snovalleystar112411

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

November 24, 2011 VOL. 3, NO. 47

Missing sheriffs Cuts in the Valley have had little impact.

Page 2

Who’s on the school board?

Vote counting wraps up.

Page 8

Unincorporated residents County holds workshop for noncity folks.

Page 9

Police blotter Page 9

Laxers wait for spring Growing sport comes to the Valley.

Page 16

Junior football takes top honors Page 17

Helping Hand Food Bank struggles to stay afloat

By Dan Catchpole Officials at the Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank are still wondering how the organization will make ends meet next year after unexpectedly losing about $19,000 in federal funding this summer.

The food bank is one of many groups in King County caught off guard by the cut of the Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which is administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA officials changed the formula for distributing the money, and determined that King County wasn’t poor enough to qualify, because its unemployment and poverty rates were not high enough. Last year, the county received $1.2 million of the $4 million that went to Washington.

Like other advocates for the hungry, Heidi Dukich, Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank’s director, has been trying to find a way to make up for the missing money. The food bank receives about 40 percent of its resources from government programs, 40 percent from individuals and 20 percent from businesses.

It might not seem like much in the overall scheme of things,

Community recipe box’s scalloped potatoes are sure to please.

Page 12

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

but it is another hole to patch for the program, which has seen demand go up in recent years while its resources have gone down.

Hungry for resources “Where’s the food going to come from? And how are we going to get it?” Dukich asked as clients left the food bank’s small

North Bend passes conservative budget, increases money for road work

By Dan Catchpole

Mmm, cheesy

File

Dinora Barahona (left), of North Bend, picks out food while volunteer Denise Angrisano assists at the Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank.

The times aren’t getting better, but they aren’t getting worse. That is the message of North Bend’s preliminary 2012 budget, which the City Council passed at its Nov. 15 meeting.

The budget’s general fund doesn’t cut any services. But it doesn’t add any either, and it delays any new capital projects without dedicated funding sources. It essentially preserves the city’s operations from this year.

Given the uncertain economic future, city officials again presented a conservative budget to the council.

“This is an easy budget to get through because, simply put, we have no money,” Councilman

Jonathan Rosen joked before voting.

The budget reflects the reality many of the city’s residents experience every day.

As household incomes have decreased, so should municipal spending, he said.

“We’ll live within our means, just as North Bend citizens do every day,” he added.

The City Council passed on raising property taxes by 1 percent. Instead, it opted to levy the same amount the city collected last year plus $15,000 to account for new construction.

Road work The budget does increase the amount being spent on road maintenance work from $100,000 to $150,000. City

building with boxes of food and other necessities.

It is a question that many advocates for the hungry and See FOOD, Page 3

Hospital District OK’s $37 million facility on Ridge

Council members have previously indicated it as a top priority, and have asked that the city increase spending in its Street Overlay Program to $300,000 within three years.

“We’re putting a lot of money back into the city’s infrastructure,” City Administrator Duncan Wilson said.

The money will complement the roughly $200,000 that city officials estimate will be raised in 2012 by a sales tax increase approved by North Bend voters in the Nov. 8 general election.

The sales tax increase is expected to collect nearly $400,000 in 2013, the first full year it will be in effect.

Even with more money for

Public Hospital District No. 4 officials have signed a contract with a developer to build a new $37 million facility on Snoqualmie Ridge.

Officials have also signed an agreement to buy the facility from the developer, Terry Moreland.

The district’s board of commissioners approved the signed agreements at a special meeting Nov. 21.

The new facility will be located on a nearly nine-acre site on Snoqualmie Parkway and Southeast 99th Street.

Construction is slated to begin in February but

See BUDGET, Page 6

See HOSPITAL, Page 3

By Dan Catchpole

SnoValley Star

PAGE 2

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Cuts to sheriff’s office have gone unnoticed in Snoqualmie Valley

By Dan Catchpole A year ago, King County law enforcement officials asked voters to approve a sales tax hike to prevent budget cuts to their agencies. Without the money, the county’s justice system would become less effective,

they said.

King County Sheriff Sue Rahr said her department would reduce the attention it gives to property crimes in order to maintain 911 response times.

Voters didn’t pass the tax increase, but there has been little perceptible change in the

upper Snoqualmie Valley, according to police officials.

While crime might not be increasing now, they are still concerned about the long-term effect of budget cuts during the current economic downturn.

The sheriff’s office had to lay off 12 deputies and left more

than a dozen empty positions unfilled.

But the cuts have not affected the department’s response time to emergency calls in unincorporated King County, Rahr said.

“That is the last place we’d cut,” she said.

To maintain response times, the department has reduced manpower and resources for following up on lower priority, nonviolent crimes.

“What we are trying to do is be honest with victims, and say we don’t have the resources to follow up on your property crime,” Rahr said.

The department, which patrols the unincorporated areas in the Snoqualmie Valley, has cut costs, including consolidating its precincts and reassigning detectives to patrol duty. The savings helped prevent any cuts in the proposed 2012 budget.

With fewer detectives, patrol officers have to follow up on cases that used to be handled by detectives.

“That can be effective. It is just very dependent on how busy that patrol district is,” Rahr said.

The sheriff said she is concerned that some larger crimes could suffer because she had to cut the number of plainclothes detectives, which means fewer informants are being recruited.

Overall, the impact of the

“What we are trying to do is be honest with victims, and say we don’t have the resources to follow up on your property crime.”

— Sue Rahr Sheriff cuts in the Valley has not been significant, Sgt. Mark Toner, of the sheriff’s office, said. Toner also serves as chief of police in North Bend, which contracts with the sheriff’s office for police services.

He said he hasn’t noticed a change in crime trends in the Valley in the past year.

The Records Unit for the King County Sheriff’s Office did not process a public disclosure request for crime statistics before the Star went to press.

North Bend has also made cuts to slow the rising cost of its contract with the sheriff’s office. The city has reduced its detective’s hours. Its patrol officers are following up on more cases.

But that limits the time an officer has to spend patrolling.

“If we’re available (for patrol) for 60 percent of the time, we’re going to prevent a lot of crimes.

If we reduce that with more time for follow up, then we prevent fewer crimes,” Toner said.

SnoValley Star

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Food From Page 1 homeless are asking. Individual donations to food banks are down, but more significant are the decreases in government funding, grants, contributions of surplus foods and corporate donations.

The food bank gets money from North Bend, Snoqualmie and the Snoqualmie Tribe, as well as community groups and churches. It also receives food through Northwest Harvest and Food Lifeline. In all, it gets about 7,000 pounds of food a week.

Mount Si’s food bank gets surplus food from the Valley’s three grocery stores. Food banks in more urban areas are able to draw on more stores. For example, the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank gets donations from six to 10 stores each week, according to Cori Kauk, the organization’s executive director. The Issaquah food bank serves about as many people as Mount Si’s food bank.

But surplus food donations are decreasing as companies become better about managing their inventory.

Rising demand Demand is up because people have lost jobs, run out of unemployment insurance or can only find part-time work.

The down economy has also meant cutbacks to public assistance programs. With less government help, hungry people have turned more to private sources like the local food bank.

“I barely get by,” said Nikki, who didn’t want to give her last name.

The Snoqualmie resident lost her job two years ago. Since then she has worked part time, but hasn’t been able to find a full-time job. She has gone through most of her state benefits, and has come to rely more and more on the food bank.

It has become an all-too-common scenario across the region, advocates say.

“In general, support remains strong, but it is not near enough to keep pace with the growth in demand. Unfortunately, one reality is that every cut to a program that supports low- or medium-income households bring more families to our

door,” said Robert Coit, director for the Thurston County Food Bank.

So, while the Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank and other groups are meant to complement public assistance programs, they find more of their clients are relying almost entirely on them for their weekly food supply.

Determined to find the resources Dukich is determined to find the money needed by the food bank.

“These are people.

Every week, we see about 300 children and 150 seniors,” she said. “They’re not numbers.”

So, what happens if the food bank can’t make up for the cut funding?

“We’re not going to let that happen,” Dukich said.

She and the food bank’s volunteers are developing new ways to tap into community support.

The organization’s recent fundraising event Night on A Dark Trail brought in $2,000, and Snoqualmie Valley residents generously responded to its Turkey Drive.

“We live in a very generous community,” she said. The key is “providing them opportunities to help out.”

Starving on bread The food bank doesn’t simply give its clients some cans of food and send them on their way.

It strives to provide its clients with a nutritional diet, which is more expensive but well worth the cost, Dukich said.

“You can have a full belly on bread and pasta, but your body is starving, because it’s not getting the nutrition it needs,” she said.

It offers a rounded diet that includes fruits, vegetables and meat. It also provides important nonfood items, and information to help people stretch their food budgets and eat healthier fare. Once a month, a nutritionist comes in and provides recipes to clients based on what is available that week.

