Sammamish Forum December 1
November 30, 2010
Hunters are not the problem
There has been a lot of negative press concerning deer hunting recently. While we advocate against hunting it is necessary to remember that we will still need to control our wildlife populations.
We have taken land away from the wildlife while building our homes, schools, businesses and roads. Deer populations will continue to grow. When the number of deer begin to exceed the carrying capacity of the land the result to the animal is starvation, increased stress, disease and death due to lack of habitat. Read more
It’s time to rethink snow makeup days
November 30, 2010
Last week, both of the city’s school districts made the right call by shutting down because of the hazardous driving conditions brought on by snowy weather.
But is it really necessary to make up those missed school days? Surely there’s a better way.
The school calendar is complicated enough without trying to squeeze in snow makeup days. Washington state law mandates a 180-day school year — an arbitrary number now accepted as a minimum in every state in the nation. Read more
Sammamish City Council finalizes advisory commission appointments
November 30, 2010
Come the first of the year, Sammamish will have several new faces on the citizen advisory boards that guide City Council decisions on parks and land use issues.
The council, which had discussed their feelings on Parks and Recreation Commission and Planning Commission applicants in executive session, voted on the appointments at a Nov. 15 meeting.
While the council was appreciative of everyone who applied for the unpaid positions, some lamented the lack of Planning Commission applicants. Four applied for two open positions, but two of those candidates dropped out of the process before the council interviewed them, leaving Mike Collins and Michael Luxenberg essentially unopposed for the openings. Read more
Surprise snowstorm caused headaches
November 30, 2010
It’s a safe bet that most drivers would have preferred Sammamish’s hills to Seattle’s this week.
Winter kicked down the door a little earlier than expected Nov. 22, confounding many weather projections by dumping several inches of snow on Western Washington, with much of it coming during a hellish evening commute for many in the area.
The snow was followed by bitterly cold temperatures that turned packed snow into sheets of ice, closing schools on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Read more
State offers grants to restore fish and wildlife projects
November 30, 2010
The state Department of Fish and Wildlife has grants for people and organizations interested in conserving fish and wildlife.
The agency has about $1 million in the Aquatic Land Enhancement Account to reimburse residents and groups for volunteer projects related to conservation or to help the public enjoy and understand animal species.
The program funds projects related to habitat, research, education and outreach, facility development and artificial production — although the agency intends to consider other projects. Grants cannot be used for salaries, wages or stipends. Read more
Sammamish allows developers leeway on impact fees
November 30, 2010
Sammamish will continue to give developers breathing room in paying impact fees for their new development.
In response to the economic slowdown and the decline in new home construction in Sammamish in 2009, the City Council approved a temporary change in rules that allowed developers to wait until a home sold before paying the city impact fees, which are used to finance parks, roads and other necessary infrastructure. The fees are normally due to the city when a building permit is approved. Read more
Bring opinions about sheriff’s office to Sammamish meeting
November 30, 2010
Evaluators plan to evaluate how the King County Sheriff’s Office conducts business early next month — and county residents can offer opinions to the oversight commission.
Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies assessors arrive Dec. 4 to examine sheriff’s office policies and procedures, management, operations and support services. The evaluation is part of a voluntary process to gain accreditation — a coveted recognition of professional excellence in law enforcement communications. Read more
Teenagers sleep in boxes to understand homelessness
November 30, 2010
Even after spending more than an hour building her cardboard box house and sleeping with nothing but cardboard and a sleeping bag between her and the raw outside, Kristin Dietzel was ready to tackle the day’s challenges as a temporary homeless minor.
But, as the day wore on, Dietzel, an eighth-grade student at Beaver Lake Middle School, found herself growing tired. She had fasted for 24 hours, gone digging through Dumpsters for meals, walked door to door for a food drive and panhandled outside a grocery store in Issaquah, all on the cold, gray day of Nov. 13. Read more
Submit verses and rhymes to youth poetry slam
November 30, 2010
Whether it is a ballad or a sonnet, free style verse or a haiku, the Issaquah Youth Advisory Board is looking for teenagers to write and read their work for a poetry slam.
Skyline High School sophomore Iman Daghai, one of about 50 youth board members, said the poetry slam would encourage students to express themselves through the written word.
“We decided a poetry slam would be a good way to promote youth writing and youth voice,” he said. “We thought it would be a good way to promote poetry and trigger some interest and maybe even some passion for poetry.” Read more
Students study strawberries, science at Hutch High
November 30, 2010
The strawberry, with eight sets of each chromosome, is an ideal fruit for DNA extraction. Humans only have two sets of each chromosome, one from their mother and the other from their father.
Though he was armed with DNA extraction tools, Issaquah High School sophomore Nick Co wasn’t convinced.
“Why would you want to isolate the DNA?” he asked.
“If you want to manipulate genes,” University of Washington graduate student Naomi Bogenschutz said. “If a farmer wants to isolate genes that make strawberries grow faster and amplify them.” Read more
