Mount Si seeks unbeaten regular season Page 7
Your locally owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington April 30, 2015
North Bend recovers from fiery explosion By Sam Kenyon A year ago, North Bend was literally shaken in the middle of the night by a violent gas explosion emanating from a restaurant that was weeks away from its grand opening. A contractor opened three gas valves the afternoon before the explosion, when no gas was running to the building. At about 8:30 that night, another contractor turned the gas on so that the owner, Lisa Riley, could heat the building to paint the next morning. The explosion at about 3:40 a.m. April 25, 2014, was likely triggered when a mini-refrigerator’s compressor kicked on. Now, 370 days later, the dust has settled and those most affected by the explosion have found their new equilibrium. Riley and her business, the Run-A-Muck Café, will open elsewhere under a new name. Two nearby businesses that were destroyed, the Point Dance Center and Advanced Tax $ Financial Services, have moved to Snoqualmie. The nearby Les Schwab remained open using a temporary location while the repairs to the building and remodeling
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Doug Turnure (left) watches his son D.J. practice casting at the Mount Si Fish and Game Club’s 2013 Kid’s Trout Derby in Snoqualmie.
Annual Trout Derby begins at daylight May 2 The Mt. Si Fish & Game Club will host the annual Kids’ Trout Derby from dawn to 10 a.m. May 2 at the ponds behind the Snoqualmie Police Department, 34825 S.E. Douglas St. The competition is open to children ages 5-14. Children younger than 5 may fish without being part of the derby. There is a limit of two fish per child.
The event is free but children need to bring their own fishing supplies. Nets may not be used. No registration is required. Free coffee, hot chocolate and doughnuts will be served. Dogs will not be allowed at the derby. Learn more by calling the Snoqualmie Police Department at 888-3333.
were finished. “It’s not normally what you expect to wake up and come to work to,” said Kevin Schallhorn, manager of the North Bend Les Schwab. Schallhorn said the morning of the explosion, as he drove to work, he thought he knew what to expect. But the devastation was far worse than he could have imagined. “Our initial plan was to be open for business that Monday,” he said. Company officials didn’t realize how long the recovery from the blast would actually take. “I probably was in a daze for most of the day,” he said. “Those first few days, it’s hard to recollect.” But now the store is bigger and better than ever, and Schallhorn said he is very grateful to the community who saw the business through the crisis and rebuilding. “We’re grateful for them,. They continued to come on in,” he said. Less than a block away from the blast, the Red Oak Residence, a retirement livSee RECOVERY, Page 2
Bomb threat at Twin Falls was a prank A bomb threat at Twin Falls Middle School on April 28 caused an evacuation of students and staff and disrupted classes for about two hours. The threat was later determined to be a prank. Early in the morning, a student found a hand-written note in a classroom that said a bomb would explode at 10:30 a.m. The student turned the note in to the office and the principal called 911. Students and staff were evacuated as a precautionary measure while police did a search of the school. A King County Sheriff’s Office K9 unit helped with the sweeping search. “While it is unfortunate that the school experienced disruption today, please know that our schools take threats very seriously and will always take precautions as appropriate to ensure the safety of our students and staff,” Carolyn Malcolm, spokeswoman for the Snoqualmie Valley School District, said in a news release. Students returned to their classrooms just before 11 a.m. April 28 was state testing day and a parent said the students still had to take the tests, despite the excitement.
Prepare now for a hot wildfire season By Susan Lulu Although Washington’s wildfire season didn’t officially begin until April 15, things have already been heating up. “So far in 2015, there have been 63 forest fires in the state,” said Joe Smiley, a spokesperson for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. ”The yearly average is 26 for this time year. “This is a unique year. There are very dry conditions on the west side of the Cascades.” The first fire was in January in Whatcom County; none have occurred locally — yet. Communities in the Snoqualmie Valley are at particular risk of wildfires because
of their exposure to strong east winds that sweep through King County’s foothills in the summer. Vegetation grows densely in Western Washington, so when a fire does occur here spreads quickly. It only takes a few days of dry weather for forests to dry out enough to catch fire. A National Weather Service “red flag warning” is issued when temperature and weather conditions indicate high risk for wildfire. North Bend had the most “red flag warning” days in King County last year. The King County Forestry Program and local activists are working to get fire prevention and safety information out to all Snoqualmie Valley residents. Fire
safety is especially important for people living near forested areas, neighbors with shared greenbelts and rural residents. Jeff Madden, a member of the Tolt Triangle Fire Council, became energized about fire safety and community organizing after experiencing a wildfire firsthand. The 2003 CarnationSee WILDFIRES, Page 2 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER