In the state senate, Cheryl Pflug, Andy Hill and Steve Litzow each supported the measure to allow a basic civil right to be extended to all of Washington’s citizens.

Pflug and Hill represent Sammamish right now. In the fall, after redistricting, Hill and Litzow will speak for Sammamish in the senate.

The three Republicans bucked their party to support the measure, showing a much-needed independent streak that matches their constituency.

The state house is likely to vote on the bill this week and it is expected to pass.

We have every reason to believe Sammamish house representatives will follow suit in support of equal rights for all.

The outpouring of grief in the wake of Chapin’s death is heartfelt and true. Within days of his death, thousands had signed up on a Facebook page dedicated to him.

The notes and remembrances left on that page were poignant, emotional and beautiful.

Chapin instinctively knew how to work with adolescents. He knew when to joke with them and when to be serious.

Even though he was wearing a police uniform, his antics and personality made him approachable, even by teens.

His death will be felt not only by Eastlake and Inglewood students, but by everyone in the community — even if they don’t know it yet.

The bills are bad ones, and should be stopped.

When a juvenile commits a serious crime, nobody involved takes the matter lightly.

From the prosecutors to the courts, to the media that reports on crime, everyone weighs the value of punishing an individual against the needs of society.

The policy at Sammamish Review is to report the names of juveniles only when they are charged with a felony.

We did not arrive at this policy lightly. We’re glad to say it is infrequent that we come across minors charged with felonies. We do understand the implications when we choose to publish the name of a minor. But we stand by the public’s right to know.

If you were a victim in a string of home burglaries or neighborhood arsons, you’d want to know who did it. We believe you’d want to know regardless of whether it was an adult or a teen — especially if the suspect lived next door.

It is just as important to ensure that the wrong people are not accused of the crime.

Too frequently, the school-based gossip mill implicates an innocent person. Reporting in the media can make clear who is actually the suspected criminal.

Juvenile defense attorneys are asking the Legislature to rewrite the law because the publicity can have a negative impact on the lives of these children once they reach adulthood.

Certainly, a person should not have to suffer their entire life for a crime he committed when he was still a minor. But this proposal (SB 6292 and HB 2542) to restrict access to court records goes too far.

The public needs to understand what is happening in their community and who is doing it. Restricting access to juvenile court records goes too far toward protecting the individual over the community as a whole.

While homeowners were struggling to stay warm without power, business owners were wringing their hands over the lost business. Some managed to use generator power to stay open, providing homebound residents with necessities — a true community service.

Restaurants were particularly hard hit as food went to waste without refrigeration. Employees, too, suffered the loss of wages. It was life interrupted, not a fun week.

This week we can try to make it a bit better for each other.

Tip your waiter or other service provider just a little extra. Be sure any purchases you make are done locally to help businesses recoup the lost revenue, and to thank them and their workers for braving the storm to help.

Don’t forget to say thank you to those who are helping out. Offer a cup of coffee to the utility workers repairing lines or clearing trees. Let them know they are appreciated.

This is Sammamish, where neighbors help neighbors. With the usual thoughtfulness for the other guy, we’ll be just fine.

Officials opened City Hall during the worst of it, offering residents a warm place to relax — and charge their phones — when almost the entire plateau went dark from power outages.

Then, anticipating the need, generated by high winds, they quickly put together a yard debris drop off this weekend.

Good job, Sammamish, for keeping people safe during the storm, and helping residents deal with the aftermath.

It has been nearly 20 years since the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the restriction of marriage to opposite-sex couples would be presumed unconstitutional. In 1999, the Vermont Supreme Court held that same-sex couples must receive the same benefits as married couples. Subsequent court decisions have held that “civil union” laws would not suffice, calling instead for marriage equality.

Many countries — including all of the Canadian provinces — now allow gay marriage. In the United States, six states and the District of Columbia now accept gay marriages.

In 2009, the Washington legislature approved a bill granting domestic partners the same rights as married couples, so long as those rights did not conflict with federal law. Voters approved the measure in a referendum later in the year.

