City launches redo of Newport Way Northwest section
August 28, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 28, 2010
The contentious plan to redo bicycle lanes and a pedestrian path along Newport Way Northwest from state Route 900 to the city line has started.
City engineers do not expect the project to cause significant traffic delays.
The project calls for bike lanes to be added in both directions, plus a separated pedestrian path along the north side of the roadway along Newport Way Northwest from state Route 900 to Lakemont Boulevard Southeast, the city line.
Skyline football star Kasen Williams picks UW
August 27, 2010
UPDATED — 7:10 p.m. Aug. 27, 2010
Skyline High School star Kasen Williams has announced his plans to attend the University of Washington.
The 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior receiver was expected to pick the UW, and follow in the footsteps of his father, Aaron, who played receiver for the Huskies from 1979 to 1982.
Williams made the announcement at Spartan Stadium after a scrimmage Friday evening.
Williams recently narrowed his list to a final five that included Florida, Notre Dame, California, Louisiana State and Washington. In a radio interview earlier this week, he said his list was down to two schools but would not reveal the names.
Parents face choice after Issaquah Valley Elementary School falls short
August 27, 2010
UPDATED — 3:40 p.m. Aug. 27, 2010
Issaquah Valley Elementary School fell just shy of meeting standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act and is being sanctioned for not meeting standards in low-income reading.
This is Issaquah Valley’s second year in a row of not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress standards in low-income reading.
If a subgroup of students fails in reading or math, then the school or district does not meet AYP. Schools that do not meet AYP in a subgroup for two consecutive years face sanctions if they receive federal Title I dollars.
In the sanctions leveled against Issaquah Valley, the school will have to notify parents, give families the opportunity to send their children to another elementary school and pay for that transportation.
May Creek Bridge near Issaquah reopens to traffic
August 27, 2010
UPDATED — 1:40 p.m. Aug. 27, 2010
May Creek Bridge near the intersection of Southeast May Valley Road and state Route 900 has reopened to traffic after a summerlong closure.
King County crews built a $1.7 million May Creek Bridge to replace a timber-supported span across the north fork of May Creek.
Teams from MidMountain Contractors dismantled the aging bridge and built a modern replacement designed to include wider lanes and shoulders, and bear heavier loads.
Tutta Bella served more than $100,000 in free pizzas last week
August 27, 2010
NEW — 10 a.m. Aug. 27, 2010
Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizza doled out more than 8,000 free pies during a customer appreciation campaign last week.
The mini-chain offered free pizzas after garnering recent awards from the National Restaurant Association and the Washington Restaurant Association, plus the Independent Pizzeria of the Year honor from Pizza Today, a trade publication.
Tutta Bella served 8,451 pizzas — worth more than $100,000 — to about 20,000 diners during the weeklong campaign at pizzerias in Issaquah, Columbia City, South Lake Union and Wallingford.
Undercrossing construction alters access to post office
August 27, 2010
NEW — 8 a.m. Aug. 27, 2010
The entry to the Issaquah Post Office from the future Interstate 90 Undercrossing has closed for five weeks as crews build the north-south connector.
The post office can instead be accessed from a new driveway connected to Northwest Gilman Boulevard.
During the closure, crews plan to widen the road and add utilities. Work on lighting and traffic signals should continue as well. Poles for traffic signals could be installed as early as next week.
On the opposite side of the interstate, Southeast 62nd Street from East Lake Sammamish Parkway to the 600 block of 221st Place Southeast remains closed as crews construct a bridge. Plans call for utilities to be installed next week.
Issaquah nonprofit organization hosts pet adoption fair Saturday
August 27, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 27, 2010
Help a pet find a new home — and a dog receive medical attention — during a fundraiser and adoption fair Saturday.
Issaquah-based People United for Pets, or PUP, a nonprofit organization, needs to raise $2,500 to help a Chihuahua-terrier mix named Peso receive knee surgery.
In addition to the fundraiser, the organization has planned a pet adoption fair at Petco, 975 N.W. Gilman Blvd., from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Saturday. Learn more about the event here.
PUP hopes the surgery helps Peso become a better candidate for adoption. Dr. Thomas Fry, at Cascade Veterinary Specialists, has agreed to perform the procedure.
More chinook reach Issaquah Salmon Hatchery
August 26, 2010
Chinook salmon swim in Issaquah Creek near the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. By Larry Franks
NEW — 5 p.m. Aug. 26, 2010
Chinook salmon started to trickle to the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery on Wednesday, about a month after the first salmon reached Issaquah Creek.
The latest arrivals appeared at the hatchery a year to the day after the first chinook returned in 2009.
“This is really more on target with our normal first arrival,” Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery Executive Director Gestin Suttle said Thursday afternoon.
City parks picnic to go ahead in rain or shine
August 26, 2010
NEW — 10 a.m. Aug. 26, 2010
Bring ideas for the latest additions to the city parks system to a picnic — in rain or shine.
The city-hosted picnic at Tollë Anderson Park, 595 Rainier Blvd. N., starts at 5 p.m. Thursday. The city Parks & Recreation Department has tents ready to shelter picnickers from inclement weather.
The parks department planned the picnic for the 15.5-acre site in order for people to understand the terrain at Tollë Anderson, Cybil-Madeline and Issaquah Creek parks.
The city plans to spend up to $1.6 million to complete the plan and build the initial phase. Issaquah voters approved money to develop the parks in a 2006 bond. Conservation rules and requirements attached to land donations limit how the creekside parks can be developed.
Bare all Saturday at Nudestock music fest
August 26, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 26, 2010
Take it off Saturday at Nudestock, the annual music fest at Fraternity Snoqualmie, the nudist campground nestled in the Tiger Mountain forest.
Nudestock runs from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. The lineup includes the bluesy Mary McPage Band, the eclectic Kim Archer Band, Fraternity Snoqualmie member band Spicey C’eetoe — yes, the members perform nude — and Wired! — a Snohomish County outfit specializing in rockabilly and classic rock.
Find a complete list of Nudestock activities at the campground’s website. Call 392-NUDE (6833) for more information.
First-time visitors to Fraternity Snoqualmie receive a free one-day membership; return visitors pay regular day fees of $15 per person. Children can attend if accompanied by their parents, at no additional fee. The campground requires photo identification for admittance.
