Prepare for West Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast closures
September 24, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. Sept. 24, 2011
Issaquah motorists should prepare for possible delays during a road project.
West Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast, from Lakemont Boulevard Southeast to 193rd Place Southeast, is reduced to a single lane from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday and Tuesday as crews prepare to resurface the road.
Expect overnight lane closures from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.
Obama visit could impact Eastside traffic
September 24, 2011
NEW — 10 a.m. Sept. 24, 2011
President Barack Obama is due to arrive in Washington late Sunday morning to attend fundraisers on the Eastside and in Seattle.
The president’s schedule does not include any announced public events. Motorists should plan for possible delays as Obama’s motorcade travels from Boeing Field to a fundraiser at a Medina home and then to another campaign event at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre.
(The last time Obama visited the area, the president mentioned Issaquah businesses in a Seattle speech.)
For upcoming editions, The Issaquah Press seeks Issaquah School District residents attending the events or associated protests.
Email your contact information and photos to reporter Warren Kagarise at wkagarise@isspress.com, or contact the paper on Twitter or Facebook, by noon Monday.
Liberty Patriots fall to Mount Si Wildcats in overtime thriller
September 24, 2011
NEW — 12:25 a.m. Sept. 24, 2011
In a tale of two halves, the Liberty Patriots could not sustain their first-half momentum and lost in overtime to the Mount Si Wildcats in Snoqualmie.
The Patriots played like a defensive juggernaut in the first half Friday night, forcing three turnovers including one at their own 1-yard line.
In the second half, the combination of Wildcat running back Connor Deutsch’s legs, the crowd’s throats and the Wildcats’ hustle let the hosts climb back from a 13-0 deficit to tie at 13 with half a minute left in the game.
Then, in overtime, Wildcat kicker Cameron Vanwinkle nailed a 35-yard field goal, and his Patriot counterpart Josh Johnson missed a 35-yard attempt, giving Mount Si the victory, 16-13.
Skyline leaves Issaquah in the dust
September 23, 2011
Skyline senior running back Damian Greene, left, holds on to the ball and spins past Issaquah sophomore defensive back Derek Chapman before scoring a pivotal touchdown in the third quarter Sept. 23. By Christopher Huber
NEW — 11:30 p.m. Sept. 23, 2011
The Skyline Spartans came out on top, beating Issaquah 41-14 Friday.
Skyline quarterback Max Browne worked in typical fashion after a slow start, completing 30 of 42 pass attempts for 361 yards and five touchdowns. He threw one interception, but his scoring strikes went to four different receivers.
Issaquah got ahead early in the first quarter but Skyline took a 17-14 lead into the break.
The Spartans scored 31 unanswered points, altogether and held the Eagles to just 60 yards of total offense in the second half. Brown and the Skyline offense found a rhythm in the third quarter, scoring 14. 
Issaquah quarterback Ethan Kalin threw three interceptions and went 16 for 29 for 189 yards passing, including touchdown strikes to Jack Gellatly and Derek Chapman, respectively.
National Public Lands Day comes to Issaquah Alps
September 23, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. Sept. 23, 2011
Issaquah Alps peaks host volunteers Saturday for National Public Lands Day.
Organizations plan trail work on Cougar and Tiger mountains in the Issaquah area.
Washington Trails Association and King County Parks volunteers plan to decommission old trail sections along Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park’s Indian Trail. The decommissioning involves adding plants in the old tread.
The work party runs from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event is designed for families, and participants can sign up at the Washington Trails Association’s website.
The state Department of Natural Resources and Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance plan to build Tiger Mountain trails Saturday for National Public Lands Day.
Liberty High School girls soccer tops Lake Washington
September 23, 2011
NEW — 1 p.m. Sept. 23, 2011
Kiana Hafferty’s goal at the 37th minute Thursday proved to be the difference as the Liberty High School girls soccer team edged host Lake Washington 2-1 in a KingCo Conference 3A/2A contest.
Cassidy Nangle put Liberty ahead 1-0 on a goal at the eighth minute. Lake Washington tied the score at the 27th minute on a goal by Emily Bunnell.
Liberty improved its league record to 4-0 with the victory and remained in a tie with Interlake for first place.
In other action, it was Interlake 5, Sammamish 0; Mount Si 2, Juanita 1; and Bellevue 0, Mercer Island 0.
In KingCo 4A action, Issaquah and Roosevelt battled to a 2-2 draw. Delany Foreman and Annie Hoffman scored Issaquah’s goals. In other games, it was Redmond 1, Eastlake 1; and Garfield 1, Inglemoor 1.
Minor earthquake shakes communities south of Issaquah
September 22, 2011
NEW — 4:15 p.m. Sept. 22, 2011
Seismologists recorded a magnitude-3.2 earthquake south of Issaquah early Thursday afternoon.
University of Washington seismologists said the minor earthquake occurred at 1:22 p.m. Scientists pegged the earthquake’s epicenter near Lake Desire in rural King County, about eight miles southwest of downtown Issaquah.
King County Sheriff’s Office deputies did not respond to any calls related to earthquake damage, agency spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said.
Seismologists at the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network, based at the UW, said the temblor occurred about 15 miles beneath the surface.
The seismic activity came a month after seismologists recorded a minor earthquake beneath Mirrormont on Tiger Mountain.
Such small earthquakes occur often, and do not indicate another, larger quake is imminent.
Skyline High School grad earns collegiate honor
September 22, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. Sept. 22, 2011
Willamette University junior wide receiver Jake Knecht, a former Skyline High School football standout, has been selected as the Northwest Conference Football Offensive Student-Athlete of the Week after providing several big plays Sept. 17, when his team defeated Southern Oregon University 31-9. Knecht contributed 213 all-purpose yards during the game.
Knecht scored on a 67-yard catch to give Willamette a 10-7 lead early in the second quarter. Later in the second quarter, he hauled in a 44-yard pass to the Southern Oregon 1-yard line that set up a Willamette touchdown for a 17-9 halftime lead.
In the fourth quarter, he tallied his second touchdown of the game on an 80-yard reverse that gave Willamette a 31-9 lead with 13:27 left in the game. Knecht finished the afternoon with four catches for 130 yards to go along with his 80 rushing yards. He added several additional yards on kick returns.
Harry Franklin ‘Dutch’ Aron Jr.
September 22, 2011
Harry Franklin “Dutch” Aron Jr., longtime resident of Issaquah, passed away Thursday, Sept. 8, 2011, at the age of 75.
Dutch was born April 17, 1936, in Philadelphia. He was one of seven children born to his parents, Harry Sr. and Dorothy Aron, who predecease him.
He married his wife Betty on Nov. 24, 1967, after going on a blind date four months prior. Betty survives Dutch.
He is also survived by his three children: Andrew, of Renton, Jim, of Renton, and Sarah, of Redmond.
Opportunities abound to see migrating salmon
September 21, 2011
NEW — 2 p.m. Sept. 21, 2011
Summer is on the wane and autumn starts Friday, so the time is right for salmon to complete a final journey from the Pacific Ocean to Issaquah Creek and other King County streams.
Though the salmon return so far is generally smaller than the pre-spawning season forecast, opportunities abound to see migrating salmon in the Lake Washington, Cedar River and Lake Sammamish watershed as chinook, sockeye, coho and chum complete a long sojourn.
King County calls the event Salmon SEEson.
Salmon can soon be spotted at parks, along trails and at events sponsored throughout the Puget Sound region. In many cases, naturalists can help visitors spot the fish and learn about the salmon life cycle.
