City counts 219 bicycle commuters on Bike to Work Day
May 31, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 31, 2011
The city Resource Conservation Office declared National Bike to Work Day a success in Issaquah.
Cascade Bicycle Club, the largest such organization in the United States, helped put on Puget Sound’s F5 Bike to Work Day event May 20.
Issaquah set up a station at state Route 900 and Northwest Sammamish Road to count cyclists, offer bike repairs and hand out snacks. Officials counted 219 cyclists on Bike to Work Day in Issaquah — more than last year but shy of the record 254 from 2008.
Participants met bike commuters coming from as far away as Duvall and headed as far as Kent.
Metro Transit lassos awards at international ‘roadeo’
May 31, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. May 31, 2011
King County Metro Transit employees lassoed the gold at the 36th Annual International Bus Roadeo.
The team of bus operator Michael Grady and mechanics Ryan Stringfellow, Larry Fitzpatrick, and Arvin Vulliet placed first in the combined competition to win the Grand Champion Award from the American Public Transportation Association last week.
“Our bus operators and mechanics can justifiably be called the best in North America, and this award reflects well upon them all,” County Executive Dow Constantine said in a news release. “Their skills, their training, and their ability to react quickly to challenging situations are put to work every day in service to our customers here in King County.”
Crews start construction on highlands’ College Drive
May 30, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 30, 2011
Construction has started on Northeast College Drive in the Issaquah Highlands.
Plans call for College Drive to snake for about a half-mile behind Grand Ridge Elementary School and link to the existing street grid at Central Park. The road is meant to serve as access to a Bellevue College campus planned for the highlands.
In addition, the road through The Highlands at Wynhaven apartment complex is due to be improved and turned into 15th Avenue Northeast. College Drive is planned to form a T-shaped intersection at 15th Avenue.
The road project is occurring at the same time as residential construction on nearby land. The project is ultimately meant to provide another east-to-west access point to Falls Drive Northeast.
Meet the finalists for law enforcement oversight post
May 30, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. May 30, 2011
The search committee appointed to select candidates to direct King County’s new Office of Law Enforcement Oversight is holding a public hearing so residents can meet the potential candidates as the committee interviews finalists.
The hearing is 6 p.m. Thursday in the County Council Chambers, 10th Floor, King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave., Seattle. Or, watch the meeting live on King County TV, Channel 22 on Comcast and Broadstripe.
The county established the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight to ensure the integrity of the King County Sheriff’s Office complaint and investigation process, including the resolution of complaints. The independent agency is part of the legislative branch of county government.
Options abound for dumping household hazardous waste
May 29, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 29, 2011
Ditch old alkaline batteries without tossing them into the garbage at a household hazardous waste disposal facility in King County.
“Batteries come in all sizes, shapes and purposes, and it has been confusing for residents who are trying to dispose of them safely,” Jay Watson, Local Hazardous Waste Management Program administrator, said in a news release. “Residents can bring in alkaline batteries, as well as lead acid, button, lithium, Ni-Cad and other rechargeable batteries for disposal. We appreciate that they are using our services to keep pollutants like mercury out of our environment.”
Some of the batteries contain mercury and other dangerous materials.
Find a disposal location or call the Household Hazards Line at 206-296-4692 or 1-888-869-4233.
State urges horse owners to protect against West Nile virus
May 29, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. May 29, 2011
Now is the time for horse owners to vaccinate animals against West Nile virus.
The state veterinarian issued the reminder last week, as mosquito season approaches. Veterinarians have had success is using vaccines for protection against West Nile virus, a potentially fatal disease in horses.
Owners should plan to protect horses as soon as possible even though veterinarians confirmed no equine cases of West Nile virus in Washington last year, State Veterinarian Dr. Leonard Eldridge said.
State health officials detected the virus in two dead birds and more than 100 mosquito samples last summer. In addition, two human cases of West Nile virus developed.
Prevent wildfires on Memorial Day and all summer
May 28, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 28, 2011
The state Department of Natural Resources urges outdoors enthusiasts to help prevention wildfires during Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer.
Though the weather remains on the cool side, the extended holiday weekend should attract a higher-than-average number of visitors to public forests.
Help prevent wildfires by clearing debris around campfire pits and using a shovel and water to completely extinguish campfires. The state urges people to be cautious and only build campfires in approved pits in acceptable areas.
Firefighters have responded to 51 wildfires so far in 2011.
Memorial Day weekend serves a water safety reminder
May 28, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. May 28, 2011
Rivers make for inherently dangerous places to play — especially in the springtime as water flows high, swift and cold.
King County public safety officials and emergency responders stand on extra alert for spring and summer, because unusually heavy amounts of mountain snow is melting into local rivers. In addition, a tumultuous winter flood season changed river channels and reoriented logs.
The conditions create a recipe for river recreation tragedy.
“King County rivers are running fast and cold and are always extremely dangerous this time of year,” King County Sheriff Sue Rahr said in a statement. “But 2011 could bring even higher risks. We want to get the word out ahead of the Memorial Day weekend and before the next hot weather forecast that people should stay out of the rivers at this time.”
Prepare for Memorial Day schedule changes
May 27, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. May 27, 2011
Memorial Day means closures and schedule changes in Issaquah and elsewhere.
Issaquah City Hall, King County and state offices close. So do federal offices, including post offices.
King County Metro Transit operates on a Sunday schedule May 30 for Memorial Day.
For Metro Transit service, if a bus route does not usually operate on Sunday, then no service is offered on Memorial Day.
In addition, all Metro offices close on the holiday, including the customer information phone lines. Use the online Trip Planner for travel assistance.
Sound Transit also operates on a Sunday schedule for Memorial Day.
Most state-run liquor stores remain open for the holiday.
The state stores open at regular time — either 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. — and close at 7 p.m. Contract liquor stores may also open.
Issaquah School District puts laid off teachers on recall list
May 26, 2011
NEW — 4:05 p.m. May 26, 2011
Parents in the Issaquah School District can breathe a collective sigh of relief. Class sizes in the district will not increase next year.
The news stems from the proposed state biennial budget the state Legislature approved late Tuesday night.
After reviewing the budget for the past four months, the state House of Representatives and Senate approved a compromise budget that would lower the salaries of teachers and administrators, but would save the jobs of many district teachers.
Gov. Chris Gregoire has yet to sign the bill.
While school district administrators were waiting for the state Legislature to approve the 2011-13 budget, they had to renew teachers’ contracts by May 15. Unsure of the final budget, administrators came up with a worse-scenario plan that included layoffs for 36 teachers. The plan also axed the positions of 15 teachers who were leaving through normal attrition, bringing the total number of teacher reductions to 51.
