newcastle news 12_2012

Maywood program makes an !MPACT Page 14

Highlanders defeat rival Liberty, 50-44 Page 16

December 7, 2012 VOL. 14, NO. 3

Newcastle Library opens Dec. 8 Friends group can’t wait for library opening

By Christina Corrales-Toy

’Tis better to give

YMCA group creates stockings for the needy.

Page 8

All the right moves

Newcastle girl dances in ‘Nutcracker.’

Page 9

Police blotter

Page 19

You should know The city provides audio recordings of City Council, Planning Commission and Parks Commission meetings on its website.

Listen to the meetings at www.ci.newcastle. wa.us/city_council/ council_audio.htm.

It’s been several years in the making, but the time has finally arrived. The Newcastle Library will open its doors to the community the morning of Dec. 8.

Patrons won’t be able to avoid the new book smell as the shelves in the 11,000-squarefoot building will be filled to the brim with more than 40,000 new items on opening day.

“You’re going to see the shelves completely packed and if you come in on Monday morning after opening day, we’re going to be bare,” said Amy Eggler, a King County Library System cluster manager.

Mithun architects designed the facility around the concept of “a community celebration of knowledge.”

The theme literally runs through the vast wall of windows that define the building, with a subtle, yet significant design pattern that runs across the panes. The light-filtering pattern on the glass was designed to resemble a human brainwave when gaining knowledge.

When visitors first step into the library, they will enter the reading room, a multifunctional space that will include a teen area, computers and an endless collection of books, music, movies and magazines.

See LIBRARY, Page 6

50 ¢

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Library assistant Andy Akada places books on the shelves ahead of the library’s Dec. 8 grand opening.

The Newcastle Library’s Dec. 8 opening could not come soon enough for members of the Friends of the Newcastle Library group.

The group’s secretary, Sue Beverly, likened the anticipation to an eager child waiting to open presents the day before Christmas.

“Every time I think about it I just get the giggles,” she said.

Friends groups are common in the King County Library System. There are currently more than 35 Friends groups, according to the KCLS website.

The groups hold ongoing book sales and collect membership dues to raise funds to support special projects and activities for their local libraries.

The Newcastle group has been busy collecting book donations and setting the organization’s structure at its monthly meetings.

The group already has more than 50 boxes filled with donated books held in storage. Once the library opens, the organization will host an ongoing book sale to benefit the library.

See FRIENDS, Page 6

Council passes 2013 budget with few changes Several transportation projects put on the books

By Christina Corrales-Toy

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

By Christina Corrales-Toy

The Newcastle City Council voted to pass its 2013 budget at its Dec. 4 meeting, and other than adding transportation projects, it does not look significantly different from the document presented to the council about two months ago.

The 2013 budget does not add any new taxes, with the

council deciding against taking an allowable 1 percent increase in property tax, even though it did so a year ago.

With the city in better financial shape, including an expected $200,000 surplus from 2012, and a 2013 budget that is balanced, the council did not see a viable reason to take the 1 percent.

“It’s pretty clear for me,” Councilman Steve Buri said at the Nov. 20 meeting. “If you don’t need the money, don’t take it from the taxpayers. And we have a balanced budget, so

why in the world would we raise taxes even a modest amount?”

Next year’s budget will improve public safety by adding a 50-50 shared detective to the Newcastle police force, which would increase costs by about $60,000 for detective services.

The 50-50 shared detective would ensure the city is allocated a half-time detective that will spend half of his or her time working for the city, and the other half working for the county.

The council did decide to go ahead with a reduction in

community staff, reducing the parks program manager from a full-time position, saving about $30,000.

“It was concluded based upon the evaluation of the work output that it is not a full-time position,” Councilman Bill Erxleben said. “The important work can be done with a .6 employee.”

Council members John Dulcich and Carol Simpson did make one last attempt to maintain the post as a full-time position at the Nov. 20 council See BUDGET, Page 3

Newcastle News

PAGE 2

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Chamber alters its structure for the new year

By Christina Corrales-Toy After receiving feedback from its members, the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce will hire a part-time executive director in an effort to increase its presence in the Newcastle business community.

A 2011 survey put out by the chamber asked its members whether it would like to see more networking events, and if so, would they be willing to pay higher dues to foot the bill.

“We got an overwhelming response saying that they wanted more opportunities,” said Angela Wingate, chairwoman of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce.

An executive director will allow the chamber to enhance its member services, Wingate said.

It will be the executive director’s job to find ways to provide more programs, networking opportunities and general benefits for chamber

members.

“The chamber is a unique way for businesses to be able to promote themselves because it’s more of a personalized approach in meeting with people and being able to network,” Wingate said. “Besides the chamber, there are no other opportunities here in Newcastle for businesses to get to know each other and help support each other.”

The chamber is expected to hire an executive director in January.

“We are hoping to kick off the new year and work on getting that person up and running for 2013,” she said.

Once an executive director is in place, members can expect to see more after-hours networking events, Wingate said.

“We are looking at increasing the number of after-hours events for businesses and also morning networking opportunities because we know businesspeople

Newcastle Chamber of Commerce just did not have the time to offer this service, Wingate said.

