Your locally owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
Check out the summer calendar of events Pages 6-7
June 26, 2014
Police give report on North Bend service
Encompass executive director resigns
By Sherry Grindeland If you’re a transient looking for a spot to camp for the night, avoid North Bend. The Snoqualmie Police Department officers, who provide service to the city of North Bend, have rousted folks from more than 40 transient camps and cleaned up the debris left behind since taking over the policing duties March 8. In addition, the officers have responded to more than 2,000 calls for service, have made 15 DUI arrests and 24 drug arrests. Steve McCulley, Snoqualmie Police chief, cited the statistics when he recently issued a threemonth report to the North Bend City Council. Both McCulley and Snoqualmie Police Capt. Nick Almquist said petty crime has been dramatically reduced in North Bend since the elimination of so many transient camps. “But the calls for service are still steady and a plateau has not happened just yet,” Almquist said. McCulley compared calls for service between Snoqualmie and North Bend. Since assuming policing duties, he said the Snoqualmie Department has responded to 2,021 calls in North Bend. In comparison, the city of Snoqualmie has had 2,873 calls since Jan. 1. Snoqualmie has 12,500 residents, while North Bend has 2,021. The police in North Bend have made 528 traffic stops, responded to 10 burglaries and 17 vehicle break-ins. They’ve handled 17 reports of domestic violence and recorded 143 misdemeanor arrests. They are still actively investigating a rape that occurred in March, and provided extra coverage during the natural gas explosion May 25. No citizen complaints have been filed in the 90 days since the seven police officers that currently work in North Bend See REPORT, Page 2
Contributed
Peggy Barchi, Ron Barchi and Cristy Lake run through a dress rehearsal for the Northwest Railway Museum’s Fourth of July rides that commemorate the 125th anniversary of the first excursion trains to Snoqualmie Falls.
All aboard for some time travel By Sherry Grindeland
If you go
Several passengers from the 19th century will be aboard the trains when the Northwest Railway Museum celebrates the 125th anniversary of the first passenger excursion trains to the Snoqualmie Valley. The history trains depart at 12:30 and 1:15 p.m. July 4 from Snoqualmie for a 25- to 30-minute trip. These time travelers, volunteers who specialize in portraying living history, will be easy to spot. They’ll be dressed in fashions of 1889. They’ll be versed in lifestyle and hot topics of the era and ready to chat about the novelty of the ride. Passengers back then departed from downtown Seattle at 8:45 a.m. or Snohomish at 8 a.m. for a three-hour trip — the first excursion trains to Snoqualmie Falls. The outings were organized by the Methodist Episcopal Church Society. “We’re bringing to life a little bit of what happened when those church folks
125th Anniversary Ride of First Excursion Trips to Snoqualmie Falls 12:30 and 1:15 p.m. July 4 Northwest Railway Museum 38625 S.E. King St. Snoqualmie $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $5 for children Learn more at www.trainmuseum.org or call 888-3030. came out on the Fourth of July on that first trip,” said Peggy Barchi, marketing manager for the museum and a woman with a passion for history. Her background in living history — where people reenact what life was like in a particular era — inspired her to add actors to the local train rides. “I like to make connections between modern people and what was happening during a particular time,” she said. “It is the coolest thing since sliced bread to see the impact. You’ll see it in a visitor’s eyes when suddenly they under-
stand a bit of history because of what you’re showing them in costume and in actions.” The rides were a big deal 125 years ago. Roads were not paved and most people traveled from Seattle to the Snoqualmie/ North Bend area on horseback, in horse-drawn vehicles or on foot. The excursion trains traveled on the rail lines of the Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway Co. The route went north around Lake Washington to Redmond. (Today, you can still follow the same route by walking or biking on the Burke-Gilman and East Lake Sammamish trails.) From Redmond, the railroad headed south via the east side of Lake Sammamish to downtown Issaquah, and then east to Snoqualmie Falls. There, passengers could disembark, picnic and enjoy the scenery. There was another option to get to Snoqualmie Falls then — boats from Everett or Seattle/Renton. See TRAIN, Page 3
Gregory Malcolm, executive director of Encompass for the past six years, has resigned. His last day will be June 30. Encompass, a North Bendbased nonprofit agency, provides parenting classes, preschools and programs for infants and toddlers with developmental delays. Encompass Board President Steve Weaver made the announcement about Malcolm June 23. Nela Cumming, director of Encompass’s pediatric therapy program, will serve as the interim director. Malcolm said it has been “an honor and a privilege” to serve Encompass. “I am grateful for the opportunity to lead and collaborate with our many stakeholders to collectively bring the organization through impactful change, growth, challenge and success,” he said. He said he was not ready to announce his personal plans, but he anticipates providing donor development and fundraising services in the nonprofit arena. Malcolm has spent the past 12 years at Encompass, first as director of development. He became executive director in 2008. He has been active in other community endeavors, including two years’ service as board president of the Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce. Weaver credited Malcolm with growing programs, fundraising and community connections on behalf of Encompass. “We greatly respect the valuable service that Gregory has provided us,” Weaver said. A celebration to thank Malcolm for his leadership and service is being planned.
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