Dukich organized a class to teach clients how to grow their own vegetables, and the food bank provided plant starts and dirt for the handful of people who attended.

She expects more will show up for the class as it becomes better established.

The variety of foods available impressed David Womer, a former sous chef at the San Diego Marriott Hotel. Mental health problems put him on the street a year ago.

Womer said he doesn’t have a problem putting together interesting meals with what he buys using food stamps and what he gets at the food bank.

Unlike many places, the Mount Si food bank lets its clients pick and choose among the items that are available.

Dukich is trying to find new resources to meet demand, but with economists predicting a sluggish, limping recovery, the future doesn’t promise to improve soon.

“The future just holds some unknowns we have to plan for,” she said.

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PAGE 3

“We have the option to purchase the hospital sooner if we want to.”

Hospital From Page 1 grading has already begun on the site.

Moreland will provide the financing for building the hospital, which he will own once it is completed. The district signed a 30-year lease agreement, at the end of which it can buy the facility for a nominal fee.

“However, we have the option to purchase the hospital sooner if we want to and if it makes sense from a financial perspective and the cost of capital and interest rates,” the district’s attorney, Jay Rodne, told the Star in an email. “It is good that the deal structure provides for flexibility.”

In September, Rodne told the Star that the district plans to purchase the facility back in three to five years.

Moreland, based in Bakersfield, Calif., could not be reached for comment.

The developer has limited experience with building medical facilities, but his team includes two seasoned hospital-construction companies — Soderstrom Architects, of Portland, and Absher Construction, of Puyallup.

Many of Moreland’s projects in the past 20 years have focused on residential housing.

He has had projects foreclosed on more often than most developers, according to an official with the Kern County Assessor’s Office.

But that should not be an issue for the Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. As part of his proposal, Moreland had to submit a

— Jay Rodne Hospital District attorney

letter verifying that he has financing for the project.

The district’s lease-leaseback method allows the hospital to focus on investing in new equipment, rather than real estate development.

In September, the district sold $15 million in nonvoted bonds, $4 million of which will be used to purchase new equipment for the new hospital, according to Rodne.

It has been five years since the district began looking for a new hospital site.

In 2008, the district purchased the site of the RV campground Leisure Time near the interchange of Interstate 90 and state Route 18, but that move fell through after the district found out that it would be too expensive to develop. That caused the King County Council to balk on amending its comprehensive plan to allow the development.

The district tried to get out of purchasing the Leisure Time land, for which it had agreed to pay about $12 million, but the property’s owner sued the district.

In November 2010, the two sides reached an agreement to settle the lawsuit. The district agreed to buy the Leisure Time land for $7 million.

The Snoqualmie Tribe bought the existing hospital for $30 million, which it will pay off by May 2015.

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Opinion

PAGE 4

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Editorial

Letters

Share your views

Initiative process needs reform

Donations help food bank

Citizens can make a difference by contacting elected representatives.

The state’s initiative process has turned Washington special-interest groups into children making up a Christmas list. Initiative creators come up with one pricey item after another that they want — or fees and taxes they want to go away — with little concern for the financial impacts.

In recent years, voters have decided that the Legislature needs a supermajority to raise taxes — essentially taking that option off the table.

If the initiative process is here to stay, one vital change should be made. All ballot language must include the financial impact.

Since 2000, we, the voting people, have decided that teachers need to be paid more, class sizes need to be lower, we don’t want to pay license tab fees of more than $30, we won’t pony up an extra couple of pennies for tax on a candy bar or bottle of water, and the latest, that people who provide care for senior citizens or the disabled should receive more training.

They are, generally, worthy ideas. Who is against lower taxes, smaller class sizes, cheaper candy or more training for Grandma’s caretaker?

Nowhere in any of these initiatives does it mention the cost. With a tax hike off the Legislature’s table, mandating more money for one program means taking it from somewhere else.

The fix for this is simple. Any initiative should state explicitly what the impact is to state or local budgets.

These explanations should be both in the text of the initiative and in the voter’s guide.

Material backing up the presented facts must be presented to the Secretary of State for verification before the initiative goes on the ballot. Further, a summary of the financial impact, verified by a budgeting agency, must be included in the voter’s guide summary, both pro and con.

For too long, Washington voters have used the initiative process as a way to dream up and implement nicesounding ideas completely detached from the reality of paying for them.

If initiators truly believe in their ballot proposal, they should have to do the financial homework and present it to the voters.

WEEKLY POLL What does Thanksgiving mean to you?

A. Great good and great friends B. Airport hassle C. Football on the TV screen D. Relatives bickering in the living room E. A break from work Vote online at www.snovalleystar.com.

Deborah Berto Kathleen R. Merrill Jill Green

Publisher Managing editor Advertising manager

Dan Catchpole

Editor

Sebastian Moraga

Published by

David Hayes Michelle Comeau

ISSAQUAH PRESS, INC. P.O. Box 1328 Issaquah, WA 98027 Phone: 392-6434 Fax: 391-1541

Reporter Page designer Advertising rep.

MAIL SUBSCRIPTION

$30 per year Call 392-6434

I would like to share with your readers about a special event that happened in the Snoqualmie Valley on Oct. 28, called Night on a Dark Trail — a seasonal event tied to Halloween for the enjoyment of Snoqualmie Valley residents with donations helping our neighbors in need at the Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank.

Our thanks are extended to the community for their attendance and for many wonderful event partners and volunteers.

Many “invisible hands” were also there to help.

All of the people who helped were part of an event that entertained close to 500 audience members, raised more than $2,000 for the Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank and started us on the way to a new annual Snoqualmie Valley event. Each one of them made it happen and they are to be congratulated for a job well done.

Mark Hennig Mark’s Pet Pals, owner

County King County Executive Dow Constantine, King County Chinook Building 401 Fifth Ave., Suite 800, Seattle, WA 98104; 206-296-4040; or kcexec@kingcounty.gov King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, District 3. King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave., Room 1200, Seattle, WA 98104; 206-296-1003; 800-3256165; kathy.lambert@kingcounty.gov

North Bend Mayor Ken Hearing, mayor@northbendwa.gov Councilman and Mayor Pro Tem Dee Williamson, dwilliamson@northbendwa.gov Councilman Jonathan Rosen, jrosen@northbendwa.gov Councilman Chris Garcia, cgarcia@northbendwa.gov Councilman Alan Gothelf,

agothelf@northbendwa.gov Councilman Ross Loudenback, rloudenback@northbendwa.gov Councilman David Cook, dcook@northbendwa.gov Councilwoman Jeanne Pettersen, jpettersen@northbendwa.gov

Snoqualmie Mayor Matt Larson, 8885307; mayor@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilman Robert Jeans, 396-4427; bjeans@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilman Jeff MacNichols, 396-4597; macnichols@sbmhlaw Councilman Bryan Holloway, 396-5216; bholloway@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilman Kingston Wall, 206-890-9125; kwall@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilwoman Maria Henriksen, 396-5270; mhenriksen@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilman Charles Peterson, 888-0773; cpeterson@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us Councilwoman Kathi Prewitt, 888-3019; kprewitt@ci.snoqualmie.wa.us

Home Country

Be thankful for whatever it is you love

By Slim Randles Steve slowly saddled his horse, Old Snort, and climbed stiffly aboard in the cold snap of morning. He pulled his hat down a little lower and pulled the wild rag up to cover his nose and mouth from the morning chill.

How many mornings had he done this?

As Snort trotted out into the meadows of the hills surrounding our valley, he looked with perked ears for cattle. That’s what Snort does for a living.

Those ears worked back and forth like radar, searching through trees and behind logs for the tell-tale movement or color of range cattle.

And Steve just grinned. How many horses has he ridden on a morning like this? A hundred? Well, fifty, anyway. And the mornings all stay the same in his memory even if he doesn’t stay the same. On a morning like this, his daily dose of “cowboyitis” lets itself be felt.

That aching hip? Oh, he remembers when that colt dumped him into the rockpile, putting him on crutches for two months.

The shoulder ache? Too many years with a rope in his hands.

But he also knows when the fall sun gets a little higher, he’ll stretch and suddenly get younger. His gray mustache will, in his mind, turn brown again, and once more Slim Randles that young Columnist cowboy who terrorized stray cattle so many years ago will come back to life.

He began kicking cows out and heading them back to the home pasture, and both he and Snort watched and waited for

that one rogue that would make the morning complete.

It was a black baldy cow who made a dash for the high-ups and Steve and Snort were flying through trees and over rock piles and finally headed her and turned her back with the others.

A 19-year-old cowboy couldn’t have done it any better.

Steve smiled and reached down to pat ol’ Snort on the neck.

Thanksgiving can be more than turkey and cranberry sauce.