“We need someone that’s paid in order to do this, because it’s a lot of work,” she said.

While the executive director will help the chamber provide more services, the cost of the improvement will be seen in an increase in membership dues.

The chamber is expected to adopt a tiered membership system, Wingate said. For example, small businesses will be asked to pay $185 a year. It’s a steep jump from the current price of $50 a year, but Wingate said she hopes the increased networking opportunities will more than make up for the cost.

“That cost per year, especially for a small business, we see that as adding more than the value of that dollar in terms of the opportunities for them to be able to get out there and net-

On the web Learn more about the changes to the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce and what that means for membership dues at www.newcastlecc.com.

have different schedules and not everybody can make our monthly luncheons,” she said.

One new service that Wingate said she is eager to provide is a business directory and welcome basket for residents new to the Newcastle community.

“It will give the chamber a chance to help welcome somebody to the Newcastle area and let them know about all that the businesses have to offer,” she said.

It is common for active chambers to provide welcome materials and a community business directory, but with its current structure, the

Chiropractic Wellness Center hosts 12 days of Christmas The Chiropractic Wellness Center will officially kick off the holiday season with a tree-lighting ceremony at 5 p.m. Dec. 7 at its office, 6965 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. Attendees can get in the holiday spirit with hot chocolate and candy canes as they watch the ceremony.

It will also be the first day in the center’s 12 days of Christmas promotion, which will award prizes every weekday through Dec. 24.

Patrons are encouraged to send the “Gift of Health,” a voucher which equates to a consultation valued at $200 with one of the center’s doctors, to a friend or loved one.

It’s free to send the gift and those who do it will be entered into the drawing to win one of the daily prizes.

All of the prizes are donated by businesses in the Newcastle area and include gift certificates and massage packages.

Learn more about the event and how to get the “Gift of Health” vouchers by calling Lucie Pezzner, of Chiropractic Wellness Center, at 641-7470.

work in Newcastle,” she said.

In addition to the tiered membership, the chamber will also have a sponsorship system where businesses can choose to sponsor chamber events.

“We’re trying to be cognizant of keeping our costs low and making sure they are reasonable,” Wingate said. “The cost is less than other chambers in the region, so we’re still very, very low, but we do have to increase it in order to pay for a staff person.”

The chamber’s board members are all very excited for the change and hopeful that others will be too, Wingate said.

“I’ve been on the board going on four years, and it’s come around to where we are at a critical point for growth,” she said.

“I just hope everybody comes together and helps to support this effort because without them, we can’t make this happen.”

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DECEMBER 7, 2012

City hires new director of community development Tim McHarg has been hired as the city’s new director of community development.

The position became available after Steve Roberge, who had been with the city for more than five years, headed to Istanbul, where his wife received a fellowship, in early September. City Manager Rob Wyman had assumed the position’s duties since.

The city held a meetand-greet with the three final candidates Oct. 24 and put the applicants through a thorough interview process, which included a mock Newcastle City Council meeting.

“It was literally like he had worked here for a year,” Wyman said of McHarg’s interview. “He understood the issues, he understood the city and he was calm, cool and col-

lected up there while we were grilling him.”

McHarg was previously the planning director in Bozeman, Mont.

The director of community development manages all functions of the Community Development Department, which includes the Building and Planning divisions.

The Building Division administers permit and code enforcement activities.

The Planning Division is responsible for administering the city’s Comprehensive Plan, zoning code, land use and development, and other growth management plans, and it processes new residential and commercial applicants.

The director works closely with the City Council and Planning Commission.

McHarg’s first day was Dec. 3.

Budget

to prioritize the position’s duties.

“There will certainly be things that we can’t do,” he said. “I mean you can’t just lop off 40 percent of a person and say we are going to do the same amount of work.”

In addition to pedestrian improvements on 116th Avenue Southeast, there are also funds allocated to add sidewalks to a portion of Southeast 73rd Place and repair phase one of Coal Creek Parkway in 2013.

The city secured a $400,000 grant from the

From Page 1 meeting, but the motion failed, 5-2.

City Manager Rob Wyman said he would have preferred to keep the role at a full-time position, rather than the six-tenths it was reduced to, but he understood the council’s reasoning.

The reduction will have an impact, Wyman said, and the next step will be

PAGE 3

Back tracking: an ongoing series about the history of Newcastle

Courtesy of the Issaquah History Museums, FIC – 2001-16

A steam donkey pulls mine cars from the Newcastle mine, in a photo dated circa 1900. Newcastle was renowned for its coal production and played a role in transforming Seattle into a major port, thanks to the coal mine.

By the time the mine closed in 1963, workers had extracted more than 10 million tons of coal.

If you have historical photos of your own that you’d like to share, email them to us at newcastle@isspress.com.

state’s Transportation Improvement Board to fund half of the cost of the Coal Creek Parkway project.

The council voted to fund the remaining $425,000 for the project by transferring $225,000 from the general fund ending balance and taking the rest from the real estate excise tax fund.

