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POLITICS | Republicans Kevin Wallace and Jane Hague back opposing candidates in 48th Legislative District race [5]
Education | Bellevue College embraces adaptive technology that helps those with FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2012 disabilities achieve their goals [13]
Business | Hundreds flock to Microsoft store at Bellevue Square to see new Surface tablet [7]
State OKs lower rates for natural gas
Lynne Sanders, manager of Overlake’s expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, says the larger space will let the hospital care for 18 infants at a time and is designed to keep families as close to their children as possible. KEEGAN PROSSER, Bellevue Reporter
Overlake expands care for tiniest of babies New facility will let staff care for babies as young as 26 weeks BY KEEGAN PROSSER Bellevue Reporter
Overlake Medical Center has opened its new, expanded Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) - a project two years in the making. Built by GLY Construction in Bellevue and staffed by specially-trained experts from Seattle Children’s Hospital, the new and expanded unit is located just steps
away from the Overlake Childbirth Center, and will provide nearly 8,000 square feet of infant care. The cost of the expansion of the Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) was $3.6 million - $800,000 of which was raised at the Overlake Hospital Auxiliaries annual Bandage Ball in March. The larger, more advanced space will also enable the staff to care for tinier and sicker babies, including those born as early as 26 weeks gestation. Additionally, the new unit features private rooms for all babies, as well as neighboring rooms with sliding doors for families with multiples.
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More square footage per room will also allow space for families to spend the night with their infant(s), windows in every room and a central monitoring system. “That makes a big difference to the staff,” said Lynne Sanders, manager of the NICU, “because they can see all the babies at the same time,” The Overlake unit is licensed to accommodate 18 infants. It also features security system locked doors, which will further insure the safety of infants being treated in the unit. SEE BABIES, 17
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Almost 2 million natural gas customers in Washington can expect to see lower heating bills this winter due to a decrease in wholesale natural gas costs. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) today approved requests by the state’s four investor-owned natural gas companies to reduce rates for customers beginning Nov. 1. Natural gas companies in Washington are required to adjust rates periodically to reflect changes in wholesale prices. More than half to about two-thirds of a customer’s monthly bill is attributable to the cost of natural gas on which the company is not allowed to earn a profit. The remaining 45 percent covers the cost of delivering the natural gas. Puget Sound Energy’s average Western Washington residential natural gas customer using 68 therms a month will realize a drop of 7.1 percent, or $5.82, to $76.59. The rates could be subject to further revision. The utilities distribute natural gas to customers but do not produce their own fuel. About half of Washington’s natural gas supplies come from the Canadian provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and the other half from Rocky Mountain production sites such as Wyoming. Bellevue-based Puget Sound Energy serves more than 785,000 natural gas customers in parts of Snohomish, King, Pierce, Lewis, Thurston and Kittitas counties.
Investigation of rowdy Bellevue police expected to be completed today BY CELINA KAREIVA Bellevue Reporter
An internal investigation into the behavior by off-duty Bellevue Police officers Sept. 16 in Seattle is expected to be completed today. The investigation, by Bellevue Police Chief Linda Pillo, involves the conduct of three Bellevue officers before and during a Seattle Seahawks football game. The officers berated a Seattle officer when she asked them to discard a cup one member of the group had dropped. That same afternoon, they harassed a fan who asked them to control their language, advising him not to get pulled over in Bellevue. The officers were later kicked out of the CenturyLink Field for their unruly behavior. Pillo formally apologized on behalf of her department. She also promised to discipline the officers based on the results of that investigation.