Emergency Department Wait Times Now Online - Overlake Hospital Medical Center

from the desk of Bob Yoder...
I first heard about Overlake's ER website feature from Tech Flash here.   And now the King 5 TV clip

Emergency Department Wait Times Now Online - Overlake Hospital Medical Center - Bellevue, WA: "Published on July 18, 2011

Overlake First in Seattle Area to Introduce New Website Feature Displaying Emergency Department Wait Times

Patient convenience greatly increased by Overlake's innovative new web feature  Read More >>

UPDATED: "To da dump, to da dump, to da recycling center dump!"

Lining up for the big city recycling event

UPDATED:  The Friday night fireworks at City Hall were a lot prettier than Saturday's city recycling event.  But, in a much different way, going "to the city recycling dump" with our neighbors was just as much fun!  Read More >>

Edible crayfish and clams found in Sammamish River

The daily limit on Signal crayfish is 10 pounds. 

Walking along the Sammamish River near the Leary Bridge a few weeks ago, I saw a young teenager in the river.  He was in a bathing suit with a net catching crayfish.   He was standing in the water a few feet from the shore, industriously turning over rocks and scooping.  He had caught about 20 crayfish.

He said they are "signal crayfish" and native to this area.  He's found them between 3.5 and 6 inches long.  I asked him what he planned to to do with his catch, and he said "eat them".  No license is required to catch crayfish in Washington, although the daily limit is ten pounds!!

He also netted a number of shellfish a little larger than the size of a quarter.  I contacted Peter Holte, Redmond's Habitat Stewardship Coordinator to learn more about the shellfish.  He said they were  Asian clams, an invasive species.  Notice that several of them have had their shells bored through by some kind of predator.

The clams originate in Southeast Asia and are eaten by the locals.  I even found some recipes for them on the internet. Anyone for Asian clam chowder?  

Story and photos by John Reinke
Redmond photographer
7/16  (edited for brevity)

Kirkland Chamber of Commerce celebrates new visitor center

The local business community and City of Kirkland officials celebrate the grand opening of the new downtown Visitor Information Center during a ceremony on Wednesday.

Contributed by Bob Gassen/Humanature Photography

 Kirkland Chamber of Commerce celebrates new visitor center - Kirkland Reporter: "Jul 14 2011, 5:51 PM

The Greater Kirkland Chamber of Commerce and Kirkland Downtown Association (KDA) members celebrated the grand opening of the organization's new offices and Visitor Information Center during a ceremony on Wednesday.  Read More >>

Evergreen collaborates with LW School District on health initiative - Dr. Kimball joins Redmond Chamber

Sup. Chip Kimball

UPDATED:  LW School District Superintendent Chip Kimball recently joined the Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce.  He is an Ex-Officio member on the Board of Trustees.  

Dr. Kimball also joined "Redmond's Economic Development Alliance" (REDA).  REDA is an elite group of leaders in Greater Redmond public and private organizations dedicated to local economic and community development.  REDA raises and allocates funds to support Redmond economic and community initiatives.

RECENT CHAMBER DEVELOPMENTS:  Evergreen Healthcare is an active member of the Redmond Chamber.  The Chamber's Chair is Tom Martin, a Senior V.P. at Evergreen. (This link details recent chamber/REDA developments).

Sup. Bob Malte
 Evergreen Hosp.

In December, 14, 2010  "Mr. Malte, Superintendent of  Evergreen Healthcare, recommended Evergreen allocate $200,000 towards a "Community Health Initiative" with LWSD, Northshore, and Riverview School District."  These three districts reside within the boundaries of Evergreen's King County Hospital District #2.
    --Laurene H. Burton, Evergreen's Director of Governance and Public Records, 12/14/2010

This Spring, "Mr. Malte scheduled a meeting with the three local school district superintendents in the hospital district. Obesity and immunizations are possible collaboration themes. [Specific levy expenditures for this program haven't been authorized by the Hospital Commission.]
  -- Regular Board Minutes, 6/7/2011.  

