Issaquah marijuana collective fights for license
April 19, 2011
Lydia George holds buds of medical marijuana from two of the several jars at the GreenLink Collective. Physicians can recommend but not prescribe the drug. By Greg Farrar
The reception area at GreenLink Collective, a medical marijuana collective nestled on a leafy street in downtown Issaquah, resembles a doctor’s office.
The decision to incorporate soothing colors and a bubbling aquarium in the lobby is no coincidence.
Interstate 90 pedestrian bridge is late, over budget
April 19, 2011
Opening is delayed until at least June
The spindly pedestrian crossover bridging the westbound on-ramp at Interstate 90 and state Route 900 is at least $200,000 over budget and not expected to open until June, months after the expected completion date.
Blame unstable soil at the site and soggy conditions for delaying the connector from April until early summer. The additional construction could increase the $6 million project budget. City Public Works Engineering Director Bob Brock said planners could ask the City Council to authorize additional dollars for the project, depending on the remaining construction.
“We would like to get it done sooner, but we recognize that this has been a very wet winter, and it just keeps going,” he said.
The long-planned connector at the bustling intersection experienced a construction slowdown last fall after crews needed to dig deeper to find a solid layer to support the piers beneath the bridge. The rain-soaked winter and spring also caused construction to proceed at a slower pace.
Plans call for the completed connector to include a separate 12-foot-wide pedestrian bridge across the westbound interstate on-ramps. Crews also modified the existing state Route 900 overpass to install a 10-foot-wide pedestrian crossing.
The city relied on federal dollars and a $400,000 grant from Sound Transit to offset most of the project cost. The city contributed about $341,000 for the connector and is responsible for cost overruns.
Construction on the project started last July.
State Senate recommends leaner budget for trails
April 19, 2011
The state Senate proposed a less-generous budget last week for Issaquah-area outdoor recreation projects than the state House of Representatives.
Senators released a budget proposal April 12, a week after legislators from the other chamber recommended $2.18 million to upgrade trails and recreation areas.
Senators proposed reductions of more than $600,000 for local projects, trimming a Cougar Mountain trail project to $127,000 from the $500,000 recommended by the House and reducing Duthie Hill Park trailhead development to $55,000 from the $317,000 recommended by the House.
Lawmakers from both chambers agreed on Washington Wildlife and Recreation Program funding for the other Issaquah-area projects.
Senators also recommended $247,870 to build bridges on Tiger Mountain State Forest trails, plus $500,000 to pave East Lake Sammamish Trail from Redmond to Issaquah.
Both proposals include dollars for Covington and Snoqualmie Valley projects.
Issaquah community’s ‘green’ achievers observe Earth Day
April 19, 2011
Earth Day is observed April 22, but some Issaquah-area residents celebrate the eco-conscious holiday year-round.
As people elsewhere take initial steps to “green” vehicles, volunteer for earth-friendly activities, reduce carbon footprints and make homes and gardens more earth-friendly, the Issaquah community includes avid recyclers, car-free families and “green” homeowners.
Issaquah resident Kent Peterson, who traded his car for a bike more than 20 years ago, leads a procession of well-wishers as he departs last year for Banff, Alberta, the starting line for the 2,745 mile Tour Divide race. By Greg Farrar
Recycling to superstar status
Wayne Elson started recycling cans and bottles more than 30 years ago — long before recycling became as simple as a trip to the curb.
Salmon Days unveils ‘wild’ festival theme
April 19, 2011
The venerable Salmon Days Festival turns 42 in October, but the long-running festival is anything but tame in middle age.
Organizers picked the theme “Wild Things!” for the upcoming festival to celebrate the return of kings, reds, silvers and chums — the kind of salmon lingo preferred by organizers of the fish-centric festival.
2011 Salmon Days Festival theme
Like she has for the past 17 festivals, Issaquah designer Robin Dale Spicer created the logo.
Robin Kelley, festivals director at the Issaquah Chamber of Commerce and the chief Salmon Days organizer, described the “Wild Things!” theme as “exciting and fun, with whimsical characters that embrace all aspects of the community we serve.”
Organizers planned to announce the theme at a chamber function April 19.
Issaquah astronaut spearheaded museum’s space shuttle effort
April 19, 2011
The space shuttle simulator bound for The Museum of Flight boasts the same look and feel as a full-fledged orbiter, down to the switches on the instrument panels.
Bonnie Dunbar, a retired astronaut and Issaquah resident, said the soon-to-be-retired simulator offers a “high-fidelity feel of the vehicle” and a glimpse of day-to-day life in orbit.