The time is right to put the gay marriage law on the table. It will already be in the forefront as a topic of the presidential race. Washington will further the discussion as Gregoire’s bill is debated in the legislature. While there is no guarantee the bill will pass, we believe it is a natural next step — from equality in benefits to a legitimate view in the eyes of the law.

While many citizens do believe the sanctity of marriage should be limited by law to the union of a man and woman, we also believe the populous has become more accepting of same-sex partnerships. What real difference does it make to anyone outside of the marriage partners whether or not the marriage is legitimized through state law?

We understand that there will be churches that will not accept a same-sex marriage, no matter what the law says. Religion comes with the freedom of belief. Church leaders should be able to choose whether or not to perform a same-sex marriage. That is their right.

Even if the governor’s bill is passed, we expect it will be challenged. It’s healthy discussion that will eventually get us where we want to be — an accepting community that welcomes diversity.

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.

Town Center. Setting aside money to help with potential infrastructure costs is a good way to spur development. But be cautious. Stick with the vision; resist giving in to the whims of a developer just to get something started. Be patient and wait for the market to come to the community.

Barricades. At the current rate, it will take a couple decades before the city decides what to do about road barricades. While all voices should be considered, the process must move more quickly and economically.

Community Center. Everyone seems to agree that the proposed gold-plated version of a community center is not viable for Sammamish. The council has listened, now it’s time to lead. Decide on a proposal and get it before voters — both a construction bond and an operations levy.

Reconsider street names. At the urging of high school students, the city renamed the entry roads of each high school after school mascots. Re-christening streets with more Sammamish-centric names could be an interesting way to build community.

Be a leader. Sammamish is likely to be covered by two districts in the legislature — one entirely new to voters here. Someone, or a couple of someones, from Sammamish should run for one of those seats. The city could use a representative in Olympia.

Continue arts support. The city’s arts commission has branched out from simply hanging pictures in City Hall to hosting performances and even a Turkish bazaar. Citizens should continue to support innovative programming that brings a dash of culture to the plateau.

Maintain quality education. Sammamish is noted for high-quality schools, but state funding is being slashed, and levy dollars won’t bridge the gap. Citizens need to help: give to the schools foundation, join the PTA, volunteer, anything. The children of the city and your property values depend on quality schools.

Annexation question. Keep an eye on the potential for annexing Klahanie into Sammamish. It’s possible the city of Issaquah will relinquish its hold, and Sammamish should be ready to woo the citizens.

Teen center. It’s just getting off the ground, but the center must continue to find ways of engaging area youth and give them something positive to do. Full community support is needed!

Critical areas ordinance. This controversial rewrite of environmental regulations must be treated cautiously. The end product must balance the environment with property rights — and withstand court challenges. Let’s hope the process goes smoother than the shoreline management ordinance.

While the letter is still likely to be more widely read, digital ways of engaging are an increasingly important way to engage with your friends, neighbors and the staff here at the Review.

While we weren’t always able to publish every letter we received, here’s a list of the writers whose letters were printed.

Thank you all, and keep them coming.

