snovalleystar111512

Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington

November 15, 2012 VOL. 4, NO. 46

The chase was on Pair is arrested after alleged crime spree.

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Got him Man is caught near North Bend after prison escape.

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Art helps Local painter’s work is ‘meditative.’

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Football team runs away with win Page 8

Valley voters support a pair of levy requests is necessary because of the explosive growth the city has The city of Snoqualmie asked experienced, jumping from voters to approve a public safety 3,500 people in 2003 to 10,670 operations, street and park in 2010. maintenance levy, and they said City Administrator Bob yes.

Larson said that in the past 10 As of Nov. years, police 12, 2,501 and fire calls voters (52 are up, the On the Web percent) number of For full election results in approved the parks and Washington, go to http://your2. tax increase roadways has kingcounty.gov/elections/2012novto 2,275 (47.6 increased, general/results. percent) who operation King County will update election voted against expenses have results daily by 4:30 p.m. until offiit. increased, the cial election certification Nov. 27.

The levy number of peocalls for ple demanda 24-cent ing service has increase per $1,000 of assessed increased, but only one officer property value. That means a has been added to the police citizen with a $413,000 home department, and zero firefightwould pay about $99 more per ers or road workers have been year if the levy is approved. hired.

City officials said the levy could City officials said if the levy bring an additional $430,000 to were approved, they would hire city coffers.

See LEVIES, Page 3 City officials said the levy

By Michele Mihalovich

Horse therapy Abused animals get another chance.

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Local candidates do not fare well this election

By Warren Kagarise and Michele Mihalovich

End of a run Volleyball team’s season ends in playoffs.

Page 8

Police blotter Page 10

Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER

Local candidates did not fare well during this general election process, except for Jay Rodne, incumbent representative for the 5th District, who ran unopposed.

Snoqualmie Republican Brad Toft conceded a hard-fought state Senate race to Issaquah City Councilman Mark Mullet Nov. 9, less than 24 hours after urging supporters to wait for more election results.

Toft could not overcome the lead Mullet, a Democrat, posted on election night, and then continued to maintain as subsequent results arrived. In the most recent results released Nov. 12 by King County Elections, Toft trailed Mullet, 54 percent to 46 percent, out of 61,721 ballots tallied.

“There’s a disappointment in what happened, but the cause

goes on,” Toft said in a message to campaign supporters on Nov. 9.

In a message to supporters and journalists on Nov. 8, Toft’s campaign reiterated his intention to wait for more election results. But Mullet’s lead held as the elections office counted more ballots.

“We worked in this campaign with our own hands, with the belief that political parties and government should serve the people, rather than manage them,” Toft said in the Nov. 9 message to supporters. “We made promises and defined them, because we believe that from those commitments come scrutiny and support; and both are necessary in our form of government.”

The last Democrat elected to represent the district in See ELECTIONS, Page 3

By Greg Farrar

American Legion Post 79 Cmdr. Art Farash looks on during one of five ceremonies for which he volunteered on Nov. 6, as an activeduty Army officer presents a folded flag to family members.

A ritual and a debt Honor guard serves at funerals and memorials

other members of the American Legion Post 79 in Snoqualmie — Michael Johnston, Dave Lake, commander Art Farash and chaplain Lee Scheeler — traveled to Tahoma National

By Sebastian Moraga Cemetery in Kent to serve as honor guards at military funerSome debts are recession als and memorials. proof, weather proof, even They stand in uniform and time proof. perform a gun salute. They act Some as chaplains, don’t even buglers and involve riflemen durmoney, Go to www.snovalleystar.com ing the cerbut rather for a slideshow of pictures from the emonies. strength, Nov. 6 honor guard ceremony.

“They patience bring the and an relatives indelible sense of duty. into the area where they “It’s the least we can do for hold it and get them seated,” our brothers,” said Bob Hamerly, Johnston said. “Then, there’s one of the men who met once also two soldiers or sailors or a month, always on the first whatever service the individual Tuesday, to repay their debt.

That’s when Hamerly and See HONOR, Page 2

On the Web

SnoValley Star

PAGE 2

Honor From Page 1 is, they bring people from that group to take care of the flag. Then, they blow ‘Taps’ at the end, very ceremonial.”

All but the flag-folding duties go to the honor guard.

‘A good thing to do’ Johnston, at 64, is the youngest of the bunch.

A Vietnam veteran, he made his first Tuesday trip on Election Day, as an introduction to the group, Farash said.

Johnston did not think about participating until he attended a funeral for his wife’s uncle — also a veteran — at a Renton cemetery. During that military burial, he said, having an honor guard of other veterans struck him not as a nice touch but as a necessity.

“It’s for fellow soldiers who basically put their lives on the line,” he said.

A newbie to this ceremony, Johnston is no rookie when it comes to honoring his brothers in arms.

Not only does he belong to the American Legion Post 79 Honor Guard, but he has participated in Run For The Wall, a motorcycle ride from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., in support of prisoners of war and military personnel missing in action.

Johnston said his experience makes him familiar with many of the protocols involving an honor guard.

“It’s just a good thing to do,” he said. “It’s getting tougher, because many of the guys doing it are World War II veterans and they are getting a little too old for it.”

Hamerly and Lake no longer make every trip, Farash said.

“More veterans are dying,” said Scheeler, an 86-year-old World War II Army vet. “World War II veterans are dying at a rate of almost 800 per day.”

Tahoma National Cemetery used to have one shelter for these ceremonies. The cemetery now has three.

Of all the honor guard members, the 77-year-old Farash is the one who has seen the most recent military action, serving in Vietnam and as a civilian contractor in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison, as an interrogator.

Honoring special requests The guardsmen from the Valley used to travel to Tahoma National Cemetery two to three times a month, but since more Legion members statewide are volunteering, they make one trip a month nowadays.

“They’ve got someone for every day of the week,” said Hamerly, a 91-yearold World War II Navy veteran who has belonged to the American Legion

for 65 years.

Sometimes, Farash said, a group of former South Vietnamese military people join them in paying tribute.

“They fought side-byside with the Americans,” Farash said. “They are all American citizens now.”

The three shelters make it tricky for the honor guard. Sometimes preachers go long and the honor guard has to move on to the next ceremony.

Some veterans have special requests for their funerals. The guard honors most of them.

This November, the family of one veteran had requested not having a firing party. The guardsmen acquiesced this time.

Other petitions get a different response.

“Someone once in a while will ask us to not use the word God,” Scheeler said. “We don’t pay them no attention.”

