Construction projects in Issaquah and Lake Washington school districts will modernize schools
August 23, 2011
NEW 4:25 p.m., Aug. 23
Voters from both of Sammamish’s school districts have approved bonds in recent years to upgrade school facilities.
The big project on the plateau is the addition at Eastlake. A two-story classroom wing and auxiliary gym are being added to accommodate next year’s influx of ninth graders to the school.
The project began work over the summer and is expected to be complete in time for the 2012-13 school year.
Otherwise, while the city has seen new schools, such as Creekside and Rachel Carson elementaries open in the past few years, most of the major projects are taking place outside of Sammamish right now.
Lake Washington district
The big news in the Lake Washington district is the construction of a new science, technology engineering and math (STEM) secondary school.
The building is set to go up just north of Sammamish on state Route 202, near Alcott Elementary. The district is hip-deep in the permitting process, and expects to have the new building open in time for the 2012-2013 school year.
• An addition to Redmond High School will make the school 30,000 square feet bigger. Construction began over the summer.
• Construction wrapped up at Lake Washington High School/Northstar Junior High, Finn Hill Junior High/Environmental and Adventure School and Muir Elementary. Students are expected to move back in this school year.
• Construction projects at Keller Elementary and Sandburg Elementary should be done by the start of the next school year.
• Projects at Rose Hill Junior High/Stella Schola Middle School, Bell and Rush elementaries and the International Community School are proceeding and should wrap up at various times in 2013.
Issaquah district
• Planners slated Maywood Middle School in Renton for a modernization and expansion project. According to the latest construction update from the district this month, Maywood’s old administration/commons area and counseling offices are gone, with construction of replacement facilities under way. Demolition of the parking lots and sidewalks are nearing completion with rebuilding scheduled to already have started. Grading of new parking areas has begun.
• Also in Renton, Briarwood Elementary School was slated for a complete replacement. A new building is planned right next to the existing structure, Niegowski said.
The Briarwood project still is in its beginning stages, though the school’s former parking lot is now part of the construction zone. A new, temporary lot for staff and parents was built on the east side of the school.
Also affecting how students will come and go from the school, the driveway in front of Briarwood was renovated and now is intended for drop off and pick up of students only.
On another front, the construction has taken over the school’s former baseball field and what was known as the “Big Toy” area. Some of the play equipment was moved and will be available to students this year. Briarwood’s new building is slated to open in fall 2012.
• Liberty High School is set to receive a $19 million addition and modernization. The schedule had new science labs built first in summer of last year. Site preparation and some demolition was to last through early this year, when construction was launched on a new performing arts center. Overall work is thought to continue through summer 2012.
• Work also continues on a modernization project at Challenger Elementary in Issaquah. The former library and staff lounge is gone with construction of the renovated facilities under way. The school’s parking lot and pick-up/drop-off area is about to be realigned.
• Issaquah High School was slated to receive a complete rebuilding at a cost of $94.9 million. Classroom and core areas were ready by fall 2010, with completion of the remaining work done by this fall.
Contractors presently are finishing up cleaning and working on final punch lists on the high school project. The school’s new performing arts center should be mostly up and running in time for the start of school, though officials warn installation of a few items may have to await delivery before completion.
Outside the building, grinding and repaving was slated to begin on a widened Second Avenue the week of Aug. 15. Work is also proceeding on the school’s new athletic stadium. Turf is in place and workers are installing end zone letters and logos.
• Odds and ends: Portable classrooms are in place at Liberty, Apollo Elementary in Renton and Issaquah Valley Elementary in Issaquah. Portables also are on their way to Newcastle Elementary in Newcastle. In Issaquah, at Endeavour Elementary, workers are proceeding with replacing the roof and skylights.
Outside of schools, installation is set to begin shortly on new bus lifts for the district transportation center. Editor Ari Cetron contributed to this story.
Tom Corrigan: 392-6434, ext. 241, or tcorrigan@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.SammamishReview.com.
Back to School: Language lessons
August 23, 2011
NEW 4:10 p.m., Aug. 23
School districts strive to keep foreign language courses available amid shrinking budgets
On almost an annual basis, Tammy Haldeman has had to teach two levels of Japanese language students during the same class period at Skyline High School.
Last school year, she had to pick between teaching a split class of 44 students or make two separate periods out of it. Ultimately she had to keep the group together and teach two levels of Japanese, she said, because one class would not be large enough to warrant creating another class period.
She is able to make do, and it ends up working out alright, she said, but the students in those classes lose out on the closer attention they might otherwise receive in a typical language class with one level.