By doing that, the city will still be able to use the full $683,000 in pavement overlay for other city streets.

“My thought is to get this fully funded without

robbing from our overlay,” Dulcich said.

Between the Coal Creek Parkway project and the $683,000 for other streets, the city will spend about $1.5 million in pavement overlay next year.

“Any talk of us underfunding our overlay is not accurate for next year,” Wyman said. “We are going to spend a lot of money next year.”

Including the sidewalk projects, the city will spend close to $2 million on transportation improvements in 2013,

which will have city staff members working at full capacity.

“I do think it’s a lot of projects, and I have confidence in our staff to figure out how to manage them,” Deputy Mayor Lisa Jensen said.

To manage all of the projects, Wyman said the city would have to increase staffing or consulting hours.

“We have a lot of projects coming in the door, so the good news is we can offset those costs with the development revenue

that is coming in, but it is a lot to manage,” he said.

At the Dec. 4 meeting, the council voted 4-1 in favor of passing the budget, with Erxleben dissenting. Mayor Rich Crispo and Buri were not in attendance.

Erxleben said he voted against the 2013 budget because he believes the six-year financial forecast is too aggressive in forecasting revenues from potential projects and understates expenditures for pavement management in the future.

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Opinion

PAGE 4

Editorial

Letters

Council, staff should be applauded for budget

Discuss annexation now

C

DECEMBER 7, 2012

First annexation by Bellevue is a distraction and now it is “premature” to discuss annexation. And next it will be too late.

Given the previous reports

ity Manager Rob Wyman, Finance Director Chris Olson and the entire Newcastle City Council should be applauded for their work on the city’s 2013 budget.

In a landscape where citizens are often being asked to shoulder taxes upon taxes to help cities stay afloat during difficult economic times, the City Council approved a 2013 budget that includes no new taxes.

On top of that, the 2013 budget increases public safety, adequately funds pavement management and works quickly to fix the Coal Creek Parkway issues.

It will also make certain Newcastle streets safer for kids walking to Hazelwood Elementary School and eventually the new middle school, with the sidewalk project on 116th Avenue Southeast.

It even takes into account the safety of certain Newcastle Library patrons who walk to the site with its Southeast 73rd Place improvements.

The quick work of Public Works Director Mark Rigos and city engineer Kerry Sullivan to secure a $400,000 grant for the Coal Creek Parkway project should also be commended.

The grant will thankfully allow the city to do the repairs in 2013, before further damage results in an increased cost to the city.

Including the addition of a new 50-50 shared police detective, the 2013 budget has the great potential to make Newcastle a better, safer place to live, work and play.

However, we do wish more of an effort was made to keeping the parks manager position on a full-time basis. We can only hope that the reduction does not negatively impact community events and other work done by the Parks Commission.

Also, we worry that city staff is taking on too much in terms of capital projects. While it’s great that the city is able to financially do all of these projects, we hope that the proper care is taken to make sure that they are done thoroughly and well.

While no one can tell exactly what the future holds for the city of Newcastle, pending development of major projects such as the Mutual Materials site, the immediate future, at least, does indeed look bright.

about budget issues, when will it not be premature to investigate the option? At some point, it will be moot because nobody is going to absorb excessive debt.

We can only afford to have

one police officer on duty at times, per previous articles, and it is not time to start looking at all options?

Bill Juliano Newcastle

learned it by heart from reading it so many times to my children, I often recite a stanza or two from one of the poems to mark one of those quotidian, but still heart-lifting moments — “How do you like to go up in a swing, up in the sky so blue...” or “In winter, I get up at night and dress by yellow candlelight...”

Like music, it never loses its lilt.

— Sue Beverly

with their decorative holiday lighting (imported Italian twinkle lights).

— Dave Martinez

What’s the best way to celebrate the holidays?

Slowing down and spending time with family and friends.

— Peter Zevenbergen

Rapid Response In honor of the Newcastle Library’s grand opening, what is your favorite book and why?

My favorite book is Rachel Carson’s “Silent Spring.” It was the driving force that opened people’s eyes to issues and the long-range complications of not understanding how we affect the health of our environment.

It tweaked the consciousness, catapulting the environmental movement. She died early of cancer, but I’m sure she would have had a lot more to say.

— Grace Stiller

Spending time with family, of course. A very close second would be an evening drive around the neighborhoods to see how creative the “Clark Griswolds” of Newcastle can be

Want to contribute your thoughts on Newcastle happenings? Receive rapid response questions every month by emailing newcastle@ isspress.com.

Newcastle at these August meetings: q The City Council will have a regularly scheduled meeting at 7 p.m. Jan. 2 at City Hall, 12835 Newcastle Way, Suite 200. The Dec. 18 meeting has been canceled. q The Parks Commission is

scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Dec. 12 at City Hall. q The City Council’s Economic and Community Development committee will meet at 8 a.m.

Dec. 11 at City Hall. q The Planning Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 19 at City Hall.

Mine would be “A Child’s Garden of Verses.” Having

Public meetings 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 better

Poll question

Share Your Views

How often do you plan to use the new library?

