Teens hurt after high-speed crash in Sammamish
July 21, 2011
NEW — 8 a.m. July 21, 2011
Medics rushed three teenage boys to the hospital early Thursday morning after a high-speed crash near Beaver Lake.
The speeding car lost control, tore through a fence and then slammed into a tree near Southeast 25th Way and Beaver Lake Way Southeast, about a half-mile east of Beaver Lake Park.
Eastside Fire & Rescue crews extricated the boys from the mangled wreck of the white Subaru and transported them to the hospital. Officials described the injuries as not life-threatening and expect all of the teenagers to survive.
Crews had to use the Jaws of Life to pull two of the boys from the crashed car.
Residents in the area called 911 just after midnight to report a loud crashing noise.
The investigation into the crash continues.
Council honors Bellevue College leader, advocate for Issaquah campus
July 21, 2011
Outgoing Bellevue College President Jean Floten (center) is joined by King County Council members during a recognition ceremony Monday. Contributed
NEW — 6 a.m. July 21, 2011
On Monday, King County Council members lauded outgoing Bellevue College President Jean Floten, the college’s longtime leader and a staunch advocate for building a satellite campus in Issaquah.
The recognition came as she ends a 22-year tenure at the Eastside campus.
Issaquah girl, 9, is in critical condition after 14-vehicle pileup
July 20, 2011
NEW — 4:45 p.m. July 20, 2011
The 14-vehicle pileup along westbound Interstate 90 in Bellevue on Wednesday morning involved six Issaquah residents, including a 9-year-old girl sent to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition.
Just before 8 a.m., as traffic slowed due to congestion near the Interstate 405 interchange at 133rd Avenue Southeast, a tractor-trailer jackknifed into a loaded logging truck in the adjacent lane.
“For whatever reason, whether the semi truck was going too fast, wasn’t paying attention or a combination of the two, for the conditions, he didn’t seem to see that traffic had stopped until the last second,” said Sgt. Keith Trowbridge, a Washington State Patrol spokesman. “At that point, he tried to put the brakes on, but he jackknifed and went into the log truck.”
The impact dislodged the rear axle of the logging truck.
Outdoor Channel honors Liberty High School graduate wounded in Iraq
July 20, 2011
NEW — 2 p.m. July 20, 2011
Retired U.S. Army Spc. Rory Dunn, a 2000 Liberty High School graduate, survived devastating injuries caused by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Now, as a display of gratitude for Dunn’s sacrifice, the Outdoor Channel whisked the former soldier deep into the heart of Texas for a whitetail deer hunt. Crews filmed the expedition for “Grateful Nation” — a show about disabled veterans on a hunt alongside host Tim Abell, a former Army Airborne Ranger.
Dunn’s episode is scheduled to air at 1:30 p.m. Thursday and 4:30 p.m. July 24 on the Outdoor Channel, channel 406 on Comcast.
In the episode, Dunn returns to South Texas and the Catarosa Ranch in the famed “Golden Triangle” of big game hunting.
Dunn also made a surprise appearance on “Grateful Nation” last year to reunite with a combat buddy.
Crash snarls morning commute for Issaquah motorists
July 20, 2011
NEW — 8:25 a.m. July 20, 2011
Expect delays on westbound Interstate 90 near Issaquah due to a multivehicle crash at 133rd Avenue Southeast.
The state Department of Transportation said a load spilled from a logging truck. The crash encompassed other vehicles as well.
Bellevue Fire Department and Washington State Patrol crews responded to the scene. The extent of the motorists’ injuries is unknown.
The traffic backup stretched from 150th Avenue Southeast in Bellevue to state Route 900 in Issaquah — about five miles of roadway — just after 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Eastbound traffic on the interstate is unaffected.
Deep Metro Transit cuts could halt Issaquah bus route
July 19, 2011
Route 200 is on chopping block as transit agency faces steep service reduction
Metro Route 200 bus riders Christina Martin and Paul Vranesh chat July 18 on their way from their residences in downtown Issaquah to work on Gilman Boulevard. By Greg Farrar
The proposed cuts to King County Metro Transit could create obstacles for commuters on cross-town trips, especially if the agency abolishes Issaquah-centric routes.
