Issaquah bus driver qualifies for international ‘roadeo’
July 19, 2011
Joe Lee maneuvers a school bus during the driving portion state roadeo. By Madeline Lee
Rookie Kelly Rupp started driving school buses this year, but the greenhorn has already earned himself a place at the international school bus “roadeo.”
Rupp placed second at the Washington Association for Pupil Transportation State Roadeo on June 26 in Yakima. His co-worker, Joe Lee, placed 16th out of 26 competing bus drivers.
Rupp began driving this year after seeing how much his children liked their bus drivers.
“I have a daughter who goes to Beaver Lake and a son who goes to Endeavour,” he said. “I was watching my kids get on the bus and I would see the impact the bus driver has on a child’s day.”
He started driving in November, and hit the books with his colleagues in February, studying for the Annual Puget Sound Regional Bus Roadeo Competition, held May 14.
Bus drivers and coaches Becky Flaherty and Kathy Garrison volunteered to prep them for the roadeo.
“The roadeo is really about safety,” Rupp said. “Our job is to get kids to and from school. The rodeo is about knowing your rules and regulations.”
Cardboard keys take beginner musicians way beyond ‘Chopsticks’
July 19, 2011
Issaquah piano teacher Carolyn Carson’s fingers flew across the keyboard, and although she pressed on the keys, her sonata was silent.
Bobbie Anderson, David Hewett, Sally Allen, XiaoLing Yue and Sharon Bestwick (from left), play piano on their cardboard keyboards at Providence Point’s Communiversity. By Carolyn Carson
Instead of teaching on a piano or an electric keyboard, Carson instructs her students on cardboard keyboards.
The Providence Point resident began teaching her neighbors how to play the piano in January through Communiversity. Demand for her classes was so high that she began offering two sessions for her 13 students.
Piano student Sally Bahous Allen hasn’t played the piano since she was a girl in Palestine. At Communiversity, Allen said she likes playing on a cardboard keyboard because she can take it home with her to practice.
“I don’t have a piano at home, which is really devastating,” she said.
During class, Carson tapes her cardboard keyboard to the wall and shows the fingering to her students. The cutout’s keys are the same size as a regular keyboard, so when the time comes, “We are prepared to put our fingers on the piano,” Allen said. “It’s just the same.”
The students take turns playing a real piano, and everyone plays in class recitals on a real instrument.
Teaching piano allows Carson to spread her joy for music. As a child, she would listen to her grandfather, a tailor in New York, sing arias all day. She began taking piano lessons at age 6.
“I was one of those weird kids,” Carson said. “I didn’t mind practicing.”
‘Deathly Hallows’ casts a spell over local Harry Potter fans
July 19, 2011
“It’s the end of our childhood,” said Rebecca Solem, 18, one of about 50 or so Harry Potter fans lined up outside the Regal Issaquah 9 Theatre on July 14.
Jamie Loudon (left) and Lauren Loudon dressed in 'Harry Potter' garb to await the opening of the final film in the series at midnight July 14 at the Issaquah 9 Theater. By Tom Corrigan
With a fancy hat and a shawl, Solem was one of many who showed up in costume for the occasion, the release of the last film of the “Harry Potter” movie franchise.
Solem’s spot on the sidewalk outside the movie house also was occupied by several other characters from the books and films, most notably Albus Dumbledore complete with wizard robes and long, flowing beard.
At least a few of the costumed crowd had arrived as early as 9 that morning to be among the first to see “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.”
The movie started playing at 12:01 a.m. July 15.
“We all grew up on ‘Harry Potter,’” Solem continued, by way of explaining her initial comment, with which her six or seven cohorts agreed.
Solem noted the first “Potter” book was the first book she read on her own. Megan Winter, 18, said her father used to read her the first few books. Several others in the crowd quickly shook their heads in agreement, saying one parent or the other had initially hooked them on the tales of the young wizard.
Birthday celebration helps others with rare developmental disorder
July 19, 2011
Dalean Pack prepares to blow out the candles on her 23rd birthday cake. By Dale Pack
Dalean Pack smiled as friends and family wished her a happy 23rd birthday at the Lake Sammamish Elks Lodge No. 1843 on June 16. But the party was more than just a birthday celebration.
Dalean, who was diagnosed with pachygyria soon after birth, is the Washington Elks Therapy Program for Children poster girl. The party was also a fundraiser for the program.
Dalean, of Preston, was originally diagnosed with lissencephaly, a gene-linked brain malformation that results in the absence of folds, called gyri, in the cerebral cortex.
“Doctors said she wouldn’t make it past her first year,” Dalean’s father Dale Pack said.
Eastside Fire & Rescue directors explore agency’s future structure
July 19, 2011
Veto power among ideas being considered
The Eastside Fire & Rescue board of directors decided July 14 to form a sub-committee that will probe possible changes to its governance structure — including the veto power that individual partners now hold regarding adding additional partners to the agency.
EFR is an amalgamation of King County fire districts 10 and 38 and the cities of Issaquah, Sammamish and North Bend.
