The IssaquahPress
A4 • Wednesday, October 2, 2013
Opinion
E ditorial
Rain, rain, go away, Salmon Days here to stay
R
ain, rain, so much rain. There may be more than one benefit to all the rain of the past few days, but in Issaquah there is one species that is welcoming the rushing creek waters. Welcome home, salmon. This gush is just for you. But now that the creek flow is strong and swift, calling the salmon home, the rain can quit. We’ve got a party coming on and 150,000 guests are due to arrive this weekend. The party, of course, is Salmon Days, recently named the world’s best festival of its size — again! Hold that thought as the sun peeks out to kiss the tops of nearly 500 canopies holding the arts and crafts and food booths. Remember “world’s best” as you pause among the crowds to enjoy the live entertainment on five stages, watch the dogs jump and dive, laugh at the clowns in the grand parade, greet friends on Front Street and follow the smoke to the salmon bake. Hopefully you enjoy the festival without an umbrella, but either way, the festival is Issaquah’s best foot forward and open invitation to the world to see what’s so special about our town. See you there!
Trolley adds to downtown Nearly 1,800 riders have discovered the fun of riding on the Issaquah Trolley in its first couple months of weekend operations. It’s easy to be critical of the trolley. It’s not really part of Issaquah’s history and the ride only goes about four blocks and back again to the train depot. But who can argue that it is just a little bit of uniqueness that adds to the fun spirit of the historic downtown? As Conductor Barb Justice says, “The best part is the happy kids and their parents and grandparents.” The other merchants downtown would probably say that the trolley’s vitality to the Front Street core is the best part. Either way, we hope it’s around for so many years that it actually becomes part of the town history.
O ff T he P ress
Grand Ridge Plaza is on the grow
G
rand Ridge Plaza in the Issaquah Highlands is growing, and growing and growing after years of stops and starts, and false starts and stops. If you watched it grow in the past months, you could hardly believe all the workers could get done in a short period. You’d go up there on a Monday and there would be a wooden shell of a building, and then go back on Thursday and it would be nearly done. It was a sight to behold. If you haven’t been there in a while, you are in for a shock on your next visit. It’s like a huge outdoor mall has sprouted and spread. I don’t know if it’s what the highlands residents bargained for or wanted, but it’s shiny and new, and pretty awesome in my opinion. I can hardly wait for Ulta Beauty to open. And The RAM brewery is open today. If it wasn’t a deadline Monday, I would be there for sure. The Regal Cinemas is on my short list of places to get to soon. Other coming business are a Safeway store and gas station, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Marshalls. Last week, I was a judge at a cocktail contest at BevMo!, which opened the next day. Unfortunately, only two of the four competitors showed up. Still, a good time was had by all at the invitation-only event. Daniel Postlewait, of the Pom Bar in Redmond, won a $200 gift card to BevMo! and the
“Party Pleaser” award for the best tailgating cocktail, which was judged by all of the people in attendance. His competitor Michael Kathleen Merrill Watts, of the Press managing editor Low Bar in Vancouver, Wash., won the main prize of the night, a $500 gift card to BevMo! and a trophy from Bacardi, for the best fallinspired cocktail. I have to confess that I have judged everything under the sun in my decades with newspapers — pies, ice cream, cakes, children in costumes, pets in costumes, decorations, all types of animals, fair foods, chocolates, the list could probably take up this whole column. But I was unprepared for this contest. It seems simple, right? Go there, ingest cocktails, proclaim your favorite. It wasn’t that easy. Ethan Chung, of 425 magazine, suggested we make a point system. Nina Milligan, of The Highlands Council, added a category to that, and we were off and running. Both cocktails were delicious, but I had a clear favorite. However, I was outvoted. I guess the scotch got to my fellow judges. Make it a point to head to the highlands, and the stores at Grand Ridge Plaza. You’ll be glad you did.
The IssaquahPress Published Every Wednesday Since 1900 1085 12TH AVE. N.W., SUITE D1 • ISSAQUAH, KING COUNTY, WA 98027
$30 PER YEAR / $55 TWO YEARS / $20 PER YEAR FOR SENIORS ADD $15 OUTSIDE KING COUNTY / $20 OUTSIDE STATE official newspaper for the city of issaquah
T o the E ditor Bag ban
Ordinance is behavior modification gone awry More than 3,000 signatures have been obtained from local citizenry to let us vote yea or nay on the city’s bag ban. This is significant support for the right to put an issue before the people. Here are some facts ... 1) shoplifting is eight times higher in towns with plastic bag bans 2) plastic bags are sanitary and reusable ... and they are reused, contrary to assertions otherwise 3) the volume of trash from our wonderful local coffee shops far exceeds any quantity of plastic bags allegedly laying all over our city streets and in landfills 4) there is no proof banning plastic bags improves the environment 5) bag bans punish customers 6) the ordinance includes no method for measuring alleged reductions in waste 7) unsanitary poly-cloth and plastic-coated bags have no proven benefit as alternative to plastic or paper bags 8) polyester is a petrochemical fiber ... it’s plastic! This ordinance is behavior modification gone awry complete with financial punishment for noncompliance. Like taxes, once there is a foot in the door, more like it will surely come. Several council members have stated as much. If we don’t vote this out, be sure another like it is on the way. Please download, sign and mail the petition for ordinance repeal at http://saveourchoice.wordpress.com.
