Spring can cause headaches for humans as wildlife raises young
May 31, 2011
Springtime means more sunshine, balmier days — and wildlife reproduction season.
Homeowners often report nuisance animals in springtime, as the birds and the bees give birth to and raise young.
The most common nuisance calls to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife offices relate to skunks and raccoons. The animals find crawl spaces, outbuildings, and other nooks and crannies to set up housekeeping for babies. Homeowners fear potentially nasty encounters between the animals and pets or children.
In addition, squirrels, rabbits, moles, marmots, bats, snakes and starlings preparing to raise families create other potential nuisances around homes.
YWCA construction prompts street closure
May 31, 2011
Prepare for a nighttime street closure as crews install a pedestrian bridge from the YWCA Family Village at Issaquah to the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride.
The project is scheduled to take place at 12:30 a.m. June 8. The installation is not expected to last more than two hours.
Due to the detour of Highlands Drive Northeast onto Ninth Avenue Northeast between Northeast High Street and the north end of Ninth Avenue, work must take place at night. In addition, crews and King County Metro Transit had to coordinate around bus schedules.
The contractor plans to notify residents within 500 feet of the project site.
TalkingRain removes calories from Twist Essence Water
May 31, 2011
Preston-based TalkingRain Beverage Co. has reformulated Twist Essence Water into a zero-calorie beverage.
Twist Essence Water is now naturally sweetened with stevia and enhanced with antioxidants.
TalkingRain touted the reformulation as part of a push to offer healthy beverage options.
“With the obesity epidemic ravaging this country, TalkingRain is joining the crusade to provide healthy beverage options to consumers by reformulating Twist to be a tasty, zero-calorie alternative to sugar-laden beverages,” TalkingRain President Kevin Klock said in a news release. “We are excited about the fantastic new taste, and are optimistic that both children and adults alike can learn to love water all over again without feeling like they are being deprived.”
The former Twist Essence Water contained nine calories per serving.
Bellevue homebuilder purchases 48 Issaquah Highlands lots
May 31, 2011
Taylor Development, a Bellevue-based real estate firm, is joining Issaquah Highlands developer Port Blakely Communities to foster development in the Harrison Street neighborhood, a ritzy collection of custom homes perched on Grand Ridge.
The real estate firm purchased 48 lots in the neighborhood for $6.36 million. Taylor Development and Port Blakely announced the deal May 23.
The sale encompasses more than half of the lots along Harrison Street. The neighborhood includes about 90 home sites. So, far 35 have been sold, and of those, 24 are completed or under-construction.
The neighborhood features a panorama — on clear days, at least — of the Bellevue and Seattle skylines, plus the Olympic Mountains.
Weiseth, Hall
May 31, 2011
Sue Weiseth and Ryan Hall, both of Columbus, Ohio, announce their engagement to be married in mid-September 2011.
Ryan Hall and Sue Weiseth
The bride to be, the daughter of Dave and Chris Weiseth, of Sammamish, is a 2011 graduate of Skyline High School.
The future groom, the son of Marjie Penn, of Gahanna, Ohio, and Ben Hall, of Sunbury, Ohio, is a graduate of Gahanna Lincoln High School.
There are both enrolled in an ASL interpreter certificate program at Columbus State Community College. Ryan is also a self-employed guitar instructor.
‘Fresh’ film explores industrial food system
May 31, 2011
The municipal Resource Conservation Office is offering something fresh for filmgoers.
“Fresh,” the film, celebrates farmers, thinkers and business people in the midst of reinventing the food system.
The free film is at 6:30 p.m. June 30 at the King County Library Service Center, 960 Newport Way N.W. Participants can arrive early for a chance to talk to experts and exhibitors, and to enjoy a light snack. Call 837-3400 to learn more.
The film explores the darker impacts of industrial agriculture: food contamination, environmental pollution, depletion of natural resources and obesity. “Fresh” also highlights healthier and sustainable alternatives for the future.
Participants can also learn about local food in Issaquah.
Vivienne Helena Wyrwinski
May 31, 2011
Piotr and Ashley Wyrwinski welcomed daughter Vivienne Helena to their Issaquah home Sept. 18, 2010.
Vivienne Wyrwinski
She was born in Bellevue, weighing 8 pounds, 6 ounces and measuring 19 1/2 inches.
She joins brother Aidan, 6.
Grandparents are Jeanne Passmore, Helena Wyrwinski and Wieslaw Wyrwinski.
Municipal League seeks volunteers to rate candidates
May 31, 2011
Help the Municipal League evaluate candidates as campaign season readies for fall frenzy.
The league is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to accountable, effective and open government. The organization needs volunteers to serve as members of candidate evaluation committees.
The groups include people of diverse ages, backgrounds and political philosophies to evaluate people running for local offices in King County.
Submit applications at www.munileague.org by June 3. Call 206-622-8333 to learn more.
Municipal League ratings attempt to answer a fundamental question for voters: How well could the candidate do the job?
Volunteers dedicate a few weeknights in June and July to research, interview and rate candidates. Volunteers must also refrain from active involvement in campaigns or political parties during the election season, and must step aside from the ratings process if they have connections to any candidate.
The league bases a candidate’s rating on four criteria — knowledge, involvement, effectiveness and character — as well as his or her potential to serve the community.
The goal is to provide voters with a nonpartisan view in order to make informed choices in the primary and general elections.
Celebrate National Trails Day on Cougar Mountain
May 31, 2011
Lend a hand on Cougar Mountain to mark National Trails Day.
Join the Washington Trails Association for the occasion, June 4, for a work party on the mountain. The event is designed for families and children 10 and older. Sign up at the organization’s website, www.wta.org, or call 206-625-1367.
State Commissioner of Public Lands Peter Goldmark and the state Department of Natural Resources encourage residents to celebrate the 19th annual National Trails Day by volunteering on state and public lands.
Volunteers play a key role in keeping state recreation areas open and safe for the public.
The public helps maintain trails and facilities, picks up litter, participates in work parties, provides information to visitors, and alerts law enforcement to illegal activities. Each year, volunteers spend tens of thousands of hours working to improve recreation on state-managed lands.
Innovative zHome community opens Sept. 14
May 31, 2011
The opening date is Sept. 14 for zHome, a groundbreaking cluster of carbon-neutral townhouses under construction in the Issaquah Highlands, the project manager announced May 3.
Construction is scheduled to conclude earlier, but the additional weeks should allow crews enough time to prepare the units for public open houses. The grand opening is scheduled on the same day as the Built Green Conference, a yearly gathering for building industry professionals interested in eco-conscious practices.
Plans call for tours to run from the conference at Pickering Barn to zHome in the highlands. Brad Liljequist, zHome project manager, announced the opening date.
The project is designed to produce as much electricity as residents consume — hence the zero-net energy name — and is meant to be a leader in energy and water conservation.
Construction crews also used a high percentage of salvaged, reclaimed and local materials to build zHome.
Construction on zHome started last April, after Howland Development Issaquah — a joint venture between Shoreline developer Howland Homes and Japanese homebuilder Ichijo Co. subsidiary Ichijo USA — teamed up to build and finance the project.