No doubt, Dr. Kimball appreciates knowing you care about his participation with Evergreen and the Chamber to improve student health and wellness.  Of course, thanks goes to the Evergreen Hospital Commissioners and Malte for their leadership in this student health initiative.  

If you have input, suggestions, ideas for Evergreen's proposed community initiative please write Evergreen's Laurene Burton, lburtton@evergreenhealthcare.gov and Chip Kimball, ckimball@lwsd.org .

Report & Opinion By Bob Yoder

Photo courtesy of District / Internet

Mayor Marchione extends Derby Days with fireworks Friday, July 15.

The grand finale fireworks show set for Derby Days will now be held on Friday July 15 at 10pm on the City Hall campus lawn.

"Think of it as an extended Derby Days" said Mayor Marchione at Tuesday's Council Meeting. 

In addition to the fireworks, two bands are scheduled to perform. Beginning at 7pm is LeRoy Bell, one of Seattle’s top performers of blues and soul. At 9pm, Doctor Funk will perform some great funky music until the fireworks display begins at 10pm.  Read More >>

UPDATED OPINION: Free-standing ER's drain health resources

UPDATED OPINION:  It's relieving to see Swedish closing one of their free standing Emergency Rooms (ER's)...the Issaquah facility. These ER's drain insurance company resources and the consumers who must buy their policies.

Hospitals use stand-alone ER's to attract the affluent and patients with good-paying insurance. It's about marketing and gaining share, and little about improving the quality of healthcare.

These ER's have millions of dollars tied up in specialists, imaging, laboratories and other technology.  Free-standing ER services are duplicated at hospitals and outpatient imaging centers.

Evergreen Hospital is a sorry example of this excess.  Evergreen Hospital is using millions of taxpayer levy monies to finance their relatively new Hospital ER.  Evergreen's Director of Governance reports they don't have percent occupancy data, but it's known in community circles the hospital emergency department is operating at about 60% to 70% capacity over time.

Yet, when Evergreen found out Swedish was moving into Redmond, to capture the plateau business, they (and the city) rushed to expand their new Evergreen Primary Care Medical Clinic in Redmond with a $15,000,000 free-standing ER.   (Patients needing the Redmond ER longer than 24 hours are required to go to the hospital.) 

Did we forget?  Evergreen Hospital has a new state-of-the-art Hospital ER a few miles away.  It has 4 trauma rooms and 28 private acute treatment rooms and are all equipped with full cardiac monitoring.  This hospital emergency department has it's own cardiac cath lab with 28% faster treatment for 'heart attacks' than the national average and it's only 4 miles away from Redmond.  Why go to a stand-alone facility (especially when you have chest pain) when vacant high tech acute rooms with hospital back-up are waiting for you?

By Bob Yoder
Ref:  Public Record Requests,
2010 Budget Hearing
Attendence at Commision Meetings
Physician and staff interviews

Swedish to close stand-alone Issaquah ER and Open Swedish Medical Center ER, July 14.

The stand-alone Swedish/Issaquah ER (2005 NW Sammamish Road) will close on June 14 and the new Swedish Hospital Medical Center ER at Issaquah Highlands will open on June 14.

Overlake 24/7 Urgent Care on 5708 E. Lake Sammamish Blvd., Issaquah is not far away.


 

Swedish Issaquah Medical Center ER opens July 14.
751 N.E. Blakely Drive, in the Issaquah Highlands, just off I-90 at Exit 18.

Read More >>

SR 520 weekend construction of fish ladder - fast motion video

  

On July 9-11, crews closed SR 520 all weekend to install a Fish ladder culvert on the east side of Lake Washington.

Credit to Councilmember John Stilin for mentioning this fascinating video in tonight's Council Study Session.

Four more FULL time weekend closures of SR 520 are planned:
From Montlake to 108th Ave N.E, starting 11 p.m. Friday nights.