“You’re more like a facilitator of their learning with that,” Haldeman said.“You have to have highly motivated kids in those classes.”
Haldeman’s situation isn’t unique. Teachers and school administrators have to use the resources available. But due to non-existent class-size-reduction funding and teacher shortages in some languages, foreign language programs around the Issaquah and Lake Washington school districts are facing challenges similar to those in the arts and other elective programs.
Even so, district officials said they know the benefits to studying a foreign language early and have worked to provide options for students as early as eighth grade.
In addition to in-house offerings at Pine Lake and Beaver Lake middle schools and Inglewood Junior High School, some elementary school students in both districts have options through PTA-sponsored after-school language programs, too.
“You are very limited in what you can pack in during that six-hour day. It forces you to prioritize,” said Ron Thiele, Issaquah School District’s associate superintendent. “Even if you had the student interest; even if you could get the teachers, you still have to confront that issue, of ‘what am I willing to stop offering.’ Those become really dicey conversations.”
Starting in middle school
Both school districts offer accredited foreign language classes starting in eighth grade. Inglewood students can take Spanish or French starting in eighth grade. Students at every Issaquah School District middle school can take Spanish, but only those at Issaquah Middle School and Maywood Middle School have an option for French, according to Sara Niegowski, the district’s communications director.
Stella Scholla, a Lake Washington magnet school, offers Latin coursework for seventh- and eighth-graders. And in an effort to streamline graduation requirements for college entry standards, the Lake Washington School Board, at its June 20 meeting, voted to require all students to take two years of one foreign language.
It’s the sixth district in the state to require two years and the seventh overall to institute a foreign language requirement (one district requires one year).
“We wanted to align our high school graduation requirements to ensure our students were prepared and eligible to enter college,” said Traci Pierce, Lake Washington’s deputy superintendent of instructional services.
In Sammamish schools, the new requirement will first apply to incoming Eastlake ninth-graders in fall of 2012, according to Kathryn Reith, the district’s communications director.
Eastside Catholic Middle School offers Spanish starting in seventh grade. Once in high school, students there can take French or Spanish levels one through four, according to the school’s curriculum webpage.
Options in high school
All students at Eastlake and Skyline have the option to take Spanish and French. Skyline also offers Japanese, and a group of students is working to get Mandarin Chinese added to the course offerings list.
Pierce noted the Lake Washington’s desire to offer as many choices as possible for students. It becomes a matter of staffing the position, though.
“There is generalized interest in Mandrin,” she said.
The idea of offering foreign language instruction at the elementary level has become a difficult area to address, Thiele said.
Total immersion
While schools in Burlington and Seattle, as well as many others across the nation, have waded into the waters of offering language immersion programs starting in the first grade, he said Issaquah considers it one of those great ideas that needs more student and parent interest combined with an abundance of bilingual, certified Washington teachers who also know how to teach all subject areas well. One problem, among others, is not enough native Spanish (or another foreign language) speakers at any one school.
“We looked into Spanish immersion a few years back,” Thiele said. “The problem I had was, I understand the immersion, but you need about half the kids in the class (to) be Spanish speaking and half would be English speaking.”
In order for an elementary school to offer a sustainable language immersion program, it has to fill a pipeline of teachers in each grade level.
“I think there’s a reason not a lot of (school districts) do it. It’s harder than anyone thinks. For us, we’re still a relatively homogenous population,” he said. “It’s not that we’re not interested in doing that. If it’s something that we can make happen, let’s do it.”
As principal of Issaquah Middle School in 2002, Thiele, who has a background in Mandrin studies, actually did implement a Japanese language program for one period per day. Within two years, they dropped the program due to lack of student interest.
“I could never get more than 17 kids per class,” Thiele said. “I just couldn’t keep the numbers. There has to be a certain amount of student interest. They’re not forced to take Japanese class.”
Spanish and French are simply more popular still, despite efforts, for example, by Skyline students to get Chinese on the course offerings list. And while other elective subjects like the arts and physical education diminish with the budgets, language classes still remain fairly robust at the high school level, he said.
That has a lot to do with students seeking to fulfill college entrance requirements — neither the district nor the state requires students to complete foreign language coursework.
“It wouldn’t surprise me that it is (growing),” Thiele said. “As I recall over 90 percent (of students) meet the two-years of language requirement upon graduating.”
While school districts have to strike a balance between maintaining a variety of elective course offerings for middle and high schoolers, foreign language teachers have the freedom to organize language immersion trips or activities to help their students deepen their understanding and experience in the culture and language.
