Valley Record SNOQUALMIE
Wednesday, august 1, 2012 • Daily updates at www.valleyrecord.com • 75 cents
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Service stretch
Music hero Author Clay Eals explores American folk voice with book, Nursery concert
Snoqualmie ops levy would help fire dept. adapt to the times By Seth Truscott
By Carol Ladwig Staff Reporter
The black-and-white photo shows a row of men hefting fire axes and saws, smiling confidently as they open a new station. The 2005 image chronicles the Snoqualmie Fire Department of a different era—a time of fast growth in the city, when fire and police divisions were being built and staffed to handle a big new population. Fast-forward seven years, and most of the men in the picture still work in Snoqualmie. But their jobs have changed. Their department is busier, but hasn’t grown in nearly a decade. Increasing needs are beginning to tell. A hiring freeze could thaw soon, though, as part of an operations levy that goes before city voters this fall.
Ex-’Cat Nikki Stanton finds excitement with Sounders Page 13
SCENE
A history of growth Pics: Wild time at Valley’s second extreme Warrior Dash Page 9
Index Opinion 4 8 Calendar Back to School 11 14 Movie Times On the Scanner 15 Classifieds 18-19
Vol. 99, No. 10
The Snoqualmie City Council greenlighted a 24-cent operations levy on Monday, July 23, to maintain service levels for the fire department, police, parks and public works. See OPS LEVY, 7
Seth Truscott/Staff Photo
Rushing to connect fire hose to hydrant, Snoqualmie firefighter Darby Summers trains at the city station in July. The fire station’s team is being challenged by increased calls, but could see its first growth in staff since 2003 as part of a new property-tax-based operations levy that goes to voters this fall.
Football dropped at Snoqualmie Valley middle schools Students more interested in soccer, change inevitable, school athletic director says By Carol Ladwig Staff Reporter
Football won’t be returning to Snoqualmie Valley School District middle schools when the students do. The sport was been cut from all three middle schools’ extra-curricular offerings this year, in a controversial decision made by the schools’ coaches. Instead,
the schools will offer boys JV), turnout varied at the Soccer plans soccer this fall. other competing schools “Everyone involved is Boys interested in playing in the Triangle League. disappointed, but we knew soccer this fall should plan Tolt Middle School in parwe’d eventually have to on attending their first ticular struggled to meet make this decision,” Chief practice session immediately the 10-player minimum Kanim Middle School ath- after school on Aug. 29. last season, causing them letic director and football to forfeit two of six games. coach Mickey Fowler said. The Triangle League Participation numbers are what includes Snoqualmie, Riverview and the prompted the decision, Fowler said. Mercer Island School District, but Mercer Although Chief Kanim typically fielded Island does not offer football, and Tolt about 50 interested seventh- and eighth- dropped the sport last spring. graders each year (“that made two niceSee MS SPORTS, 7 sized teams” Fowler said, a varsity and
In one rare moment, Clay Eals is all but speechless. An author and journalist, best known to the Valley as communication director for Encompass, Eals is the guy who makes his living with his words. He is also clearly (if briefly) overwhelmed, when he talks about all the things that a long-dead, almost-famous folk singer has Clay Eals given him in the last 20 years. They were huge opportunities like the music to court his future wife, and a legitimate reason to travel the continent, Steve Goodman meeting, interviewing, and once or twice going crab-fishing with some of the most beloved musicians in America. They were also simple truths, about the incredible generosity of people, how cruelly short life is, and the necessity of following your dreams. His thoughts and stories about the singer, Steve Goodman, flow so swiftly, they pile up in his mind faster than he can get them out. Finally, he distills them down to one concept, gratitude. He leans over and pats the newly printed third edition of “Steve Goodman: Facing the Music, a Biography by Clay Eals,” then grins and whispers conspiratorially, “I got to do my some-day project!” See ICON, 2
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