sammamishreview021115
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
Locally owned
50 cents
February 11, 2015Reviewsammamish
www.sammamishreview.com
111
Issaquah boys trounce rival Skyline, Page 6
1
Prsrt StdU.S. Postage
PAIDKent, WA
Permit No. 71
POSTALCUSTOMER 50 ¢
11
5530 E Lake Sammamish Pkwy
Look inside for flyer!
www.valuevillage.com
OPENSFEB. 19
By Tom [email protected]
Sammamish residents who, knowingly or unknowingly, allow underage drinking on property under their control could now face a $500 fine for a first offense.
At its meeting Feb. 3, the City Council unanimously voted to approve what Police Chief Nate Elledge termed a “social host ordinance.”
The idea is to hold respon-sible the host of parties where alcohol is served to those under the legal drinking age.
Sammamish is now only
the second community in King County to adopt such an ordi-nance.
As first proposed, the new law would have levied a $250 fine for a first offense and a $500 fine for a second offense within five years of the initial infraction. At the council’s request, those dol-lar figures were doubled.
Basically, the ordinance holds accountable the owner or lease-holder of a home at which alco-hol is served to those younger than 21. The responsible person could be ticketed even if he or she is not home at the time.
For example, if a parent goes on vacation and his or her teen-
age child throws a party com-plete with alcohol, that parent could be ticketed and fined.
In answer to a council ques-tion, Elledge said his officers would have some leeway in who they ticketed. If a parent could show he or she took reasonable steps to prevent underage drink-ing at the residence, they might not be fined.
Elledge has previously said the ordinance was not aimed at landlords who rent to underage tenants who subsequently abuse alcohol on the rental property. The ticket and fine would go to the leaseholder.
According to the wording of
previous Sammamish regula-tions, police could fine persons found to “permit” use of alco-hol by those younger than 21. Elledge has said it is often diffi-cult to prove underage drinking was specifically permitted by a homeowner or party host. The new law sidesteps that issue.
In pitching the ordinance last month, Elledge said Sammamish police respond to between 30 and 35 calls regarding underage parties every year. The initial complaint reaching police is usually regarding noise. But Elledge also said alcohol often
Parents, homeowners now subject to hefty fines for underage drinking
By Tom [email protected]
Although offered a two-year extension of his contract, Eastside Fire & Rescue Chief Lee Soptich has announced his plans to step down from the leadership of the local fire and rescue squad in January 2016.
Soptich, 58, said he made his announcement to the EFR regional board of directors in December and again last month.
Soptich has been EFR chief since 1995.
“Everything lined up for me,” he said in explaining his reasons for leaving the department.
Soptich said he and wife Carrie have paid off their Carnation home and the last of his seven children will soon graduate from college. Soptich said he and his spouse, devout Mormons, decided now is an ideal time in their lives for them to take on the church mission trips they have long wanted to tackle.
“That’s just in our DNA,” Soptich said, referring to the couple’s desire to work for the church. “This is what we intend to do.”
Soptich said his family would keep this area as home base and he didn’t say where the family’s first mission might take them.
“But I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it’s just going to be so cool.”
Sammamish City Councilwoman Kathy Huckabay is a new member of the EFR board of directors. She said the board held its annual retreat in late January and spent over four hours setting various goals for themselves. One is to formu-
Lee Soptich to step down as EFR chief
See CHIEF, Page 8
See FINES, Page 8
By Greg Farrar
‘Crooked Beak,’ by Anne Ander-son, a 28-by-40 inch painting on silk, is one of the Issaquah resident’s many works on display at Sammamish City Hall through April 9 in a gal-lery exhibition ti-tled ‘A Silk Road Journey.’ See a slideshow of her artwork at www.sammamish- review.com.
Silky smooth
2 l February 11, 2015 SAMMAMISH REVIEW
222222
The SAMMI Awards Foundation, a nonprofit group dedicated for 14 years to promoting and celebrating community involvement in the city of Sammamish, has announced the 2015 SAMMI Honorees.
The winners are:Courage Award: the
Moscaret family.Circle of Service Award:
Clint Scott and Jon Bromberg.
Youth Spirit Award: Niyathi Chakrapani, Maddy Fletcher and Erika Kumar.
Environmental Spirit Award: Ken Abraham and Echo Chernik.
Community Spirit Award: Frances Garcia Hoffman, Lisa Di Lauro and Sue Stevens.
The 2015 SAMMI Awards will be presented at 6 p.m. March 21 at the EX3 Teen Center, 825 228th Ave., N.E.
Sponsors and local non-profits will be feted begin-ning at 6 p.m., with the award show from 7-9 p.m.
This year’s spon-sors include the city of Sammamish, the YMCA, the Kiwanis Club of Sammamish, Swedish Medical Center, Republic Services, the Sammamish Chamber of Commerce and others.
The awards ceremony is free and open to the public. Learn more at www.sammi-awards.org.
SAMMI Award winners selected
By Tom [email protected]
On April 28, voters in Sammamish and the Klahanie area bordering the city will be deciding two issues: an advisory vote on giving residents of Sammamish the right to bring initiative and referendum issues to the ballot and the annexa-tion of Klahanie into Sammamish.
