Your locally owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
December 19, 2013 VOL. 5, NO. 50
EFR may be saved Fire service board members finalize deal. Page 2
Trees for sale Group uses tree sales to fund adventures. Page 3
Mercer Island stifles Mount Si Page 14
North Bend Best light show in Snoqualmie fire ratings lowered Insurance premiums may also decrease By Sherry Grindeland North Bend property owners may see a drop in their fire insurance premium costs. The Washington Survey and Rating Bureau recently reclassified North Bend’s fire defense abilities from a Class 5 city to a Class 4. The nonprofit WSRB evaluates risk assessment to property throughout the state. Insurance underwriters use that assessment to determine insurance rates for both commercial and residential properties. Ratings range from 1 to 10. A 10 indicates the highest risk. For
Give the dog a ball Local businessmen build a better dog toy. Page 7
Police blotter Page 11
See RATING, Page 2
By Greg Farrar
The Bush family on the 3600 block of Southeast Woody Creek Lane was the winner of the city of Snoqualmie’s first Christmas lights contest. The contest was sponsored by the city’s parks department and the Snoqualmie Ridge Homeowner’s Association. Anyone within the Snoqualmie City Limits was eligible. Entries were evaluated based upon creativity, originality, thematic elements, and overall design quality — not just the quantity of lights. For second and third place winners, see Page 6.
Injury spurs man to invent ski equipment By Sam Kenyon
Decadent treats Learn how to make them in community recipe box. Page 13
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Bill Price tumbled from the window of his fraternity house, breaking his neck in the three-story fall. It happened in October, 1996, during his second week at the University of Washington. Next October, Price, now 36, will have spent exactly half his life as a quadriplegic. “I remember going to sleep and I remember waking up outside,” he said. Price grew up in Issaquah and his family frequently went skiing locally on weekends. It was common for him to ski 30 to 40 times a year. By Sam Kenyon
Hillary Robins and Billy Price demonstrate the Glove Harness Outershell designed by Price and his father. The glove fits on adaptive ski poles, making them easier for disabled people to use.
After his injury, he didn’t know exactly how he would get back to skiing, but there was no question in his mind that he would. “Getting back on the ski slopes was a high priority,” he said. During rehab at the University of Washington Medical Center, Price learned about adaptive skiing. He bought the necessary equipment, including outriggers, which are like ski poles except they have small skis on the bottom instead of spikes. But his limited hand function prevented him from grasping the peg of the outriggers. At the time, adaptive skiers used a makeshift solution: duct tape. The skier’s gloves were simply duct taped to the outrigger. “That just seemed like a terrible idea to me,” Price said. See SKI, Page 5