Brought to you by Slim’s new book and great stocking stuffer “A Cowboy’s Guide to Growing Up Right.” Learn more at www.nmsantos.com/Slim/Slim.html.

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:

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

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

SnoValley Star

PAGE 5

SnoValley Star

PAGE 6

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

North Bend 2012 General Fund Budget

$6,183,191

Law Enforcement $53,372 Pavement overlay $50,000

BIGGEST DECREASE

By type

$6.67

From Page 1 road work in 2013, North Bend will continue spending money from the general fund on roads, Wilson said.

“We’ll keep doing so until we have tackled the large backlog of street work,” he said.

Price hikes North Bend will see several expenses rise next year. The

Sales Tax 33.9%

$5.93 $5.72 $6.18

Property Tax 23.9%

B&O Tax 14.1%

Transfers & Other 1.1% Utility Taxes 19.7%

Interest & Misc. 0.3%

Gambling Tax 0.7%

20 12

Fines & Forfeits 0.4%

20 09

Police & Jail $1,621,263 Ending Fund Balance $1,028,762 Fire Services $819,547 Other Expenditures & Transfers $706,288 Administration & Financial $527,893 Building & Planning $524,828 Parks, Culture & Recreation $438,955 Legal & Judicial $187,170 Central Services $176,881 Human/Community Service Grants $91,500 Legislative $60,104

Budget

GENERAL FUND THROUGH THE YEARS*

20 11

By category

Taxes 84%

Shoreline Master Plan Update $33,813 Personnel $31,316

20 10

Capital Outlay $28,250

REVENUE SOURCES:

BIGGEST INCREASE

Take a closer look at the General Fund’s expenses: Supplies & Services $1,588,566 Intergovt. Services $1,454,805 Personnel Costs $1,390,120 Ending Fund Balance $1,028,762 Interfund Transfer $692,688

Graphic by Dan Catchpole

* Values in millions of dollars.

most significant cost increases are for police, fire and jail services. The city contracts for all three services.

“There are some things we can’t control,” Wilson said.

Rising labor costs for police officers and firefighters mean North Bend will have to pay more in 2012. The city’s law enforcement expenses are going up by $53,000. Its fire and emergency medical services costs are going up by $26,000.

However, the city didn’t have to take any significant steps to balance its budget because of the

Charges for Services 1.7%

Licenses & Permits 2.4%

Intergovernment Revenues 1.8%

price to $110,000. increases.

“We’ve WEB EXTRA North been catching > > www.snovalleystar.com Bend is conmore people, sidering and putting See the 2012 Preliminary Budget more people ending its contract for in jail,” Wilson said. police services with the King To keep costs down, North County Sheriff’s Office and forming a joint force with Bend has been looking for cheaper alternatives to the King Snoqualmie. The sheriff’s office County Jail. The city has conhas been working with the city to reduce the cost of its contract. tract offers in hand from Yakima County, the SCORE facility in Labor costs are not behind the increase in how much North Des Moines (a jail operated by Bend spends for jail services, several cities) and the city of which is going up by 43 percent Buckley, Wilson said.

Some leeway North Bend’s 2012 budget takes in more money than it spends, so the city should add to its reserve funds. This is partially due to one-time revenue from

Source: City of North Bend

residential development at the Tanner Wood and Cedar Falls plats.

Hearing asked the City Council not to approve any additional expenditures until April, when the economy’s trajectory could be clearer.

The City Council could approve hiring one or two temporary parks workers for the spring and summer if North Bend’s finances are in good shape.

The temporary positions were left out of the 2012 budget, as they were in the 2011 budget.

Last spring, the council approved restoring one of the temporary positions.

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

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SnoValley Star

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PAGE 8

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NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Geoff Doy takes wait-and-see approach to School Board election

By Sebastian Moraga School board candidate Geoff Doy declined to declare himself the winner of the race for incumbent Caroline Loudenback’s board seat, despite a 325vote lead as of Nov. 17.

“Mathematically, Caroline can still win,” Doy said Nov. 17, adding that 356 votes had yet to be counted. “I can’t declare victory.”

Loudenback on the other hand, all but conceded.

“I am disappointed with the likely outcome,” she wrote in an email, “but have accepted it. The support I have received from those that know me and my work has been a gift and I am always thankful for those people in my life.”

Loudenback wrote that if she loses she would continue to volunteer in the district, particularly with students. Serving on the board was an honor, she added, and she advised Doy to honor and respect the job if he’s elected.

She thanked her supporters and said many adults in the district truly care about children and their achievements.

At the same time, she assailed what she described as a small group that likes to

Snoqualmie and police guild enter mediation Snoqualmie and the Snoqualmie Police Guild have gone to mediation over wages and benefits in a new contract after several months of negotiations.

The two sides have reached tentative agreements on noneconomic issues.

During the talks, the city and the union have signed off on tentative agreements on noneconomic issues that will be incorporated into the final collective bargaining agreement. The two sides reached

misrepresent the truth about the district’s achievements.

Their negativity, Loudenback wrote, has been the biggest disappointment during her time on the board. With the race ending officially Nov. 30, Loudenback wrote she won’t spend much time second-guessing herself.

“I just move forward and see where my gifts and skills can be used next,” she wrote, “to make the Snoqualmie Valley School District even better.”

Doy said it was too early for him to celebrate or lament, but added that he was optimistic his lead will hold until the end.

This nail-biter of a race differs from the last time Doy ran for office. He finished third in the 2009 primaries, with 25.1 percent and 1,179 votes.

So far in 2011, 4,907 people have voted for him. Doy said he tried harder this time.

“I put a lot more effort into the campaign, and was more thorough in my analysis of the situation,” he said. “I spent more time writing on my website, canvassing individual people and differSee ELECTION, Page 9 consensus on language regarding the agreement’s duration, vacations, court appearances and disciplinary letters.

Under the tentative agreements, the new contract would be in force through 2013.

The city and the union are still at odds over language in a bill of rights for the city’s police officers and a different management rights clause proposed by the city, according to City Attorney Pat Anderson.

Both sides agreed to table their differences until the next contract is negotiated in 2014.

SnoValley Star

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Police Blotter

police officer near the intersection of Center Street and Southeast Snoqualmie Parkway.

The employee told him that someone had painted graffiti on several pieces of equipment he keeps in a lot on the southeast corner of the intersection.

The graffiti looked similar to others seen around town in the past year, included things like an upright middle finger, a four-petal yellow flower and a four-petal black flower.

Snoqualmie police No license, no drive At 12:45 a.m. Nov. 11, police traveling south on Railroad Avenue saw a gray 2008 Mazda speeding in the same direction, about 18 miles above the speed limit. Police stopped the car in the 9200 block of Railroad Avenue and the driver told police he had a suspended license and had no insurance.

Police told him he would be cited for driving with a suspended license.

Driving under the influence At 11 p.m. Nov. 15, police had a traffic stop on the north shoulder of Railroad Avenue near 69th Street. As they attempted to clear the road, officers saw a car that instead of slowing down when seeing the emergency lights, accelerated.

Graffiti again At 8 a.m. Nov. 11, an employee of Goodfellow Construction flagged down a

County hosts workshop for unincorporated-area residents

In a July decision, leaders changed how county government and unincorporated-area residents interact.

The updated framework calls for a single point of contact between residents in each of the community service areas and county government.

Unlike the earlier arrangement, the community service areas model is designed to encompass communities not represented by a local unincorporated area council, such as Klahanie and the Snoqualmie Valley.

King County is hosting workshops throughout the region to collect citizens’ comments about creating community service area boundaries.

The workshop includes a public open house from 6:30-7 p.m. followed by a discussion from 78 p.m. The meeting for Issaquah-area residents is Nov. 30 at Hobart Community Church, 27524 S.E. 200th St., Maple Valley.

The car passed within two feet of the officer. A police officer in a different unit chased the car and stopped it about a quartermile away. The driver, Nichole L. Muzlajkovich, 29, struggled to find the documents police wanted from her, had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and watery eyes. The smell of alcohol on breath was so strong, it overwhelmed the chewing gum she had in her mouth. After failing sobriety tests, she was arrested for driving under the influence and taken to the Snoqualmie Police Department.

Expired license plate At 8:30 p.m. Nov. 16, police stopped a black 2007 Infiniti traveling south on Snoqualmie Parkway with expired plate See BLOTTER, Page 18

The proposal raised concerns among the unincorporated area councils — the established

PAGE 9

Election From Page 8 ent groups. It was much more intense.”

He quipped, “it may also have been my yellow signs.”

Above all, he thanked his supporters, who waved signs, knocked on doors, critiqued his writing and discussed the issues with and on behalf of him.

“A lot of effort from a lot of people made the difference,” he said. “And I couldn’t have done it without them.”

