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ARTS & Entertainment | ‘Art of Gaman’ reveals the artwork of WWII-era Japanese-American prisoners [9]
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SPORTS | Bellevue High School grad invents solution to age-old problem for track athletes with friday, July 11, 2014 Spikease [10]
a sad song on a sunny day
Overlake may buy Snoqualmie hospital Move comes as Valley facility faces pressure from changing conditions in health care field By Seth Truscott Editor, Snoqualmie Valley Record
Ben Meyer, Kyle Findley-Meier and Molly Hazel of the folk band The Sky Colony performed in City Center Plaza on Tuesday as part of the Live at Lunch program sponsored by the Bellevue Downtown Association. Concerts are scheduled every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday through Sept. 11. Tuesday and Wednesday concerts are held at various outdoor venues. Compass Plaza hosts the Thursday concerts. Upcoming performer and venue information can be found at bellevuedowntown.com. DANIEL NASH, Bellevue Reporter
Medical Examiner seeking donor of skulls to Goodwill BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office is searching for the donor of three human skulls to the Bellevue Goodwill, two of which are believed to have been used for medical purposes and the other identified as belonging to a Native American child. The skulls were donated in late June, but the identity of the donor is not known. Goodwill employees contacted the examiner’s office and law enforcement following the donation, which the agency states is proper procedure. Forensic Anthropologist Kathy Taylor said the two adult skulls were easily See skulls, 3
See overlake, 3
City Council considering third-party study to see if Energize Eastside plan necessary BY BRANDON MACZ BELLEVUE REPORTER
The Washington Utilities Transportation Commission can't prevent Puget Sound Energy from running upgraded transmission lines more than 100 feet above neighborhoods from Renton to Redmond, but it can prevent the energy company from recovering costs if the project is deemed unnecessary or excessive. Bellevue councilmembers are considering a third-party study
to determine whether PSE's Energize Eastside – placing 18 miles of 230kV transmission lines from Renton to Redmond – is necessary after months of hearing strong opposition from the community. Members of the WUTC spoke to the council Monday about its involvement in energy projects in the state, saying it only weighs in on the need for a project once it is completed, determining whether a company can recover its costs through rate adjustments.
Dr. Todd taught Animal Science at Southwest Texas University and was the faculty adviser for their Rodeo Team. In 2007, Dr. Todd relocated to the Pacific Northwest and began working at Bellevue Animal Hospital. She brought acupuncture, chiropractics, and cold laser therapies to Bellevue Animal Hospital to integrate Eastern and Western Medicine to help and heal our wonderful pets. In her free time, Jill rides and competes hunter jumpers with her horse “Vince”, hikes, bikes, does yoga and enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and adopted Rhodesian Ridgeback “Z”.
Jill Todd, DVM,CVA,CVCP
Bellevue Animal Hospital
1094805
The foundation is poured, the walls are up and the tower cap freshly lifted in place at what, for now, is the future Snoqualmie Valley Hospital. However, when it opens, the new hospital may be a branch of Bellevue’s Overlake Hospital Medical Center. King County Public Hospital District No. 4, the rural district centered on Snoqualmie, is considering selling its hospital and clinics to Overlake. The district’s board of commissioners approved a letter of intent to negotiate a sale at their Thursday, July 3, regular meeting. District CEO Rodger McCollum said Wednesday that the sale is sought so that
Valley health care can compete and survive. With large Accountable Care Organizations, or ACOs, forming in Washington, made up of partnerships between some of the biggest hospitals — among them Overlake — smaller hospitals are challenged to stay independent, he said. These contracting units are “how health care is going to be rationed in the future,” McCollum said. “This is the driver, the rollup of health care into these large affiliations of providers to cut costs out of the system. What that means for us is that, in future, we’re either aligned or somehow connected to large networks of health care, or we run the risk of being orphaned out here.” The hospital’s critical access status, in which it gets reimbursed fully for Medicare costs, has been key to its financial model. “If that’s in place, and once we open the new hospital, we would do very well,” McCollum predicted.
10415 Main St, Bellevue,WA | For appt. call 425.454.1246 BellevueAnimalHospital.net
The council was concerned about WUTC's review of PSE's 2013 Integrated Resource Plan, which Juliana Williams, regulatory analyst for conservation and energy planning, confirmed did not show an immediate need for additional resources, though it was not always clear how need tied in with an analysis of transmission lines. She added PSE has energy contracts set to expire over its planning horizon and must decide if it will extend those agreements or acquire more resources
to meet that level of demand. Councilmembers agreed Bellevue's 2011 electrical reliability plan should be updated to boost the city's knowledge about energy needs looking toward a 2015 IRP, but didn't feel it would answer questions critical to Energize Eastside. Mayor Claudia Balducci said another third-party study would be helpful to give Bellevue more guidance about its regulatory authority. Brandon Macz: 425-453-4602, bmacz@bellevuereporter.com
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