Opinionated?
less-than-thought-out decisions are made with regard to how “Issaquah should look in the future” the more and more we are going to be a mere extension of Bellevue. What’s wrong with letting Bellevue be Bellevue and keeping Issaquah the way it is, a small friendly town with a small friendly feel? We don’t need to look and feel like a big city. My guess is the majority of residents feel the same way.
Jeffrey Rowe Issaquah
City cars
Something smells about this situation
I was shocked to see the celebration of the donation by a local car dealer of vehicles to be used by the Issaquah Police. How can this not be illegal influence peddling? If it’s not illegal, it certainly carries the stink of insider relationships. I would strongly urge the city to return these “donations” and to purchase what the police need through the usual processes. We don’t need Issaquah to look like so many places where local businesses get special treatment.
The Press wants you! Join our email group — Rapid Response. You give us your name and email address. We send you questions regarding the news. You tell us what you think. What could be easier? We’ll email you a variety of questions. Answer one or all of them! Respond by the deadline in the email and we’ll get your thoughts into the newspaper. We’ll edit for clarity, space and potential libel, then select a variety of responses and run them on a spaceavailable basis. Send your name and email address to editor@isspress. com. Put Rapid Response in the subject line.
Crosswalks
All drivers need to pay more attention
A bad start to the day — on Sept. 18, I was returning from a walk at about 8 a.m. and was waiting for the light on Newport Way and Sunset Way. A 927 local bus was (apparently) running far behind schedule, for as soon as the light changed Wes Howard-Brook (the walk sign came on and the Issaquah voice said I could cross) the bus made a fast right, right in from Gender wage gap of me. I jumped back, and then a car behind the bus almost hit me, as it followed closely behind the bus. And then, I was almost hit by a woman turning left onto On Sept. 17, the U.S. Census Bureau released new data on Newport. the gender wage gap — but All this happened in a matter of there’s nothing “new” about it. seconds and I still had the light! In 2012, women still earned just Usually Issaquah drivers are 77 cents, on average, for every pretty considerate and will often dollar earned by their male stop if you are near the crosscounterparts. That number walk. But that day, I was in the Kathleen Olsen hasn’t budged in the past deway, even though I was trying to Issaquah cade, and it’s lower for women cross legally. I’m glad I got home of color. safe, and I hope they slowed State park Washington, D.C., has closed down. the gap to 90 cents and WyoM.A. Hult ming was at the bottom of the Issaquah list at 64 cents. In Washington state, a man earns $52.53 to After reading the article in the a woman’s $41.06. We were Sept. 16 edition of The Issaquah number 25 on the list of states Press I am incensed that the at 78 cents. Use this information city’s Economic Development when you go to any candidate Letters of 300 words or less Department would even conforms this fall; ask a question should be emailed or mailed sider the commercialization of about where they stand on the by noon Friday. We will edit the Lake Sammamish State park wage gap. for space, potential libel and/ waterfront. There is a bill trying to get or political relevance. Letters Of the three proposals submit- out of committee onto the floor addressing local news receive prited, only the Issaquah Soccer of our U.S. Congress for a vote, ority. Letters must be signed and Club’s proposal makes any sense. and it needs public support. have a daytime phone number to Why would you destroy the Senators Patty Murray and Maria verify authorship. beauty of the remaining undeCantwell support this bill; Rep. veloped portion of the lakefront Dave Reichert is not on record as with a restaurant and or a hotel/ supporting Paycheck Fairness Act Email: news@isspress.com convention center? H.R. 377/S.84. Thanks to those Mail: P.O. Box 1328, With commercialization come who support this bill! Issaquah, WA 98027 pollution, the destruction of Patricia Martin natural resources, critical animal Issaquah AAUW Branch habitat, etc. As more and more
New numbers are not so new
Do not commercialize, destroy this beautiful area
LETTERS WELCOME
Advertising: admanager@isspress.com Classifieds: classifieds@isspress.com Ad Representative Deanna Jess Ad Representative Carolyn Trujillo Ad Representative Donna Duvall Ad Representative Sandy Tirado
Accounting: ip-acct@isspress.com
Newsroom: isspress@isspress.com Managing Editor Kathleen R. Merrill Reporter Peter Clark Reporter Christina Corrales-Toy Reporter David Hayes Reporter Neil Pierson Photographer Greg Farrar
Publisher: Deborah Berto phone: 392-6434 Fax: 392-1695
Circulation: ip-circulation@isspress.com Kelly Bezdzietny
www.issaquahpress.com Postmaster: Send address changes to The Issaquah Press, P.O. Box 1328, Issaquah, WA 98027