August 26-29
September 16-19
October 21-24
November 18-21

Have you hiked Redmond's "Mystery Trail?"

Trailhead to Nike Park
"Whitey" is running from the "Mystery Trail" onto Perrigo Heights sewer easement road

The Redmond Parks and Trails Commission has been anticipating and planning for Redmond's Centennial Celebration for quite sometime.  A "Centennial Trail" is on the drawing boards.  It's a patchwork of hiking trails that could loop around the entire city once completed.

The Centennial Trail map hasn't been released to the public so it's length and location are unknown.  As far as the public knows, right now it doesn't officially exist.  Several "missing links" have slowed it's completion.

This final missing trail link between Nike Park and the Ashford Trail (and Hartman Park Trails) was discovered by a hiker last year near the "Perrigo Heights" development. The trail-head starts off at the Perrigo Heights sewer easement road and goes south through the forest up a series of switchbacks and small ravens to Nike Park.  From Nike the trail runs to Avondale.

Prior to construction of the switchbacks it was impossible to hike the steep slopes around Perrigo Heights development to, and from, Nike.   A citizen, excited by 'the find' reported the switchbacks to the Parks and Trails department.  Two city planners went out and took pictures. This trail link was a mystery to them!  They said it was too big a job for Parks to do.   So, a phone call was made to Camwest, the Perrigo Heights developer, since the trail link is built on their easement. The trail was new to them!

It's truly a mystery that no one will take credit for building this missing link to the "Centenniel Trail."   Do you know why?  Updated, 2/28/19:  Sections of the trail are on private property. Have you been on this trail, yet?  A tip:  Ashford Trail starts at NE 100th Street and 172nd Avenue near the Redmond BMX Bike Park. 

Report and Photo by Bob Yoder

Read the earlier story of 09/1/2010:  "Education Hill hiker asks for a Nike - Hartman Trails connector"

Who's behind the Redmond Chamber of Commerce? And what are they doing?

UPDATED:  The Redmond Chamber of Commerce is participating in a 'feasibility study' with two city funded, public-private partnerships.  The goal is to coordinate business development fund-raising.   The Chamber also appears to be working on a membership drive. Their Board of Trustee membership is listed below. 

The Redmond Chamber of Commerce attracts organizations from cities outside of Redmond and so is named the "Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce."  A few of  the major outside members are:  Evergreenhealthcare (Kirkland), Puget Sound Energy (Bellevue), Reporter Newspapers (Kent), and *Allied Waste (Lynnwood).  The following  is an excerpt from a Redmond chamber newsletter:   Read More >>

UPDATED: Redmond's Evolving Economic Development Plan

Mayor John Marchione
Coordinating economic
development

UPDATED, July 12:  The City of Redmond's Centennial Celebration in 2012 is becoming the rallying point for jump-starting economic
development in the Greater Redmond Community.  Healthy, economic development is deemed critical to the future of the City for job growth, a robust business climate, and quality neighborhoods.   Four community organizations are being re-deployed to fund-raise and move economic and community development forward, as follows:

• "Redmond Economic Development Alliance"  (REDA)
• "Redmond Foundation", now known as "Realize Redmond" (RR).
• "Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce" (CC)
• "Redmond Lodging Tax Advisory Committee"  (RLTAC)
• Mayor Marchione of the City of Redmond is taking a leadership role in the process.

On May 19, 2009 city council authorized $105,500 payment to Texas-based Angelou Economics "to develop a strategic plan for economic development."  In addition, Council approved $200,000 to create a public-private partnership between the City and REDA.  This "seed money" was intended to jump start REDA fund-raising activities.   During the May public meeting Councilmember Pat Vache' asked council to step off the Dias and extend a hand of partnership and welcome to attending Chamber members.   REDA member, Jim Stanton of Microsoft spent over 15 minutes talking with Chris Hoffmann, the Chamber CEO. The first $50,000 of $200,000 was spent funding the office of Larry Williams, Executive Director, REDA.

