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Wildcats collect six medals at state track Page 8
Your locally owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington June 5, 2015
North Bend man saves treed cats’ nine lives By Sam Kenyon skenyon@snovalleystar.com
By Shaun Sears
Shaun Sears, of Canopy Cat Rescue, takes a selfie after rescuing a cat too high up a North Bend tree to get back down again on its own.
When Tom Otto and Shaun Sears heard their calling, it sounded like a cat stuck in a tree. The two brothers-in-law are both arborists, and they love cats and climbing trees. For years, Otto was on a cat rescue registry online and would get rescue calls once or twice a month. When the calls were far away from Otto, a program specialist for the public works department of Olympia, he began to farm a few calls out to Sears, who lives in North Bend, and Canopy Cat Rescue was born. At that time, like other cat rescue services, the two charged a fee, usually about $100 to $150. Then, a few specific rescue calls had them rethinking their philosophy. People were broke, and desperate to rescue their cats. After a customer offered to pawn a family heirloom in order to pay them, they made a decision. “It just never really felt right to make a buck off of some cat’s misfortune,” Otto said. They decided to change their business model to donations only. “Some people are able to afford to give us a big donation and some give us a dozen eggs or some cookies or something,”
Committee to End Homelessness pitches solutions to City Council By Sam Kenyon skenyon@snovalleystar.com The Snoqualmie City Council approved several agenda items to prepare the city for the coming summer months at its May 26 meeting. The council approved two purchase orders for new playground equipment and surfacing at Fisher Creek Park and Dogwood Park. The council approved an agreement with Funflicks Outdoor Movies to provide movies in the park during the
Get involved To learn more or volunteer with the Committee to End Homelessness, go to www.cehkc.org. summer. They also granted a fireworks stand permit for J and M, LLC. The council also moved forward with a few infrastructure items. They authorized a public work contract with Perteet, a
transportation-consulting firm, to provide inspection and construction management services for the Tokul Road Intersection Improvement Project. The council also approved an agreement with Tetra Tech Inc. for on-call engineering services for the wastewater treatment facility. The council heard a presentation from the Committee to End Homelessness in King County along with the Sound Cities Association about the committee’s draft of its strategic plan for See COUNCIL, Page 2
By Tom Otto
Tom Otto finds the right perch to take a selfie of a cat he’s about to rescue high atop the trees. Otto said. “As soon as we kind of talked about it we’re like, ‘This just seems right.’” It was a pivotal decision. “I really feel like us switching to a donation-based service was a big turning point,” Sears said. Their call volume increased. Last year, they had 250 calls;
this year, they expect to break 300. Media started to pay attention. Then, show business came calling. “Treetop Cat Rescue” premiered May 30 on Animal Planet. The docu-follow reality See CATS, Page 7
North Bend’s Twede’s Café is in top 10 roadside diners Online news website Recordnet.com recently named Twede’s Café, in North Bend, as one of its best roadside diners. The website wrote: “Speaking of ‘Twin Peaks,’ Twede’s Cafe, found along Washington state Route 202 in North Bend, was the diner where David Lynch’s cult show was filmed. If you’re in the area, you have to stop in for a slice of pie and a fine cup of coffee. (And then get out of town before anything weird happens.)” Recordnet.com picked 10 retro diners spread across the U.S. as great spots to refuel
and unwind with a cup of black coffee, a big stack of pancakes and a slice of cherry pie that would make Agent Dale Cooper smile. Twede’s Café is at 137 W. North Bend Way, North Bend. See the entire list at http:// bit.ly/1dAesu4. Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER