REPORTER
Mercer Island
Serving the Mercer Island Community Serving community Since since 1947 1947
Council weighs in on Library
Island summer
KC Assessor to hold Town Hall meeting here tomorrow Lloyd Hara, the King County Assessor will hold a Town Hall meeting tomorrow for residents to learn more about the recent property assessment process. The event will be held between 6 and 7:30 p.m., Aug. 14, at the Mercer Island Community and Events Center. The session will also outline the ways that property owners can ask for a review or find out if they qualify for an exemption. To find out more go to www. kingcounty.gov/Assessor.
Staff and councilmembers talk about intricacies of library issues By Celina Kareiva
ckareiva@mi-reporter.com
New Mercer Island Library Board to meet Aug. 14 The first meeting of the new Mercer Island Library Board will be held ibetween 4:30 and 6:30 p.m. in the meeting room at the Mercer Island Library. Look for the agenda on the city’s website at www.mercergov.org. On the main city page, look for Mercer Island Library Board in the ‘Calendar’ section in the center of the page.
Get ready for Back to School School begins Sept. 2. Mercer Island School District offices are now open to assist parents on everything from placements to orientation. Go to www.mercerislandschools.org/Page/5658 for dates and details by school.
City Council meeting Aug. 18 is cancelled City Council’s Aug. 18 meeting has been cancelled. The next regular meeting is Sept. 2.
Mary L. Grady / Staff photo
A splash of red marks a sailboat as it slips by the waterfront in the East Channel of Lake Washington on a recent sunny afternoon.
Islander grad is now Israeli soldier Young woman has passion for Israel and hopes for diplomacy By Joseph Livarchik
jlivarchik@mi-reporter.com
Upon first glance of Kayla Mogil’s Facebook page, one will see a beautiful, young American woman. Her profile picture is simple, featuring the cheery, youthful smiles of Mogil and her boyfriend, Hen. She looks the part of a former high school cheerleader, which she was at Mercer Island High School. It’s not until scrolling through a few pictures that contrast sets in, with images of this seemingly girly-girl donning warpaint and
holding a machine gun. Last October, Mogil, a 2013 MIHS graduate, traded her cheerleading uniform for a military one, serving as a lone soldier with the Israeli Defense Force. To Kayla’s parents, Denise and Scott Mogil, her decision to serve in the Israeli military did not come as a surprise. They describe their daughter as extremely outgoing with no fear. She was always involved in everything around her. “When she was a little girl, she would run through the house and she had these little curls and I remember she’d say, ‘I do it! I do it, Mommy!’ We’d just say, ‘OK, you’re going to do it,’” says Denise. “You can not say no to her, she will find a way to make it happen.” Kayla’s family, which includes
her younger brother Noah, moved to Mercer Island from Southern California in 2005, when Kayla was in fifth grade. With her family joining Herzl-Ner Tamid, Kayla became involved with Mercer Island’s Jewish community and the SJCC, as well as Youth Theatre Northwest. Her parents say her military interest goes back to when Kayla was in middle school. When she attended Islander Middle School, she did a project on her grandfather, Ted, who served with the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. “Kayla and her grandfather were always very close, and through her research of the Marines, she decided she wanted to be in Marine Corps,” said Scott. His daughter even began working out with the Marines when she was a freshman in high school, as the only girl in the group. During the summer after her sophomore year, Kayla took her first trip to Israel with the Jerusalem Journey Ambassadors
Editors Note: In the past few issues of the Reporter, there have been stories and letters and a forum regarding the possible deannexation from the King County Library System. In order to get a sense of what the City’s role will be, and how it proceeds in deciding whether or not to vote to leave the County system, we asked Councilmembers and staff what they thought about the issue. The Reporter spoke with Councilmembers Debbie Bertlin, Jane Brahm, Deputy Mayor Dan Grausz and Assistant City Manager, Kirsten Taylor. The
Council | Page 8
soldier | Page 9
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