Scheeler said that if you are an agnostic or an atheist, you probably would not want an honor guard, whose rituals include mentioning words like heaven and God. Besides, said Lake, 90, a Navy veteran of World War II who has been volunteering at the funerals since 1997, “I never met an atheist who has had a close call.”

Giving respect where it’s due With World War II veterans dying, and Iraq and Afghanistan veterans

By Greg Farrar

Michael Johnston, Lee Scheeler and Art Farash (from left), with American Legion Post 79 in Snoqualmie, stand beside gravesites at Tahoma National Cemetery. raising a family and making a living, it’s the turn of the Vietnam veterans to answer a different type of call of duty, Johnston said.

“It’s the right time for me to do it,” said Johnston, who still works part time.

A soldier during a more turbulent time, Johnston said he remembers when folks weren’t so kind to their compatriots in uniform.

“I was from the Vietnam War and I went through a long time where people did not want to hear what had happened to me in my service, and that was kind of hurtful,” he said. “They wanted to shame me into thinking I had done something wrong, and we should not have been treated the way

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NOVEMBER 15, 2012

we were.”

With time, attitudes changed, Johnston said.

“The way the country turned around and started dealing with this was a lot different,” he said. “It made me very proud.”

This month, not even the forecast calling for 90 percent chance of rain could keep Johnston and three other veterans from honoring five members of the armed forces.

Four of them had been cremated; one was being buried.

“I did not know what to expect,” Johnston said. “It was all new to me. It kind of reminded me of the ceremony in Washington, D.C., at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Just the atmosphere and the emotional feeling of respect given to the guys who have died.”

Kinship and camaraderie Neither he nor any of

the Honor Guardsmen knew the men being honored. Still, they felt a kinship with them and with their relatives.

“It’s a sense of camaraderie emotionally with the people,” Johnston said. “Understanding what they have gone through and what the relatives has gone through. It’s emotional, but at the same time is respectful, and it needs to be done.”

Families of veterans, he added, need to know someone else also cares.

Hamerly, Johnston and their fellow guardsmen want someone to return the favor once their time comes.

“Would not have it any other way,” Hamerly said.

Johnston agreed.

“It’s not so much for me, since I would be dead, but for those who know me,” he said. “The fact that they would respect my wishes, it makes it worthwhile.”

SnoValley Star

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Two from Renton arrested after Valley burglary, forgery and high-speed chase

By Michele Mihalovich

On the Web

Police arrested two people suspected of burglarizing a North Bend home and trying to cash a stolen check at a Snoqualmie grocery store.

One led police on a high-speed chase, according to a press release from Sgt. Cindi West, spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff’s Office.

The incident began shortly after 1 p.m. Nov. 6 in the 12800 block of 412th Avenue Southeast when the victims, who are in their 80s, called 911 to report a burglary to their home and phoned their bank to report the theft of their checkbook, West said.

Sheriff’s deputies also learned a .357 magnum handgun was stolen along with a checkbook and some other items, West said. At 1:30 p.m., while a sheriff’s sergeant was still there, the victims’ bank called to report someone was trying to cash one of the stolen

Watch video of the highspeed pursuit from the King County Sheriff’s Office’s Guardian One helicopter at www.youtube.com/watch?v= Q9aqPC7pPz8&feature=plcp.

Elections From Page 1 Olympia, Kathleen Drew, won election in 1992.

The district is a combination of suburban and rural areas stretched from Issaquah to Snoqualmie Pass, and from Carnation to Black Diamond.

5th House Republican Chad Magendanz triumphed in the race to represent the 5th Legislative District in the state House of Representatives, and in the process, set up a vacancy on the Issaquah

checks at the Snoqualmie IGA Store, 7730 Center Blvd. S.E., she said.

The sergeant requested Snoqualmie Police Department respond to the store along with deputies.

The female was taken into custody without incident, as she was in possession of a checkbook that was stolen from the home, West said.

Deputies learned the woman had a male accomplice in a vehicle somewhere near the store. Law enforcement located the vehicle, but when they tried to stop the car, the suspect refused to stop, according to West.

School Board.

Magendanz defeated North Bend Democrat David Spring, a candidate for the seat in 2008 and 2010. The challengers vied to succeed retiring state Rep. Glenn Anderson, a Fall City Republican and lawmaker for a dozen years.

As of Nov. 12, Rodne received 43,913 votes, but 1,252 voters wrote in another name.

8th District Jim Curtis, of North Bend, announced in August that he was suspending his writein campaign bid for President in order to run as an independent against

Surplus Sale

Snoqualmie Valley School District u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u�u� Snoqualmie Valley School District is going to have a sealed bid surplus sale on Saturday, November 17th, 2012 at the district transportation bus parking lot (8001 Silva Ave SE, Snoqualmie, WA. 98065) from 12:00 pm–3:00 pm. All bids must be received in person. All bids to be opened at 3:00 pm. “Items offered include” vehicles, classroom furniture, maintenance equipment, lunch room tables, file cabinets, etc.

Escapee caught Levies locally after borrowing phone From Page 1

During the pursuit, Washington State Patrol deployed spike strips, but the suspect was able to avoid them.

The suspect reached speeds of at least 90 mph on westbound Interstate 90 and passed traffic on the shoulder, West said.

After getting onto Interstate 405 north, the suspect pulled over to the right shoulder, surrendered and was taken into custody without further incident, West said. It was later learned that the suspect had run out of gas, which is why he pulled to the side of the road, she said.

The 33-year-old man and 37-year-old woman, both of Renton, were booked into the King County Jail for investigation of theft of a firearm, burglary, theft and forgery. The man was also booked for investigation of unlawful possession of a firearm and eluding.

Sammamish police and the Washington State Patrol assisted in the pursuit of the vehicle.

Republican Dave Reichert.

However, voters reelected Dave Reichert to the 8th Congressional District by a comfortable margin.

The former King County sheriff defeated Issaquah Democrat Karen Porterfield, a nonprofit professional and adjunct

PAGE 3

After fleeing prison in Monroe, man was found after a tip from a hiker near North Bend

By Katherine Long Seattle Times staff reporter The man was cold, wet and scratched up when he stopped a fellow hiker on a trail around Rattlesnake Ridge the afternoon of Nov. 11 and asked to borrow his cellphone to call his mom.

To the hiker who owned the cellphone, something about the encounter didn’t seem quite right.

He came home and started doing some research online, and came to believe he’d spoken to Brandon J. Musto, an escapee from the Monroe Correctional Complex who had been on the lam since Nov. 7.

The night of Nov. 11, acting on the hiker’s tip, a King County sheriff’s K-9 unit and SWAT team tracked Musto down in the woods and caught him,

instructor at Seattle University.

Reichert held on amid vigorous challenges from Democrats in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, but redistricting last year reshaped the district. The state commission responsible for redrawing the political map snipped Eastside cit-

I’m your Hometown Agent Happy 237th Birthday Marines!!

See CAUGHT, Page 12

ies from the district and added Eastern Washington communities.

As of Nov. 12, Reichert led with 168,298 votes, to Porterfield’s 112,602.

According to King County elections, 162 people wrote in other candidates’ names, but it is unknown how many of those were for Curtis.

one firefighter, but would not commit what the other funds would go toward.

Voters overwhelmingly supported Si View Metropolitan Park District operations and maintenance levy with 5,492 yes votes (76 percent) versus 1,740 no votes (24 percent).

Travis Strombaugh, executive director of Si View, said in October that if the proposition wasn’t approved, the district stood to lose $486,936, or 51 percent of its property tax revenue, which could affect day-to-day operations and cut multiple recreation programs and community events.

Proposition No. 1, which needed 60 percent approval by voters, allows Si View to maintain the current level of funding, and the district will collect .27 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, he said. Si View operates and maintains the Community Center, parks, pool, playgrounds and play fields, trails and more than 300 recreation programs.

Michele Mihalovich: 392-6434, ext. 246, or editor@snovalleystar. com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

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Opinion

PAGE 4

Editorial

Letters

Voter’s pamphlet needs rethinking

Thanks for paying it forward

The expense of the mass-mailed Voter’s Pamphlet surely outweighs the service it provides, especially in this day and age.

For one, most of the candidates who submit statements for the guides have nothing substantive to say; their messages have been sanitized to the point of being little more than feel-good propaganda.

We’re not suggesting the Voter’s Pamphlet not be printed. Candidate biographies should still be offered, but two positions per page would save a lot of pages. The complete text of ballot issues is essential. But the guide need not be sent to every household.

The guide is already available online, allowing review of the issues and races either from home or at library computers.

For those who prefer having a booklet to study as they fill out their ballots, an option would be to send out voter guides on request.

Copies of the Voter’s Pamphlet should be available at libraries, city halls, schools, senior centers and other public places — as they are now.

A postcard should be sent to voters to remind them of websites where the information is available and locations where printed issues can be picked up.

As the 2012 election winds down, there is a chorus calling for mail-in ballots to be due on Election Day, not sent on Election Day. The chorus is right.

Ballots are already sent with ample time for voters to return them by the election.

Procrastinators will simply need to get their votes in the mail a couple of days earlier, or take them to the nearest ballot box.

The water-torture drip of results in the week or more after the election needlessly prolongs the results. Florida actually finished counting their ballots before Washington state. We can do better.

WEEKLY POLL What’s the worst use you can give the flag?

A. Burning it in protest B. Wearing it as a design on a piece of clothing C. Using it as a design on a piece of bedding D. Hanging it upside down or letting it touch the ground Vote online at www.snovalleystar.com.

Deborah Berto

Publisher

Kathleen R. Merrill

Managing editor

Michele Mihalovich

Editor

Nathan Laursen Advertising manager Sebastian Moraga

Published by

ISSAQUAH PRESS, INC. P.O. Box 1328 Issaquah, WA 98027 Phone: 392-6434 Fax: 392-1695

Michelle Comeau

toward your purchase today.” I was speechless and it took all I had in me to keep my bearing and not break down and cry.

That was exactly the budget I had allotted for this shopping trip. My final bill? Seven cents.

Things have been financially tough for everyone in recent years; our family has not been immune. Whoever that kind stranger was had no idea the deep impact his/her action had on my children and me — or perhaps he or she does. Perhaps this quick note will let him or her know my deep appreciation, gratitude and high level of awe for the generosity. I will take that card and I will be certain down the road that I will also pay it forward. Since moving to this community, I’ve witnessed so much goodness and it’s one of the reasons I love living in the Snoqualmie Valley. This particular action is just a small example of how wonderful people in the Valley can be. And why I’m proud to call it home.

Once again, thank you, anonymous and kind stranger. Your impact will be felt for years to come.

Casondra Brewster North Bend

Schools foundation offers thanks It has been a busy couple of months for the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation. In August and September, we put together and delivered 24 new teacher welcome bags. Thanks to many generous local businesses, they were filled with lots of goodies.

On Sept. 17 and 18, we held our annual phonathon. Mount Si High School students spent those two evenings phoning district parents, asking for donations to help fund our Classroom Grants program. We hope you “Answered the Call” if you got one.

On Oct. 4, we hosted our 365 club members to a wine-tasting event at the brand new winery in Snoqualmie, Sigillo Cellars, and the food was prepared by the Culinary Arts class at Mount Si. Thank you very much to all our community partners and local businesses for your help in making all three events a success.

Ann Godejohn Corresponding secretary Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation

Home Country

Change ballot deadline

Ari Cetron

Today, the most random and wonderful thing happened, something so spectacular that I want as many of my friends and neighbors in the Snoqualmie Valley to know about it. I took two of my children to the thrift store to find some much-needed clothing items. Thrift shopping can be economical, but sometimes it can be hit or miss. My children and I call it treasure hunting — one person’s donations are another’s treasures.

On this day, we did find a few of the items on our list and went to the counter to pay our bill. One of the volunteers that sweetly works the register at the Mount Si Senior Center said she had some news for me. She pulled out a card and I thought maybe she was going to tell me about a fundraiser.

She said, “This is a Pay It Forward Card.” She handed me the card and continued, “Someone has already put $20

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Reporter Page designer Advertising rep.

MAIL SUBSCRIPTION

$30 per year Call 392-6434

Here’s the ‘true’ story of coffee’s origin “Ahh! Coffee!” said our resident cowboy, Steve, raising his cup at the philosophy counter.

“Let’s raise our cups to whichever Brazilian came up with this stuff.”

Very slowly, Herb Collins stood with his cup of coffee there in the midst of culture and education at the Mule Barn truck stop.

“Actually, Steve,” Herb said, in his most professorial tone, “his name was Kaldi. He lived in Ethiopia.”

And here Herb grinned fiendlishly at Steve. “And he was a sheepherder!”

“No way, Herb!”

“The truth, cowboy, nothing but the truth. In fact, it wasn’t so much as Kaldi doing anything, it was his sheep. You see…” (and he turned to face the tables and booths to find he held a rapt audience) “… ol’ Kaldi had noticed his sheep munching these red berries and going kinda hyper all over the place, looking for a lion to whip or something.

