newcastle news 80312

Renton schools plan long-term goals Page 15

Record set on 10-mile leg of trail run series Page 20

August 3, 2012 VOL. 14, NO. 8

Strike update

Waste Management contract is unresolved.

Page 2

Pat Detmer

Page 8

A coal-mining life Milt Swanson, 94, maintains local history through memorabilia, historical society

By Christina Lords

Beauty queen

Local Miss Washington eyes national crown.

Page 18

Police blotter

Page 22

You should know The Regional Public Information Network is a one-stop resource for news and emergency alerts from more than 75 government, transportation, utility, health and emergency response agencies — including the city of Newcastle — serving residents in King, Pierce and Snohomish counties. Sign up for alerts at www.rpin.org.

Contact us: newcastle@isspress.com 392-6434, ext. 239

50 ¢

Not many people can say they’ve lived in the same house for 90 years.

But then again, most people can’t say they’ve lived 90 years period.

Milt Swanson has. And then some.

The 94-year-old was born in 1918 in what was known as Old Newcastle, the area now occupied by the Coal Creek Family YMCA. When Swanson was just 4 years old, he and his coal-mining family — two brothers, two sisters and his parents — moved up the road into what is now only one of the two company homes still standing in town.

At the time, the home was located in the area then commonly known as Coal Creek.

Now it’s the home with the worn, weathered coal car standing the test of time in the front yard just across from the Cougar Mountain trailhead on Lakemont Boulevard.

“Considering everything — the country, the climate, the area — and I’ve been around the country and the world a lot, but I’ve always been happy to call this home,” he said.

Someone once told him, “Milt, you’re like a flat rock, you don’t move around very much.”

With his vast knowledge of the geography, topography

many of our old-timers passed on,” said Pam Lee, Newcastle Historical Society member. “He has such a sharp memory of the families, of the incidents that have shaped us here. People

Newcastle will celebrate the 29th annual National Night Out Against Crime on Aug. 7.

The event, which will be celebrated in neighborhoods throughout Newcastle, aims to heighten crime prevention awareness, generate support and participation in local anticrime programs, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know that neighborhoods are organized and fighting back.

Last year’s National Night Out campaign involved residents, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials from more than 15,000 communities from all 50 states, U.S. territories, Canadian cities and military bases worldwide.

In all, NNO estimated that more than 37 million people participated in National Night Out 2011. Along with the traditional outside lights and front porch vigils, Newcastle celebrates with a variety of neighborhood events, such as small informal gatherings, block parties, cookouts, wine tastings, and visits from local officials and law enforcement.

Neighborhoods can generate support for family emergency

See HISTORY, Page 6

See NIGHT OUT, Page 3

By Greg Farrar

Milt Swanson, history buff and artifact keeper, sits at the gradeschool desk his mother Esilda Swanson used when she went to school in Newcastle. See more photos on Page 7. and rich history surrounding him, and as one of the founding members of the Newcastle Historical Society, he doesn’t feel like he has to.

“His knowledge is the backbone of the historical society now, especially since so

Neighbors celebrate National Night Out

Renton School District proposes property sale The Renton School District will begin the process for a possible sale of two pieces of undeveloped property near Newcastle’s Hazelwood Elementary School and Renton’s Tiffany Park Elementary School, according to a press release from the district.

The district has owned the property for 40 years and con-

sidered selling the land in 2008 just as the U.S. recession began and the housing market started its rapid decline, according to the release. A decision was made at that time to put off the sale.

Both pieces of property are zoned for single-family residences.

The 10-acre property at the north end of the district, near

Hazelwood Elementary and Lake Boren, was purchased in 1970.

The 21-acre property near Tiffany Park Elementary was purchased in 1973 for a possible site to construct a middle school.

Both sites present challenging issues that preclude the district from building a school on either site, including size, location,

accessibility and environmental issues, the release said.

The cost to prepare both of the densely wooded sites — with its challenging topography — to construct a school would have resulted in an excessive expense request of district taxSee SALE, Page 3

Newcastle News

PAGE 2

AUGUST 3, 2012

Waste Management strike affects Newcastle services

By Christina Lords Newcastle residents were asked to place their garbage and recycling materials at the curb according to their regular Waste Management collection schedule after a workers strike by the Teamsters Local 117 union was announced July 25.

As of press time, the strike was ongoing.

Substitute drivers were called in to transport materials from some commercial and high-priority users in King County, including some commercial locations, hospitals and day-care facilities.

If materials are not collected by the end of a regu-

lar collection day, residents are asked to bring them back inside and Waste Management will collect a double load on the next collection day. Newcastle residents can check the Waste Management website for daily collection information at www.wmnorthwest.com.

Waste Management provides the city of Newcastle with curbside collection of garbage, recycling and yard/food waste for residents and local businesses. Teamsters Local 117 represents about 16,500 workers at more than 200 employers throughout the Puget Sound area.

The union and Waste

Management have spent more than six months in unsuccessful contract negotiations through 16 proposals.

“We are perplexed that the union chose to go out on strike and negatively impact the public in this way,” Robin Freedman, of Waste Management, said in a statement. “This was simply unnecessary, especially considering the fair and generous last, best and final package offered to Teamsters Local 117 over four weeks ago. Once again, the union leadership has chosen political gamesmanship rather than allowing their members to vote on the offer.”

Waste Management is now shifting its focus to customer communication

and implementing its contingency plan, according to the company.

Teamsters Local 117 cites dangerous working conditions and alleged violations of federal labor laws as reasons for further negotiation, detailing four Puget Sound-area recycling workers that have been killed on the job since 2005.

Picket lines were established at several Waste Management facilities at 10 a.m. July 25.

The National Labor Relations Board is investigating a number of alleged violations committed by the company, including bad-faith bargaining, coercing and direct dealing with its employees,

threatening to retaliate against workers and unilaterally changing working conditions, according to the Teamsters Local 117.

“Waste Management has forced this labor dispute through its blatant disregard of U.S. law,” said Local 117 secretarytreasurer Tracey A. Thompson. “Now they are on the verge of provoking a public health crisis.

Waste Management needs to realize that this community will not sit idly by while they put our families at risk. We call on Waste Management to return to the bargaining table immediately and bargain a fair contract in good faith that recognizes the health

and safety hazards its drivers face on the job.”

There are 153 recycle and yard waste drivers employed

by Waste Management who have been working without a contract since May 31. On June 2, the drivers unanimously voted to authorize a strike.

“With the health and safety hazards we face every day, we deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The last thing we want is a strike, but Waste Management is using illegal bullying tactics to threaten our livelihood,” Brent Barrett, a Waste Management yard waste driver who works out of the company’s Seattle facility, said in a statement.

Voters could decide $118.9 million levy for fingerprint services

By Warren Kagarise King County voters could decide on a $118.9 million property tax levy to continue funding criminal fingerprint identification services for local law enforcement agencies.

The proposal is to keep the Automated Fingerprint Identification System, or

AFIS, in operation through 2018. The system provides criminal fingerprint identification services to law enforcement agencies throughout the county.

The proposed renewal levy rate is 5.92 cents per $1,000 of assessed valuation, or about $20.72 per year for a $350,000 home.

Voters approved the

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initial AFIS levy in 1986, and overwhelmingly renewed the levy since then, most recently in 2006. The current levy expires in December.

“As a regional crimefighting tool, AFIS is our ‘CSI: King County,’ bringing new technology to the job of cracking cases and catching criminals,” County Executive Dow Constantine said in a statement.

Constantine sent renewal levy legislation to the King County Council on May 24. The council is

left to decide whether to place the measure on the November ballot.

“AFIS is our No. 1 crime-fighting tool in King County, solving more crimes than all other forensic sciences combined,” King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg said in a statement.

Law enforcement officials throughout the county, including King County Sheriff Steve Strachan, endorsed the AFIS proposal.

The legislation sent to the council asks voters

to continue funding current services, including a palm print-matching AFIS installed last year.

The maintenance levy proposal includes $11.5 million to replace the aging and inadequate regional processing lab and continue technology improvements started in the current levy cycle, such as fingerprinting in the courts and remote fingerprinting in the field by officers.

In the current 2007-12 levy cycle, the rate dropped several times, resulting in

$18 million less collected than had been approved by voters. No property taxes needed to be collected for AFIS in 2006, due to reserves built up in the 2000-05 levy cycle.

“As technology continues to evolve, it is important for law enforcement to have the technological tools available to use in identifying and prosecuting criminals,” Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, the Issaquah representative, said in a statement.

Newcastle News

AUGUST 3, 2012

Night Out From Page 1 preparedness as well as strengthen neighborhood

spirit and community partnerships.

Members of the Olympus neighborhood, in conjunction with celebrating the neighborhood’s 25th anniversary, will have a large picnic at

5 p.m. on 128th Avenue Southeast, which will be barricaded at Southeast 80th Way. The large picnic will take the place of the three or four usual smaller gatherings this year.

Contributed by the Renton School District

This map shows the approximate 10-acres of undeveloped property (outlined in the bottom right hand corner) the Renton School District will sell. The Hazelwood Elementary School property, not for sale, is also highlighted to show perspective.

Property From Page 1 payers, according to the district.

Most of the construction work approved by voters over the past 20 years has been to build, rebuild or renovate schools on their current

footprint, eliminating the high costs associated with site preparation such as excavation, clearing of trees and roots, rough grading and other tasks to prepare a site for new school construction.

The district’s work now includes having both properties professionally surveyed and appraised among other legal requirements, and working with a

broker to evaluate market conditions for a possible sale.

The Renton School Board will schedule a public hearing in the fall before voting on the actual sale of the properties.

Funds generated from the sale of the properties must be placed into the district’s capital projects fund for school construction and renovation.

