Valley Views
4 • March 7, 2012 • Snoqualmie Valley Record
SNOQUALMIE
When the global meets the local
Valley Record SNOQUALMIE
Publisher Editor Reporter
William Shaw
wshaw@valleyrecord.com
Seth Truscott
struscott@valleyrecord.com
Carol Ladwig
cladwig@valleyrecord.com
C reative Design Wendy Fried wfried@valleyrecord.com Advertising David Hamilton Account dhamilton@valleyrecord.com Executive Circulation/ Patricia Hase Distribution circulation@valleyrecord.com Mail PO Box 300, Snoqualmie, WA 98065 Phone 425.888.2311 Fax 425.888.2427 www.valleyrecord.com Classified Advertising: 800.388.2527 Subscriptions: $29.95 per year in King County, $35 per year elsewhere Circulation: 425.241.8538 or 1.888.838.3000 The Snoqualmie Valley Record is the legal newspaper for the cities of Snoqualmie, North Bend and Carnation. Written permission from the publisher is required for reproduction of any part of this publication. Letters, columns and guest columns do not necessarily reflect the views of the Snoqualmie Record. Proud supporter of Snoqualmie Valley Hospital Foundation, Snoqualmie Valley Schools Foundation, Encompass, Mount Si Helping Hand Food Bank
www.valleyrecord.com
H
unger. Poverty. Economic and climate change. Social transformation. What do you think of when you hear those terms? Do you think of big global newsmakers? You should think of the Valley. What happens on the national or even international stage is also happening here. A lot of big national issues, from hunger and poverty to climate and social change, have been echoing around our Valley in recent days. In the United States, an estimated 46 million people live in poverty, according to the United States Census Bureau. That’s the biggest number in the 52 years that the department has tracked those numbers. That number rose by 2 million in 2011. That poverty is increasing is no surprise to anyone familiar with local food banks. Food donations, it seems, are a growth industry. The Mount Si Food Bank, for example, has seen a continual rise in the number of Seth Truscott local families that rely on it over the last four years. But far from despair- Editor ing, the team there is continually pushing to meet local needs. In March, the organization holds a new art-themed benefit, Empty Bowls, to solve our homegrown hunger that’s a symptom of a national problem. What about the environment? Globally, people are concerned about pollution and energy use. Here, we can look to folks like Transition Snoqualmie Valley or North Bend planning commissioner Gary Fancher, who is pushing for stricter idling requirements in busy North Bend, as local trendsetters. During the recent debates on same-sex marriage, you had local elected officials in the same party taking principled yet opposite stands at the center of the discussion. Fifth District State Rep. Jay Rodne stood in the legislature to voice his arguments—thought-out and centered on his religious background—against a new law that expressly allows gay marriage. He called it one of the most important issues that body will consider. At the same time, his local Republican colleagues Glenn Anderson and Cheryl Pflug supported the change, basing their stances on the need for all people to live in freedom. In this week’s edition, we meet a local samesex couple who have long waited for this moment. These are real people whose lives will change because of the decision taken by the legislature and perhaps soon, by the people of Washington. In our region, the changed economy and shrinking state and county budget are continuing to be felt, four years into recession. Recently, locals stepped up to protest one cut too many. Enough people came forward to press King County to keep open the Cedar Falls Transfer Station recycling facility that plans to shutter the site were halted. The result shows that locals can make change in the wider arena. In truth, it’s always been that way. Read the pages in the Record printed during the Great Depression, and you’ll find that locals were just as concerned about finding solutions to the problem as any Americans. One of the Valley’s earliest industries, the vast hop farming operations, rose thanks to changing global markets and crashed due to falling prices and a bug invasion, a side effect of the globalization that brought the Valley’s hops to the fore in the first place. Local echoes of vast events show that small communities are far from isolated from global and national matters. The world continues to grow smaller, and we should never think that we’re immune to change because our neighborhoods are 30 miles removed from the big city. Just as when our gas prices climb past $4 a gallon due to Iran-U.S. conflict and speculation, so too do local passions rise over changing laws and budgets affecting education, taxes, or who gets to marry. You can influence your world. You do it by taking an active role in your community. Follow the news. Read, volunteer, attend local meetings. Contact your representatives or run for office yourself. When we do these things, we connect with the wider world. Not only are we part of the big picture, we can influence it.
Is voting for the Valley’s ‘Best of’ important?
Out of the
Past This week in Valley history
Thursday, March 5, 1987:
“Yes, it’s important. I think it draws people to your favorites, places that maybe they wouldn’t have thought of going to before.” Jeanette Busby Snoqualmie
“I don’t vote, generally, because I don’t patronize as many services in the Valley as I could.” Holly Lee North Bend
A group of Johnson Heights residents asked the Snoqualmie City Council why their water rates had skyrocketed. The city raised rates by about tenfold to replace two failing water pumps. • The Snoqualmie Valley School Board needed a tie-breaking vote from president Louise Martin to keep its reimbursement policy on employee travel expenses “at a reasonable rate” rather than the state-set per-diem recommended by two board members.
Thursday, March 8, 1962: Fred
Mason withdrew from North Bend’s race for mayor this week, leaving Glenn Hall and last-minute “sticker candidate” Gordon Mayrand in the contest. Mayor Bill Ghrames is retiring after 14 years.
“No, I don’t vote. I could use the computer at work, but obviously I can’t look at personal stuff at work.” Fred Venegas North Bend
“Yes... People might not know about certain businesses, but they might find one that was voted the best. It’s kind of fun, too.” Jennifer Philbrick works in Snoqualmie
• A judge declared North Bend’s antidrunk-driving law invalid, because it had never been published in the North Bend Record. This forced the city to drop its charges against a Bothell man.