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COMMUNITY | Bellevue Boys and Girls Clubs, City of Bellevue to partner on Hidden Valley Park improvements [10]
Sports | Longtime programming director at Crossroads Community Center – and former FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2013 Harlem Globetrotter – retires [14]
Arts | Three Bellevue jazz ensembles earn gold at Riverside Jazz Festival in Auburn [11]
State to talk I-90 tolls at Bellevue meeting
The state is considering putting tolls on the I-90 bridge, perhaps as early as 2014. MEGAN MANAGAN, Reporter Newspapers
The Washington State Department of Transportation will host three public meetings this month – one of them in Bellevue – about the possibility of tolling Interstate 90 from I-5 in Seattle to I-405 in Bellevue. The meetings are part of the environmental assessment being done by WSDOT. Tolls are being considered to generate revenue to help pay for replacing the SR-520 floating bridge. Tolling on I-90 is also projected to help alleviate congestion
on the road. “Tolling on I-90 between I-5 and I-405 is needed to generate revenue to help complete the SR 520 program and to help alleviate congestion on I-90,” WSDOT said in a statement. “Scoping is an opportunity to gather feedback that will shape the tolling study.” The three meetings are part of the public input process, which is open from Jan. 22 through Feb. 22. The Bellevue meeting will be from 4-7
p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30 at Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave. N.E. The environmental assessment is required by the National Environmental Protection Act to understand any influences, both positive and negative, about the project. Public input will allow residents to take part in the process and to learn more about the study. The study will ask why tolling is beSEE I-90, 7
Residents target Sen. Tom at town hall
HELP FROM HORSES
BY CELINA KAREIVA BELLEVUE REPORTER
Kelsey Devoille stands in the barn at her Bridle Trails business with one of her therapy horses, Poppy, an 8-yearold Irish Sport horse. Devoille says equine-assisted therapy is useful in helping people struggling with issues such as eating disorders and autism spectrum disorders. Story page 7. CARRIE RODRIGUEZ, Reporter Newspapers
Eastside residents turned out at a Bellevue town hall meeting Tuesday, Jan. 8 to protest Sen. Rodney Tom’s Senate coup, brandishing signs that read: “Traitor Tom” and jeering when he spoke. The 48th Legislative District town hall attracted a crowd of nearly twice its normal size, observed Rep. Ross Hunter (D-Medina). Tom (D-Medina) and Hunter were joined by Rep.-elect Cyrus Habib (D-Bellevue), a first-time politician and graduate of the district’s public school system. The three legislators told constituents the Eastside presented a unique set of needs and challenges this legislative session, among the top concerns being transportation to meet the growing population, the McCleary ruling on school funding and
Sen. Rodney Tom Rep. Ross Hunter
Rep. Cyrus Habib
initiatives to promote the Eastside’s economic viability. McCleary alone presents a huge hurdle. At least $1 billion is needed in the next biennium to meet a judge’s ruling to adequately pay for education – a task that Hunter said was difficult without additional revenue. “Judge us on our end product,” said Tom, addressing several noticeably upset constituents. SEE TOWN HALL, 12
Trail study hopes to make Factoria a walkable, transit-oriented neighborhood In the densely populated urban area of Factoria in Bellevue, a green vision is forming. Residents and city planners are working to create a transit-oriented, walkable, mixed-use neighborhood out of
a locale originally designed for automobiles. As part of this new vision, the City of Bellevue just completed a trail study for an east-west regional trail that will improve
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transportation options, revitalize work environments and add opportunities for recreation. Increasing bicycle and pedestrian commutes will also improve public health and reduce greenhouse
gas emissions. “In Bellevue, we are a step closer to filling a critical link in this trail system, thus improving transportation choices and the quality of life for residents and
visitors alike,” says Cynthia Welti, Executive Director of the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust. The Mountains to Sound SEE FACTORIA, 6
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