Councilman suffers heart attack

Snoqualmie Councilman Al Nicholas suffered a serious heart

attack on March 21. When Snoqualmie firefighters arrived at Nicholas'

home on Maple Avenue they found him unconscious and unresponsive.

Nicholas was taken to Overlake Hospital Medical Center where

his condition was upgraded from "serious" to "satisfactory."

Seven continents conquered

Former Valley teacher Eliz Sheikh accomplished her lifelong goal

when she set foot on Antarctica. Her dream was to visit all seven continents

Sheikh was accompanied by Jan Bauer, who had visited six

continents, lacking only a visit to Australia.

The pair described Antarctica as cold, barren, desolate and full of

penguin poop.

Sloan receives $30,000

The city of Carnation decided that it was more economically feasible

to pay former police officer Frank Sloan more than $30,000 than

attorney's fees. The settlement covered overtime pay, other pay differences and

reimbursements for equipment.

Sloan was fired in April 1998 when the city claimed it found a pattern

of abuse of overtime and the payroll system.

Cadman denounces alternative pit site

Cadman, Inc. rejected the idea of using the existing gravel pit at

Homestead Valley as a base to run its proposed Grouse Ridge mining

project because it was too risky, officials said.

Residents near the proposed pit near Interstate 90's Exit 34 said

the operation would create additional traffic on the interstate — a problem

that would be alleviated if the company used the Homestead Valley site.

Hotel given the OK

Officials said the McGrath Hotel in North Bend could reopen

four months after it was ordered to shut down because of structural, health

and safety issues.

The hotel went through major repairs — including installation of a

new floor, support beams, posts and roof — before it was deemed safe.

North Bend hit with lawsuit

The would-be developers of Tollgate Farm filed another lawsuit

against the city of North Bend, the third in two years.

The lawsuit alleges that the city "interfered with the [owners']

prospective business relationships with would-be purchasers and users of

the land," according to court documents. The claim also stated that the city

took too long to process the permit applications.

The trial is set for Aug. 29, 2000.

Tribe goes `home'

It was as if the Snoqualmie Tribe was "going back home," said one

official of the Tribe's move from Carnation to Fall City. The

Snoqualmies relocated their office to George

Moses' home on Preston-Fall City Road — just across the street from their

ancestors' burial site.

Parents want lockers

Parents from Tolt Middle School told school board members they

didn't want to jeopardize their children's health any longer with heavy

backpacks. Instead, the parents wanted the officials to reinstall lockers at

the middle school.

The board decided to decrease the amount of luggage students carried

by double booking core textbooks and installing shelving units in each

classroom for paperwork.

Council adopts building ban

The North Bend City Council approved a six-month ban on

development as an initial response to the city's water crisis.

The city discovered that it had overshot its water use authorization

by 53 million gallons in 1997.

Teachers petition legislators

Teachers, administrators and parents from the Riverview School

District and the Snoqualmie Valley School District petitioned legislators to

give educators a 15-percent across-the-board wage increase.

The lawmakers, however, decided to give new teachers a 15-percent

increase, mid-level teachers an 8-percent raise and senior teachers a

10-percent increase.

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