A recount is unlikely, as Doy leads by 3.06 percent as of Nov. 17. A recount is mandatory only if a candidate or issue leads by fewer than 2,000 votes and by less than half of 1 percent.

The election results will be certified Nov. 30.

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Community

PAGE 12

Even in winter, think wildfires

By Sebastian Moraga

Kirsten Lints, of Duvall’s Gardens Alive Design, talks about protecting homes in winter from summer wildfires.

By Sebastian Moraga Jackets are out, snow is coming and the flimsy 2011 summer is but a memory.

Perfect wildfire season.

Make that, wildfire prevention season, as evidenced by the full house at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center in North Bend. More than 50 people gathered Nov. 5 to learn how to prevent wildfires.

“This is outstanding,” Charley Burns, a firefighter with the Washington Department of Natural Resources said. “This shows the level of concern and

awareness.”

In the recent past, Burns has attended fire prevention workshops when he’s 50 percent of the attendance, so to have 50 people is great, he said.

Early November is a good time for wildfire prevention workshops, he said. Wildfires from the summer are still in people’s minds.

Hold it any other time of the year and it’s either too late or people are too busy or too drenched with water to believe wildfires will affect them.

“In spring, it’s been raining all winter and people say, ‘It’s

not going to burn,’” Burns said.

“People by now have seen the fires on the news and say, ‘This could happen to me.’”

The year 2011 saw 12 fires within 15 miles of North Bend, most of them from campfires, Burns said. Pierce and King counties saw more than 100 escaped campfires in 2011.

“I’ve been pretty busy,” Burns said.

The wildfire prevention workshop sought to teach people how to make their homes safer and how to help firefighters help them.

Things like mowing the lawn, cleaning the gutters, raking the leaves and ensuring that campfires occur in a safe area make a big difference.

“An unmowed lawn is a potential racetrack for the flames,” said Kirsten Lints, of Duvall’s Gardens Alive Design, who spoke about having a “Firewise” garden.

The federal “Firewise” program seeks to draw neighborhoods into making changes that can protect them in case of a fire.

Lints’ neighborhood is the latest Firewise community in Washington state.

These changes include community brush cleanups, invasive weed reduction and fuel breaks, cleared strips of land that can stop the advance of a fire, said Jeff Madden, another presenter at the workshop.

Matt Rourke, of North Bend, a professional forester and a Wilderness Rim resident, tried to entice neighbors into earning federal Firewise status.

“Madden worked with me to try to get Wilderness Rim to embrace Firewise,” he said.

He had mixed results.

“A lot of families have young children, so they see it as timeconsuming,” he said. “And one of the barriers in our neighborhood was the perception that it was going to cost a lot of money.”

That’s not the case, said Linda Vane, a program manager with the forestry program in the King County Department of Natural Resources.

One of five steps necessary to become a Firewise community is a per-capita investment of $2 per year, Vane said. So a community of 500 people must invest $1,000 per year to earn Firewise status.

Communities may include grants, loaned equipment, contractors hired, grants and cash toward their required total amount. Most small communities hit the mark through volunteer hours, the Firewise website — www.firewise.org — stated.

IndependentSector.org releases an annual assessment of the worth of volunteer hours.

According to the website, each volunteer hour in Washington is worth $21.62. So a group of 20 people working for two and a half hours once a year surpass the $1,000 requirement.

The effort to make neighborhoods Firewise is worth it, Burns said.

“If their home is Firewise, they can help us protect them,” he said. “The little things they do around the house will determine if we can save their house.”

Create creamier, cheesier scalloped potatoes Share your recipe — Do you have a great recipe? Want to share it with Snoqualmie Valley? Email the recipe and a photo of the finished product to editor@snovalleystar.com.

By Deanna Morauski So many potatoes, who can choose a favorite? This is a family classic that has been updated to be creamier and cheesier than the original version.

Pumpkin seeds can make great snacks after carving a pumpkin.

Ingredients

Directions

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes 1 large yellow onion 1 cup milk 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup flour 1 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 cup sour cream 4 cups grated cheese (divided)

Rinse and scrub potatoes until clean.

Prepare a large bowl by filling with cold water and a couple of teaspoons of salt. Set aside.

Cut potatoes in quarters along the length of the potato. Cut out any undesirable spots.

Slice potatoes thinly. Place slices into cold salt water to prevent potatoes from browning.

Slice one large yellow onion thinly and place into a very large separate bowl.

File

Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour milk and heavy whipping cream into a medium bowl. Whisk flour into cream mixture. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pepper and whisk again.

Drain water from potatoes. Place sliced potatoes, cream mixture, sour cream and 3 cups of grated cheddar cheese into the large bowl with onions. Using hands, combine all of these ingredients very well.

Prepare baking dish (size 9-by-13 or comparable) by spraying with nonstick spray or smearing well with butter. Set aside one cup of cheddar cheese for layering. Place a layer of potato mixture into baking dish. Then place a layer of cheddar cheese. Then more potatoes. Finally, layer the top with more cheese. Bake for about 2 hours.

It’s a good idea to put a baking sheet on the oven shelf underneath your scalloped potatoes in case they overflow. If the top gets too dark, just lay foil over potatoes for the rest of the baking time.

Serve while steamy hot.

Deanna Morauski owns, operates and cooks at the Old Hen Bed and Breakfast near North Bend with her husband, John.

She also blogs about food and cooking at www.thecleverculinarian.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/clvrculinarian.

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Painter’s work sought for book cover art

By Sebastian Moraga Even with 2,000 paintings to his name, Snoqualmie artist Jeff Sturgeon still gets a special kind of thrill when someone shrinks his work and lays it atop a stack of numbered papers.

“Seeing it on a book is great,” he said by phone from Portland, Ore., where another book with his art on the cover was released Veterans Day weekend.

A painter since the early 1980s and a professional artist since the 1990s, Sturgeon said nothing compares to that feeling.

“Seeing someone buy a painting is pretty cool, especially if it’s for a lot of money, because I can’t afford my work,” he said. “But when you see it on a book cover, it’s a whole different thing.”

The book is “A Celtic Yearbook,” by Oregon writer and Sturgeon’s friend Lizzy Shannon.

The book is a collection of tales, recipes, ancient remedies, Irish proverbs and legends from Shannon’s old country. Shannon was born in Belfast and became an American citizen nine years ago.

The painting shows Ireland’s Mourne Mountains in the background, and in the foreground a series of standing stones, very common in Ireland and England, Sturgeon said.

Shannon said her father used to live at the foot of those mountains.

Sturgeon, she added, “has managed to tap into the part of every Irish person who will always be homesick forevermore,” Shannon said.

Shannon and Sturgeon have known each other for a year.

Sturgeon once did a painting for Shannon’s father, but this is his first book cover for Shannon.

See PAINTER, Page 13

SnoValley Star

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Obituaries Eileen S. Erickson Eileen passed away Friday, Nov. 11, 2011, at the age of 76.

Born in Philadelphia, Eileen moved as a child to Evanston, Ill., where Eileen Erickson she enjoyed a wonderful childhood and made lifelong friends. She attended the University of Wisconsin, where she completed her occupational therapy degree and headed West to pursue her career.

She met her husband Jan, of 52 years, on the train ride out West as he was coming home from the Navy. They married and had two children, Eric (Bremerton) and Andi (Spokane).

Eileen was active in the occupational therapy world and focused on geriatric rehabilitation. She was an avid golfer in the Snoqualmie Valley, an accomplished watercolor artist and civic volunteer.

She taught watercolor classes in North Bend, and was a positive energy as a board member and volunteer at the Mount Si Senior Center.

She was also president of Elder & Adult Day Services, where her impact improved the lives of many elderly citizens in the community. She was a loving and caring person and never had a harsh word to say about anyone.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Edwin Schwer and Amelia Speth Schwer.

She is survived by her husband Jan E. Erickson; two children, Eric Erickson (Jenny) and Andi Hart (Craig); one brother, Ed Schwer (Houston). She has four grandchildren, Nick Hart,

Erica Hart, Carly Erickson and Carter Erickson, who loved and adored her.

A memorial gathering for friends and family will be held from 1-3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27, at the Cedar River Watershed Education Center, 19901 Cedar Falls Road S.E., North Bend.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to www.eads-cares.org.

Natalie Eileen Todd April 20, 1984 – Oct. 22, 2011 Daughter. Sister. Aunt. Friend.

Born in Bellevue, Natalie spent most of her life in Redmond and the Snoqualmie Valley.

Natalie is survived by Natalie Todd her mother Colleen Todd; her father and step-mother Richard and Marjorie Todd; her sisters Corrina Black, Jodie Barber and Nicki McFadden; her brother Rich Todd; her step-sister and step-brother Sabrina and Eythan Frost; one niece; and two nephews.

Natalie loved her family, friends and all her animals. She will always be remembered for her beautiful smile and laughter.

