Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
May 31, 2012 VOL. 4, NO. 22
Annual review Mount Si principal looks back at his first near-year. Page 2
Take a ride Local woman writes book about motorcycle life. Page 3
POW North Bend man recounts his time in the Hanoi Hilton. Page 6
Picture this High school students produce award-winning photos. Page 8
Track team has some top finishers Page 12
Weyerhaeuser mill annexation gets closer By Michele Mihalovich Snoqualmie’s annexation of the Weyerhaeuser mill site is a few steps closer to a reality. First, the City Council, in a 4-2 vote May 14, accepted the changes the King County Council made in April to the interlocal annexation agreement. The Snoqualmie City Council approved the language of the agreement in November, and then King County’s transportation committee changed some of the language to include restrictions to the DirtFish Rally driving school — on noise, lights, traffic, hours of operation and giving notice to neighbors when the school applies for a special-use permit. Snoqualmie councilmen Jeff McNichols and Charles Peterson voted against the annexation agreement, citing concerns about possible transportation improvements that might be
Season’s end Mount Si softball team wraps up season. Page 12 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
necessary if development does occur in the area. Peterson said he thought the city would probably spend more than it ever got back in revenue if the area were to be annexed. The second development was a May 9 ruling from the Growth Management Hearings Board for the Central Puget Sound Area, in a case filed by Your Snoqualmie Valley, a group opposed to the annexation, against the city of Snoqualmie, Snoqualmie Mill Ventures and Ultimate Rally (doing business as DirtFish Rally School). According to the board’s final decision and order, it was King County that proposed the city of Snoqualmie annex the area. The City Council approved new zoning for the annexation area, should the annexation be approved, in October with its ordinance 1086. The See MILL, Page 2
School district grapples with middle school plan By Sebastian Moraga If and when the Snoqualmie Valley School District returns to two middle schools, their similarities will outweigh their differences, Assistant Superintendent Don McConkey told parents May 22. The final word on how similar they will be — in activities, in classes, in curriculum — will depend on the budget for those years. “That may have an impact on what this will look like,” he said. McConkey and the three middle school principals preached patience when discussing the change, scheduled for 2013, when the Snoqualmie Middle School campus becomes a ninthgraders’ annex. That would return the district to two middle schools for
Remember the fallen
the first time since Twin Falls Middle School opened in 2008. “I have been through the changes, and now we are going to go through another change,” Chief Kanim Middle School Principal Kirk Dunckel said. “I know you are all on pins and needles, but we have been there before and we are going to handle it.” McConkey said that even with three middle schools’ worth of students attending two buildings, class sizes would not rise. “The number of staff at each building will keep class size at where it is today,” he said. Middle school class sizes now are just underneath 29 students per class, he added. “We’ve got great teachers See SCHOOL, Page 2
By Greg Farrar
John Lang, of North Bend, a member of Bugles Across America, performs ‘Taps’ as the public honors the nation’s veterans during Memorial Day ceremonies at Preston Cemetery. Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts from Troop 425, of Fall City, and Troop 466, of North Bend, and Girl Scouts from Troop 42385, of North Bend, performed color guard duties. Events sponsored by American Legion Post 79, of Snoqualmie, also took place in Fall City, North Bend and at the Snoqualmie Valley Veterans Memorial in downtown Snoqualmie.
Speed limit lowered for 12 days on Interstate 90 The Washington State Department of Transportation will lower the speed limit on westbound Interstate 90 in the Valley until June 10. Crews repaving the bridge deck on I-90 over state Route 18 will narrow lanes and shoulders on the interstate. The speed limit between milepost 28 and 25 will drop from 70 miles per hour to 60 mph. Westbound I-90 near state
Route 18 will have only two open lanes around the clock. Signs will notify drivers of the changes. Learn more at www.wsdot. wa.gov. Click on “Projects,” then click on the map of Washington under “Find Projects on a Map.” Click on the map and on the scrolling list of projects, look for “I-90-SR 18 Interchange Westbound Bridge Deck Rehabilitation.” Click on it once, then click on “Show Project Page.”