Klahanie annexation
The Sammamish City Council voted unani-mously to put the long-talked of annexation to a public vote. Having turned down annexation overtures from Issaquah
twice, Klahanie-area resi-dents will decide whether or not they wish to be part of Sammamish.
If the vote favors annexation, the roughly 11,000 Klahanie resi-dents would raise the Sammamish population to approximately 66,000.
Klahanie-area residents alone will vote on the annexation issue. If the vote is positive, Mayor Tom Vance said the next step is legislation for-mally annexing the area, which is then sent to King County.
Both Vance and City Manager Ben Yazici said there are numerous issues that will need to be worked out with the county prior to annexa-tion, most importantly figuring how many tax
dollars that originated in Klahanie might be sitting in county cof-fers. Additionally, Sammamish will need to reach some goals of its own, such as readying additional police officers.
Initiatives and referenda
According to sup-porters, 85 percent of King County residents already have the right to mount initiative and referendum ques-tions. Now, current Sammamish residents will have the oppor-tunity on April 28 to tell the Sammamish City Council they, too, would like those rights.
The council voted
5-1, with one mem-ber absent, to place an advisory vote regarding initiatives and referenda on the April special bal-lot. Councilman Tom Odell cast the lone dis-senting vote. (He did not respond to a request for comment.)
Initiatives allow voters to put specific questions directly on the ballot, effectively bypassing legislators. With some limits, refer-enda also are put before voters and are used to halt or repeal legislation adopted by local law-makers.
City needs assistance
In the case of both
issues, the city will need to act fast to get the ques-tions before voters in April. Most immediately, they need volunteers to help write pro and con arguments for both issues. Those arguments will appear in the voter pamphlet for the elec-tion.
Those with strong feel-ings about either topic, either for or against, are encouraged by the city to volunteer at www.sammamish.us. The City Council will select the pro and con committees who write the arguments for the pamphlet.
The deadline to apply for either Klahanie com-mittee is Feb. 11; for either initiative or refer-endum group, the dead-line is Feb. 27.
By Tom Corrigan [email protected]
Following the rec-ommendation of Sammamish Police Chief Nate Elledge, the City Council voted unanimously Feb. 3 to increase the fines
for parking that police deem creates a hazard to others from $20 to $71.
Elledge said 50 per-cent of parking viola-tors ticketed in 2013 created some sort of dangerous situation for drivers or pedestrians.
Although the council seemed sold on the idea when Elledge suggested it last month, resident Christie Malchow used the public comment portion of the Feb. 3 meeting to promote the ordinance, earning some council applause
for her efforts.Malchow provided
a PowerPoint presen-tation with photos of cars parked directly on sidewalks and in
several other seemingly inappropriate loca-tions. Malchow said she regularly takes walks with her two children, both in strollers, along with her two dogs. She said she considers cars parked in such a way that they force her into the street a safety haz-ard.
Besides parking on a sidewalk or blocking a sidewalk, some other examples of parking
violations that might attract the new fines include parking on the wrong side of the road, parking within five feet of a driveway and park-ing where prohibited by a posted sign.
Elledge said Sammamish police wrote 139 parking tick-ets in 2013. Councilman Tom Odell backed the fine increase, but ques-tioned how aggressive police have been in
writing tickets. Odell argued he could drive around Sammamish and easily find 139
Fine for ‘hazardous’ parking more than doubles
Special election will decide annexation, initiative issues
To advertise in Home Servicescall 425-392-6434 and get results!
HOME SERVICES
Recycle your newspaper.
Washington State Construction
Contractor law requires that all advertisers for construction related services include
the contractor registration number.
• Window & Gutter Cleaning• Roof Moss Control & Air Cleaning
• Pressure Washing Services
15% New Customer Discount
425-584-7914 or visit apexqualityservices.com
LIC# APEXQQS900DZ
Interior SpecialistServing the Eastside since 1988
Residential & Commercial
425-885-1131MMPAI**122LL
Box Office: (425) 392-2202 • VillageTheatre.orgOn Stage January 22 – March 1
Da n g e r • r o m a n c e • c o m i c s u r pr i s e s !
See HAZARDS, Page 3
SAMMAMISH REVIEW February 11, 2015 l 3
333333
2 8 3 0 2 2 8 t h A v e . S . E . , # B w w w . p l a t e a u j e w e l e r s . c o m
“This ring isn’t available at Plateau Jewelers. That’s because it was custom made for Suzanne. We used diamonds from one of her old rings and matched the rest.
For 18 years, we've specialized in custom-designed and fine-crafted jewelry. But don't take our word for it. Stop by—we're just north of the Pine Lake QFC. And see how we can make your next occasion spectacular.”
Bellevue425-641-6100
online arrangements available • cascadememorial.com
Federal Way253-874-9000
parking violations in a month. He also refuted resident complaints that had reached him after the increase was first proposed, com-plaints that said the increase was a money-making venture by the city.
“It is a public safety issue… It goes beyond a simple inconve-nience,” Odell said.
