I am very concerned by the way that our city continues to disregard the overwhelming outpouring from the citizens in Sammamish against expensive projects that are ill-conceived. In the case of East Lake Sammamish Parkway (ELSP) — in the face of continued public opposition, even several of our City Council members have raised questions related to design and scheduling that have gone unanswered. Just this past week, Councilmember Kathy Huckabay stated that “There are a lot of questions that I’ve been hearing from the community that I can’t answer.” What is appalling is that some council members raised the same concerns a year ago when they were being pushed to approve. The city promised and failed to answer.
Be careful what you wish for.
Almost everyone has heard of algae — that green, slimy stuff that floats around in lakes and ponds. Many people know that algae is essential to the ecosystem and produces about 70 percent of Earth’s oxygen. But what almost no one knows is that algae has an alter ego: cyanobacteria, a problem-causing bacteria on steady rise all around the world.
Stratification exists in society, that is a fact. It is also a fact that from this stratification one child does not have the same opportunities as another. If you are born into a family with little money, you may never get to embrace your true academic potential.
The election is over. The campaign commercials have stopped, the yard signs have been removed, the votes have been counted, and all of the races (or nearly all of the races) have been decided. Now comes the hard part: governing.
In the later years of my grandfather’s life, he began volunteering with people who spoke English as a second language.
Here we are with another Presidential election behind us. It is a time that will definitely be marked as a part of American history due to a variety of factors, including the fact that we have our first-ever African-American President.
Do you want to cheer on your favorite high school scholar or athlete? Vent about how traffic was tied up after a fender bender? Share your thoughts on the most recent City Council or School board proposal? Or, perhaps you have a suggestion of your own about how to improve our community.
Tuesday’s election was an historic moment for America, and Issaquah and Sammamish residents didn’t miss out on the fun. Polling places were packed the moment they opened, and stations saw unprecedented numbers of voters cast their ballots. The presidential race wasn’t the only thing on people’s minds, though – local issues played a huge part in drawing out the crowds, as did the excitement of the polling station.
Even if you actively avoid paying attention to politics, you might still have accidentally stumbled across the recent news of General Colin Powell’s endorsement of Senator Barack Obama. The endorsement was covered extensively. But during the course of his interview on Meet the Press, Powell made a statement that was arguably much more important than his preferred presidential pick, and yet it went almost entirely unreported in the news.
Absentee ballots are in the mail this week, and it’s time for voters in Issaquah and Sammamish to take a stand on two local issues. Our editorial board supports the $19 million Sammamish parks bond and annual $310,000 levy measures, as well as the $4.5 million Issaquah fire bond measure, and we think you should, too.
King County is facing the largest budget shortfall in its history. As the budget leadership team for the King County Council we believe there are several belt-tightening moves we can take now to help close that gap – the same tough choices that are being made by millions of households nationwide.
It’s not about price, it’s about value.
Is Washington state running a surplus or a deficit?
Since Sammamish incorporated in 1999, city leaders have forged creative partnerships to build all-weather sports fields at Eastlake and Skyline High Schools, new hiking trails, a popular skateboard park, Ebright Creek Park and more.
You might think that this is absurd: A guy campaigning for governor on the platform form of “I won’t raise your taxes” on the citizens of Washington state is faced with the potential of having his personal taxes raised, since he is a resident of Sammamish.
I understand why some people oppose John McCain’s running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and why they disagree with her. But I’m astonished at the brazen hypocrisy of liberals (mostly women) who are seething with anger and hatred toward her. I’ve never seen such unhinged hypocrisy in my 30 years in politics.
Back to school is a special time. One million children filled their backpacks with new books, nervous energy and optimism and boarded yellow buses to return to school. Some are all but guaranteed to end the school year far ahead of where they are now. Too many will be less fortunate, experiencing less opportunity for growth, or worse yet, stagnation.
The Seattle City Council last month imposed a 20 cent fee on all plastic and paper bags at grocery, drug and convenience stores. This fee, as well as a ban on all plastic foam drinking cups and food containers, will go into effect within Seattle city limits at the beginning of next year. We wholeheartedly support any effort to improve the environment, and while we applaud the city of Seattle for its environmentally conscious position, we feel that the tax was unnecessary and heavy-handed — at least at this point.
When the early vote totals were announced after Tuesday night’s primary, it looked like good news for the Democrats. Governor Christine Gregoire was beating Dino Rossi by about 4.5 percentage points and heading toward 50 percent of the total vote. Darcy Burner was running just a couple of points behind Eastside incumbent Congressman Dave Reichert and gaining ground fast.
