YOUR LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER SERVING SNOQUALMIE AND NORTH BEND
FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016
SNO★VALLEY
STAR
HONKERS START HOT
Fall City baseball team wins first two at NBC World Series Page 10
Snoqualmie mayor falls short in House bid BY STUART MILLER smiller@snovalleystar.com
Though votes are still being counted in Washington’s state primary election, it’s clear Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson has been edged out of the race for one of two 5th Legislative District state repre-
sentative positions. Larson was running during what he described as a Matt Larson “bitterly polarized” election cycle. His centrist political views may have had some-
thing to do with more voters flocking to Democrat Darcy Burner and Republican Paul Graves. “It was uncomfortable to run a race that was partisan, but try to maintain a non-partisan approach,” Larson said. Larson ran with a “prefers Democratic Party” label, but
described himself as a nonpartisan mayor in his Voters’ Guide statement. People get distracted from the issues when political labels are involved, he said. The 5th Legislative District has a diverse political landscape that includes a variety of urban, suburban, and
rural areas. Its western edge includes Carnation, Issaquah, Renton and Maple Valley. Snoqualmie and North Bend are right in the center of the district. The district also encompasses a vast amount of SEE PRIMARY, PAGE 5
ELECTION RESULTS Results of the Aug. 2 primary election as reported by the Secretary of State through Aug. 8. The top two candidates in each race advance to November’s general election. Election results are certified by each county on Aug. 16.
LEGISLATIVE DISTRICT 5 SENATE
Mark Mullet (D) 14,504 50.5% Chad Magendanz (R) 14,190 49.5% HOUSE (POSITION 1)
Jay Rodne (R) Jason Ritchie (D)
15,422 54.6% 12,801 45.4%
HOUSE (POSITION 2)
Paul Graves (R) Darcy Burner (D) Matt Larson (D)
13,297 46.5% 10,513 36.7% 4,802 16.8%
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT 8 GREG FARRAR | gfarrar@snovalleystar.com
Brake lights glow Aug. 8 as westbound traffic is backed up one-third of a mile exiting Interstate 90 at State Route 18 and Snoqualmie Parkway in a view looking west. Fresh skid marks on the shoulder allude to one problem of the frequent bottlenecks.
I-90 exit causing congestion headaches BY STUART MILLER
smiller@snovalleystar.com
Piles of debris — colorful shards of taillights, headlights and blinkers, shiny pieces of side mirrors, the bent plastic of bumpers — lay around the underpass and ramps of the Interstate 90/State Route 18 interchange near Snoqualmie.
They are a reminder of the problems that plague the interchange nearly every day during rush-hour traffic. Not that anyone needs reminding. Congestion at the interchange has steadily worsened in recent years, with population growth and job growth affecting the area. A permanent solution might
be a long way off — nearly a decade down the road — prompting local politicians and transportation departments to seek short-term fixes to ease the traffic that is at best a recurring nuisance and at worst potentially deadly. Danger on the interchange A fiery crash on I-90 last
month renewed concerns that the congestion at the interchange is, literally, a dangerous accident waiting to happen. Traffic often backs up for a mile or two onto the interstate both eastbound and westbound. The result is cars and trucks at a complete standstill SEE EXIT, PAGE 7
Dave Reichert (R) Tony Ventrella (D) Santiago Ramos (D) Alida Skold (D) Keith Arnold (Ind) Margaret Walsh (Ind)
71,790 57.0% 21,462 17.0% 17,200 13.7% 10,434 8.3% 3,035 2.4% 1,965 1.6%
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER