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MI | THIS WEEK
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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2012 | 75¢
Island to join 9th Congress District
A leap to the future
Special MISD board meeting Thursday, Jan. 5 A special Mercer Island School District board of directors meeting will be held on Jan. 5 at 1 p.m. at West Mercer Elementary School. The board will discuss, and possibly take action, on the 21st Century Facilities Master Plan which will determine how much money will be needed in an April bond issue vote. The meeting, will include an opportunity for community members to speak.
By Nat Levy
nlevy@bellevuereporter.com
The Civil War and the Washington Territory A lecture by Northwest history scholar, Dr. Lorraine McConaghy, will kick off a a free five-part reading and discussion series at 7 p.m. Jan. 10 at Aljoya , 2430 76th Ave S.E. The series is entitled “Making Sense of the American Civil War.” McConaghy will focus on the attitudes and political issues surrounding the war in the Washington Territory. The event is sponosred by the King County Library System. For more go to http://eventinfo.kcls.org.
First aid and Adult CPR class Jan. 14 The Mercer Island Fire Department is offering a one day first aid and adult CPR with AED class on Saturday, Jan. 14. The class will be held at the Main Fire State on 78th Ave. S.E. from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. To register call 275-7607.
Chamber lunch tomorrow The Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce is holding their monthly lunch tomorrow at noon at the Mercer Island Community and Event Center. To learn more, or to reserve your spot, go to www.mercerislandchamber.com.
Matt Brashears/Special to the Reporter
Polar Bear swimmers hit 50-degree Lake Washington at noon on Sunday, Jan. 1, at Clarke Beach Park. About 75-100 swimmers took part in the event, which was originated in the late 1960s by the park’s namesake family, the Clarkes.
Board to set amount to rebuild schools School Board has just weeks to set amount for bond vote, special meeting is tomorrow at 1 p.m. at West Mercer By Linda Ball
lball@mi-reporter.com
The decisions that must be made in order to place a bond for new schools on the April 17 ballot need to be made soon. The board of directors for the Mercer Island School District will meet Thursday, Jan. 5, at 1 p.m. at West Mercer Elementary School, 4141 81st Ave. S.E., to continue the discussion on new schools and to take action as appropriate on
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a 21st Century Facilities Master Plan. Board president Pat Braman said the meeting is being held during the day so that citizens who cannot attend evening meetings will have a chance to weigh in on this important issue. Braman said they will be discussing alternatives based on recommendations from the 21st Century Facilities Planning Committee, a group of 20 people from the Island who toiled for 120 hours to come up with alternative ideas of how to build cost-effective new schools. The board must come up with a dollar amount for a bond to be voted on in a special election soon because the deadline to file is March 2. Braman said they would like to pay for the land that the dis-
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trict wants to purchase for a new transportation center, which is $2,550,000. This will allow the district to get the buses and refueling center off the high school mega block to free up space for a new high school in the future. School Board member Dave Myerson was the only board
Mercer Island and Tacoma don’t have a lot in common, but they will likely share a U.S. Congressional representative, according to new plans approved at the eleventh hour by the State Redistricting Commission. Under the plans completed yesterday, Mercer Island, Bellevue and Newcastle will be grouped with South Seattle communities such as Renton, SeaTac, Tukwila, Federal Way and Northeast Tacoma to form the 9th District, represented by Democrat Adam Smith. Smith, who was first elected in 1997, said in a statement he is glad that the district still features his hometown of SeaTac, and he is excited to represent this diverse district.
DISTRICT | PAGE 4
REBUILD | PAGE 4
A new mayor The Mercer Island City Council elected a new mayor and deputy mayor on Tuesday night. The results were not available before the Reporter’s print deadline on Monday evening. Outgoing mayor Jim Pearman was to announce his resignation from the Council at the meeting. Debbie Bertlin was sworn in as the newest Councilmember. Read the story online at www.mi-reporter.com.
HAPPY HOUR
The Maryhill Winery, with Island connections, enjoys their 10th anniversary. See Lifestyles on page 12.
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