These are offered completely independent from the school and tend to happen whenever teachers can get enough students and parents committed to travel, teachers from Skyline and Issaquah said.
Haldeman estimated that roughly one group of Skyline students takes a trip or attends an immersion activity each year, whether that’s during winter break, spring break or over the summer.
“Usually I notice that kids’ interest peaks,” Haldeman said. “It really solidifies their interest.”
Haldeman said she has taken her students to Japan before, but they often opt to attend the two-day full-immersion camp in Seattle. They learn the ins and outs of the culture and compete in speaking exercises.
“They get really excited about doing that,” she said.
Whether students take a trip or not, some teachers in the district supplement the traditional curriculum — standard verb conjugations and memorizing grammar rules — with methods such as Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling (TPRS). It promotes more creativity and conversation among classmates and focuses less on the teacher simply lecturing.
Haldeman said it is proven effective but, due to ever-increasing workload and requirements, it’s difficult to consistently incorporate into everyday instruction. She, like many, chooses to teach only in Japanese in her classes from second-year and up.
“My advanced classes are not allowed to speak in English at all,” Haldeman said.
While schools across the country have proven that learning a second language earlier and through new methods leads to higher test results, among other things, a variety of factors continue to limit Issaquah and other districts in what they can offer students. In the end it’s all a big balancing act, Thiele said.
“There’s educational value with learning a foreign language,” Thiele said. “But there’s also educational value in learning science or art.”
Reporter Christopher Huber can be reached at 392-6434, ext. 242, or chuber@isspress.com. Comment on this story at www.SammamishReview.com.
Crusaders volleyball hopes to make another run at a title
August 23, 2011
NEW 3:55 p.m., Aug. 23
What the Eastside Catholic High School volleyball team lost in key starters from 2010, it may have made up for in its new coach.
The Crusaders lost standouts like outside hitter Cami Silverman to graduation in June, but the team picked up a coach with experience with the national champion University of Washington volleyball program.
An Edmonds native, Mike Bryant joins Eastside Catholic, the 2010 3A state runner up, after spending most of his coaching career at the college level. He most recently spent one season coaching at the University of Pittsburgh, where he guided the team back to the post-season conference tournament.
Possibly his most notable experience was as program director during the Huskies’ 2005 Division-1 national championship run. But Bryant also coached at Metro League rival Holy Names Academy, earning numerous awards and accolades.
In the 2010 3A state final, Eastside Catholic lost 3-1 to Seattle Prep. But the Crusaders finished the season 19-3 overall and 11-1 in Metro League competition. On the way to state, the girls took the Metro and district titles.
From that team, Eastside Catholic brings back a solid core of seven seniors: Kameron McLain (outside hitter), Mandy Mahan (middle blocker), Lauren Rehn (outside hitter), Marlena Norwood (defensive specialist), Nicole Boswell (libero and defensive specialist), Jordan Gates (setter) and Danielle Leider (middle blocker and outside hitter).
In addition, Bryant noted three others in the rotation who will balance the attack this fall: early-career standout, junior outside hitter and setter Hannah Christie, junior middle blocker Sarah Hill and sophomore outside hitter Katherine Towslee.
McLain looks to be a dominant force for the Crusaders this season. The Division-1 prospect has verbally committed to play for Boston College in 2012, Bryant said.
Before practices started, Bryant explained that the team will need to set goals and consistently meet them throughout the season. The girls will need to stay focused on their own tasks, he said, and work to create opportunities on the court.
“The Metro League is traditionally one of the toughest in the state and we know that it will take some very good volleyball to be successful against our league opponents,” Bryant said. “It will be important for us to use every opportunity to compete at a high level and improve on the things we do, and not become complacent or overlook any conference opponent.”
Games to watch: Holy Names at Eastside Catholic, 7 p.m., Sept. 19; (2010 state title game rematch) Seattle Prep at Eastside Catholic, 7 p.m., Sept. 21; Eastside Catholic at Bishop Blanchet, 7 p.m., Oct. 3.
Jake Heaps piles up the honors at BYU
August 23, 2011
Jake Heaps, one of the most celebrated quarterbacks in Skyline High School history, is earning preseason attention at Brigham Young University.Of course, accolades are nothing new for Heaps, who earned all-state and national honors during his Skyline days and led Skyline to three straight state championships.
Among his recent honors is being named to the 2011 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List.