While he also backed the increase, Councilman Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo said he didn’t want police to become “meter maids.” He suggested city officials reach out to home-owners associations and other groups to let them know about parking rules and the new fines. City Manager Ben Yazici said he would use the city’s newsletters and other means to publi-cize the new fines.
HazardsFrom Page 2
By Tom [email protected]
Protecting open spaces and waterways, transpor-tation needs and what Sammamish should look like in the future.
Those were a few of the topics that got the most attention when council members and the administration talked about the 2015 Sammamish City Council retreat held Jan. 22-24 in Cle Elum.
Protecting open spaces
Sammamish has plenty of untarnished open areas, as well as three lakes, City Manager Ben Yazici said. All need protecting or developed in ways that respect the environment.
“What are the things that we can do from a leg-islative standpoint?” Yazici asked.
“Our ordinances right now aren’t bad, but we can always do more,”
Mayor Tom Vance said.Yazici mentioned an
idea he has proposed previously — transferring some development rights from environmentally sen-sitive areas to spots such as the proposed Town Center development. Basically, in exchange for giving up building rights in one spot, the same or differ-
ent developers could gain rights in another, Yazici said. The city wouldn’t undertake those transfers directly.
“We may help facilitate and organize the trans-fers,” Vance said.
TransportationThe main thing the
council wants to see is some sort of transporta-tion funding package coming out of Olympia, Vance said. Local officials hope to have some effect on regional transportation issues. According to Yazici, half of the Sammamish population heads north
Transportation, environmental issues discussed during annual council retreat
SR TBD
DeannaSammOrthoSMALL_SPEC
2x4
x
x
Todd Steinhart, DMDMark W. Nelson, DDS, MSD
One of Seattle’s Top Rated Orthodontic Offi cesTreating children, teens and adults
336 228th Ave NE, Ste. 300 Sammamish • 425-369-0366 • www.sammamishortho.com
From motherhood to menopause our bodies go through phases of change. Join this discussion with women’s health experts to learn how to care for your body as you age.
Topics covered will include:
• Getting your mojo back: optimal sexual wellness for women at every age
• Managing hot flashes and related symptoms
• Your pelvic health: preventative urology and non-surgical treatments for women
Don’t miss this opportunity to meet and learn from naturopathic physicians and experts from the emerging urogynecology field. Bring your questions and girlfriends.
Woman to woman, let’s talk.
Swedish Issaquah751 NE Blakely Drive, Second Floor Conference Center6-8 p.m., Feb. 4 or March 12
Refreshments will be served.
Register at www.swedish.org/classes. Please call 206-215-3338 for more information.
Woman to Woman: Your Changing Body
See RETREAT, Page 5
OPINION
Published every Wednesday by
Issaquah Press Inc.All departments can be reached at 392-6434
fax: 392-1695 / email: [email protected]
1085 12th Ave. N.W., Suite D1 / P.O. Box 1328Issaquah, King County, WA 98027
Annual subscription is $35 or $60 for two yearsAdd $15 outside King County / $20 outside state
4 l February 11, 2015 SAMMAMISH REVIEW
STAFFJoe Heslet..................... General managerKathleen R. Merrill ....... Managing editorNeil Pierson................. .............. ReporterGreg Farrar... ..................... PhotographerDeanna Jess ...........................AdvertisingRebecca Morrissey ..................News clerk
CorrectionsSammamish Review is committed to accuracy. Email us at [email protected]. Tell us whether you are talking about content in the newspaper or online, and give us the date of the paper or the posting.
Reviewsammamish
Editorial
Letters to the Editor
Question of the Week
444444
Seahawks: Turn your fan fervor to your own life or that of others
I was inspired by the fervor we all applied to the Seahawks. Our entire region collectively joined hands in unity for a single cause. The amounts of time, energy and money spent was prodigious, and grew to a loud roar by Sunday afternoon.
Then, a collective sad-ness swept over us Sunday evening. Even though it wasn’t official, Monday was a day of mourning.
Today, I am struck by the thought that we all placed such a huge amount of ourselves into an event over which we had so little influ-ence. Even with all our combined might, we remained mere spectators in this beautiful game of football.
What if we applied that same amount of time, energy and money into engaging with our own lives? What if we figured out how to stop rushing
from crisis to crisis? What if each of us took the time to figure out what really makes us tick? That’s when we stop being spec-tators of others’ lives and start truly living our own.
Let’s be the place where this all begins and show the world how it’s done. Go team!
Manya VeeEdmonds
Cigarettes: Banning them would make us healthier, wealthier
About 20 percent of teens were reported using cigarettes in the past year. Your child could be smoking cigarettes, shortening his or her life expectancy right now.
Plenty of studies have been done prov-ing that cigarettes cause lung cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, strokes and heart disease. In fact, cig-arettes harm nearly every organ in the body and lower the overall health as well as life expectancy
in an individual. They also cause countless problems with pregnan-cies and childbirth.
This is because of the more than 4,000 differ-ent chemicals found in cigarettes, 43 of which cause cancer. What’s more is that I have only scratched the surface as to the quantity and severity of the harmful effects of cigarettes.
What really bothers me is why cigarettes are allowed to be produced at all. Cigarettes should be completely banned from the public. The only reason to con-tinue the production of cigarettes is that without cigarettes one-fourth of America would tempo-rarily experience with-drawal symptoms from this highly addictive substance.