“Well, Kaldi knew that hyper sheep were too busy running around eating the plants flat to the ground to be putting on any mutton, so he decided to investigate. He chewed some of these berries himself and beat the sheep back to the ol’ Mutton Mansion. He made a couple of laps around the house and said

‘Man, I just can’t live without my coffee!’

“Now that was about 1000 A.D., you know.

The word Slim Randles got out, and people started Columnist up their drip machines, and morning stopped being such a dirty word. Of course, as with anything good, there are always party poopers who want it stopped. And so it came to pass with coffee.

“Six hundred years after Kaldi’s sheep, a bunch of Christians (obviously on decaf) petitioned Pope Clement VIII to ban coffee, believing anything

that made mornings pleasant must be the devil’s drink. Being a fair-minded guy, the Pope didn’t want to do that without giving it a try first, so he had some cardinal whip up a batch and he sucked it down. Well, he gave the drink his blessing, said it was an official Christian beverage, had a mug made with ‘Clem’ on it, and hung it over the sink.

“Here’s to coffee!” Herb said to the audience, “The choice of sheepherders everywhere!”

Where does he get these things?

Brought to you by the national award-winning book, “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Read a free sample at www.slimrandles.com.

Write to us Snovalley Star welcomes letters to the editor about any subject, although we reserve the right to edit for space, length, potential libel, clarity or political relevance. Letters addressing local news will receive priority. Please limit letters to 350 words or less and type them, if possible. Email is preferred. Letters must be signed and have a daytime phone number to verify authorship. Send them by Friday of each week to:

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P.O. Box 1328 q Issaquah, WA 98027 Fax: 391-1541 q Email: editor@snovalleystar.com

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

SnoValley Star

PAGE 5

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community

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

New nonprofit brings rescued equines and people together

By Jessica Kamzan Quietly nestled just north of the city of Snoqualmie — where one can hear only the thundering falls — live eight horses, two donkeys, two goats, four dogs, three cats, about 20 ducks and chickens, and one passionate caregiver.

Tina Laguna co-founded Rancho Laguna’s HEART (Home of Equine Assisted Rescue Therapy), which rescues and rehabilitates abused horses for emotional, social and therapeutic programs that are offered to clients. Along with co-founder Anna Lvova, their mission is to build a bridge between humans and animals.

Lorry Kaye, a licensed mentalhealth therapist from Duvall, has worked with Laguna and Lvova.

“Some of these animals came here with PTSD, came here with trauma, and I think that there is a real kinship for some of my clients to these animals,” Kaye said. “It can … (help them) understand their own trauma through working with these animals.”

Laguna purchased the undeveloped forestland in 2000 and enthusiastically transformed it into an environment where

Get involved

Upcoming events and fundraisers at Rancho Laguna’s HEART: Nov. 17 at 6 p.m.: Enjoy a night of live music and fundraising.

For the month of November, SnoValley Coffee Co. will donate $5 for every purchased Rancho Laguna labeled coffee bag (you will also get a free raffle ticket with each bag).

Learn more about Rancho Laguna’s HEART at www.rancholagunaheart.org.

By Jessica Kamzan

Tina Laguna (center) poses with daughter Isabella Laguna (left) and Aliya Hawker (right). rescued animals that have been victims of serious cruelty could feel cared for and safe.

Rancho Laguna’s HEART has been a nonprofit for only three months. Before that, Laguna ran the property by herself, holding community outreach programs for local children who wanted to

learn more about riding, working with and understanding horses.

Laguna and Lvova met during a ranch “work party,” where members of the community are invited to help on the farm while enjoying a barbecue or potluck dinner. Lvova’s daugh-

ter wanted to learn what farm life was all about, so she and her daughter attended the gathering.

Lvova and Laguna eventually developed a friendship, which was reinforced by their mutual dedication to help equines. The two friends decided to combine Laguna’s lifelong love of equines

and Lvova’s recent master’s degree in nonprofit management, which resulted in the new nonprofit.

“When Tina and I first met, I was thinking about getting back to work in a nonprofit world,” Lvova said. “Suddenly, I realized that instead of following someone else’s strategy, I could build my own.”

Since becoming a nonprofit, Rancho Laguna’s HEART has developed several programs for members of the community.

“Our flagship program is Equine Therapy, which helps increase self-awareness, improve cooperation and social skills, See HORSE, Page 9

Local painter finds catharsis in creating art

By Mali Main

Contributed

“Long Day: Sleeping Puppy,” by Valley artist Janice Wermann. Animals, from steers to ducks, swans, eagles, parrots and this somnolent canine, are a big part of the portfolio of this artist, who sees painting more than a hobby: For her, it’s a stress-reliever and a catharsis.

The scenes in Janice Wermann’s paintings might seem lonely.

A single sailboat, a solitary bird, a beautiful landscape without people or animals. But each piece is a testament to her family — her impetus for painting, the medium she chooses, even the brightly saturated color palette.

“My favorite things are the texture, impressionistic feel and emotions that her pieces evoke,” Wermann’s niece, Michelle Weaver, wrote in an email. Weaver studied art at Western Washington University and the two have bonded over their shared interest.

For Wermann, a North Bend resident since the early 1990s, painting is cathartic. Her pieces are meditative studies in mountain views and seascapes, gloaming horizons and freshwater marsh-dwellers.

“I love painting. I think it’s probably in most of us and we just never use it,” Wermann said in a phone interview. “It’s a great stress reliever. It’s amazing what kind of beauty you can create just by putting paint to a surface.”

Wermann works full time as a technical writer at SpaceLabs Healthcare in Issaquah, but she

sets aside four hours a week to paint. It was her son, now 23, who got her started.

“He wanted to finger-paint,” Wermann recalled.

But like most toddlers, he was done in just a few minutes.

Wermann didn’t want to stop.

She began to study art more seriously with her late aunt, Velma Brownson, who introduced her to oil paints. A painter and sketch artist, Brownson lived in Montana, where she owned a cooperative art gallery.

She mentored Wermann, recommending scenes and encouraging her by phone. During visits, the two would paint together outside.

Wermann renders her paintings in intense hues, she said, because of her husband’s eyesight; he is colorblind. One of her early oil paintings featured a log cabin ringed by birch trees. Her husband didn’t see the deep greens and browns as distinct colors.

“To him, it just looked like a blob,” Wermann explained.

Finger-painting with her young son wasn’t Wermann’s first experience with art. Born in Minnesota, she spent her childhood in Saudi Arabia, where her father worked for an airline. One summer, she took lessons with

another girl at the home of a European artist.

“She was either British or Dutch,” Wermann said. “She tried to get us to place our imagination on paper using watercolor or pens.”

