See the Seattle Storm, help YWCA celebrate milestone
August 25, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 25, 2011
See the Seattle Storm face the Tulsa Shock — and support YWCA of Seattle-King-Snohomish.
The reigning champion Storm plays the Shock at 7 p.m. Thursday at Seattle’s KeyArena.
The celebration comes as the nonprofit organization surpasses the halfway mark in the $26.5 million Women Empowered Community Campaign, a fundraising effort to provide services for women and families.
Funds from the campaign helped build YWCA Family Village at Issaquah, a 146-unit complex in the Issaquah Highlands. Residents started settling in during late spring.
So, the YWCA is inviting people to the Storm game for a chance to celebrate. Tickets cost $6 and the YWCA is providing snacks. Order the discounted tickets at the YWCA website.
Game attendees can also go down on the court and be a part of the fan tunnel cheering the players.
Residents donate 400 pounds of scraps for trash-to-treasure composting effort
August 24, 2011
King County EcoConsumer Tom Watson mucks around in a pile of more than 400 pounds food scraps from Issaquah residents Wednesday. By Warren Kagarise
NEW — 12:50 p.m. Aug. 24, 2011
The half-gnawed corncobs, shorn pineapple tops, slippery banana peels and grease-stained pizza boxes simmered in the midday sun — a concoction assembled from the kitchen castoffs of 10 Issaquah families.
The festering pile in Donna Misner’s driveway included more than 400 pounds collected from residents in the Sycamore neighborhood near downtown Issaquah. King County joined the residents to increase food-scrap recycling for a month for a month to accomplish dual goals: demonstrate how easy such recycling can be and turn the garbage into rich compost for a community garden.
Find local, regional DUI patrol locations online
August 24, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 24, 2011
State traffic officials revealed the locations of planned driving under the influence patrols on a website for motorists.
Before hitting the road, steer to waTikiLeaks.com to find police patrols in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. The interactive map includes dates, times and locations for planned DUI patrols, such as the emphasis on Issaquah roads during Labor Day weekend.
Though sharing information to help motorists potentially avoid tickets and arrests might seem counterintuitive, officials said the website is another method to promote safe and sober driving on a community level.
The website also features a mobile version, so users can view the information on smart phones, and sharing options to post information to Twitter or Facebook.
Issaquah, Tibbetts water quality is good, but concerns remain
August 23, 2011
Michael Friel, 10, brushes dirt off a curb, as his dad Mike (left), Molly Caskey and her son Ian, 10, glue the back of a Puget Sound Starts Here tile to glue next to a storm drain in the Issaquah Highlands. By Greg Farrar
The creeks crisscrossing Issaquah remain in good condition, despite increased construction nearby, a population boom in the surrounding watershed and, alongside both developments, more potential for pollution.
Planners propose 11 projects to restore chinook, kokanee habitat
August 23, 2011
On the East Fork of Issaquah Creek at Third Avenue Northeast and Northeast Creek Way, plans call for the rockery bank wall to be removed and a log weir to be created. By Greg Farrar
Creeks leading to Lake Sammamish could serve as staging areas in the years ahead for a bold plan to restore salmon habitat.
The regional Lake Sammamish Kokanee Work Group has proposed 11 projects in Issaquah and Sammamish to restore habitat for chinook salmon — a species protected under the Endangered Species Act — and dwindling Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon.
The once-abundant kokanee has declined in recent decades, perhaps due to construction near creeks, increased predators, disease or changes in water quality. Scientists estimated the total 2010 run at 58 fish, including the 40 kokanee spawned at the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery in a last-ditch effort to save the species.
The proposed projects range from colossal — such as rerouting Laughing Jacobs Creek through Lake Sammamish State Park — to small — adding plants in the Lewis Creek delta, for instance.
Salmon Days lawsuit could hinge on public safety
August 23, 2011
The legal challenge to city rules for leafleting at the Salmon Days Festival is focusing attention on unfettered freedom of expression in public places.
The lawsuit presents hurdles to the plaintiff, a Snoqualmie man, and the city, constitutional scholars said. The case is rooted in past court decisions about limits on freedom of expression and the steps governments can enact to limit such acts.
In a lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Seattle, Paul Ascherl said Issaquah police officers threatened to arrest him for handing out Christian literature in places outside the pair of downtown “expression areas” on festival grounds last year. Ascherl relocated to the “expression areas” after police and a festival official intervened.
“The suit presents some cognizable First Amendment arguments,” said David Hudson, a First Amendment scholar at the First Amendment Center in Nashville, Tenn.
Salmon Days featured “expression areas” near downtown festival entrances last year. The areas hosted local political parties and candidates for office.