One reason why Heaps is on the list is because of the sensational freshman season he had last fall for the Cougars. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Heaps broke every freshman Brigham Young University quarterback record including wins, games started, passing yardage, completions and touchdowns. He started 10 games in 2010, completing 219 of 383 passes for 2,316 yards and 15 touchdowns.
This year’s list featured 38 of the nation’s top collegiate quarterbacks who were picked based on their performance last year and their expectations heading into the 2011 season. Heaps is one of eight sophomores on the list. The field of candidates will be narrowed to 16 semifinals Oct. 24. The O’Brien Foundation and selection committee will announce three finalists Nov. 21 and the winner Dec. 8.
In addition to the O’Brien attention, Heaps is on the cover of the Athlon Sports College Football 2011 preseason football magazine. He shares the cover with Stanford’s Andrew Luck and Boise State’s Kellen Moore.
Heaps has come a long way in a year. He entered fall camp last year expecting to share the quarterback duties with Riley Nelson. The two shared the position in BYU’s season-opening 23-17 victory against Washington. When Nelson suffered a season-ending shoulder injury against Florida State Sept. 18, Heaps became the starter for the remainder of the season. He ended it with a record-setting MVP performance against the University of Texas-El Paso in the New Mexico Bowl. He was the first BYU freshman quarterback to start in a bowl game. Heaps was selected to the College Football News Freshman All-American Team as an honorable mention.
Besides all of the football attention, the other big news in Heaps’ life came in late June this year when he married Brooke Shaw, whose father was a former BYU player.
Calendar August 24
August 23, 2011
Concert in the Park summer concert series features “Soul Purpose” from 6:30-8 p.m. Aug. 25 at Pine Lake Park.
Friendly Earth, a non-profit recycling company, is teaming up with the Sammamish Presbyterian Church to kick off a community wide recycling event. Volunteers will be collecting used, broken and unwanted appliances, as well as electronics and scrap metal from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Aug. 27 at Sammamish Presbyterian Church.
Friends of the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery is holding a new volunteer training program from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 27. Email volunteer coordinator Beverly Lee at volunteer@issaquahfish.org.
The KidsFirst Noontime series concert will feature Nate Weinstein, a Harry Potter impersonator, at noon Aug. 29 at Ebright Creek Park.
Urban Poetics: A photography exhibit by Victoria Bjorklund will be on display at City Hall from Sept. 2-Oct. 4 at City Hall, and is viewable during normal business hours.
The documentary file “Painted Life” the story of Henk Pander as seen through the lens of his son, Jacob, will be shown at 1 p.m. Sept. 10 at City Hall.
Sammamish Walks will take a guided tour along walking trails of Beaver Lake Park with a photography focus from 10 a.m.-noon Sept. 17. To register, visit www.ci.sammamish.wa.us. The Sammamish Farmer’s Market runs from 4-8 p.m. every Wednesday at City Hall.
Library events
Swaddler Story Time, for children birth-9 months with an adult, 11 a.m. Sept 15, 22 and 29.
Waddler Story Time, for children 9-24 months with an adult, 10 and 11 a.m. Sept 16, 23 and 30.
Hindi Story Time, for children 3 and older with an adult, 4 p.m. Sept 15, 22 and 29.
Toddler Story Time, for children 2-3 with an adult, 10 and 11 a.m. Sept 14, 21 and 28.
Preschool Story Time, for children 3-6 with an adult, 10 a.m. Sept 15, 22 and 29, and 1 p.m. Sept 16, 23 and 30.
Pajama Story Time, for children 2-6 with an adult, 7 p.m. Sept. 12, 19 and 26.
Musik Nest, for children 2-3 with an adult. Share songs, dance, rhythm and new ways to enjoy music with your toddler, 10:30 a.m. Sept. 17.
Spanish Story Time, for children 3 and older with an adult, 6 p.m. Sept. 13, 20 and 27.
Mother Daughter Book Club will discuss “Penny Dreadful” by Laurel Snyder, 1 p.m. Sept. 24.
Meet the Author: Meet Jez Alborough, the international children’s author-illustrator of over 30 picture books, at 6 p.m. on Sept. 29.
Stress Management and Relaxation Training for Teens will take place at 2 p.m. on Sept. 17. Register at www.kcls.org/sammamish or call 425.392.3130.
The Teen Writers Group will meet at 3:30 p.m. on Sept 20.
Meet the Cartoonist: Meet local 16-year-old cartoonist, Seth Campos, author of two comic book collections, “Welcome to Beeky Airlines” and “Real Bears Eat Takeout,” at 2 p.m. on Sept. 25.
