Mount Si stuns Bothell on recordsetting night Page 12
Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
September 15, 2011 VOL. 3, NO. 37
More money EFR firefighters could get 2 percent pay raise. Page 2
Learn a little Encompass offers six new parenting classes this fall. Page 3
Police blotter Page 6
Compassion fatigue When caring too much turns too costly. Page 8
Slow down School neighbors try to live and let drive. Page 10
School: A bitter bite Trio of friends battle the sophomore blues. Page 10
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
By Mary Miller
Remembering the fallen John Lang, of North Bend, plays Taps for the victims of the 9/11 attacks in New York, Washington and Shanksville, Penn., at North Bend’s 10th anniversary memorial. Members of Eastside Fire & Rescue salute an American flag at half-staff in honor of the nearly 3,000 people — including 343 firefighters — who died when 19 al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial airplanes and turned them into missiles.
A decade of changes since Sept. 11 Region is more prepared for disaster since terrorist attacks
North Bend woman’s work was never the same after 9/11
By Dan Catchpole
“What are we most likely to face in Snoqualmie Valley? It’s For much of its existence, the not terrorism, it’s flooding.” United States has been insulat-
By Dan Catchpole
ed from overseas attacks. Surrounded by oceans to the east and west, and peaceful neighbors to the north and south, America had a secure feeling. That sense of safety was ripped apart Sept. 11, 2001. Suddenly, Americans had to worry about terrorism. The new fear spread to every corner of the country, even Snoqualmie Valley. The federal and state governments shifted resources to preventing terrorist attacks.
Air travel changed forever in the U.S. after Sept. 11, 2001. Today, taking a plane involves much more invasive and extensive security checks than it used to. Experts debate the effectiveness of the measures, and travelers often grumble at having to jump through added hoops before boarding a plane. But passengers go along with them. For Meryl Conner, the new security measures and heightened wariness that followed 9/11 changed her workplace
— Steve McCulley Snoqualmie Police captain
The federal government began awarding homeland security grants for local governments. It has given out about $35 billion in grants. In the 10 years since the attack, the Snoqualmie Valley See PREPARED, Page 7
“My first flight back after 9/11, I must have looked behind my back a hundred times and did not trust anyone who fit the profiles.” — Meryl Conner United Airlines flight attendant
environment. As a flight attendant for United Airlines, Conner’s job took on new aspects and dangers after the See WORK, Page 7