NASA did not select The Museum of Flight as a site for a retired space shuttle April 12, despite a yearslong effort to land a coveted orbiter. Dunbar led the push to secure a shuttle for the museum.
The space shuttle orbiter full fuselage trainer, at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, will come to the Museum of Flight after the end of the shuttle program. By NASA
Instead, the Seattle museum is due to receive a full-fuselage space shuttle trainer for the 15,500-square-foot Space Gallery under construction. Dunbar and every other shuttle astronaut used the trainer to prepare for space flight.
“If you went down to the next tier below the actual vehicle, this would it,” she said. “These are the simulators the crew trains in before flight.”
Astronauts use the trainer to prepare for spacewalks and emergency egress from the shuttle. The interior includes equipment, lockers and a galley almost identical to the systems inside actual orbiters.
Native kokanee fry released in historic ceremony
April 19, 2011
Seventy-five kokanee fry swam in a small camping cooler by Laughing Jacobs Creek, unaware they were surrounded by federal, state, county and city administrators, as well as concerned citizens — all people intent on helping the native salmon survive in the wild.
The Issaquah Salmon Hatchery teamed up with the Lake Sammamish Kokanee Work Group and dignitaries from the city all the way to the federal level for the second annual kokanee fry release at Hans Jensen Park on April 18.
Last year, the group released the kokanee at Ebright Creek in Sammamish, and next year the release will be celebrated at Lewis Creek in Issaquah.
Jessica Leguizamon, 10, watches kokanee salmon fry swim away from her Dixie cup into Laughing Jacobs Creek as her sister Sabrina, 5, waits her turn and their grandfather, Gary Smith, looks on. County environmental scientist Hans Berge makes sure the release is done properly. By Greg Farrar
“This fry release is a critical part of our kokanee recovery and restoration efforts,” David St. John, Department of Natural Resources government relations administrator, said.
He outlined the group’s goals: preventing kokanee extinction and restoring a diverse and native habitat for the salmon.
“In our last run there was probably 100 fish, so we’re at low numbers, extremely low numbers,” St. John said.
A normal run for kokanee usually extends into the hundreds or thousands, he said in a later phone interview.
Blaze destroys barn near Issaquah
April 19, 2011
Flames destroyed a barn in a community six miles south of downtown Issaquah early April 14, but a pair of chickens roosting inside at the time escaped unharmed.
Firefighters battle a barn blaze in the Four Lakes community near Issaquah early April 14. By Debbie Berto
Firefighters extinguished the flames, although the structure collapsed in the blaze. The incident occurred just before dawn in the 24000 block of Southeast 167th Street in the Four Lakes community, off Cedar Grove Road Southeast.
Neighbors called 911 after seeing 30-foot flames leaping from the wooden structure just after 5 a.m.
Units from Eastside Fire & Rescue and Maple Valley Fire & Life Safety responded to the fire as news helicopters thudded overhead.
No injuries occurred as a result of the fire. The chickens — a hen and a rooster — escaped from a coop inside the burning structure.
“We opened the door, but they didn’t want to run out,” EFR Capt. Michael Geppert said. “We had to carry one out and shoo the other out while he was squawking at us.”
Eagles fall prey to Wolves’ six-run rally, lose 6-5
April 19, 2011
Heather Benjamin, Issaquah High School catcher, slams the first home run of her career to clear the outfield fence in the fifth-inning that also scored pitcher Brielle Bray on April 15 against Eastlake High School. By Greg Farrar
The Issaquah High School softball team had one bad inning, but often that is all it takes to determine the outcome of a game.
Issaquah was sailing along with a 2-0 lead April 15 when everything that could go wrong did. Visiting Eastlake capitalized on errors by the Eagles to score six runs in the fourth inning, and that was just enough as the Wolves posted a 6-5 4A KingCo Conference victory. Read more
Issaquah jostles for first in boys 4A soccer logjam
April 19, 2011
Jason Lichtenberger might be the Nostradamus of 4A KingCo Conference boys soccer. Entering the season the Issaquah High School boys coach predicted it would be another close race for the top spot in the standings.
Lichtenberger’s crystal ball is as clear as ever. Entering this week four teams, including Issaquah, were tied for first place. Two other teams were just three points out of first place.
These traffic jams are getting common in 4A KingCo soccer. When last season’s league play ended, three teams tied for first place and two were just one point behind the leaders.
“I knew it was going to be tight this season,” Lichtenberger said. “I knew Skyline was going to be real strong, and that Newport, Eastlake and Garfield would be real good. So it’s not surprising that it’s close at the top.”