The study of EFR’s structure follows the completion of a different study that examined the possibility of a regional fire authority — essentially an independent taxing district that would have moved the fire services bill from cities’ general funds to residents’ property tax bills. EFR members have been pondering the future of fire service in the area once the agreement that underpins the agency expires in 2014.
Mark Mullet, an Issaquah city councilman and one of the city’s two representatives on the board, said the study showed that Issaquah residents would have paid $1.17 per $1,000 of assessed value for fire service under a regional fire authority; they pay the equivalent of 83 cents per $1,000 through the city’s general fund now.
Road construction starts in Issaquah Highlands
July 19, 2011
Motorists should prepare for street construction in the Issaquah Highlands soon. The eastbound lane of Northeast High Street is closed and traffic is being diverted into a single lane in each direction through July 22. The lane closure allows room for construction.
In addition, motorists should expect to see police officers directing traffic at Northeast Discovery Drive and Highlands Drive Northeast through July 21 as crews conduct signal relocation work. The signal should be restored by 3:30 p.m. on construction days, and police plan to direct traffic while the signal is offline.
Therapies help pachygyria sufferers
July 19, 2011
Pachygyria is a neuronal migration disorder that results in too few gyri, or folds in the brain, according to Seattle Children’s pediatric neurologist Alexander Paciorkowski.
Isolated pachygyria means that only one part of the brain is affected; extensive pachygyria signifies that most of the brain is absent of gyri. The condition is closely related to lissencephaly, a term used to describe the condition of a brain that is completely smooth.
Pachygyria is classified as a rare condition. Neurologists and geneticists consider rare conditions to arise in less than 1 in 2,000 people. Though in most cases it is genetic, sometimes pachygyria can be caused by infection early in a pregnancy.
During fetal development, neurons must migrate from their place of origin deep inside the brain to their proper neural circuits near the brain’s surface. Neuronal migration, which can occur as early as the second month of gestation, is controlled by chemical signals. Neurons that settle outside of their designated locations cause the brain to develop structural abnormalities.
King County advises keeping pets’ shots up to date
July 19, 2011
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” is a saying that applies to the health of your pets as much as it applies to you, according to the Regional Animal Services of King County.
Routine immunizations are important to the life and health of your furry friends.
“Vaccines are one of the wonders of modern medicine,” said Sue Moriyasu, veterinary medical director at Regional Animal Services. “Just as in humans, initial immunizations and boosters are vital to ensuring that your pet lives a long, healthy and happy life.”
The list of vaccine-preventable animal diseases is long, county officials said, but they reported that two illnesses seem to be making their way through the county: panleukopenia, or feline distemper, and parvovirus in dogs. The closely related viruses spread easily, are resistant to most disinfectants and can live on contaminated surfaces for years. Illnesses caused by the viruses often are fatal to kittens or puppies.
Symptoms of both illnesses may include diarrhea, vomiting, loss of appetite and lethargy.
“Even with aggressive treatment, up to 90 percent of kittens and cats infected with panleukopenia die,” Moriyasu said. “Parvo can be treated more successfully if caught early, but treatment is expensive and not guaranteed. That is why it is to important to get your new kitten or puppy vaccinated immediately and to be sure to go back to your veterinarian for boosters.”
Moriyasu said the viruses never would be eliminated from our environment, making the best treatment easily available and highly effective vaccinations.
“And just because your cat or dog lives inside does not mean they are not vulnerable to vaccine-preventable illnesses,” Moriyasu added. “Being a responsible pet owner includes making sure your pet is protected against disease, and routine immunizations from your vet can help you do that.”
State Department of Ecology nixes litter hotline amid cuts
July 19, 2011
The state Department of Ecology tossed a statewide litter hotline amid budget cuts.
Starting July 15, callers to the “Litter and It Will Hurt” campaign hotline started to hear a recorded message saying the state is no longer accepting reports of littering.
The service accepted litter violation reports from citizens and followed up by sending educational letters to the owners of vehicles suspected of littering.
Officials reduced the agency’s Waste Reduction, Recycling and Litter Control Account — the funding source for the state’s litter prevention and cleanup activities — by $7 million for the 2011-13 budget.
The account’s main revenue source is a tax on industries producing items responsible for contributing to the litter problem.
5th District Republicans plan picnic to celebrate, plot future course
July 19, 2011
The state’s 5th Legislative District includes, of course, Issaquah and neighboring cities such as Sammamish and stretches east into the mountains past North Bend. And, as many probably know, it’s somewhat of a special place for Republicans.
While there are no major races specific to the 5th District this year, Republicans from the area will gather to celebrate their achievements and plot a course for the future during their annual summer picnic from 3-6 p.m. July 23 at Pine Lake Park in Sammamish.
The park is off 228th Avenue Southeast. The event is free and open to the public.
Representing the Klahanie area, Terry LaBrue is an area chairman for the 5th Legislative District Republicans. He said the district is the only one in what he called the “suburban crescent” around the Puget Sound to have all Republican representation at the state level.
State Sen. Cheryl Pflug and state Reps. Jay Rodne and Glenn Anderson all usually have an “R” near their names, as in “Republican.” LaBrue added that Republicans have held those seats since at least the 1990s.