Police will visit the party, and kid-friendly activities, such as sidewalk chalk drawing, will be provided.

Hamburgers, hot dogs and nonmeat patties will be provided, as well as buns, condiments and utensils.

Attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, drinks and a side dish or dessert to share.

Residents of the Olympus neighborhood are also looking to share pictures or other items of historical significance at the party.

Organizers are looking

PAGE 3 for things like pictures of homes being built, the sell sheet for a home, a view of the street before trees were planted and other neighborhood trivia. Scanned pictures may be emailed to the Olympus Homeowners Association at oha@olympusnewcastle.org. All items will be returned at the conclusion of the event.

Lorinda Eklund, coordinator for Donegal Park’s NNO event coordinator, said residents are welcome at that event beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Donegal Park.

The address is 7319 125th Ave. S.E. “We encourage neigh-

bors to bring lawn chairs and food,” she said. “We will have a barbecue grill available for cooking their items. The police will have fingerprinting available for the children as well as pictures with their cruisers.”

Members of the Bellevue Fire Department are also expected to show up with their truck for photographic opportunities.

Register your neighborhood for a visit from local police and city officials by emailing Newcastle Police Department officer Ryan Olmstead at ryan.olmstead@kingcounty.gov.

Opinion

PAGE 4

Editorial

Letters

Newcastle’s history deserves protection

Library’s progress is taking too long

As the city of Newcastle looks to celebrate its 18th anniversary of incorporation at this year’s Newcastle Days with the historically fueled theme “Return to Newcastle,” there’s never been a more apt time to really dig in and explore what it means to live here.

There is arguably no better example of the home-grown Newcastle experience than 94-year-old resident Milt Swanson.

Many people may not know that much of Newcastle’s invaluable history, including photos, materials and maps, has been collected and stored by Swanson in his home.

The collection includes coal-mining equipment and tools, 100-year-old maps of the area, photos of Newcastle’s people, a moonshine still used during Prohibition, desks from the former Newcastle school, and even Newcastle coal itself, the very foundation of the town when the fuel was discovered in the area in 1863.

Other historically significant artifacts and photos are scattered throughout the basements of members of the Newcastle Historical Society.

To say this is a gross underutilization of these items is an understatement, yes, but more than that, it’s a detriment to each of us that where these items will go for future use is, at this point, undecided.

Members of the historical society hope the Newcastle Library will become a place where some of these items can be dusted off and viewed by the public, but more can — and should — be done to preserve these treasures before it’s too late.

Mayor Rich Crispo has begun to approach businesses to gauge their interest in displaying certain artifacts or photos for public use, and the city provides a free space to the historical society to hold their meetings.

That’s a good start, but we implore city leadership, business owners and residents alike to take an interest in the tangible benefits of understanding where we’re from, why we’re here and how our history will affect our future.

Budgetary limitations loom large for financial consideration from the city, but a coordinated voluntary effort from the public under city leadership could go a long way in this instance.

If that means facilitating a citywide donation drive or seeking grant money to ensure the items are properly preserved and catalogued, let’s start that conversation in a meaningful way.

The damage or loss of these items would not only be a devastating blow to Newcastle’s present, but it would continue to be a disservice to the many generations of Newcastle residents to come.

Newcastle news Published since 1999 by

ISSAQUAH PRESS, INC.

P.O. Box 1328 Issaquah, WA 98027 Phone: 392-6434 q Fax: 392-1695

I find it mindboggling that skyscrapers can be erected in less time than it is taking for the Newcastle Library. The contractor should have been fired long ago, and the fact that the contractor has not been replaced shows the library system’s management is at best ill-suited or at worst, incompetent.

Replace both and the library would probably be completed in a few weeks, not months.

How much tax money has been wasted on this project?

Steve Fisher Newcastle

Sheryl McCloud deserves support for supreme court There is an open seat on the Washington State Supreme Court, which will be filled in the November election. Four candidates are running for this position, but one of them, Sheryl Gordon McCloud, is uniquely qualified by experience and intellect to fill the seat.

Sheryl has been a public

AUGUST 3, 2012

defender, now has her own law practice and has taught law at Seattle University. So she has seen the law profession from many angles.

Through all of this, she has specialized in appellate cases, where the conduct of a fair trial is the issue. She has worked on many constitutional issues.

She has had the opportunity to appear before the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as the Washington State Supreme Court on numerous occasions.

She therefore understands what goes on in appeals courts.

She has been rated as “exceptionally well qualified” by the King County Bar Association, Pierce County Bar Association and by the Cardoza Society. All of this gives her outstanding experience to serve as a Supreme Court judge.

Here you have a candidate who is respected in her profession, has a strong drive for fairness and following the constitutions of Washington and the United States, and who will work very hard for the people of Washington.

She would appreciate your vote in the Aug. 7 primary, and again

Nov. 6 in the general election.

Richard V. Gidner Renton

VMC, UW alliance supports community As Valley Medical Center has reached the one-year anniversary of our strategic alliance with UW Medicine, I am pleased to report that we have already increased the availability of quality health care in our community.

In the July 2011 to July 2012 period, we have increased the clinical expertise and services available to our residents by expanding coverage at Valley in neurological surgery and thoracic surgery; expanding education and training through the UW emergency medicine residency; standardizing reporting for patient safety and quality; implementing a rapid process improvement program to reduce the costs of care; and creating additional access to primary care, secondary care and highly specialized care when needed.

The coming year should bring See LETTERS, Page 5

Rapid Response Are you satisfied with the process made on the Newcastle Library this summer? Why/Why not?

It’s starting to move, but still rather slow. Too bad for all the contractor issues. We’re all waiting ... maybe a bit impatiently

now ... smiles!

— Jackie Foskett

Definitely not … I think Synergy should vet their subcontractors more thoroughly. They got what they paid for.

— Dave Martinez

What are your thoughts on the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display at Lake Boren Park this year?

Fireworks were great, although I think they were a See RESPONSE, Page 5

Public Meeetings From sidewalk installation projects to snow removal to property tax collection, decisions made by officials at a local level have the potential to impact your daily life. Get involved. Provide feedback. Make a difference.

Let leaders know what’s on your mind to shape a bet-

ter Newcastle at these August meetings at City Hall, 12835 Newcastle Way, Suite 200: q The City Council has a regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. Aug. 21. The council’s Aug. 7 meeting has been cancelled to allow council members to be in the community for National

Night Out celebrations. q The Parks Commission meets at 6 p.m. Aug. 8. q The City Council’s Economic and Community Development committee meets at 8 a.m. Aug. 14. q The Planning Commission meets at 7 p.m. Aug. 15.

Deborah Berto .................................... Publisher Kathleen R. Merrill ................... Managing editor

Write us

Christina Lords .................................... Reporter

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They should be 350 words or less. The News may edit for length, clarity and potential libel. Letters about local topics are preferred. Send them by the 20th of the month to:

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Newcastle News

P.O. Box 1328 q Issaquah, WA 98027 Fax: 391-1541 q Email: newcastle@isspress.com

Newcastle News

AUGUST 3, 2012

Sex offender registers in Newcastle neighborhood Aaron Patrick Pittman, 33, registered as a Level III sex offender after being convicted of aggravated indecent liberties with a child for attempting to meet a 14-year-old girl that he met online for sexual purposes. Police said Level III sex offenders have a high risk of re-offending.

Police said Pittman stands 6 feet tall,

Response

weighs 220 pounds, and has brown hair and green eyes. His address is in the 11600 block of Southeast 88th Street.

Residents can search for Pittman and other registered sex offenders at www.kingcounty.gov/ safety/sheriff/SOSearch. aspx.

Aaron Pittman

tad shorter this year ... but thank goodness not as short as San Diego’s!

— Jackie Foskett

Since I don’t know what National Night Out is, and I haven’t seen anything about it for our

neighborhood, I’d say we’re not celebrating it! I’d love to be enlightened!

— Jackie Foskett Our association plans to host a barbecue, raffle and have Newcastle Police Department pay a friendly visit.

— Dave Martinez

Letters

the strategic alliance. The shared mission to improve the health of the public has allowed VMC and the rest of UW Medicine to focus on expansion of services and alignment of best practices as we prepare for health care reform and the growing needs of our population.

The focus of the board of trustees, with 11 trustees living in the service

area, is to provide oversight to the delivery of health care in our community. We will continue to provide progress reports to let you know when new services are added. Thank you for relying on Valley Medical Center for your health care.

Lisa Jensen, chairwoman Valley Medical Board of Trustees

From Page 4

From Page 4 expansion to oncology services, cardiology, urology, ophthalmology and several other clinical areas. Being part of the UW Medicine system allows our physicians to have priority access to specialized care at UW Medicine when a patient needs urgent specialty services, such as open heart or organ transplant surgery.

In addition, we are working to reduce the overall cost of health care and to transform health care delivery. The recent Supreme Court decision on health care reform validates the concept of integrated delivery systems; a key component is readily available primary care. The combination of VMC’s clinics and UW Medicine’s Neighborhood Clinics has increased access to care in your neighborhoods and access to world-class specialists when needed.

Valley Medical Center is committed to continuing the progress we have achieved in the first year of

What are some of the ways your neighborhood celebrates National Night Out?

PAGE 5

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Newcastle News

PAGE 6

History From Page 1

Back tracking: an ongoing series about the history of Newcastle

community,” she said.

“He’s lived there his whole life. He knew the people who made it what it is.”

Preservation calling

just love to hear him talk about it. You never know what story he’s going to come up with. Something will trigger a memory and off he goes.”

