State encourages hiring preferences for veterans
May 24, 2011
Issaquah attorney, lawmaker team up for groundbreaking legislation
Ted Wicorek (from right), J.W. Johnson, Booker Stallworth, Mike Gregoire, Gov. Chris Gregoire, Jim Robinson, Marjorie James, Rep. Jay Rodne, Sen. Jeff Baxter, David Black Jr. and Tom Hinman at the Wednesday signing ceremony. Contributed
David Black, a respected employment attorney and Issaquah resident, remembers the challenges his father, a Vietnam War veteran, faced after returning to the civilian workforce.
“He had a really hard time getting employment when I was growing up,” he said. “I remember him having three or four part-time jobs trying to piece something together, trying to make things work.”
Black stood alongside Gov. Chris Gregoire, state legislators and advocates late last month as the governor signed a first-in-the-nation measure to encourage private employers in Washington to hire veterans.
The legislation Black crafted and helped to pass enables private employers to voluntarily give preference to hiring veterans, or veterans’ widows and widowers.
Because the measure encourages, rather than requires, private employers to give preference to hiring veterans, the legislation does not run afoul of state or federal antidiscrimination laws. State law also prohibits employers from discriminating against job applicants due to military status.
“The way to encourage positive employment regulation that has a social origin or a social benefit as well is to make it permissive and to encourage it,” Black said.
Volcano Awareness Month is a reminder to prepare for disasters
May 24, 2011
Issaquah faces risk from volcanic ash amid Cascade eruption
Majestic Mount Rainier, peeping through the gap between Tiger and Squak mountains, stands as a constant reminder to prepare for emergencies.
The looming volcano, like Mount Baker to the north and Mount St. Helens to the south, is active and although geologists do not expect Mount Rainier to erupt anytime soon, emergency planners remind residents to prepare. May is Volcano Awareness Month.
“It’s one of the things where we actually have to remind people that a volcano is one of our hazards,” said Bret Heath, city Public Works Operations and emergency management director. “Everybody looks at Mount Rainier down in the valley there on a nice day and goes, ‘Ah, beautiful mountain’ — until it goes off.”
Issaquah sits outside the area under threat from Mount Rainier lahars, a debris-strewn mudflow streaming from a volcano, but volcanic ash, or tephra, could impact transportation and air quality in East King County. In the area surrounding the mountain, lahars pose a greater hazard than lava and poisonous gases.
Though lava flows might not extend more than a few miles beyond Mount Rainier National Park boundaries, lahars could reach as far north as South King County.
Heath and other emergency planners identify volcanic eruptions as a potential threat to Issaquah.
Carolyn Driedger, hydrologist and outreach coordinator at the U.S. Geological Survey Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Wash., said numerous volcanoes in the Cascade Range remain active.
The Issaquah Press is best in Northwest
May 24, 2011
The Issaquah Press is the best nondaily newspaper in the Pacific Northwest — again.
The regional Society of Professional Journalists chapter announced the paper’s general excellence award at a Safeco Field ceremony May 21. The newspaper competed against similar publications in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Washington.
The 111-year-old publication earned the top award for general excellence last year, too.
“To win this award two years in a row is a real high for The Press,” Publisher Debbie Berto said. “Is it possible for a publisher to be more proud? Our newspaper team, from reporters to advertising reps, is all very dedicated, and they deserve to be recognized as the very best that they are. The community should be proud to have their hometown newspaper be No. 1.”
The annual contest honored more than 200 journalists for accomplishments in print, online, radio and television media. Judges from outside of the region evaluated more than 2,500 entries.
Staffers at The Press, and sister publications Sammamish Review and SnoValley Star, also claimed individual awards in numerous other categories, including a sweep in the Environment and Science Reporting category.
Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District rates to increase
May 24, 2011
Rates for water and sewer service rise for some Issaquah residents June 1, as the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District confronts a cool economy and increased costs.