Wermann often painted with friend and fellow artist Gloria Danielson, who died in October.

The two, members of the Mount Si Artists Guild, an organization that promotes fine arts in the Snohomish Valley area, met at church shortly after Wermann began painting.

“Another set of eyes can be really helpful,” Danielson said in a July interview of working with her friend.

Wermann’s signature piece, “Sunset at the Ocean,” is an early oil painting her husband can see clearly. In it, dusky violet shades of twilight hover over a dozing vermilion sun. The clouds are painted in muted aqua tones above dark, pensive-blue water.

But “Mature Swan” is Wermann’s favorite. She said it proved to her she could paint animals. That broadened the subjects of her art. “I was inspired to paint what I perceived as a personality of the animal I was looking at.”

See ART, Page 9

calendar

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Music/ entertainment q Crazy Love, theatrical revue, 8 p.m. Nov. 15-17, The Black Dog, 8062 Railroad Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie, 831-3647 q Western Washington University Jazz Collective, 7 p.m. Nov. 16, Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way q Massy Ferguson, 9 p.m. Nov. 16, Finaghty’s Irish Pub, 7726 Center Blvd. S.E., Suite 110, Snoqualmie q Open Mic Night, 8 p.m. Nov. 19, Snoqualmie Brewery and Taproom, 8031 Falls Ave. S.E. Snoqualmie

Events q Santa’s Toy Shop Toy Drive at the North Bend Substation of the King County Sheriff’s Office, 1550 Boalch Ave N.W., to Dec. 11. New, unwrapped toys for children tots to teens welcome. Office is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Monday to Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to noon Friday.

Santa will visit the toy shop at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1. q Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District Lunch and Learn, “PostAcute Care,” noon Dec. 6, Snoqualmie Fire Department, 37600, Snoqualmie Parkway S.E. q The Snoqualmie Valley Museum presents: “Beyond Smokey: The USFS In The Snoqualmie Valley,” 1-5 p.m. Saturdays through Tuesdays, 320 Bendigo Blvd. S., North Bend

Volunteer opportunities q The Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank is looking for volunteers to help unload food at noon Mondays, sort food at 9

Game change

File photo

Tiani Blakely takes her turn in a game of “Operation” with her best friend Stephanie Turner. The Sallal Grange’s Community Games Night has moved to 3-7 p.m. the last Sunday of the month, at 12912 432nd Ave. S.E. North Bend. Admission is free, though donations to the Grange are welcome. a.m. Tuesdays or hand out food on Wednesdays. Call 888-0096.

AED certification. $184 fee. Nov. 16 lesson starts at 6 p.m., Nov. 17-18 lessons start at 9 a.m.

Classes q Wildlife tracking in the Snoqualmie River Valley, 8:45 a.m. Nov. 17.

Let instructors lead you in exploring an area of the Valley, and learn how to identify animal tracks. Fee is $5 or free for members of the Tracking Club, www. wildernessawareness.org. q Adult/senior tap lessons. Learn basic steps and rhythms, traveling time steps and shuffles.

Wear comfortable clothing and bring your tap shoes the first day. Fees are $7 for drop-ins or $30 for a five-day punch card good for 90 days. Lessons start Tuesdays at 1:15 p.m. at the Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., through Dec. 18. q American Red Cross Wilderness First Aid Course, offered through the Si View Metropolitan Park District, Meadowbrook Farm, 1711 Boalch Ave. Participants must be at least 14 years old and have current CPR/

Churches q The Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church wants you to help bring dinner items for the elderly 2 p.m. Nov. 18. Sign up at the church’s parish hall., 39025 S.E. Alpha St., Snoqualmie. q Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church’s Stockings of Joy Project will meet to assemble stockings 6:30 p.m. Dec. 2. Stockings need items like hot powdered drinks, canned food, candies, gift cards, toiletries, socks, handkerchiefs, washcloths, towels, playing cards, stationery, flashlights, novels, etc. Please put donated items in parish hall donation box. Items will go to homebound residents and residents of the Mount Si Transitional Center and The Red Oak Residence.

Submit an item to the community calendar by emailing smoraga@ snovalleystar.com.

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Sports

PAGE 8

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Mount Si football sews up playoff game in second quarter

By Michele Mihalovich A slow-moving, low-scoring first quarter in the football game between Mount Si High School and Glacier Peak was followed by an explosive second frame, which helped tip the scales way in the Wildcats favor for a 52-19 final.

The first quarter of the state playoff round, held in Snohomish, wracked up more penalties on both sides than points. But the frame ended with a 34-yard field goal by Grizzly Spencer Petit, and a 22-yarder by Wildcat Cameron Van Winkle, who was named KingCo 3A Special Teams Player of the Year.

Glacier Peak quarterback Chris Becerra’s first pass in the second quarter was intercepted

by Wildcat Beau Shain, which set up Mount Si 15 yards from the end zone.

Mount Si quarterback Nick Mitchell tossed a 14-yard pass to Griffin McLain, for the team’s first touchdown of the night.

McLain also clenched the title of KingCo Lineman of the Year.

Just a few minutes into the second frame, Trent Riley, KingCo Offensive Player of the Year, caught a 16-yard touchdown pass from Mitchell.

But it was the final two min-

By Calder Productions

Wildcat Griffin McLain runs in Mount Si High School’s first touchdown of the night against Glacier Peak on Nov. 9. utes of the quarter that Wildcats Coach Charlie Kinnune, named KingCo 3A Coach of the Year, described as “explosive.”

Mount Si’s running back Evan Johnson, with 2:14 left in the

frame, grabbed a handoff from Mitchell, jumped in the air like a hurdler over a Grizzly and ran 11 yards for a touchdown, bringing the score to 24-3.

After the punt return, Glacier

Peak was on first and 10 at its own 20-yard line, but Wildcat Tyler Button intercepted Becerra’s first pass.

In one play, Mitchell passed a 21-yarder to Riley standing

in the end zone, for a 30-3 lead with 1:51 left in the quarter.

Riley, who was named KingCo Punt Returner of the Year, then caught a 41-yard pass from Mitchell and ran it in for a 38-3 lead with 43 seconds left before the end of the half.

Glacier Peak’s Becerra faked a pass, handed to Michael Palmer who ran 23 yards; however, Becerra’s next pass was intercepted by Joey Cotto, who ran 43 yards for another Mount Si touchdown, making it 45-3 at the end of the first half.

The third quarter only saw one game highlight, with Wildcat Keenan McVein’s 1-yard run, making it 52-3 and ensuring a continuous clock running most of the second half.