Invaluable contributions Swanson and Lee met in 1979 when both were instrumental in getting the historical society off the ground. By happenstance, Lee’s property in Newcastle boasts the other company home in town that is still standing — a similarity that would come to cement a friendship for more than 30 years.

As a major contribution to the area’s history, the historical society would also help protect the Newcastle Cemetery for years to come.

The 2.2-acre cemetery is the final resting place of immigrant miners and nearby families from the late 1800s.

“I can truthfully say I spent 20 years trying to keep it clean, keep it manageable,” Swanson said.

His contributions to the group and the community remain invaluable, Lee said.

AUGUST 3, 2012

“He has such a sharp memory of the families, of the incidents that have shaped us here.

People just love to hear him talk about it. You never know what story he’s going to come up with. Something will trigger a memory and off he goes.”

— Pam Lee Newcastle Historical Society member

“The fact that his memory is so sharp and the fact that he understands the whole concept of geology and mining operations in the area, as well as just life in general at Newcastle, makes him a valuable member of this

Swanson’s knowledge and small museum he maintains at his home is vast and deserves to be recognized as a colorful, meaningful ode to Newcastle’s past, Lee said.

“He’s always at Newcastle Days, and that’s what gives him vitality: having people talk to him about the old days,” she said. “He loves that. That gives him sustenance, talking about the old times.”

Swanson maintains the treasure trove of items relating to Newcastle history, many of which are his own personal tools, including his coal miner’s hat with “MILT” scrawled in white lettering on the side.

Some of the items, like tools his carpenter father made in the early 1900s, hold a special place in Swanson’s heart.

“There’s 90 percent of this stuff I’ve gathered up in my travels in Newcastle,” he said.

“Most of this stuff has a personal memory in my life. I can still remember where it was, what

By Greg Farrar

Milt Swanson holds the remaining six feet of a broken 8-foot drill bit that once bored into Newcastle coal seams for placing sticks of dynamite. it is, how it relates to Newcastle.”

He said he hopes the city can help play a part in the preservation of Newcastle’s history.

“At the Newcastle Historical Society, we’re a real small outfit and everything, but we’re all into it because the history of Newcastle is an interesting one,” Swanson said.

“It’s highly involved in the early days of Seattle.

In the early days, in the 1870s, they could sell every pound of coal they could dig. There was a real market for it.”

Lee and Swanson agreed that they hope the Newcastle Library will offer a permanent home to display some of the items, photographs and maps — some more than 100 years old — in Swanson’s and the historical society’s collection.

A hard life Swanson graduated from Issaquah High School in 1936.

“All the roads were still gravel then, nothing like the blacktop pavement now,” he said. “The bus would rumble so bad sometimes it felt like it was shaking your teeth out.”

Many of his classmates and fellow longtime Newcastle residents have moved away or passed on by now, he said.

“Life isn’t easy now,” he said. “But I have so many people that would come at the drop of a hat if I needed them to.”

Swanson, like his father and grandfather (who died in a coal-mining accident before Swanson was born) before him, worked in the mines. Swanson maintained equipment as a mechanic for the B and

R Coal Co. from 1947 to 1962, before he took on a similar role at The Boeing Co. until he retired in 1983.

“Coal mining was a hard life for everybody, for the women and the kids,” he said. “It was a pretty tough go sometimes. In the 1920s, they didn’t even have an ice chest here in camp, no ice truck. Can you imagine not having an ice chest?

The women had to cook everything from scratch, right then.”

Swanson said it wasn’t uncommon for young children to grow up in and around the mines with access to dynamite and other dangerous tools used in the trade.

“I tell you, it was one great education,” he said.

“You soon learned what you should do and what you shouldn’t do. I survived.”

AUGUST 3, 2012

Newcastle News

PAGE 7

“All the roads were still gravel then, nothing like the blacktop pavement now. The bus would rumble so bad sometimes it felt like it was shaking your teeth out.”

— Milt Swanson History buff and artifact keeper

Milt Swanson’s small outbuilding museum holds hundreds of artifacts, maps and photographs of the history of Newcastle, many of which go back a century and which he collected himself or were in his family.

Pieces of coal (above) pulled from the mines of Coal Creek sit on a shelf in Milt Swanson’s personal museum of Newcastle history. A map (right) shows the horizontal mine shaft and charts the progress of chutes and pillars during the 1890s in Newcastle.

Ernest Swanson used this mallet and these wood chisels (above) in a lifelong carpentry career before leaving them to his son Milt. This Reliable Blasting Machine No. 8 (left), with its leather carrying strap, ‘will fire up to 30 fuses’ according to the metal plate on the top.

A leather yoke (above) was once used by the donkeys that pulled carts loaded with coal out of the mines for their human masters. Railroadmen’s lanterns (left), signs and a cancelled Great Northern Railway stock certificate occupy a wall.

Photos by Greg Farrar

Newcastle News

PAGE 8

AUGUST 3, 2012

Laughing all the way

The Frugal Olympics

By Pat Detmer It occurred to me the other day — as I methodically scraped peanut butter out of a jar that most people would’ve thrown away several sandwiches ago — that if there was a Frugal Olympics, I could win a gold medal. Except the medal wouldn’t be gold. It would be made from saved tin foil and ribbon from last Christmas.

My mother was my trainer in thrift: Scraps of material could become a braided rag rug. Clothing and socks could be mended. Soap could be used until it was so small that it was in danger of being inadvertently lost in a body cavity. She never tore into a wrapped gift with abandon, because if one was careful, the paper could be used again.

And again. And speaking of paper, it has two surfaces, which means that Mother’s recipes have stories from the past on the backs of them: mid-century letters from her mother, church bulletins and school announcements.

As we explained Mother’s child-of-theDepression prudence at her funeral, my sister Susie held up a rubber band ball that we’d found while

clearing out her kitchen drawers.

Why buy a rubber band new, Mother believed, when Pat Detmer they could be saved and re-used? Susie accidently lost her grip on it, and the ball fell from the podium and bounced across the floor towards the attendees, spewing dust and spent, wimpy rubber strips all the way.

That reminded me of my mother’s mother (the Obi Wan Kenobi of Frugality) who always walked us through the neighborhood cemetery when we visited her.

While there, we got the free thrill of viewing the fenced burial sites where hair-raising explanations for group extinction were carved in granite (and really, what child far from home doesn’t want to read about 21 innocent school kids perishing in a roaring classroom fire?)

As payment for this thrill, we were forced to collect the rubber bands that careless newsboys had dropped while wrapping their papers.

True to my bloodline, I re-use foil if meats haven’t previously been involved with it, I scrape jars, I take the useless pump out of the lotion and shake out the unreachable balance, I print on the back of my Simon & Schuster Royalty Statements (it’s all parenthetical numbers anyhow), I nuke stale oyster crackers to crisp them, and as I brush my teeth, I mourn the fact that the old toothpaste tubes were stiffer and stronger, making it possible to more efficiently squeeze out the last precious dollop of paste.

Nature, or nurture?

Genetic or learned? I’m not sure, but I know that when I win that medal in the Frugal Olympics, I’ll proudly fasten it on the workout suit that I’ve worn for the past five years using the straight pin that I kept from the corsage that The Sainted One gave me for my 47th birthday as I play “The Star-Spangled Banner” on our record player.

That’s right. You heard me: record player. I am soooo gonna win this!

You can reach Pat Detmer, who has also won a silver in Lazy Gardening, at patdetmer@aol.com.

Schools Foundation donates $42,500 for after-school help After-school homework programs got a big boost July 11 when the Issaquah School Board approved a $42,500 gift from the Issaquah Schools Foundation.

The money has been earmarked to support three programs, including $7,500 for Middle School After School Homework; $12,500 for High School After School Homework; and $22,500 for the mentor program Volunteers of Issaquah Changing Education, more commonly known as VOICE.

On the middle school level, the after-school program allows for school libraries to stay open in the afternoon so students can access computers, the Internet and get help with homework. On the high school level, different days of the weeks are reserved for extra help for different subjects like math and foreign languages. The mentor program serves about 300 students from across the district who could use one-on-one assistance.

“It’s an extraordinary program,” foundation Executive Director Robin Callahan said. “I know that the district has really come to rely on the VOICE mentor program as

one of their strategies.”

The mentors are all volunteers while the district and the schools foundation partner together to pay for program directors and school coordinators. The latest injection of $22,500 covers about half of the total cost of the program.

“There is nothing that the foundation does alone,” Callahan said. “It involves collaboration with the district, collaboration with volunteers and collaboration with donors. We are a conduit by which members of the community can donate resources and time to have an extraordinary effect on student learning and students’ ability to achieve their full potential.”

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Newcastle News

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Newcastle News

PAGE 10

History takes center stage at Newcastle Days

Newcastle sees increase of 50 people in 2012

By Christina Lords and Warren Kagarise The latest estimated tally from Washington’s Office of Financial Management indicates Newcastle added 50 people last year to reach a population of 10,460 residents.

The office released the information in late June for the period from April 1, 2011, to April 1, 2012.

Newcastle had 10,410 people in 2011 and 10,380 in 2010. The additional residents in 2012 equates to a 0.77 percent increase in population for the city.

Newcastle is the 78th most populous city in the state.

The state used data from the 2010 Census as a baseline, and then estimated population for Newcastle and other cities from school enrollment, housing construction and driver licensing to determine the numbers.

State officials use the population data to determine how to allocate dollars to municipalities.

King County added

County paves the way for veterans internship program King County Council members have started the process to create a county

By Christina Lords

Washington’s largest and smallest cities Washington’s 281 cities range in estimated size from 616,500 people to 50 people in the latest state population estimate. Newcastle ranks No. 78 among cities in population size.

