As 2019 comes to an end, we thought we’d take a look back at what the most read stories of this last year of the decade were. The list was compiled using Living Snoqualmie website traffic statistics/analytics. The list includes a historic business and land sale, business comings and goings, a chaotic Memorial Day police chase and a flood event that had the falls roaring.
10. Snoqualmie October Phase 4 Flood Event On October 22nd heavy rains continued longer that initially predicted, pushing the Snoqualmie River to level 4 flooding. It was the 14th highest flood event on record, with the river maxing out at 45,100 c.f.s at Snoqualmie Falls. Many of the usual, low-lying Snoqualmie Valley roads closed temporarily, and the Falls roared. [The car below tried to drive through a flooded road and later became submerged. The driver was not hurt.]
9. Three Snoqualmie Businesses Close in One Week In April, many Valley residents were surprised when Ana’s Family Mexican Restaurant unexpectedly closed. After years of owning the busy restaurant, owner Anna Sotelo decided it was time to focus on her family and new projects. Ming’s Chinese Restaurant and longtime Snoqualmie hair salon, Bella Vita, also closed that week.
8. Snoqualmie Police Search for Man with Multiple Arrest Warrants Earlier this month SPD was asking for the public’s help to find a 51-year old man with multiple domestic violence arrest warrants. There’s no word yet if the man was located.
7. New Indoor Ice Rink Coming to Snoqualmie In April we were the first to report that Sno-King Ice Arena would be building a brand new, two-sheet indoor ice rink on Snoqualmie Ridge. Construction is currently underway and it’s expected to open in summer 2020.
6. Boil Water Order for Entire Sallal Water District In mid-September positive E.coli tests forced a boil water order for the entire Sallal Water service area in North Bend. The boil order impacted about 5,000 customers and lasted for about two weeks. It also led to the current chlorination of Sallal’s water system.
5. Rattlesnake Lake Drowning On the evening of August 6th search crews responded to the Rattlesnake Lake after a 38-year old Issaquah man, who was with a friend in an inflatable boat, went into the water and did not resurface.
4. Wrong Way Driver leads police on Chase, Causes Accident on I-90 On Memorial Day, May 27th, a man who forced a woman into his vehicle at the North Bend Outlet Mall and led police on a chaotic chase through the Snoqualmie Valley. The man eventually entered eastbound I-90 at the SR 18 interchange going the wrong direction and caused a serious accident that backed up traffic for miles. The woman was one of four people injured. Police said the driver would face kidnapping, in addition to multiple other charges.
3. Tragic Accident takes life of Young Mother, injures children An early morning accident on June 25th took the life of a 19-year old mother and seriously injured her young children. The accident completely closed SR 202 near Ames Lake Road for 5.5 hours while police investigated tragic accident.
2. Deadly Preston Fall City Road Accident A head-on collision near the intersection of Preston-Fall City Road and SE 68th Street took the life of a 69-year man and sent another other driver to Harborview Medical Center. Residents said this area of the two-lane Preston-Fall City Road can be very dangerous.
1. Snoqualmie Tribe Buys the Salish Lodge and Surrounding Land On November 1st the Snoqualmie and Muckleshoot Indian Tribes announced a historic agreement to transfer ownership of the iconic Salish Lodge & Spa, as well as the land surrounding Snoqualmie Falls, to the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. The total purchase encompassed about 45 acres and had a price tag of $125 million. The deal also stopped a major expansion of the Salish Lodge.
Comments
Happy New Year! And Thank You for the great articles!