Beginner ESL Classes, 7 p.m. Sept 8, 15, 22 and 29.
How to Start a Business. Learn the resources that are available through the Small Business Administration, the steps in starting a business, how to write a business plan and how to do research at 2 p.m. on Sept 13.
Talk Time, conversation practice for adults who want to improve their English language skills, will take place at 12:30 p.m. on Sept 15, 22 and 29.
Growing Your Preschooler’s Brain, for parents and child care providers of children 1-5, will be presented by Kathy Slattengren, M.Ed. at 10 a.m. on Sept 24.
Intermediate ESL Class, 10 a.m. Sept 27. Create a Web Site for Your Small Business. Discover easy-to-use design tools that can build your small business web site at 6 p.m. on Sept 28.
Poetry Workshop, a series of weekly workshops for anyone interested in poetry, will take place at 7 p.m. on Sept 28, Oct. 5, 12, 19, 26 and Nov. 2.
The Sammamish Book Group will discuss Kim by Rudyard Kipling at 7 p.m. on Sept. 21.
Volunteer opportunities
Sammamish Medical Reserve Corps is seeking retired medical and non-medical workers. Meetings 6:30-8 p.m., the fourth Wednesday of the month at Eastside Fire & Rescue Station 82. Email MRC@sammamishcitizencorps.oeg.
Visit residents in nursing homes. Friend to Friend matches volunteers with residents in Sammamish nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Volunteers are asked to visit residents a couple times a month for a year. Orientation will be provided. Background check required. Call 1-888-383-7818.
Evergreen Healthcare is seeking volunteers to help serve patients throughout King County. Volunteers, who will be assigned to help people in their own neighborhoods, provide companionship, run errands, do light household work, or give a break to primary caregivers. Volunteers will be supported by hospital staff. Call 899-1040 or visit www.evergreenhealthcare.org/hospice.
The King County Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program needs certified long-term care ombudsman volunteers. After completing a four-day training program, visit with residents, take and resolve complaints and advocate for residents. Volunteers are asked to donate four hours a week and attend selected monthly meetings. Contact Cheryl Kakalia at 206-694-6827.
Eastside Bluebills is a Boeing retiree volunteer organization that strives to provide opportunities for retirees to help others in need and to assist charitable and nonprofit organizations, 10 a.m.-noon, the third Wednesday of the month at the Bellevue Regional Library. Call 235-3847.
LINKS, Looking Into the Needs of Kids in Schools, places community volunteers in the schools of the Lake Washington School District. Opportunities include tutoring, classroom assistance and lunch buddy. Email links@lwsd.org or visit www.linksvolunteer.org.
Eastside Baby Corner needs volunteers to sort incoming donations of clothing and toys and prepare items for distribution. Visit www.babycorner.org. Volunteers are needed to visit homebound patrons with the King County Library System’s Traveling Library Center program. Volunteers must be at least 18 years old and have reliable transportation. Call Susan LaFantasie at 369-3235.
Sammamish Citizen Corps Council needs volunteers to help support the Community Emergency Response Team and other groups. Email info@sammamishcitizencorps.org, visit www.sammamishcitizencorps.org or attend the meeting from 7-8 p.m. first Wednesday of every month at Fire Station 82.
Volunteer drivers are needed for the Senior Services Volunteer Transportation Program. Flexible hours, mileage, parking reimbursement and supplemental liability insurance are offered. Call 206-448-5740.
Guide Dogs for the Blind Eager Eye Guide Pups Club needs volunteers to raise puppies for use as guide dogs for the blind. Email sjbonsib@aol.com.
Volunteer Chore Services links volunteers with seniors or individuals who are disabled and are living on a limited income. Call 425-284-2240.
520 bridge to close this weekend
August 23, 2011
State work crews will be constructing a fish passage culvert and doing other work to the 520 bridge this weekend. As a result, the bridge, all ramps, and the main line of state Route 520 will be closed from Montlake Boulevard in Seattle to I-405.
The road must be closed so crews can dig a deep trench across all lanes of traffic east of 84th Avenue Northeast. The closure is set to begin at 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 and is expected to re-open by 5 a.m. Monday, Aug. 29. The state reccomends taking alternate routes, carpool or use transit.
Similar closures, part of the 520Eastside Transit and HOV Project, have occured in June and July. The state Department of Transportation expects it will need several more weekend closures as the project continues. The next closure is scheduled for some time in September, but the dates have not yet been announced.