The long-term result, however, would far out-weigh the temporary lull in America. America would in general be much healthier and wor-ried less about their med-ical bills and more about their projects at work.
In fact, there would be less taxes for the working class of America because fewer people would be in the hospital dealing with the diseases they obtained by smoking.
In closure, cigarettes should be banned to make America healthier and wealthier.
Jack FuchsSammamish
How do you feel about Valentine’s Day? Do you enjoy the candy and flowers, or do you wish Cupid’s arrow could double back and hit him? Share that with us or tell us about your best or worst Valentine’s Day. Email your answers to [email protected] and we’ll run them in future issues.
By Sandra CollinsSpecial to the Review
We all know you should never take your eyes off your kids in the bath. But, there comes a time when you put your 4-year-old in the bath and 90 percent of the time sit on the toilet and watch them play.
Then….with the bath-room door open, you run and put a load of laundry in and come right back. Then, you sprint down the hall, throw it in the dryer
and come right back. Well, this day the phone rang. It was my friend and next-door neighbor. We can chat any-time, anywhere about any-thing.
So, I quickly grabbed the phone and trotted right back to the throne to sit and chat with one eye on the tub. I closed the foggy glass bathtub doors so he could contin-
ue his top secret Navy Seals deep-sea-diving mis-sion and I could have my con-versation about what we both were making for dinner.
Then, it hap-pened. It got
quiet. Never a good sign with an active preschool-er. Just as I slide open the door I take in a whiff of…what? Is that poop I smell? Oh my gosh!
I yell into the phone
to my now very curious neighbor. OH… MY…GOSH! Not only has my son pooped in the tub but in two seconds flat he had smeared it on the wall and proceeded to take a bite out of what looked like a good-sized Baby Ruth bar!
This is not happen-ing! Whyyyyyyyy? He then smiles up at me with brown teeth and says, “What, Mom?”
It’s official: We are now the white trashiest family in all of Sammamish!
Don’t take your eyes off a kid in the bath
Join the conversation
Something on your mind about your city? Tell us about it.
Yo u r t h o u g h t s should be no more than 350 words, but can be just a para-graph or two.
Deadline to get in the coming paper is noon Friday. Email to [email protected] is preferred but you can also mail your com-ments to Sammamish Review, P.O. Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027.
Violence against women is on the rise, and that’s true for women and girls.
February is Teen Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
The highest rate of victimization for abuse and sexual assault occurs between the ages of 16 and 24, according to Break the Cycle’s CEO Amy Sanchez.
No matter what age he or she is, no one should have to experience violence, whether at the hands of a stranger or someone he or she loves. Here’s what you can do to reach that lofty goal:
Every day, parents teach their children by their actions what type of behavior is OK. First, set a good example. Second, talk with your children, male and female, about what is not acceptable. Hitting some-one, or allowing someone to hit you, is never OK.
Regarding sex, no means no, no matter what someone is wearing or any situation he or she has put himself or herself in.
If you hear or see violence happening, call police. If it’s a misunderstanding, the police can sort it out.
Police, when a woman, or man, comes to you and alleges any kind of assault has occurred, physical or sexual, investigate it and help prosecute those respon-sible. And make sure rape kits are tested to catch the assailant when his or her identity is unknown.
LifeWire, formerly the Eastside Domestic Violence Program, helps victims of domestic vio-lence. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. If you or someone you know is in an abusive rela-tionship and needs help or would like to speak with someone about domestic violence, confiden-tial help is available 24 hours a day, Call LifeWire at 746-1940 or 800-827-8840 toll free.
No More helps all victims of domestic and sex-ual abuse, male and female. Break the Cycle helps empower youths to end domestic violence.
Learn more about No More at http://nomore.org, Break the Cycle at www.breakthecycle.org and LifeWire at www.edvp.org.
Help end domesticand sexual assault
Theft from vehicleSomeone swiped a
backpack containing a laptop computer, a passport and some busi-ness documents from an unlocked car parked Jan. 22 in the 1800 block of 208th Place Southeast. The theft was reported at 12:15 a.m.
Attempted burglary Someone entered a
garage at about 3:20 a.m. Jan. 25 in the 27000 block of Southeast
24th Way, and rifled through the contents of a car parked inside. The suspect(s) likely entered the home, but nothing was reported stolen. The residents might have interrupted the crime in progress, as reports say they watched a car speed away.
VandalismSomeone egged a car
traveling on Southeast 20th Street near 216th Avenue Southeast at 1 p.m. Jan. 25. The paint was damaged during the incident.
Sleepy burglarPillowcases were the
only items reported miss-ing when someone used a resident’s stashed house key to enter a home in the 20000 block of Southeast 27th Place at about 7 p.m. Jan. 26.
Suspicious circumstancesA woman drove up
a long driveway in the 2000 block of 239th Place Southeast, got out of her car, banged on the home’s door and yelled, “Let me in!” She then
walked around the home, looking in through win-dows. She eventually got back in her car and left. The incident took place at about noon Jan. 31.
