November
Published 2:22 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
Two men charged in murder
Two men believed to be responsible for the shooting death of
North Bend resident Jorge Temblador-Topete were charged Oct. 25 with
two counts of first-degree murder and three counts of first-degree assault.
The charges, filed in Superior Court by the King
County Prosecutor’s Office, state that gang members Emmanuel
Grande-Martinez, 22, and Elmer Cisneros-Alvarado, 20, planned the Sept.
24 shooting near Safeco Field in downtown Seattle that resulted
in Temblador-Topete’s death. Cisneros-Alvarado was said to have been
driving the car he and Grande-Martinez were traveling in when
Grande-Martinez allegedly used a 9 mm Glock semiautomatic pistol to shoot
the North Bend resident, as well as 21-year-old Julio Castaneda-Ramos
and two sisters, ages 14 and 15. The sisters attend Mount Si High.
Both accused men pleaded not guilty days after charges were read.
City angry over zoning proposal
North Bend officials rallied against a King County councilman’s plan
to change the zoning of 130 acres of unincorporated county land near the
city to allow higher-density housing. City Council members adopted a
resolution that stated their opposition to rezoning the land, which would lead
to housing developments that they said could cause flooding and traffic
problems for the city.
Under King County Comprehensive Plan amendments sponsored
by Councilman Chris Vance, the land would be rezoned from Forest
Production and RA-10 classifications to RA-5, meaning one house could be
built on every five acres of land.
Richard Zemp, who owns one of the parcels, said it is his right to
get his land rezoned and feels the county violated their own codes when
they allowed high-density housing to back up against his forest production land.
PWI wants decision, and soon
The president of Puget Western Inc. told Snoqualmie City
Council members that an opportunity exists to preserve a portion of the
proposed Falls Crossing project slated to be developed, but in order to do so, the
company needs a decision by the end of the year.
Falls Crossing is a proposed mixed-use development that, if
approved, will include a housing subdivision and some retail and
business buildings.
The notion of reducing its size was a relief to the Snoqualmie
residents that have adamantly opposed the development because of its location
and possible impact to the town and its environment.
GOP sweeps district
Two incumbent Republicans will continue to represent the 5th
District in Olympia after winning in the Nov. 7 general election.
Sen. Dino Rossi, Sammamish and Rep. Cheryl Pflug, Maple Valley,
were re-elected to a second term in office by a wide margin of 5th District
voters. Rossi won in a landslide against Democratic challenger
Azziem Underwood, Renton, 68.7 percent to 31.3 percent (30,607 votes to
13,956 votes), and Pflug handily defeated Democrat Lori Bechtold, Renton,
61.5 percent to 38.5 percent, or 27,009 votes to 16,901 votes, for the
Position 2 seat.
District wins suit
On Nov. 2 the Riverview School won a drawn-out legal battle
against the Georgia-based company that manufactured the Cedarcrest
High School roof and the architectural firm that designed it.
A jury awarded the school district $1.2 million for the defective roof.
The money will be handed over as early as January.
Valley Record sold
Horvitz Newspapers Inc. purchased the family-owned
Snoqualmie Valley Record and the Renton, Kent and Auburn Reporters.
Horvitz Newspapers already owns the Eastside Journal, South
County Journal, Mercer Island Reporter and Northshore Citizen, based in Bothell.
Valley Record Publisher Jim McKiernan stayed on as general
manager.
MG
November’s stories:
Wolves win Valley Cup
The Cedarcrest Red Wolves upset the Mount Si Wildcats in the
annual “Valley Cup” championship
football game.
Tommy Harding was the star, running back a second-half punt for
the only touchdown of the game. Mount Si ended the season with a 5-4
record, and Cedarcrest went 4-5.
