FBI: Issaquah bank robber hit Bellevue bank, too
July 26, 2011
Images captured on surveillance video from Sterling Savings Bank in Issaquah show the accused robber. Contributed
NEW — 4:10 p.m. July 26, 2011
The Seattle office of the FBI is asking for help in tracking down a suspect in two bank robberies, including the hold-up of the Issaquah branch of Sterling Savings Bank on July 22.
Bacteria detected in East King County air, but poses no health threat
July 26, 2011
NEW — 1:45 p.m. July 26, 2011
Monitors detected a bacteria capable of causing infectious tularemia in a daily air sample from East King County on Monday, but public health officials said the bacteria level is low, close to the detection limit and does not pose a threat.
Officials said a later test detected none of the bacteria in the air.
Since establishing a federal air-monitoring system in 2003, similar positive test results related to the naturally occurring bacteria have been common elsewhere in the United States. The bacteria detection Monday is the first time a sample in the Puget Sound area tested positive.
The bacteria, Francisella tularensis, is found throughout Washington and is commonly carried by rabbits, squirrels and other rodents. Tularemia rarely infects people. Only one to 10 human cases occur statewide in a typical year.
Construction starts on 17 Talus townhouses
July 26, 2011
Plans call for the completed Centerra at Talus neighborhood to feature 17 townhouses. Contributed
NEW — 11:45 a.m. July 26, 2011
Intracorp, a Seattle real estate company, is building 17 townhouses in Talus, a 630-acre urban village on Cougar Mountain.
Construction is under way in the Centerra at Talus neighborhood and Intracorp expects sales on the three-level units to start soon.
County Council seeks input on proposed fee to bolster Metro Transit
July 24, 2011
NEW — 8 p.m. July 24, 2011
King County residents can offer input on a proposed $20 vehicle-tab fee to boost struggling Metro Transit at a County Council public hearing Monday.
The steepest proposed reduction in Metro Transit service could eliminate Route 200 in Issaquah and Route 927, a link between downtown Issaquah and the Sammamish Plateau, as early as next year.
County Executive Dow Constantine proposed the vehicle-tab fee — billed as a congestion-reduction charge — for 2012-13 to generate funds for Metro Transit. If the fee is not enacted, Metro Transit plans to start widespread service cuts in February.
Testimony on the vehicle-tab fee is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. Monday at the King County Courthouse, 516 Third Ave., Seattle.
Issaquah girl, 9, injured in 14-vehicle pileup, dies
July 23, 2011
NEW — 9 p.m. July 23, 2011
Rachel Beckwith, a 9-year-old Issaquah girl injured in a 14-vehicle pileup in Bellevue, died Saturday afternoon from injuries sustained in the July 20 crash.
Rachel and a 2-year-old sister rode in a Lexus sedan as the girls’ mother, Samantha Paul, as a tractor-trailer jackknifed into a loaded logging truck and spurred the chain-reaction crash.
Medics rushed seven people, including a handful of Issaquah residents, to area hospitals in the aftermath. Only Rachel sustained life-threatening injuries.
The teaching pastor at at EastLake Community Church, Jeremy Johnson, said Paul suffered head injures in the early morning crash, but is expected to recover. The younger daughter escaped without major injuries.
Issaquah Sterling Savings Bank robbed Friday
July 22, 2011
NEW — 5:15 p.m. July 22, 2011
A man walked into Sterling Savings Bank at about 2:10 p.m. Friday and left with an undisclosed amount of cash, according to Issaquah police.
Issaquah Police Sgt. Bob Porter said an initial search for the suspect — a search that included the use of a K-9 unit from another jurisdiction — proved unsuccessful. Officials were unable to gain much information as to what direction the man headed after leaving the bank or what type of vehicle he may have been driving.
“He just basically walked out of the bank and into that big parking lot,” Porter said, referring to the large retail parking area outside the bank at 705 N.W. Gilman Blvd.
Lakeside Recovery baseball season ends
July 22, 2011
NEW — 1:10 p.m. July 22, 2011
The Lakeside Recovery Senior American Legion baseball team had two chances to qualify for the upcoming AAA state tournament, but fell short in a pair of games Thursday in a Super Regional tournament at Bellevue’s Bannerwood Park.
Lakeside Recovery entered the day coming off a 12-0 victory against the Tacoma Cobras in the opening round Wednesday.
The local club then faced the Spokane Blue Devils, who also won their opener, in a game where the winner automatically advanced to the state tournament. However, Lakeside Recovery lost to the Spokane Blue Devils, 3-2. With the loss, Lakeside Recovery still had a chance to advance to the state tournament if it could beat the Kennewick Bandits.
But the season came to an end for Lakeside Recovery when it lost to the Kennewick Bandits, 8-5, in a loser-out, winner-to-state game.
King County OKs rainwater as sole drinking water source
July 22, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. July 22, 2011
King County residents can now rely on cloudbursts as a thirst quencher.
On Thursday, the county Board of Health approved a measure to allow rainwater captured from roofs as the sole residential water source for single-family homes on septic systems. Under older rules, rainwater could only be used as a supplemental source.
The board acted in response to residents interested in building eco-conscious homes.
Kathy Lambert, a board member and Issaquah’s representative on the King County Council, proposed adding rainwater-catchment systems as a tool for another water source.
“Extending public water lines or digging a well are not always available or feasible in rural and rugged areas of King County, or they can be so expensive to install that they render a lot unbuildable,” she said in a statement. “The ability to utilize rainwater will be a particular advantage in mountainous areas of the county with terrain and soil conditions that make it difficult to site a well and on-site sewage system that do not interfere with each other.”
Share opinions about bike paths at Bike Night Issaquah
July 21, 2011
NEW — 2 p.m. July 21, 2011
Sponsored by the Cascade Land Conservancy, Bike Night Issaquah, slate for Thursday evening, is a chance for residents or anyone concerned to bike around some of the city’s bike paths and share their opinions on those paths with bike and pedestrian experts, and other community members.
The bike ride begins and ends at the Issaquah Brewhouse, 35 W. Sunset Way. The bike ride starts at 6 p.m. Trail discussions will be held at 7 p.m. At 8 p.m., participants are invited to the brewhouse to watch coverage of the Tour de France.
The bike ride will essentially take you in a loop from the brewhouse down and across Front Street to a spot on the Issaquah-Preston Trail. The route then heads back to the brewhouse on the opposite side of Interstate 90.
Lakeside Recovery baseball hammers Cobras
July 21, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. July 21, 2011
Mike Paulson, a former Issaquah High standout, and Dan Altchech, of Newport, each pounded out two hits to support the pitching of Travis Snider, of Skyline, Wednesday as the Lakeside Recovery Senior American Legion baseball team hammered the Tacoma Cobras 12-0 in the a AAA Super Regional tournament game at Bellevue’s Bannerwood Park.
Lakeside Recovery plays the Spokane Blue Devils at 4 p.m. Thursday with the winner advancing to the state tournament next week in Selah. The loser plays either the Kennewick Bandits or Cobras for a state tournament berth.
Altchech drove in three runs and Paulson, who played at Walla Walla Community College in the spring, knocked in one run. Snider pitched a complete game, striking out seven and not allowing a walk.
Lakeside Recovery scored 10 runs in the fifth inning.
The victory evened Lakeside Recovery’s record at 21-21.
