Opinion | Youth carriers are the unsung heroes of the paper
At lower left on this page, you’ll find the Record’s masthead, which names the people responsible for putting together the paper in your hands. What’s missing from that list are the unsung heroes of the paper trade: The dozens of carriers, teens and adults among them, who hit the streets weekly in every kind of weather to ensure it comes to the reader.
Valley springs are serious affairs. With my tongue firmly in cheek, I’ve noticed that lately, local winters have dragged into midsummer. With all that weather to contend with, good carriers show their worth by making sure that papers get to our customers in readable condition, despite all the rain, snow, wind, ice, floods, and other obstacles of nature. We ask a lot of our carriers. To them I say, thank you for all that you do.
May 10, 2012
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Opinion | Vigilance helped bring a close to tragedy
For ten days, the Keller family killings have been the most-talked about event in the Valley, garnering rare national attention to a place more remembered for its scenic beauty than grisly crimes. In my five years at this desk, I’ve never seen a worse tragedy unfold in the Valley. It comes on top of two months of similar tragedies—first the deadly February 15 plane crash that killed three people on Mount Si, then the fatal shooting of a local man who broke into a Si View neighborhood residence March 30. It’s a triple shock that’s left me numb. Horrific things like these aren’t supposed happen here.
May 2, 2012
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Opinion: Get started on a healthier world, right here, this weekend
I don’t have to go far to see that the world is changing. In fact, I barely need to take a step.
Right outside the window in downtown Snoqualmie, as I speak, there’s an electric vehicle charging station, stall and all. It didn’t exist a few months ago, but now, the electronics are switched on and, for a price, it’s ready to charge your car.
All it needs are customers. The Volkswagen parked there now isn’t plugged in. When the “No Parking: Reserved for Customers” sign went up, it drew a few angry looks from drivers hoping to park in front of our building. But there’s plenty of parking in downtown Snoqualmie, most days, if you know where to look, so I won’t begrudge the little station its due. This, after all, is the wave of the future.
April 19, 2012
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Guest opinion: Day of Silence helps schools become safer
On Friday, April 20, students at Mount Si High School will have the opportunity to join with approximately 50,000 students nationwide to participate in the Day of Silence. It is a day of solidarity in support of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, or Questioning (GLBTQ) students who are bullied and who feel silenced because of their friends and family who do not accept their sexuality.
GLBTQ teens are a very high-risk community. They are more likely to be homeless, to do drugs, to fail classes and to struggle with depression than their straight peers. The Day of Silence is meant to show support to those kids. The Gay-Straight Alliance Club, or GSA, hopes that by raising awareness on this issue, the school will become a more safe and accepting place.
April 19, 2012
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Opinion: Police switch in North Bend needs careful consideration of accountability, tradition
Midnight on January 1, 1974, was when North Bend’s boys in blue hung up their old uniforms. King County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mark Toner remembers the date of the big change, when the county took over for North Bend’s own city force. It’s part of a historical file kept at the North Bend substation, the city’s police station, covering 39 years of local police history.
Continuity is important for Toner, who is the latest in a long line of police chiefs who have worked for North Bend in county uniform. He might be the last.
April 11, 2012
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Letters: A major honor for Mount Si’s Joe Dockery
At the March 31 weekend’s Key Club District Convention at the Doubletree Inn, SeaTac, Joe Dockery was named the Key Club Faculty Advisor of the Year. Joe is a video production/website design instructor at Mount Si High School.
This is no small accomplishment. The Pacific Northwest District spans a wide area, including Northern California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska.
April 10, 2012
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Opinion: Bad things happen even in small towns, but you can protect your family, belongings
I’ve heard it, time and again, from police in Snoqualmie and North Bend alike: No matter how big your community is, you need to lock your doors.
With all the vehicle prowls and burglaries the Valley’s seen in the last few years, safety and preparedness have been the refrain. Last week’s deadly encounter at a Si View residence hammers it home.
April 10, 2012
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For school bond’s third attempt to work, community needs full discussion of issues surrounding two campuses
Lately, the pages of the Record have been crammed with all the great things happening in local schools. A nation-hopping band program and personal profiles of Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation’s Educators of the Year have merited a lot of ink in recent weeks, and for good reason.
All this positive news comes at the same time that local e-forums are buzzing with more complicated matters in local education. Chief among them is the Snoqualmie Valley district board of directors’ decision to once again seek a taxpayer-funded bond to build a new middle school, while pushing ahead with plans to put a Freshman Learning Center at Snoqualmie Middle School
April 6, 2012
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Opinion: Schools foundation's lofty goal is something to aspire to
I couldn’t help but get caught up in Susan Kingsbury-Comeau’s passion when, in the wake of the Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation’s annual fundraiser luncheon, the vice president and luncheon chairwoman shared with me how the group blew through its donation goal, again, netting a whopping $88,000 take.
April 5, 2012
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Opinion | Building up, the smart way, in a river town
For those who watched their property go underwater on February 21, this week’s for you. Today marks the midpoint of Flood Awareness Week, observed March 12 to 18.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and the National Weather Service created Flood Week to spread awareness of high water threats during the spring melt.
It’s a time to ask yourself and your family a few basic questions: Is my home at risk? Do we have a plan and an emergency kit? Are our important documents safe? Do we have flood insurance?
It’s interesting that the 2012 Flood Week comes at a time when FEMA is in a court battle with the National Wildlife Federation over whether its national flood insurance program harms wild animals and their habitat, by allowing development in floodplains. Local cities defend the flood insurance program, arguing that without insurance, no one would ever build in a river town.
March 19, 2012
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Opinion: 'Best Of' poll is a community snapshot
If you haven’t voted yet for our ‘Best of the Valley’ contest, consider this your reminder.
We poll residents in nearly 60 categories in ‘Best of,’ which is both an annual bragging-rights showdown among local business, and a snapshot of our community and its movers and shakers.
The clock is ticking down toward next Wednesday, when voting stops, and Staff Reporter Carol Ladwig and I start rounding up profiles on the winners. Last year, we posted Q&As on winners in community categories like the best non-profit, best Valley event, the best volunteer, firefighter, scenic treasure, best policeman and city employee.
March 19, 2012
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