Who's in REDA?  Read More >>

Community greets Swedish/Issaquah at opening celebration : The Issaquah Press

Evan Jackson, 3, rides on the shoulders of his dad Kyle as the Issaquah Highlands
 residents and thousands of others attend Swedish/Issaquah’s public open house Saturday. By Greg Farrar

Issaquah Press
By Warren Kagarise

Community greets Swedish/Issaquah at opening celebration : The Issaquah Press

"Hospital executives and designers spared no expense to create a Swedish Medical Center campus to connect to the surrounding community and, on Saturday, curious residents from Issaquah and across the Eastside embraced Swedish/Issaquah as the $365 million hospital opened for a whirlwind of public tours.

Organizers estimate 22,000 people descended on the 18-acre campus during the daylong event. The hospital’s opening celebration served as the centerpiece at Highlands Day, a neighborhood festival in the Issaquah Highlands."  Read More>>

Arts in the Park free summer performances at City Hall

The City of Redmond’s Arts in the Parks summer performance series is in full swing at Redmond City Hall, 15670 NE 85th Street. This season showcases a variety of free performances for children and families from rock bands for kids to Shakespeare for the whole family. Tuesdays at noon are reserved for performances specifically for children and caregivers, while Fridays at 7pm are performances for all ages.

Located on the green space behind Redmond City Hall, Arts in the Parks free performances are a great way to celebrate the summer with family, friends and neighbors. Attendees are encouraged to bring a picnic and a low-backed chair or blanket and relax with an entertaining hour of music, theater or dance.   First performance is Tuesday, July 12 at Noon.  Read More >>

71ST Annual Derby Days - See What's Happening!

CLICK HERE FOR EVENTS!

Lake Washington School District teachers dodge pay cut, extend year

Lake Washington School District teachers dodge pay cut, extend year : The Sammamish Review

"Lake Washington School District teachers dodge pay cut, extend year

July 6, 2011
By Caleb Heeringa

Lake Washington School District teachers will dodge the pay cuts coming to thousands of teachers around the state, but local taxpayers will be footing the bill.

The district has reached agreement with the Lake Washington Education Association, which represents the district’s teachers, to maintain current salaries despite a 1.9 percent cut in the state’s contributions to teacher pay. That money will be made up in part by an estimated 10 cents per $1,000 in assessed value increase in the district’s maintinence and operations levy – money that had been approved by local voters but until recently had been limited by state school funding law." Read More >>

REPUBLISHED: My tenant had a serious kitchen toaster fire -- what to do?

OPINION:  Several years ago a tenant in my Education Hill rental  experienced a serious, $6,000 "pop-tart" toaster fire.  He was very fortunate to put it out himself  but  he burned his hand and was shaken.  He said, if it wasn't for the smoke detector, the house would have burned down.  As it was, smoke damage was severe.  (I'll write a sequel some day.)  

According to the Bellevue Fire Department, most residential fires start in the kitchen and are caused by inattention.   Last year in Bellevue, 25% of all structural fires started in the kitchen.  I can't remember what my tenant did to put it out.  Here's what you can do:
 

1.  Cover the pot or pan with a lid.  Don't move the pan or the fire could spread!  (10 second video recommended by Redmond Fire Dept )

*2.  If you can't find a lid, cover with a wet cloth or towel.  Don't splash with water or a fire ball could rise.  (dramatised 30 second video emailed from my sister; requires G-Mail) 

3. Sprinkle baking soda on the grease fire and don't move the pan. (Redmond Deputy Fire Marshall Jim Underwood)   Fire extinguishers work but they can spread the fire, too.  (Bellevue Fire Dept.).

4. Close doors of burning microwave and oven grease fires and turn off the electricity.  Don't splash with water.  (Bellevue Fire Dept.)