Cheryl, Gary, Taylor,

and Jesse Lewis

Elyse Kelsey

Ron Rayment

Julia Belgrave

Tom O’Brien

Zandra Walker

Carolyn Davis

Marjorie Pacholec

Steve Repanich

Harry Saiyan

Ken Smith

Chris Pribbernow

Bobbie Conti

Jeffrey Weems

Katja May

Jackie Pendergrass

Nancy Bernard

Michael T. Barr

Barbara Benson

Tony Emmanuel

Donna Martin

Alex Wilsen

Tom Vance

Sarah Schneider

Jan Holmes

Coleen George

Pam Pruneau

Michael J. O’Connell

Bob McCoy

Shelley Whitlow

Cynthia Wong

Ted Leland

Donna Martin

Jeanette Patterson

Katharine Barrett-Avendano

Mary Jo Kahler

Per Kimblad

Erica Tiliacos

Richard B. Kuprewicz

Carol Radlo

Piper Hancock

Ron Soukup

Ed Roberts

Dave Paul

Ilene Stahl

John Burg

Joyce Kormanyos

Dana Hutson

Scott Hamilton

Bob Seidensticker

Marjorie Pacholec

Sue Byron

Tom Harsh

Bryon Stargel

Mark McGill

Sammamish Muslim

Association Board

Michael Sullivan

Barbara de Michele

Jennifer Paris

David Dallaire

Southeast 20th Street

Friends

Pat McArthur

Camille Vaska

Michael Rees

John O’Meara

David P. Doyle

Claudia Haunreiter

Sarah Morlidge

B.C. Harleson

Glenda Jackson

Woerner Meehan

Richard Block

Glen Beyer

Megan Gee

Steve Hendricks

Ursula Geiger

Kathleen Huckabay

Claudia Haunreiter

Ben Muzzey

Robert E. Brady

Daniel Bourgoin

Stan Silverman

George Toskey

Mary Kanter

Lori Barnett

Heinz W. Maine

Marietta Kilmer

Jackie LeFaivre

Robyn Lundberg

Urban Masset

Kristin Pitt

Anthony Hanson

Bill Graf

Lisa Christison

Mike Collins

Jack Barry

Mary H. Doerrer

Kimberly Milan

Bob George

Greg Reynolds

Kristin Ball

Christie Malchow

Daniel Valderrama

Lori McIntosh

Hank Klein

Gary Patterson

Marianne Wilkins

John Galvin

Carl Schwartz

Harlean Bollman

M. Peter Scontrino

Andy Dalton

Charlie Goodrich

Tom Johnson

Mary Caditz

Laura Nudelman

Charles Garrity

Linda Eastlick

Bill Jacobi

Penny J. Short

John James

Lee Fellinge

Mark Cross

Juliana Pash

Bill Schiffer

Ken Kilroy

Michael Welch

Nancy Whitaker

Fred Jessett

Reid Brockway

Suzi Robertson

Clark Stahl

Brian Burke

Michael T. Barr

Sue Byron

Norbert Woloszyn

Christie Malchow

Tina Cooper

Another idea to help local school districts deal with looming budget cuts would be for the state to reduce the required number of school days per year. We like the idea, although we acknowledge that it would be a burden for working parents who have to pay for more child care — or would it?

State law currently requires kindergarten students to have no less than 180 half days per year. Students in grades one through 12 must have at least 180 separate school days.

But take a closer look. Another state law requires at least 1,000 hours of instruction time for students in grades one through 12 and at least 450 hours for kindergarteners.

Gregoire’s proposal to reduce the number of days would not reduce the total hour requirement.

It shouldn’t be that hard to squeeze 1,000 hours into four fewer days. Let’s do the math. Divide 1,000 hours by 180 days and you average 5.55 hours per day. With 176 days, the average day is 5.68. That’s an increase of eight minutes per day.

The Issaquah School District already buses kids to school for a half day of three hours at the end of the school year in June.

Lake Washington has one the day before Thanksgiving.

Shave that day and send the kids on their way to enjoying vacation.

The advantage is the savings in utilities, transportation, and wear and tear on facilities. There could also be salary savings in some support staff, from the lunchroom cooks to the front office.

Whether or not the Legislature agrees to ask voters for a sales tax increase to support education funding — and the voters say yes — it might be time to also consider alternatives to the 180 school days per year.

Quality education is the priority, not the number of days students get on the bus.

These are excellent questions, and he’s basically right. Everyone knows what it is. Calling it something else to pander to non-Christians doesn’t change anything. It’s still a Christmas tree. Calling it a “holiday tree,” while well meaning, is really rather patronizing. It’s like a little pat on the head and saying, “Don’t worry, non-Christians, it’s just a holiday tree. It has no connection to any sort of religious observance. Hey, isn’t that menorah over there cute.” No one is fooled.

We must wonder, however, why Curley hasn’t brought up the issue of Sammamish’s “Holiday Tree” at a City Council meeting. He’s been on the City Council for two years now. It doesn’t make sense for him to go on his radio show and rail against the government and powers that be. John, you are the government, you are one of those powers.

You are a leader in the community and, unlike most people, you are in a position to affect the change you seek. You’re right on this one. Bring it up before the council, and end this pointless convention.