By the fourth quarter, Kinnune played his second string, and that’s when Glacier Peak started showing how it earned a 9-1 record.

The Grizzlies’ Sean Elledge ran 54 yards for the team’s first touchdown of the night, and Josh May completed a 2-point conversion. That was quickly followed by May catching a 14-yard pass from Becerra for a touchdown, and Austin Hines getting another conversion, with a 52-19 final.

See FOOTBALL, Page 9

Mount Si volleyball team is out at state tournament

By Sebastian Moraga

By Sebastian Moraga

Andrea Suttle, a senior for the Mount Si Wildcats, serves during a match against Seattle Prep. The Wildcats lost to Seattle Prep and were eliminated from the state tournament. It was Mount Si’s sixth consecutive trip to the Big Dance.

The Mount Si High School Wildcats were eliminated in the second round of the consolation bracket at the 3A state volleyball tournament in Lacey.

Mount Si lost, 3-0, to Glacier Peak in the tourney’s first round Nov. 9. Then, in the first round of consolation play Nov. 10, they defeated Lacey’s Timberline High School, 3-0, before yielding to Seattle Prep in five sets.

Seattle Prep finished eighth after it lost to Mercer Island in three sets.

“We have the fight in us,” Wildcat sophomore Liz Larson said. “There were times when we didn’t come together, and we broke down a couple of times in a few weak areas.”

The team needs to work on handling pressure in the clutch, she said, adding that she had come to Lacey with high hopes.

“That’s what a lot of people expected of us,” she said.

Mount Si finished sixth three years in a row until 2012.

“I think we had the ability to win it all,” head coach Bonnie Foote wrote in an email. “It’s hard, and we were too inconsistent this weekend.”

The team struggled to bounce back or to hold on to leads Foote said.

In the final set against Seattle Prep, Mount Si took off to a 6-2 lead. Seattle Prep came back up on top, 8-7, and ultimately prevailed, 15-9.

Foote defended her team’s performance.

“It was a team effort but we finished tied for ninth with three other teams,” Foote wrote.

“Top 9-12 in state. When the wounds heal and the dust settles, it will be a great accomplishment. Right now, it stings.”

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext. 221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

SnoValley Star

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

James Thomas Westerlund Jim passed away Oct. 22, 2012.

He was born Nov. 16, 1954.

He was raised and educated in the Snoqualmie Valley. He worked at the Snoqualmie Summit for 28 years. Jim was a Connector bus driver for Microsoft.

Jim loved fishing, gardening and wood working. He sold his tables, chairs, etc., at his stand along the river just outside Fall City on Highway 202.

Jim is survived by his mother Peggy Westerlund; wife Susan;

Art From Page 6 In a series of heron paintings, Wermann captured the birds in process: strutting in ankledeep water, guarding a nest of pale-brown interlaced branches and poised as predator behind narrow-leafed cattails.

Wermann has sold a few paintings, mostly to friends.

Right now, she is finishing a commissioned piece for a couple who recently moved to Arizona. They gave Wermann a photograph of a long-horned steer they knew in Olympia. In the painting, the steer stands in front of the rolling hills of

daughter Nina (Brelon); granddaughter Layla, of Fall City; son Justin, of Missouri; sisters Mari Lou (Pete), Tim (Cathy), Don (Dawn), and Larry (Sandra); and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

He was preceded in death by his father Don and sister Bonnie Jo. There will be a celebration of Jim’s life Nov. 17 at 1 p.m. at the Snoqualmie Valley Alliance Church in Fall City.

Feel free to go online at Snoqualmie Valley funeral chapel and sign the guestbook.

Tucson.

Wermann’s paintings are displayed online at Google+ and Facebook. She also exhibits her artwork at Sawdust, a historic logging-themed coffee shop at the North Bend outlet mall.

Owner Richard Wilson said customers love the paintings.

“I would say most everyone that comes in stops at the art wall … They like the fact it’s done by their friends and neighbors. I get asked by our customers if the art is all local, and when they find out it is, they look closer at the names to see if they know anyone.”

Mali Main is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

Undefeated season for navy

Contributed

This year’s Field of Champions 13U Fall Baseball champion was the Navy team with players from North Bend, Snoqualmie, Sammamish, Issaquah and Duvall. Navy went undefeated this season against tough league competition culminating in winning the championship game against the Green Team on Oct. 7, according to team manager Terril Perrine. Back row (from left) are coach Sal Passantino, Harrison Danna, Jack Baker, Ben Lemery, Alex Nelson, Cody Perrine and manager Terril Perrine. Front row (from left) are Ian Fursman, Noah Heaslett, Sal Passantino Jr., Steve Watters and Nathan Gelbrich. Brandon Baier is not pictured.

Horse From Page 6 gain knowledge in boundary setting and much more,” Lvova said.

Rancho Laguna has also contracted with Workforce Evolution, a business that helps groups and individuals improve their effectiveness and productivity in the work environment through workshops and various programs.

Workforce Evolution participated in an Equine Leadership Program, in which work groups come to the ranch and work to identify leadership strategies they can take back to the workplace.

“It was very helpful, because it gave me insight into how I approach situations that don’t come easily for me,” Equine Leadership Program participant Martha Hunter said in a recent interview on the organization’s website. “Sometimes, I tend to force a situation and this time I really needed to understand what I wanted and be able to rely on someone else, the horse, to get to where I needed to go.”

Rancho Laguna also has partnered with Horses4Horses to provide horseback riding opportunities for soldiers, police officers, firefighters and military veterans. Laguna noted that they charge these groups a reduced rate so their families can join as well.

“It’s a place where they’re able to relax, recharge and do something fun with their families,” Laguna said.

Rancho Laguna also offers a Farm Enrichment program, which gives people an opportunity to work on the farm and tend to the horses for a day (fees vary depending

PAGE 9

By Jessica Kamzan

Tina Laguna, who helps rescue abused horses, with horse Princess (middle). on how often you visit the farm). Volunteer opportunities are also available.

Members of the community may also adopt a horse or donkey and board it at Rancho Laguna ($35 per month). While Laguna and Lvova are passionate about saving and rehabilitating equines, the goal is to find these animals a home — and for a very low price.

Pointing to a pair of older horses that her daughter and daughter’s friend were riding, Laguna said: “These two horses, yes, they’re wonderful therapy horses, but I think they would love being some little

girl’s horse … Look at what these horses go through, yet they are so caring and kind.”

Laguna’s daughter Isabella has grown up on Rancho Laguna and has continued her mother’s legacy of participating in horse showing competitions with their 21-yearold horse, Princess.

