability hadn’t been discussed.

“Right now, if there’s a problem, King County is accountable to you,” he said. “If you go with Snoqualmie police and you have a problem with Snoqualmie police, they are accountable to

Emergency personnel found two women inside, brought them out of the house and tried to resuscitate them, but they were pronounced dead at the scene, she said.

West said firefighters didn’t enter the home again after retrieving the women due to safety concerns.

‘Normally a nice, sleepy town’ Several neighbors on April 22 came by the home, which was blocked by police tape on one end of the gravel road, and by a barricade and deputy at the other end of the heavily, wooded area and street filled with emergency and investigation vehicles.

Anglers preparing for opening day of the 2012 lowland lakes season April 28 can expect to reel in trout that are onethird larger this year, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The department is releasing 3 million hatchery-reared trout averaging 11-13 inches — two to three inches longer than last year.

Those fish will join millions of other trout that were stocked last year and have grown to catchable size in lakes around the state. Many of those lakes have also been stocked with triploid and jumbo trout weighing 1 1/2 to 11 pounds apiece.

“We have made some changes in our trout hatchery rearing programs in response to the feedback we heard from anglers who really enjoy catching larger fish,” department Director Phil Anderson, said in the press release. “With these fish, our state’s biggest fishing day of the year just got better.”

At least 300,000 anglers typically turn out for the first day of the lowland lakes season, which remains open into the fall. Although many state waters are open year-round, the April opening marks the start of the state’s most popular fishery.

To participate, anglers must

One couple, who did not wish to be identified, said they did not know the family, but were shocked to hear the news.

“It’s weird to wake up to fire engine sirens and then to hear what happened.

It’s shocking,” the woman said.

“We’ve been living here for 16 years because it’s normally a nice, sleepy town,” her husband said.

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

have a current Washington freshwater fishing license valid through March 31, 2013.

Licenses can be purchased online at https://fishhunt.dfw. wa.gov; by telephone at 1-866246-9453 toll free; or at hundreds of license dealers across the state. Get details about license vendor locations at http:// wdfw.wa.gov/licensing/vendors.

Freshwater fishing licenses cost $27.50 for resident adults ages 16-69. Fifteen-year-olds can buy a license for $8.25, and seniors 70 and older can buy an annual fishing license for $5.50.

Children 14 and younger do not need a fishing license.

“Our license fees are lower this year for youth, seniors and people with disabilities,” Anderson said. “So, whether you fish from the bank, a pram or a boat, this fishery is tailor-made for a great family outing.”

Because of the popularity of trout fishing in Washington, the department put a higher priority on its trout-rearing program in the past year, said Chris Donley, the department’s Inland Fish Program manager.

“For one thing, we invested in more hatchery feed to grow our fish larger,” he said. “We hope anglers see the increase in the quality of our catchable trout on opening day.”

Hatchery crews also spent the past year stocking lakes across the state with more than 10 million fry and fingerlings, which have grown to eight to 12 inches in length. Anglers can also look forward to catching other fish See FISHING, Page 8

the city of Snoqualmie. That’s an important consideration.”

Councilman David Cook said after the meeting that the council would take up the police contract issue at its next workstudy session, which was scheduled for April 24, and could be ready to take action by its next council meeting at 7 p.m. May 1.

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

Saturday’s health fair is canceled The Healthy Living Fair previously scheduled for May 5 at Si View Community Center has been canceled.

Not enough vendors were available that day to create the kind of health fair that would make it worthwhile for visitors, and other Saturdays at the community center already had been booked with events and classes.

This would have been the third annual fair, co-hosted by Si View Metro Parks and SnoValley Star.

Opinion

PAGE 4

Editorial

Letters

Teen suicide breaks community hearts

Thanks, vendors

Like the rest of the community, we were devastated to hear that a Mount Si High School sophomore had killed himself.

We can’t imagine the pain his family, friends, teachers and schoolmates are going through. Prayers are being whispered for everyone in the community as we try to understand his choice.

This is the second school year in a row that Mount Si students have had to face the loss of a friend by suicide, after an 11th-grader killed himself in September 2010.

In 2007, suicide was the third leading cause of death for young people ages 15-24, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

The organization said one in 100,000 children ages 10-14 commits suicide. For adolescents ages 15-19, that number jumps to nearly seven in 100,000.

In Washington, an average of two youths commit suicide each week, according to the Youth Suicide Prevention Program.

And in a recent state survey, more than one in every 10 high school students reported having attempted suicide, and one in four said they had seriously considered it.

No one may ever know the true reason behind a suicide, but there are warning signs to watch for.

Boys are more likely than girls to take their own lives, but if you notice any child showing signs of depression, withdrawing, increasing alcohol or drug use, giving away their possessions or hinting at not being around in the future, take heed. Ask directly whether they have considered suicide. It will not put ideas in children’s heads, experts say.

MSHS Principal John Belcher sent an email to parents, saying, “Most people express relief when they can talk openly about their feelings, since most people who attempt suicide are very afraid.”

If someone admits to having suicidal thoughts, then call the Suicide Hotline for help at 800-273-8255. It’s a toll-free call.

Even without warning signs, now is the time to have an open and frank discussion about suicide with your teens.

WEEKLY POLL The GOP and the Democrats have presidential candidates set. Should they still hold national conventions?

A. No. The elections are seven months away and people already know who will run.

B. Yes. It’s always interesting to see what national leaders have to say.

C. No. Hold more debates between President Barack Obama and former Gov. Mitt Romney instead.

D. Yes. Tradition is important.

Vote online at www.snovalleystar.com.

Deborah Berto

Publisher

Kathleen R. Merrill

Managing editor

MIchele Mihalovich

Editor

Jill Green

Advertising manager

Sebastian Moraga

Published by

ISSAQUAH PRESS, INC. P.O. Box 1328 Issaquah, WA 98027 Phone: 392-6434 Fax: 391-1541

Ari Cetron Michelle Comeau

Reporter Page designer Advertising rep.

MAIL SUBSCRIPTION

$30 per year Call 392-6434

Thank you to the vendors, volunteers and the community for their support and help with the recently held Mount Si Senior Center Fashion Show, Generations of Volunteers.

Creating, planning and implementing any fundraising event are a great deal of work and take the commitment of many people to make it all happen. Everything has to be in place and time-lined so all of the pieces come together.

Without the support of the community and the volunteers, this event would not have happened. We are very fortunate that so many people support the senior center and once again thankful to the Snoqualmie Valley Women in Business who “created the path” for this event last year.

We netted more than $8,500 for this event, and the money will be used to provide more programs and activities for seniors. We are already talking about next year and implementing new ideas. If you would like to serve on the Fashion Show

APRIL 26, 2012

committee, please call the senior center at 888-3434.

BJ Libby, executive director Mount Si Senior Center

Thanks, SnoValley Star Thank you for your abundance of information on our 50th wedding anniversary on April 13. Because of your publicity we saw many old friends at our party who would not have known about the event.

Our children — Julie, of Seattle, and Ryan, of Wenatchee — hosted the event for their appreciative parents. Thanks again for your coverage.

Carol and Charles Peterson Snoqualmie

Share your views Citizens can make a difference by contacting their elected representatives.

North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing, mayor@ northbendwa.gov

Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Dee Williamson, dwilliamson@northbendwa.gov Councilman Jonathan Rosen, jrosen@northbendwa.gov Councilman Chris Garcia, cgarcia@northbendwa.gov Councilman Alan Gothelf, agothelf@northbendwa.gov Councilman Ross Loudenback, rloudenback@ northbendwa.gov Councilman David Cook, dcook@northbendwa.gov Councilwoman Jeanne Pettersen, jpettersen@northbendwa.gov

Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson, 888-5307; mayor@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilman Robert Jeans, 396-4427; bjeans@ci.snoqualmie. wa.us Councilman Jeff MacNichols, 396-4597; macnichols@sbmhlaw Councilman Bryan Holloway, 396-5216; bholloway@ ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilman Kingston Wall, 206-890-9125; kwall@ ci.snoqualmie.wa.us

Home Country

Springtime can be a magical season

By Slim Randles “Emily,” Dewey said, “I have a confession to make to you. I don’t have a neurotic fascination with manure.”

“You don’t?”

“No.” He kissed her again and they both smiled. “It’s my business. I supply fertilizer to people’s gardens. That’s what I do. When I told you I was in manure, I meant the manure business. They call me the fertilizer king, actually.”

She smiled. “Wow! That’s wonderful! I was a bit concerned about falling for a guy who had a … thing … for manure. You know. But it’s what you do!”

They kissed again.

