Press Editorial
August 31, 2010
Ambulance fees worth considering
Yes, the economy has not turned around, but sometimes government cannot simply slice and dice its way to a balanced budget. All ideas are on the table for increasing revenue — including an Eastside Fire & Rescue fee for ambulance rides.
The city of Sammamish has asked EFR to present a budget with no increase in spending from last year. While unrealistic, it’s an interesting exercise, and has produced some interesting ideas. Charging for ambulance rides is one worth examining. Read more
To The Editor
August 31, 2010
Guns
No ban is effective without enforcement
The lead story Aug. 18 reported that people are allowed to carry guns into state parks if they have a permit, but that it is illegal to fire them. How ironic is that?
They should not be allowed in, period. But the bottom line is that without enforcement, no gun or booze ban can be effective. Enforcement requires manpower and severe penalties for violation.
Ray Extract
Issaquah Read more
Off The Press
August 31, 2010
Against the assault on freedom No. 1
Greg Farrar Press photographer
Why should this writer feel it important to share thoughts about the proposed mosque and community center project 3,000 miles away from Issaquah, in New York City near the site of the World Trade Center terrorist attack? Isn’t that a little bit outside our scope?
I don’t think so, and to name a few reasons, here’s why:
• An Eastlake High School girls’ basketball player wearing a headscarf in 2007.
• Chabad of the Central Cascades, located in the Issaquah Highlands.
• The Vedic Cultural Center on 228th Avenue Southeast in Sammamish.
• Issaquah’s sister city relationship with Chefchaouen, Morocco.
• The local Christian churches of many denominations, including Serbian Orthodox.
• A local Baha’i faith group having meetings in members’ homes.
• The Sammamish Muslims Association proposal for an Islamic Center of Sammamish and Issaquah near Pine Lake. Read more
To The Editor
August 24, 2010
Gravity car races
Issaquah, Sammamish Rotary clubs helped make event successful
The Life Enrichment Options organization would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation to both the Issaquah and Sammamish Rotary clubs for their superb efforts in partnering with us to provide two highly successful gravity car races this past month.
We received a number of e-mails from parents whose child either overcame a fear to get in a car, or were bubbling over with excitement in racing down a hill to the finish line. Every rider with special needs was a winner, getting his or her trophy and certificate with a picture in a car.
None of this could happen without the wonderful volunteers of the Rotary clubs, Athletes for Kids, Issaquah High School wrestlers, Skyline High School cheerleaders, and football and basketball athletes.
Leo Finnegan and LEO board of directors Read more
Press Editorial
August 24, 2010
City Council members should be applauded for their decision last week to forge ahead with the plan to preserve Park Pointe. The council did so despite misguided opposition from Issaquah Highlands residents. Homeowners there have concerns about adding density in their community as a way to offset the preservation at Park Pointe on Tiger Mountain. In exchange for the open space, 550 homes could be built in the highlands.
The decision must have been particularly tough for Councilman Mark Mullet, the first and only highlands resident on the council. His support took grit in the face on unified opposition from his friends and neighbors. Read more
Off The Press
August 24, 2010
Interns reflect on a summer of deadlines
Editor’s note: This week, we turned Off The Press over to our four interns who have worked all summer and are getting ready to head back to school.
By Paige Collins
Paige Collins Press intern
A community newspaper that feels like a community in itself, The Issaquah Press newsroom is often a combination of smiles, sarcasm and stress. Reporters and editors alike, the support of the staff has been outstanding as everyone seemed eager to teach all they could.
The summer introduced me to new places and new faces in the area where I have spent the majority of my life. There is always something new out there to find out about and get involved in, and little ol’ Issaquah has more to it than one would expect.
This being my first experience on a real newspaper, there was plenty to learn and absorb. I wrote more articles and held more interviews this summer than I had in my entire life. The experience is priceless.
I would like to thank Kathleen Merrill, and the rest of The Issaquah Press staff for providing me this opportunity to learn and expand my horizons in journalism.
Press Editorial
August 17, 2010
Look beyond Issaquah for traffic solutions
Issaquah has waited a long time for definitive transportation improvements. At last, a few are coming.
In the past decade, Issaquah got an Intelligent Transportation System that allowed traffic lights to be synchronized and reader boards to advise drivers of traffic revisions. Two years ago, the great debate over whether to build a southeast connector road from Interstate 90’s Exit 18 at East Sunset Way to Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast was decided.
This summer, two big changes born of that decision will provide real improvements.
Sunset Way at Second Avenue will be widened to allow for a turn lane. Second Avenue Southeast will also get a right-hand turn lane onto Sunset. The changes should significantly improve traffic flow through the intersection, especially in the afternoon, when schools release students for the day. Read more
Off The Press
August 17, 2010
Laura Geggel Press reporter
I have come full circle. Issaquah is where my story begins and is now beginning again, but let me explain before I get ahead of myself.
In 2006, I interned at The Issaquah Press during my junior summer of college. Reporting for a community newspaper was different from reporting for my college newspaper. Instead of interviewing 20-somethings or professors, I drove out into the community, reporting on elementary school history lessons, Locks of Love contributors, the edible forest along Northwest Gilman Boulevard and the obituary of an Issaquah man who had died in a marine accident.
Community journalism inspired me, and hopefully inspired my readers. Issaquah’s students and historians welcomed me. I learned about the allegedly haunted train cars at the depot and about programming for the elderly at Providence Marianwood. I found out every person had a story when I threw a dart at the phone book and interviewed an Issaquah man who swore carrot juice had contributed to his longevity.
Bolstered by my experiences at the Press, I entered what I call my “year of internships” after college, first interning at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and then at a publication at Harvard Medical School. Read more
To the Editor
August 17, 2010
Summer heat
Don’t forget to keep the family pet safe as temperatures hit record highs
It’s a good time to think about our favorite companions, keeping in mind that summer can be an unusually dangerous time for dogs, cats and other animals.
A few important things to remember:
Dogs should only be walked when it’s cool outside. Concrete gets horribly hot, and can damage the soft pads on a dog’s feet. Early morning or late afternoon are the best times for exercise.
Save games of catch for cooler days, and don’t overexert your dog by playing catch — even in water. The temperature of the water may be too cold too fast, and may cause severe breathing problems — even drowning. Read more
Press Editorial
August 10, 2010
School supplies needed for district’s students
The excitement of heading back to school — meeting a new teacher, seeing who will be in your class, wearing new school clothes — is only three weeks away. But for far too many children in the Issaquah School District, there won’t be new clothes. An even bigger worry is that these students won’t have the school supplies they need.
Most adults don’t remember the need to bring a long list of supplies to school. An old cigar box was helpful to store pencils in, but the school handed out the pencils and crayons on the first day of school. If there was an assignment not in a workbook, the teacher’s helper got to pass out paper. Construction paper folded in half made a cover for corrected homework, tests and student art.
That was then, when school funding meant books for every student, and all the rulers, pens and markers a student would need.