Isabella, who “began riding horses before [she] could walk,” says her favorite part of living on the ranch is that “I get to ride horses every day.”

Lvova said creating a new organization comes with inevitable challenges. In addition to creating an effective marketing and awareness strategy, “obtaining grants and donations is particularly challenging in the current economic environment and we have more plans and ideas than our current finances allow us to pursue.”

So far, Rancho Laguna has held small fundraisers, but is always looking for new ways to support its efforts.

Lvova and Laguna encourage members of the community to learn about the many opportunities available at Rancho Laguna’s HEART. “Kids and adults in our community can benefit from our programs and services while helping rescued animals,” Lvova said.

“Animals are so intuitive. They feel what you need and they’re going to engage with you,” Laguna said. “You can’t really pay money to get this. You’re in nature, you can be in the gardens — there’s a lot to do and whatever you need, Rancho Laguna’s HEART can help you find that … It’s a sanctuary.”

Jessica Kamzan is a student in the University of Washington Department of Communication News Laboratory. Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

Football From Page 8 Kinnune said after the game that he was impressed that his Wildcats were still improving, even this far into the playoff season.

“That says a lot about where we are in this program,” he said.

Riley, who sat out his entire junior year due to an injury from basketball, now has 22 touchdowns this season, breaking the school record last week with 19.

“Twenty two, that’s just amazing,” Kinnune said. “I don’t think we even had 22 touchdowns all last season.”

He pointed out that last season, most of the points scored came from Van Winkle field goals.

Mitchell is also having an impressive year. The junior quarterback broke the school record of four touchdown passes in a game when he tossed five Nov. 2, but he shattered the school’s record of touchdown passes during a season, which was 16 and now stands at 28.

Mount Si advances to the state quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m.

Nov. 17 at the Wildcats stadium.

They face the Kennedy Catholic Lancers, the first team the Wildcats shut out this season with a 30-0 score.

SnoValley Star

PAGE 10

North Bend Busy prowlers Owner of North Bend Automotive reported Oct. 31 that sometime during the night, 10 vehicles had been broken into, and many had open gas caps.

Forgery Two suspects entered Ace Hardware on Oct. 24 and wrote a check for $352.25 worth of merchandise. They weren’t able to show an I.D. The sale was allowed, but the clerk was suspicious. Two days later, the suspects came back and tried to purchase $701.65 in merchandise.

The clerk asked for I.D., and the suspects said they’d be back. Police checked on the checks and learned that the account

had been “compromised” in August. The suspects did not return.

Jordan Air Max fan

and a brown liquid substance.

The man was banned from the store, and police confiscated the needles.

A Nike store manager flagged down a deputy at 5:37 p.m. Oct. 28 to report that a male had removed a pair of sandals, put on a pair of Jordan Air Max shoes and walked out of the store.

Police found him in front of another store, arrested him and transported him to the Issaquah Jail.

Bike thief

Heroin

At 1:20 p.m. Oct. 26, a woman reported that during the night, someone had egged her vehicle, which had been parked on Bendigo Boulevard South.

Staff at Vanity Fair reported at 5 p.m. Oct. 27 that a man had been in a fitting room for 15 minutes.

The man had passed out and police suspected he had been using heroin.

Police found a wrench in the man’s backpack, along with needles, metal cups

On Oct. 28, a man reported that a bike had been stolen from his shop on Northeast Third Street.

The next day, he found his bike in a field not far from his shop, along with another bike he did not recognize.

Side of eggs, please

an employee at Finaghty’s Irish Pub reported that within the last two hours, someone broke two windows on her vehicle and stole her iPad, which was in the front seat.

Loud mechanics A person called police about 2 a.m. Nov. 3 to report loud talking coming from the front and back of a residence on Southeast Roberts Court.

Officer warned subjects who were working on vehicles of the city’s noise ordinance.

Shoplifter assist

remains in the street, but were unable to locate the youths responsible.

EMTs responded Nov. 3 to a patient who had low blood sugar.

Look out!

EMTs responded Nov. 3 to the Snoqualmie Casino for a patient having a seizure.

A car at 4 p.m. Nov. 7 swerved to avoid a deer on Southeast Mill Pond Road and ended up in a ditch.

North Bend fire calls

One fire engine responded to a structure fire call at 2:19 p.m. Nov. 7 in the 40600 block of Southeast Reinig Road. It turned out to be a cooking fire, which was confined to the container.

Snoqualmie fire calls

Snoqualmie

SPD was asked to assist the King County Sheriff’s Office in locating a shoplifter at 10:38 p.m. Nov. 3.

The suspect was located at QFC.

Bear problem

Pumpkin haters

At midnight Nov. 4, a caller on Fern Avenue Southeast reported a large black bear in her yard.

At 12:40 a.m. Nov. 4, caller from Tibbits Avenue Southeast reported juveniles were smashing pumpkins in the neighborhood.

Police found several damaged pumpkin

Firefighters responded Nov. 2 to two commercial fire alarms at the TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Course. The system was set off from cooking smoke in the kitchen. Firefighters assisted restaurant personnel in ventilating the smoke.

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EMTs responded Nov. 2 to a patient who had a seizure at a construction site.

EMTs responded Nov. 2 with EFR for a car accident on Interstate 90.

EMTs responded Nov. 4 to Snoqualmie Casino for a woman having a panic attack.

EMTs responded Nov. 4 to Snoqualmie Casino for a woman who slipped and fell in the bathroom.

Firefighters responded Nov. 4 to a commercial fire alarm at My Cakes on Snoqualmie Ridge. Burnt cupcakes set off the alarm.

EMTs responded Nov. 5 to Douglas Avenue for a 14-month-old who swallowed an unknown substance.

Firefighters responded Nov. 5 with EFR to a car accident on I-90.

EMTs responded Nov. 7 to a female who fell and broke her arm.

The Star publishes names of those arrested for DUI and those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.

schools

NOVEMBER 15, 2012

Scout is building bus stop in North Bend manufacturer comes in with his estimate.

To soar like an Eagle, Jacob “Me and my dad have been Barrus is keeping both feet on working on the PayPal and trythe ground and favoring more ing to figure out how donations terrestrial means of transportawould work,” he wrote in an tion. email. “We have found that we The Scout from North Bend are not considered a real nonis building a bus profit and that stop outside his you must have a hometown’s The PayPal account How to help Pour House in to donate to our If you want to assist Jacob order to earn the Gmail address.”

Barrus with his Eagle Scout rank of Eagle.

The project project, email him at jacob“The only way is the culminakirkbarrus@gmail.com.