* Disclaimer:  John Underwood, Redmond's Deputy Fire Marshall, neither endorsed nor denied the effectiveness and safety of using a water-rung towel to snuff out kitchen grease fires.  (Personally, I wouldn't hesitate using a wet towel on a toaster fire if I couldn't find baking soda or a fire extinguisher).

Do you know someone who's had a kitchen fire?  I hope the city will provide some kitchen fire prevention education on RCTV or their website. 

Opinion by Bob Yoder
Photo on City of Bellevue web site.
Republished from an earlier posting. 

Safety Alerts: Redmond Police give out bike helmets and flashing reflectors. Sign up your 'hood for "National Night Out Against Crime!"

Jim Bove
Redmond Police Outreach

from the Desk of Jim Bove, Redmond Police Community Outreach

1.  Beginning this Friday, July 8th, our Redmond Town Center Police Substation will be closed.  We are consolidating our resources to the Redmond Police Department/Public Safety Building at 8701 160th Ave NE.  This includes our popular bike and ski/snowboard helmets!  (Now’s a great time to remind you to protect your melon and your child’s!  To schedule an appointment for custom fitting, contact Nicole Rogers at 425-556-2632….this has been a public service announcement.)  

2.  Beginning this weekend, officers will be handing out flashing red reflectors so walkers and bikers can be seen easier.  So don’t be alarmed if it’s getting dark and an officer makes contact with you – it doesn't mean you've done anything wrong, it’s just to make sure you can be seen.  

3.  Time is ticking if your neighborhood would like to participate in the 2011 National Night Out Against Crime on August 2!  Find more information by clicking here and RSVP your party no later than Tuesday, July 26th.   That’s all, folks…quick and (mostly) painless….feel free to share….

Be safe!
Jim Bove
Redmond Police Community Outreach
jbove@redmond.gov )
(425) 556-2545

Plan a trip to the beach with Ecology's new online tool.

Ruby Beach - Olympic National Park

Plan a trip to the beach with Ecology's new online tool

OLYMPIA - Anyone interested in visiting one of Washington's public beaches now has a great new online recreational planning tool, thanks to the Department of Ecology (Ecology).

A new Public Beach Access feature on Ecology's Coastal Atlas website (www.ecy.wa.gov/coastalatlas ) provides detailed information on where to legally access the state's public beaches - including those owned by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, the Department of Natural Resources, counties and cities, or another agency.

Dr. Kathy Taylor of Ecology's Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program said, "Especially with the high price of gas, no one wants to spend a day driving only to find a beach is closed for swimming or there is no legal access close by. Now, you check that before you leave, make sure the campsite you picked has the features you want, and even view photos of the beach and trail heads."

The website includes interactive maps and photos of trail heads, viewpoints and signs. This is especially helpful for access points that aren't well marked or are located some distance from the beach.

Users can enter a beach name or a general location, or hover a computer mouse over a map and click to zoom in. The site includes information on:

* Whether beaches are closed to swimming, with links to advisories and monitoring reports.
* Public boat launches, docks, piers and marinas.
* Campsite availability, accessibility, hours of operations, fees.
* Amenities such as bathrooms, drinking water, picnic tables, barbeque pits and whether pets are allowed.
* Hiking trails.
* Links to weather and tide information.  Read More >>

Lake Washington School District Announces Nine Administrative Changes

Lake Washington School District Announces Administrative Changes for 2011-2012

Redmond, Wash. – The Lake Washington School District (LWSD) announces a number of changes in school administrators.  Five new principals will serve in district schools while four other principals will have different or additional assignments.

Karen Barker has been selected to serve as the principal at Dickinson Elementary and Explorer Community School in Redmond. Karen interned at both Maywood Hills Elementary in Northshore School District and at Odle Middle School in the Bellevue School District. Karen has taught in Oak Harbor School District and Northshore School District for the past ten years, serving as a math and reading instructor as well as a health and fitness teacher and curriculum developer. Karen earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at Western Washington University and her Masters’ degree from Emporia State University. She graduated from the University of Washington’s Danforth Educational Leadership Program in June.