Memorial services will be held at Flintoft's Funeral Home in Issaquah on Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution in Natalie’s name to Valley Animal Partners, www.valleyanimalpartners.com.

Full obituary is available at www.flintofts.com or visit the Natalie Todd Memorial page on Facebook.

Kenneth E. Twitchell Kenneth E. Twitchell, of Lynnwood, died Oct. 30, 2011.

He was 84.

He was born Aug. 3, 1927, in

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Twitchell He met his wife, Evelyn, while serving in the United States Air Force and stationed in Germany, where he specialized in Russian language intelligence.

After he retired from the military, he worked as a safety inspector in Montana and Washington.

Ken was a wonderful husband, father and gentlemen, often "rescuing" his wife and daughters from flat tires, locked doors or finding lost pets.

Ken loved current events, history and travel, and filled his home with souvenirs from the countries he visited. He was particularly interested in the Civil War. He was also an avid baseball fan, and gardener, Ken is survived by his wife Evelyn; his two daughters and their spouses, Alexandra and Del Clark, of North Bend, and Andrea and Greg Insley, of Kent; six grandchildren, Taryn, Kyle, Kira and Kristopher Clark, and Sean and David Insley; and three siblings, Bob Twitchell and Joyce Pretty, of Sun Lakes, Ariz., and Phil Twitchell of Milford, Mass.

PAGE 13

Painter From Page 12 “His work is so vibrant and alive, it’s almost three dimensional,” Shannon said of Sturgeon’s paintings. “Who wouldn’t want it on the cover of a book?”

A good book cover photo grabs the attention of people, Sturgeon said.

“I am known for doing a lot of space art, and we wanted to do a very striking cover,” Sturgeon said. “So we decided to put a space scene in the center stone to catch the eye.”

The painting measures 16 inches wide by 20 inches tall.

Sturgeon painted it on metal, which he said lends itself to different genres.

The painting took two days, working background to foreground, Sturgeon said. He used an airbrush for most of it, except the foreground. The space scene on the center stone was airbrushed, too.

“As opposed to a canvas piece, the airbrush is used quicker,” he said. “It’s a lot less work intensive than a canvas.”

Sturgeon knows about work-intensive environments.

A former artist for Entertainment Arts, he used to spend 70-hour weeks working on video game art. One year, he had two days off from April to September.

“I quit that business by the start of the new millennium, because it’s a very rough business,” he said, later adding, “if you have a family, it’s even harder for them because you are never home.”

Working on the book cover with Shannon, Sturgeon said he still had deadlines. Shannon, however, a friend, knew his work and had a good idea of what she wanted on the cover.

“It was a very easy job for me to do,” Sturgeon said.

This is the sixth time a Sturgeon work appears on a cover. Odds are, it won’t be the last.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “I never get tired of it.”

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schools

PAGE 14

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Adults gape at ‘freaky stuff’ during school tour

By Sebastian Moraga One screen shows the problem. Another screen shows how to fix it.

A third screen gives a progress report and a fourth screen narrates how one found the solution.

Control tower at Sea-Tac? Bill Gates’ office? No. Twin Falls Middle School, George Warren’s algebra class for seventhgraders.

Technology reigned during the first “Focus on Education” tour of Snoqualmie Valley District schools.

Dignitaries toured Twin Falls and Mount Si High School in a guests-only, four-hour session of trips in and out of classrooms.

“The real point is to get you into the school and experience the work happening every day,” Schools Superintendent Joel Aune said. “Experience the students and get right in the middle of what is going on at schools.”

What goes on makes the classrooms of 10 years ago look like a museum.

“As adults,” Aune said, “we tend to educate children based on our past. We need to educate based on their future.”

That has already begun.

Algebra teachers use multiple screens to explain a problem.

Social studies teachers use a

STEM careers pique the beaker curiosity

By Sebastian Moraga

Empire State Building, Times Square and a Broadway show.

“We are going to do the whole NewYorky thing,” Krivanec said, even staying at the legendary Waldorf-Astoria.

Then, on Thanksgiving Day, they have run-throughs in full costume at 6 a.m.

Then, the parade. Then, Thanksgiving dinner. Then, a long wait until midnight, when Black Friday begins.

“It's going to be a long day,” Villanueva said.

Krivanec returns to Washington the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Villanueva returns two days earlier, but not before some serious shopping, of course.

“I am going to spend all my Christmas money,” she said. “There's not going to be anything under the tree.”

In science, the brain is not enough. You must aim for the heart.

“We don’t want them to be knowledgeable,” said Mark Madison, director of career and technology education for the Edmonds School District. “We want them to be passionate.”

Madison spoke to teachers, parents and administrators of the Snoqualmie Valley School District about hooking children on science early on and keeping them loving the lab until after graduation.

On Nov. 15, Madison and three other speakers at the Mount Si High School Library all emphasized showing children that careers abound in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, also known as STEM. “We rank ahead of 46 other states in STEM workforce,” said Pat Ehrman, associate director of professional development for the Center for Inquiry Science at Seattle’s Institute for Systems Biology. “One-fourth of job openings by 2018 will be in STEM. The opportunity for children is there if we can prepare them.”

Opportunities remain, but the love for science disappears somewhere among the 12 grades, Madison said.

“A major driver for what we do,” he said, “is to bring the passion back. We are 46th in the country in students pursuing STEM degrees, so there’s a real disconnect.”

While Washington classrooms excel at preparing students, they fail at inspiring and engaging them into STEM careers.

“Children should never go home going, ‘Ugh, god, science,” Madison said.

Speakers shared ways teachers can nudge students into science.

Maureen Munn, director of education outreach for the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Department of Genome Sciences, offered examples of science-education partnerships at: ❑ The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center ❑ The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute ❑ The Northwest Association for Biomedical Research Madison said that Mountlake Terrace High School offers four years of nationally certified preengineering classes with college

See CHEER, Page 15

See STEM, Page 15

By Sebastian Moraga

Roberta McFarland (right), past president of the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation, watches Johnna Winslow (center) and Molly Mabel work with clay at a Mount Si High School class.

Web-based software called StrataLogica to bring historical and contemporary maps to the classroom. Students struggling with language arts use Netbooks that come loaded with reading and writing aids.

“It’s pretty exciting to see,”

said Nancy Meeks, the Snoqualmie Valley School District’s director of student services.

Students in Warren’s class not only follow the teacher’s instructions and the instructions on screen, but they can

also go online at home and check their work if something is unclear.

“That’s our whole target,” Twin Falls’ Principal Ruth Moen said. “They have to use See TOUR, Page 15

Cheerleaders head to Macy’s parade

By Sebastian Moraga

By Sebastian Moraga

Megan Krivanec (bottom left), participating in a recent cheer practice, is headed with fellow cheerleader Chloe Villanueva (not pictured) to New York City to participate in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Leave it to two teenage girls to make their first appearance in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade the second banana of their trip to New York.

“We're going to go to Black Friday,” said Meg Krivanec, one of the two Mount Si High School cheerleaders who will join the Spirit of America section of the parade Nov. 24 at 9 a.m. “We're going to go do crazy New York Black Friday shopping.”

Krivanec and Chloe Villanueva, co-captains of the school's cheer squad, participated in a Universal Cheerleaders Association camp where they received invitations to the November event.

Besides the invites, they received a video with the Spirit of America routine for the parade.

“We have to know it by the time we get to New York,” Krivanec said.

Their plane for New York left Nov. 19 at 5 a.m., Seattle time. For their last day in Washington, they organized a sleepover, or rather a stay-awakeover.

“We're going to learn the dance that night and sleep on the plane,” Villanueva said Nov. 17.

Their day of no sleep will be their least hectic day for a while. In New York, trips await — to Radio City Music Hall, the

On TV The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ❑ 9 a.m. ❑ Nov. 24 ❑ NBC, KING 5 TV

SnoValley Star

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

STEM From Page 14 credits.

This year, women in STEM careers will talk to high school girls in Madison’s district. Next year, the district will launch a STEM High School.

The STEM High School will carry four years’ worth of classes in areas like aerospace, robotics and biotechnology, available to all students in the Edmonds School District’s four high schools.

Leading students to STEM careers is not always a teacher’s job, Ehrman said. Communities can also serve as springboards.

“Your business can provide an opportunity for students to have STEM experiences,” he said. “They can be partners.”

Melissa Edwards, director of the Museum of Flight’s Washington Aerospace Scholars, shared details of her program, part of which requires juniors to plan a mission to Mars.

“The least over budget is the team that wins,” she quipped.

The online program lasts from December to May, followed by a summer residency in June and July, Edwards said.

The goal is not as much a child’s glance at the red planet but a glance at oneself.

“The goal is to get kids who thought they were the only ones who thought space was cool to see themselves differently,” Edwards said.

