INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Reporter ISSAQUAH | SAMMAMISH
Fourth on the Plateau Event Schedule Pages 9 - 12
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News
FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2015
Annexation date to be set July 7
CAN YOU DIG IT?
Supporters of Aug. 1 annex want Klahanie citizens enfranchised in Nov. election
Fire halts E. Lake Sammamish traffic Page 3
BY MEGAN CAMPBELL
Community
ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Teen raises $30,000 for clean water Page 7
Sports
Photo by Megan Campbell, Issaquah/Sammamish Reporter
Maxwell Campbell, 3, and his mother, Kendra Campbell of Klahanie, stood by June 11 as crews worked on the Sammamish Community and Aquatic Center, set to open in 2016.
Robert Young has lived in Klahanie with his wife and children, now grown, for nearly 30 years. He was part of the initial push to annex into Issaquah, which failed twice before the city signed over the potential annexation area to Sammamish in mid-2014. In February, the Sammamish City Council put the annexation to a vote, which passed with 86 percent approval and nearly 50 percent voter turnout. With a majority in the election, Young was hoping the Sammamish City Council would make the merger official sooner rather than later. While the city had said in past newsletters it was aiming for an Aug. 1 annexation date, SEE ANNEXATION, 5
Youth art group publishes work in book Issaquah Creek restoration begins
BY MEGAN CAMPBELL
ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
Eastlake’s fast and focused quarterback Page 13
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A group of Sammamish middle and high schoolers came together with the goal of inspiring a million children and teens to donate their creative talent for a social cause. As part of that goal, they’re now publishing a book of student artwork available in print and electronically. “Art is an essential part of life,” 17-year-old Cata Raggi said. “We can’t create a solution without creativity.” The Tesla STEM High School junior, along with her peers, created a collage of 55 students’ artwork from more than 30 communities within King and
Pierce counties, called “40 Story’s: Youth Voices United for Change.” When someone purchases a copy of the book, proceeds will be donated to other nonprofits that fight hunger or promote youth programs around the world. Before you judge the book by its cover, yes, the authors know the title is misspelled — and yes, they did it on purpose. The nonprofit Creative Children for Charity, founded by 14-year-old Chirag Vedullapalli in 2009, wanted the book to stand out on the shelves, but also wanted to imply some ownership of the artwork inside. It’s not just a collection of stories,
but a collection of someone’s stories. Published in January, the book took longer than Vedullapalli and his team originally anticipated back in February 2014, when they were first getting started. When the city of Sammamish did not agree to sponsor the project, he and his team took to their parents’ rolodexes. Skyline High School Rohini Mettu, 15, said the experience of asking for money and support, and facing rejection, was “a bit scary,” but gave her invaluable life skills. “After joining (Creative
The city of Issaquah has begun habitat restoration work on the east fork of Issaquah Creek. Now the clock is ticking to correct the water pathway adjacent to Confluence Park before salmon arrive to spawn. The restoration — costing about $1 million in funds from the city, the King Conservation District and the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office — began last week with the clear grading of the fork out of the bank in the upland shore of the park. “Right now we’re handling the excavation
SEE BOOK, 6
SEE CREEK, 5
BY DANIEL NASH ISSAQUAH/SAMMAMISH REPORTER
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