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BY JACINDA HOWARD

jhoward@federalwaymirror.com

Election season is in full swing. Candidates in all races, including Federal Way’s Municipal Court position one judge, are hard at work trying to convince voters they are the most quali� ed for their respective position.

But voters looking to learn more about candi-dates should not be afraid to probe deeper into the available information. Campaign chaos and voter naiveness can lead to the misinterpretation of infor-mation. Such is illustrated in incumbent Michael Morgan and contender Matthew York’s campaigns for Federal Way judge.

Many voters rely on the

voters guide to learn more about contenders. � e di-rectory’s 150-word limit per applicant leaves little room for detailed description. Additionally, King County Elections holds no respon-sibility for verifying the in-formation that is submitted by candidates that appears in the guide, spokeswoman Kim van Ekstrom said. Guidelines pertain to length only, she said.

Morgan’s self-submitted description has received criticism from York, among others, about his rating of “exceptionally well-quali� ed,” which appears in the voters guide. � ere is no mention of which body issued that rating.

� e King County Bar

BY KYRA LOW

klow@federalwaymirror.com

For years, the weight was unavoidable. Despite diets, exercise and pills, the weight continued to pile on, wrecking their bodies with hypertension, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and diabetes.

Wanda Ryan and Jeanne Rogers decided a dramatic change was needed. Both woman came to the St. Francis Weight Loss Sur-gery Clinic in Federal Way for surgery to help them

reclaim their bodies.For Ryan, the decision

was made easier a� er she was diagnosed with hypertension and high cho-lesterol. She was su� ering from palpitations and sleep apnea, which can cause a person to quit breathing at night. To keep her alive, she was directed to wear a mask hooked up to a machine (a CPAP, or continuous positive airway pressure) that forced the air from the room into her airways — keeping her alive.

“I really did not like that

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MIRRORYOU’LL LIKE WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MIRROR | 50¢

SPORTS | 12-year-old � gure skater makes her mark in national competition [20]

TITO HINOJOS | ‘Se Habla Español’is not enough to earn my business [8]

FESTIVAL’S FUTURE | MLK celebration needs leadership in order to survive [3]

VOL.

10, N

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2009

OPINION | Backstrom: I’m mad as hell, and you should be too [6] Letters: Elected mayor debate storms out of the gate [6]

Voters, beware of misleading election claims

BACK TO SCHOOL | Bus schedules for the Federal Way School District [12-17]

CALENDAR | Check out upcoming local happenings and events [10]

[ more SURGERY page 4 ]

Weight loss surgery leads to healthier living

Federal Way resident Gary Goldstein attended the Woodstock festival 40 years ago. He kept the original ticket stubs and snapped a few photos of the stage. COURTESY OF GARY GOLDSTEIN

[ more WOODSTOCK page 2 ]

Woodstock: 40 years of memoriesBY ANDY HOBBS

editor@federalwaymirror.com

As the joke goes, if you remember Woodstock, you weren’t there.

But for Federal Way resident Gary Goldstein, the experience was unforgettable: A peaceful gathering at the height of the hippie movement, smack dab in the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll.

Forty years ago this weekend, Goldstein joined more than 500,000 concertgoers in one of popular culture’s most seminal mo-ments. Goldstein, who was 19 at the time, set up camp at Max Yasgur’s farm in Bethel, N.Y., to hear the hot-test musical acts of 1969.

His recollection of the weekend is tame compared to the legends that de� ne Woodstock in the public con-sciousness. Goldstein actually bought tickets at $6 per day for the three-day festival, which ended up being a free

Gary Goldstein

event. He was never caught in the massive tra� c that closed the New York State � ruway. He le� as the rain rolled in during Joe Cocker’s set — and before Jimi Hendrix took the stage at sunrise with a feedback-

drenched rendition of “� e Star-Spangled Banner.”

“� at was a decision that could live in infamy,” he said of missing Hendrix.

[ more ELECTION page 5 ]

at all,” Ryan said. “I was already on four medica-tions and it really got my attention. I decided to seek a surgical intervention. � e CPAP was a pivotal mo-ment. I thought, my god, you’ve got to take some action here.”

Ryan began researching the options by going online and talking to others.

Federal Way resident Jeanne Rogers before weight loss surgery (above) and after surgery (left). Since her surgery in April 2006, Rogers has lost 155 pounds. COURTESY OF JEANNE ROGERS

