BELLEVUE
REPORTER
NEWSLINE 425-453-4270
ELECTION | Primary sets up big races for Bellevue City Council, Bellevue School Board [8]
Sports | Bellevue man brings home Silver Medal from Maccabiah Games in Israel [18]
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9, 2013
Arts/Entertainment | Medina Days brings out the crowds for fun that extends into the weekend [21]
Tolling delay costs state $40 million An audit report says complexity of state tolling delayed collecting money to cross the SR 520 bridge.
The state has lost $40 million from tolling the SR 520 bridge because the all-electronic system was nine months behind schedule, according to an Aug. 2 state Auditor's report. In addition, project delays and issues creating the new system caused public confusion. On the plus side, the report noted the state has collected $67 million through March 2013. Specifically, the report said the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) faced challenges managing a complicated project that involved collaboration across the department, where roles and responsibilities were unclear, including who made
decisions, who was accountable, and how the vendor was to be managed. While the Washington State Department of Transportation has taken some steps to address the issues, the report notes the importance of resolving the challenges since the Legislature has authorized tolling on SR 99, I-405, and the I-5 Columbia River Crossing. The report also said that while WSDOT wanted a statewide system that would be easy for customers to use on multiple highways and bridges, the need to track tolls at each facility went beyond what was used by other state. A complication was the vendor didn't
understand the accounting needs until several months into the project. The state also was working under a tight deadline in order to avoid losing a Federal Highway Administration grant to pay for the new tolling system. Finally, because WSDOT’s primary goal was to have an operational system, it delayed assessing damages and did not apply all available financial penalties for poor performance by the vendor, the report says. However, once tolls started being collected on SR 520, WSDOT reached a financial settlement with the vendor.
Bellevue WWII veteran to get Bronze Star Air Force officer helped repel German attack as part of infantry operation Major Robert Swenson USAFR (Retired), of Bellevue, will be awarded the Bronze Star Medal on Aug. 10 for his actions in the last major airborne operation of World War II in Europe. The award will be presented in conjunction with the Trigger Time 8 convention in the city of Seatac. Swenson, who turned 90 on July 10, was involved in the last major airborne operation of World War II in the European Theatre of Operations. Dubbed "The Battle of Burp Gun Corner," the effort on March 24, 1945, stopped a German attack at the Rhine River crossing at Wesel, Germany. What made this company unique was that it was made up entirely of Army Air Force glider pilots who were all officers. During WWII, gliders were used extensively as the second wave of airborne operations. In addition to carrying infantry troops, or ‘Glider Riders’ as they were called, gliders had the advantage of being able to carry equipment such as jeeps, field artillery pieces and trailers that were too heavy to be dropped by parachute. After landing and unloading their cargo, the glider pilot’s primary duty was to get
Robert Swenson
Robert Swenson, 1944
back to their air base as soon as possible in order to be available to fly another mission, if necessary. During the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944 and January 1945, American forces had their heaviest casualties of any engagement in the war. The 17th Airborne Division saw its first combat action of the war and their two Glider Infantry Regiments, the 193rd and the 194th, took such
heavy losses that the 193rd was consolidated with the 194th. Even after consolidating the two units into one, it was still short one company of infantry. Since the 17th Airborne Division was slated to be the primary American airborne assault force for the upcoming invasion of Germany, code named Operation Varsity,
PASSPORT PHOTOS •
Like Us On
facebook.com/OmegaPhoto
Visa • Immigration • All Countries • Infants
210 -105th Ave NE, Bellevue • (425) 455-2126 • www.OMEGAPHOTO.biz
SEE VETERAN, 10
Bellevue police officer helps save woman A Bellevue police officer, along with two Redmond police officers and Redmond fire personnel administered CPR on Aug. 2 to save the life of a missing Bellevue woman. On Aug. 2, the family of the 74-year-old Bellevue woman reported their mother missing to the Bellevue Police Department. Six hours later, at approximately 7:30 p.m., the woman was found disoriented by a passerby in the 14000 block of Northeast 87th Street in Redmond. Two Redmond police officers responded and five minutes later the missing woman went into cardiac arrest. The officers began CPR while a third officer, from Bellevue, retrieved a defibrillator. The Redmond police officers performed CPR, paused to deliver a shock with the defibrillator, and then continued CPR as Redmond firefighters and paramedics arrived at the scene. All first responders worked together for more than 20 minutes delivering CPR, additional shocks, medications and airway control until the patient was transported to Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland with a sustainable heart rhythm. The patient was listed in critical condition.