For more details on this closure and the project, visit http://wsdot.wa.gov/Projects/SR520Bridge/WeekendClosures.htm.
Lake Washington School District’s ACT scores rise
August 23, 2011
Lake Washington School District scored better in all four categories of the ACT test last year even as average scores statewide fell.
The district’s average composite score rose by three-tenths to 25.6 while the statewide average fell to 22.8. The national average is 21.
Lake Washington students’ scores rose four-tenths of a point on English, Mathematics and Reading, as well as one-tenth in Science. Lake Washington also continues to score well when it comes to college-ready graduates – 55 percent of its ACT test takers met all four college readiness benchmarks, compared to 35 percent of students statewide and 25 percent of students around the country, according to a district press release.
A day in the life of Trujillo, Peru’s garbage miners
August 23, 2011
Police Blotter August 24
August 23, 2011
Watercraft theft
A resident on the 100 block of East Lake Sammamish Shore Lane Northeast had a personal watercraft and trailer stolen from their home between 11 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Aug. 6.
The home is for sale and many people had recently toured the home and come by to purchase items in the home that are listed on Craigslist. The personal watercraft is a blue and gray-colored Bombadier brand.
Family dispute
Sammamish Police were called Aug. 7 to sort out a dispute between a mother and the adult daughter she was kicking out of the house. The altercation stemmed from a disagreement over the daughter allowing her boyfriend to stay the night at the home.
Both parties claimed the other had hit them during a pushing and shoving match after the daughter refused to leave the home, but neither showed signs of injury or wished to have the other prosecuted. Police stood by as the daughter gathered personal items and left the home without further incident.
Bitter partier
A resident at The Knolls at Inglewood Hill apartments reported that someone broke their window with a beer bottle at around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 8. The vandalism occurred shortly after the resident called police to break up a loud party in the swimming pool area, which is near the resident’s apartment. Four or five males and a female were seen piling into a black SUV and fleeing the scene shortly after.
Broken plants and broken hearts
A Sammamish resident reported that his soon-to-be ex-wife had come to his home and broke two potted plants on his porch Aug. 8. The man told police he wanted the incident documented but did not wish to pursue charges.
High at school
Police contacted a 20-year-old Sammamish man who admitted to being high while hanging out in the Mead Elementary parking lot at around 11:30 p.m. Aug. 10.
The man had an outstanding warrant for minor in possession from Blaine, Wash., but police could not arrest the man because the warrant was not extraditable to other jurisdictions. The man, who was hanging around his car with a female, told police he could not leave the property because he had recently smoked marijuana. Police searched the man but were unable to locate any drugs or paraphernalia. They released him at the scene.
Drunk on the job
A Sammamish man who is having his home remodeled reported Aug. 11 that someone had stolen several tools and four bottles of liquor and wine from his home. The man and his contractor suspect three temporary workers that were hired to do work in the home, though all three denied having stolen the items. The case remains under investigation.
Welfare check
Police were called to check on an elderly Sammamish man Aug. 12 after staff at a local veterinary office reported that he seemed disoriented. Police arrived at the man’s home and found evidence that he had crashed his vehicle into a brick light fixture next to the driveway, but the man was not at home. Police contacted the man’s family, who were able to locate him at the hospital, where he was visiting his sick wife. The man told his family that he had gotten up too quick at the vet’s office and felt dizzy but was otherwise fine.
Almost home
A 52-year-old Sammamish woman was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in her own driveway at around 10:30 p.m. Aug. 6.
An officer pulled the woman over on 211th Place Southeast near Southeast 8th Street after watching her drift into an on-coming lane of traffic and drive an estimated 45 mph in a 30 zone. The woman smelled of alcohol and was argumentative with the officer, saying that she just wanted to go home and asking the officer why he was picking on her instead of catching the “people who drive 90 miles per hour” on her road.
The woman also insisted on going inside her home to contact her husband, who is a lawyer. Police advised her that this would be considered interfering with a traffic stop and had to put her into handcuffs to prevent her from leaving her vehicle.
She blew a .13 on a breath test, over the .08 limit for driving. She was released to her husband and will likely be facing a DUI charge.
Vehicle prowl
A resident at the Boulder Creek Apartments reported that someone had jimmied open the lock on his car and taken a camera, GPS unit and several dog toys overnight Aug. 7. The man was sure that he had locked the door, but found the items missing the next morning. Police have no suspects.
Graffiti
Police discovered initials and a picture drawn in black spray paint on a stop sign on the corner of Main Street and 214th Avenue Northeast. Police notified Public Works staff.
