Starbucks to offer beer and wine at Issaquah location
June 7, 2011
Starbucks plans to offer a different kind of jolt to Issaquah customers soon.
The bustling Starbucks at the Meadows complex along Northwest Gilman Boulevard is in line to become the only store other than Seattle and Portland, Ore., so far to offer beer and wine.
The coffee colossus filed for a liquor license last month as Starbucks prepares to renovate the Issaquah location in late summer. The project is due to start in early August and should be completed in late September.
Plans call for the location to remain open during construction, although some seating might be unavailable for stretches during the remodel.
The overhaul marks Starbucks’ inaugural attempt to offer alcohol options and additional menu offerings in a suburban setting. Imagine charcuterie and a cheese plate — savory snacks to accompany the craft beers and regional wines Starbucks plans to offer.
The customer base and buzzing traffic at the Issaquah store offer the Seattle-based company a chance to test a concept honed at Emerald City locations.
Starbucks to offer beer and wine at Issaquah location
June 3, 2011
NEW — 11 a.m. June 3, 2011
Starbucks plans to offer a different kind of jolt to Issaquah customers soon.
The bustling Starbucks at the Meadows complex along Northwest Gilman Boulevard is in line to become the only store beyond Seattle and Portland, Ore., so far to offer beer and wine.
The coffee colossus filed for a liquor license last month as Starbucks prepares to renovate the Issaquah location in late summer. The project is due to start in early August and should be completed in late September.
Plans call for the location to remain open during construction, although some seating might be unavailable for stretches during the remodel.
QFC offers ORCA regional transit cards
May 10, 2011
Transit commuters can now pick up ORCA passes when they get their milk and eggs.
QFC, including the Issaquah-area stores, recently joined the retail locations offering ORCA, or One Regional Card for All.
ORCA is a collaboration among the transit systems in King, Kitsap, Snohomish and Pierce counties.
Commuters use ORCA cards on more than 250,000 trips each weekday and 49 percent of all transit trips in the region. The smart card has replaced about 300 transportation passes, tickets and transfers.
Customers can also order ORCA cards online at www.orcacard.com, by calling 1-888-988-6722 toll free, by visiting a transit agency customer service office or get them at a fare vending machine.
TalkingRain beverage reaches national audience
May 10, 2011
Preston-based TalkingRain Beverage Co., a water and flavored-beverage provider, announces the expansion of the Sparkling ICE brand to Kroger and affiliate stores nationwide.
The expansion highlights TalkingRain’s drive to be a leader in calorie-light, healthy drink options in light of the United States’ obesity epidemic. The beverage appeared on shelves in almost 2,000 Kroger and affiliated stores nationwide starting April 25. Kroger affiliates in the Issaquah area include Fred Meyer and QFC.
“This new distribution in Kroger and affiliate stores is a huge step not for just TalkingRain, but for Sparkling ICE as a brand,” Kevin Klock, general manager and senior vice president at TalkingRain, said in a release. “We are so excited about the rapid growth of Sparkling ICE, as it will enable us to reach a broader, health-conscious demographic.”
Sparkling ICE is available in six flavors, including orange-mango, black raspberry and lemon lime.
State Rep. Glenn Anderson is always on duty
April 26, 2011
Glenn Anderson is a Republican representative serving his constituents in the Washington State Legislature.
Oh, you already knew that?
How about this: Anderson wakes up at 4:30 a.m. every day, takes care of his two German shepherds, Frisco and Ramses — “I like my dogs, they’re very understanding,” he said — conducts business on his phone and via the Internet with the East Coast and then, finally, makes the commute from his home in Fall City to Olympia.
Rep. Glenn Anderson listens to testimony at a committee hearing, Jan. 25. Photo courtesy of the House Republican Caucus
On the hour-and-20-minute drive he gets in the mood for his legislative work by listening to Bonnie Tyler and ZZ Top.
At 8 a.m., Anderson arrives at his office in the Capitol and almost immediately heads out again, grabbing a few chocolate Easter eggs.