More than 700 students have participated. Its earliest graduates will graduate from college this year.

Nationwide, 40 percent of students will leave a STEM degree program in college, Edwards said. About 80 percent of Washington Aerospace Scholars still pursue a STEM degree, she added, “so we are pretty excited.”

Mount Si High School Principal John Belcher, who spoke last, said students must learn about all of those opportunities.

“We haven’t helped our students as much as we can identify career opportunities out there,” he said, later adding, “We can’t just assume our students don’t want these careers.

They don’t know what they want yet.”

It might help, Madison said, if schools reduce the competition between STEM classes and other areas.

“Lots of these classes are electives,” he said. “That’s great, unless you’re a kid who is in music. So, you have to ask, should this be available for some, or for all?”

Cascade View teacher wins Macaroni Kid award Calla Kinghorn, a kindergarten teacher at Snoqualmie’s Cascade View Elementary School, won the Macaroni Kid November Teacher of the Month award.

The award nomination called Kinghorn, “the kind of teacher you want each of your children to have,” according to an email from Macaroni Kid publisher Diana Reul-Shapiro.

The award is three months old.

Tour From Page 14 resources to get what they want.”

The tour stopped by classrooms at Mount Si High, where students showed their work in areas like cooking, banking, music, woodworking and robotics.

“Mount Si has got a lot of things that make us unique,” Principal John Belcher said.

The students at the culinary arts program fixed and served lunch for the dignitaries. The students in the band and the choir provided the entertainment.

At the school’s Wildcat Court, students displayed a

North Bend Elementary School’s physical education teacher Alan Tepper won the September version of the prize. The October winner was from Issaquah, which is also included in the contest.

North Bend student gets academic scholarship North Bend resident and Mount Si High School graduate Danielle Massengill has received an academic scholarship from Thiel College.

Massengill is a freshman at the liberal arts college in

Lego-built vehicle that senses the proximity of walls and turns before it can hit them.

Except for one splashy tumble, it worked well.

“I know exactly what you’re going through,” Sean Pelletier, of North Bend-based Nintendo of America, told the students.

“I don’t do this, but I have seen our engineers do it. It’s freaky stuff.”

At the end of the tour, Aune praised the hard work students put forth every day and joked that with all the bright children around, people might think the school had sent any bad students home before the tour.

“Our schools are not perfect,” he said. “But neither is society and we do feel like we have got a good thing going, and I hope you got evidence of that.”

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PAGE 15 Greenville, Penn.

Massengill received a Thiel Academic Departmental Chair Scholarship at the school’s Honors Convocation on Nov. 4.

Host families needed for students from Peru, Korea Ten students from Korea plus the first delegation of exchange students from Peru need a place to stay for 22 days this winter.

The students will visit the Snoqualmie Valley from Jan. 426, and the Snoqualmie Sister Cities Association wants local

Cheer From Page 14 It's going to be worth it, they both said. After all, this is a once-in-a lifetime thing.

Jessi Stevens, the Mount Si cheer head coach, said her team had never had an opportunity like this.

Just seeing the parade live would be an honor, they said.

Being in it is unbelievable, even if they look like a superhero's date while at it.

During the parade, Krivanec, Villanueva and the rest of the Spirit of America cheerleaders will wear a sparkly emeraldgreen outfit with a silver star and black lining on the back.

“It looks like what the Green

families to step up and provide a home for the teenagers.

Students have studied English for years and will arrive in Snoqualmie, saving host parents a trip to the airport.

Host families integrate the students into their daily life, just like another family member, according to an email from the association.

Learn more by contacting Tina McCollum at 253-4689744 or valent6222@aol.com., or Mount Si High School counselor Thomas Tilton at 425-8318114 or tiltont@svsd410.org.

Lantern's girlfriend would wear,” Krivanec quipped, “if he had one.”

Garish as they may be, the girls would rather wear that than what they will have to wear in public until the parade.

As a safety measure, participants in the parade have to wear puffy blue jackets every minute they spend in public until Thanksgiving Day. The jackets make them look like air traffic controllers, Krivanec said. But all of their Black Friday shopping won't be enough to erase the ignominy of the jackets.

“Maybe we'll have a symbolic burning of the jackets when we return,” Krivanec said.

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

Come Join Us! North Bend Elementary PTA presents

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

• PRE K

TO

12 G R A D E S • SAT & ACT P R E P • H O M E WO R K H E L P • I N D I V I D UA L I Z E D P R O G R A M S

sports

PAGE 16

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Mount Si grad aims for bigger prizes at nationals

By Sebastian Moraga At the fort, she proved her forte.

Mount Si High School graduate Alex Rudd had one of the best races of her cross-country season at the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics championship Nov. 19.

The race, held at Fort Vancouver in southwestern Washington, was the second time Rudd raced at cross-country Nationals for her college, Southern Oregon University.

She also competed at track nationals in Indiana in May, finishing 20th in the 10,000-meter run.

The race in Vancouver was the culmination of an emotional season for Rudd, filled with subplots. This was her first year under “new” cross country coach and Southern Oregon alum Grier Gatlin, who coached the Raiders from 1999 to 2005.

Also, the team lost five of its top seven runners from 2010, three of them to what Rudd called unexpected transfers.

“We had to approach the sea-

Contributed

Alex Rudd (329) competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics cross-country championships. son with an open mind and build a new team dynamic,” she wrote in an email, “while stay-

ing focused on our individual goals during all the changes.”

Through all the upheaval, she

managed to thrive, breaking the 19-minute barrier with a personalbest of 18 minutes, 54.47 seconds at the Charles Bowles Invitational in Salem, Ore., in October.

She earned All-Cascade Collegiate Conference honors and an individual spot at nationals, where she improved upon her 2010 performance.

Last year, according to the NAIA website, she finished 173rd overall. This year, she finished 57th, with a time of 18:58.

“I put the icing on the cake,” she wrote of her jump in the standings.

The improvement at nationals makes her ultimate dream a possibility.

“I am much more within reach now of All-American honors,” she added.

The top 30 runners at nationals earn that accolade.

The season, Rudd said, was a success, even if tempered by the absences of her former teammates.

“It was bittersweet to be on the start line of the race without a full women’s team around me this year,” she wrote.

Growing lacrosse team can’t wait for spring

By Sebastian Moraga It's Nov. 17 at Mount Si High School.

Football is five days into its hibernation, but the stadium lights are on and so are the helmets. The rain is pouring and so is the sweat.

Soccer has also left the building, but there's still a round ball, a goal, someone minding the net and a high schooler hurling shots at it, but with a stick.

It's lacrosse time.

The practice Everybody has a stick, but nobody speaks softly, least of all the coach.

“You're lollygagging out here.

C'mon,” Dennis Simmons tells the boys, sounding like the lacrosse version of Kevin Costner's manager in “Bull Durham.”

He has reason to sound irritated. This is not a practice as much as it is an audition.

The man they all audition for sits in the stands — Woodroe Kiser, Mount Si Lacrosse's varsity head coach.

Since lacrosse is a spring sport, Kiser cannot coach or contact a player until late February.

Until then, his youth-division coaches take the reins and he

watches.

“Fall ball,” Kiser said, referring to autumn practices and games, “is a way to develop your incoming freshmen and hone the skills of existing players.”

So what Kiser watches is the future of the program, wearing shorts, getting soaked and goosebumpy, but learning and improving.

This fall ball season, almost 30 children turned out. With youth programs producing a pipeline of talent, more than 50 players are expected to suit up next season.

“These past years, we've fielded just a varsity team,” Kiser said. “This year, we hope to have varsity, JV and a C-team.”

The program is growing, Kiser said. Two years ago, the varsity team won no games in its inaugural campaign This year, the team won two, including the season finale.

“It makes everyone feel good about going into next year,” Kiser said of the win against South Kitsap. “It gives them confidence.”

The game It's Nov. 19 at the Overlake School in Redmond.

It's a frigid, yet sunny day and the last chance for a while that these players will have to prove themselves worthy — the

In 2010, then-freshman Rudd had seven teammates wearing the university’s red uniform at nationals. The Raiders finished seventh in team scores.

This year, only junior Seena Frantz wore Rudd’s same attire.

She finished 37th. Southern Oregon did not rank among the top 32 squads.

“There was a different kind of pressure on Seena and I this year as individual qualifiers and it produced good results,” Rudd wrote. “Qualifying individually was definitely a confidence booster.”

A sophomore, Rudd wrote she feels lucky to have already participated twice in a race she considers unlike any other. The fort rocks, the crowd cheers and the adrenaline rushes.

“Like I tell the new freshmen on my team, it’s hard to explain,” she wrote. “But once you’ve ran at nationals once, you’ll understand why you just have to get back there.”

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

On the Web Learn more about spring lacrosse registration, for grades two through 12, at www.mountsilacrosse.org.