Citizens can make a difference by contacting their elected representatives.

www.governor.wa.gov

State — Governor

Mayor Rich Cripso: richc@ ci.newcastle.wa.us Deputy Mayor Lisa Jensen: lisaj@ci.newcastle.wa.us Councilman John Dulcich: johnd@ci.newcastle.wa.us

A. Almost every day B. About once per week C. About once a month D. I don’t plan to use the library.

Vote at www.newcastle-news.com.

Newcastle news Published since 1999 by

Is s a q u a h Pre s s , In c .

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

I love being with my husband, friends and family for the holidays. I also love visiting holiday lights and doing other festive holiday things during the holiday season!

— Jackie Foskett

Gov. Chris Gregoire (D), Office of the Governor, P.O. Box 40002, Olympia, WA 98504-0002; 360-902-4111;

City

Councilman Steve Buri: steveb@ci.newcastle.wa.us Councilwoman Carol Simpson: carols@ci.newcastle. wa.us Councilman Sonny Putter: sonnyp@ci.newcastle.wa.us Councilman Bill Erxleben: bille@ci.newcastle.wa.us

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

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Christina Corrales-Toy ������������������������ Reporter

Newcastle News welcomes signed letters to the editor.

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Newcastle News

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

Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

City sponsors Hopelink benefit Community members are invited to join city staff members in participating in a food and gift drive to benefit Hopelink, a local nonprofit organization that serves homeless and low-income families, children, seniors and people with disabilities.

The city will collect donations of nonperishable food and gifts for children and teens until Dec. 13.

Suggested gifts include warm clothing, batteries, preschool toys, children’s craft kits or art supplies, toy cars and children’s books.

Donations can be dropped off in bins just outside the elevators of City Hall, 12835 Newcastle Way, Suite 200.

Learn more by calling 649-4444.

Help families displaced by fire

The Newport Hills Community Church hosts a pancake breakfast fundraiser to assist families displaced by a Nov. 27 fire at the Newporter Apartments in Newport Hills.

Proceeds from the Dec. 8 breakfast will help with the cost of temporary housing for the six displaced families.

The fundraiser is from 9-11 a.m. at the Newport Hills Community Church, 5833 119th Ave. S.E. To learn more, call 7468034.

PAGE 5

Timeline set for middle school construction The Renton School Board has approved a timeline to construct a new middle school on the site of the current Renton Academy.

Construction is set to begin in March 2015 on what will be the district’s fourth middle school, which was made possible thanks to voter support of an April 2012 bond measure. The $97 million bond measure will fund the school, improvements to the Lindbergh High School pool and other construction costs.

The middle school is slated to open in fall

2016. It would accommodate students that are currently in second through fourth grades.

Newcastle residents won’t see a lot of work happening at the site until demolition of the old school begins in June 2014, but internally, planning for the school is already well under way, district spokesman Randy Matheson said.

Prior to demolition in 2014, the district will relocate the Renton Academy program to another site.

A group is already at work assembling the education specifications for

Your Dreams, Our Strategies

the new school, which include determining the number of classrooms and other learning spaces, as well as the type of classes that will be offered.

Members of the district staff have also been working with architects and engineers on preliminary zoning and code issues and site surveys.

District officials are also working with school principals to form a committee comprised of parents and staff members to create enrollment boundaries for the new school. The committee is expected to work fast, completing boundary work by

February 2013.

Renton School District middle schools are among the largest in the state, with enrollment at McKnight, Nelsen and Dimmitt middle schools well above Washington’s state average of 609 students in 2011. McKnight and Nelsen each had more than 1,000 students, while Dimmitt had about 950 for the 2011-2012 school year.

So, the district’s fourth middle school fills a great need for the district, Matheson said.

The new middle school does not alter high school boundaries,

so regardless of where students attend middle school, once the new school opens they will still go to the same high school they would have before the school opened, Matheson said.

“It’s going to be real exciting once we start construction,” he said.

“It’s exciting for the Newcastle community and the Renton School District.”

The school will be at 6928 116th Ave. S.E. Learn more about the middle school and get updates at the district’s website, www.rentonschools.us.

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PAGE 6

Library

If you go

From Page 1 In addition, the library includes a community meeting room, private study rooms and a children’s area decorated with an early literacy mural.

The reading room is an incredibly open and versatile space with sliding glass doors that can be adjusted to offer more seating when meeting rooms aren’t being used.

“We try to make our spaces as flexible as possible, because different kinds of days, people have different ways they want to use the library,” Eggler said. “So, we try to design it to let us get as much use for as many people as possible.”

The library will also have

Friends From Page 1 “All of the fundraising that we do goes into the Newcastle Library, it doesn’t go into the system as a whole to be spent at some other library,” Beverly said. “It stays right here in our community.”

The possibilities are endless when it comes to putting on programs and events at the new library, and the group is excited to help contribute funds to support them, Beverly said.