Cameras to start catching speeders as students return
August 23, 2011
Motorists caught exceeding 20 mph limit face $124 fine
Issaquah police plan to reactivate speed-enforcement cameras near Issaquah High School and other campuses next week, as students return to schools along Second Avenue Southeast and elsewhere in the Issaquah School District.
Police deactivated the cameras during the summer hiatus. Now, as classes resume Aug. 30, police plan to activate the cameras from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days, just as in past years. Cameras aimed in both directions along the street capture license plate information on vehicles exceeding the 20 mph school zone speed limit.
Motorists exceeding the speed limit face a $124 fine. The infraction is a noncriminal offense similar to a parking ticket and does not become part of the violator’s driving record.
The fine and information about the violation arrive in the mail several days after the incident.
People can pay the fine outright, request a hearing in Issaquah Municipal Court or submit a declaration of nonresponsibility. The last option is sometimes used if a person other than the vehicle’s owner drove the vehicle during the violation.
The cameras photograph and record only vehicles exceeding the school zone speed limit.
Voters overwhelmingly renew Veterans and Human Services Levy
August 23, 2011
The popular Veterans and Human Services Levy garnered overwhelming support from King County voters Aug. 16, as the electorate renewed the measure through 2017.
The levy is expected to generate about $100 million for programs to aid veterans and needy residents. The funding is split 50-50 between veterans programs and human services efforts.
“The citizens of King County have demonstrated their respect for our veterans and compassion for our neighbors most in need by voting to renew the Veterans and Human Services Levy,” County Executive Dow Constantine, a levy supporter, said in a statement late Aug. 16.
“I thank the voters for approving the levy and showing, once again, that King County is an extraordinary community in which to live.”
The measure, Proposition 1, garnered more than 60 percent of the vote in the initial results King County Elections released last week. The elections office is due to certify the results Aug. 31.
The measure garnered broad support from human services organizations and advocates for veterans. The county Voters’ Guide, in fact, did not include any statements opposing Proposition 1. Even the County Council put the measure on the ballot in a unanimous decision.
Cougar cub is recovering after surgery to correct birth defect
August 23, 2011
Veterinary nurses Tina Branham (left) and Katie Mazuti with Tasha in the center, move about the operating room prior to the cougar’s surgery. Contributed
After undergoing surgery at a clinic in Kirkland, Issaquah’s Tasha, a 3-month-old baby cougar, is back home at the Cougar Mountain Zoo and, according to zoo General Curator Robyn Barfoot, is doing very well.
Tasha underwent surgery Aug. 17 to repair a congenital defect that was preventing her from eating solid foods.
“She’s running around and purring,” Barfoot said just two days after the surgery. “Actually, she’s purring an awful lot … She doesn’t seem fazed by any of this at all.”
Veterinarian Michael Mison led Tasha’s surgery at Seattle Veterinary Specialists.
“There were no complications during surgery,” Mison said. “I’m happy to report that Tasha is recovering nicely. We expect her to have a long and healthy life.”
SVS veterinarians diagnosed Tasha with what’s termed a vascular ring anomaly or defect on Aug. 10. Barfoot said keepers had noticed Tasha wasn’t keeping down much food, but at first attributed her vomiting to rough play. Normally, Tasha lives with two other cougar cubs. When Tasha’s problem persisted, Barfoot said zoo officials took her for tests at SVS where vets diagnosed the vascular defect.
According to information released by the clinic, vascular ring anomalies form before an animal is born when embryonic blood vessels develop abnormally.
Help Sounders FC restore Lake Sammamish State Park
August 23, 2011
Join Seattle Sounders FC players and Seattle Bank employees as they volunteer with the Mountains to Sound Greenway to clear invasive weeds from 1-4 p.m. Aug. 29 at Lake Sammamish State Park.
Washington State Parks and the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust are partnering together on the multiyear restoration of Lake Sammamish State Park. The park provides important habitat for several species of salmon, birds — including bald eagles, great blue herons and red-tailed hawks — amphibians, insects and other wildlife.
But recently the area has become extremely degraded by invasive weeds, including blackberry. In the past five years, volunteers have removed invasive species and re-established native plant communities throughout the park.
For this United We Serve event, Mountains to Sound will focus on clearing blackberry and other invasive species from around newly planted trees and shrubs to give these native plants a better chance at survival.
After a brief orientation and safety briefing, volunteers will dive into work along Issaquah Creek removing invasive weeds. The greenway trust will provide all of the tools, technical training and oversight for the projects — no experience is required.
Register for the event at www.SoundersFC.com. Search for “United We Serve” under the “Outreach” tab.