By Sebastian Moraga

Nick Crandell (35), and the rest of the Mount Si High School varsity lacrosse team, participate in ‘fall ball’ offseason games to stay sharp until spring. last game of fall ball.

Kiser is not here, but Gary Moorhead, co-president of the program's board of directors, is and so are a handful of grown-ups.

Nobody's lollygagging today.

The team takes a three-goal lead before halftime, and the rivals from Everett look overwhelmed.

Still, this is fall ball: nobody

keeps score, nobody tracks stats and nobody goes at it with the intensity of a spring ball game either.

In fact, if this were spring, this game would have never begun..

“Everett showed up with eight players,” Moorhead said, “so we gave them two of ours.”

In spring season, senior and

captain of midfielders Andrew Bottemiller said showing up two sticks short means a forfeit.

Not in fall ball. Flurry of firsthalf goals aside, the rules are looser, the pace is slower, the game is less physical and a running clock makes games shorter.

“It's a lot more laid back,” Bottemiller said.

Moorhead agreed.

“The whole point of fall ball is to get playing time and practice,” he said.

All of the available players get some time on the field, although some have to play for Everett for a little while. The players roll with it, vying for some playing time.

Still, for some, it's not the same as playing Ballard in front of a big crowd or taking one away from South Kitsap as the denouement for the year. It's just fall ball. The real fun is still months away.

“I can't wait for spring season,” Bottemiller said.

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

SnoValley Star

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Junior Wildcats dominate Eastside championships Two junior football teams from the upper Snoqualmie Valley clinched the championship for their respective divisions in the Greater Eastside Junior Football Association.

Both wins came Nov. 12 at Cedarcrest High School in Carnation. The two teams belong to the Wildcats Junior Football and Cheer Association.

The Mount Si Wildcats Grey, made up of boys in sixth and seventh grades, beat the Bellevue Wolverines Blue, 32-6.

The Greys went 11-0 during their season.

The week before, the Greys knocked off another Bellevue team, the Wolverines White, in a 38-12 game. That was two weeks after they took down the Wolverines Gold in a 30-0 shutout.

The Greys shared the spotlight with the Mount Si Wildcats Red, a

PAGE 17

The Mount Si Wildcats Grey team is the reigning champion for the Greater Eastside Junior Football Association’s Sophomore Division.

Contributed

team in the younger Cub division.

The Reds had to play a team from their own club — the Mount Si Wildcats White — in the championship game. The Reds came out on top, 40-12. It was the first time two teams from Wildcats Junior Football and Cheer Association have played against each other in the title game, according to the organization’s website.

Both team’s won close games the week before to advance to

the championship game. The Reds beat the Mercer Island Maroon in a 22-18 contest, and the Whites beat the Bellevue Wolverines Blue in a 32-29 game.

The Reds finished the season with an 11-0 record. The Whites’ record was 8-2.

Unfortunately for Carr and his teammates, Bethel did not receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Football Playoffs.

Sports notes North Bend resident runs wild in Minnesota Kelson Carr, of North Bend, has been named an athlete of the week by the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for his play on the gridiron.

Carr has been a key part of the rushing offense for Bethel College, where he is a senior.

He attended Eastside Catholic High School.

As a running back, Carr helped power Bethel to its league-leading 279.6 rushing yards per game.

He shined Nov. 12, when Bethel ran over Augsburg in a 42-7 route. In the final game of his college career, Carr ran for 116 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries.

Pitcher to sign with Santa Clara University Mount Si High School’s Reece Karalus will be pitching for Santa Clara University in 2013.

Karalus, a senior, was an integral part of the Wildcats’ state championship team last year. Under Coach Elliott Cribby, the team featured fearsome pitching, which included Karalus’ powerful arm.

Santa Clara University belongs to the Division I West Coast Conference. Fellow Mount Si athlete Ryan Herman is attending Santa Clara on a soccer scholarship.

During this season of Thanksgiving,

Life Enrichment Options (LEO) wishes to thank these great businesses which are currently employing persons with developmental disabilities from the greater Issaquah area.

The following employers deserve our business and appreciation. They have not only welcomed these employees into their teams, but have also jointly cooperated with their supported employment agencies and job coaches. We are proud of you! Each day you give persons with developmental disabilities the dignity that comes from earning a living and doing their part in our community.

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Lakeside Montessori La Petite Academy, Sammamish Lowe’s, Issaquah McDonalds on Gilman Michael’s Toyota of Bellevue Microsoft Mt. Si Sports and Fitness NAES (formerly North American Energy Service) National Etching North Bend Theater Old Navy, Factoria Panera Bread PCC Foods Pediatric Associates PetCo on Gilman PetSmart, in Issaquah Pine Lake Club Pitney Bowes Services Providence Marianwood QFC, multiple locations: Gilman Blvd, Pine Lake, Klahanie Regal Cinemas, Issaquah 9 Ridge Fitness, Snoqualmie

Rite Aid, Factoria River Dog Round Table Pizza, Issaquah Safeway, multiple locations: Issaquah, North Bend, Sammamish, Renton Highlands San Mar, Preston Sherm’s Barbeque Snoqualmie Casino Starbucks, multiple locations: Gilman, E. Lake Sammamish, Pine Lake, Sunset in Renton, Klahanie Village Target, Issaquah Tavon Center The Grange Trader Joe’s, Issaquah Tutta Bella, Issaquah Tweeds Cafe University House, Issaquah Zeek’s Pizza, Highlands

We apologize for any businesses we may have missed; feel free to correct our omission at leoorganization@gmail.com

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SnoValley Star

PAGE 18

Blotter From Page 8 tabs. Police stopped the car and saw it had a male driver, a woman and two small children in the back. The driver gave police license, registration, insurance and ignition interlock paperwork. Police asked the driver where the interlock was and the driver said this was his work vehicle and it did not have one.

He showed police an employer declaration letter for the interlock, and it listed the driver as both employer and employee.

The vehicle was registered to the driver and his wife and the registration had no company name on it. He was cited for driving with expired tabs.

North Bend police Strange encounter At about 1 a.m. Oct. 31, a 17year-old male was at his friend’s house in North Bend when he left the house on foot to get food at a gas station. A male in the parking lot asked him for a lighter and later offered him beer. The two drank beer and the older male invited the teenager to “kick it” for a while.

A third person, a 45-year-old woman, met the two and they all drove in her pickup to a park across from Si View Park on Healy Avenue.

The two males drank some more beer while the woman stayed in the truck. After that, the trio went to the woman’s house. As she cooked, the man told the teen he wanted him to leave with him, but the teenager wanted to eat. In response, the man punched the teenager in the head twice, saying, “Don’t disrespect me.” The teenager fled but the man caught up with him and forced him back inside the house, to a room where he told the teenager that if he disrespected him again, he would not see the light of day.

The phone rang and the man answered. While he talked, the teenager asked the woman to flee with him in her truck, which she did. They met the boy’s girlfriend on Maloney Grove Road and he left with her.

Police spoke to the teenager and then went to the man’s house. Both the man and the woman were drunk and said the teenager was lying. A citation has been prepared for one count of assault in the fourth degree.

Assault At 10:36 a.m. Nov. 2, police responded to a complaint from two men who said an acquaintance of theirs has threatened them via texts, phone calls and in person.

On Oct. 29, one of the men went to the suspect’s house. The man told police the suspect had

asked him to come so he could apologize for his behavior.

When the men showed up, the suspect became angry and shoved one of them to the ground. That man hit his head on the concrete and hurt his ankle. The men left, with the injured one driving himself to the hospital. On Nov. 2, the men reported the assault to the police and said they continue to receive texts and phone calls

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

from the suspect, saying he is going to burn their houses down. Police from Snoqualmie called the man and told him to stop. He will be cited for fourthdegree assault.

FREE ADS FOR personal items under $250

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Calendar

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Public meetings ❑ Government offices will be closed Nov. 24-25 for Thanksgiving Day. ❑ Snoqualmie City Council meeting, 7 p.m. Nov. 28, Snoqualmie City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie ❑ Snoqualmie Community and Economic Affairs committee, 5 p.m.

Nov. 29, City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie ❑ Snoqualmie Economic Development Commission, noon Nov. 30, City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie ❑ Snoqualmie Shoreline Hearings Board, 5 p.m. Nov. 30, City Hall, 38624 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie ❑ North Bend Economic Development Commission, 8 a.m. Dec. 1, 126 E. Fourth St., North Bend

Events ❑ Lunch & Learn, “Coping with December’s Challenges,” noon Dec. 1, presented by Snoqualmie Valley Hospital District, Snoqualmie Fire Station, free, RSVP at www.svhdlunchandlearn.eventbrite.com ❑ Habitat for Humanity of East King County family information meeting, 6-7 p.m. Dec. 1, Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. S.E., Snoqualmie ❑ Employment Empowerment Group: Selfguided meeting to talk about the challenges of unemployment and underemployment, 5-7 p.m.

