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Italene Gaddis spotlights library’s Day of Music See photos at www.newcastlenews.com
Fire, explosion rock neighborhood Page 5
VOL. 17, NO. 8
August 7, 2015
Two candidates vie for council Position No. 1 By Christina Corrales-Toy
The city’s election lineup is set, and while there are four Newcastle City Council seats with expiring terms, only one race includes more than a single candidate. Community Activities commissioners Linda Newing and Victoria Sandoval will compete to fill the seat being vacated by City Councilwoman Lisa Jensen.
Incumbents Gordon Bisset and Carol Simpson will each run unopposed to retain their seats. Planning Commissioner Allen Dauterman initially drew a challenger for Position No. 3, but Rob Lemmon withdrew.
Linda Newing Linda Newing never envisioned herself running for public office. “I don’t come from a hugely
active political family,” she said. But the prospect seemed to grow on her as she volunteered on the Newcastle Community Activities Commission and contributed to meaningful neighborhood enhancements. That, coupled with her experience in municipal government, set the 11-year Newcastle resident on what she called a “surreal, humbling” journey toward elected office.
“Yes, I know this is politics, but I don’t view it that way,” she said. “I view it as community service at a higher level.” Newing joined the Community Activities Commission in 2013, and now serves as the vice chairwoman. In her role, she had a heavy hand in establishing Little Rhody Park and planning volSee COUNCIL, Page 9
Linda Newing
Victoria Sandoval
Groundbreaking times two Council approves speed humps for Southeast 75th Street corridor
Aegis Gardens, Atlas bring one-of-a-kind communities
By Christina Corrales-Toy
By Christina Corrales-Toy History is one of Newcastle’s greatest assets. The Eastside suburb’s story dates back more than 150 years, when it was the second largest town in King County. During that time, coal was king, and Newcastle had plenty of it. That history was at the forefront of attendees’ minds July 30, when nearly 300 people gathered in Newcastle to celebrate the groundbreaking of a unique Aegis Living retirement community. Aegis Gardens, a luxury senior living community built for Chinese-American retirees, will sit on the shores of Lake Boren, not far, incidentally, from Newcastle’s China Creek. China Creek was so named for the Chinese mine and railroad workers who built small huts along the creek, away from the main mining camp in the late 1800s, according to Rich Crispo, a Newcastle Historical
By Greg Farrar
Breaking ground on Aegis Gardens July 30 are (from left) Newcastle Mayor Steve Buri; Aegis Living founder and CEO Dwayne Clark; former U.S. ambassador to China, Washington state governor and King County Executive Gary Locke; and current King County Executive Dow Constantine. Society member and City Councilman. “It’s fitting that this facility is in Newcastle. Right here on this very ground is where the first Chinese immigrants came to our part of the world,” King County Executive Dow Constantine said at the special groundbreaking ceremony. Billed as the first project of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, Aegis Gardens is a 110-unit waterfront community sitting on a little more than seven acres. The facility will offer the
Dr. Mike Lee Specializing in Children’s Dentistry
same high-quality assisted living and memory care that Aegis Living is known for with an added emphasis on the Chinese culture, which will be reflected in everything from the building’s construction to the staff. Chinese design aesthetics, the principles of Feng Shui and Northwest craftsmanship make up the elements incorporated in the facility’s architecture. Programming will include everything from celebration of Chinese holidays to sit-down See HISTORY, Page 9
Newcastle resident Jo Ann Pancheri often sits in her home, peering out the window, clutching her phone and waiting for the worst. Her house sits at the intersection of Southeast 75th Street and 125th Place Southeast, a corridor where neighbors have repeatedly asked for traffic-calming measures. Pancheri has an unobstructed view to the speeding and nearmiss accidents that community members say plague the neighborhood. “I wait every day with my phone waiting to call 911,” she told the Newcastle City Council on July 21, illustrating her fear of witnessing a major accident. Neighbor after neighbor told similar stories of heart-pounding close calls and a reluctance to let children play in the front yard due to speeding concerns. “This is an accident waiting to happen,” resident Laura Peterson said. “I would hate to see changes being made because
there’s been a tragedy that has occurred on our street.” The community wanted speed humps installed, and residents have relayed that message to the council at more than one townhall meeting and past council meetings. This time, however, residents got their wish. At its July 21 meeting, the Newcastle City Council directed its public works department to install speed humps on the Southeast 75th Street corridor. “We’ve talked about it a lot, we put money aside to do something and now I think it’s time to do something,” Newcastle City Councilman Rich Crispo said. The council voted 5-1 in favor of the speed humps, despite Public Works Director Jeff Brauns’ earlier presentation that suggested alternative measures. Councilwoman Carol Simpson was the lone dissenter, while Deputy Mayor John Drescher was not in attendance. See HUMPS, Page 9
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