Melon throwing
Someone damaged a neighborhood sign at the northwest corner of the Kempton Downs development by throwing watermelons. Police have no suspects. The homeowner’s association will pay for the $300 worth of damage.
Lying gets you nowhere
A 36-year-old Sammamish man was arrested on suspicion of driving with a revoked license, without a required ignition interlock and for making false statements to a police officer after being pulled over near the corner of 228th Avenue and Southeast 13th Way Aug. 9.
Police pulled the man over for having expired tabs on his car. The man claimed he did not have his license and gave the officer conflicting information on his name and identity. Police eventually identified him through his social security number and discovered that his license was revoked and that he was required to have an ignition interlock on any vehicle he drives.
Police arrested the man and booked him into Issaquah Jail. While at jail the man began acting strangely, which prompted jail officials to give him a breath test. Though he had denied drinking earlier, the man admitted he had drank “a whole bottle of vodka” just before being pulled over by the officer. The first breath test showed an estimated blood alcohol level of .25 and a second showed a level of .41 – a potentially deadly level. The man was transported to the hospital for detox.
Ammo dump
A Sammamish resident turned in some old gun ammunition for safe disposal Aug. 11. The ammo was 50 years old and designed for a Remington Luger 9mm.
Burglary
A resident on the 3600 block of 212th Avenue Southeast had her and her son’s passports and citizenship documents stolen from the home she was renting. The home’s alarm went off at around 11 a.m. Aug. 11. The alarm company notified the woman, who returned home to find the front door kicked open and a brief case containing the items gone. No other items were missing from the home. The case remains under investigation.
Vehicle prowl
A Sammamish resident had her wallet stolen from her vehicle as it was parked at Ebright Creek Park between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Aug. 11. The wallet contained $90 cash and was likely taken from an open sunroof.
More ammo disposal
A Sammamish resident turned in a box of old shotgun shells to police for safe disposal Aug. 12.
Aggressive Zumba
A Sammamish resident called police Aug. 13 to report that his neighbor had been repeatedly dancing provocatively in front of his children. The resident called to report the neighbor’s noisy music. When police arrived the resident explained that he and his wife had had repeated disputes with the neighbor over her loud music and strange behavior.
According to the police report, the resident reported that the neighbor, a woman in her 40s, often worked out outside. Whenever the man or his children were outside, the woman would “skulk” along the property line wearing skimpy clothing and provocatively “bump and grind” in the direction of the family. The man said the woman had never exposed herself and that he did not want police to contact the woman because he was afraid that that would escalate the situation. The man reported that the woman’s home is for sale and that he was hopeful that she would soon be moving away.
As the officer was taking the report he noted that the woman was wearing pink bikini bottoms and a black sports bra doing lunges and stair steps up and down her front porch steps. Police documented the incident but have no immediate plans to confront the woman about her exercise routine.
DUI
A 33-year-old Kirkland man was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after being pulled over near the corner of Southeast 20th Street and 212th Avenue Southeast just before midnight Aug. 14. An officer clocked the man’s vehicle at 52 mph in a 35 zone. The man performed poorly on field sobriety tests and blew a .08 during a breath test. Because the test was taken an hour after the arrest, the man may face a DUI charge since police believe he was over the legal limit while he was driving. The man was dropped off at a friend’s apartment nearby.
Suicide attempt
Police were called Aug. 12 after a Sammamish woman reportedly threatened to overdose on sleeping pills in a suicide attempt. The woman’s husband told police that he had to wrestle a bottle of pills away from her to stop her attempt. The woman told police she was having a bad day and that the family was going through financial hardships, but denied attempting suicide. Based on interviews with the rest of the family police had the woman involuntarily committed to the hospital for a mental health evaluation.
Burglary
A resident on the 2400 block of East Beaver Lake Road had a Wii video game system stolen from their home between 8 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Aug. 12. The home is for sale and police believe the suspect destroyed a real estate lock box to gain access to the home. Police were able to obtain some fingerprints from the home and the case remains under investigation.
Open door
A resident on the 24500 block of Southeast 30th Street left their garage door open overnight Aug. 11 and discovered the next morning that someone had stolen their cell phone from their unlocked car.
Prescription forgery
Police were called Aug. 11 after staff at the Safeway pharmacy suspected that someone had illegally picked up a Sammamish man’s Clonazepam prescription. A white female, about 18 years old, came to the pharmacy and said she was there to pick up the man’s prescription, and successfully provided the man’s birthday, phone number and address. The man came the next day to retrieve the prescription and was surprised to hear that it had already been picked up. He told staff he had not given anyone else permission to pick up his medication. Police are reviewing surveillance footage.