I can do this is tion of a yearif I do a service long project that project for a local began with Barrus community,” he said. “If I do approaching the city of North this, it’s going to help me a lot: Bend for a list of projects that It’s going to teach me how to seemed plausible for a teenager manage money, what leadership to undertake. is like, and it seems like a really “This one seemed to be the good thing for the community.” most fun and the hardest,” he He has raised about $400 so said. “I like to work with my far out of the $5,000 he needs, See SCOUT, Page 12 and that’s even before the glass

PAGE 11

A song to honor veterans

By Sebastian Moraga

By Sebastian Moraga

Students at North Bend Elementary School sing a song in honor of veterans Nov. 8. Every school in the Valley held assemblies to pay tribute to men and women in uniform.

Sibling pair is a winning combo for Mount Si’s debate team

By Sebastian Moraga Arguing siblings are never a welcome sight for any parent, unless the siblings in question end the argument by getting an award.

Meet Ryan and Andrew Hartman, brothers who have become standouts in a Mount Si High School debate squad poised for another run at the state tournament.

The siblings have earned wins this season at tourneys in Gig Harbor and last month in Walla Walla.

In Gig Harbor, three out of Mount Si High School’s five teams earned awards, with the Hartman brothers taking first place in the Open Public Forum category. Of the four awards in the tournament, three went to Mount Si. In Walla Walla, the Hartmans’ teams won first and second place. It was Ryan’s first year participating in the prestigious competition.

Future tournaments include trips to the University of Puget Sound, Tahoma High School, Federal Way and AuburnRiverside High School Seventeen-year-old Andrew is cool and collected while 16-yearold Ryan is more passionate and feisty, and the combination has yielded great results, they said.

“Debating with my brother is really fun, because we get

Contributed

The Mount Si High School Speech and Debate team is off to a great start this season, earning high marks at tournaments in Walla Walla and at this one in Gig Harbor. the chance to take advantage of a dynamic other teams don’t have,” Andrew said. “We basically spend all our waking moments working on debate, and we have the opportunity to spend a lot of time with each other that other teams don’t have.”

Judges appreciate Ryan’s passion, Andrew said.

“When he stands up to deliver a speech, you can tell he’s

really invested,” he said. “And the judges can tell that. I wish I could be as passionate as he is.”

Ryan praised his sibling’s “more logical” approach to debating.

“I know that my partner is not going to get super mad at me, win or lose,” Ryan said. “We are going to work hard and get better.”

Ryan said debating with his brother was “really cool.”

Siblings are still siblings and sometimes during practice, debates end in stalemates.

“We do that a lot,” Ryan said.

“Sometimes, we just can’t agree, and some other times, one of us wins and it helps us against other teams because we already discussed it ourselves.”

Last year, they participated in the novice category. They had so much success, Andrew said, that they skipped intermediate

to move on to Open, the equivalent of varsity.

“We thought it would be best to be in a category where we could see some real competition,” Andrew said. “It’s made us better debaters overall.”

Opponents this season have included schools from Oregon, Idaho, California, Washington and Utah. Unlike last year, they have not debated Canadian teams.

Anybody can be a good debater, Andrew said — just need to practice. And learn to stay cool.

“That’s a big one,” he said.

“Even as an expert debater, you find yourself rolling your eyes or huffing under your breath.”

All the training in the world may not help you stay cool while in a real debate, he said. It does help, he added, to remember your turn is coming.

“You gotta realize you will get your opportunity, but your opportunity is not mocking your opponent,” he said. “It’s keeping cool and collected and realizing you’ll have your chance to show the judge you’re right and your opponent is wrong.”

Other than that, debate is an open game, said Andrew, a self-described introvert before he discovered debate.

“The more you do it, the more you learn to be a debater, See DEBATE, Page 12

SnoValley Star

PAGE 12

Caught From Page 3 sheriff’s spokeswoman Cindi West said.

Musto at first tried to run from the SWAT team, and then tried to hide. He was caught by Avo, a German shepherd on the K-9 squad, West said.

West said Musto had left a telltale clue on the hiker’s cellphone — his mother’s phone number.

Officers quickly verified the number, and then headed to the woods to find him.

The Nov. 11 lead was the second time the sher-

iff’s office had gotten a tip about Musto being in the North Bend woods.

On Nov. 10, several other hikers also thought they encountered him on the trail, West said.

Musto, 37, had three months left to serve on a conviction for vehicular assault.

He started serving time at the Monroe prison in September 2011.

Prison officials think he probably escaped by climbing over a fence.

West said officers were planning to take him to a hospital to make sure he was OK, and then take him to the King County Jail or back to the Monroe prison.

Scout From Page 11 hands.”

Plans were drawn by Snoqualmie’s architectural firm of Dean Read, and the estimate for the price of the wood will come from North Bend’s Chinook Lumber.

Other project possibilities included working on a flower patch near the south end of Bendigo Boulevard and rebuilding the foundation for a flag pole at a North Bend museum. Yet another project involved controlling invasive weeds by injecting them with a syringe.

The 16-year-old from North Bend is a Mount Si High School junior and a full-time student at Bellevue College. He’s also a member of Troop 700, out of the Chief Seattle Council of the Boy Scouts of America.

The council includes the counties of Clallam, Jefferson, King, Kitsap and the northern part of

Debate From Page 11

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to express your opinions clearly and come up with a clear argument,” he said.

“The more time you put into it, it puts you in the

Contributed

Jacob Barrus, a student at Mount Si High School and the site of his future endeavor, a bus stop outside the Pour House in North Bend. The completion of the bus stop would earn Barrus an Eagle badge, but he has to manage all aspects of the project.

Mason, according to its website.

Busy as Barrus is, he hopes to finish the project before the end of the year

arrives, and with it, the snow.

“I have to be flexible,” he said. “It’s a lot of money that I have to raise, and I

have to raise all of it.”

mindset of a debater.”

That mindset never goes away, Andrew said.

Not during the offseason, not during dinnertime.

“My parents actually enjoy it,” Andrew said. “At heart, they like argumentation and the different sides of issues.”

At the dinner table, ideas flow freely, which aids

them as debaters, he said.

“We can constantly express our opinion and talk about advantages and disadvantages,” Andrew said, “without worrying about anybody telling us to stop.”

This season, the idea is to not stop until state, in the spring. Last year was Ryan’s first year debating

and the duo finished with a 3-3 record at state, so this year they want more.

“Making it to the top ranks or even to win state would be awesome,” he said.

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext.

221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

Sebastian Moraga: 392-6434, ext.

221, or smoraga@snovalleystar.com.

Comment at www.snovalleystar.com.

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