“But won’t this mess up your doctoral thesis? I thought that was why you wanted to see me.

Your tape recorder and all that …”

“Dewey,” she said. “I have a confession to make to you, too.

I’m not writing a doctoral dissertation on you. I don’t want a doctorate. I want you.”

His index finger reached up and traced each delectable cheekbone gently, and she smiled at him some more.

“I want you, too,” he said.

“But there is something else I need to confess.”

“There is?”

“Yes. You see, I have little … accidents. I’m kinda clumsy. I’ll try really hard to do something right, but the next thing you know the truck’s in a mud hole or a cow’s in a tree, or I’ve vaccinated Dud for blackleg, or Slim Randles …”

Columnist “I’ll have to hear about that cow one of these days.”

“Anyway, I wanted you to know.”

“Isn’t that why we’re lying here on the shoulder of the

road, kissing and smiling and why I have a rock in the small of my back?”

“Yes.” “I kinda like it, Honey.”

They tried to pull apart to get more comfortable but something held them together.

They both looked down at the fishing fly that had joined their shirts together.

It was that stonefly nymph on a No. 6 streamer that Marvin Pincus tied to help Dewey find a girlfriend.

Sometimes there’s magic on a warm spring night.

The Home Country book is now available at www.slimrandles.com.

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:

snovalley star

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

APRIL 26, 2012

SnoValley Star

PAGE 5

SnoValley Star

PAGE 6

APRIL 26, 2012

Snoqualmie’s own Karate Kid

Contributed

Emmett Whitaker, of Snoqualmie, rears back and then breaks a board held by Marcia Paul, co-owner of DMW Martial Arts and Fitness of Snoqualmie Ridge, during the March 16 graduation ceremony for a dozen 4- and 5-year-olds partaking in the six-week Martial Arts Series at the Encompass Main Campus. The children learned focusing skills to gain confidence and self-discipline.

State is seeking comment on North Bend’s shoreline master plan The state Department of Ecology is seeking public comment on North Bend’s recently updated shoreline master program until May 25.

The proposed updated shoreline master program will guide construction and development along eight miles of shorelines within the city’s jurisdiction on the South and Middle Forks of the Snoqualmie River.

It combines local plans for future development and preservation with new development ordinances and related permitting requirements.

North Bend’s locally tailored

shoreline program is designed to help minimize environmental damage to shoreline areas, reserve appropriate areas for water-oriented uses and protect the public’s right to public lands and waters.

Under Washington’s 1972 voter-approved Shoreline Management Act, the department must review and approve North Bend’s proposed shoreline program before it takes effect. The department will accept public comment on North Bend’s proposed shoreline program until May 25.

Comments and questions should be addressed to David Pater, Department of Ecology, Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program, 3190 160th

We are the Faces of Hope.

Please Join Us In The Fight!

Ave. S.E., Bellevue, WA 98007; david.pater@ecy.wa.gov; or 6494253.

North Bend’s proposed shoreline program and related documents can be reviewed at: q Department of Ecology Northwest Regional Office, 3190 160th Ave. S.E., Bellevue, by appointment. Call 6497190. q www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/ sea/shorelines/smp/mycomments/ NorthBend.html. q City of North Bend, Community and Economic Development, 126 E. Fourth St., North Bend. Call 888-5633. q http://ci.north-bend. wa.us. Click on “Shoreline Master Program Update” under “News, Events & Highlights.”

After the public comment period, the department may approve the proposed shoreline master program as written, reject it or direct North Bend to modify specific parts.

Once approved by the depart-

ment, North Bend’s shoreline program will become part of the overall state shoreline master program.

Snoqualmie Middle School will host recycling event King County welcomes all of its residents wanting to dispose of a variety of items to a recycling event from 9 a.m. April 28 at Snoqualmie Middle School, 9200 Railroad Ave. S.E. Items that can be recycled include electronics, computers, appliances, scrap metal, tires, batteries and petroleum products — no latex paint, however.

The event is sponsored by the city of North Bend. Learn more by calling 888-7651.

Annual Children’s Trout Derby is May 5

The Mount Si Fish and Game

EXPERT INTERVENTION MAKES A DIFFERENCE. Be represented by legal professionals who are compassionate and experienced advocates.

• Automobile Collisions • Employment & Work Injuries • Product Liability • Insurance Claims • Pharmaceutical Claims • Civil Litigation

Photo by My Beloved Photography

Relay for Life of Snoqualmie Valley July 7 & 8, 2 pm at Centennial Field in Snoqualmie Want to be part of this amazing event?

Visit www.snovalleyrelay.org, call American Cancer Society Representative, Sarah Yelenich at 206-674-4166 or email Event Chair, Wendy Nesland at wnesland@gmail.com

Jerry & Michele Pearson

Free Case Evaluations

35131 SE Douglas Street Suite 103 Snoqualmie, WA 98065 425-831-3100 • 800-423-8473 www.pearsonlawfirm.com

Appointments throughout Washington

Club is sponsoring the annual Children’s Trout Derby from daylight to 10 a.m. May 5 at the ponds behind the Snoqualmie Police Station, 34825 S.E. Douglas St. Children ages 5-14 may compete for prizes and children younger than 5 may fish.

No registration is necessary.

There’s a four-prize and twofish limit. No nets or dogs are allowed.

Spring cleaning can boost energy efficiency

Puget Sound Energy is offering simple spring-cleaning tips to help customers save money, increase recycling options and stay safe.

Bellevue-based PSE recommends for customers to: q Ditch old bulbs. If a compact fluorescent light bulb burns out, do not toss it into the garSee CLEAN, Page 7

SnoValley Star

APRIL 26, 2012

PAGE 7

Desert dwellers survive just fine on the wet side Parks

By Michele Mihalovich

Gardeners on the west side of the Cascades might not think of succulent plants as a viable option, but Chris Homanics, with The Nursery at Mount Si in North Bend, said the plants can thrive under the right conditions here.

Homeowners with soggy, wet and shady conditions should just pass on the desert-dwellers.

But if you have a section of yard close to the house where you’ve been having trouble finding anything to grow there, that’s the time to start looking at succulents, he said.

The south or west sides of buildings give such plants the hot, and dry conditions they love.

And they prefer a gravelly, sandy soil, Homanics said.

Gardeners can chose from low-growing ground covers, like hen and chicks, to a more upright plant like agaves.

Clean From Page 6 bage or recycling bin. PSE offers free recycling at businesses in Western Washington. Find a complete list at www.pse.com/ bulbrecycling. q Host a bulb recycle box at your workplace. Materials from compact fluorescent and incandescent bulbs — including glass, circuitry, aluminum and plastic — can all be recycled and reused. Sign up to host a

From Page 3

He said agaves found in California or the Southwest can get up to five feet wide, but in our cooler climate, one to two feet wide is probably going to be the maximum width.

Homanics said succulents also pair perfectly with other plants that prefer a hotter, drier area, like lavender and rosemary.

“Just don’t crowd them too close, or the other plants will create too much shade,” he said.

Succulents offer a wide variety of colors and textures to the garden.

So, if you always dreamed of including a rock garden into your landscape, just know that it’s a viable option here on the wet side of the mountain range.

She said as much to the council after it confirmed her, but also said she was looking forward to seeing how government works first hand.

Mayor Ken Hearing and McCarty interviewed McMichael for the youth position.

McCarty said McMichael was selected because she is outgoing.

“Aubrey … seems very willing to share her ideas. This is important, as we want someone that brings something to the table rather than just sits back and observes,” he said.

The commission meets the fourth Wednesday of each month, at 6 p.m., at the Community and Economic Development office, 126 E. Fourth St.

By Michele Mihalovich

This is just a small sampling of the succulents available at the Nursery at Mount Si in North Bend.

recycling box at www.pse.com/ bulbdrive. q Dump your old fridge or freezer. Customers can sign up at www.pse.com/recycling to have the utility haul away outdated refrigerators and freezers for free. Customers receive $20 for participating in the recycling program. q Try LED bulbs. Though compact fluorescent bulbs offer energy efficiency and a long lifespan, the LED technology is more efficient and can last up to 25 years. PSE electric customers can receive up to a $10

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

rebate on Energy Star-qualified LED bulbs at participating retailers. Find a list at www.pse. com/leds. q Call 811 before digging: If springtime outdoor projects include building a new fence or deck, planting trees and shrubs, or even pulling out a tree stump, please remember to contact the 811 Call Before You Dig hotline two business days prior to your project to help prevent serious injuries or potential hazards from striking or damaging underground utilities.

