Sports calendar
December 22, 2009
Adult Sports
Issaquah Alps Trail Club
Dec. 26, Cougar Mountain hike to waterfalls at Far Country, Doughty, Coal Creek Falls, 6 miles, 500 gain. Call 427-8449 … Dec. 27, 9 a.m., Cougar Mountain, 4 miles, 500 gain. Call 453-8997 … Jan. 1, 10 a.m., Dogs Welcome Hike, 4-5 miles, 600-1,000 gain. Call 206-322-0990 … Jan. 2, Rattlesnake Mountain, hike to Stan’s Overlook, 5 miles, 1,400 gain. Call 837-1535 … Jan. 3, Tiger Mountain, hike to Tradition Plateau, 5-6 miles, 600 gain. Call 392-3571. Read more
To The Editor
December 22, 2009
Issaquah Museums
Thank you for asking candidates’ position on new facility funding
During the election coverage earlier this fall, I was pleased to see that The Issaquah Press asked candidates how the city of Issaquah might help fund a new facility for the Issaquah History Museums.
The construction of a new facility for the photographs, artifacts and archival material of the community is sorely needed. We currently operate out of the Issaquah Depot Museum and the Gilman Town Hall Museum. After the completion of a new exhibit at the depot in 2010, we will have filled our available exhibit area.
Our storage space for collections is even more limited; many of our collections are currently stored under less-than-ideal conditions. Work space is also at a premium, and staff and volunteers work very closely, in every sense of the phrase.
Our primary need is 5,000 square feet of climate-controlled, masonry-constructed, collections-storage space. That space also needs a fire suppression system. We have witnessed devastating losses at other organizations due to fire; even when the fire is put out before it can do any damage, water used to extinguish the blaze causes its own brand of destruction.
We also need roughly 1,000 square feet of rotating exhibit space, which will give us the opportunity to address many facets of Issaquah’s past, and share a variety of artifacts and images with guests.
The city has been one of our most generous supporters over the years, providing the space that we work in along with most funding needed to pay staff. The museums also generate roughly $50,000 annually through other grants, donations and earned income.
When we launch a capital campaign for a new museum facility, the support of the city – both the government and residents – will be critical to our success. City support will also continue to help us leverage funds from other sources.
If you haven’t had an opportunity to visit the museums recently, I invite you to come take a look at your community’s history at the Gilman Town Hall or the Issaquah Train Depot (location and hours available on our Web site at www.issaquahhistory.org).
Erica S. Maniez
Museums director Read more
Skyline gymnasts beat Garfield
December 22, 2009
It took Skyline High School gymnast Amy Bearman a couple of weeks to recover from a concussion during practice, but by the time the dual meet with Garfield rolled around, she was in full form. Read more
Help provide emergency aid to those in need
December 22, 2009
It’s life’s unexpected bumps that often cause people to seek emergency financial aid. They hate to ask, they are humbled, but they’re at the end of their rope. Read more
Challenger enters race against Rep. Anderson
December 22, 2009
Dean Willard
The race to represent Issaquah in Olympia kicked off last week, months before voters receive ballots.
Dean Willard, a Sammamish resident, former T-Mobile executive and Democrat, entered the 2010 race for the state House seat held by Glenn Anderson.
Anderson, a Fall City Republican, was first elected to represent the 5th District in 2000, and re-elected subsequently.
Willard said the district has changed since Anderson was elected almost a decade ago. The first-time candidate said he would work to convince voters to send “a more moderate representative” to Olympia.
Willard cited population growth in the district, and said new residents helped shift the character from rural to suburban.
Voters “are looking for a pragmatic Democrat who is interested in solving problems,” he said.
Anderson said he looks forward to the contest. He noted the challenges lawmakers face due to the recession and fewer dollars for state programs.
“We live in a time where just because there is so much anxiety and economic stress, we are going to be living with the consequences of these elections for a long time into the future,” Anderson said. “I think it’s a good thing to have robust debates about where do we go and how do we do it. We all benefit from that. And if Mr. Willard has something to contribute, then all the better.”
