State serves Thanksgiving travel tips to motorists
November 20, 2012
Before the feast, Thanksgiving launches the holiday travel season.
The state Department of Transportation is offering numerous travel information tools for motorists headed out during the holiday weekend.
Thanksgiving weekend typically ranks among the busiest periods all year for Interstate 90 over Snoqualmie Pass.
In the Puget Sound area, Interstate 5 and I-90 express lanes operate on a weekend schedule Nov. 22, Thanksgiving.
Residents receive grants for mapping, National Night Out
November 20, 2012
Dow Constantine
Issaquah-area residents received more than $3,700 in King County grants to host a National Night Out event and map rural areas between Issaquah and Renton, leaders announced Nov. 14.
Officials awarded $60,000 in grants for disaster preparedness, neighborhood cleanup, tourism promotion and other activities in unincorporated communities countywide. Overall, King County Executive Dow Constantine announced 24 Community Engagement Grants.
The grants amount to less than $5,000 apiece, and each community must match at least 25 percent of total project cost. Officials said the grants offer residents in unincorporated areas a chance to participate more in community activities.
The county awarded a $1,254.50 grant to residents in the Four Creeks/Tiger Mountain area to produce a National Night Out program, plus a $2,500 grant to create maps and conduct spatial analysis for community planning.
State serves Thanksgiving travel advice to motorists
November 19, 2012
NEW — 6 a.m. Nov. 19, 2012
Before the feast, Thanksgiving launches the holiday travel season.
The state Department of Transportation is offering numerous travel information tools for motorists headed out during the holiday weekend.
Travelers planning to hit state highways can find information on the Department of Transportation website about the times and places drivers can expect to experience Thanksgiving weekend delays, including U.S. 2, Interstate 90, and Interstate 5 at the Canadian border, and between Olympia and Tacoma.
Thanksgiving weekend is typically ranks among busiest period all year for I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass and U.S. 2 over Stevens Pass.
Tiger Mountain is test for commissioner of public lands candidates
October 30, 2012
Tiger Mountain is a destination for hikers, mountain bikers and loggers, and the official responsible for acting as a referee to balance the competing interests is the state commissioner of public lands.
Clint Didier
Peter Goldmark
Republican Clint Didier is challenging the incumbent, Democrat Peter Goldmark, to serve as the top natural resources official in Washington.
The commissioner of public lands leads the state Department of Natural Resources, and oversees about 3 million acres of forests, agricultural land and other properties, as well as about 2.6 million acres of shorelines, tidelands, lakes and rivers.
The position carries outsized influence in the Issaquah area. The agency is often a factor in local policymaking, due to the connections among the Department of Natural Resources, Issaquah City Hall and outdoor recreation groups.
Planners steer dollars to Issaquah-area road upgrades
October 26, 2012
NEW — 8 a.m. Oct. 26, 2012
Issaquah-area road projects received a green light to proceed — and more than $3 million — Thursday, after planners approved a regional transportation program.
Puget Sound Regional Council leaders recommended funding for projects on Southeast May Valley Road, Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast, West Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast and, on the Sammamish Plateau, 228th Avenue Southeast.
The lineup includes projects just outside Issaquah city limits, but none inside the city.
Some dollars for the projects come from $440 million in federal funds distributed by the planning authority for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties. State gas tax revenue and local funds then cover the remaining project costs.
Gubernatorial hopefuls support hatcheries, parks
October 23, 2012
Democrat Jay Inslee and Republican Rob McKenna clashed in a recent series of debates, but the candidates vying to serve as Washington’s next governor share similar positions on local issues, such as support for the state parks system.
Jay Inslee
Rob McKenna
The race at the state level is focused on the candidates’ policies on education and transportation — hot topics on the docket as Inslee and McKenna met in recent weeks.
The Issaquah Press asked the candidates about funding for state parks, salmon restoration and growth management — key concerns in Issaquah and the surrounding area.
Editorial
October 23, 2012
Our endorsements for state representatives
Issaquah is divided between the 5th and 41st legislative districts. Redistricting has changed district boundaries, but most Issaquah neighborhoods remain inside the 5th District.
North Issaquah and neighborhoods along Lake Sammamish shifted into the 41st District. Cougar Mountain west of state Route 900 and areas north of Interstate 90 act as the dividing lines.
Issaquah motorist is injured in Interstate 90 crash
October 23, 2012
Police said a 45-year-old Issaquah woman sustained minor injuries in a major crash Oct. 19 along Interstate 90 near the Interstate 405 interchange.
Washington State Patrol investigators said a 57-year-old Renton woman speeding in a Mazda caused the accident on westbound I-90 in Bellevue.
The state patrol said she crashed into the back of a Toyota at about 5:30 p.m., sending the Toyota into the adjacent lane, where a pickup truck driven by the Issaquah woman struck the vehicle.
Group recommends dollars for Issaquah-area road projects
October 2, 2012
Planners recommended more than $2 million Sept. 13 to help fund road projects in the Issaquah area, including upgrades to West Lake Sammamish Parkway Southeast, Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast and Southeast May Valley Road.
The projects could garner a small slice of more than $440 million in federal funds proposed by the Puget Sound Regional Council — the planning authority for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish counties.
The planning agency is considering transportation improvements throughout the region. Citizens can comment on the proposals through Oct. 25, the day the agency’s executive board votes on a regional transportation plan.
Driver dies in fiery tractor-trailer crash on Tiger Mountain
September 25, 2012
Flames engulfed a tractor-trailer early Sept. 21, as a crash near the Tiger Mountain summit along state Route 18 left the 60-year-old driver dead.
Washington State Patrol investigators identified the driver as a 60-year-old Pacific man but did not release his name, pending notification of family members.
Police said the accident occurred as the FedEx rig, a tractor hauling a pair of trailers, veered off the westbound lanes about six miles southeast of downtown Issaquah at about 6 a.m. Sept. 21.
The truck struck a tree about 20 feet from the road shoulder and then burst into flames. Fire engulfed the cab and spread to surrounding brush and trees.