Break-inSomeone entered a
garage in the 1700 block of East Lake Sammamish Parkway overnight Jan. 27. Nothing was reported stolen.
Sammamish Review publishes names of those charged with felony crimes. Information comes directly from local police reports.
SAMMAMISH REVIEW February 11, 2015 l 5
5555
Police blotter
55
COMING UP Breakfast Program
February 12th “Money, Metro & Marijuana”
Jane Hague, King County Council
February 19th Camp Good Times
Creating lifelong memories for kids with cancer Carol Mastenbrook, Executive Director
Encourage families; strengthen community, building a better world!
JOIN US for breakfast every Thursday morning, 7:15—8:30 a.m.
Bellewood Apartments, Sammamish www.SammamishRotary.org
COMING UP Breakfast Program
February 12th “Money, Metro & Marijuana”
Jane Hague, King County Council
February 19th Camp Good Times
Creating lifelong memories for kids with cancer Carol Mastenbrook, Executive Director
Encourage families; strengthen community, building a better world!
JOIN US for breakfast every Thursday morning, 7:15—8:30 a.m.
Bellewood Apartments, Sammamish www.SammamishRotary.org
Box Office: (425) 392-2202 • VillageTheatre.org
On StageMarch 19 – april 26
A Musical by Douglas J. Cohen
Based on the novel by William Goldman
Single Visit Porcelain Crowns w/CEREC CAD/CAM Computer
No temporaries. No impressions.
707 - 228th Ave. NE Sammamish • 425.868.0123 • www.YourFamilyDentist.com
Voted by her peers Seattle’s Top Dentists seven years in a row!
SEATTLE METROPOLITAN
Magazine
FAMILY DENTISTRYOn the Plateau
Contact: Elby Jones425.295.0556 [email protected]
www.sammamish/community-links/sammamishcares.aspx
Sammamish homeowners who need help in maintaining their property or home, but are either unable to afford or perform necessary
repairs, can get assistance.
Call Sammamish Cares, a consortium of local community service organizations banded
together with the city to aid local homeowners.
need helparound the house or yard?
Sammamish needs volunteersto write pro and con statements for the voters pamphlet regarding
the Klahanie Annexation Ballot Measure. The pro and con committees responsible for the statements will be be appointed by the City Council. If interested, contact City Clerk Melonie Anderson at [email protected], or 425-295-0500.
The application deadline has been extended to Feb. 11.
Please be aware that all email communication with Council Members or City staff is a public record and is subject to
disclosure upon request.
every day, while the other half heads south.
“We need to know what is going on in those cor-ridors,” he added.
Visions of the city’s future
Each council mem-ber was allowed time to discuss his or her vision for the future of Sammamish. Members generally felt transporta-tion issues need some attention, as do environ-mental questions, such as coming up with a suit-able tree-retention plan.
Yazici, Vance and oth-ers said they were sur-prised by the similarities in the ideas expressed by various council mem-bers.
“That’s a nice founda-tion for future work,” noted Tim Larson, city communications man-ager.
For the most part,
council members want Sammamish to remain a largely bedroom, suburban community, Councilman Ramiro Valderrama-Aramayo said. In addition to tree retention, Valderrama-Aramayo also mentioned widespread desire for pedestrian and bike paths throughout the city.
MiscellaneousValderrama-Aramayo
said the council talked about better ways to engage with the commu-nity, including holding so-called roundtable discus-sions with residents.
Prior to the retreat, Valderrama-Aramayo and others suggested the coun-cil might want to hold its retreat closer to home, which could encourage greater public participa-tion. Officials said four or five residents attended parts of the retreat.
The retreat was held at the Lodge at Suncadia in Cle Elum, about an hour and a half drive from Sammamish. Larson gave the cost as $15,000.
RetreatFrom Page 3
Name: 9607/All Critters Animal Hospit Width: 20p11.333 Depth: 5 in On Page: 5 Request Page: 0 Type: Display Color: Black File Name: :09000-
To adopt this or other animals, call the Humane Society for Seattle/King County at 641-0080 or go to www.seattlehumane.org. All animals are spayed/neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, and come with 30 days of pet health insurance and a certificate for a vet exam from VCA All Critters.
Pet of the Month
VCA All Critters Animal Hospital2834 228th Ave SE
Sammamish WA 98075425.392.PETS (7387)
Meet Sunshine, a 5-year-old snow white angora mix with dazzling green eyes. This beautiful gal enjoys curling up for a snuggle with a friend. Her favorite thing to do is just lounge around and soak up all the sunshine. As with all of our fabulous felines, volunteers spend time with Sunshine every morning, brushing and playing with her. She would be a delightful addition to a home looking to add a relaxed and loving cat to their home. Come to the Seattle Humane Society and meet Sunshine today — you may just fall in love.
Sponsored by VCA All Critters Animal Hospital
Sunshine
Read this week’s Calendar of Events at www.sammamishreview.com.
Sports 6 l February 11, 2015 SAMMAMISH REVIEW
666666
By Neil [email protected]
The Skyline High School wrestling team finished fourth with 142 points at the Class 4A KingCo Conference tournament, held Feb. 6-7 at Issaquah High School.