[4] www.fedwaymirror.comAugust 15, 2009

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* You must have or request a KeyBank Rewards debit card and enroll in the KeyBank Rewards points program. Enroll by requesting a KeyBank Rewards debit card from the branch, 877-KEY4GPS or through the online application on key.com. There is a $20 annual fee for the KeyBank Rewards Program that will be waived for the first year. For a complete copy of the KeyBank Rewards Program Terms and Conditions go to key.com/rewardsterms or stop by your local KeyBank branch. Qualifying debit card transactions include signature, PayPass® and PIN-based purchases. ATM and over-the-counter withdrawals and deposits are excluded. Direct deposit transactions are limited to: payroll, Social Security, pension and government benefits. Automated payments exclude Key Bill Pay, debit card automated payments, PayPal® transactions and account to account balance transfers. Limit one Garmin® GPS per qualifying account. Limit one Garmin® GPS per individual or business entity. Offer valid while supplies last. The value of the Garmin® GPS will be reported on Form 1099-INT. You will receive your Garmin® GPS within 90 days of meeting requirements. Offer available to individuals or business entities without an existing checking account at KeyBank as of 7/24/09. Offer not available to individuals and business entities who have opened a KeyBank checking account in the last 12 months. Employees of KeyBank, its affiliates and subsidiaries are not eligible for this offer. If you close your account within 180 days of account opening, you will be charged a $25 account early closure fee. Accounts overdrawn or closed as of 11/13/09, are not eligible for this offer. Accounts titled as Trust Accounts, Estate, and No Access are excluded from eligibility. You must have a U.S. mailing address on 11/13/09 to be eligible. The Garmin® GPS shipped may differ from the Garmin® GPS shown. Offer is subject to cancellation without notice, and cannot be combined with any other offer. Other miscellaneous charges may apply. Garmin® and nüvi® are registered trademarks of Garmin International, Inc. For additional offer information, please visit key.com/GPS. All rights reserved. Garmin® is not a participant in or sponsor of this promotion.

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8113-01-KEY_3.166x12.75.indd 1 7/22/09 5:00 PM

We’re Here For You,Hello, Federal Way, my name is Brandon Carr;

I am a creative designer for the Federal Way Mirror.I am a versatile production artist that has workedto help many clients develop ad and marketingcampaigns for both print and online production.

I graduated from the University of Oregon in 2000with a Bachelors of Science in Advertising & Designand have had various professional experiences acrossthe country. Since July 2004, I have worked with allof the area Reporter Papers, their staffs and their clientsto help create and maintain positive client relations.

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Federal Way Mirror: 1414 S. 324th St., Suite B-210, Federal Way, WA 98003 | federalwaymirror.com

Her insurance com-pany wouldn’t pay for the procedure: A lap band, which costs about $18,500, said Dr. Ki Oh, one of two weight loss surgeons at St. Francis.

“I am really grateful that I do have the ability to pay for it,” Ryan said. “It was expensive, but I am really glad I did it. It just makes me angry that insurance won’t pay for it, but they did pay for all the other pills and the CPAP.”

Rogers’ insurance company didn’t cover her surgery either, although she switched jobs three months a� er the surgery, and her new insurance company would have covered it. Rog-ers still has no regrets other than not getting the surgery sooner. Most insurance providers now, she said, will cover the surgery for morbidly obese patients.

Rogers had been a diabetic for more than 20 years. A� er years of di� er-ent programs, she decided to undergo weight loss surgery to avoid becoming insulin dependent.

“I couldn’t do a lot,” Rogers said. “I couldn’t play with my grandchildren. Now I can do all that.”

She � rst went to a seminar about the types of surgeries. Now she speaks at those seminars, usually at

Weight loss surgery changes lives[ SURGERY from page 1]

Federal Way resident Wanda Ryan before her weight loss surgery (left) and after (right). Since her surgery in July 2008, Ryan has lost 85 pounds. PHOTO AT LEFT COURTESY OF WANDA RYAN/PHOTO AT RIGHT BY KYRA LOW

least once a week.“It takes you back to

when you were there, the fears,” Rogers said. “It’s a community service if I can convince them their life would be better.”

The surgeriesA� er going through the

seminars, multiple tests and

then a two-week liquid diet, it was time for the surgeries.

Rogers had hers in April 2006. At the peak her weight, she was 325 pounds. Since then, she has lost 155 pounds, a major-ity of that in the � rst year with her lap band surgery. She can now eat pretty much anything, she said. � e key is portion control.

Her stomach can now only hold about two ounces at a time. Rogers, like all other lap band patients, must consume protein shakes and vitamin supplements for the rest of her life.

“I believe if you’ve tried everything, it is a tool,” Rogers said. “It doesn’t take away from the fact that you’d like to have a cookie. You have to have some willpower.”

Ryan agrees that surgery is just a tool to help. A� er having her lap band surgery on July 22, 2008, Ryan has lost 85 pounds. Her goal is to lose 100 pounds.

“� is is not a cure, it is a tool that helps me,” Ryan said. “� e main thing I have done is really really truly changed my lifestyle — that’s the key. I eat chicken, � sh and veggies. I eat really healthy and exercise � ve to six times a week. It’s the � rst time I am enjoying exercise. It’s harder when you are bigger, but now that my weight is down, I can exercise and I actually enjoy it.”

LEARN MORE

This report is the second of a two-part series on weight loss surgery. Part 1, which ran Aug. 12, explores the types of surgeries as well as St. Francis Hospital’s role as the region’s leader in weight loss surgeries.

Special report