City services, schools ready for cold
December 15, 2008
It’s cold, but it’s expected to get a lot colder.
Whether it’s snow, ice, a deep freeze, or some combination of them all, Issaquah’s police, fire and schools have been preparing for the cold, as should you.
The clear, arctic air has sent temperatures into the teens and they may persist until Christmas. It is likely to become the longest frigid spell since December 1990, when a similar event caused thousands of frozen pipes, cold houses and flooding when the burst pipes thawed. Read more
Elderly man kidnapped, tricked into marriage
December 15, 2008
Issaquah police have arrested two Bellevue women in a scheme to steal money from an elderly Issaquah man.
The arrests took place Dec. 11 in Bellevue, according to Cmdr. Scott Behrbaum. He said the women, ages 29 and 56, were reported to the police by King County Adult Protective Services after they tried to take advantage of the vulnerable 78-year-old. Read more
December Dash helps food bank
December 15, 2008
David Seligman, of Squak Mountain; Gretchen Dowling, of Mirrormont; and their spouses Heidi Seligman and Steve Dowling (left to right), with dogs both named Tucker, enjoy the spirit of the holidays, giving and running, as they finish the 5K December Dash held Dec. 13 with the start and finish at Issaquah High School. Registration fees of $15 were donated to the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank, and Costco donated a $250 gift card for the food bank to use. About 84 students, families and friends ran, with 139 total registrations submitted. Photo by Greg Farrar.
100 percent of donations helps Issaquah families
December 15, 2008
TO DATE: $16,945
GOAL: $50,000
As winter approaches, the calls increase from families needing a bit of financial help to keep them in their homes and the heat on. Read more
Voter-OK’d trap ban led to increase in mole population
December 15, 2008
Moles, those scourges that create unsightly, volcano-like mounds, can create widespread damage at parks and school grounds. Want an example? Check out the playfield at Issaquah Valley Elementary School.
The number of moles in Issaquah hasn’t increased (or decreased) in recent years, but killing them got a lot harder, thanks to a citizen-sponsored initiative passed by Washington voters in 2000, said Al Erickson, Issaquah parks and recreation manager.
Initiative 713 banned steel-jawed, leg-hold traps, neck snares and other body-gripping traps to capture any mammal for recreation or commerce in fur. The measure passed with 54 percent of the vote.
“It kills me to see those mole hills, knowing that we can’t trap them,” Erickson said.
The most effective of those, he said, is a “scissor trap” set underground along a mole’s primary route. Prior to passage of the initiative, park staff killed 40 to 50 moles annually with the traps, he said.
Tibbetts Valley Park, Veterans Memorial Park, Rainier Boulevard and the upper cemetery are some of the areas plagued by moles, he said. Read more
City’s citizen panel gets a handle on sustainability
December 15, 2008
Sustainability is the buzzword of the year, but really, how do you measure it? A diverse panel of 16 citizens is trying to answer the question.
Called the Sustainability Sounding Board, the group was convened this fall and has met three times. It meets again Dec. 17 to finish its concept of sustainability and how to measure it. Read more
Local church to distribute 500 turkeys to needy families
December 15, 2008
Issaquah’s Eastridge Christian Assembly members will distribute 500 free turkeys and a bag of groceries to local families in need Dec. 20.
I-90 Undercrossing clears legal hurdle, funding still needed
December 15, 2008
If no further legal challenges pop up, the city’s long-planned new street under Interstate 90 can proceed to construction in 2009, assuming funding can be found for the $13 million project.
To The Editor
December 15, 2008
Traffic
Road dividers for preventing illegal turns only serve to uglify town
I can understand the reasoning behind installing the sticks in West Sunset Way, by the library, to prevent folks from making left turns from First Place Northwest onto Sunset. But do we really want to uglify our town just because of a few miscreants?
I think the sticks look like something you’d expect to see in downtown L.A. or Chicago or someplace gross, not in our cute little town of Issaquah.
I’d rather see the sticks go away and put up with (or ticket!) a few violators each day.
Mike Harrington
Issaquah
Harvest Dance
Community event helped donate $15,000 to Issaquah Food Bank Read more
Off The Press
December 15, 2008
Got something on your mind? Send us a letter
David Hayes Press Reporter
Studies have shown that the most-read sections of most papers in the United States are sports, the police and fire report, obituaries and letters to the editor.
I’ve just compiled our letter writers for 2008 into one handy list to run at the end of the year. We get submissions from all segments of our population, from young and old, regulars and first timers.
As of the Dec. 10 issue, we’ve published 150 different authors. The number of letters we publish made me curious about what motivates readers to send their thoughts via snail mail (yes, we still get handwritten dispatches delivered by the mailman) or instantly by e-mail.
Education is a common topic. The year kicked off Jan. 2 with a complaint that the school district was catering to plateau schools. And our most recent issue had a concern about the Passage Point development’s effects on nearby schools. Read more