The Spartans won two indi-vidual championships, had four finalists, and will send nine
qualifiers to the Region 2 tourna-ment Feb. 14 at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore. The top five wrestlers in each weight class advanced to regionals.
Skyline’s two champions were 120-pounder Nathan Swanson, who eked out a 3-2 decision over Mount Si’s Duncan Harrison in the final; and 132-pounder Garin Swanson, who beat Redmond’s Kyle Nazareth, 6-0.
Skyline’s Adrian Abraham (160) advanced to the final before a loss to Issaquah’s Colby Starren, and Kona Bertolino (106) took second after a loss to Issaquah’s William Tickman.
The team’s other regional qualifiers included Scott Huff (third, 126); Jacob Gehrett (fourth, 138); Paul Abboud (fifth, 120); Akash Yechuri (fifth, 126); and Matthew Oss (fifth, 182).
Eastlake finished sixth out of nine teams at the KingCo meet, scoring 111 points and advanc-ing six individuals to the region-al round.
The Wolves’ top placer was 195-pounder Jacob Kaufman. He advanced to the final with two convincing victories before drop-ping a 9-5 decision to Bothell’s Aaron Ibanez.
Eastlake’s William Galarpe
(132) took third with a 12-1 major decision against Inglemoor’s David Wang. James Jensen was third at 160, pin-ning Issaquah’s Kai Hapke in 2 minutes, 41 seconds, and Noah Morse was third at 182, beating Issaquah’s Daniel Quaranta, 9-6.
Eastlake’s Martin Miller (113) and Matt Budoff (220) also advanced to regionals by placing fourth in their divisions.
Skyline finishes fourth, Eastlake sixth at KingCo wrestling
By Neil [email protected]
As a sophomore, Taylor McKerlich was mostly suc-cessful on offense when she got good position under the basket.
A year later, after diligently working on her jump shot, she has proven to be an even more valu-able commodity for the Skyline High School girls basketball team.
McKerlich poured in a game-high 24 points — 15 of them in the first half — and led the Spartans to a 66-39 rout of rival Issaquah in a Class 4A KingCo Conference matchup Feb. 5 at Skyline.
She showed off her expanded range, routinely hitting jumpers from 12-15 feet, and even sank a third-quarter 3-pointer that brought her team-mates on the bench to their feet.
Afterward, McKerlich was humble and deferred credit, even though the 24 points doubled her previous scoring high this season.
“Our team did a really good job of moving the ball around and got some really good passes, and I was able to convert my shots,” she said.
Junior Maddie Adamson helped facili-tate Skyline’s strong ball movement, assisting on several baskets and adding eight points.
“Mostly on offense, I just tried to see the court a lot,” Adamson said, “and I tried to see main players
like Taylor, and tried to get to get them the ball.”
The Spartans (12-5 overall, 11-4 KingCo) wanted to start the game quickly after they struggled to get going a night ear-lier against Mount Si. Skyline eventu-ally won that game, 54-39, by going on a big third-quarter run, but the players didn’t want to repeat the pattern.
Coach Joe Fithian “mainly just said, right from the start, we’ve got to do it all the way through the game and not stop,” Adamson said.
Kailey Kassuba’s 3-pointer put Skyline up 13-5 in the first quarter, and after a brief Issaquah rally, the Spartans broke free with a 16-6 run for a 15-point half-time lead.
Skyline didn’t cough up the momentum after the break, bottling up the Eagles (9-9, 7-8) with a tenacious defensive effort. McKerlich said the players have been focusing on recovery and help-side defense in prac-tice to make sure no one is left on an island against an opposing scorer.
Jade Loville, a 5-foot-9 freshman, came off the bench and led the way in the second half, scoring 10 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Lauren Longo and Nicole Victory each scored
12 points for Issaquah, but the Eagles didn’t find consistent offense and were held below 10 points in two quarters.
Both teams are headed to the playoffs and finish the regular season this week. Skyline travels to Redmond, while Issaquah hosts Bothell. Both games start at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 11.
The Spartans are assured of a top-four seed and home-court advan-
tage in their playoff opener, while the Eagles will have to go on the road.
Adamson indicated there’s no magic formula for the Spartans as they try to continue their suc-cessful season.
“Just keep going hard on defense and offense, keep running our stuff just like we have been for the whole entire season,” she said.
Red-hot Taylor McKerlich leads Skyline girls to win
See BOYS, Page 7
By Neil [email protected]
The Issaquah High School boys basketball team won’t finish this season with an undefeated record in confer-ence play because of a January home loss to Skyline.
Few people wearing purple and gold will remember that, however, after Issaquah avenged the loss with a dominating, 68-35 victory at Skyline on Feb. 5.
The Eagles had already cemented the Class 4A KingCo Conference regular-season title, and sent a mes-sage that they’re ready to win big games again, a year after going all the way to the state semifinals and a third-place finish.
“We had so much energy coming out,” junior guard Scott Kellum said. “This is a huge game for us, to come back in their house and beat them after they came in our house and beat us.
“Everyone contributed. It’s a full, all-around good game, and we came to play.”
