Investigators probe suspicious package at office building
January 18, 2011
A first responder’s hazardous materials suit lies on the ground as Eastside Fire & Rescue firefighters and Issaquah police officers gather after the lock down of the Lake Place Office Center on Jan. 13. By Greg Farrar
Issaquah Police Department and federal agents continue to probe a suspicious package delivered to a North Issaquah office building late last week.
Police said emergency crews mobilized at about 2 p.m. Jan. 13 after receiving reports of a package containing a suspicious powder. Eastside Fire & Rescue and Issaquah Police Department teams responded to the building in the 1600 block of Northwest Sammamish Road, after workers reported concerns about the contents in a package sent to the business. Read more
Science and language arts curriculum update planned
January 18, 2011
The Issaquah School District is preparing to adopt new curricula this June: one for elementary school science and another for high school language arts.
District administrators try to update curricula every seven years, but sometimes budget cuts get in the way. The elementary science curriculum was last updated in 2003, but the wait has been longer for high school language arts — it was last updated during a three-year period from 1999-2001.
Some parents said they felt unsettled after last year’s math curriculum adoption, saying the district did not allow them enough input, especially because a group of parents disagreed with the curriculum that the Issaquah School Board approved. Read more
City plans to count vehicles using Interstate 90 Undercrossing
January 18, 2011
Mayor Ava Frisinger (right) addresses city staffers at the opening ceremony for the Interstate 90 Undercrossing on Jan. 11. By Greg Farrar
Motorists continue to discover Fourth Avenue Northwest, a shortcut beneath Interstate 90, and the city plans to start counting the number of vehicles using the undercrossing as early as next month.
The undercrossing opened to traffic in mid-December after the city resolved legal challenges and concerns about the potential impact on the environment. Mayor Ava Frisinger, flanked by the crown-and-robe-clad King and Queen of Issaquah, Nathan Perea and Renee Zimmerman, snipped the ribbon on the road during a Jan. 11 ceremony.
Construction on the undercrossing started last May. Read more
County seeks volunteers to upgrade habitat along regional trails
January 18, 2011
King County boasts more than 180 parks, 175 miles of regional trails and 130 miles of backcountry trails — and leaders need citizens’ help soon to maintain the system.
The county Department of Parks and Natural Resources needs volunteers to pitch in to plant native vegetation to enhance stream corridors, forests and wetlands. The process improves wildlife habitat, because the plants provide shade, help keep water cool, and control runoff and erosion.
The agency has numerous projects planned in the Issaquah area — including in 3,115-acre Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park — and in the Issaquah Creek basin. Read more
Effort to preserve dwindling species is a team effort
January 18, 2011
Darin Combs, Issaquah Salmon Hatchery manager, lifts a screen to reveal a tray of 3,100 fertilized Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon eggs. By Greg Farrar
Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon used to turn the creeks branching from the lake to the color of rust as thousands of fish headed upstream to spawn.
The once-plentiful fish has declined in recent decades, perhaps due to construction near the tributary creeks, increased predators, disease or changes in water quality.
But the imperiled fish has received a boost from local, state and federal officials in recent seasons.
Scientists started to comb the tributary creeks for spawning salmon late last year and, during the ongoing spawning season, King County and local, state and federal agencies coordinated efforts to restore the species. Read more
Issaquah man faces charges in Metro Transit vanpool crash
January 18, 2011
Prosecutors charged a 27-year-old Issaquah emergency medical technician for smashing a pickup into a King County Metro Transit Rideshare van along Interstate 90 in September.
The early morning crash injured the vanpool passengers and snarled the commute near Issaquah for hours, as emergency crews cut trapped people from the crumpled van.
Douglas Burt Henderson faces a vehicular assault charge for the Sept. 24 incident. Read more
City Council nixes Park Pointe committee as deal nears finish
January 18, 2011
City Council members decided to eliminate the committee responsible for the Park Pointe preservation deal as the council updated the way members conduct business.
The council nixed the Major Planning & Growth Committee and redistributed the responsibilities of the former group Jan. 3. The group handled agreements related to the proposed transfer of development rights between forested Park Pointe on Tiger Mountain and the Issaquah Highlands. The proposal is on track to be completed in the months ahead.
“This last year, there was an awful lot of major activity with the TDR and with the Central Issaquah Plan,” Council President John Traeger said. “This year, we’re down to the Central Issaquah Plan and it’s kind of in autopilot mode. It’s working on its own timeline now.” Read more
Michael Cisneros joins Issaquah Tutta Bella
January 18, 2011
Michael Cisneros has joined the team at the Issaquah Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeras as kitchen manager in charge of back-of-the-house operations and food preparation.
Cisneros joined Tutta Bella as a line cook in 2009 at the Stone Way Tutta Bella prior to being promoted to kitchen manager in December 2010. He received his formal culinary training and an associate’s degree from the Culinary Institute of America.
Cisneros has been in the restaurant industry for 20 years in many positions.
Planners OK restaurant overhaul at Issaquah Commons
January 18, 2011
The city Planning Department has OK’d modifications to turn a former copy center into a restaurant.
Planners approved a permit Dec. 16 to remodel the exterior of the former FedEx Office in the Issaquah Commons shopping center along Northwest Gilman Boulevard.
Plans call for the 6,600-square-foot commercial space to become Wildfin American Grill.
The tenant plans to add a timber entry structure, space for outdoor dining area and planters. The plan calls for some minor parking modifications. The exterior of the building is also to be modified to include metal canopies, a fresher color scheme and stone wainscoting.
FISH holds steady in 2010, but challenges remain
January 18, 2011
Memberships buoyed Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery and helped the nonprofit organization finish in the black for 2010, but challenges exist in the year ahead.
The organization experienced a 27 percent increase in funds due to more memberships last year. Employees reined in expenses and FISH finished about 5 percent under budget estimates for the year. The steps helped to offset a drop in legacy donations last year.
FISH also relies on grant dollars from Issaquah and Sammamish.
Issaquah provides grant dollars to the organization each year, but FISH has lacked a key source of funding since cash-strapped King County dropped funding for the organization last year. FISH used a $23,750 grant from Issaquah to fund operations last year. Read more