Largest 1. Seattle — 616,500 2. Spokane —210,000 3. Tacoma — 199,600 4. Vancouver — 163,200

5. Bellevue — 124,600 Smallest 1. Krupp — 50 2. Lamont — 80 3. Waverly — 98 4. Hatton — 105 5. Starbuck — 130

Source: Washington Office of Financial Management

14,400 residents between April 2011 and April 2012 to reach 1,957,000 people.

Kirkland — fueled by a controversial annexation and the addition of 31,816 people — ranked as the fastest-growing city in the state last year.

Seattle, Pasco, Airway Heights, Renton, Bellevue, Pullman, Vancouver, Kent and Spokane completed the top 10.

The state population increased by 49,870 people to reach 6,817,770 — a 0.74 percent increase, not much more than the 0.64 percent growth rate esti-

mated in 2011.

Newcastle added 29 housing units between April 2011 and April 2012, to bring the total to 4,275 housing units.

The state added 18,000 new housing units in the same period — about 700 fewer than the previous year. That number continues to hover near its lowest point in two decades, according to the OFM. The largest amount of growth occurred in King County with 4,000 housing units, or 22 percent, of total housing construction statewide.

internship program for veterans.

In March, Councilwoman Kathy Lambert and Councilman Reagan Dunn — Newcastle’s representative on the council —

joined Councilman Bob Ferguson to draft the legislation. The measure calls on county government to explore a possible veteran internship program and present the results to the council by

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The year is 1910.

The place is Newcastle — a bustling little town with about 2,500 residents.

So bustling, in fact, it was the only town with a post office at the time on the Eastside.

People from all around — including residents from Bellevue — had to travel to Newcastle to collect their mail or vote in local elections.

Newcastle Mayor and Newcastle Days volunteer coordinator Rich Crispo said that is just one of the many little known facts he has gathered in preparation of celebrating Newcastle’s 18th birthday as an incorporated town at this year’s Newcastle Days.

The Sept. 8 event’s theme, Return to Newcastle, highlights the city’s rich mining history and offers a chance to learn more about how Newcastle came to be, Crispo said.

He said he has gathered about 100 trivia facts about Newcastle that will be dispersed throughout the 60 booths at Lake Boren Park, with the chance for residents

Aug. 23.

The council agreed to proceed on the proposal in a unanimous decision.

Officials called on county staffers to evaluate existing county employment policies and prac-

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“To me, this is a way to see why we’re here, how we’re here,” he said.

“People can have pride in that, especially people who have lived here for 40 years.”

Crispo said volunteers are needed to help direct traffic (the Lake Boren Park parking lot is reserved for handicapped parking, emergency services, sponsors and others with a parking pass), set up chairs and tables, and help people navigate the park.

New aspects of this year’s Newcastle Days include a lacrosse demonstration, a Cajun band and Cajun food.

The festival will begin at 10 a.m. Emcee Lance Lambert, of “The Vintage Vehicle Show,” will begin

tices for veterans, explore potential costs to operate the internship program and identify possible funding sources.

The transition from

the live program followed by a Boy Scout opening ceremony.

Bands and dance troupes will be featured on the main stage. The headliner band is Heartless, a Heart tribute band.

A free classic car show will also be held for Newcastle Days at Lake Boren Park from noon to 4 p.m. Registration opens at 11 a.m. that day; dash plaques will be given to the first 100 participants.

A beer and wine garden run by the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce opens at 11:30 a.m. and will be open throughout the day for people 21 years old and older.

Volunteers are also needed to help with set-up and tear-down of the beer garden.

Food vendors will sell a variety of food.

There are special events for the children attending, such as inflatable bouncy toys and pony rides, as well as youth and kids’ bands.

Look for maps, articles and schedule information for this year’s event in the 2012 Newcastle Days guide in the September edition of Newcastle News.

military to civilian life is often difficult for veterans. Many veterans gain technical and leadership skills in the military — skills useful in the civilian realm, too — but receive little help to put the skills to use after the transition.

“With many military bases located in Washington state, we have a concentration of veterans returning here from overseas and in need of meaningful work and job opportunities,” Lambert said in a statement.

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Newcastle News

AUGUST 3, 2012

PAGE 11

Meeting minutes cause consternation on council

Council approves regional animal control contract

Council to add information session on consolidating with Bellevue to fall agenda

King County officials endorsed the animal control contract between the county, Newcastle and 24 other cities July 9.

In a unanimous decision, King County Council members adopted the agreement to provide field officers, shelter services and licensing services. The estimated cost for services in Newcastle is about $15,500 for 2013 after incorporating an estimated $15,200 in licensing revenue and about $2,500 for licensing support.

“This model partnership between the county and municipalities will bring consistent, costeffective and compassionate solutions to our animal control challenges,” council Vice Chairwoman Jane Hague said in a statement.

The agreement also

By Christina Lords Members of the Newcastle City Council sat down in June for the city’s annual budget retreat to hammer out some longand short-term ideas about how to tackle the city’s looming financial forecast as it begins to finalize a budget this fall.

The topics included discussion about largescale changes, including staff reductions, imposing a utility tax for the first time, creating a transportation benefit district for Newcastle and consolidating the city with Bellevue.

But at its July 3 meeting, some on the council were frustrated with the level of detail — or as some council members argued, lack thereof — of the meeting’s minutes provided to the council about the retreat, and consequently, the public. Like regular meetings, state law requires governmental bodies to provide minutes from every special meeting.

To provide more information, the council voted to have the city clerk come back before the council meeting July 17 with expanded minutes.

The retreat’s minutes for the council’s July 3 agenda packet included a three-paragraph summary

of the five-hour retreat, stating Finance Director Christine Olson gave a presentation of the city’s six-year forecast, council members spoke for 10 minutes each to provide an assessment of the city’s financial situation, and council members discussed possible solutions and expense reductions and new revenue sources.

The expanded minutes included the initial threeparagraph summary and added 21 discussion topics addressed by the council at the retreat, but did not elaborate on which council member said what about the topics.

“They weren’t necessarily minutes, they were notes of what certain people said,” City Manager Rob Wyman said at the July 17 meeting. “They weren’t done with the intention to present them as minutes. They were more raw notes than minutes.”

Councilman Bill Erxleben asked Wyman if he requested that the first minutes on the retreat presented in the July 3 consent agenda be shortened.

Wyman said that was incorrect.

City Attorney Dawn Reitan said the state code on meeting minutes is fairly broad and doesn’t

outline exactly what must be provided within the minutes.

“There’s no legal requirement for specificity, it’s more of a matter of you must have minutes, and you must … provide them in a timely manner,” she said.

The council voted at its regular July 17 meeting to record all future special meetings, which are meetings that can be called any time by the council given enough public notice, though no final action can take place at special meetings.

Erxleben, with Deputy Mayor Lisa Jensen’s second, said the council should be better informed about what the benefits and disadvantages would be to consolidate the city with Bellevue before taking on long-term financial decisions and requested the subject be placed on a future council agenda.

That item will come before the council this fall.

The council also discussed reducing council pay, creating operational efficiencies, eliminating a contingency fund for the city manager and outsourcing more city services as ways to tackle the financial status of the city at the retreat.

The council generally has a budget retreat once a year before it deliberates the final document during regular council meetings.

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required approval from leaders in 25 suburban cities. Newcastle City Council members OK’d the pact June 19.

The county animal services agency, Regional Animal Services of King County, changed the formula for how cities pay for the agency.

Under the old agreement, cities paid equal amounts based on population and the number of calls, but the updated agreement eschewed the 50-50 agreement for a method based more on number of calls in a particular city.

In the new agreement, cities will be charged on an 80 percent usage and 20 percent population cost allocation instead of 50 percent usage, 50 percent population — a favorable shift for towns with smaller populations like Newcastle.

In the most recent contract renewal period,

By Christina Lords and Warren Kagarise

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Auburn did not renew the county contract, and instead embarked on its own municipal animal control program.

Newcastle city staff participated in weekly meetings of the joint City-County Animal Services Workgroup since November 2011 to reach an agreement on a draft of the three-year contract.

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Newcastle News

PAGE 12

AUGUST 3, 2012

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Newcastle News

PAGE 13

Newcastle News

PAGE 14

AUGUST 3, 2012

Beaver Lake Middle School principal takes the helm at Liberty

By Christina Lords Josh Almy doesn’t have to go far to find the inspiration of leadership in Josh Almy the classroom.

With his wife, sister and mother all serving as teachers during their lifetimes, the newly appointed principal of Liberty High School said education is all around him.

The 39-year-old father of three said he’s looking forward to hitting the ground running, with plans to meet and learn from Liberty parents, stu-

dents, teachers and staff members in the coming weeks.

“I’m ready to jump in with two feet and get to know people and figure out how I can support people,” he said. “A principal needs to be focused on staff, learn how to be supporting kids and be a good listener.”

Almy is no stranger to the Issaquah School District, having served as the principal at Beaver Lake Middle School for the past eight years.

Superintendent Steve Rasmussen said Almy will be a good fit for Liberty because of his ability to form partnerships from all sides of a learning community and his ability to focus on what really matters — his students.

“Colleagues know him especially for solid judgment; a steady, caring and inclusive style; excellent relationships with all, and absolute personal integrity,” Rasmussen wrote in an email message to Liberty parents. “We’re fortunate to have someone of his caliber to take on the challenges of high school leadership for us.”

Almy takes the helm at the school after Mike DeLetis, who has served as principal at Liberty for the past six years, will take on an assistant principal at a secondary school within the district to be able to spend more time with his family.

“Academically, we have increased expectations and brought attention to student learning, instruc-

tion and the academic decisions of students, staff and parents,” DeLetis said.

“Culturally, there has always been great pride in Liberty High School, and I think we have extended that throughout the school.”