Matthew Livingston has been selected to serve as the principal of International Community School (ICS) and Community School, both in Kirkland. Matthew comes to LWSD from San Francisco Read More >>,

Swedish comes to the Plateau, tour it before it opens | Photos - seattlepi.com

Much of the Swedish Issaquah Hospital gets natural light from the courtyard during the day.
CELESTE GRACEY, ISSAQUAH REPORTER 

Swedish comes to the Plateau, tour it before it opens Photos - seattlepi.com:

"Swedish Hospital Issaquah was so confident in its ability to get patients in and out of its emergency room, it didn't bother to build a waiting room.

Don't ask for a clipboard either, all that paper work can be done by a nurse at the bedside.

Swedish is just two weeks away from opening in its new hospital, and the administrators couldn't be more proud to show off the shiny new facility during Issaquah Highlands Day on July 9.

The free tours will run continually from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

While most of its outpatient clinic space has already been swept up by physicians and family doctors, its inpatient care brings something the plateau has never had before, a full-fledged hospital.

Unlike its established Capitol Hill location, which is composed of continual expansions and a maze of elevators, the staff took the opportunity to plan its dream space with efficiency and beauty."

Read More >>

Redmond Derby Days Dash

The Evergreen Orthopedic Center presents the 2nd Annual Redmond Derby Days Dash. Organized by the City of Redmond and the Dr. John K. McCormick Foundation as the concluding event of Redmond's summer Derby Days Festival, the Dash is a 5k walk/race for non-competitive and competitive participants of all age groups. The participant registration fee is $25 and 100% of net proceeds go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.  Register online here.

LWSD Audit Finds No Issues

Lake Washington School District Audit Finds No Issues
Clean audit available on state auditor’s website  Read More >>

John Marchione's first speech as mayor touches on Derby Days

John Marchione gives his first speech as mayor (1/12/08) to the Redmond Historical Society about Derby Days. Mayors Christine Himes and Rosemarie Ives attended. This video is a snippet from John's talk. Miguel Llanos, today's Senior Vice President of the Redmond Historical Society asks a question about the Centennial.

Video and Report by Bob Yoder

Police Safety Alert for Redmond adults, youth and international residents

Jim Bove
Redmond Police Outreach

from the desk of Jim Bove, Redmond Police Community Outreach.... 

With 4th of July coming in, oh, about four days, please remember that the sale, personal possession, and use of all fireworks within the city limits of Redmond are prohibited by City ordinance.  See city’s press release regarding fireworks and the locations of firework shows in the area.

ATTENTION:  International residents!  Extra! Extra!  Do you know, a great international resource is available for you on the city website?  Translations to over 30 languages are available!   Go to any city webpage like www.redmond.gov/police.  On the top right-center find a “language” tab—click on that and choose your language to read up on emergency response and more!

A couple quick, informative articles:  Child Predators: The Online Threat Continues to Grow (FBI) Stop ID thieves from stealing your kid's credit (MSNBC.com)  Feel free to pass along to others….Be safe!

Jim Bove
Redmond Police Department
Community Outreach Facilitator
(425) 556-2545
jbove@redmond.gov

North Redmond's sidewalks to nowhere

Sidewalks and bike lanes on NE 116th Street



Crosswalk and bike lane to nowhere 



Sidewalk to nowhere; containers block bike lane

COMMENT FROM READERS:

We've brought up the issue of lack of sidewalks and safe crossings on 116th with city representatives on multiple occasions going back to 2006. The city's position is that developers are responsible for building sidewalks. Unfortunately the city has allowed multiple loopholes allowing developers to avoid their responsibilities. For example, the neighborhood at the SE corner of 172nd is long since completed, but no sidewalk on 116th was ever constructed. Even when sidewalks were built, in many cases they were very narrow strips adjoining the road with no planter strip or other buffer. Meanwhile, the roundabout at the intersection of 116th & 172nd has been pushed out (again) to 2015, leaving us with likely the most unsafe intersection in the city.
     Kudos to Buchan Homes, which built a very nice sidewalk along 116th for Whistler's Ridge.
-Andy Raffman

"...Placing the blame for this "unfinished work" on developers is unacceptable. It is the City that approves plans, and regulates construction projects. We are lucky to have good home builders in Redmond, but we need a stronger handle on "the planning side."
- Richard Morris

Post and Photos By Bob Yoder

Redmond Town Center - 2nd Annual Sidewalk Sale & Arts Festival!

