VOL. 18, NO. 5
NEWCASTLE’S LOCALLY OWNED NEWSPAPER
N EWCASTLE
NEWS CROWING ABOUT EARTH DAY
FASTPITCH PHENOM
Determination fuels Liberty outfielder Kendall Kauzlarich Page 13
Property-tax collection error ‘embarrassing’ City’s households were overcharged between $7 and $10 BY CHRISTINA CORRALES-TOY ccorrales-toy@newcastle-news.com
GREG FARRAR | gfarrar@newcastle-news.com
Newcastle’s Earth Day event April 23 at Lake Boren Park featured electric cars, weed warriors, a petting zoo and a kids parade with youngsters dressed as green paper trees and plush rainforest frogs. Above, a chicken in the Animal Encounters petting zoo and a 7-year-old Seattle visitor get bird’s-eye views of each other. To view more photos, visit us online at newcastle-news.com.
FRIDAY, MAY 6, 2016
When the Newcastle City Council finalized its 2016 budget at the end of last year, the group decided against assessing a 1 percent increase in property taxes. They instead voted to bank it, a mechanism that allows
local governments to levy less than the maximum increase in property taxes without losing the ability to levy higher taxes later, if necessary. Due to a clerical error, though, that 1 percent property tax increase is coming out of Newcastle homeowners’ pockets anyway in 2016. “It’s not ideal. It’s embarrassing,” City Manager Rob Wyman said. Property taxes are dependent on a home’s assessed value, but Wyman estimated houseSEE ERROR, PAGE 6
Newcastle’s Ventrella to challenge Reichert for U.S. House seat
Overcrowding a topic as City Council meets with Issaquah School Board
BY JIM BRUNNER The Seattle Times
BY CHRISTINA CORRALES-TOY
Veteran newscaster Tony Ventrella plans to run for Congress in the 8th Congressional District in a campaign he says will focus more on fighting big money in politics than criticizing incumbent Republican U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert. Ventrella, a Democrat who resides in Newcastle, has been mentioned for years as a potential political candidate. But he said he’s never wanted to play the fundraising game demanded of contenders in both major political parties. So while he plans to take donations, he’s hoping to follow a Bernie Sanders-like model of small contributions
Courtesy of Tony Ventrella
Tony Ventrella says he’s hoping to fund his campaign through small contributions.
and won’t be calling rich people asking for big checks. He also won’t take money from political-action committees (PACs).
“Everybody says there is too much money in politics but so far there hasn’t been much done about it,” said Ventrella. “This year, I think people are ready.” He’s a supporter of efforts to overturn Citizens United, the 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that unleased new waves of spending on politics. He also praises public campaignfinancing initiatives, such as the “democracy vouchers” measure approved by Seattle voters last year. A self-described moderate Democrat who caucused for Hillary Clinton, Ventrella said he’ll talk about other issues too, but believes the nation’s biggest problems cannot be SEE VENTRELLA, PAGE 9
ccorrales-toy@newcastle-news.com
Overcrowding at the Newcastle Elementary School drop-off and pick-up point is a problem, but district and city officials say it’s not an easy fix. The Newcastle City Council held a joint meeting with the Issaquah School Board on April 27, and congestion along the 136th Avenue Southeast corridor was the main topic of conversation. As Newcastle Elementary parents line up to deliver or pick up their students, the queue to reach the school entrance often blocks a whole lane on the narrow street. Not only does it force through traffic to maneuver in one
lane, the long wait often has kids being dropped off on the streets rather than the school. “I can see somebody getting hurt,” said Newcastle Mayor Rich Crispo. SEE BOARD, PAGE 6
Prsrt Std U.S. Postage PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71 POSTAL CUSTOMER