He said his most important impact to the school during his time there is the totality of the small interactions when administrators connect with students, staff and parents.

“I think that is what truly has a lasting impression,” DeLetis said. “I think that occurred for me personally and for the school staff as we connected outward with students, families and the larger Liberty community.”

Prior to his administrative role at Beaver Lake,

City looks to fill two Planning Commission vacancies The city of Newcastle is accepting applications for two positions on the Planning Commission due to the upcoming expiration of the terms of two commissioners.

Planning Commission volunteers help shape the future of the city by making recommendations to the City Council on items like the Comprehensive Plan and development regulations.

Interested Newcastle residents should submit an application, letter of interest and résumé by 5 p.m.

Aug. 10.

Applications are available on the city’s website

at www.ci.newcastle.wa.us.

The Planning Commission meets the third Wednesday of every month starting at 7 p.m., and is made up of seven citizen representatives.

One important task the commissioners take on is review of the Comprehensive Plan, a document guiding city policy and planning.

Newcastle is in the preliminary stages of developing a Comprehensive Plan review schedule for the development of a recommendation. The commission also is charged with reviewing the zoning

map, zoning code and other development codes, and completing a work plan provided by the council.

Applicants must be at least 18 years old.

Interviews will be conducted Aug. 13-17 by Mayor Rich Crispo, a councilmember yet to be selected, and Rob Lemmon, chairman of the Planning Commission.

Crispo will recommend appointments to the City Council, and the council will review the recommendation at its Aug. 21 City Council meeting starting at 7 p.m.

The terms of Planning

Commission positions 3 and 4 are set to expire July 31.

Vice Chairman John Drescher serves in position 3 and Commissioner Jon Simpson serves in position 4. Drescher was appointed to an unexpired term when former Commissioner Kim Ellis resigned.

Simpson was appointed last year to an unexpired term following former Commissioner Larry Betsch’s resignation. Both commissioners are permitted to apply for the seats and may continue to serve until the appointments are made.

Almy taught special education and math at a junior high school in the South Kitsap School District and spent a summer teaching English in Bangkok, Thailand.

After serving as assistant principal for three years in Walla Walla, he moved to the Issaquah School District as Beaver Lake Middle School principal in 2004.

A strong proponent of continuing improvement in his staff, students, and in himself, he has a master’s degree in educational administration and received his doctorate in education from the University of Washington on June 9.

Aside from taking the time to meet and hear from Liberty’s staff and

Feedback needed on city’s parks, trails plan update Residents may provide public feedback at a public hearing as the city of Newcastle finalizes the process of updating its park, trail and recreation chapter of the Comprehensive Plan.

The plan serves as the city’s guideline to develop parks, trails, and recreational programs and facilities. The hearing will be before the Parks Commission at 6 p.m. Aug. 9 in the City Council Chambers in City Hall.

The city is seeking input on the types of

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parents, Almy said one of his foremost goals is to gain a greater understanding about the ongoing construction around the school and how it will affect the coming school years.

Phase 2 construction of the high school, a part of Issaquah’s recently approved $219 million bond, is projected to be complete by the end of 2013.

“We’re going to be trying to facilitate the construction right out of the gate,” he said. “That’s going to be a challenge.

It’s going to take communication, it’s going to take patience and it’s going to take flexibility, but I think the outcome is something people are really excited about.”

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Newcastle News

AUGUST 3, 2012

PAGE 15

Three-year goals

Contributed by the Renton School District

Members of the Renton School District, local and state officials and residents review the district’s three-year strategic plan May 30 in the cafeteria of McKnight Middle School.

Renton School District readies for long-term goals More than 200 community members, Renton School District teachers and staff members, and local and state elected officials came together May 30 to update the district’s three-year strategic plan.

The large stakeholder’s meeting, which filled the cafeteria at McKnight Middle School, was similar to one held in 2009 and was designed to gather public input in establishing the district’s direction for the next three years.

Attendees were presented information about student progress based on prior goals and provided substantive input on the revision of district goals and strategies related to increasing student achievement.

Two of the 2009 goals were retained: improving student achievement in preschool through 12th grade, and ensuring that all students — regardless of race and economics — have access to quality instruction. Stakeholders discussed the district’s newly proposed goals: ensuring that students graduate with the necessary skills and appropriate plans to continue on to

post-secondary options (including being prepared to successfully enter college, the workforce, the military, etc.), and setting goals for support services, such as business operations and human resources to be more directed toward support of student achievement in classrooms.

The strategic plan created by the stakeholder’s group in 2009 helped the district address goals for continued improvement of student achievement.

The district met many of those goals and, in most cases, exceeded state and national standards: q Nearly 98 percent of district middle school students taking algebra met or exceeded state standards. q The number of high school students enrolled in higher-level Advanced Placement classes increased by nearly 71 percent. q The district’s graduation rate increased to 94 percent. q Growth in reading performance occurred, primarily in kindergarten through third grade. q Double-digit gains were noted at all grade

levels on state mathematics and science tests. q The achievement gap narrowed with improvements on all state tests, including performance in reading, writing, math and science by elementary, middle and high school students identified by the state in specific income and ethnicity categories.

The stakeholder meeting was designed to engage the greater community in strategic education planning to increase student achievement, according to the district.

It is part of a larger district engagement strategy aimed at involving business and elected leaders, community members and civic organizations in meaningful partnerships.

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q Pre-school/K-12 Achievement: Each student will meet or exceed state and district standards. q College and career ready: Each student will graduate with the necessary skills and an appropriate plan to continue to post-secondary options. q Equity and access: Each student will be valued, connected and achieving — no barriers. q Business Operations will support the educational process, increase student achievement and provide value through efficient and effective allocation of operational resources q Human Resources will use practices to recruit, train and retain quality staff for schools and departments across the district and will use interest-based bargaining strategies with all bargaining groups to achieve a workforce prepared to engage in optimizing student achievement nerships, coupled with the community’s overwhelming vote of confidence in approving school funding measures and school building improvement efforts, makes the Renton district a unique and engaging place to live, learn, work and play, district spokesman Randy Matheson said in a press release.

The work of the stakeholder’s group hones those efforts and provides opportunities to incorporate greater voice and direction.

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Renton district saves money by refinancing debt After the Renton School District recently refinanced old debt, taxpayers will benefit from an anticipated $9 million savings due to its good credit score and a strengthening local economy, according to a press release from the district.

The savings will come from refinancing nearly $70 million worth of school construction bonds issued in 2003.

The original interest rate on the bonds was more than 4.9 percent.

Refinancing the bonds in mid-August at a predicted interest rate of about 2 percent will result in a savings of $9.09 million over 10 years, the release said.

The bond measure, approved in May 2003 by local voters, authorized the rebuilding of Newcastle’s Hazelwood Elementary School, as well as Benson Hill, Kennydale and Renton Park elementary schools.

It also funded smaller projects at other schools around the district.

To qualify for the lower interest rate and subsequent savings, the school district must have

a good credit rating.

Renton School District’s credit rating is AA-, one of the highest credit ratings issued by the international credit rating company Moody’s Investors Service.

A school district’s credit rating is impacted by a number of factors including its success in managing funds, the size of its fund balance and the strength of the local economy.

For eight consecutive years, the Renton School District has been recognized for outstanding financial management and reporting, receiving financial awards from the Association of School Business Officials International and the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada, according to the release.

The awards are among the highest form of recognition in governmental budgeting and reporting.

The district took similar steps to refinance old debt in 1998 and 2003, saving millions of taxpayer dollars, the release said.

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Community

PAGE 16

Events Newcastle will celebrate the 29th annual Night Out Against Crime Aug. 7. Newcastle celebrates with traditional outside lights and front porch vigils as well as a variety of neighborhood events, such as small informal gatherings, block parties, cookouts, and visits from local officials and law enforcement. Register your neighborhood for a visit from local police and city officials by emailing officer Ryan Olmsted at ryan.olmsted@kingcounty.gov.

The Newcastle Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon is from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Aug. 8 at Tapatio Mexican Grill, 6920 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. Guest speaker Steve Hanson, president of Renton Technical College, gives the presentation “Is college worth it?” Cost is $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers. RSVP by emailing info@newcastlecc.com.

The final Concerts in the Park event features a live performance by the Fabulous Roof Shakers (rhythm and blues) from 7-8:30 p.m. Aug. 8 at Lake Boren Park, with picnicking starting at 6 p.m.

The Newcastle Weed Warriors has the following maintenance and restoration projects through August (from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.) Learn more at www.newcastleweedwarriors.org. q Aug. 4 — Continuation of knotweed survey in May Creek open space park along May Creek. Meet at 8 a.m. at the parking location on 89th Place. Waterproof boots or shoes you’re not afraid to get wet are required.

Public meetings All city public meetings are at City Hall, 12835 Newcastle Way, Suite 200. Call 649-4444. q City Council’s Aug. 7 meeting has been cancelled q Parks Commission — 6-8 p.m. Aug. 8 q Economic and Community Development committee — 8 a.m. Aug. 14 q Planning Commission — 7-9 p.m. Aug. 15 q City Council regular meeting — 7-10 p.m. Aug. 21 The Newcastle Trails board meets the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at the Regency Newcastle, 7454 Newcastle Golf Club Road.

YMCA The Coal Creek Family YMCA, 13750 Newcastle Golf Club Road, has regular family programs for all ages. Get a complete schedule by calling

AUGUST 3, 2012

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Newcastle Shell Charity Golf Event rescheduled

By Christina Lords

Dennis Yarnell and Beth Wideseth, the owners of the Newcastle Shell, recently organized the station’s first golf tournament to raise money for U.S. military veterans and the Fisher House Foundation.

