Summer concerts rock the park
July 26, 2011
Howie and Amy McOmber dance to classic rock'n'roll songs as the About Face band performs Thursday evening at Pine Lake Park. Photo by Anna Marum
Families tossed balls back and forth and children danced to the unmistakable melodies of Boston, Journey and Van Morrison at Pine Lake Park July 21. About 500 people braved a few light showers to hear the About Face band, a classic rock cover band. The performance was part of the weekly series put on by the city of Sammamish, Summer Concerts in the Park.
Recreation Coordinator Lynne Handlos said the turnout was the best yet this summer, due to the unseasonable weather in previous weeks. This summer marks the concert series’ 11th year, she said. For this year’s lineup, she picked the most popular bands in the last 10 years. The About Face band returned from 2008.
Handlos said she purposely picks a variety of genres to cater to a wide audience.
“We’ve never had a negative comment,” she said.
Denise Markley of Redmond, a regular attendee, said she enjoys the music and likes that families can run around and play.
She said she hopes the series continues into future years and appreciates that the concerts are free. Read more
Police Blotter July 27
July 26, 2011
Shady buyer
A Sammamish couple reported July 14 that they suspected they were being scammed by a prospective buyer after listing their duplex for sale on Craigslist. The couple was looking for someone to buy a duplex they owned in Seattle and received an email from an interested party in England.
The prospective buyer then mailed the couple a cashiers check for twice what they were asking for the unit with instructions that they wire the extra money back to England. The couple reported the incident to police.
Drinking and driving and almost dying
A 22-year-old Sammamish man will likely be charged with driving under the influence after colliding with a parked car and rolling his vehicle over. Police responded to a report of an injury accident on the 2100 block of 236th Avenue Northeast at around 1:45 a.m. July 14. There they found a man trapped in a Honda Civic that had flipped on its roof.
Proposed county rule could cost local school district
July 26, 2011
Issaquah School District officials worry an 80-acre plot bought for $3.3 million in 2006 will become largely worthless to the district if King County officials move forward with a proposed ban on new school buildings in rural areas.
Known as the Winterbrook Farm site, the undeveloped land sits at 21207 S.E. May Valley Road, outside the city’s designated urban growth area. Read more
Endangered decision is due soon for Lake Sammamish kokanee
July 26, 2011
The long process to add the dwindling Lake Sammamish kokanee salmon to the endangered species list inched ahead July 12, as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service agreed to make decisions soon about the salmon species and more than 700 animal and plant species under consideration for federal protection.
Under a legal agreement between the agency and environmentalists, the Fish & Wildlife Service is required to decide by the end of the year whether the Lake Sammamish kokanee proposal should proceed. Read more
King County is a top ‘digital county’ nationwide
July 26, 2011
King County is a Top 10 Digital County after out-innovating counties across the United States in a National Association of Counties survey.
The survey — a joint effort between the national association and the Center for Digital Government — identified the “best electronic practices among counties nationwide” and ranked the top candidates. Read more
Sammamish teens injured in crash
July 26, 2011
Three teens were sent to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries after a driver collided with a fence and tree near Beaver Lake in the early morning hours July 21.
An 18-year-old Fall City man was driving a 2007 Subaru Impreza northbound on Beaver Lake Way Southeast near the corner of Southeast 25th Way when he lost control of his vehicle at around 12:25 a.m. and left the east side of the road. Read more
King County eschews crackdown on medical-marijuana operations
July 26, 2011
King County is adopting a more laissez-faire approach to medical-marijuana operations as Issaquah, Sammamish and other cities tighten rules for patient-run collective gardens and other operations.
Issaquah City Council members upheld a six-month moratorium on medical marijuana collective gardens July 18 — the same day the council in neighboring Sammamish enacted a similar moratorium. Federal Way, Kent, North Bend and other cities also clamped down on medical-marijuana operations. Read more
Sammamish Forum July 27
July 26, 2011
Huckabay endorses Valderrama
As a former City Councilmember, I have had the pleasure to know and work with Ramiro Valderrama for more than six years. Over this time, I watched as he organized the East Lake Coalition and then mobilized citizens through Citizens for Sammamish.
Through that process, he has helped to create an organization of knowledgeable citizens who come together to research, discuss and develop effective solutions on a range of issues from finance, community services, connectivity transportation, environment, economic development. Read more
A simple answer to pot confusion
July 26, 2011
There is one sure-fire way to end all the confusion over conflicting marijuana laws. Legalize it.
Sammamish just placed a moratorium on collective medical marijuana growing operations because the state and the feds have different ideas about what should be allowed and they don’t want to be caught in the middle. It was a prudent response to a confusing situation. Read more
Solar power creeping onto the plateau
July 26, 2011
Solar panels line the roof of John Curley’s home in Sammamish. Photo by Ari Cetron
Mary Pigott was reading about how much energy people in the U.S. use. She found the number staggering, and decided to do something about it, so starting in 2008, Pigott had an array of solar panels attached to the roof of her house.
Pigott has an unusually large number of solar panels, and said she usually generates much more power than she uses. Since she’s pumping energy into the electrical grid, most of the time she actually gets a check from Puget Sound Energy instead of a bill.
While the money is nice, she said she was more motivated by the ecological benefits of using solar power.
“It was the right thing to do,” Pigott said. Read more
