To The Editor
November 25, 2008
By Administrator
Decision 2008
Sen. Fred Jarrett thanks the community
I would like to thank the community for its support of my campaign for State Senate in the 41st District. It has been my honor to serve our community for the past eight years and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to go back to Olympia for four more years.Although I am proud of what I have accomplished as a state representative, there is still so much to do and I am ready to get back to work, this time as a senator, to improve the lives of the residents of our region and throughout the state.
My priorities remain to improve education and transportation for our state, and bring home results that matter for our district.
I invite you to keep in touch with me in Olympia and let me know how you feel about the tough issues we face. You can keep track of legislation and reach me via e-mail through the legislative Web site www.leg.wa.gov or at 360-786-7894.
I am here to work for you, and I am honored to continue working for our district.
Fred Jarrett
Mercer Island
Rules of the road
Bicyclists ride where they feel safe
I am totally amazed that Charles Garrity, a cyclist, as he states in his letter in a recent issue of The Press, does not understand why cyclists ride the white line on the right side of the roadway.
It’s simply because it’s not safe to ride a sand-, gravel-, rock- (etc.) strewn shoulder on two high-pressure tires. Perhaps he is on an underinflated, wide-tired mountain bike, which would roll more sure-footedly over various debris.
Bike lanes, shoulders or whatever have to be frequently swept to be useful and safe for cyclists.
Carolyn Bader
Issaquah
Veterans Day
Service members get thank you for service, sacrifice
Dear veteran,
I hope someone took the opportunity to say “thank you” for your military service today. If not, please allow me the honor of being the first.
It may seem America has forgotten the tradition of honoring its veterans. In fact, large, daily newspapers had little to say about Veterans Day — some did in distant back pages — but many did not at all. Our largest city did not conduct a parade.
I for one, and, trust me, millions of Americans, have not forgotten — it just isn’t as comfortable to say so anymore. It will be a generation before our Gulf War veterans will reach high office. For many, the sound of “Taps” does not bring a tear to the eye that you and I have experienced far too many times.
America is a great nation. Time and again, those who either chose to serve or were required to serve were part of a military that protected our nation and promoted the cause of freedom. Many, like myself, did not serve in combat. To those who did, I can only hope to have some faint idea of what you experienced. My highest respect goes to you.
There are millions who did not come home. Millions more who bear the scars of personal sacrifice. They were/are our friends, fathers, brothers and sisters, neighbors and heroes. Many returned home only to be disrespected and falsely stereotyped — to you, our nation owes a huge apology.
Thank you again for your devotion to America and the service you offered to defend our freedoms, ideals and prosperity.
May God bless you richly!
Mark Bowers
Issaquah
Halloween
Thanks for supporting Nightmare at Beaver Lake
We would like to thank and acknowledge the tremendous support of the greater Sammamish area for stepping up to support the recent Nightmare at Beaver Lake that raised significant funding for local and international charitable projects.
We are most appreciative of this newspaper’s coverage and support from more than 800 volunteers, including organizers Sammamish Rotary and Scare Productions to schools, community organizations, businesses and individuals.
Overall, 10,000 attendees experienced the haunt during its nine-night run at Sammamish’s Beaver Lake Park and Pavilion.
Hundreds of middle and high school students and their parents volunteered to act, do makeup, provide security and cook for the volunteers. The Issaquah Valley Senior Center provided vans and drivers. The police Explorers, Eastside Fire & Rescue and SARGe ham radio operators supported the safety of the show. The Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning offered concessions, and the Sammamish Parks Department made one of our city’s most beautiful parks available.
In addition to funds raised through ticket sales, business sponsorships, and the gifts of products and services (meals, construction materials and labor), a total of 2,475 pounds of canned and packaged foods were donated to benefit the Eastside Domestic Violence Program.
Because of the overwhelming community and financial support from our sponsors, all net proceeds from this fifth annual Nightmare at Beaver Lake will benefit community and international service projects, including scholarships for high school students, local families in need, food banks, contributions to charitable organizations, computers for students in Uganda, wells in Ethiopia, Rotary International’s efforts to rid the world of polio and more.
More than $160,000 in charitable donations was contributed by the Rotary Club of Sammamish this past year, and more than 8,900 volunteer hours were served by club members and area residents in support of numerous Rotary projects.
Without a caring and committed community, this event would not be possible. We thank everyone for being involved and helping Sammamish produce our area’s largest family friendly, fun event.
We welcome area residents to join us in planning and working on our 2009 Nightmare project. Post your interest on our Web site — www.sammamishrotary.org.
Lisa Kennedy,
President, Rotary Club of Sammamish
Becky McKibben,
President Scare Productions
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