Valley legislators split on same-sex marriage law
Same-sex couples may marry when new Washington law takes effect June 7By Carol LadwigStaff Reporter
Effective June 7 of this year, same-sex couples in Washington will have the one thing that's eluded them since 1996 and beyond, marriage.
Washington Senators approved ESSB 6239, legalizing marriage for gay couples, on Feb. 1, by a vote of 28 to 21. The House voted one week later, Feb. 8, passing it by a vote of 55 to 43, and Governor Gregoire signed the bill into law at a news conference Monday morning, Feb. 13.
DDES in our backyard? County plans to move 100-person HQ to Snoqualmie Ridge
The broad second-floor expanse of the big, beige Kendall Lake building on Douglas Avenue is mostly empty now. That's expected to change in a few months, when its suites become home to an enterprise wholly new to Snoqualmie Ridge—a King County divisional headquarters.
In a bid to move closer to the bulk of its permit business, the county's Department of Development and Environmental Services wants to relocate its 98-person main office from Renton to Snoqualmie, as early as this summer. The county is two months into negotiations with Kendall Lake owners Meriwether Partners of Seattle for an estimated $400,000 lease, about half of what the county pays for its current facility—a place DDES Director John Starbard likens to a gloomy DMV.
Spikes in Snoqualmie end wild evening car chase... a mile later
A white 1997 Mazda pickup truck led State Patrolmen and Snoqualmie Police on a lengthy chase before being forcibly stopped on Railroad Avenue in the downtown area Monday evening, Feb. 6. Snoqualmie Police deployed spike strips in the 6400 block of Railroad Avenue to end the pursuit.
The truckcame to a stop about a mile from the spike strips, with both front tires flat.
The incident began around 8:25 p.m., when Snoqualmie Police were asked to assist the State Patrol in stopping the vehicle, westbound on I-90. The report does not state why multiple patrol cars were pursuing the vehicle.
Mount Si wrestlers, gymnasts go on to state
The Mount Si wrestling and gymnastics teams head this Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16, 18 and 18, for state championships.
The Wildcat gymnastics team took first place at the KingCo championships Feb. 4, then a very close second at SeaKing regionals Saturday, Feb. 11, behind by 0.15 points to leader Bainbridge Island.
"The girls had a fantastic meet but it was a tough loss," coach Jessica Easthope said. "Gymnastics is all about the little things like pointed toes, stuck landings, straight knees and it got us this time. But we are moving on to state as a team and that is what matters."
Mount Si principal John Belcher to talk training with Chamber of Commerce
Workforce training is important for today's young people. Mount Si High School Principal John Belcher will talk about how local schools prepare students for jobs and their futures at the next Snoqualmie Valley Chamber of Commerce luncheon, 11:30 a.m. Friday, Jan, 17, at Snoqualmie Ridge TPC.
The luncheon is sponsored by the Ridge Supermarket. Cost is $25 for members, $28 for non-member, $30 at the door.
The final ride for Mount Si girls basketball; team will cherish this season's strong bonds
The atmosphere in the foyer outside the Bellevue College locker room was subdued as Mount Si High School's varsity girls basketball players trickled out to commiserate the end of the 2011-12 season.
Minutes earlier, the Wildcats fell to Bellevue, 58-43, on this Monday, Feb. 6, play-in to the league tournament. A late push failed to put them over the Wolverines, so now, as the girls prepared to ride home with parents, they felt the bittersweet sensation of a final game.
Mount Si's three seniors—Shelby Peerboom, Jordan Riley and Alex Welsh—gave it all that they had in the final quarter, helping the team tie Bellevue for points. But Mount Si just ran out of time.
"Another 10, even five minutes, might have done it," Head coach Megan Botulinski said. "They really came out strong at the end."
Half-day save: Snoqualmie Valley school board drops plans to change kindergarten
Kindergarten in the Snoqualmie Valley School District is safe, for now. In response to dozens of parents' pleas, the Snoqualmie Valley School Board voted unanimously Thursday, Feb. 9, to no longer consider a Kindergarten format change for cost savings in the 2012-13 school year.
The decision was welcomed by the full house of parents at the meeting, but prompted warnings from Superintendent Joel Aune, and School Board President Dan Popp.
"I'm not seeing as a possibility, in April, to revisit this," Aune told the board. Kindergarten registration is set for March 6, and parents will build their plans around the Kindergarten schedule they enroll in then.
Alpental to dedicate new Mountain Safety, Education Center Saturday
Alpental ski area will hold a dedication and unveiling ceremony of the new David Pettigrew Mountain Safety and Education Center building, 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11.
Named in honor of the late David Pettigrew, a long-time snowboarder who lost his life in a snowboarding accident at Alpental in December of 2005, the new structure will meet a growing need for additional meeting space to host a series of popular, free mountain safety and education courses.
Letters | Mount Si's Gay Straight Alliance helps students
“Unless we are all free, none of us is free.”
“Here, I am given the right everyone else takes for granted: the right to be honest about the most rudimentary facts of my life. I can speak freely without fear of ridicule, because my identity is not treated as an issue to debate but as a simple reality.”
“Once a week I can walk into room 303 and feel like I belong at MSHS.”
These comments were provided by students in the Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) at MSHS during the first-ever GSA parent meeting last week. They brought home the truth for those there: that GSA is one of the most important clubs at MSHS. It is also one of the biggest and most active, with 30 – 40 students attending weekly.
Cedarcrest science fair is Saturday, Feb. 25
Ever wonder whether a "green" refrigerator could be built to run on internal electromagnetism instead of electric current from an external source? Or whether Twitter feeds can be used to track the spread of disease? How about whether silicone can be used to visualize Young's famous double-slit experiment? You can explore these ideas and much more in the Cedarcrest High School commons area Saturday, Feb. 25, when the science faculty presents its fifth annual Science and Engineering Fair.
County committee begins annexation review for Snoqualmie mill site
King County Councilwoman Kathy Lambert today announced a tentative date for council members to review the proposed annexation of Snoqualmie's mill site. The Transportation, Economy, and Environment (TREE) committee will discuss the legislation that could authorize Snoqualmie to annex the property on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 1:30 p.m. in King County Council Chambers.
Lambert emphasized that the date was tentative, and a final agenda would not be published until a few days before the meeting.