Redmond Town Center - 2nd Annual Sidewalk Sale & Arts Festival.

Sunday, June 26 is the last day.  11-5

"When the sun is out you can't beat this place! Very lively. Lots of  fun, food, music & people!"  

Musician stations are scattered throughout the Arts Festival.  Luke, the guitarist singing at the fountain, is from Gig Harbor.  On Saturday, we found one musician from Redmond and others from Woodinville, Bellevue and Darien, Wisconsin.

Macy's
Even the anchor stores pitched tents

By Bob Yoder

Rotary Club of Redmond awards Jerome Jin "Community Partner of the Year".

from the desk of Pam Mauk, Executive Director, Together Center....

City of Redmond's Jerome Jin receives award
 from Rotory Club of Redmond's David Markley

City of Redmond’s Jerome Jin receives first-ever
Community Partner Award from Rotary Club of Redmond

The City of Redmond’s Jerome Jin received Rotary Club of Redmond’s Community Partner of the Year Award at Thursday’s club meeting. President David Markley made the presentation.

Rotary Club of Redmond established the award this year to recognize a non-Rotarian who partners with the club to leverage the goals and ideals of Rotary in the community.


David Markley said,

 “For eight years, Jerome Jin, Program Administrator in the Public Works Department, has been our partner to further our work at Redmond’s Recycle Day. Everything from computers to old tires, light bulbs to scrap metal, and tons of other discarded items are recycled that would most likely end up at the solid waste facility or on the side of the road, without this program. Yearly, we obtain bicycles that our club refurbishes for children locally and people around the world. Working with Jerome Jin’s help, Redmond Rotary refurbishes and then gives bikes to Eastside Baby Corner, Bikes for Humanity (which go to various African locations), and Bikes for Ghana.”  Read more >>

Redmond police tracks down teenage suspect with social media

Jim Bove
Redmond Police

from the desk of Jim Bove, Community Outreach, Redmond Police....

UPDATED:  A male juvenile approached a group of kids near the BMX bike park last night, 6/22.   He asked one of the kids if they wanted to purchase an IPOD he had stolen.  Read More >>

UPDATED: To maintain teachers salaries: Local levy dollars are used, LWSD 2012 calendar shuffled

Dr Chip Kimball

Local levy dollars used

Lake Washington School District 2011-12 school year extended

UPDATED:  Redmond, Wash. – Lake Washington School District’s school year calendar for 2011-12 has been extended to 181 days from 180 and the last day of school moved from June 20 to June 22. May 25 will become a non-student day.

These changes result from an agreement with the Lake Washington Education Association (LWEA) to maintain current salaries, in spite of the state salary cuts, through the addition of two workdays.

The state legislature cut funding for teacher salaries by 1.9% in the recently completed session. Dr. Chip Kimball, superintendent, noted that teacher compensation affects retention and recruitment of good teachers, a priority that he shares with district parents.

“Teacher salaries, in real dollars adjusted for inflation, have been declining for 30 years,” noted Kevin Teeley, LWEA president. “Despite that fact, the legislature is asking teachers to take another cut in pay.”

Dr. Kimball proposed to the LWEA keeping teacher compensation at the same level as 2010-11, using local levy dollars to make up the difference. As part of the proposal, teachers would work two additional days, focusing the time on preparing for the district’s change to a new grade configuration in the fall of 2012. Teachers voted overwhelmingly to accept this change to their contract.   READ MORE >>