Join us for breakfast, lunch or dinner

on MOTHER’S DAY Sunday, May 13th

$7.99

$13.99

Pancake or French Toast Combo

Whitefish & Steak

$11.29

NEW! Brooklyn Baked Ziti

SECONDS ARE ON THE HOUSE!

All entrees on main menu are eligible for one complimentary re-order.

Come check out our new menu 46600 SE North Bend Way, North Bend, WA 98045 I-90 East Take Exit 34 • 425.888.3322

SnoValley Star

PAGE 8

APRIL 26, 2012

Police blotter North Bend

Popular Acura Legend LIQUOR SPECIAL Visit our website to find out which TOP BRANDS are 10% Off

American Spirit Camel Kool Marlboro Marlboro 72’s

$66.38 $58.07 $61.57 $59.56 $49.56

$7.04 $6.21 $6.56 $6.36 $5.36

Newport Pall Mall Parliament Virginia slims Winston

$59.60 $54.66 $64.37 $63.17 $57.07

$6.36 $5.87 $6.84 $6.72 $6.11

An Acura Legend, which had been secured in a North Bend storage facility until police could execute a search warrant, was broken into between 2:30 and 9 a.m. April 11.

A manager with Wyrsch Towing told police the vehicle had been brought to the secure facility at the request of Deputy Amy Shoblom at 2:30 a.m. April 11, and that Shoblom sealed and locked the vehicle in the locked facility.

The manager told police she came in the next morning and found broken windows at the secured building, and when she looked inside the building, she noticed the seal had been broken on the Acura and the vehicle windows had been broken.

Police lifted three fingerprints from inside the building and one outside the building.

High gas prices are taking their toll

A man who lives in the 300 block of Orchard Drive told police that between March 30 and April 10, someone syphoned gasoline out of his

Fishing From Page 8 stocked for the lowland lakes season: q 102,000 2-year-old “jumbo” and surplus hatchery broodstock trout (1 1/2 to 11 pounds each) q More than 100,000 other fish — black crappie, channel catfish, tiger muskie, walleye

Trolli Candy

4.25oz bag 99¢ (reg price $1.49). Offer good through 4/30/12.

Dodge pickup and poured an unknown substance into his gas tank.

Lock your doors, people A North Bend man reported to police that a bank bag with $1,000 in cash and checks, and a pistol, were stolen from his Volkswagon Passat between 6 p.m. April 9 and 7:45 a.m.

April 10.

He said he had left his business in Seattle and drove to QFC in North Bend. He hid the bag and gun in between his seats and the console before he went into the store and had only been gone for about five minutes.

He then drove home, and didn’t notice anything missing until he left for work the next morning. He told police that’s also when he noticed he had inadvertently left his passenger door unlocked at QFC.

No, really, lock your doors

A Fall City man told police he parked his unlocked Chevy pickup in front of the 76 Gas Station in North Bend to run in and buy a few items at 4:30 p.m.

April 8.

He noticed the next day that his morphine and Oxycontin See BLOTTER, Page 9

q 47,000 triploid (sterile) trout averaging 1 1/2 pounds each Fish stocking details, by county and lake, are available in the annual stocking plan on the department’s website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/ statewide.

“With all of these fish ready and waiting in statewide lakes, everyone has an excellent chance of catching some nice fish,” Donley said. “Come on out and join the fun of opening day.”

STUTH COMPANY

Announces New Service!

We’re Here To Serve You!

Septic Pumping

Installation Repairs – minor or major

Troubleshooting Inspections

STUTH COMPANY, INC.

50 years in business

425-255-3546 or Toll Free: 866-255-3546 www.stuthco.com

SnoValley Star

APRIL 26, 2012

Apply to help area Agency on Aging

The Advisory Council for the Seattle-King County Area Agency on Aging and Disability Services is seeking new members who are interested in issues and services affecting older people and adults with disabilities.

Members are appointed by one of the three sponsors (United Way, King County and the city of Seattle), and King County terms are two years with a limit of two terms.

Prospective members can

expect a time commitment of four to six hours per month, which includes one monthly meeting (second Friday of each month), committee work, training and travel time.

If you are interested in joining the advisory council, complete the application form at www.agingkingcounty. org/advisory-council/docs/ MemberRecruitmentForm.pdf.

Learn more by contacting Rosemary Cunningham at 206684-0655 or rosemary.cunningham@kingcounty.gov.

Blotter

North Bend fire calls from Eastside Fire & Rescue

From Page 8

q At 3:02 p.m. April 13 in the 43000 block of Southeast 149th Street, EMS responded to a medical emergency. q At 6:45 p.m. April 16 in the 51000 block of westbound Interstate 90, one engine responded to a report of smoke.

It was steam or some other gas mistaken for smoke. q At 6:10 p.m. April 17 in the 37000 block of eastbound Interstate 90, seven engines responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries. q At 4:20 p.m. April 19 in 43000 block of North Bend Way, seven engines responded to a medical call. q At 10 p.m. April 19 in the 51000 block of westbound Interstate 90, five engines responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries.

pills were missing from his glove compartment.

Snoqualmie A tish above the speed limit

Police arrested a 27-year-old man for reckless driving and DUI on April 15, after clocking him driving 107 mph on Snoqualmie Parkway.

After being stopped by police, officers noticed the strong smell of alcohol on his breath. He was taken to the Issaquah Jail.

Computer stolen A man reported to police April 13 that a laptop, case and scanner were taken from his work van that was parked in front of his residence in the 39000 block of Southeast Spruce Street.

Write to us SnoValley Star welcomes letters to the editor on any subject, although we give priority to local issues. Letters should be no more than 350 words.

The deadline for letters is noon the Friday before the publication.

Send letters to: SnoValley Star, P.O. Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027 or email editor@snovalleystar.com.

Your news comments welcome!

The Star publishes names of those arrested for DUI and those charged with felony crimes.

Information comes directly from local police reports.

PAGE 9

Stopping to say hello

By Jessica Self

Jessica Self, of Snoqualmie, recently took this picture of a woodpecker after hearing it peck on the stop sign outside her home. ‘We were getting our daughter, niece and nephew into the cars for a trip to the Seattle Aquarium when we saw this and I quick grabbed my camera and took a picture. I have no idea the species, but a bird watcher came over and told us that he was a male and that he was trying to get a female’s attention.’

P-Patch plots are still available P-Patch plots are still available at both public gardens in Snoqualmie.

The gardens are at 7640 380th St. S.E. and 3862 S.E. Silva St. Plots are 6-by-12. The cost for one plot is $25 per season; two plots cost $45

Another beautiful smile

total for the season.

Gardeners must bring their own tools and topsoil. The city will supply the water.

P-Patch season runs through Nov. 11.

Contact Ilyse Burke, Parks & Recreation Department, at 831-4919 or iburke@ ci.snoqualmie.wa.us.

T H E G R E AT A M E R I C A N

GARAGE

SALE

Everything about this experience was completely worth it. It’s nice to know how straight and clean my teeth are too!

— Reid Howland

20

$ Reid Howland

Courtesy of

in print & online!

Deadline: Monday, 5pm

Call to find your perfect smile...

Your dentist’s choice for their family www.kirbynelsonorthodontics.com North Bend Office 425-888-1896

Maple Valley Office 425-413-2121

Snoqualmie Ridge Office 425-831-0386

• 25 word ad in SnoValley Star Classifieds • Placement on SnoValleyStar.com.com

Classified Advertising 425-392-6434 ext. 222 www.snovalleystar.com

PAGE 10

community

APRIL 26, 2012

Snoqualmie Tribe member celebrates Mother Joseph Day with stories, songs

By Tom Corrigan John Mullen, a member of the Snoqualmie Tribe, has been a carver and sort of spokesman and educator for the tribe for about 11 years.

In addition to spreading and teaching the Snoqualmie tradition of carving, Mullen also carries on the tribe’s tradition of singing and drumming.

On April 16, he was at Issaquah’s nonprofit Providence Marianwood skilled nursing facility, with his handmade tools, one of his handmade dugout canoes and plenty of stories and talk to share.

Mullen’s visit was part of Marianwood’s marking of April 16, formally Mother Joseph Pariseau Day in Washington.

A member of the Catholic order of the Sisters of Providence, Mother Joseph is credited with building 29 hospitals, schools, orphanages and shelters for the aged or mentally ill in the late 1800s in Washington and surrounding states.

Her influence can be felt as far north as Canada, said Providence Marianwood’s Andrea Abercrombie, who told residents at least part of the story of the Sisters of Providence and Mother Joseph in Washington.

Some 155 years ago, the Sisters of Providence founded what became Providence Health Services, which operates Marianwood. The organization maintains ties to the Catholic order to this day, according to Arlene Carter, executive director of the Providence Marianwood Foundation.