Worship Directory Assembly of God

Newcastle Library grand opening ribbon cutting ceremony q 9:30 a.m. Dec. 8. q 12901 Newcastle Way q Guest speakers include Mayor Rich Crispo and Julia Hunter, president of the Friends of the Newcastle Library. q Parnassus Project performs chamber music at 10 a.m.

plenty of seating, Eggler said, including a cyber bar that will run the length of the windows, providing countertops with power outlets so people can bring laptops and use the library’s Wi-Fi. Sustainability was an important feature in the library’s

“It really varies from one library to another,” she said. “Some places they like art programs, other places they like cooking classes, and at some libraries it’s all about the literature and writing workshops.”

Carol Simpson, the group’s treasurer, said the group wants to get input from the community on what exactly they would like to see the library offer.

“I like anything that benefits the children, including story times and study halls,” she said. “But we’d like to hear from the public about what they’d like to have in the way of

Messianic

design, which can be seen in many of the building’s details.

A geothermal heating and cooling system will conserve energy, while radiant heated floors will distribute heat from the ground up, maintaining a consistent temperature. The library also includes a green roof that will reduce stormwater runoff and keep the building cool during summer.

In addition, the library’s design hearkens back to an aspect of Newcastle history with its brick detailing, reflecting the city’s past in brick production.

More than a building As excited as Newcastle citizens are for the grand opening, the library’s staff might be even more excited.

The Newcastle Library will be one of three libraries that Eggler will manage, and she can’t wait

extra services and events.”

The best way to ensure the library offers fun, engaging programs is to join the Friends group, Simpson said.

As a benefit of membership, people will have the opportunity to interact with the librarians and help shape programming.

“If you want to see programs, be a member and help put on those programs,” Simpson said.

“I mean, there’s nothing like being a member of the group to make sure you are getting out of the organization what you want.”

Membership dues range anywhere from $5 to $15 and are paid on a yearly basis. The Friends group

DECEMBER 7, 2012 to settle in and become part of the Newcastle community.

“What’s going to be exciting is that we’re going to have a lot going on that’s in the building, but the library, we don’t just exist as a building. We really exist as a presence in the community and this is sort of a launching pad,” she said.

Some library staff members are already a bit familiar with Newcastle patrons that visit surrounding libraries, said Vicki Heck, the adult services librarian at the Newcastle location.

“I think those patrons are going to be excited to have a closer, more convenient library where they can access all of King County Library’s awesome materials that are available to them,” she said.

The library staff expects to be active members of the community, offering programs, events

already has about 30 members, but organizers expect that number to dramatically increase once the library opens. Representatives from the group will sell memberships at the library’s grand opening.

“We wanted to make the membership affordable so that people would want to join,” Beverly said. “One reason why I would hope we get a lot of members is that everybody brings something. They bring ideas, they bring energy, they bring special talents and abilities, and professional connections.”

Beverly said she can’t imagine her life without a library. As a child, she’d

Schedule The Newcastle Library’s hours of operation are: q Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. q Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. q Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. q Closed Sundays q Learn more at www.kcls.org/ newcastle.

and workshops to benefit the local residents.

“It’s just going to be the start of a beautiful relationship with the Newcastle community, and I’m excited about that,” Heck said. “I just feel that the Newcastle community is ready for us, and they have been for years, so it’s just amazing.”

visit a library on a weekly basis and the habit has continued to this day.

Now, with the Newcastle Library’s opening, the drive won’t be as far.

“To me, the library is kind of the ultimate gift card — it never runs out, and you can always go down there and get as many as you want,” she said. “I’m just so excited.”

While Simpson admitted she is not a huge library user, she is excited for the opportunities that the library will bring to local businesses and organizations.

“The thing that is so good about our library, besides it being a com-

Get involved Learn more about the Friends of the Newcastle Library group by emailing NewcastleLibraryFriends@ comcast.net munity asset, is that it is an economic drive that is bringing more people to Newcastle,” she said.

The group is seeking volunteers to help manage the ongoing book sale once the library opens.

Volunteers must be members of the Friends group to assist, due to insurance purposes.

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Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Liberty graduate wins PEMCO contest

By Christina Corrales-Toy PEMCO Insurance introduced audiences to Sandals & Socks Guy, Goat Renter Guy and First Snowflake Freakout Lady through its offbeat advertising campaign highlighting Northwest Profiles.

Now, you can add I Don’t Need Sunscreen Guy to the list of quirky Northwest characters, after the company announced the winner of its contest seeking new profiles for the “We’re A Lot Like You. A Little Different.” advertising campaign.

Liberty High School graduate Alex Bell and a team of fellow University of Southern California students created the 30-second video poking fun at Northwesterners who leave the sunscreen at home in the hopes of soaking up the sun on their way to a natural tan. But the result is often more sunburn than tan, as the video illustrated.

“I saw somebody take off their sunglasses and they had a bit of a sunglass line on the side of their face, it was a tan, but then I laughed and thought of

the people who take off their sunglasses and have those ridiculous burn marks,” Bell said. “So, we just rolled with it.”

Bell, along with fellow film school students Austin Thompson, Edd Benda and Ron Hill, came up with about 50 ideas before deciding to shoot and edit four of them.

