The top ten stories of 1999
Published 3:08 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
The Valley saw many changes in 1999, from growing developments
to moratoriums halting the same.
But no news event shocked and devastated the Valley more than
the triple murder of a mother and two daughters in Snoqualmie.
• Triple murder. On the morning of March 6, Dayva Cross stabbed
his wife Anouchka Baldwin and her two teenage daughters Salome Holly
and Amanda Baldwin to death in their home on Reinig Road.
Mellissa Baldwin, Anouchka’s only surviving daughter, was able to escape
the Snoqualmie home physically unharmed. Several days after his
arrest, Cross attempted to commit suicide in his cell at the King County Jail
by shoving mattress stuffing in his nose, mouth and throat. Paramedics
were able to save him, but Cross is now paralyzed from the waist down.
Then, in July, prosecutors announced that they would seek the death
penalty against Cross. The case is scheduled to begin next year.
• Winery destroyed by fire. A two-alarm blaze in February
destroyed the building that once housed the Snoqualmie
Winery. The fire, which started in a void space between the
first floor and the mezzanine, caused an estimated $250,000 in damage.
Most officials praised the efforts of the firefighters, but there was some
concern about the response decision from a nearby agency. According to
dispatch records, the Eastside Fire and Rescue battalion chief sent crews
from a department in Issaquah before calling in units from the
neighboring North Bend station. But once North Bend firefighters were called,
help came quickly and in abundance from Eastside Fire and Rescue. The fate
of the property was unknown until recently, when the city of
Snoqualmie revealed its plan to sell the
city-owned parcel to the Trust for Public Land.
• Carnation battled several blazes.
Three fires consumed three businesses in downtown Carnation
in a four-month period. The first blaze destroyed the historic grange
building – occupied by NAPA Auto Parts – and Eldorado Stone. Fire officials
attributed the blaze to a faulty heater in the Eldorado Stone portion of the
building. Several months later another one of Eldorado Stone’s buildings went
up in smoke. That time, however, officials weren’t able to determine the cause
of the fire. Then, in October, a popular eatery was gutted by a late-night
fire. The River Run Cafe was the home to many area regulars and was the
only restaurant in town that served breakfast.
• Pipeline’s plan squashed. Olympic Pipe Line Company
withdrew its bid to build a cross-Cascades pipeline that would have spanned
230 miles from Woodinville to Pasco, with the route going through several
Valley communities. The company said it would focus its efforts on
investigation of the Bellingham explosion which killed three boys in June.
Olympic also backed off from a legal fight with the City of North Bend,
which passed an ordinance banning petroleum pipelines in the city.
• Hospital talks revived, but no solution reached.
The Board of Commissioners for Snoqualmie
Valley Hospital District No. 4 and the American College of Medical
Centers (ACMC) tried to hammer out a deal that would reopen the
Snoqualmie Valley Hospital, but were unsuccessful. In September the board voted
to end all discussions because “the credibility of ACMC has been
significantly undermined, and the board feels a
lack of confidence and trust in negotiating with ACMC on that basis.” The
board contends that ACMC made false presumptions that Overlake
Hospital Medical Center would assist them with services at the Snoqualmie
Valley Hospital. At year’s end, the District 4 board was continuing efforts to
refinance and reopen the hospital.
• Wrestlers grappled for top honors.
Four wrestlers represented the Snoqualmie Valley at the state
wrestling championship in February. Mount Si sophomore Ben Veyna
took second in the 122-pound class, the highest finish for any KingCo
3A wrestler. Cedarcrest’s Eric Pedeferri finished third in the 115-pound
class, the second highest for any KingCo 3A wrestler. The other two Mount
Si wrestlers who participated were Blake Moore and Chad Mills.
• North Bend halts construction. The City of North Bend swiftly
enacted a ban on new development because officials discovered that the
city lacked water rights for almost half of the water residents used over the
past decade. Some developments, however, were able to continue despite
the moratorium. The remaining treatment capacity of the city’s
wastewater treatment plant was allocated to developers who purchased the
capacity on a first-come, first-served basis several months before the moratorium.
• Carnation changes government and police.
Carnation’s City Hall went through several
transformations including a change of government and a new police
department. Early in the year the King County Sheriff’s Office took over the
police services for the city, providing three deputies and a part-time police
chief. But two failed police services levies in the fall forced the city to cut
out one 40-hour shift from next year’s budget. The mayor-council form
of government was officially changed to a manager-council form with
City Manager Woody Edvalson now leading the city. Five new council
members were elected to office and Bob Patterson was appointed mayor.
• Riverview tech levy failed. Voters in the Riverview School
District rejected a $3.9 million, six-year technology levy in the spring. In
response, board members decided to run a smaller $1 million levy next year
along with a $7.4 million Maintenance and Operations replacement levy and
a $210,000 Performing Arts Center levy. Historically, Riverview voters
haven’t supported the numerous measures placed before them. It took
several tries to build Cedarcrest High and an athletic fields bond has already
been turned down four times. The board plans to present another fields
bond sometime next year.
• Teachers united for better wages.
In a show of solidarity, thousands of teachers from across the
state petitioned their legislators in Olympia for higher wages across the
board. What they got, however, was a little less than anticipated. Teachers
from Riverview and Snoqualmie Valley school districts took part in the rally.