Issaquah (15-4 overall, 14-1 KingCo) went on a big run late in the first quarter, capped by Trevon Ary-Turner’s last-second 3-pointer, to lead 18-8. The second quarter was more of the same, and likely removed all doubt about the final result.
The Eagles’ swarming zone defense got the Spartans completely out of synch, forcing several turnovers and turning them into easy points at the other end of the floor.
Senior Ty Gibson scored nine of his game-high 14 points during the second quarter as Issaquah went to halftime with a 33-13 lead.
For Skyline (9-10, 8-7), most of its losses this season have been by fewer than 10 points, so a 20-point half-time deficit was a bit jarring, coach Bill McIntyre said.
“You hope they can come back and dig in, but I think that just kind of shocked them a little bit,” McIntyre said.
One of Issaquah’s keys was bottling up Skyline senior guard Robert Biegaj. Mission accomplished, as Biegaj scored four points, none in the final three quarters.
“Robert is a great player — he’s one of the best play-ers in our league,” Eagles coach Jason Griffith said, “and so our kids knew coming in that we would have to make things hard for him.”
None of the other Spartans were able to pick up the scoring slack. Braden Ahlemeyer led Skyline with eight points.
Issaquah boys rout Skyline, send message
By Greg Farrar
There are plenty of arms flying as Skyline High School freshman wing Jade Loville gets double-teamed by Issaquah’s Tatum Dow (left) and Ellen MacNary during the fourth quarter of their Feb. 5 basketball game.
SAMMAMISH REVIEW February 11, 2015 l 7
777777
By Neil [email protected]
The 15 boys who stood on the stage were mostly solemn, but some of them allowed grins to creep across their faces as they absorbed the mag-nitude of the moment.
Cub Scout packs across the country hold annual transition ceremonies for 11- and 12-year-olds who’ve fulfilled the requirements to join Boy Scouts. Cub Scout Pack 682, which draws its members from Issaquah and Sammamish, hon-ored its graduating fifth-graders Feb. 3 at Pacific Cascade Middle School.
“Our pack is about 75 scouts, and when we have an event like this, we get almost 200 peo-ple,” said Greg LaMont, the pack’s Cub master. “It’s a very big pack. It takes a lot of the parents to volunteer time to make our pack work.”
The room was adorned in blue and gold, the traditional colors of Cub Scouts, and after about 90 minutes of eating, entertainment and lead-ership recognition, the 15 soon-to-be Boy Scouts took their place on the stage.
Thirteen of the 15
were given Arrow of Light awards, the high-est honor for Webelos before they join Boy Scouts. Webelos must navigate a 20-month
preparation process, in which they must earn five activity badges and start learning the basics
of leadership. The goal is to turn an adult-run Cub Scout pack into a youth-led Boy Scout troop.
The boys took turns walking across a small bridge, signifying the transition to Boy Scouts, and were given new scarves to mark their pas-sage.
All of the transition-ing scouts plan to join Issaquah-based Troop 636, a decision they made on their own. Most of them are in their fourth year of working together, having joined Cub Scouts in second grade.
“They have to actu-ally interview their next place that they want to go,” LaMont said. “It’s a really cool time for them to really kind of test out the waters, see who they want to be with, how they want to grow and how the pack works.”
LaMont noted that Troop 636 has tradition-ally turned out a large number of Eagle Scouts, a noteworthy accom-plishment because only 5 percent of all Boy Scouts achieve the Eagle rank.
The newly-anointed Boy Scouts attend Challenger, Cascade Ridge and Endeavour
elementary schools. They are Noah Brandes, Ayden DeGuzman, Ethan Dutcher, Jon Foust, Alex Hammingh, Nolan Lee, Max Morrey, Cole Ogren-Butail, Preston Stampfl, Austin Adee, Sean Brady, Riese Cox, Kayden Jambor, Andrew Lum and Gabe Taylor.
Moving into Boy Scouts presents more challenges, but also more rewards. Camping and hiking trips often increase from two days to a full week. They’ll learn first aid, forestry and mountaineering skills, and increase their leadership capacities.
LaMont credits Pack 682’s other leaders — there are two adults who supervise each of the pack’s 11 dens — for helping the boys get to this point. But not every Cub Scout moves on, something LaMont rec-ognizes.
“If they don’t check off everything, I usu-ally just tell them they did their best, because we have sports, we have family issues, we have things going on, and the kids need to be able to be successful along with their other groups they do.”
Scouts’ rite of passage marks big achievementBoysFrom Page 6
“Our game plan was just to fly around, make it difficult for everyone,” Kellum noted. “Don’t let them catch it easy, get steals, deflections, all we can do.”
Kellum had 13 points and three rebounds, and 6-foot-5 junior forward Jack Dellinger added a spark off the bench with 10 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
With a 49-21 lead after three quarters, Issaquah emptied its bench for the final eight minutes, and didn’t lose any intensity. The starters were cheering for the reserves, a quality epitomized when Dellinger banked in a wild shot while being fouled, and the entire bench jumped up in unison.
“We all want to see each other do well,” Kellum said, “and it’s so awesome to play for this team.”
Both teams finished the regular season Feb. 10 after press time, and will begin the playoffs this weekend. Neither squad is trying to get too high or too low because of the result against their KingCo rival.