Because Mother Joseph

By Tom Corrigan

Wayne Greaka, who is trying to learn Snoqualmie traditions to pass on to his children, said this beaver mask was his first attempt at carving. was dedicated to helping othDuring his talk, he showed ers, each year Providence off his handmade carving Marianwood tools, some commemorates of which On the Web Mother Joseph are specially In 2009 and 2010, The Day with some designed Issaquah Press documented kind of charifor a lack of John Mullen’s efforts to table drive. This mobility he carve a traditional canoe year, residents, has in his for the Snoqualmie Tribe. staff members right hand.

Read the articles and watch and visitors And all of videos of the process at collected sevhis tools are http://bit.ly/I3F58G and eral tables full of handmade. http://bit.ly/dv2yyz. school supplies He even has a for donation to carved block the Snoqualmie of wood with Tribe. Mullen a handle that was on hand to accept the dona- he uses as a hammer. tion.

While the carving tools are clearly important, the tops of dugout canoes, at least when they are made of cedar, eventually are steamed open. The bottoms of the canoes are filled with water.

Extremely hot rocks are placed in the water to create steam, which in turn spreads out the wood, making the canoe opening larger. The task can take three days to accomplish.

Mullen also had with him several kinds of handmade canoe paddles, including one See SISTER, Page 12

By Tom Corrigan

By Tom Corrigan

In honor of Mother Joseph of the Sisters of Providence, Providence Marianwood residents, staff members and visitors collected school supplies to be donated to the Snoqualmie Tribe.

Wayne Greaka, who learned the art of carving from John Mullen, spoke briefly about the year or so he spent creating the beaver mask seen here. Greaka’s hands are resting on one of Mullen’s handmade canoes.

By Tom Corrigan

During his presentation at Marianwood in Issaquah, John Mullen said one of the traditional Snoqualmie songs he sang was thought to be 800 years old.

By Tom Corrigan

A master carver and a member of the Snoqualmie Tribe, John Mullen uses only handmade tools to complete his carvings, including canoes.

SnoValley Star

APRIL 26, 2012

PAGE 11

Valley writing award goes to 12-year-old leukemia survivor

By Sebastian Moraga Natalie Smith dreams big and hopes even bigger. Or vice versa, depending on how you feel about leukemia and pop tunes.

The 12-year-old, a seventhgrader at St. Joseph Catholic School in Snoqualmie, dreams of succeeding in middle school, high school, college, med school and then becoming the oncologist who cures cancer once and for all.

She also said she hopes to meet Justin Bieber, even ranking meeting him a notch above curing the disease.

(Remember, she’s 12.)

Diagnosed with leukemia as a first-grader in 2006, Smith overcame the disease once before it came back in 2008. She underwent a bone marrow transplant after the relapse, and now has penned her story of survival in a story titled “The Battle.”

The story won Smith first place in early April in the Young Adult Writing category of a writing contest organized by SnoValley Writes.

Obituary Marjorie H. Beesler Marjorie Beesler passed away peacefully while at

A painter and a poet, she has utilized her struggle against leukemia as a source of inspiration for her art, she said.

“It was good therapy for her,” said Dene James, Natalie’s mom, who admits to getting teary-eyed just hearing her daughter talk.

“It was hard,” she said of watching Natalie battle leukemia. “It was so hard.”

The experience left Natalie more than a story to tell or something to put on canvas.

Natalie said she loves going to school, mainly because the disease robbed her of half of her first grade, half of her second grade and all of her fourth grade.

“It is a gift,” she said of attending class. “Most people don’t really realize it.”

Being away from the classroom meant time away from friends, she added.

Now, she said, she loathes to miss a day. The leukemia left no learning disabilities, hearing loss or any significant side effects, so school is a blast.

The disease also brought Mount Si Transitional Health Center in North Bend. She was 74.

She is survived by her husband Alvin Beesler, her mother Lillian Humphrey, her daughter Ginger Ross,

Natalie and her sister Anna closer than they were. Natalie credits her older sibling with keeping her spirits up by joking with her like she always had.

Anna had to be scared, Natalie said, but Anna kept her fear hidden under a thick armor of sisterhood.

“My mom would be like, ‘Hey, how are you doing?’ and I really appreciate that, because I needed that,” Natalie said.

“But Anna would be like, ‘Hey, loser.’”

The “loser” is now a bona fide winner, with a certificate, a brand new journal and a cool $100 in cash to show for it. Of course, that’s not nearly enough cash to fly to Canada and meet her idol, but she’s willing to be patient, sort of.

“I don’t know if when I’m 20 I will still want to,” she said of meeting Bieber. “Because he will be like 40.”

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

her son Jerry Young, three grandchildren and five greatgrandchildren.

Read the online obituary and sign the guest book at www.snoqualmievalleychapel. com.

By Sebastian Moraga

Natalie Smith, here with her mother Dene James, won first prize in the young adult writer category of the SnoValley Writes writing contest.

Smith, a leukemia survivor, based her story, ‘The Battle,’ on her struggle to beat the disease.

SnoValley Star

PAGE 12

APRIL 26, 2012

New SVCN director bets on future of the Snoqualmie Valley

By Sebastian Moraga Laura Smith knows what’s in the cards. In more ways than one.

As the new executive director of the Snoqualmie Valley Community Network, she launched trivia cards highlighting good things about life in the Valley.

Twenty-seven days into the job, she also knows the future looks cloudy for the network’s current funding.

State cuts will eliminate $50,000 this summer. Then, in 30 months, $125,000 in DrugFree Communities grant money disappears.

Even without the uncertainty, the job is big.

Smith, hired April 2, said her respect for predecessor Kristy Trione has increased.

“Kristy was holding so many more details and so many more irons in the fire than I thought,” she said of Trione, who moved to Costa Rica this winter. “My hat’s off to her.”

Perhaps the only thing bigger than the challenges is Smith’s optimism.

“We are really working on the upper and lower Valleys to focus

on the positive elements of each community,” said Smith, who has lived in the Valley for 13 years. “We are looking for the positive things that are happening with the kids, with the businesses, with the environment.”

Steven Bates, president of the network, said he’s very excited to have Smith as executive director.

“She brings lots of experience and enthusiasm, and she’s well respected in the community,” he said. “We’re expecting good things from her.”

The network’s Leanne Christensen praised Smith’s hire in a press release.

“Laura deeply cares and is invested in the community,” Christensen said. “She has proved this time and time again.”

Then there are the cards, conversation starters Smith said she hopes will change people’s views of the Valley.

“Within the answer of the trivia question people will learn more about what’s actually going in the lives of our youth,” she said. “Most of what goes on is positive and people need to know about it.”

People talk more about the

Laura Smith unhealthy choices they make, and people end up hearing more about them than the good stuff, she added.

Highlighting good choices leads people to change, Smith said. One thing that needs changing is people’s unawareness of the network, which perplexes Smith.

During her six years in the network, Smith has participated in youth councils, the Key Leaders’ Summit, the Rise and Shine Breakfast, the

Healthy Youth Forum and the “Hometown Trivia” campaign (the one with the cards).

People sometimes don’t realize it’s the network that starts many of these activities.

With heroin use, texting and “sexting” occurring in the Valley, the network’s mission will not disappear anytime soon.

Smith said she remains confident the network won’t either.

Even if the big grant disappears.

Keeping the network vibrant won’t be easy, but nowadays it’s worth the fight, Smith said.

“Usually in a time like this, when services are being cut back, our role is figuring out how we hold on to services when we can, and figure out a way for the community to get through it, how you make it work when it’s tight,” she said.

Sister From Page 10 that early Snoqualmie people could have used as a weapon in a pinch. A river paddle had points on the end for pushing floating obstacles out of the way as well as for potentially spearing fish.

Mullen also used a handheld drum to perform two traditional Snoqualmie songs. Both used more tones than actual words.

He said one song was believed to be more than 800 years old.

Mullen has a personal connection to Providence Marianwood. Both his mother and his wife have been employees of the institution. He has volunteered at the facility.

The Snoqualmie Tribe recently awarded a grant for upgrading

Budget cuts and all, she has reason to hope. She attended the Be The Change teen leadership conference in mid-April.

“If there’s anything that will give you hope it’s sitting in a room with 50 middle-schoolers, who are excellent reminders of all the good that exists in the world,” she said.

The teenagers’ desire to know, lead and participate makes Smith feel lucky she has the job she has.

“People keep expressing their desire to partner, or their confidence that the job is in good hands,” she said. “My goal is to live up to their votes of confidence.”

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

Marianwood’s garden.

