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Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
WWW.ISSAQUAHREPORTER.COM
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2014
Arts
Work continues on East Lake Samm. Trail
“Art Departures” exhibit makes Seattle Arts Museum go pop Page 13
BY BRYAN TRUDE ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Business DANIEL NASH, Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter
A reindeer acts casual as he tries to hide the fact that he is part of Santa’s crew, hiding out at Cougar Mountain Zoo during the Issaquah Reindeer Festival.
Nothing Bundt Cakes get off to a sweet start in Issaquah Page 9
Sports
Lady Spartans take third in state soccer tournament Page 14
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Reindeer return to Zoo Santa’s noble steeds arrive for 26th Issaquah Reindeer Festival
BY DANIEL NASH ISSAQUAH/SAMMMAMISH REPORTER
He’s making a list, checking it twice — and he’ll also be taking note of whether you’re nice to his famous herd of flying reindeer. For the 26th year in a row, Santa Claus and his elves will set up shop at the Cougar Mountain Zoo for the Issaquah Reindeer Festival, welcoming children of all ages to share their Christmas wishes and engage in holiday cheer beginning Dec. 1. Rumor has it the Zoo is the secret home of Claus’s stable of reindeer. Zoo staff care for the mountainous deer year-round, allowing Claus to focus on the manufacture of toys at North Pole headquarters. Zoo spokesperson Cari McKinstry suggested, but would not confirm, that Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer lives under the secret identity of “Wishes the Reindeer” during the off-season. Claus’s reindeer originally hail from
the frozen of tundras of Siberia, the vast eastern region of Russia. (Fun fact: in some Russian and Slavic cultures, Claus is known as Father Frost and delivers presents with the help of his granddaughter Snow Maiden). Visitors will be able to watch the reindeer at home as they prepare for their Dec. 24 flight, meet Claus and sit in his Grand Traveling Sleigh. “The whole habitat is transformed into a wonderland,” McKinstry said. “Even the adults turn into kids when they see it.” For the zoo, the Issaquah Reindeer Festival is an important fundraiser. All proceeds support the reindeer herd and the zoo’s educational programs. The festival is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Dec. 1 to Dec. 23. Santa is available until 4 p.m. each day.
During a ribbon cutting for the interim gravel trail along East Lake Sammamish in 2006, King County Commissioner Ron Sims told the Seattle Times that the trail is “a treasure … Years from now, no one will remember the fight.” Eight years down the road, Sims’ words are still ringing hollow. An ongoing issue for over a decade, construction continues on planned paving and upgrade plans for the East Lake Sammamish Trail as lakeside homeowners continue to protest the trail’s widening and alteration of the landscape. As of Nov. 24, crews were installing chain link fencing throughout the northern segment of the trail, north of Inglewood Hill Road, completing work on walls and applying anti-graffiti coating before they start excavating driveways and intersections next week, according to information provided by the King County Office of Parks and Recreation. Opened in 2006 as an interim gravel trail, the trail’s master plan always called for the trail to be paved and widened to 12 feet. The trail follows a former Burlington Northern rail line. The right of way for the railroad was sold to the Cascade Land Conservancy, then to King County. The right of way issue is one of many points of contention between homeowners and King County. Lakeside land owners also protest the county’s removal of trees, particularly on the northern segment under construction, and restriction of access to homes for both residents and emergency crews. “On that first segment the county, despite all of their promises to save trees and to not cut down significant trees, cut every tree down in the construction, clearing and grading areas,” Sammamish city councilman Ramiro Valderrama said. “That includes all 160 state-defined significant trees.” According to Tom Hornish with the Sammamish Homeowner’s Organization, many residents on the north segment now have difficulty getting in and out of their garages, a concern the organization has with the southern and central segments now in planning and design.
Daniel Nash: 425-391-0363 ext. 5052; dnash@issaquahreporter.com
SEE TRAIL, 2
Issaquah school board approves 2019 credit requirements BY DANIEL NASH ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
On Nov. 12, the Issaquah School Board narrowly approved greater credit requirements for Liberty High School’s class of 2019. The
new 31-credit requirement, which will begin with next year’s incoming freshman class to the East Renton Highlands campus, enhanced the demand on arts performance for students and added a world language (or personal pathways) credit
requirement, but slightly relaxed required electives. Earlier this year, the Washington State Legislature passed a bill directing the State Board of Education to adopt rules implementing the Career-and-College-
Ready Graduation Requirements the board had originally unveiled in November 2010. The requirements included a “Core 24” credits needed by 2019 graduates in order SEE CREDITS, 4