issaquahpress081011

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Go natural for ‘green’ lawn care

Original musical ‘Cloaked’ to thrill theater festival audience

Duo gallops to victory at pinto world championships Sports,

See Page B7

Honor World War II veterans

A&E,

Page B4

Page B10

See Page B1

www.issaquahpress.com

THE ISSAQUAH PRESS

Wednesday, August 10, 2011 • Vol. 112, No. 33

Locally owned since 1900 • 75 Cents

Paraglider pilot plummets to death near Squak Mountain

BEATING

the heat

By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter A paraglider pilot plunged to his death Aug. 7 as he attempted to land in a pasture near Issaquah. Renton resident Kenneth Blanchard, 53, completed hundreds of paraglider flights before the deadly accident. Seattle Paragliding owner Marc Chirico said Blanchard launched from Poo Poo Point on Tiger Mountain a couple of hours earlier and planned to land near his home on a “postage stamp of a landing field” in a pasture. Chirico said Blanchard completed about 300 flights before the accident. The accident occurred at about 7 p.m. in the 12300 block of 202nd

Place Southeast, near the intended landing site. Blanchard plummeted to the ground in the High Valley area southwest of Squak Mountain State Park, about three miles from the usual paraglider landing site along Issaquah-Hobart Road Southeast. Witnesses said the paraglider appeared to be gliding on a thermal current as the pilot approached the High Valley site from a northeasterly direction. Suddenly, as witnesses watched, a paraglider wing started twisting and spinning out of control. Then, the rig collapsed about 40 to 50 feet above the ground and plunged into a pasture. See PARAGLIDING, Page A3

BY DOUG CLARK/WWW.FOURFOOTEDFOTOS.COM

No. 3 official at City Hall to retire By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter Joe Meneghini, the No. 3 official at City Hall and a behind-thescenes force in almost every important municipal project for more than a decade, intends to retire after 11 years in the post. Meneghini is the deputy to City Administrator Bob Harrison. The administrators and Mayor Ava Frisinger oversee all municipal departments, cross-departmental projects, communications and economic development. Often operating far from the spotlight, Meneghini left indelible imprints on creek restoration and open space preservation efforts, programs to meld technology to city services, and prepare City Hall and residents for emergencies. The deputy administrator also

acted as a key player in the effort to create a downtown park along Issaquah Creek and to bring a B e l l e v u e College campus to Issaquah. “I think a key Joe Meneghini thing has been our ability to stay focused and grounded on doing all of our basic business well,” he said. In the 11 years Meneghini served as deputy city administrator, Issaquah added area and residents to balloon to more than 30,000 people. The most recent See RETIRE, Page A5

PHOTOS BY GREG FARRAR

SPLASH DAY SOAKS

At top, Cody Ramstad, a firefighter with Eastside Fire & Rescue Ladder 73, stands in his basket high above the Issaquah Community Center lawn, spraying water over hundreds of gleeful youngsters and parents Aug. 3 during the city Parks & Recreation Department’s annual Splash Day. Above right, Vanshika Balaji, 7, of Issaquah, finds shelter under a Little Mermaid umbrella. At left, Collin Fleisch, 11, of Fall City, opens his mouth to the sky to swallow water being sprayed.

Man files lawsuit against city about free speech at Salmon Days By Warren Kagarise Issaquah Press reporter The iconic Salmon Days Festival is at the center of a free-speech lawsuit after police threatened to arrest a man for distributing religious leaflets at the festival. Snoqualmie resident Paul Ascherl sued the city in U.S. District Court in Seattle on Aug. 5 to challenge a municipal ordinance created to limit leafleting and other activities to designated “expression areas” at the fall festival.

Ascherl said Issaquah police officers threatened to arrest him for handing out Christian literature in places outside the pair of downtown “expression areas” on the festival grounds. The city ordinance, crafted in 2000, prohibits leafleting, protests, unscheduled entertainment or nonprofit activities outside of booths and designated areas. The ordinance also sets rules for festivalgoers’ signs and bans megaphones on festival grounds. The city considers viola-

INSIDE THE PRESS A&E . . . . . . . B10

Obituaries . . . . B3

Classifieds . . . . B8

Opinion . . . . . . A4

Community . . . B1

Police & Fire . . B9

H&G . . . . . . . . B7

Sports . . . . . . B4-5

tions as misdemeanors punishable by fines and possible imprisonment. City Attorney Wayne Tanaka said the city developed the ordinance “in response to concerns, frankly, about crowd control and public safety” at the festival. Salmon Days attracted more than 180,000 people to downtown Issaquah last year. “We’re very aware of First Amendment rights and are very cognizant to not trample on them,” Tanaka said.

Ascherl is seeking a court order declaring the ordinance unconstitutional, plus “nominal damages” and compensation for legal fees. “When I express my beliefs, I don’t demonstrate. I don’t seek to draw a crowd. I don’t ask for money. I don’t try to gather signatures,” he stated in court documents. “I only want to pass out tracts.” The incident attracted attention

See LAWSUIT, Page A5

Teachers challenge supermajority rule By Tom Corrigan Issaquah Press reporter As part of the Washington Education Association, unionized Issaquah school teachers are parties to the suit filed late last month challenging the requirement that a positive vote by a supermajority of state legislators is needed to approve future tax increases. Imposed by voters in November as part of Initiative 1053, the rule resulted from one of the latest initiatives launched by well-known political activist Tim Eyman. The supermajority requirement applies to both houses of the state legislature. “The state of Washington is not following through on their paramount duty to fully fund education,” said Phyllis Runyon, presi-

See CHALLENGE, Page A5

QUOTABLE

YOU SHOULD KNOW National Farmers Market Week runs through Aug. 13, and residents can head to the Issaquah Farmers Market to celebrate. The popular market runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays from April to October at Pickering Barn, 1730 10th Ave. N.W. The popularity of farmers markets continues to multiply across the Evergreen State. Shoppers head to more than 150 farmers markets statewide for produce, meats and more.

dent of the Issaquah Education Association, the local teachers union. “The state has not fully funded education for years, but with the current economic situation, the funding situation has worsened.” The state already has some of the largest class sizes in the nation along with some of the lowest perpupil funding, Runyon added. “Eyman’s initiative that calls for a two-thirds majority to pass legislation to raise taxes makes the situation far worse,” Runyon continued. “Without new revenue, the state will undoubtedly continue to cut education.” Opponents specifically argue the rule violates the state constitution,

“I’ve learned patience, how to set goals, how to make a plan to achieve those goals. I’ve learned to be realistic, to appreciate what I have and to budget my money ’cause there ain’t no shopping sprees with friends.”

— Christina Frost Returning from the 2011 Pinto World Championship Horse Show last month as the English Youth High Point and Senior Youth All Around High Point World Champion. See story, Page B4.


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