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Issaquah’s only locally owned newspaper

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Thursday, July 2, 2015

Child hit in crosswalk dies of injuries Accident was inevitable, neighbors say

By David Hayes dhayes@isspress.com Haochen Xu was just 4 ½ years old. The precocious Issaquah Kindercare student loved to read, and could add and subtract pairs of numbers up to 100. He had a bright future, his parents said. But that future was cut short June 26 when a car struck him in a crosswalk at Newport Way Northwest and Northwest Oakcrest Drive. The accident happened at about 11:30 a.m. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he died from his injuries the next day. The family said the funeral is tentatively set for July 11. Haochen and his mother Xiaoli Tao were crossing westbound Newport Way. He was walking a few steps behind his mother, who was pushing his bike ahead of him. Tao was not injured. “I told him my phone number once, and he memorized it,” his father Junwei Xu said in an interview June 29. Haochen would frequently call his dad on the phone. And he really enjoyed learning. “He was always asking me to read books to him,” Junwei Xu said. Family and friends are mourning a life taken too soon. “All of his teachers were crying,” Xu said, adding, “everybody likes him, all of the teachers.” His classmates were also fond of him, Xu said.

By Greg Farrar

Issaquah Police Officer Troy Kemp restrains distraught and wailing grandmother Shezhen Chen after she rushes past barrier tape and picks up a shoe of her grandson Haochen Xu, 4 1/2, in the crosswalk of Newport Way Northwest at Northwest Oakcrest Drive on June 26. The boy had been transported to Harborview Medical Center in critical condition after being struck by a motorist in a black Fiat. Xu died of his injuries June 27.

Grandmother arrives at scene The driver, a 67-year-old Klahanie woman, immediately stopped and cooperated with Issaquah police during the investigation. There is no indication that alcohol or drugs were a factor in the accident. There also was no indication the driver of the vehicle was speeding, Issaquah Police Cmdr. Stan Conrad said. “For some reason, the driver

Contributed

See CHILD, Page 3

By Greg Farrar

Above, Haochen Xu, 4 1/2, is seen in a school photograph provided by his father Junwei Xu and his mother Xiaoli Tao. At left, a memorial of plush toys, flowers, balloons and an angel statue grows at the crosswalk of Newport Way Northwest at Northwest Oakcrest Drive.

It’s Christmas in July for Issaquah Down Home 4th, Heritage Day are pure patriotism Community Services fundraiser By Christina Corrales-Toy newcastle@isspress.com Issaquah Community Services comes to the aid of individuals and families when they need it most. The nonprofit is there to intervene right before the power goes out, the eviction notice becomes real and the water is turned off. ICS offers emergency financial aid to residents of the Issaquah School District in the form of utility payments, rent assistance and other miscellaneous contributions, depending on a client’s specific need. When the organization springs into action, you can be sure it is a dire situation — one that is often the difference between shelter and homelessness. “Lately, we have found that many of our clients are faced with rising rents and simply cannot afford to stay where they are without the threat of eviction down the road,” ICS Board President Lori Birrell said. Last year, ICS launched a pilot

MERRY CHRISTMAS ISSAQUAH IN JULY

2015 FUND DRIVE program in partnership with the Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank to address the need for families’ relocation to affordable housing. The organization helped five families move to homes with more manageable rents. ICS wanted to do more, though, and the demand was there, Birrell said. “Our funds were exhausted,”

she said. “We had many others waiting in the wings.” So, with an eye toward helping families and individuals move to more affordable housing, the organization and The Issaquah Press will launch a special July fundraising drive. The Press and ICS partner annually through the Merry Christmas Issaquah campaign. The holiday fundraising drive — which in 2014 raised more than $80,000 — accounts for about 65 percent of Issaquah Community Services’ annual budget. Merry Christmas Issaquah in July aims to raise $25,000 to support ICS clients’ placement in affordable housing. Operating costs are covered through grants and other donations, so 100 percent of donated money goes to ICS clients. “Our goal is always to help people through emergencies and especially to keep a roof See CHRISTMAS, Page 2

By David Hayes dhayes@isspress.com

Robin Kelley may be kept busiest when it comes to Salmon Days in October. But as director of festivals for the city of Issaquah, she confided that their favorite time of year just might be the Fourth of July. That’s when the community turns out for Issaquah’s Down Home 4th of July and Heritage Day. “We love this event,” Kelley said. “One, it kicks off the festival season. And two, it’s so fun and pure. The kids can run around do what want to, and parents can relax. But with all its primitive activities — from gunny sack relays to water balloon tosses — it’s just the purest form of patriotism. You get to really celebrate how lucky we are here.” The celebration kicks off with Swedish Hospital’s Kids ’n Pets Parade at 11 a.m. Kids of all ages are invited to dress up in red, white and blue and

bring their favorite companion, whether it’s a dog, cat, llama, guinea pig or Shetland pony. Everyone gets a flag when they check in. Kelley prefers that participants register beforehand online at www. downhome4th.org/parade-application.html. However, day-of registration is still permitted, starting at 10 a.m. at the Visitors Information Center, 155 N.W. Gilman Blvd. The parade features just three motorized entrants — the fire department always supplies a fire truck to kick off the procession, and Mayor Fred Butler and Sammy the Salmon get their own vehicles. Kelley said because all of the other participants are either on foot or bike, they’re allowed to bring bags of candy to toss to the crowd lining the streets. The procession starts at Dogwood Street, goes down Front Street, hangs a left down Sunset See 4TH

OF JULY, Page 10

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