Protection decision is due soon for Lake Sammamish kokanee
July 19, 2011
The long process to add the dwindling Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon to the endangered species list inched ahead July 12, as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service agreed to make decisions soon about the salmon species and more than 700 animal and plant species under consideration for federal protection.
Under a legal agreement between the agency and environmentalists, the Fish & Wildlife Service is required to decide by the end of the year whether the Lake Sammamish kokanee proposal should proceed.
Taylor Goforth, a spokeswoman for the Fish & Wildlife Service in Lacey, said the agreement does not change the plan, because the agency intends to release a decision during the same timeframe.
“It’s still under review and we’re aware of the deadline and we plan to make it,” she said.
Local environmental groups, governments and the Snoqualmie Tribe petitioned in 2007 to list the landlocked salmon species as endangered.
Man is unlikely to be charged for death in Lake Sammamish State Park shootings
July 19, 2011
In year since firefight, officials determine Renton man acted in self-defense
The man responsible for a death in a Lake Sammamish State Park shootout last July acted in self-defense and is shielded from prosecution under state law.
King County prosecutors and investigators said a then-21-year-old Renton man gunned down Justin Cunningham, 30, amid the July 17, 2010, shootout. Investigators also determined that Cunningham shot and killed Yang Keovongphet, 33, before the Renton man killed Cunningham.
Ian Goodhew, deputy chief of staff for King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg, said investigators relied on forensic evidence from firearms used in the gun battle and bystanders’ interviews to re-create the chaotic moments in the park at about 9 p.m. on a Saturday, just after sunset.
Investigators determined Cunningham pulled a gun as a disagreement between groups picnicking in the park escalated into a fistfight. Then, gunshots ruined the calm night.
“When you’re getting shot at, or your friends or your group people are getting shot at, then you shoot back, it’s in self defense,” Goodhew said.
Though the Renton man does not face a charge related to the state park death, sheriff’s office investigators recommended a possible charge for unlawful firearm possession. The sheriff’s office said the man cannot possess firearms due to a prior felony conviction.
Issaquah girl, 12, sentenced for Facebook cyberbullying
July 19, 2011
A 12-year-old Issaquah girl received a suspended sentence July 13 for posting lewd photos and messages on a classmate’s Facebook page, but she can continue to access the social-networking site, albeit under adult supervision.
The sentence includes 20 hours of community service in addition to supervision for all computer use. King County Juvenile Court also ordered the girl to write a letter of apology to the 12-year-old classmate targeted in the incident.
If she completes all conditions of the deferred sentence and stays out of trouble for six months, the court intends to dismiss the charges for first-degree computer trespassing, a felony, and cyberstalking, a misdemeanor.
Prosecutors said the girl and a classmate, a then-11-year-old, posted explicit photos and sent solicitations for sex from the account for Issaquah Middle School student Leslie Cote. Her family asked for media outlets to name Leslie in news coverage to draw attention to cyberbullying and Facebook misconduct.
Issaquah mother is on the mend after close call
July 19, 2011
Sarah Bower doesn’t remember much of what happened Aug. 24.
Nate Bower (left), daughter Sage and wife Sarah are all smiles in their Issaquah home, 11 months along in Sarah’s recovery. By Greg Farrar
All she remembers is the pain in her head and side.
Expecting and overdue, Sarah and her husband Nate Bower attributed the pain to her pregnancy. He drove her to the hospital, where a situation like a horror movie unfolded.
First, Sarah had a stroke. Doctors performed a Cesarean section, delivering her daughter Sage to safety.
Physicians diagnosed Sarah with HELLP — hemolysis, elevated liver enzyme levels and a low platelet count — a rare condition in pregnant women that can elevate blood pressure, the likely culprit of her stroke.
When Sarah didn’t respond to normal reflexes, doctors rushed her to a CAT scan. The scan revealed she had bleeding in her brain, causing it to swell. As a Jehovah’s Witness, Sarah would not accept a blood transfusion. Nate agreed to let doctors use a drug not yet approved by the FDA for the procedure on his wife.
The drug worked, stopping the bleeding.
“It was clearly a very dangerous situation,” Swedish neurosurgeon Gregory Foltz said. “She was definitely at risk of dying from the hemorrhage in the brain, not to mention the HELLP syndrome.”