“I felt coming in that if we kept the game in the 50s, it could be a competi-tive game,” McIntyre said. “I didn’t want to get into a shootout again.
“When we scored 76 points on them the first time, that was the most they’ve given up all season, and it was the second-most we’ve scored. You’re talking about try-ing to catch lightning in a bottle twice.”
StressDepressionLife TransitionsLoss and GriefRelationship Problems
Everyone Needs a Little Help Now and Then...
Patty Groves, M.A., L.M.H.C.Issaquah Creek Counseling Center
545 Rainier Blvd. N., Issaquahwww.issaquahcreekcounseling.com
(425) 898-1700Now accepting most major Credit/Debit Cards
Name: 11331/Nault Jewelers Width: 31p11.5 Depth: 6 in On Page: 7 Request Page: 0 Type: Display Color: Black plus one File Name:
Just in time for Valentine’s Day!
To w n & C o u n t r y S q u a r e1 1 7 5 N W G i l m a n B l v d . S u i t e B - 4
I s s a q u a h ( 4 2 5 ) 3 9 1 - 9 2 7 0
By Neil Pierson
Alex Hammingh is adorned with a new scarf and his Arrow of Light award, signifying his transition into Boy Scouts during a Feb. 3 ceremony at Pacific Cascade Middle School.
8 l February 11, 2015 SAMMAMISH REVIEW
888888
If you’ve lived an active lifestyle and your hips or knees simply can’t keep up anymore, it may be time for a change.
Come hear about the latest procedures at a free seminar at Swedish, where expert physicians perform thousands of joint-replacement surgeries each year. Swedish surgeons were also the first in this area to perform MAKOplasty®, robotic-assisted surgery for partial knee replacement.
Reserve your spot today. And in just two hours, you’ll learn how it could take only weeks to get you back in action.
Free Seminar on Hip and Knee ReplacementRegister online at swedish.org/classes or call 206-386-2502.
Thursday, Feb.12, 6–8 p.m.Swedish Orthopedic Institute601 Broadway, Seattle(corner of Broadway and Cherry Street; hourly parking available under the building)
To view classes offered at all Swedish campuses, visit swedish.org/classes.
Job Number: RWS15-55097Client: Swedish Medical Center PUB: Issaquah Press and Sammamish Review
TRIM: Vertical 2 Columns, 5.2" x 10"BLEED: No
Date: 2/2/15
Color: Black/WhiteApplication: InDesign CC
File Name: RWS15-55097_ORT_ADV_TJR ortho ad-IssPressSammRev-skier
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 6–8 p.m. or Wednesday, March 11, 6–8 p.m.
Swedish Issaquah751 NE Blakely Drive, Issaquah(off I-90 at Exit 18)
Thursday, Feb. 26, 6–8 p.m.Swedish Redmond18100 NE Union Hill Road, Redmond
Joint replacement isn’t a life saver. But it is a lifestyle saver.
Moving Sale at Bangalla Organics!
Everyth ing must GO!Organic, Natural Foods & Baking
Supplies all with MASSIVE DISCOUNTS at Bangalla Organics!
2/28 - 3/13/7 - 3/8
3/14 - 3/153/21 - 3/22
From 10a-4p at our Issaquah location!1065 12th Ave NW STE E8 Issaquah 98027
Available for Winery Tours, Weddings or Just a Night on the Town
Only $267 For 4 Hours in a 6 passenger stretch
Cordial LimousineYour driver is only minutes away
[email protected] • 425-458-8124Price includes tax and gratuity
Solid RockCounseling Center
Rebecca Turner, L.P.C.
• Compassionate, Competent, Convenient Christian Counseling that WORKS!
• Counseling available for all emotional and mental health needs, for all ages.
• Need help, but SKEPTICAL about counseling? Give me a chance to change your mind!
1212 104th Ave. SE Bellevue, WA 98004 425-454-3863
[email protected] www.srccounseling.com
Because Everyone Needs Help Sometimes
“(Rebecca is) the most naturally
gifted counselor I’ve ever known!”
Rebecca Turner, L.P.C.
turns out to be a factor.For those age 15 to 21,
car accidents are the No. 1 killer, Elledge added. Locally, between 2009
and 2011, 40 percent of local DUI incidents involved drivers younger than 21. He said that figure then dropped, but the numbers are starting to increase once again, although he did not have exact figures.
Mercer Island is the other local city to adopt a
so-called host law. In the two or three years since that city adopted those rules, only one ticket has been written, although a number of warnings were also given, Elledge said. Mercer Island police credit the low numbers to sim-ply having the law on the books, he added.
FinesFrom Page 1
late a worthy process for replacing Soptich.
“He’s given us plenty of time,” she said. “And,
frankly, it might take some time to find the right person… This is not some-thing you do overnight.”
With that in mind, Huckabay said she and other board members decidedly appreciate the lead time Soptich provided prior to his planned leav-
ing.Soptich is not the only
member of the EFR leader-ship who will be moving on. Soptich said Deputy Chief of Planning Wesley Collins and Human Resources Manager Ingrid Anderson-Boyle also plan to step down.
ChiefFrom Page 1