282-1500 or go to www.seattleymca.org/Locations/CoalCreek/ Pages/Home.aspx. q “Women’s Intro to Road Riding,” for ages 12 and older, 9 a.m. Aug. 4 q Friendship Fire, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Aug. 8 q “Women’s Intro to Road Riding,” for ages 12 and older, 9 a.m. Aug. 11 q Parents Night Out, for ages 3-11, 6-10 p.m. Aug. 11, $30 q Family Camp: Camp Terry, 3 p.m. to 11 a.m. Aug. 18-19, $20 per participant q 25-mile bike ride to Alki, for ages 10 and older, 9 a.m.

Aug. 18 q “Women’s Intro to Road Riding,” for ages 12 and older, 9 a.m. Aug. 26 q Trail Walk & Scavenger Hunt, for ages 6-10, 3:30-5 p.m.

Aug. 26, $10

Library events The Friends of the Newcastle Library meets from 4-6 p.m. Aug. 11 at Fire Station No. 9, 12412 Newcastle Way. The Newport Way Library is at 14250 S.E. Newport Way, Bellevue. The following programs are offered the rest of the month: q SAT/ACT Combo Practice Test, for teens, 10:30 a.m. Aug. 4 q Drop-in to Learn About eBooks, for adults, 3 p.m. Aug. 4 and 21 q Monday Movie Magic, for children and their families, 7 p.m. Mondays q Lunch Bunch Story Times, for children and their families, noon Aug. 7

q Tween Movie Matinee, for teens, 3:30 p.m. Aug. 8 q PSAT Practice Test, for teens, 10:30 a.m. Aug. 11 q SAT/ACT Combo Result Workshop, for teens, 5 p.m.

Aug. 13 q Dream Along With Charlie Hope, for children and their families, 1:30 p.m. Aug. 14 q PSAT Scoreback Session, 5 p.m. Aug. 20 q One-on-one Computer Assistance, for adults and teens, 7, 7:30 and 8 p.m. Aug. 22 q Mother Goose Story Times, 10:30 a.m. Thursdays q Lunch Bunch Story Times, noon Tuesdays q Pajama Story Time, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays q Baby Rhyming Time, for children and families, 10:15 a.m. q Young Toddler Story Time, for ages 1-2 with an adult, 10:15 a.m. Tuesdays q Toddler Story Time, for ages 2-3 with an adult, 11:15 a.m. Tuesdays q Preschool Story Time, for ages 3-5 with an adult, 1 p.m.

Tuesdays q Baby Rhyming Time, for children and families, 10:15 a.m.

Wednesdays q World Language Story Time, for children and their families, 10:30 a.m. Fridays q Study Hall, for teens, children and families, 3 p.m.

Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays q Study Zone, for teens, children and families, 3 p.m.

Thursdays

Clubs East Shore Singles, a social

August

2012

The owners of the Newcastle Shell have rescheduled the first Newcastle Shell Charity Golf Event to benefit the Fisher House Foundation Veterans of America charity organization to Aug. 25.

The event will begin at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start at The Golf Club at Newcastle. Participants are encouraged to register at the Newcastle Shell station on Lake Washington Boulevard Southeast.

The station will match all proceeds raised at the event.

Call Dennis Yarnell or Joe Woo at Newcastle Shell at 2552754 to learn more.

September

2012

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group for single adults older than 45, sponsors monthly activities and special events on the Eastside. New members are welcome. Call 433-0558 for a monthly bulletin go to www.eastshoresingles.org or www.meetup.com/eastshore-singles.

The Society of Artists for Newcastle, an art organization, is seeking new members. Call 271-5822.

MOMS Club of Renton meets for play dates at parks and other locations. New activities are planned daily. This nonprofit, nonreligious organization provides daytime support for moms and their families. Call 260-3079.

Bridge players are wanted, evening or daytime. Games take place at various homes in the Hazelwood area. Call 255-0895.

Newcastle Historical Society meets at 4 p.m. the first Thursday at City Hall, 13020 S.E. 72nd Place. Call 226-4238.

An international dinner, sponsored by Baha’i Faith of Newcastle, is at 6:30 p.m. the third Friday. Call 430-8047.

Drinking Liberally, an informal progressive social group that discusses politics, meets at 7 p.m. the first and third Thursday

at Angelo’s Restaurant, 1830 130th Ave. N.E., Bellevue. Go to www.drinkingliberally.org.

Eastside Mothers & More, a social network for mothers, meets from 7-9 p.m. the second Tuesday in the North Room at East Shore Unitarian Church, 12700 S.E. 32nd St., Bellevue.

Go to www.eastsidemothersandmore.org.

Hill ’N’ Dale Garden Club, meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Monday, September through May, at the Newport Way Library, 14250 S.E. Newport Way. Call 747-2953.

Volunteers The Coal Creek Family YMCA Seniors Program needs volunteers for intergenerational opportunities, including rocking and comforting infants, teaching children to play bridge and reading to kindergartners.

Call 282-1506.

Newcastle Weed Warriors: Volunteers are needed to staff information booth for Healthy Kids Day at Coal Creek YMCA, 13750 Newcastle Golf Club Road. Learn more at www.newcastleweedwarriors.org.

AUGUST 3, 2012

Newcastle News

PAGE 17

Your Newcastle State Legislative Team Working for you in Olympia!

• Marcie has represented our 41st District for four years.

She serves as Deputy Majority Leader for Education & Opportunity in the House of Representatives. Her committees are Education Policy; Education Appropriations for Early Learning, K-12, and Higher Education; Community & Economic Development and Housing; House Rules; and the QEC/Quality Education Council.

• Judy has represented our 41st District for ten years. She serves as the Transportation Chairman and on the Health Care & Wellness committee. Judy’s strong leadership in transportation policy and funding is vital to improving mobility for people and freight throughout our region and state.

• 41st District State Representatives Marcie Maxwell and Judy Clibborn are proud to serve the communities of Bellevue, Beaux Arts, Issaquah, Mercer Island, Newcastle, Renton, and Sammamish.

Marcie Maxwell

Judy Clibborn

Working to ensure that East King County is the best place to live, learn, work, and play!

Judy and Marcie look forward to enjoying Newcastle Day festivities with you on Saturday, September 8th, at Lake Boren Park!

Paid for by: Citizens for Marcie Maxwell (D) Judy Clibborn for State Representative (D) PO Box 2048, Renton, WA 98056 PO Box 808, Mercer Island, WA 98040 www.marciemaxwell.org www.judyclibborn.com

Newcastle News

PAGE 18

AUGUST 3, 2012

Local woman eyes Miss America title Mandy Schendel will represent Washington

By Julie Varon Competing against 21 other women from across the state, Newcastle resident Mandy Schendel has been crowned Miss Washington 2012 — qualifying her for a shot at the coveted Miss America title in January.

The 22-year-old student of Azusa Pacific College became the second consecutive Miss Eastside to take the title of Miss Washington on July 7 at the Highline Community Center in Burien.

“My first reaction was that I needed to breathe because I held my breath through the entire announcement,” Schendel said. “After I finally caught my breath, I instantly felt gratitude toward the judges for choosing me. There were 21 other accomplished young women, and I felt so fortunate at that moment.”

Last year’s winner, Brittney Henry, went to the Miss America national pageant and came home with the nonfinalist talent award for her fiddle performance.

Schendel is bound for the national stage in Las Vegas

Contributed

Newcastle’s Coal Creek Parkway Safeway supervisor Joel Stringer dyed his hair blue to create awareness about prostate cancer funding in June.

By Rachel Varon

Mandy Schendel (left) is crowned Miss Washington 2012 by Brittney Henry, Miss Washington 2011, and will compete in January in the Miss America pageant in Las Vegas. on Jan. 7 with the hope of becoming the first Miss Washington to bring home the Miss America title.

The closest the state has come to a winner since they first sent contenders in 1933 was second runnerup.

Schendel was awarded the best overall interview

and preliminary evening gown competitions for the Miss Washington event.

The Miss America program is the world’s largest provider of scholarship assistance for young women. As of last year, the program supplied more than $45 million in

cash and scholarship assistance.

Schendel’s prizes for winning the Miss Washington title included $12,500 in college scholarships, a new car for use during her year of service from Brotherton See PAGEANT, Page 19

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Safeway supervisor dyes his hair for cancer awareness

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Supervisor Joel Stringer, from the Coal Creek Safeway in Newcastle, dyed his hair bright blue for prostate cancer fundraising for the month of June.

“It helps me educate them on prostate cancer research awareness and I’ve also met

Joel Stringer See HAIR, Page 19

Newcastle News

AUGUST 3, 2012

Newcastle girl qualifies for American Miss contest Statewide competition win could lead to national finals in California

By Christina Lords Lucy Guadalupe has always had an eye for fashion, even looking up videos on YouTube for fashion-forward makeup ideas, and hopes to enter the industry via modeling.

“Fashion, it’s always something I’ve been into,” she said. “I’ve always liked dressing up rather than just throwing on a jacket and calling it good.”

Now, she’s putting those interests to use.

The 12-year-old Newcastle native has qualified for National American Miss’ Miss Washington Junior Teen, her first pageant. If Guadalupe wins the competition, held this month in Tacoma at the Hotel Murano, she will win a modeling scholarship and qualify for the National American Miss finals at Disneyland.

“It’s really exciting because I never thought

Hair From Page 18 two survivors,” Stringer said regarding his customers.

It wasn’t the first time Stringer has done something extra for fundraising. For breast cancer month, he dyed his hair pink.

“Customers may look at him funny sometimes but I think the employees like it,” Store Manager Brett Dow said. “It kind of raises everyone’s

about getting an opportunity like this,” she said. “I never saw myself being in a Lucy pageant.