Glenn Anderson
Anderson filed paperwork in June with the state Public Disclosure Commission in order to raise money for a 2010 re-election bid. The incumbent had raised about $19,000 by late December, records show.
Anderson plans to step up campaign activities after the legislative session wraps in the spring.
“You’re supposed to be the voice of what people are trying to get accomplished, as opposed to tooting your own horn about what your self-important perception is,” Anderson said. “People don’t like that too much.”
Willard, a former vice president at Bellevue-based T-Mobile, works as an information technology and security consultant. The local state Democratic committeeman volunteered for Joe Mallahan, the T-Mobile executive who lost a bid last month to become Seattle mayor. He also volunteered for Democrats in past 5th District races.
Willard said as a Democrat he could be a more effective representative than Anderson. Democrats control both houses in the Legislature. Gov. Chris Gregoire is also a Democrat.
Anderson was re-elected last year. He garnered about 52 percent of the vote over challenger David Spring.
Anderson is the ranking member on the House Higher Education Committee. He also serves on the Capital Budget and Education Appropriations committees.
Besides Issaquah, Sammamish and Fall City, the 5th District includes Snoqualmie, North Bend, Maple Valley and parts of unincorporated King County.
Issaquah drill team takes first place in Renton invitational
December 22, 2009
Dancers from Liberty High School perform their drill routine. Dancers from 20 high schools performed at the competition. By Tim Pfarr
Hazen High School in Renton hosted its first invitational dance competition Dec. 12, and dancers from Issaquah and Liberty high schools attended, along with dancers from 17 other high schools from around Western Washington.
Issaquah’s drill team took home first place in the military category.
“We had a basketball game last night that we ran through both of them at,” Rochelle Eixenberger said the day of the competition regarding her teams’ routines. “They were really excited to come out and do it today.”
The Issaquah team performed a pom routine in addition to its drill routine; dancers from Liberty performed a drill routine. Read more
Judge sentences Issaquah couple in mortgage fraud case
December 22, 2009
NEW — 2:58 p.m. Dec. 22, 2009
Issaquah real estate agent David Sobol and his wife, Alla Sobol, were sentenced to two years in prison for involvement in the largest mortgage-fraud case in state history, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced last week.
Agents arrested the Sobols and five others in late March after a wide-ranging investigation into a $47 million mortgage fraud scheme.
The leader in the mortgage scheme, Bellevue resident Vladislav Baydovskiy, was sentenced last week in U.S. District Court in Seattle to five years in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring to commit bank fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud and filing a false tax return.
“You went from one scheme to the next,” U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman said during the sentencing hearing. “When you saw regulators closing in you opened the next.”
County Council donates used vans to nonprofits
December 22, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. Dec. 22, 2009
King County Council members donated 27 retired Metro Vanpool vehicles to provide transportation assistance to local governments, community programs, senior citizens and young adults.
The retired vans have been part of Metro Transit’s vanpool fleet for at least six years and have reached the end of their service life. When the vans reach this age, they are considered surplus and sold.
The Musik Nest presents Kindermusik / Dec. 11, 2009
December 21, 2009
Port Blakely asks City Council to delay gas station vote
December 21, 2009
NEW — 9:20 p.m. Dec. 21, 2009
Port Blakely Communities asked the City Council to delay a planned Monday night vote to allow a gas station in the Issaquah Highlands.
The highlands developer asked the council to postpone the vote until Port Blakely addresses commercial development in the hillside community. The council was set to consider a change to the agreement between and the city and Port Blakely to allow a highlands gas station, banned when the agreement was drafted due to concerns about groundwater contamination.
Proponents and Port Blakely executives billed the gas station as a cutting-edge “energy station” with alternative fuels and electric-vehicle charging stations.
“Conversations about the energy station with both the city and the local community have been very productive over the past few months,” Port Blakely President Alan Boeker wrote in a Dec. 21 letter to Mayor Ava Frisinger. “The strong merits of the energy station, however, are often overshadowed by a larger question — the timing on the successful development of a vibrant mixed use town center.”