Sex offender registration
Police were serving a warrant on the 24200 block of Southeast 24th Street when they discovered a 49-year-old living there who had apparently failed to register as a sex offender. Records show the man has an outstanding warrant in Nevada for failure to register as a sex offender. He was transferred to Snoqualmie, where he has a separate outstanding misdemeanor warrant for failure to transfer the title of a vehicle. Snoqualmie Police booked him into Issaquah Jail on that warrant. Police could find no record of the man having registered as a sex offender in Washington State and are investigating whether he took the proper steps to register here. The case remains under investigation.
Items in the Police Blotter come from Sammamish Police reports.
Sammamish Forum Aug. 24
August 23, 2011
What is Sammamish?
From what it looks like, it is a suburb like Issaquah, or Redmond, supplying parks and nicely new painted bike trails. But the bikers ride down the middle of the road three abreast anyway.
And the main drag, does it have businesses to support itself? No, it has more churches and schools then any other city I have seen around here.
Let’s look at the Issaquah Highlands, which has a huge doctors complex, a new hospital and businesses to support the city of Issaquah with more coming.
Then we have Redmond. They are building out to the sign that says leaving Redmond, and it is all businesses that have been put in long after Sammamish became a so-called city.
Does Sammamish need a council and planning commission? If so why? All they do is sit up there in their monument they built called a city hall and listen to what the people say, but have never acted on any of the suggestions that I heard in 12 years of being incorporated. Either un-incorporate or get rid of who you have running the city.
After all these years, let’s get business to come in here so we do not have to run to Issaquah or Redmond every time we need some pants or a shirt.
Urban Masset
Sammamish
Out for a cause
If Sammamish residents noticed hundreds of people out, dressed alike walking and running on a recent Saturday morning, it was due to the Amazing Race to Understand Autism.
Justin McComber, 14, planned this event for his Eagle Scout project to benefit autism and create awareness for the exceptional people afflicted with autism, like his 17-year-old brother Gregory.
I, like many other people participating in this benefit admired the passion, effort, and maturity Justin displayed coordinating and leading this benefit. Justin truly exemplifies the best of our younger generation and future leaders of our world. My husband and I were so proud to be part of this as I am sure everyone else involved in this was.
Thank you Justin and great job!
Robyn Lundberg
Sammamish
Bad barricade removal
On Southeast 32nd Street, at the top of the hill just east of the existing barricade, the city of Sammamish has placed curbs which will bring oncoming vehicles with zero sight distance, directly at each other with no room for error when the barricade is removed. Poor job.
Lori Barnett
Sammamish
Nothing wrong with Social Security
We have heard much misinformation about Social Security lately. The biggest lie told by those who either don’t understand it or those who want to eliminate it is that Social Security has run out of money. It hasn’t.
Let me explain. Employees and employers on behalf of their employees pay a percentage of each paycheck into the Social Security system. Self-employed people also contribute. We do this to provide income for retirees and disabled individuals.
Starting in 2010 the Social Security system paid more to beneficiaries than it received, and without changes will continue running a deficit. However even lacking any adjustments it can pay the same cost of living adjusted benefits until 2036.
How is this possible? Here comes the inconvenient truth. Over time, using its annual surpluses the Social Security Trust Fund purchased $2.6 trillion of US interest bearing securities backed by the ‘full-faith and credit of the United States of America’. Social Security has begun redeeming these securities to make up the 2010 and future deficits.
And that is the rub. Essentially, the government has borrowed $2.6 trillion from our self-funded safety net to finance activities over the past decades – an obligation that must be repaid with tax revenues. Though the taxpayers are on the hook to repay the money, defaulting on this obligation would be as catastrophic as defaulting on our debt to China.
Congress needs to make reasonable adjustments to keep Social Security solvent as it has done before. It also needs to look elsewhere such as Iraq and Afghanistan for budget cuts to offset its obligation to Social Security, thus allowing it to maintain its full-faith and credit standing with the American people.
Social Security is critical to many of us, our parents and will be for future generations. It is the sole source of income for millions. The great recession has decimated home values and savings putting a tremendous strain on the budgets of those on fixed incomes. Government must protect Social Security for all of us and not use the budget as an excuse to destroy this critical financial safety net.
Michael J. O’Connell
Sammamish
