Renewing ties with our Nordic neighbors
January 26, 2010
Issaquah visitor Joan Probala returns from Norway with hopes to revive sister-city bond
Longtime Issaquah resident Joan Probala (right) addresses dignitaries during a November trip to Sunndal, Norway, a sister city to Issaquah. Contributed by Joan ProbAla
Longtime Issaquah resident Joan Probala traveled to Sunndal, Norway, in November to discuss the dormant sister-city relationship between Issaquah and the Norwegian town.
Dignitaries from both cities established the relationship in 1991, although the connection has waned in recent years. In the meantime, Issaquah and Chefchaouen, Morocco, started a sister-city relationship in 2007.
Issaquah City Council members hope to revive and strengthen the relationship between the city and Sunndal. Probala, a member of the city Sister Cities Commission, met with Sunndal leaders, sampled reindeer and talked about how to strengthen the bond between Issaquah and the small, quaint city on a fjord.
Apply to serve city as a board member or commissioner
January 12, 2010
Help shape the way Issaquah develops, advise officials about growth and even increase public art throughout the city. Read more
Apply to serve city as a board member or commissioner
January 9, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. Jan. 9, 2010
Help shape the way Issaquah develops, advise officials about growth and even increase public art throughout the city.
City leaders seek members for 12 city boards and commissions. Not all applicants must be Issaquah residents. Officials need regular and alternate members. Alternate members serve in the absence of regular members.
Pick up application forms at the City Clerk’s Office on the second floor at City Hall, 130 E. Sunset Way. Find the form here.
Sister city greetings
December 8, 2009
Joan Probala (third from left), of the Issaquah Sister Cities Commission, poses Nov. 17 with the Sunndal, Norway, City Council and Sunndal Mayor Ståle Refstie (holding the newspaper), after a meeting to discuss reinvigorating the sister city relationship that Issaquah and the Scandinavian city began in 1991, but had both let lapse in recent years. Contributed
Issaquah traveler hopes to thaw Sunndal sister city relationship
November 10, 2009
Joan Probala
The dormant relationship between Issaquah and Sunndal, Norway — the first sister city partnership forged by Issaquah leaders — could be rekindled next week when longtime Issaquah resident Joan Probala travels to the far-flung corner of Scandinavia.
Issaquah and Sunndal became sister cities in 1991, but the relationship faded and the pact failed to produce more than a handful of visits between the cities’ residents. In the meantime, Issaquah established a second sister city relationship with Chefchaouen, Morocco, in early 2007.
Probala, a member of the Issaquah Sister Cities Commission, hopes her trip to Norway can reinvigorate the partnership with Sunndal. She departed Nov. 9 for Norway and the distant sister city. She plans to spend three weeks in Norway, where her daughter lives. The trip to Sunndal will be a high-profile side trip. Read more
Joan Probala relies on past experiences in new challenge
October 6, 2009
Joan Probala
Long before she launched her bid for City Council, before she even became a city resident, Joan Probala laid the groundwork for her campaign. Probala and her family moved to South Cove in 1979, decades before the neighborhood along Lake Sammamish would be annexed into Issaquah.
When Probala talks about her candidacy — and she talks about her candidacy a lot these days — she mentions her role in extending city limits to include South Cove, where residents voted for annexation in November 2005.
Probala, a real estate agent and former Issaquah Chamber of Commerce president, touts her ability to bring together South Cove community groups. Her credentials as a member of the city Arts, Planning Policy and Sister Cities commissions form a cornerstone of her bid. Read more
Gambling on Charity
September 1, 2009
The nine remaining participants get ready to shuffle up and deal at the final table in the Texas Hold ‘Em Poker Fundraiser Aug. 26 at the Lake Sammamish Elks Lodge. The event, hosted by the Issaquah Sister Cities Commission and the American Moroccan International Exchange, raised $1,100 to bring two artists from Issaquah’s sister city Chefchaouen, Morocco, to Issaquah during Salmon Days. Christopher Wright won, Joe Podersek came in second, Dallas Cross in third, Sharyn Solum in fourth and Dave Neiderkrome in fifth. By Tina Eggers
Trivia event Monday to raise money for Moroccan visit during Salmon Days
June 7, 2009
NEW — 6 a.m. June 7, 2009
Trivia Night, sponsored by the Issaquah Sister Cities Commission, will be held at 7 p.m. Monday at the Issaquah Brewhouse, 35 W. Sunset Way.
Proceeds from Trivia Night will be used to help bring two artists from Issaquah’s sister city, Chefchaouen, Morocco, to share their art and culture with the community during Issaquah Salmon Days on Oct. 3-4.
There is no preregistration for the event. Participants are urged to come early to ensure that they can secure a table. The brewhouse will be open during its normal operating hours.
City Council confirms, lauds board appointees
May 12, 2009
City Council members confirmed Mayor Ava Frisinger’s appointees to municipal boards and commissions last week. All told, 41 appointees will fill seats on 11 boards and commissions. Read more
City has 33 board, commission positions that need to be filled
January 5, 2009
City officials are looking to fill several positions on its boards and commissions.
“Through its boards and commissions, the city relies on its citizens’ passions, talent and experience to help positively shape this community,” Autumn Monahan, the city’s communications director, wrote in an e-mail. “Becoming a member is a great way to get involved in your local government while working on something that interests you.”
City officials need 33 volunteers to fill the positions on 12 commissions and boards. Read more
