The Rotary Islander of the Month award for November was given to Mercer Island High School seniors, Tyler Benster and Jacqueline Dean Witter.
Lakeridge Community Service Club, a PTA-organized after-school program, visited a number of rescued PMU horses at the Mercer Island Saddle Club on Oct. 4 for its latest service project. The PMU horses, which are foals rescued from potential slaughter and foreign sale, are raised by the Phoenix Rising Sanctuary near Duvall. These foals are the by-product of mares impregnated for the collection of their hormone-rich urine, which is used for Premarin, an estrogen replacement medicine. The MI Saddle Club agreed to host the horses in their stable for the charity event.
The McAleese family is anxious to find the owner of a man’s heavy gold wedding ring lost in Lake Washington last August. Young Daniel Peyton had searched methodically for the lost ring for many weeks, but ended up finding it by chance more than a month later.
MulvannyG2 Architecture raised $138,850 to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Puget Sound Affiliate, at its sixth annual golf tournament, “Swing for the Cure,” held at Inglewood Golf Club in Kenmore. Mitch Smith and Ming Zhang, Senior Partners of MulvannyG2, along with Chairman of the Board, Jerry Lee, presented a check to Mona Locke, Executive Director of Komen’s Puget Sound Affiliate, on Oct. 10 in support of breast cancer awareness month. MulvannyG2’s cumulative donation from this event has now peaked to over $528,850, aiding in the fight against breast cancer.
Mercer Island High School graduate Courtney Hampson was honored as the University of Washington 2008 Homecoming Queen on Oct. 17. Hampson, who graduated from MIHS in 2005, is a UW honors student pursuing a degree at the Jackson School of International Studies. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Hampson has taken on a number of leadership roles at UW. She is the director of the UW Leaders Program, co-founder of the ASUW Ambassadors program, an active member of the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority and the Order of Omega Greek Leadership and Honor Society. Hampson is writing her honors thesis on the changing purpose of the Peace Corps.
The Mercer Island High School men’s water polo team took sixth overall out of the 32-team field during the Greater San Diego Invitational Water Polo Tournament last weekend. Despite sending one of their youngest teams in years, the Islanders advanced to the fifth-place game before succumbing to Santana High School of San Diego, 16-9. The tournament boasts some of the best teams from Southern California, including 16 ranked teams from San Diego High School Division’s I and II.
Boaters 12 years and over in Washington State are required to take or have taken a National Association of State Boating Law Administrators and Washington State approved boating education course to operate a boat with a motor rated over 15 horse power. In 2009, this requirement applies to persons aged 25 and younger with full implementation being phased in over the next several years.
Showing a local symptom of a global epidemic, King County reached a new 30-year high for tuberculosis in 2007, with 161 people diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB) disease. This was an 11% increase from 2006. These new findings are included in the 2007 Annual Tuberculosis report for King County, found at www.kingcounty.gov/health/tb.
The Design Commission will get its third look at the Boys & Girls Club’s proposed PEAK project next Wednesday, which will be the first of a typical pair of formal review sessions by the panel of seven Islanders.
Centuries ago, the Duwamish Indians would not set foot on Mercer Island past dusk. The Island, shrouded in fog and dark with mystery, was believed to be filled with spirits. Natives who hunted and foraged on the Island by day made haste to row away before sunset. When the first settlers came to Seattle, the Duwamish agreed to canoe the men over to explore the Island but refused to accompany them through the night, returning instead to pick the settlers up the next day. Since that time, Mercer Island has grown rich with stories of haunted landmarks and restless souls. Here are some of the Reporter’s favorites:
The Mercer Island volleyball team officially clinched the 3A KingCo title on Friday with a 3-0 victory against Juanita High School. It was the team’s second consecutive league championship.
The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to release its newly approved GPS-assisted approach to the Renton Airport next month, and airport officials expect it to decrease the number of noisy landings over the Island.
The city is now accepting bids for the second time for its multimillion-dollar sewer lake line project that began in 2002.