Nov. 29, 38565 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie. Register at www.eeg.eventbrite.com, call 8889790 or email Kimar@snoqualmiehospital.org ❑ Holiday Bazaar at Si View Community Center, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 3, 400 S.E. Orchard Drive, North Bend.

Carolers, youth dancers and singers, and more than 30 vendors of handmade goods.

Admission is free. ❑ Live music: Austin Jenkins, 8 p.m. Nov. 26; The Little Black Bottles, 8 p.m. Dec. 3; Danny Godinez, 8:30 p.m. Dec. 10; Ask Sophie, 8 p.m. Dec. 17; Snoqualmie Taproom, 8032 Falls Ave. S.E., Snoqualmie. A donation of warm clothes is appreciated. ❑ Live music: Reuel Lubag Band, 7 p.m. Nov. 25; Bernie Jacobs Quartet, 7 p.m. Nov. 26; Danny Kolke Trio, 6 p.m. Nov. 27; Carolyn Graye Singer’s Soiree, 7 p.m. Nov. 28; RMI Special Performance Night, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 29; Chris Morton Trio 7 p.m. Nov. 30; Boxley’s, 101 W. North Bend Way, North Bend ❑ Santa Train, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Nov. 26-27. Trains depart hourly from the Northwest Railway Museum Depot, 205 McClellan St., North Bend. Tickets

November

A Dickens Christmas

Contributed

Tony Dambrava (left), playing the Spirit of Christmas Present, confronts Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Gary Schwartz, with the harsh reality of his lonely existence in Valley Center Stage’s production of “A Christmas Carol,” by Charles Dickens. The theater group is performing the work for the seventh consecutive year.

The inspiring holiday classic runs three weekends — at 7:30 p.m.

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, Dec. 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 10, 15, 16 and 17, at Valley Center Stage above the SingleTrack bike shop in downtown North Bend. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12.50 for seniors and children. You can purchase tickets online at www.valleycenterstage.org. Learn more by calling 831-5667.

are $20 for everyone ages 2 and up, are available by reservation only at www.trainmuseum.org, and should be purchased in advance.

Classes ❑ S.A.I.L. (Stay Active and Independent for Life) exercise class meets Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Led by certified exercise instructor Carla Orellana. Call 888-3434. ❑ English as a second language, 6:30 p.m. Mondays, North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., North Bend. A formal class to learn English grammar, reading, writing and conversational skills. ❑ One-on-One Computer Assistance, 1 p.m. Wednesdays, North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., North Bend. A KCLS volunteer can give you one-on-one assistance with computer questions.

Volunteer opportunities ❑ Snoqualmie Sister Cities Association invites community members to join a newly formed group to support Snoqualmie’s new sister city, Chaclacayo, Peru.

The association already has developed a close relationship with sister city Gangjin, South Korea, which more than 30 residents have visited in the past four years. Email maryrcorcoran@gmail.com or call 503-1813.

PAGE 19

❑ The Mount Si Food Bank is looking for volunteers to help unload food at noon Mondays, sort food at 9 a.m.

Tuesdays or pass out food on Wednesdays. Call 888-0096. ❑ The Elk Management Group invites the community to participate in elk collaring, telemetry and habitat improvement projects in the Upper Snoqualmie Valley. Project orientation meetings are at 6 p.m. the third Monday of the month at the North Bend City Hall, 211 Main Ave. N. Email research@snoqualmievalleyelk.org. ❑ Snoqualmie Valley Hospital is accepting applications for ages 16 or older to volunteer in various departments of the hospital. Email carolw@snoqualmiehospital.org to arrange an interview. ❑ Senior Services Transportation Program needs volunteers to drive seniors around North Bend and Snoqualmie.

Choose your times and areas. Car required. Mileage reimbursement and supplemental liability insurance are offered. Call 206-748-7588 or 800-282-5815 toll free, or email melissat@seniorservices.org. Apply online at www.seniorservices.org.

Click on “Giving Back” and then on “Volunteer Opportunities.” ❑ Mount Si Senior Center needs volunteers for sorting and sales in the thrift store, reception and class instruction. The center is at 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend. Call 888-3434. ❑ Hopelink in Snoqualmie Valley seeks volunteers for a variety of tasks. Volunteers must

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be at least 16. Go to www.hopelink.org/takeaction/volunteer.com or call 869-6000. ❑ Adopt-A-Park is a program for Snoqualmie residents to improve public parks and trails. An application and oneyear commitment are required.

Call 831-5784. ❑ Study Zone tutors are needed for all grade levels to give students the homework help they need. Two-hour weekly commitment or substitutes wanted. Study Zone is a free service of the King County Library System. Call 369-3312. ❑ Keep the Valley Warm coat drive, until Dec. 11, accepting all types of winter clothes and blankets for adults and children.

Drop-off is at the North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St.

Monday; Women — 7 p.m. third and fourth Tuesday, 888-0951 ❑ Washington Freemasons, 7:30 p.m. first Wednesday, Unity Lodge No. 198, North Bend, 888-5779 ❑ Mental illness support group, 7-8:30 p.m. Fridays, Snoqualmie Fire Station, 37600 S.E. Snoqualmie Parkway, Snoqualmie, free of charge for anyone with a mental illness or who has a family member with a mental illness, 829-2417 ❑ Mount Si Artist Guild meeting, 9:15-11 a.m. third Saturday, Mount Si Senior Center, 411 Main Ave. S., North Bend, www.mtsiartistguild.org ❑ Sno-Valley Beekeepers, second Tuesday, 7 p.m., Meadowbrook Interpretive Center, Meadowbrook Farm, 1711 Boalch Ave., North Bend, www.snoqualmievalleybeekeepers.org ❑ Trellis gardening club, 10 a.m. third Saturday, Valley Christian Assembly, 32725 S.E. 42nd St., Fall City, new and experienced gardeners are welcome ❑ Moms Club of North Bend, 10 a.m. last Monday of the month, Totz, 249 Main Ave. S., Suite E, North Bend, children welcome, www.momsclub.org ❑ Elk Management Group, 6:30 p.m. second Wednesday, U.S. Forest Service conference room, 130 Thrasher Ave., behind the visitors’ center on North Bend Way; interagency committee meetings, 1:30 p.m. first Monday, North Bend City Hall annex, 126 Fourth St.; both meetings open to the public, www.snoqualmievalleyelk.org ❑ Anime and Manga Club, 3 p.m. Wednesdays, Snoqualmie Library, 7824 Center Blvd. S.E., Snoqualmie; watch anime movies, eat popcorn and practice anime drawing ❑ Snoqualmie Valley Chess Club, 7 p.m. every Thursday, North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St., North Bend; learn to play chess or get a game going; all ages and skill levels welcome ❑ The North Bend Chess Club, every Thursday, 7-9 p.m., North Bend Library, 115 E. Fourth St.; all ages, skill levels invited ❑ PFLAG Meeting, first Wednesday, 7 p.m.; support, guest speakers and movie viewings; all are welcome, Tolt United Church of Christ, 4851 Tolt Ave., Carnation

Clubs ❑ Mount Si Fish and Game Club, 7:30 p.m. first Thursday of the month (October through May), Snoqualmie Police Department, 34825 S.E. Douglas St., Snoqualmie ❑ Snoqualmie Valley Rotary Club, 7 a.m. every Thursday, TPC Snoqualmie Ridge Golf Club Restaurant. All are welcome. Go to www.snoqualmievalleyrotary.org. ❑ American Legion Post 79 and the American Legion Auxiliary, 7 p.m. second Thursday, 38625 S.E. River St., Snoqualmie, 888-1206 ❑ Snoqualmie Valley Garden Club, 6:30 p.m. second Thursday, Mount Si Senior Center, North Bend, 888-4646 ❑ Snoqualmie Valley Kiwanis Club, 7 a.m. every Thursday, Mount Si Golf Course restaurant in Snoqualmie, snovalley@member.kiwanis.org ❑ Snoqualmie Fraternal Order of Eagles Women’s Auxiliary, first and third Tuesday, 7 p.m. Men’s Aerie, first and third Wednesday, 7 p.m., both at 108 Railroad Ave., 888-1129 ❑ Cancer survivor group, 9 a.m. second Saturday, Sawdust Coffee, North Bend Factory Stores mall, newellvl@yahoo.com ❑ The Snoqualmie Valley Youth Hub — cultural, athletic, recreational and educational opportunities for young people — 831-1900 ❑ Loyal Order of Moose, 108 Sydney Ave., North Bend.

Men — 6 p.m. first and third

Submit an item for the community calendar by emailing editor@snovalleystar.com or go to www.snovalleystar.com.

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