The increase amounts to about 13 percent overall — or a $6.74 monthly hike for the average ratepayer.
The district encompasses North Issaquah neighborhoods, including Providence Point, and Klahanie in unincorporated King County. The district is in the process of annexing Issaquah’s Overdale Park neighborhood.
The district’s commissioners approved the rate increase in a 4-1 decision May 23, increasing water rates by 12.7 percent and sewer rates by 13.5 percent — the largest increase the district has made in at least five years.
District General Manager Jay Krauss and Finance Manager Angel Barton cited the down economy, sluggish construction market and increases in the costs of doing business for the 51-employee agency. High gas and electricity prices, as well as employee wages and benefits, also contribute to the rate hike.
Overall, the district serves more than 16,000 customers in Issaquah, Sammamish and unincorporated King County. Beyond the district, Issaquah provides water and sewer service to most city residents, although Bellevue handles the Greenwood Point area along Lake Sammamish.
Issaquah VFW post plans Memorial Day service
May 24, 2011
The Issaquah Veteran of Foreign Wars Post 3436 hosts a Memorial Day service at Hillside Cemetery, just below the Veterans Section, at 10 a.m. May 30.
The Issaquah High School Junior Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps unit will provide the color guard and honor guard for a 21-gun salute.
The VFW-sponsored Boy Scout Troop No. 709 and Cub Scout Pack No. 639 will help set up at 9 a.m. May 28 and take down decorations from the cemetery after the ceremony. There will be someone at the cemetery between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday to hand out forms for people to specify the symbols — such as crosses and flags — they want on veterans’ graves.
In case of inclement weather, the ceremony will be held at the Issaquah Valley Senior Center, 75 N.E. Creek Way.
City Council sells highlands land to Bellevue homebuilder
May 24, 2011
City Council members agreed May 16 to sell Issaquah Highlands land — a scrap measuring 16,000 square feet — to a homebuilder and set aside dollars from the sale to improve municipal parks.
The city stands to receive $191,496 for the parcel near the planned 15th Avenue Northeast extension and Northeast College Drive construction.
Bellevue-based developer Polygon Northwest is building the Forest Ridge at Issaquah Highlands neighborhood near the site and intends to add the parcel to the community.
The homebuilder could create three lots for single-family detached homes on the site.
“As a new member to the Issaquah Highlands community, we want to do what’s in the best interest of the community, and we feel that this fits that goal,” Ben Rutkowski, development project manager for Polygon Northwest, told council members.
The council agreed in a unanimous decision to sell the land, but members raised questions about how to use dollars from the sale, as well as road access to possible homes on the site.
Keith Niven, city Major Development Review Team program manager, said the city created the site after carving up a larger parcel.
Costco joins push to privatize liquor sales
May 24, 2011
Issaquah-based Costco and a group of retailers and restaurants ordered another round May 20 in the push to privatize liquor sales and distribution in Washington.
The group filed a ballot initiative to allow a limited number of retail stores to sell liquor. If the initiative passes, eligible stores must have at least 10,000 square feet of fully enclosed retail space within a single structure or, in areas without larger stores, meet Washington State Liquor Control Board requirements.
In addition to Costco, the group includes the Northwest Grocery Association and the Washington Restaurant Association.
“This initiative will modernize the wholesale distribution and retail sales of liquor in a way that increases consumer choice and convenience, and increases state and local revenues, while continuing to protect public safety and strictly regulate the distribution and sale of liquor,” Northwest Grocery Association President Joe Gilliam said in a release.
“Under the initiative, an estimated 1,500 grocery and retail stores would be eligible to apply for a license to sell liquor. The initiative would prohibit liquor from being sold at gas stations and small convenience stores,” Gilliam said.
Costco led a push last year to privatize liquor sales through Initiative 1100, but 53 percent of voters rejected the measure. The company employs 2,700 people in Issaquah, more than any other business.
The initiative must go through the state process to establish a ballot title before petitions can be printed. Supporters expect signature gathering to begin in about a month. If supporters gather enough signatures, the measure could appear on the November ballot.
Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
State removes hurdle for cities in need of disaster assistance
May 24, 2011
Floodwaters inundated Snoqualmie in January 2009 and, even as nearby Issaquah dried out from a major flood, officials sent equipment to the other flood-plagued city.
Issaquah and other local governments previously needed to negotiate a patchwork of interlocal agreements among local governments, law enforcement agencies and emergency service providers in order to receive aid from other jurisdictions during a disaster.
Under legislation signed last month, asking for help from other agencies in Washington is simpler for Issaquah and other local governments.
Bret Heath, city Public Works Operations and emergency management director, said the measure allows local governments to request aid from other jurisdictions in Washington, even if the parties do not have interlocal agreements in place.
“Prior to this, it was easier to bring resources in from out of state than it was from other counties,” he said.
The measure could serve a crucial need during a regional disaster, such as a major earthquake.
“Typically, during those types of emergencies, all of the jurisdictions in King County are in the same boat, if you will,” Heath said. “We’re not in a position where we can share resources with each other, because we’re all maxed out. So, we need to bring resources in from outside.”
Issaquah Relay for Life raises $240,000
May 24, 2011
About 900 people walked around the track at Skyline High School on May 21-22, honoring friends and family at the Relay for Life of Issaquah.
In spite of rainy weather, 78 teams and more than 50 cancer survivors spent the night at the track, raising money for the American Cancer Society.
As of May 23, participants had raised a gross amount of $240,000. The event’s organizers hope to raise another $10,000 in tax-deductible donations by the Aug. 31 deadline through the website www.issaquahrelayforlife.org.
Though it rained on the luminaria ceremony, which invited participants to light tea candles in bags decorated with the names of people who lived with cancer, the atmosphere was still empowering, American Cancer Society community relations manager Aimee Martin said.
“I think it was symbolic of that somber moment,” she said. “There was something to be said about the rain and having it come down, because it is a sad time.”
The images on the luminaria bags looked like watercolor paintings, making them all the more beautiful, she said.
“The rain continued throughout the night, but people were troopers and they pushed through,” she said. “It goes to show the strong community that Issaquah has and the support people have for the American Cancer Society every year.”
County adopts plan to prevent offenders from returning to jail
May 24, 2011
King County leaders accepted a plan May 9 to prevent offenders from returning to jail, and to help former offenders transition from incarceration to society.
The decision enables the county to access funds through the federal Second Chance Act, a measure meant to provide social services to prevent recidivism among former offenders.
The legislation authorizes federal grants to government agencies and nonprofit organizations to provide employment assistance, substance abuse treatment, housing and other services.
“I was pleased to put together a motion calling for the plan in July, and I am more pleased that we have adopted that plan,” Councilman Reagan Dunn, prime sponsor and Issaquah-area representative, said in a statement. “During these times of seriously declining resources, we need to do everything we can to position ourselves to compete for resources.”
Congress recently authorized $83 million for Second Chance Act programs. The federal government awards grants to local and state governments for the implementation of re-entry programs for released prison and jail inmates. In order to be eligible for the funds, local governments must put a re-entry program in place.
The program adopted focuses on coordinating human services and criminal justice activities.
“This plan puts King County in the position to seek federal funding for programs and services aimed at reducing recidivism,” Councilman Bob Ferguson, the council’s Law, Justice, Health and Human Services Committee chairman, said in a statement. “Setting people up for success after being released from jail improves public safety, and improves outcomes for those individuals and their families.”
The decision burnishes both councilmen’s records on crime fighting in the race for state attorney general.
Ferguson, a Democrat, entered the race in February. Dunn, a Republican, is considering a bid for the office.
Observers expect current Attorney General Rob McKenna to enter the race for governor in the months ahead.
Warren Kagarise: 392-6434, ext. 234, or wkagarise@isspress.com. Comment at www.issaquahpress.com.