It’s some- Guadalupe thing that’s new.”

The contest is based on formal wear, a contestant’s personal introduction, an interview and community involvement.

“We do formal wear and business wear where we do an interview with a person who asks us questions,” she said. “There’s also a nice aspect where we donate to a charity that we can choose from. I’m going to pick the Seattle Children’s Hospital as mine.”

Guadalupe, who is also involved with dive team, soccer and other activities, said a friend’s experience inspired her to give

awareness.”

Stringer got the dye from Party for Less. It is a permanent dye but some rinses out, so he uses a mixture of hair gels, one regular and one blue, to retain the color for a month. Dow said he wouldn’t dye his hair blue but if the store meets its goal, he will shave his head.

“Up here in Newcastle, everyone is like, ‘Wow, that’s really cool,’” Stringer said. “I look at it as awesome because everyone likes it and donates generously.”

Safeway also sells $1

the pageant a try.

“My friend has done it before and she said it was a really fun experience,” she said. “She got to learn a lot of new things about poise and other things, so I started to do it.”

Guadalupe, a seventhgrader at McKnight Middle School, said she enjoys school and hopes this experience will benefit her future by teaching her communication skills and poise.

“I’m really into sports,” she said. “I’m really competitive. Sports keep me entertained after school. Most people don’t like school … but I really like it. I like getting good grades.”

Kristy Guadalupe, Lucy’s mother, said participation in the pageant has been a good experience for their family.

“This has been a different experience than what I originally thought,” she said. “I’m happy that I let her go, because I’m surprised at what the commitment level is and what they’re asking for from the girls.

It’s different than I had imagined.”

baby blue bracelets and $2.99 reusable grocery bags with all but 99 cents of the bag purchase going directly to cancer research at the Seattle Cancer Alliance.

The Coal Creek Safeway is at 6911 Coal Creek Parkway.

Katie Larsen is an intern at The Issaquah Press. Reach her at news@ isspress.com.

Pageant From Page 18 Cadillac in Renton, a mink coat, a wardrobe provided by Regalia, a Miss Washington gold necklace from Harley Jewelers and a pearl set from Ben Bridge.

“It has been a whirlwind of activity since I was crowned,” Schendel said.

“I will have hundreds of events to attend. I am excited to prepare for a pageant I’ve worked so hard to participate in. I can’t believe I’m going to be on the Miss America stage.”

The most meaningful award she received was a scholarship of $1,000 that the Miss America organization gives for community service, Schendel said.

Her platform for the pageant is “Do Something: Enriching Youth, Cultivating Leaders.”

By age 11, she created her own nonprofit, The Difference Maker Organization, where she worked with kids and teens teaching them how to become leaders through volunteer service.

Schendel authored and published a book titled “Do Something.”

Schendel encourages people reading the book to set out to accomplish their dreams, however big they may be.

One of her early dreams came true in August 2008 as she was crowned Miss Washington Teen USA, earning her a trip to the Bahamas to compete nationally.

Another fairy tale dream became a reality for Schendel as she was chosen to become the Disney character Belle from Beauty and the Beast at Disney World in Orlando.

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PAGE 20

AUGUST 3, 2012

5K Run/Walk to provide more college scholarships

By Christina Lords With about $15,000 in scholarship money allocated to local students the past four years, officials are hoping for increased participation in this year’s Sept. 9 Newcastle 5K Run/Walk event, organizer Porter Bratten said.

The 5K is a way for residents to make a difference for local youths with aspirations through continued collegiate education, he said.

The money raised goes toward scholarships that help pay for tuition, room and board, and books.

The 3.1-mile course incorporates a mix of trails and paved roads through Newcastle parks and byways; it starts and finishes at Lake Boren Park.

Bib numbers, packets and

registration will be available for pickup at the Newcastle 5K booth from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Sept. 8 at Newcastle Days.

Participants can also pick up information and register at the event the day of the race from 7:30-8:30 a.m. The 5K run will start at 9 a.m. The course will close at 10:30 a.m. Post-event festivities will be held from event start until approximately 11 a.m.

Registration is $15 for high school students, $25 for individuals or $20 per person who registers with a group of four or more people before Aug. 15.

Prices increase after Aug. 15 and for in-person registration.

The event will start in Lake Boren Park and head slightly uphill and south onto a wide trail. The trail intersects with Southeast 89th Place where it

On the Web Register for the Newcastle 5K Run/ Walk at www.newcastle5k.com. turns west, adjacent to May Creek Park, following the road as it meanders to a hairpin curve (at 124th Avenue Southeast). From there, it enters May Creek Park and follows a trail through the woods until it intersects again with Southeast 89th Place and follows the original trail back to Lake Boren Park.

“There’s really not many other real races like this that happen in our immediate area,” Bratten said. “There’s no reason this shouldn’t be really big for us. It’s a run/walk, and we do

have many people that walk the whole thing. The course is not very hilly, so we have some really fast high schoolers that do it quickly, but it’s not like it’s not a competitive environment.”

After the race, residents are encouraged to stay and enjoy refreshments, a kids’ dash and services from the event’s sponsors, which include Valley Medical Center.

“The thing that we really want to emphasize this year that maybe hasn’t been emphasized in past years is that all funds raised go toward college scholarships for local high school students,” Bratten said.

Three high school seniors — Liberty High School student Annie Trumbull, of Issaquah; Hazen High School student Priscilla Yu, of Renton; and Interlake High School

student Jorge Moreno-Nunez, of Newcastle — were awarded a $1,400 scholarship from the nonprofit Newcastle Running Club last year.

All three students demonstrated a willingness to give back to their communities and all are college-bound to further their education.

Winners of the scholarship are chosen based on equal parts of community involvement, grade point average, SAT or ACT test scores, financial need and an essay, Bratten said.

To qualify for the scholarships, the high school seniors must live in Newcastle or attend Hazen or Liberty high schools.

Total scholarships amounted to $4,200 in proceeds from last year’s race held in conjunction with Newcastle Days.

Course record broken at 10-mile leg of trail run series

By Christina Lords

By Christina Lords

Iliana Sach (right), the first woman to cross the finish line at the 10-mile Cougar Mountain Trail Run on July 7, narrowly beats out her husband Eric Sach (left). The Sachs said they support the trail run series because of its community feel.

Beating the course record by nearly two and a half minutes, Seattle resident Eddie Strickler crossed the finish line of the latest installment of the Cougar Mountain Trail Run series July 7 with a time of 1 hour, 14 minutes and 54 seconds.

The previous record for the 10-mile run was held by Matt Messner’s 2006 time of 1:17:28.

Strickler, a 28-year-old software engineer who ran track and field and cross country for Seattle Pacific University, said he participated in each of the Cougar Mountain Trail Runs last year and plans to run in each of the five events this year.

This was Strickler’s first first-place win in the Cougar Mountain series.

“I probably run five days a week,” he said. “For me, it’s a good switch from sitting at a desk all day.”

Keegan Symmes, the race’s second-place finisher, and Gareth Jones, the runner who took third place, also beat the course record with times of 1:16:20 and 1:17:23, respectively.

“I love the park,” Strickler said. “I’ve run out here since being in college. I just love the trails … on a day like this you just want to get out into the woods and enjoy the day.”

Iliana Sach, 34, of Bellevue, came in first for the women’s division with a time of 1:35:21, followed by Maurean Anderson with a time of 1:39:59 and Larissa Kolasinski with a time of 1:40:32.

By Christina Lords

Eddie Strickler, 28, is the first runner to round the final corner of the 10-mile Cougar Mountain Trail Run on July 7. The Seattle resident finished the run in 1 hour, 14 minutes and 54 seconds — a new course record.

On the Web Learn more about the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series at the Seattle Running Club’s website at www.seattlerunningclub.org/ Events/Cougar/cougarmtn1.html.

“It was a surprise to me that I did so well,” Sach said. “I came in, I didn’t even have breakfast.

It was a last-minute decision, but it was just one of those days when you just feel great.”

Sach said she’s been running for 16 years and first participated in the Cougar Mountain Trail Run in 2003. She does at

least one run per year, and her husband, Eric Sach, came in just behind her at the finish line at the July 7 race.

Eric Sach is the owner of the Balanced Athlete (a major sponsor of the trail run series) at The Landing in Renton.

“For me, I love these types of grassroots races,” she said.

“It’s very much a communitysupported, community-oriented event. We give a lot of money back to the park. I love this park. My husband and I started dating in this park.”

The 13-mile installment of the Cougar Mountain Trail Run Series is set for 8:30 a.m. Aug. 11, and the final leg of the series, a 50K, will take place at 8 a.m. Oct. 28.

Newcastle News

AUGUST 3, 2012

PAGE 21

Positions open for 50 Newcastle families hoop it up at world’s largest 3-on-3 basketball tourney Bellevue Warriors Baseball Club

By Katie Larsen Last month, more than 70 players from 50 Newcastle families participated in Hoopfest, the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world.

Hoopfest was June 30 and July 1 in downtown Spokane. It spanned 42 city blocks with 458 courts, 7,000 teams and 27,000 players.

David Cour said many kids are part of the Liberty Select Basketball program, which is a select feeder program for the high school.

Cour traveled with his wife and three sons to the event, their fourth time participating. Their sons Chase, 12, and Griffin, 9, both played in the tournament. (Their third son, Kellan, 6, is too young to play.) Chase won his bracket and Griffin came in second place. Cour said the trip is very enjoyable, especially if families are into basketball.

More than 1,000 volunteers help run Hoopfest, including a monitor for each court. Games are 25 minutes or end when the first team gets to 20 points. There were also a lot of sponsor booths and other activities for kids.