Prior to Mullen’s talk, Abercrombie supplied the 25 or so residents on hand with a brief history of Mother Joseph.

Along with three other nuns, Mother Joseph arrived at Fort Vancouver in Washington in 1865. Within three weeks, the nuns were taking in orphans.

At the time, the area had no hospital and few schools.

Abercrombie credited Mother Joseph with changing that, founding dozens of charitable institutions and eventually becoming known as “The Builder.”

Mother Joseph died of a brain tumor at age 79 in 1902.

Former Washington Gov. Gary Locke dedicated each April 16 as Mother Joseph Day in Washington beginning in 1999.

Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

April 26, 2012

Special Section of SnoValley Star Advertising Dept.

Mount Si Gymnastics Academy Spring brings a bounty of color & Dance Studio open for camps to the Nursery at Mount Si Mt. Si Gymnastics Academy & Dance Studio is now open, in time for summer camps North Bend’s newest business is just weeks old and already is getting rave reviews from parents.

“We are delighted to have Mt. Si Gymnastics Members of the MSGA Competitve Gymnastics Team.

Academy & Dance Studio in the valley!” says Angela Zwiefelhofer. “The owners ed by the Mt. Si. High School gymnastics are passionate about gymnastics and team. Team members will use the camp enrichment for kids. My daughter is a as a fundraiser for their team activities. competitive gymnast so MSGA is like her “We are also looking into other fun second home. As a parent, it’s wonderways to use the gym. We already offer ful to know that your child is safe and fun and active birthday parties on Friday supported, while getting high quality evenings or Saturday afternoons,” said training.” co-owner Amy Norton. “Services we are Mt. Si is the only gymnastics facility looking at are parkour, yoga, kinderin the valley and is family-owned and garten enrichment, music lessons and operated. The facility at 1546 Boalch karate.”

Ave. NW has 15,000 sq. ft. filled to the Two families co-own Mt. Si rim with gymnastics equipment. One Gymnastics Academy. colorful and fun area is just for prePete and Kathy Caro and their four schoolers to jump, swing and tumble to children have lived in Snoqualmie for their hearts content. four years. Pete is a construction manMt. Si Gymnastics offers recreational ager and Kathy is an educator in local classes in the daytime and evening to school districts. kids ages 1-12 and gymnastics sumThey are committed to helping chilmer camps for kids 3-11. And a Mt. Si dren develop physically, socially and competitive gymnastics team competes athletically through gymnastics and against other gyms in the state in USAG dance.

Levels 3-8.

Gary and Amy Norton and their two A dance program will be added in daughters have lived in Snoqualmie addition to gymnastics in the fall. for 13 years. Both Gary and Amy have Summer camp registration is now sales and marketing backgrounds and an open. Olympic themed one-week halfactive fitness lifestyle. Gary participates day sessions begin June 25. Camps also in Ironman triathlons and Amy is active include games, skits, obstacle courses, in Crossfit. crafts and snacks. A dance camp is also For more information, call 425-292being added.

3152 or visit www.mtsigymnasticsacadThe July 9-13 camp week will be host- emy.com.

Not all garden nurseries are created equal.

When you invest in annuals, perennials, trees and shrubs for your garden, your first concern is that the plants are healthy — giving them their best shot at surviving.

Your second concern is selection, and the professional advice to help you Meet the crew, from left, Jose, Beto, Nels, Christine and choose the varietChris. Christi Bishop is not pictured. ies that will do well He has put together a team of customconsidering shade or sun, soil conditions, er service and landscape specialists that roaming deer and other factors. Or maybe share a passion for plants. you’d like plants to best attract butterflies Go ahead, ask them anything. Between and birds. them they can discuss garden soil condiThe Nursery at Mount Si should be tions, watering needs, weather impacts, your first stop — with plants direct from solutions to pesky slugs, insect and funthe growers, a team of professionals to gus blight – all while helping you select help you with your gardening decisions the best flowering trees, shrubs and plants and the beautiful setting to complement to keep your own garden blooming all the flora. summer long.

Nestled just below Mount Si in rural The nursery also has organic plants North Bend, the nursery is such a peaceand seeds for customers interested in ful natural setting that it is growing in growing their own produce. popularity as an event and wedding And the nursery encourages local garvenue. deners to “Plant a Row for the Hungry,” Here at the base of Mount Si is a mini to provide fresh vegetables for the food Garden of Eden. bank.

Pathways meander through the landEverything for an edible landscape scape and bedding plants. Cross the can be found at The Nursery at Mount Si stream on the little wooden bridge to including a good selection of fruit trees visit the gift shop with its pottery, art and and berries, and the organic compost to home décor, or visit the six greenhouses. give your veggies and fruits a jump start.

The nursery’s resident cats and chickens Check their website for dates of free reside along with neighboring cows. workshops on sustainable and organic The nursery was founded in 1999 by gardening. owner Nels Melgaard, a former organic Visit the nursery at 42328 SE 108th in produce farmer.

North Bend, open 9 to 5.

Snoqualmie Valley Golf Academy is the Eastside’s premier junior golf program offering golf instruction and competition for your pee wee golfer on up to the college bound high school player.

From Pee Wee...

To Player

Schools

PAGE 14

APRIL 26, 2012

Future scholars have a blast at Cascade View “He’s really into science stuff,” said his mother, Kelly.

A grade-schooler stood “I’m happy, trust me. My 2-yearon stage at Cascade View old is not that way.”

Elementary School, faced three Students in the science judges and spelled “tabernacle.” competition had to follow the “Geez,” a middle-schooler in scientific method — formulate the crowd told Cascade View a hypothesis and a prediction, Principal Ray Wilson, “I don’t conduct an investigation, collect even know what a tabernacle results and issue a conclusion. is.”

“We are try“It’s awesome since this is ing to avoid Scenes like that abounded show-and-tell,” the last year I’m able to at the Science, science comArt and Spelling compete.” petition judge Night, where Yvonne Stevens kindergartners — Jenna Brandt said. “We’re and gradeSpelling champ looking for schoolers something origamazed older inal, something students and grownups with that they have added their own their skills in the three subjects. element to it.”

Kindergartner Payton That’s exactly what secondStokesbary was one of those graders Molly Harris and children. He had a slotted tray Jackalyn Gates sought when holding bits of ice. Plants sat they designed their experiment underneath the tray. A kettle — cracking an egg. shot steam to the underside of “People think, ‘This is kind the tray. of easy, it’s an egg,’ and then The kettle represented the you’re like, ‘Ugh,’” said Gates, sun, the plants were the earth squeezing the egg around its and the ice cubes were the middle. clouds. As the steam melted the The children in the evening’s ice, water rained on the plants. spelling contest had no chance

By Sebastian Moraga

By Sebastian Moraga

Evan Symington has some fun with her science experiment, a bowl of non-Newtonian fluid. to say “It’s easy, it’s ‘egg,’” as the easiest words the youngest contestants received were six letters long.

By the time the secondgraders stood up to spell, they received fourth-grade words.

Adriana Schmieder won

among first-graders.

Beck Hoffman won among second-graders and Daniel Henderson won among third graders. Fourth-grader Jillian Borrevik and fifth-grader Jenna Brandt completed the winners’ circle.

For some, winning had taken time.

“It’s been her goal since last year,” Sue Korol said of Jillian, her daughter. “She was eliminated in the finals last year, so she See SCIENCE, Page 15

Arbor Day poster contest won by a budding artist

By Sebastian Moraga Caro means “dear” in Italian.

Well, to Sharon Roubicek, Megan Caro fits the name perfectly.

Roubicek, Megan’s teacher at Snoqualmie Elementary School, raves about the artistic talent of the fourth-grader, whose work has been selected as the poster art for the city’s 2013 Arbor Day. “Megan is one of the most hardworking, dedicated and compassionate students I have ever taught,” Roubicek wrote in an email. “She always gives 110 percent effort in everything that she does and isn’t afraid to use her creative side.”

Megan fulfilled a yearlong dream of hers just by participating. As a third-grader last year, she was not eligible to participate. This year, she competed and won.

Her watercolor painting, titled “Trees Are Terrific in All Shapes and Sizes,” shows the variety of trees in the Snoqualmie Valley, all under a purplish sky and a

setting sun.

Her setting sun can be found behind a row of mountains, the opposite of what we experience in the Valley. Megan shrugs the anomaly off, in the process of scoring one for creative, imaginative people everywhere.

“What makes it fun,” Megan said, “is just being able to draw what you’re thinking and your emotions. I also like that nothing is perfect and everything is unique.”

Roubicek’s entire class entered the contest. Michelle Dutton, co-owner of Smart With Art and a parent of a classmate of Megan’s, gave the class a lesson in watercolors beforehand.

