A new geography champion at Newcastle Elementary Page 8
Taking Down Pancreatic Cancer tourney photos Page 10
VOL. 18, NO. 2
Friday, February 5, 2016
Newcastle man shoots woman at Renton theater
Issaquah district joins Renton in offering free full-day kindergarten
By Jennifer Sullivan The Seattle Times
By David Hayes dhayes@isspress.com
Michelle Mallari and her boyfriend were watching a movie at a Renton theater Jan. 21 when she heard a “bang” and felt a searing pain in her shoulder. Mallari said she grabbed Richard Arreola and yelped in pain before the two ran out of the theater. It wasn’t until they reached the lobby that they realized she had been shot. As blood poured from Mallari’s wound, the two yelled for help, asking the few theater employees they saw to call police and report the shooting. Theater staff were slow to react, Mallari said Jan. 29. “I was screaming, asking for an ambulance,” she said
The Issaquah School District has decided to take up the state’s offer to implement free full-day kindergarten a year
earlier than the Legislature’s mandatory statewide implementation. “We want to, we can and we intend to have full-day kindergarten for the 2016-17 school year,” Issaquah Superintendent
Ron Thiele told the school board members at their Jan. 27 meeting. The state would provide the bulk of the funding, but the district would be responsible for upwards of $2.5 million in
startup costs. The state mandated during the 2011-13 biennium that funding continue to be phased in each year until full statewide See DISTRICT, Page 12
See SHOOTING, Page 3
TO OUR READERS In today’s edition of the Newcastle News, you will find a full-page ad celebrating the 120th anniversary of The Seattle Times Company. As one of The Seattle Times’ family of newspapers, we couldn’t be more proud of our roots. The Seattle Times’ commitment to independent journalism and its necessity in ensuring an informed and democratic community is vital. Every day, The Seattle Times takes on the tough issues — not for the prizes, but for the betterment of us all and the world we live in. At the Newcastle News, we take The Seattle Times’ family values seriously. We too strive to report the news and take on the issues that need to be addressed for the betterment of our community. We hope you will join us in celebrating this significant milestone, and at the same time look with us to the future as we dedicate anew our commitment to an independent press and all we can accomplish together. Charles Horton General Manager Scott Stoddard Editor
City Council sends Crispo back into mayor’s seat By Christina Corrales-Toy ccorrales-toy@isspress.com As Rich Crispo embarks on his second stint as Newcastle mayor, he’s taking what he learned from the first time around to better serve residents. “I know a lot more now than I did then,” he said in a Jan. 30 interview. For instance, being the
mayor carries a lot of weight even if it is largely a ceremonial appointment in Newcastle’s government structure, Crispo said. Residents do not directly choose the mayor. Newcastle voters elect council members and then the City Council decides among themselves who will be the mayor and deputy mayor for a two-year period.
At the first meeting of the year, the council voted Crispo in as mayor and Gordon Bisset as deputy mayor. Crispo previously served as mayor for a two-year term beginning in 2012. “I think that being the mayor provides a great opportunity that is not necessarily See MAYOR, Page 12
Christina Corrales-Toy / ccorrales-toy@isspress.com
Newcastle City Clerk Sara McMillon (left) swears in Rich Crispo as the city’s mayor at the City Council’s Jan. 5 meeting.
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