Sammamish City Council cell tower debate continues
January 22, 2011
New: Jan. 22, 11:17 a.m.
The Sammamish City Council has rescheduled hearings on regulations that could allow cell phone towers in city parks.
The council is now scheduled to hear from city staff on the issue at a study session Feb. 15 and then deliberate on possible changes March 15. Read more
Lake Washington School District voters to decide on tax levy
January 21, 2011
New: Jan. 21, 1:46 p.m.
The children are coming and Lake Washington School District needs somewhere to put them.
With the district projected to grow by upwards of 450 students a year, administrators and school board members are relying on voters approving a $65.4 million levy that would fund a new wing for Eastlake High School and a brand new secondary school just north of Sammamish city limits, as well as an expansion of Redmond High School.
Starting in 2012, the levy is projected to charge homeowners 31 cents per $1,000 of assessed value over six years – costing the owner of a $500,000 home about $13 a month. The levy rate is expected to decrease over time as total assessed value in the area increases. However, even if the rate decreases, homeowners are likely to pay about the same amount each year for the life of the levy. Read more
Sammamish man charged in child pornography case
January 20, 2011
Updated: Jan. 21, 12:03 p.m.
A Sammamish man is in jail after his estranged wife allegedly found a gun safe full of child pornography.
Joseph Padgett, 48, is being charged with first-degree possession of child pornography in connection with five computers, four external hard drives and a USB thumb drive containing hundreds of images of naked underage girls, including some that featured adult men having sex with girls as young as four, according to charging documents filed in King County Superior Court. Read more
Ballots on the way
January 19, 2011
Eastlake grad Taylor Mueller will play for Portland Timbers
January 18, 2011
New: Jan. 18, 1:34 p.m.
Former Eastlake High School soccer star Taylor Mueller was drafted into Major League Soccer Jan. 18. The Portland Timbers selected Mueller, a 2007 Eastlake graduate, in the 38th pick overall in the 2011 MLS draft, according to the soccer club.
Currently a senior defender at the University of Washington, Mueller was an All-Pac 10 second team member with fellow Timbers pick, Raymundo Reza, of San Diego State University, while captaining a Husky team defense that ranked 13th in the NCAA in shutout percentage (0.5), according to the Timbers website.
Among other accolades in 2010, Mueller captained the UW defense and was ranked 16th on TopDrawerSoccer.com’s list of top 20 Pac-10 players.
Issaquah School District to update science, language arts curricula
January 18, 2011
The Issaquah School District is preparing to adopt new curricula this June: one for elementary school science and another for high school language arts.
District administrators try to update curricula every seven years, but sometimes budget cuts get in the way. The elementary science curriculum was last updated in 2003, but the wait has been longer for high school language arts — it was last updated during a three-year period from 1999-2001.
Some parents said they felt unsettled after last year’s math curriculum adoption, saying the district did not allow them enough input, especially because a group of parents disagreed with the curriculum that the Issaquah School Board approved. Read more
Remove the barricade, start on the others
January 18, 2011
After years of discussion and months of intense scrutiny, city officials say to remove the 32nd Street barricade, one of the Sammamish’s most controversial.
Residents, particularly those close to it, have called for additional study, to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars, before doing so.
The City Council should resist the call for additional study, tear down the barricade and implement the new safety features called for in the study already in hand. Read more
More digital speed signs coming
January 18, 2011
Three Sammamish elementary schools will be getting flashing lights reminding drivers to slow down during school hours.
Samantha Smith Elementary, on Northeast 14th Street, Christa McAuliffe Elementary, on Northeast 22nd Street, and Margaret Mead Elementary, on 216th Avenue Northeast, will receive the lights as part of a $22,500 grant from the Washington State Traffic Safety Commission. Read more
Sammamish Forum Jan. 19
January 18, 2011
Cut them down
We’ve lived in Sammamish for six years now and really like it here. The natural landscape is very pretty with all the trees (as compared to Texas where we moved from).
However, I can’t help but agree with Mr. Alan Mebane’s comments in his letter printed in the Dec. 29, 2010 Sammamish Forum.
In short, can we please cut down the tree stumps (on 228th Avenue) and replant?
Carolyn Davis
Sammamish Read more
Honor eco-savvy students, teachers as Earth Heroes
January 18, 2011
Nominate eco-conscious students, teachers, staffers, volunteers and programs — or even entire schools — for the King County Earth Heroes at Schools awards program.
The award aims to honor people and entities for contributions to environmental protection and student environmental education.
Honorees in past years included programs related to recycling, restoring habitat, composting lunchroom waste and growing pesticide-free gardens. Read more
