Your locally-owned newspaper, serving North Bend and Snoqualmie, Washington
Sept. 20, 2012 VOL. 4, NO. 38
Plug it in
Wildcats crush Rebels, 60-6 Page 8
North Bend fights graffiti
Smile big for the camera
Electric car effort comes to the Valley. Page 2
By Michele Mihalovich
Uphill battle Snoqualmie man begins write-in campaign for president. Page 3
By Sebastian Moraga
Roslyn Hernandez , a second-grader from Snoqualmie, flashes her finest smile at the camera for Picture Day at Fall City Elementary School. See more photos on Page 9 and check out a slideshow at www.snovalleystar.com.
The North Bend City Council wants to get a handle on the increased cases of possible gang graffiti around town, so it created a new law Sept. 4 that requires property owners to clean up taggings within 48 hours. City Administrator Londi Lindell said Police Chief Mark Toner has been reporting a notable rise in gang graffiti on public and private property, and that studies from the National Crime Prevention Council indicate that if graffiti is removed quickly, there is little chance of it reoccurring. Lindell said most of the taggings are happening on bridges and overpasses out by Interstate 90. “From what I understand, people from out of the area are stopping by and leaving their artwork,” she said. “We don’t want that to be the first thing See GRAFFITI, Page 2
Sing it out Jazz Walk draws hundreds. Pages 3 and 7
Ready for a run Volleyball team hopes to make a go at state. Page 8
On the Web Valley teacher honored for work with post at Education Week. Page 9
Police blotter Page 10 Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER
Snoqualmie man shoots and kills bear in the city By Michele Mihalovich Snoqualmie police and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife are investigating a Snoqualmie man who shot and killed a black bear late Sept. 10. Investigators wouldn’t release the man’s name, but Capt. Nick Almquist, with the Snoqualmie Police Department, said the man is in his late 20s. Almquist said the man dialed 911 about 11:45 p.m. to report that he had shot a bear. The incident occurred in the 34000 block of Strouf Street, in a section of Snoqualmie Ridge with cottages that do not have garages to secure their garbage cans. Almquist did say the bear was in the man’s garbage. “I can’t say much about the incident because it’s still being investigated,” Almquist said.
“But he said he did have a runin with the bear and essentially fired his handgun.” Almquist also said the same man shot at a bear last November in his Snoqualmie Ridge neighborhood, but that the bear was not injured in the incident and that the man fired in self-defense in that incident. Chris Moszeter, a fish and wildlife officer, was called to the scene of the recent shooting to investigate and perform a field necropsy. He also said he wouldn’t comment on the particulars about whether the bear was shot on the man’s property or how many bullets he found in the bear. Moszeter did say the bear was a big, beautiful specimen, about 5 years old and roughly See BEAR, Page 2
Pair of teens die after fall while hiking outside of North Bend By Michele Mihalovich Two Federal Way teenagers died after falling during a hike near Otter Falls outside of North Bend Sept. 16. Sgt. Cindi West, with the King County Sheriff’s Office, said the county’s search and rescue unit was alerted at about 7:30 p.m. that evening about the boys’ fall. She said a group of four teen boys was hiking in the area, and that two of the boys, ages 16 and 18, fell when they were climbing a rock near the falls. The two other teens tried to help the injured boys, West said. One, the brother of one of those injured, ran down the trail for help and found two other hikers who went up the trail to assist the injured boys. The teen continued five more miles down the trail
until he was able to find a Forest Service employee who called 911, she said. West added that there is no cell service in the area, so it is likely that the employee had to drive down the mountain to call 911. “Apparently, the two men who went back up the trail to help stayed with the two injured boys and the other boy, and made a fire to keep them warm while waiting for rescue personnel,” she said. “I am told they also did CPR on the two boys when they stopped breathing.” She said that when the search and rescue teams arrived, the boys had already died as a result of their injuries. Snohomish County also responded with a helicopter. West said she did not have the names of the boys who fell, or of the two hikers who tried to help the injured teens.