Every year, the presence of Newcastle has grown in the event because of word-of-mouth. Dennis Rattie heard so many good things about it from others that he decided to take his 8-year-old, Ethan, to play.

“It was nice to have a lot of friendly faces around there,” Rattie said.

“I think the favorite part for me was how big it is.”

Rattie said a packet of information from

By Christina Lords

Contributed

Some of the more than 70 Newcastle boys and girls celebrate with a group photo after finishing their basketball tournament play at the 2012 Spokane Hoopfest. other Newcastle families was provided for him, including a map showing where all the players from Newcastle would be playing, and their contact information.

“The coolest thing for me was seeing Ethan playing and all the support from others,” he said.

Since the event brings so many people to Spokane, it is difficult to book a hotel room. Upon checkout this year, Rattie said hotels offered registration for next year’s room, which he has already booked.

Lynn Bisset also took her son to play. Jack, 13, played in the tournament with his cousin for the fifth year in a row.

The boys have been on the same team since the beginning and took third in their bracket this year.

“If you are a basketball family like we are, it’s just a lot of fun,” Bisset

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said. “There is basketball everywhere. It’s an upbeat environment and music is blasting.”

To kick-off the weekend, the Newcastle families have a picnic Friday night at Spokane’s Riverfront Park by a big red barn. Bisset said it felt like Lake Boren Park had been picked up and placed in Spokane.

“We kind of overtake this area for a Newcastle picnic, at least 70 to 80 people there,” she said.

While at the park, the kids like to watch the hoops being put up in the street, Debbie McAllister said. Her sons Blake, 13, and Chase, 10, both played at Hoopfest.

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Chase said.

The boys play with friends from school and said they enjoy that the most. In the past, their dad, Duncan, has played.

His bracket won last year and he thought it would be a good time to retire from Hoopfest.

Age brackets separate the games and each court is sponsored. Entry fees vary depending on the type of team. Hoopfest began 22 years ago and since has donated more than $1 million to charitable organizations with an emphasis on Special Olympics.

The Bellevue Warriors Baseball Club is recruiting players for its 13 and under, 14 and under and 15 and under teams for 2013.

The Warriors team was organized by several parents from Newcastle in August 2009, so children in the area would have a program in place that offered a higher level of competition than was available in the area’s Pony League.

Athletes from across the Eastside are welcome to participate.

Players may not be older than 15 by May 1.

Players who are younger and have advanced baseball skills and physical development may try out for all of the teams.

The coaches for the Warriors have a combined 54 years of coaching experience, with 29 years at the high school coaching level. Coaches aim to build solid players and help them attain skills to be successful on and off the field.

Players must be able to dedicate a specific amount of time for fall ball, practice and league play throughout the year. In September and

October, players will need to devote about four hours per week to the team, while in November through March, athletes will need to spend about four to six hours per week, with one practice per weekend and one practice during the week.

In April through July, the team participates in league play, tournaments and post-season play, which requires a four- to six-day weekly commitment.

While the team plays in the Sandy Koufax division in the Washington State Select Baseball League beginning in April, the team organizes pickup games and other scrimmages to test and maintain players’ skills year round.

The total estimated annual cost to join the team is about $2,200, which does not include travel-related expenses for participation in outof-town tournaments.

Email bellevueWarriorsBaseball@hotmail. com or contact Michael Stein at 223-7000 for tryout information. Go to www.bellevuewarriorsbaseball.com for more information about the team.

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Newcastle News

PAGE 22

Police blotter That smelly smell A person reported the smell of marijuana June 23 at the Coal Creek Apartments, 6802 Coal Creek Parkway.

High-tech hamburgler A suspect took an iPad off a table June 23 at McDonald’s, 13049 Newcastle Way, while the customer wasn’t looking.

Scrap metal swiped An unknown suspect took scrap metal from an outdoor recycle bin June 25 at Newcastle Manufacturing, 13024 Newcastle Way.

Ditched A woman’s purse was located in a ditch June 26 near the 6800 block of 113th Place Southeast.

Car break-in The front passenger window of a vehicle parked at the Delmar Village Apartments, 12824 Newcastle Way, was broken out, and coins and a knife were taken. The incident was reported June 27.

Tote, credit cards taken in break-in An unknown suspect broke the rear window of a vehicle June 29 parked near the 7000 block of 119th Place Southeast and stole a black tote and purse containing credit cards.

Abandoned Audi A silver-and-black, four-door 1998 Audi was reported as an abandoned vehicle July 1 in the 11800 block of Southeast 79th Court. The vehicle had extensive body damage that appeared to be new, and the car was parked facing the wrong

way.

Construction material stolen Wiring from a generator at Liberty High School’s performing arts building construction site was reportedly stolen June 29.

Party pooper A man that was reportedly refused entry to a party July 5 in the 7700 block of 120th Place Southeast was found kicking vehicles in the street.

Illegal firework found

Car troubles A resident in the 8800 block of 123rd Avenue Southeast reported vehicle tires were punctured and the vehicle’s body was keyed during the night July 10.

Vacant home vandalized The west side of a vacant home in the 12600 block of Southeast 75th Place was reportedly tagged with spray paint July 10.

An illegal firework bomb was reportedly found in a cul-de-sac in the Newcastle Highlands in the 14500 block of Southeast 93rd Street. The suspicious taped-up bottle was found upright in the unoccupied street July 6.

Starbucks burglarized

Safeway tagged

Gas up

The word “CaSK” was spray painted on the north side of the Safeway store, 6911 Coal Creek Parkway, on July 8.

Two full 6-gallon gas cans were stolen from a truck bed July 11 in the 12500 block of Southeast 72nd Street.

SUV stolen A 1998 Suburban was reportedly stolen July 9 from a home parked near the 11800 block of Southeast 78th Street. The SUV has an NRA lifetime member and white ski stickers on its back window.

Sexual assault A woman reported July 9 that consensual sex turned into forced sex with a man she had been dating for several months after meeting online. The incident happened at the man’s Castle Creek apartment in the 6800 block of 132nd Place Southeast.

An unknown suspect using an unauthorized key reportedly burglarized Starbucks, 6977 Coal Creek Parkway on July 10.

Intoxicated woman taken to hospital A 56-year-old intoxicated Newcastle woman was laying on the ground under an apartment walkway July 19 at the Castle Creek Apartments, 7200 132nd Place S.E. The woman had an empty cup and a dog leash, and couldn’t walk without assistance. When asked by the officer about the whereabouts of the dog, she said the dog had died.

She was transported to Overlake Hospital Medical Center without incident.

Information comes directly from police reports.

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S TATE

OF THE

A RT C OSMETIC D ENTISTRY • T EETH W HITENING • I NVISALIGN

AUGUST 3, 2012

Washington is No. 1 state for bicyclists

Local students honored

Washington is the Most Bicycle Friendly State again.

The ranking from the League of American Bicyclists honors a strong commitment to bicycling through policies and programs. The honor marks the fifth consecutive year the Evergreen State has clinched the No. 1 spot.

The league rates states based on bike-friendly legislation, policies and programs, education, places to ride and planning.

Washington scored consistently high in all ranking evaluation categories.

“With support from the highest levels of government, (Washington) leads the nation in creating new bicycle infrastructure and using federal funds for bicycle and pedestrian projects,” the league noted in the announcement.

Statewide, the number of people bicycling has increased 116 percent in the past decade, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures.

The announcement came as Washington celebrated National Bike Month in May. The annual observance is meant to encourage citizens to bicycle to work, on errands and for recreation.

q Taylor Newbury, was named to the spring 2012 dean’s list at Azusa Pacific University, in Azusa, Calif.

To qualify, students must have a grade point average of 3.5 or above. q Emily Bradford, of Newcastle, was named to the spring 2012 quarter dean’s list at Central Washington University. q Mackenzie Findlay, of Renton, was named to the dean’s list for the spring 2012 semester at Washington University in

Local resident graduates from UW-Tacoma John Karanja, a Newcastle resident, graduated from the University of Washington-Tacoma on June 8 with a Bachelors of Arts in health care leadership and a minor in business administration.

St. Louis, Mo. To qualify, students must earn a 3.6 grade point average or higher and be enrolled in at least 14 graded units.

Findlay is enrolled in the university’s College of Arts and Sciences. q The following students were named to the Washington State University’s president’s honor roll for the 2012 spring semester: Christopher Cao, Michael Chau, Kaila Engman, Paige Lane, Vy Hoang, Michaela Calderon, Henry HaKohm, Lauren La Fontaine and Ryan Maio.

home services

Washington State Construction

Contractor law requires that all advertisers for construction related services include the contractor registration number.

Newcastle News

AUGUST 3, 2012

PAGE 23

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Open House & Bazaar Saturday, August 11th 9am to 1pm

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Newcastle News

PAGE 24

AUGUST 3, 2012

Turnout for primary is expected to rise Prsrt Std U.S. POSTAGE PAID Kent, WA Permit No. 71

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The top elections official in Washington, Secretary of State Sam Reed, predicts above-average turnout in the August primary election — 46 percent, or about 3 percent more than the last comparable election.

The summer primary — bumped up to Aug. 7 to accommodate military and overseas voters — allows local voters a chance to decide a property tax measure and cull the field in federal, judicial, legislative and statewide contests.

The electorate selects the top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, in the all-mail primary election. The top vote recipients then advance to an all-mail general election Nov. 6.

The ballot contains a King County property tax measure, Proposition 1.

King County Council members placed a $200 million property tax levy on the ballot to fund a replacement for the aging Youth Services Center, a juvenile detention facility in Seattle.

Voters must postmark ballots by Aug. 7 or drop ballots at a designated location by 8 p.m. Election Day. Redrawn political boundaries go into effect for the August and November contests.

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