In addition to the winning video, the group also submitted Lawn Perfectionist Guy, Pickup Truck Swimming Pool Guy and Mr. Crazy Coupon Collector Guy. Bell, a 2009 Liberty graduate, said the characters he met while growing up in the area inspired him.

“I just went through my mind of all of the people in my life and all of the things that I have done, and it was easy to come up with some ideas,” he said.

A group of judges, including Seattle Times columnist Ron Judd and Henry Dardenne, better known as the voice of the PEMCO ads, selected Bell’s submission to win the grand prize of $5,000.

“There were so many creative, clever and funny

entries, that is was tough to choose the finalists,” PEMCO spokesman Jon Osterberg said. “In the end, our Northwest judges made the final choices. We like Alex’s submission because so many of our Northwest neighbors can relate to it, especially those west of the Cascades.”

The film school students plan to use the prize money to work on future projects, Bell said.

“I think I can speak for all of us when I say the whole ‘poor, starving artist’ thing has some truth to it,” he said. “So, it’s nice to be able to have some money to spend toward future endeavors.”

He’s not sure what exactly PEMCO will do with the video, but if the company decides to reshoot it with a higher production value, Bell said he hopes they enlist the star of the video, his fraternity brother Jake Rush, to do it.

While a student at Liberty, Bell had already caught the filmmaking bug and went on to produce video highlights of the Patriots’ sports teams and a video for the school administration, titled, “A

On the Web Watch Alex Bell’s prizewinning submission and other entries in the PEMCO Insurance contest at www.youtube.com/ northwesttypes.

Day in the Life at Liberty.”

Bell, who grew up in Newcastle, also won a Newcastle Chamber of Commerce Diamond Award for his community service work in 2007.

He is currently in his last semester at the prestigious USC film school.

It’s been an unforgettable experience, he said, and he appreciates the relationships he has cultivated over the past four years.

“The one thing that I’ve been able to do that has been the most beneficial is just work with other filmloving students,” he said.

“The hope is that sometime 10 to 15 years down the line we are continuing to work together, but instead of making little student films, we’re making big budget features for Disney, Marvel and Universal.”

PAGE 7

State seeks input on environmental rule change The state Department of Ecology is collecting public input on a proposed rule to give local governments, including Issaquah and King County, more flexibility for small construction projects.

The draft rule change to the State Environmental Policy Act aims to allow local governments more leeway to exempt minor construction projects from review under the law, such as small-scale residential housing developments, as well as certain agricultural, commercial office and school buildings.

The proposal also aims to simplify the checklist required under the law.

Residents can email comments to separulemaking@ecy.wa.gov.

Or, mail comments to Department of Ecology, P.O. Box 47703, Olympia, WA 985047600. Contact Fran Sant at fran.sant@ecy.wa.gov or 360-407-6932 with specific questions about the draft rule change.

The public comment

period is open through Dec. 11.

Costco challenges Quebec’s language requirement Issaquah-based Costco and other major retailers have challenged the Quebec government in court over the Canadian province’s strict language laws.

The laws require retailers to post signs and serve customers in French, the predominant language in Quebec. The province’s French language office called for retailers to add French phrases or slogans to signs, or face fines and legal action.

The plaintiffs’ suit, filed in October, asked the Quebec Superior Court to assess the French language office’s policy change.

In addition to Costco, other challengers include Best Buy, Gap, Guess, Old Navy and Walmart.

Some companies, notably KFC and Staples, translated store names in order to operate in Quebec. KFC is Poulet Frit Kentucky and Staples is Bureau en Gros.

Newcastle News

PAGE 8

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Chamber gives out its 2012 Diamond Awards

Jenna Boerboom

Claudio Guincher

Donald Maher

Apple Physical Therapy outstanding employee

Lake Boren Townhomes outstanding business

Hazelwood Elementary School

The Newcastle Chamber of Commerce recognized outstanding community members with its 2012 Diamond Awards at a Nov. 14 luncheon held at The Golf Club at Newcastle.

A recipient of a Diamond Award is chosen based on his or her contribution to the community of Newcastle.

This year there were six

award categories including business, citizenship, community leadership, customer service, education and employee.

Claudio Guincher accepted an award on behalf of Lake Boren Townhomes, which received the Diamond Award in the business category. The business award is given to a Newcastle

Angela Wingate

Lucie Pezzner

Lee Strom

Chiropractic Wellness Center

outstanding teacher

Chamber of Commerce community leadership

community service

Newcastle 5K Run/Walk outstanding citizenship

business that donates time, energy or resources for community events.

Lee Strom, who coordinates the yearly Newcastle 5K Run/Walk, won in the citizenship category. The citizenship award is presented to an individual whose commitment to the community inspires and motivates others in the Newcastle area.

Angela Wingate, chairwoman of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce, collected the award for community leadership. This award is given to an individual who demonstrates uncommon initiative and caring, setting an example in the community.

Lucie Pezzner, a patient coordinator with Chiropractic Wellness

Center, received the community service award.

The award is given to an individual, organization or public employee that demonstrates an uncommon commitment and enthusiasm that enriches the community.

Donald Maher, a teacher at Hazelwood Elementary School, accepted the education award, which is given

to an individual whose personal interest affects education and development of Newcastle students.

