Skyline homecoming parade
October 26, 2010
Photos from the 2010 homecoming parade Read more
Factory in Town Center?
October 26, 2010
Council rejects idea for electric car plant
How can Sammamish provide developers and land owners flexibility without losing site of the vision of Town Center it’s worked so hard to produce?
The City Council continued to wrestle with that question at an Oct. 19 meeting, considering a series of proposals by Mayor Don Gerend and city staff that would have tweaked the area’s development regulations to give developers more room to work.
Among Gerend’s suggestions were to allow light manufacturing in the area, specifically to allow for one of the mayor’s passions – the production of electric cars. Gerend argued that the idea fit with one of the broad goals for Town Center – mixed-use areas that allowed people to live near where they work. Read more
Independent streak defines voters on the Eastside
October 26, 2010
The sprint — or slog — to Election Day has a familiar storyline: The angry electorate is poised to rebuke Democrats for a far-reaching agenda and choose a roster of penny-pinching Republicans to slash spending.
The reality is more nuanced — and more complicated. Read more
Jay Krauss takes reins at water and sewer district
October 26, 2010
Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District has a new face at the top.
John “Jay” Krauss is taking over as general manager from Ron Little, who is retiring after holding the position for the last 29 years.
Krauss has a master’s degree in Public Administration from Northern Illinois University and has been the city manager of four different cities over the last 23 years.
Krauss said he is looking forward to the challenge of steering the organization and its 51 employees through infrastructure improvements and potential annexation discussions that are scheduled for next year with Issaquah and Sammamish. Read more
Issaquah elementary schools need new science curriculum
October 26, 2010
Thursday night — Oct. 28 — you may get a phone call but not recognize the caller’s phone number. This time, you might want to answer the phone. It could be one of the 150 high school students from across the Issaquah district.
Of course, they want something. They will ask you to support a new science curriculum for kindergarten through fifth grade, new chemistry textbooks and equipment, the extension of the robotics club to the middle and high schools, and financial literacy programs for all eighth-grade students. Read more
Sammamish Forum October 27
October 26, 2010
Ban the Bandz
I am an 11-year-old and go to school in Sammamish. I agree with the Silly Bandz article. I think Silly Bandz should be banned, because they are distracting.
People are always trading them at lunch and recess. Also, I think it’s funny how people trade them for money and spots in line. They aren’t a big problem at my school, but I think they should be banned before it gets too out of hand.
Bryce Smith
Sammamish Read more
Sammamish finalizes community center deal with Boys & Girls Clubs
October 26, 2010
The recreation center for teens and seniors in the old library building on 228th Avenue is a go.
At their Oct. 19 meeting, the Sammamish City Council officially approved a rental contract with the Boys and Girls Club for the building.
The club will rent the building for $1 a year in exchange for providing after-school and other recreation programs for the community. Read more
Sammamish Police kick off their annual toy drive
October 26, 2010
The holidays are right around the corner, but in this tough economy many Western Washington families might not find them as joyful as normal.
For the sixth year in a row, Sammamish Police are collecting toys for children of needy families though the U.S. Marine Corps’ Toys For Tots program.
The department will place bins outside of the police station in City Hall Nov. 1. Donations of new, unwrapped toys will be taken until 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 10.
Sammamish detective Amy Jarboe, who organizes the program for the department, said they have amassed more toys with each passing year and hope that with the down economy they’ll receive even more donations this year.
“We think Sammamish residents are really going to be thinking about all those needy kids out there and respond from the heart,” Jarboe said in a press release. “Helping the Marines out with Toys for Tots just seems like a really good way to bring a smile to a lot of young faces.”
Watch in real time as King County Elections count ballots
October 26, 2010
King County Elections has started to process more than 20,000 ballots — and anyone can watch the process unfold in real time.
The office has set up a live webcam to display activities in the opening area at elections headquarters. Ballots then head to additional steps of processing.
Learn about the journey of the ballots here.
The webcam is to remain active ’round the clock until the election is certified Nov. 23.
“We know voters are curious about how their ballots are handled once they’ve been voted and returned,” Elections Director Sherril Huff said in a news release. “Our election cam allows anyone to view the ballot opening part of the process from the convenience of their own computer.”
The elections team opens and inspects ballots after a voter’s signature on the return envelope has been verified.
King County is the largest county in the U.S. to conduct elections entirely by mail.
The elections office expects to process more than 700,000 ballots for the upcoming election.
Election Day is Nov. 2, and ballots must be postmarked or returned by 8 p.m.
Hayden Lynch inspires his family to battle tumors
October 26, 2010
In the delivery room, doctors noticed Hayden Lynch’s large birthmarks, called café au lait spots. Furrowing their brows, they told his parents, Kirstin and Brendon Lynch, that the spots could be a sign of neurofibromatosis type 1, called NF1.
In addition to the spots, the disease causes tumors that can grow anywhere in the body, especially just under the skin, in the brain or on the spinal cord, according to the Mayo Clinic.
The Lynch family Kirstin, Hayden, Brendon and Charlotte (from left) are organizing a fundraiser to battle tumors. Photo by soulumination/Lynette Huffman Johnson