Roubicek said many of her students were not surprised Megan had won because “it was such an amazing painting.”

Roubicek said Megan and the rest of the class also entered a statewide contest. The winner of that gets his or her artwork on the cover of the Washington See ARBOR, Page 15

Contributed

Megan Caro poses with her painting, ‘Trees are Terrific in All Shapes and Sizes,’ which will grace the Snoqualmie Arbor Day poster next year. Megan, a fourth-grader at Snoqualmie Elementary School, said her art depicted the variety of trees in the Valley.

SnoValley Star

APRIL 26, 2012

PAGE 15

Stars on the rise

By Sebastian Moraga

The Snoqualmie Valley Friends of the Performing Arts had its quarterly award ceremony April 17. Taylor Pearlstein, at left, and Matt Bumgardner received the organization’s Rising Star awards, while Mike Antone, third from left, was recognized as the organization’s Featured Artist. The trio stands next to the organization’s Thomas Tilton, who emceed the awards ceremony.

Teacher of the month is named

Snoqualmie Elementary School teacher Shannon Roubicek was named the March 2012 Macaroni Kid Teacher of the Month.

Macaroni Kid of IssaquahSnoqualmie picks one teacher every month. The nomination for Roubicek called her a kind, encouraging and even-handed teacher.

“All in all, she is one amazing teacher,” the nomination read, with the word “amazing” in all capital letters.

Roubicek is a fourthgrade teacher at Snoqualmie Elementary.

She will receive a plaque from Issaquah Trophy & Awards, a massage gift certificate from Therapeutic Health in North Bend and a $100 gift certificate to the Woodman Lodge, courtesy of the lodge and the Cascade

Arbor From Page 14 Voter’s Pamphlet.

In the meantime, they gladly share in Megan’s joy.

“We are incredibly excited for Megan,” Roubicek wrote.

Kathy Caro, Megan’s mom, said her daughter has always been artistic.

Even in preschool, Kathy said,

Team Real Estate Agency.

Claudine Fairchild, a physical therapist at Cascade View Elementary School, won the award in February.

Twin Falls Middle School teacher Kyle Wallace won it in January.

Be(e)hold, some of the greatest spellers Cascade View Elementary School has to offer: first-grader Adriana Schmieder, at left, second-grader Beck Hoffman, third-grader Daniel Henderson, fourth-grader Jillian Borrevik and fifth-grader Jenna Brandt. They won their respective grades’ Spelling Bees on April 20.

Valley freshman makes honor roll at OSU

From Page 14

Shanna Howland, a freshman from North Bend majoring in exercise and sport science, has a spot on the Oregon State University Honor Roll for winter term.

Howland earned a 3.5 grade point average. About 3,338 students earned an average of 3.5 or higher, with 752 students earning straight As. Students must carry at least 12 graded hours of course work to be included on the honor roll.

Megan’s work stood out as more elaborate, fancier than the rest.

Nowadays, Megan’s 11-yearold brother seeks his little sister’s help when it comes to his school projects.

Nevertheless, Megan said winning was a big surprise, mostly because Kathy kept it a secret from her.

“There were other girls in the car,” Kathy said, “I wanted to tell her when we were by ourselves.”

By Sebastian Moraga

Science came back with a vengeance this year.”

For others, time was running out.

“It feels awesome,” said Jenna, who practiced 45 minutes a day every day prior to the contest. “It’s awesome since

this is the last year I’m able to compete.”

By the time she got up to the stage to spell, most of Payton’s ice had melted and the tea kettle was off.

The judges had already visited with him, included Mount Si High School science teacher Kevin Knowles, who gave him one last quiz.

“Do you know the name of all this?” Knowles said pointing

to the tray still dripping water onto the plants.

“Water cycle,” Payton whispered, impressing Knowles in the process.

“Hey,” Knowles told Payton, “I want to see you in my class in a few years.”

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

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.

2 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU

WE ARE ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS!

Sports

PAGE 16

APRIL 26, 2012

By Sebastian Moraga

Emmitt Rudd leaps during the long-jump competition at the Mount Si Invitational Meet.

By Sebastian Moraga

Kristen Kasel broke her own personal record twice in a row. Her top mark was 90 feet, 9 inches, good enough for second place.

Track and field classic returns

By Sebastian Moraga

By Sebastian Moraga

Mount Si’s Lexi Swanson broke her own pole-vault record and set a new meet record with a 10-foot mark.

We meet again, at the meet.

After a 23-year hiatus, the Mount Si Invitational Meet returned to life April 21 at Mount Si High School.

Teams from all over the Puget Sound area arrived to celebrate the revival of what once was a staple of the spring athletics calendar in the Snoqualmie Valley.

The hosts did themselves proud, not only with a picturesque day of cloudless sun-

Mount Si turns it around against Lake Washington with 11-5 win

By Michele Mihalovich The Mount Si High School softball team came back from a three-point deficit to win, 11-5, against Lake Washington High School on April 17.

Both teams scored two runs in the first inning at the Mount Si ball field, and goose eggs in the next three.

The Kangs took the lead with three more runs at the top of the fifth frame, just as rain started falling steadily.

Lake Washington errors helped the Wildcats put two more runs on the board in the fifth.

Celine Fowler hit a ball that bounced between the Kangs’ pitcher and catcher, and while the two tried to decide who should grab the ball, Fowler was

already at first base.

Lake Washington’s shortstop missed Britney Stevens’ single, and Rachael Picchena hit a ball deep to centerfield, which allowed Fowler and Stevens to run across home plate.

The top and bottom of the sixth inning was a game changer for the Wildcats.

Mount Si freshman Paige Wetherbee relieved starting pitcher Kendra Lee, and struck out all three Lake Washington batters.

But that was the only inning she pitched due to a hand injury in the following inning, when she tripped rounding first base.

The Wildcats took the lead in the sixth when seven batters scored runs.

Jenny Carroll hit a single, and Wetherbee’s left-field hit could

have been a double if not for the trip over first base. But the hit did allow Carroll to run home, tying the game, 5-5.

Fowler tapped the ball infield for a single.

Mount Si slugger Mickey Blad was then at bat. She’s got a .606 batting average so far this season, a virtually unheard of average in high school fastpitch.

But her powerful stick didn’t matter this time as Lake Washington’s pitcher tossed four See SOFTBALL, Page 18

By Michele Mihalovich

Mount Si High School’s Britney Stevens leads off first base as slugger Mickey Blad gets ready to swing in the April 17 game against Lake Washington High School. The Wildcats won, 11-5.

shine, but by putting on good performances. The girls tied Marysville-Pilchuck for first place with 148 points.

Lexi Swanson broke her personal best in the pole vault with a 10-foot leap. The mark placed her as the state’s fifth-best vaulter among 3A schools.

Kristen Kasel broke her personal best in the discus twice in a row, finishing second. She also had a personal record at the javelin, finishing second with 92 feet, 10 inches.

She credited her discus streak to adjustments she has made to her throws, staying lower and using her legs for more momentum.

Her top discus mark for the day was 90 feet, 9 inches, still shy of her final goal for the season.

“A hundred-and-something,” she said with a laugh.

The boys finished fourth.

Bradly Stevens broke his personSee TRACK, Page 16

SnoValley Star

APRIL 26, 2012

PAGE 17

Sturgeon fishing season is under way Track

By Dallas Cross

It is wild rhododendron time and that means it is time to bring out your long casting rods and plan a white sturgeon fishing outing.

Washington State has sturgeon prowling its entire coast line and they make forays into many bays and rivers, including those in the Puget Sound area.

However, the home rivers for sturgeon runs are predominantly the Chehalis and Columbia.

Sturgeon have also been spotted in Lake Washington, and I have seen a photo of a dead sturgeon taken next to the Issaquah boat launch docks in Lake Sammamish.

Almost all Washington waters are open for catch and release of sturgeon. To keep sturgeon caught in the lower Columbia River the fish length must be 41 inches minimum to 54 inches maximum, as measured from snout to the fork in the tail. In the Chehalis River the keeper

State opens Tiger Mountain State Forest mountain bike trails The state Department of Natural Resources opened Tiger Mountain State Forest mountain bike trails for the season April 14.

The opening includes the Iverson Railroad Grade, Northwest Timber and Preston Railroad Grade trails. The routes offer popular mountain biking opportunities for riders from Issaquah and the Central Puget Sound area.

Though the trails open for the

Fish Journal slot is from 38 inches to 54 inches.

Seasons to retain sturgeon vary on different reaches of the Columbia River system.

