Judd Kirk, highlands mastermind, to leave Port Blakely
June 28, 2011
NEW — 9 a.m. June 28, 2011
Judd Kirk, a visionary behind the Issaquah Highlands urban village, is due to depart from highlands developer Port Blakely Communities on Thursday.
“Judd has brought an extraordinary breadth of skills and experience in community building, real estate and sustainable development to Port Blakely Companies,” Port Blakely Communities President Rene Ancinas said in a statement. “His creative ideas and collaboration with public officials, builders, residents and so many others helped create the successful community we have today.”
Following the long-planned move from Port Blakely, Kirk plans to serve as a consultant in the real estate industry.
Kirk served as Port Blakely Communities president from 1990 through December 2008, and later as senior real estate strategist for the company.
Issaquah police host women’s handgun safety course
June 28, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. June 28, 2011
Learn the safest way to pack heat at a women’s handgun safety class hosted by the Issaquah Police Department next month.
The class is from 6-9 p.m. July 12 and 14. It includes a day of instruction and a day of shooting.
The course is intended for women interested in building ability and confidence in handling a weapon.
The class size is limited. The cost is $60. Participants must be 18 years or older, and provide a weapon and ammunition.
Call Administrative Assistant Theresa Schaap at 837-3250 to learn more.
State liquor stores to offer expanded hours starting July 1
June 27, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. June 27, 2011
The state plans to roll out standardized hours at liquor stores July 1.
Under the existing system, hours for the state-run store in Issaquah and 165 other locations vary. Starting in July, the schedule for all state stores is to be 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. at the Issaquah store and 57 others open on Sunday.
“Having standard, reliable hours will be a significant improvement in convenience for our customers,” Sharon Foster, Washington State Liquor Control Board chairwoman, said in a statement. “It took an investment by the governor and Legislature to make it possible. We are excited and thankful to have this opportunity and look forward to providing this service to our customers and returning additional revenue as well.”
The liquor board received funding in the 2011-13 state budget to standardize state store hours. The change is projected to generate almost $800,000 in additional revenue through 2013.
Safety officials offer reminder as fireworks sales start
June 26, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. June 26, 2011
Independence Day revelers can start picking up fireworks at noon Tuesday, as retail stands open across the state.
The state Fire Marshal’s Office recorded 575 fireworks incidents last year — including 162 injuries; 50 injuries involved children under 14.
“There is much that can be done to protect children and others from fireworks injuries,” Fire Marshal Charles Duffy said in a news release.
In the Issaquah area, Issaquah Christian Church sells fireworks to benefit relief missions.
The state Fire Marshal’s office offers tips for fireworks safety: Read more
Issaquah man injured in wrong-way Everett crash
June 25, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. June 25, 2011
Police said an 18-year-old Issaquah man sustained serious injuries in a wrong-way crash along Interstate 5 in Everett during the Thursday evening commute.
The crash left a 54-year-old Everett man dead. State troopers identified the deceased driver as Eric M. Lans.
Police said Lans’ Mitsubishi sport utility vehicle left the northbound lanes south of 128th Street Southwest, drifted across the median and into the southbound lanes. Then, the vehicle sideswiped a Dodge SUV driven by the Issaquah man and crashed into another SUV.
Medics transported the Issaquah driver, Austin Abendroth, to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle to treat leg and pelvis injuries. Abendroth remained in serious condition in the intensive care unit Friday.
Kasen Williams is named Gatorade’s top track athlete
June 24, 2011
NEW — 11:45 a.m. June 24, 2011
Hopefully recent Skyline High School graduate Kasen Williams will have enough room on his trophy case for yet another award. Williams earned another honor Thursday when he was selected as the Gatorade Washington Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
In its 26th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Co., in collaboration with ESPN RISE, said in a release that Williams is the first Gatorade Washington Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Skyline.
The award recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track. Williams is now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year.
Landscaping goats return to munch across Issaquah Highlands
June 24, 2011
NEW — 9 a.m. June 24, 2011
The ruminants return Friday afternoon.
In a summertime tradition for Issaquah Highlands residents, a goat herd is due to start chomping across open space in the Wisteria Park neighborhood. Onlookers can also catch a glimpse of the goats from Davis Loop.
Then, a few days later, the action is due to shift west, to open space tracts near South Pond, just east of Central Park. Plans call for another herd of landscaping goats to arrive July 6.
The goats, a cheaper and more eco-conscious option than traditional clearing, eat tall grasses and invasive plant species, such as Himalayan blackberry and Scotch broom.
Issaquah’s Cougar Mountain Zoo unveils cougar cubs
June 23, 2011
Cougar Mountain Zoo's collection includes a trio of cougar cubs. Contributed
NEW — 8:30 p.m. June 23, 2011
Months after Cougar Mountain Zoo’s iconic cougar died, keepers unveiled a trio of month-old cougar cubs Thursday.
The cubs — one male and two females — should go on display July 16. In the meantime, zoogoers might see the cubs during unscheduled public appearances after July 1.
Lakeside Recovery baseball loses tournament opener
June 23, 2011
NEW — 11:30 a.m. June 23, 2011
The Lakeside Recovery Senior American Legion baseball team got solid pitching again Wednesday, but the club lost to the Puget Sound Roxx 3-2 in the opening round of the Palouse Summer Series in Pullman.
Lakeside Recovery, 13-7 on the season, took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. However, the Roxx scored three unearned runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good. Lake Recovery’s second run came in the bottom of the sixth.
Pitcher Connor Lawhead, a Skyline High School graduate, worked the first six innings and had four strikeouts.
Lakeside Recovery had two games June 23, playing the Ripps Brewers in the morning and the Seattle Sars Gold in the afternoon.
Donate to Issaquah organizations during fundraising drive
June 23, 2011
NEW — 11:30 a.m. June 23, 2011
The Seattle Foundation is staging the biggest day of charitable giving in King County history Thursday — and people can donate to numerous Issaquah-based organizations and groups serving local residents.
The foundation’s GiveBIG fundraising effort continues until 11:59 p.m.
GiveBIG invites people to make donations to almost 1,000 nonprofit organizations, including the Issaquah Schools Foundation, Village Theatre, Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, Habitat for Humanity of East King County, The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust and the Together Center.
The donations can then be stretched further using funds from a $500,000 “stretch pool” provided by The Seattle Foundation and GiveBIG supporters.
