Issaquah woman injured in deadly Oregon bus crash
December 31, 2012
NEW — 5:30 p.m. Dec. 31, 2012
Police said a 67-year-old Issaquah woman sustained injuries in a deadly Oregon bus crash Sunday.
The charter bus skidded on ice, crashed through a guardrail and tumbled down a steep embankment along Interstate 84 in Eastern Oregon.
The crash left nine passengers dead and at least 39 injured, including Issaquah resident Choon-Sook Yang. Oregon State Police officials said she received treatment at Providence St. Mary Medical Center in Walla Walla.
Police said the bus carried 48 people, including the driver, at about 10:05 a.m. as the bus struck a concrete barrier and then tumbled 200 feet down the snow-covered embankment near Pendleton, about 40 miles southwest of Walla Walla.
City Council seeks to fill vacancy left after Mark Mullet’s resignation
December 31, 2012
NEW — 2 p.m. Dec. 31, 2012
From the moment Mark Mullet declared victory in a state Senate race last month, other City Council members started planning for the process to fill Mullet’s seat on the dais once the Democrat departs for Olympia.
Mark Mullet
Now, as Mullet prepares to resign Jan. 8 to prepare for the legislative session, council members put out a call for applicants for the soon-to-open seat.
The city is accepting applications until Jan. 16. The council plans to interview applicants Jan. 22 and, after interviews, members could recess into a closed-door executive session to discuss candidates’ qualifications.
Under state law, the council can discuss candidates’ qualifications in a closed-door session, but interviews and the decision must occur in public meetings. The council is scheduled to vote on the appointment Jan. 29.
Time runs out for end-of-year donations to nonprofit organizations
December 31, 2012
NEW — 2 p.m. Dec. 31, 2012
The need is up nonprofit organizations, but as donors start to make out checks for year-end donations, local organizations sometimes struggle to stand out in a field crowded with requests for giving.
In King County, end-of-year charitable giving to nonprofit organizations is on the to-do list for many donors. The average person makes 24 percent of annual donations between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, according to research from the Center on Philanthropy.
Issaquah and the Puget Sound region maintain a long-held reputation for generosity to charitable causes. The key for nonprofit organizations to successfully solicit donations, local leaders said, is to highlight successes.
Eastside Fire & Rescue closed station, cut staff in Issaquah
December 31, 2012
NEW — 2 p.m. Dec. 31, 2012
Eastside Fire & Rescue closed a fire station in Issaquah on Dec. 19 and reduced staff at another Issaquah fire station Dec. 14 as the agency’s overtime budget ran low.
The agency also closed a Sammamish fire station Dec. 16 for the same reason.
Officials closed Station 72, 1575 N.W. Maple St., from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 19 and reduced the staff at Station 71, 190 E. Sunset Way, to two firefighters from the typical three for six hours Dec. 14. The agency also shut down Station 81, 2030 212th Ave. S.E., from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 16.
The closures and staffing reductions have become something of a holiday tradition at EFR. In recent years, the agency’s overtime budget has become a lightning rod and a target for partners seeking to tighten the belt on personnel costs.
Options abound to recycle old Christmas trees
December 31, 2012
NEW — 2 p.m. Dec. 31, 2012
Christmas is history, and residents ready to pitch old Christmas trees can do so in different ways.
Chip trees — minus tinsel and other decorations — into landscaping material or ground finer into a composting soil amendment.
Customers tired of evergreens dropping brown needles can set out trees for yard waste collection on regular yard waste collection days.
Haulers do not collect trees decked in flocking or decorations. Contact garbage haulers for details; CleanScapes and Allied Waste — a local name for national company Republic Services — serve Issaquah.
Use common sense to avoid New Year’s safety hazards
December 31, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Dec. 31, 2012
State fire officials asked New Year’s Eve revelers to use common sense to avoid safety mishaps as 2012 comes to a close.
The holiday is a time for families and friends to get together, but New Year’s Eve also poses a greater risk for fire, whether revelers entertain at home or head out to ring in 2013.
Experts at the State Fire Marshal’s Office offer advice to remain safe around New Year’s Eve fireworks and at holiday events.
The safest way to experience New Year’s Eve fireworks is to attend a public display conducted by professionals.
Make sure fireworks possession is legal, and the law allows for discharge. Though King County loosens fireworks rules in unincorporated areas on New Year’s Eve, Issaquah keeps a citywide ban in place.
Sheriff warns against celebratory New Year’s Eve gunfire
December 31, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Dec. 31, 2012
King County Sheriff John Urquhart warned New Year’s Eve revelers against shooting guns to ring in 2013.
Nationwide, celebratory gunfire causes injuries and deaths, and local law enforcement officials want to prevent such problems in King County.
“Any bullet fired from a gun must land somewhere and the risks of causing an injury or death is significant,” Urquhart said in a statement.
The sheriff’s office said if investigators can pinpoint somebody shooting, then the agency intends to fully enforce the law. The minimum penalty for reckless endangerment is up to 364 days in jail and a fine of up to $5,000.