The next seaDallas Cross son for the Ilwaco area on the lower Columbia River is May 12 through July 8. On the Chehalis River, sturgeon may be kept during other open game fish or salmon seasons. The retention limit for all catch areas is one per day.

Sturgeon feed in fresh water, usually seeking bait such as river-run smelt that have died off and are rolling along the bottom. They also eat crustaceans, and are fond of lampreys and their larvae burrowed into river

season Saturday, road closures could affect recreation opportunities on Tiger Mountain.

On weekdays in April, crews plan to install culverts. The installation could prompt closures on the Main Tiger Mountain #4000 forest road and cause delays for outdoors enthusiasts using the road. Come midsummer, crews plan to install a vehicle bridge on the West Side #1000 forest road. Officials said the project should require the closure of Iverson Railroad Trail for a few days.

Due to a heavy winter snowpack, the planned mountain

bottoms. It was most probably lamprey larvae I imitated while fishing with night crawlers in the Snake River during my early adult years.

After my discharge from the Army, my wife, daughter and I became a student-family attending the University of Idaho. To enhance our impoverished larder, Dad suggested we fish for sturgeon below an Idaho Power dam on the Snake River near Hagerman. I gathered an ample supply of night crawlers for bait from our flooded lawn. The next evening Dad and I loaded the car and set off to fish at night.

After parking across the river from the fishing site, we had to climb up a steel ladder and walk across the dam walkway with our gear. Below the dam the plan was to cast out about 60 yards to have the bait rest just below a sandbar where fish, maimed and killed after passing through the turbine blades,

See STURGEON, Page 18 bike trail in the East Tiger Mountain area is not likely to open until mid-summer.

The state agency and the nonprofit Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance collaborated on the East Tiger Summit Trail project.

Completion depends on volunteer labor.

The agency offers volunteer opportunities at Tiger Mountain and other state lands.

Learn more at www.dnr.wa.gov/ RecreationEducation/Topics/ OtherRecreationInformation/Pages/ dnr_volunteer_program_recreation. aspx.

From Page 16 al record in the discus with 130 feet, 6 inches — good enough for first place. He also won the javelin with 190 feet, 1 inch.

Emmitt Rudd broke his personal best in the long jump.

“I felt good today, came in feeling confident,” Rudd said, “and got a good height on the jumps.”

He finished eighth in the competition.

The star of the day, without doubt, was the meet itself.

Long condemned to the history books after the deteriorating cinder track made it impossible to keep hosting the event in 1989, the return of the meet had a special meaning for those who saw its heyday and decay.

A coach at Mount Si since the 1970s, girls head track coach David Clifford digs the return of the meet more than most.

“To have been part of it for as long as I was and then to see the last one, and then to have it restarted again,” he said.

Clifford said the old cinder track had 10 lanes, so the old meets would have nine teams, plus Mount Si. “We were having money issues back in the 1980s, and the district just didn’t have the money to maintain the track and upgrading it to where it needed to be,” Clifford said.

SnVYSA Cascade FC

Soccer Tryouts Bradly Stevens, Mount Si High School Track and Field team’s new record-holder for the javelin, with his best throw this year reaching 193 feet.

He broke by three feet the 2009 mark set by Kyle Stevens, his older brother.

April/May

For more information and sign-up forms, please visit the website at

www.snvysa.org/tryouts

Thanks to a bond, the school renovated its track and field facilities seven years ago, into what Clifford calls a topnotch track and “the envy of the KingCo league.”

Putting on a meet again took a while, though. The envy of the KingCo league has no lights or covered stands. Still, the itch to revive the meet never disappeared.

“We’ve been wanting to put on a meet out here for a while,” assistant coach Chris Jackson said.

Clifford agreed.

“This year, we said, ‘The heck with it, we’re going to figure out a way to get stands out here and we’re going to have it during the day,’” Clifford said.

“It’s basically restarting and reestablishing a meet we had for many years.”

The newer track has eight lanes. The meet still gathered nine teams, as two of them are not co-ed.

Teams including Sequim, Snohomish, Graham-Kapowsin, Clover Park, Holy Names and powerhouse O’Dea showed up for the meet.

More than 130 parents, students and community members volunteered during the meet.

That plus the fans and teammates gave Mount Si an edge.

When Swanson leapt over the bar at 10 feet, fans exploded in cheers.

“It’s a home-field advantage,” Rudd said. “And it’s great to have all these people here.”

SnoValley Star

PAGE 18

From Page 16 were sought by the scavenging sturgeon.

We settled down by a shore fire to play checkers, awaiting the tinkle of small brass bells fastened to the tips of the rods. Dad’s bell tinkled several times from squaw-fish bites, but mine remained unusually silent. To check whether I had bait I reeled in after a half-hour and discovered that a large river clam had my bait and hook encapsulated inside its shell.

To get revenge I shelled and hooked the clam body on the large hook with night crawlers dangling down. I cast the assemblage, resembling an octopus, back into the sandbar hole.

Shortly afterwards my bell rang noisily and I was onto a big sturgeon. After fighting it for 45 minutes while running up and down the bank, I turned the pole over to Dad who did a 15-minute stint. I finally grabbed the fish by the tail and dragged it onto shore with both of us whooping it up, for it measured 7 feet and a half-inch long. Then, there were no size restrictions so we

Softball From Page 16 balls her way.

The Mount Si crowd, in a friendly ribbing gesture, clapped and cheered and shouted, “Way to walk Mickey. Way to walk.”

With the bases loaded, Lauren Smith hit a single toward third base, but the ball was dropped and Wetherbee crossed home plate.

Picchena hit an infield ball that slipped through the Lake Washington shortstop’s glove, with Fowler and Blad crossing home plate, for a score of 8-5.

Smith ran home after Tamarra Crowe hit a double.

Carroll’s infield hit was missed by Lake Washington at third base, which allowed Picchena to cross the plate. But a series of errors led to Carroll running all three bases and diving into home for an 11-5 score.

Lake Washington got three big hits off Lee in the final inning, but two outfield catches and a toss out at third base ended the game.

Mount Si’s league record now stands at 8-1, putting them in KingCo 3A’s second place spot, just behind the undefeated Juanita High School. Their next game will be at 4:30 p.m. April 26 against Mercer Island at Mount Si, and at 4:30 p.m. May 1 against Bellevue at Bellevue High School.

streamlined that there was no way we could tie the fish on the hood or top, nor even put in the trunk. We ended up stuffing the fish through a rear window into the tiny back seat with about 2 feet of shark-like tail sticking out.

The drive home was through the dark, sagebrush desert near Bliss, Idaho, and just after the bars at the truck stop had closed.

Driving slowly because of the open window, we were passed by several cars and trucks.

home services Eronson’s Painting LLC Lic#ERONSPS891NR

Sturgeon

departed for the dam with me carrying the 132-pound fish across my shoulders.

The dam keeper took pity and allowed us to carry the fish through the dam interior, past the noisy hydro-electric generators to the other side of the river.

There, we attempted to load the fish onto or into the car.

Dad had just purchased a new Peugeot compact because he figured he could get better mileage on his job. It was so small and

Spring Special: Exterior Repainting

425-891-6723

• Interior/Exterior Painting • Pressure Washing • Res./Comm. / New Construction Veteran Owned

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

APRIL 26, 2012 Every vehicle slowed down for the occupants to take a second look. On one occasion, the driver slammed on his brakes, abruptly pulled over to the shoulder and turned out his lights; having just seen a huge shark being ferried across the desert in an alien vehicle. This was obviously to him an illusion induced by over-imbibing.

Whether eaten or traded for beef with the married rancherstudents, the sturgeon was para-

mount in our getting through school that year.

Because of that memory, and the continued delight in eating this delicious fish, I look forward to casting my trussed up smelt into the Columbia River in mid May.

Reach Dallas Cross at FishJournal@aol.com or www.fishjournal.org. View previous articles and comment on this column at www.snovalleystar.com.

Calendar

APRIL 26, 2012

Public meetings q North Bend Planning Commission, 7 p.m. April 26, City Hall. 211 Main Ave. N. q North Bend City Council, 7 p.m. May 1 at Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave S. q North Bend Finance and Administration Committee, 4 p.m. May 1, City Hall q North Bend Public Health and Safety Committee, 4 p.m.

May 8, City Hall q North Bend Planning Commission, 7 p.m. May 10, City Hall q Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Board meeting, 6:30 p.m. May 10, Snoqualmie City Hall q No city of Snoqualmie meetings had been scheduled as of April 23.

Feel the gravity

April 1 2 8 9 15 16 22 23 29 30

Music/entertainment q Alexey Nikolaev and Michael Marcus, 7 p.m. April 26, Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, 292-9307 q Valley Center Stage presents “Moon Over Buffalo,” April 26, 27 and 28, May 3, 4 and 5; tickets $12.50 to $15; all shows at 119 W. North Bend Way q Bryant Urban’s Blue Oasis, 7 p.m. April 27, Boxley’s q Little Hurricane, 8 p.m.

April 27, The Black Dog 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie, 831-DOGS (3647) q Floating House, 7:30 p.m.

April 28, The Black Dog q Ravinwolf, 8 p.m. April 28, Snoqualmie Taproom and Brewery, 8032 Falls Ave. S.E. Snoqualmie q Bernie Jacobs Quartet, 7 p.m. April 28, Boxley’s q Danny Kolke Trio, 6 p.m.

April, 29, Boxley’s q Mount Si High School Jazz Band, 7 p.m. April 30, Boxley’s q Poetry Open Mic Night, 6 p.m. May 3, The Black Dog q Jim Marcotte, 8 p.m. May 4, The Black Dog q Jeremy Serwer, 8 p.m. May 5, The Black Dog q Extra Sauce Please, 8 p.m.

May 5, Snoqualmie Taproom and Brewery q Dan Stellabotta, 7 p.m.

May 10, The Black Dog q Forrest Roush, 8 p.m. May 11, The Black Dog q Charlie Loesel, 8 p.m. May 12, The Black Dog q Left Coast Gypsies, 8 p.m.

May 12, Snoqualmie Taproom and Brewery q Snoqualmie Strings Youth Orchestra, 7 p.m. May 15, Mount Si High School Auditorium, 8651 Meadowbrook Way q Sundaes on Monday and Jay Pinto & Friends, 8 p.m. May 18, The Black Dog q Bob Antone and Friends, 8 p.m. May 19, Snoqualmie

PAGE 19

Gravity Fest has been rescheduled for May 12, as the event needs more local bands to participate. Interested teen musicians can email the SnoValley Youth Council at SnoValleyYC@hotmail.com.

Taproom and Brewery q The Hipsters, 9 p.m. May 19, Finaghty’s Irish Pub, 7726 Center Blvd. S.E., Suite 110, Snoqualmie q Moon Valley, 7:30 p.m.

May 19, The Black Dog q Claude Bourbon, 7 p.m.

May 20, The Black Dog q Roy Reinertsen and Benny Sidelinger, 7 p.m. May 24, The Black Dog q Danae Dean, live recording, 7:30 p.m. May 25, The Black Dog q Gary Kanter and Friends, 8 p.m. May 26, The Black Dog

Events q Kidz Love Soccer spring session starts April 26 at Azalea Park, 6604 Azalea Way. Register at www.kidzlovesoccer.com or at the Snoqualmie Parks and Recreation Department, 38624 S.E. River St. $74 per child q Second Northwest Equine Fashion Show, 7 p.m.

April 28, Northwest Natural Horsemanship Center, 31022 S.E. Redmond-Fall City Road, Fall City. Event benefits the Warrior Family retreats, providing equine therapy for soldiers who have served Iraq and Afghanistan. A donation of $15 suggested. q Snoqualmie Hospital Auxiliary Plant Sale, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 28, Mount Si

Senior Center; sales will support a $1,000 scholarship to a Mount Si High School graduate pursuing a career in the medical field q Healthy Kids Day at the YMCA, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 28 at the Snoqualmie Valley YMCA — fun, games, healthy snacks and facility tours. Free event for the community. First 100 children receive a free T-shirt. q Household Recycling Event, 9 a.m. April 28, Snoqualmie Middle School, 9200 Railroad Ave. S.E., open to all King County residents wanting to dispose of electronics, computers, appliances, scrap metal, tires, batteries, petroleum products and more. No latex paint.

Call 888-7651. q Drug Take Back Day, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 28 at the Snoqualmie Fire Department, 37600 S.E. Snoqualmie Parkway, and the North Bend Park & Ride, on the southeast corner of East North Bend Way and East McClellan Street. Dispose of unused prescriptions and overthe-counter drugs. q All Comers Fun Meets, 2 p.m. April 29, May 13 and 20, Mount Si High School. This is a chance for children ages 3-14 to participate in up to five events, including sprints, runs, long jump and javelin. Register online at www.siviewpark.org.

Call 831-1900. $5 drop-in fee q Relay For Life German

2012 3 10 17 24

4 5 11 12 18 19 25 26

6 7 13 14 20 21 27 28

Dinner and Silent Auction, 4 p.m. May 5, Snoqualmie Eagles, 8200 Railroad Ave., Snoqualmie.

Tickets: $15 for adults and $7.50 children 12 and younger. Contact Bev Jorgensen at bjorge623@comcast.net or 9228645 to buy tickets. q Annual Children’s Trout Derby, daylight to 10 a.m., May 5 at the ponds behind the Snoqualmie Police Station, 34825 S.E. Douglas St. Children ages 5-14 may compete for prizes. Children younger than 5 may fish. No registration is necessary. There’s a two-fish limit; no nets, no dogs. q Quiet Water: Exploring Wetland Ecology, 9 a.m. May 12, Cedar River Watershed Education Center, 19901 Cedar Falls Road S.E., North Bend. Fee: $15. Call 831-7390. q Mother’s Day Tea and Talks, 10 a.m. May 13, Cedar River Watershed Education Center. Free to the public.

Watch a slideshow about the watershed, stroll around and learn about Rattlesnake Lake, discover fun tidbits about moms (human and otherwise) in the watershed. q Reptile Man at Si View, 7 p.m. May 18, arts & crafts show and dinner starts at 6:30 p.m.

Scot Petersen helps children get up close and personal with 15 live reptiles from around the world. A donation of $10 per family is suggested. q Fundraising plant sale and raffle, 9 a.m. May 19, Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Funds will help Mount Si High School students pursuing careers in botany. q Art opening for Jennifer Stewart, 7:30 p.m. May 19, The Black Dog q Print-making, 10 a.m.

May 19, Cedar River Watershed Education Center. Fee of $15 for a parent with a child; $7 for each additional child.

Participants will gather leaves and use nontoxic inks and a portable press to make prints for notecards or to take home. q SnoValley Indoor Playground, 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays when school is in session, Si View Community Center, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive.

A donation of $1 per child per visit is appreciated. q Sallal Grange Community Games Night, 7 p.m. the last Wednesday of each month.

Please consider bringing a small monetary donation to help the Grange keep organizing events like this, www.sallalgrange.org. q Carnation Farmers Market, 3-7 p.m., every Tuesday from May to November, fresh food from family farms and small producers, downtown Carnation q Watercolor exhibit at Mount Si Senior Center through June 9, artists range from high-schoolers to senior citizens. 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend.

North Bend Library The following events take place at the North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St. q Teen Poetry Contest “Rhyme On.” Entries accepted until April 30 in person or at www.kcls.org/rhymeoncontest.

Students must be middle- or high-schoolers to participate. q Mount Si Artists Guild exhibit, May 1 to June 15.

Themes are “Summer is Coming,” and “Summer in the Valley.” All ages welcome during library hours. q Snoqualmie Valley Chess Club, 7 p.m. Thursdays. Learn to play chess or get a game going; all ages/skill levels welcome q Study Zone, 4 p.m. April 26, May 3, 10, 17; 3 p.m. May 1, 8, 15, 22; 7 p.m. May 2, 9, 16; free tutoring for grades K-12 q Spanish-English Story Time, 11 a.m. April 28. Todos bienvenidos. All ages welcome with adult. q English as a second language classes, 6:30 p.m. April 30, May 7, 14, 21 q EReader assistance, 6 p.m.

April 30, May 7, May 14. Learn how to download library eBooks to your eReader or computer. q Preschool Story Time, 10:30 a.m. May 1, 8, 15, 22; ages 3-6 with adult, siblings welcome q Toddler Story Time, 9:30 a.m. May 1, 8, 15, 22; ages 2-3 with adult q One-on-one Computer Assistance, 1 p.m. May 2, 9, 16; for adults q Pajamarama Story Time, 6:30 p.m. May 2, 9, 16; all young children welcome with adult. q North Bend First Tuesday Book Club, 7 p.m. May 1, discussion of “Sarah’s Key,” by Tatiana de Rosnay. Adults only, please. q Game On! 3 p.m. May 4, 11, 18; play Xbox 306, PlayStation and Nintendo, “Guitar Hero” and “Dance Dance Revolution;” board games and snacks will be available Submit an item for the community calendar by emailing smoraga@snovalleystar.com or go to www.snovalleystar.com.

PAGE 20

SnoValley Star

APRIL 26, 2012