Our 2012 goals for Sammamish
January 4, 2012
There are dozens of issues Sammamish could tackle this year. Here are a few select ones we’d like to see accomplished.
Taxing structure. This goal is on the list for a fourth year, and at the top for a third. City officials have warned there must be changes to Sammamish’s dependence on property taxes and the real estate excise tax, but the City Council continues to dodge this thorny problem. Recent changes in the budget have delayed the inevitable, but the problem is structural. Choose the most fair way to increase city coffers and do it. Read more
Sammamish Forum Jan. 4
January 4, 2012
It’s not religious
In a recent letter to the editor, a reader wrote, “Even though it has been adopted by some non-Christians, a Christmas tree is a symbol with meaning.” Later she wrote, “but make no mistake: if you cut it down, string lights on it and/or bring it inside – it is a religious reference.”
I would like to point out that the Christmas tree is not a Christian symbol adopted by non-Christians, it is a pagan symbol adopted by Christians. Read Jeremiah 10:2-4. Read more
Cascade Water Alliance outlines long-term water supply plans
January 4, 2012
Cascade Water Alliance leaders outlined a plan Dec. 30 to secure water for Sammamish and the region in the decades ahead.
The nonprofit organization purchases water from Seattle Public Utilities, but the water bought from the utility is due to start declining in 2024 as the Cascade Water Alliance switches to other sources. Then, in 2030, officials plan to start drawing water as needed from Lake Tapps in Pierce County. Read more
Sammamish Landing waterfront park to open in spring
January 4, 2012
Sammamish’s first public park on the shores of Lake Sammamish is slated to open sometime this spring.
Sammamish Parks Director Jessi Richardson said in an email that crews had recently finished installing two picnic shelters and cleared out a network of trails and small beach areas in the park, but the city is waiting for newly planted grass and landscaping to take hold before opening it up to the public. Richardson said the park would likely open this spring, with the park’s public docks scheduled to be installed sometime this summer. Read more
Police Blotter
January 4, 2012
Egged and injured
A resident on the 2100 block of 204th Place Northeast had eggs thrown at their home the evening of Dec. 23. This was the second night in a row the home had been targeted, though the residents are unsure who was responsible.
The homeowner and his wife also reported that they had injured themselves when they slipped on ice that had formed on the ground from the eggs they had cleaned off the night before. They did not wish to press charges but told police they would be installing a camera system. Read more
Renaissance to stay at Eastlake
January 4, 2012
The 91 students currently attending Renaissance School of Art and Reasoning will get to stay at the Eastlake High School campus in fall of 2012.
As the district reconfigures the grades — bringing in a whole freshman class to Eastlake next fall — administrators had considered moving the choice school for junior high-age students. But instead, Renaissance will move from its roost on the second floor of the high school building outside to a mini-campus of portables. The classrooms, just like those to be used at BEST High School for Northstar Middle School, will have plumbing and water. Renaissance students will continue to use the Eastlake gyms and library, the district said. Read more
State minimum wage rises to highest in nation
January 4, 2012
Washington’s minimum wage increased Jan. 1 to $9.04 per hour — the highest state minimum wage in the nation.
The state Department of Labor & Industries calculates the state minimum wage each year. The recalculation is required under Initiative 688, a measure passed by Washington voters 13 years ago. The increase reflects a 4.258 percent increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers since August 2010.
The minimum wage applies to workers in agricultural and nonagricultural jobs.
Sammamish youth among top bikers in the Northwest
January 4, 2012
Eric Giese was just 2 months old when his family brought him to his first motocross race. He was only 4 years old when he took the driver’s seat of a motorcycle for the first time.
With this early start, Eric has established himself as not only one of the top motocross riders in the Northwest Motorcycle Association, but also, at 15, the youngest ever to qualify for the top division.
Eric Giese races in the Rimrock Grand Prix, at Rimrock Lake, in October. Contributed
Penelope Ann Tracy Tierney
January 4, 2012
On Dec. 18, 2011, our beloved Penelope Ann Tracy Tierney cast off the complications of ovarian cancer and set sail for open waters, clear skies and a place where she can watch over her dear ones and the beauty of this world that she loved so much. She was 52 years old.
Born Dec. 5, 1959, to Doris and Richmond Tracy, in Pittman, N.J., she grew up in Bellevue.
Penelope Ann Tracy Tierney
Krishnamurthy Viswanath
January 4, 2012
Sept. 15, 1940 — Nov. 28, 2011
Age 71
A simple man with simpler needs, our father, Kittu to his siblings, Appa to his children and Thatha to his grandchildren, passed away very peacefully at the Evergreen Hospital Hospice Center in Kirkland. He was loved and cherished by his entire family.
Krishnamurthy Viswanath