“People think it’s about bipartisan politics,” he said. “It’s not. It’s about sugar.”
He smiles.
His first morning duties usually lure him to a meeting at any of the three committees on which he serves: Education; Education Appropriations and Oversight; and Technology, Energy and Communications. During each two-hour committee meeting, Anderson is actively engaged.
Off the Press
April 5, 2011
Recycling in Issaquah is a not-so-dirty job
My grandma spoils my sweet tooth. For holidays, birthdays or just for a lark, she’ll whip up a chocolate cherry cake or a marble pound cake, box it and mail it across the whole county, straight to me.
Laura Geggel Press reporter
Her famous kiffles — thin dough wrapped around a bounty of nuts and jelly — always disappear quickly, but the packaging peanuts stick around, and not just static-electricity wise.
For years, I am ashamed to admit, I would throw them away. In my defense, I didn’t know what to do with them. I would reuse them if I could, but it wasn’t often I needed packaging peanuts to send presents.
Now. as an avid recycler, I know just what to do with packaging peanuts. The UPS Store on Northwest Gilman Boulevard will take and reuse them. The store also recycles bubble wrap, another helpful packaging tool that often gets tossed into the trash once its work is done.
Now that I have a venue to recycle packaging material, I started thinking of places I could recycle other things, like plastic bags, cellphones or alkaline batteries.
It turns out that Issaquah is a haven for recycling just about everything.
Union grocery workers agree to new contract
December 7, 2010
Union grocery store employees approved a new contract last week after lengthy bargaining between the union and management.
The union, Teamsters Local 38, represents 2,600 workers at Albertsons, QFC and Safeway across the region.
QFC and Safeway operate stores in Issaquah.
“Our members sent a clear message to their employers in November when they stood with each other in solidarity and voted by 90 percent to authorize a strike,” Steven Chandler, Local 38 secretary-treasurer, said in a statement. “Their message was heard, the employers took them seriously and I believe the 97 employers’ ratification vote today again shows the strength of unity of our members.”
Union workers at major grocery chains in Issaquah and the Puget Sound region voted Nov. 8 to authorize a strike, but no walkout occurred during the Thanksgiving shopping rush.
The union and Allied Employers, the labor relations firm representing the grocery chains, reached a stalemate in October after months of negotiations about pay, health benefits and pensions.
Union grocery employees mull agreement soon
November 26, 2010
NEW — 7 p.m. Nov. 26, 2010
Union grocery store employees plan to vote next week on a tentative agreement reached after lengthy bargaining between the union and management.
The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, represents workers about 25,000 workers at Albertsons, Fred Meyer, QFC and Safeway across the region. The decision also affects grocery and meat workers in Mason County and meat workers in Pierce and Thurston counties.
Fred Meyer, QFC and Safeway operate stores in Issaquah.
Details of the agreement should be released after union members vote on the tentative agreement Wednesday through Friday.
Union grocery workers at local stores authorize strike
November 11, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Nov. 11, 2010
Union workers at major grocery chains in Issaquah and the Puget Sound region voted Wednesday to authorize a strike, but no walkout is imminent as stores prepare for the start of the holiday shopping season.
The union, United Food and Commercial Workers Local 21, represents workers about 25,000 workers at Albertsons, Fred Meyer, QFC and Safeway across the region. The vote also affects grocery and meat workers in Mason County and meat workers in Pierce and Thurston counties.
Fred Meyer, QFC and Safeway operate stores in Issaquah.
Stores offer free smoke detector batteries Saturday
November 4, 2010
NEW — 1 p.m. Nov. 4, 2010
Eastside Fire & Rescue and retailers in Issaquah and elsewhere offer free batteries Saturday as part of the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery campaign.
The effort is part of a national campaign to urge people to adopt a lifesaving habit: change smoke detector and carbon monoxide detector batteries at the same time to change clocks from daylight-saving time each fall. Remember to change clocks before bedtime Saturday.
People can receive free nine-volt batteries at participating stores from 4-5:30 p.m. Saturday until the free batteries run out.
