Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
June 23, 2011 VOL. 3, NO. 25
Rules of the river EFR backs county’s new life vest requirement. Page 2
War of words Snoqualmie Tribal Council opposition prepares to fight. Page 3
Teens help special-needs athletes play softball Page 18
Many voices pray with one message Tribe honors ancestors, calls for protection of Snoqualmie Falls By Dan Catchpole
Honoring our vets Fall City Days Parade pays tribute to servicemembers. Page 8
Police blotter Page 10
High tech honors Mount Si High School teacher, class win awards. Page 14
Fifteen members of the Snoqualmie Tribe and supporters gathered in prayer and protest above Snoqualmie Falls early June 21. They joined other American Indians across the country calling for protection of their sacred sites. Snoqualmie Falls is where the world began, according to the tribe’s spiritual beliefs. It remains the tribe’s most sacred site. The Snoqualmie River’s water topples 268 feet, filling the falls’ rock bowl with mist. That mist is also symbolic of the mixing of two worlds, said Lois Sweet Dorman, a tribe member. The river also powers massive hydroelectric turbines for Puget Sound Energy buried beneath
By Dan Catchpole
Members of the Snoqualmie Tribe pray beneath a big cedar tree above Snoqualmie Falls. The falls is the tribe’s most sacred site. the falls. To turn the turbines, PSE must divert the river’s flow. But rerouting the river and the hydroelectric facility desecrate the site, Dorman said. “They have blasted this place,” she said. “They have blown us apart.” Native sacred places do not receive the same protection as
non-native religious places and buildings, according to the Morning Star Institute, an American Indian rights organization. Morning Star helped coordinate 20 gatherings from June 1721 advocating for greater protection of native sacred sites. “We certainly have great
respect for the tribe’s cultural and spiritual beliefs, and we try to operate the falls in a respectful way,” PSE spokesman Roger Thompson said. PSE, which has operated a hydroelectric facility at the falls since 1898, allows tribe memSee PRAYER, Page 11
Caregivers find resources, North Bend imposes one-year ban laughter at senior center on medical marijuana facilities Eye for art Mount Si grad wins statewide art award. Page 14
TPC is tops Local golfers sweep team championships. Page 16
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
By Dan Catchpole By Laura Geggel
ON THE WEB
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Every Monday morning, caregivers and senior citizens gather at the Mount Si Senior Center for another session of laughing yoga. They make funny faces, cavort and shake each other’s hands, laughing the whole time while Sally Friedman leads them through continuous bursts of giggles. “My job is wonderful,” said Friedman, Senior Services caregiver advocate. “I learn a lot about life.” Friedman works for the Senior Services Family Caregiver Support Program. She listens to caregivers’ stories and gives them advice about how to help their ailing parents, spouses, siblings or partners.
Watch a video of laughing yoga at the Mount Si Senior Center
Laughing yoga is one of many programs she runs when she visits the Mount Si Senior Center on Mondays. Although it is open to everyone, laughing yoga is aimed at caregivers, reminding them to take time for themselves and laugh with their friends. “Care giving has become a much longer part of life than ever before,” she said. “In the past, people would move in and take care of their parents for a couple of years, and then they See LAUGHING , Page 6
The North Bend City Council has banned medical marijuana dispensaries in the city’s limits for one year. Concerns about the state law’s large gray areas, especially regarding production and distribution of medical marijuana, prompted the city’s administration to recommend the ban. But under a state law passed in May, Washington cities might not be able to ban patient gardens. The council unanimously voted at its June 7 meeting to adopt an ordinance banning the opening or operation of any medical marijuana dispensary for one year under the city’s emergency clause. A public hearing on the ban is scheduled for July 19.
Currently, the closest medical marijuana dispensary for Snoqualmie Valley patients is The Kind Alternative in Preston. Like many cities, North Bend’s administration had been looking to the state Legislature to clarify the state’s medical marijuana laws during its last session. But that effort failed when Gov. Chris Gregoire vetoed parts of a bill passed by the Legislature this spring. The current law leaves too much gray area for providers and users, according to medical marijuana advocates and law enforcement officials. Since Olympia failed to clarify the law, a moratorium in North Bend would give the city time to determine its position, See POT BAN, Page 6