Lastly, Jenna Boerboom, of Apple Physical Therapy, collected the employee award, which is granted to an employee who continually works hard for his or her employer and demonstrates outstanding customer service.

YMCA group creates stockings for local needy families and children

By Christina Corrales-Toy

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Members of the Coal Creek Family YMCA’s active older adult program sift through mounds of treats as they fill stockings that will be donated to families in need.

The women of the Coal Creek Family YMCA’s active older adult program are giving back this holiday season with special handcrafted stockings for families in need.

A handful of women gathered at the YMCA Nov. 27, to fill stockings and bags with treats for men, women and children living in shelters.

It’s not the first year that the group has organized a holiday giving program, but this year’s haul is the biggest yet.

The group prepared more than 100 stockings for children, 16 goody bags for teens, 100 bags for women and 100 for men.

The children’s stockings were filled with handsewn toys, Beanie Babies, candy and breakfast bars.

The bags for women, men and teens were filled with random combinations of scarves, gloves and hats, thanks to the work of the group’s elite crafters. The bags also included personal care kits filled with

necessities such as soap and a toothbrush.

Many of the toiletries were donated by visitors at the Coal Creek location, where a donation bin was set up.

“People that come to the Y are very generous about contributing to this cause,” said Mary Lu Sansburn, one of the group’s leaders.

Renee Kroese, of Newcastle, eagerly knitted scarves and hats for the bags. It was a lot of work, she said, but it was all worth it, knowing that someone in need would be getting use out of them.

“It means a lot because it is such a small thing that I’m doing, but it could mean so much to someone else,” she said.

Despite dealing with more than 300 goody bags full of treats, the group remained determined, calm and collected in sorting through the piles of items that needed to be placed into sacks, Sansburn said.

“It’s gone fine because we’ve got some wonderful, wonderful people that

work so hard, and we could really depend on them coming in and volunteering,” she said. “So, it’s been fun, not stressful.”

Newcastle resident Priscilla Locke said she didn’t hesitate to help fill stockings.

“It’s a need, so that’s kind of a no brainer,” she said. “This is just one part of your life. Giving is just something that you do.”

The stockings and bags will be distributed to shelters in Bellevue and the Salvation Army in Renton.

The gifts will be just a small part of someone’s holiday season, Kroese said, but she hopes they bring some cheer to those in need.

“I remember when I was a child, and I was not homeless or anything. I had a good family, but we didn’t have a whole lot, and so even a small thing means a lot during the holiday season,” she said. “I think a lot of these youths don’t have that much, and I hope that it’s not so much the gift, but I hope that they get the feeling that somebody cares.”

Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 9

Newcastle dancer performs in ‘Nutcracker’ talk about how they got started,” Angelica Buri said. “A ballerina is not something that every girl can grow up to be, but if you’re wonderful and that’s what you want to do, then you know I support her in whatever she chooses to do.”

With Caitlin’s appearances in the “Nutcracker,” the show has become an important tradition in the Buri household. The family plans to attend opening night to

By Christina Corrales-Toy Few things signify that it’s the holiday season in the Northwest more than a trip to McCaw Hall to dazzle in the magical experience that is the Pacific Northwest Ballet’s “Nutcracker.”

It’s one of the most recognized and celebrated productions in the world, complete with graceful dancing, stunning props and the familiar sounds of Tchaikovsky’s distinguished score.

The show premiered in 1983 and it has continued to enchant audiences ever since.

For the past three years, 10-year-old Newcastle resident Caitlin Buri has been a part of the cast that brings holiday cheer to patrons across the Northwest.

This year, Caitlin will perform as a toy theater girl.

“I’ve performed in ‘Nutcracker’ before and it’s really fun,” she said. “This year, I have a longer part, and so I’m really excited about that.”

Caitlin began dancing when she was just 3 years old. She showed enough promise that she was able to enroll in the Pacific Northwest Ballet School as a kindergartener, and she’s been there for the past five years.

“She is in ballet with people that are at least a year, if not two years older than her in her level,” Angelica Buri, Caitlin’s mother, said. “So, besides loving it, she really is wonderful at it.”

The time commitment required of a dancer at

By Lindsay Thomas

Caitlin Buri, of Newcastle, tries on her costume during dress rehearsals for Pacific Northwest Ballet’s ‘Nutcracker.’

Caitlin’s level is significant. In addition to her attendance at a regular elementary school, she has dance class four days a week for nearly three hours a day. This does not include the extra rehearsals that came with her role in “Nutcracker.”

Rehearsals for “Nutcracker” are about an hour long, two hours long if it’s a dress rehearsal.

“Rehearsals are fun,” Caitlin said. “The teacher makes up a lot of jokes about it so he makes it more fun, but we all work

really hard.”

Caitlin said she does not mind the extra work since dancing is her passion.

“It’s fun to dance around, and I like it, and I’m pretty good at it,” she said.

Caitlin’s schedule requires a lot of driving around. Her dad, Steve Buri, joked that it was almost as if he and Angelica were her personal chauffeurs.

But the Buris couldn’t be prouder of their little dancer.

“She loves it, and it’s inspiring to go and listen to the principal dancers

watch Caitlin perform.

“They always have the advertising about how great it is, how magical it is to be a child and go watch it, and I think the neat part is that the experience is magical, even for the people that are in it,” Angelica Buri said. “It’s a big part of the holidays for her and as many performances or rehearsals she may have, that’s what the holiday season is for a ballerina.”

If you go ‘Nutcracker’ q McCaw Hall, Seattle Center q Dec. 7-29 q Tickets: $25 - $130 q Purchase in person at 301 Mercer St., by calling 206-441-2424 or at www.pnb.org.

Newcastle News

PAGE 10

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Laughing all the way

Ruminations on the back 40

By Pat Detmer

According to the King County parcel map, it’s 49,733 square feet, only an acre and small change. It belongs to the city of Newcastle and is described as “drainage and open area,” but it’s more than that. Its meaning to us dwarfs its relative size because it abuts our backyard and those of the Good Neighbors to the North and South, and it’s why we bought the house in the first place.

It’s property that’s not ours, and yet by osmosis and proximity, it is. Let’s call it our “fakerage.”

When we moved from the Midwest to Bellevue 40 years ago, we were surprised by the notion of greenbelts since there were none on the Illinois prairies. We’d lived at the edge of small farm towns

Obituary Rose Coulter Wisner Rose Coulter Wisner was born Aug. 17, 1963, in Seattle, and died Nov. 9, 2012, at Evergreen Hospice in Kirkland.

Wife and mother of three, she was a dedicated volunteer at St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic School in Bellevue, St. Monica Parish School on Mercer Island, and a stalwart rider and fundraiser for the Northwest JDRF Ride-to-

a few blocks from cornfields and hedgerows, so communing with Pat Detmer nature took only desire, 10 minutes and a decent pair of boots. Now — as we watch the Pugetopolis population climb eastward and up the hills — we understand and appreciate the notion of green space in ways that we never did before.

Some Newcastle fakerage is flat, and some surrounds unbuildable mountaintops. Ours is a basin, and at the bottom of it there’s a seasonal pond.

Frogs and ducks make noise and offspring there.

Snakes and skinks slither out of it and find drier places to lay in wait — like our garage — because they clearly enjoy the excitement of being discovered.

We’ve spotted bald eagles, green herons, pileated woodpeckers, and great horned owls. While sitting on our back deck, we’ve been surprised by passing families of deer and raccoons, and a bear once left a deposit of fresh scat near the bird feeders, confirming that not only do they do that in the woods, but they also do it along the periphery.

If you visit Google Earth (My advice: Don’t do it. It’s a fabulous time-suck like none other) and look down on Newcastle, you’ll see that more than half of us either edge up to fakerage or live within sight of it. My niece and nephew’s fakerage is a

cliff that drops at the end of their deck. Dana the Cartoonist has one that wraps his house in a half-embrace.

I write this in early in

November, and can now faintly see the homes on the other side through naked branches. The greatest upside to having acreage that’s not yours? You don’t

Cure Diabetes team.

She grew up the third of four children in Montesano, graduated Cum Laude from the Washington State University Edward R. Murrow College of Communications in Pullman in 1985, and worked as a writer and producer for KIRO-TV for 11 years.

Rose fought brain cancer with characteristic tenacity, faith, humor and grit — contributing numerous hours at the University of Washington

as part of an imaging study to advance brain cancer treatment. In September 2012, despite complete paralysis of her right arm and leg, and growing impact on her ability to speak, Rose completed 12 miles of the Lake Tahoe JDRF Ride in a specially adapted recumbent tandem bike. A few weeks later, she entered hospice.

She died at the age of 49.

Rose is survived by husband Cris Wisner; daughters Hanna, Bess and Avery; her mother and stepfather, Mary and

Rollie Hanna; brother Joe Coulter; and sisters Colleen Coulter Page and Cassie Coulter.

A vigil service was Nov. 15, 2012, at St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic Church in Bellevue. A Mass was said the following day, also at St. Madeleine Sophie Catholic Church.

Friends are invited to view photos and share memories in the family’s online guest book at www. flintofts.com.

— Flintoft’s Funeral Home and Crematory, 392-6444

John Urquhart takes office sheriff John Urquhart assumed office as King County sheriff Nov. 28, months after retiring as the agency’s longtime spokesman.

Urquhart, a former sheriff’s office sergeant, defeated the incumbent sheriff, Steve Strachan, 56 percent to 43 percent, after a contentious campaign.

Strachan, a former Kent police chief, and Urquhart debated how

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have to rake the leaves.

You can reach Pat Detmer, who considers herself the Japanese Knotweed Sheriff of her fakerage, at patdetmer@aol.com.

to lead the sheriff’s office after a series of audits lambasted how the agency operates.

The sheriff oversees a budget of about $150 million and about 1,000 employees, and leads the largest local police organization in the state after the Seattle Police Department.

Urquhart won election to fill the remaining year in former Sheriff Sue Rahr’s unexpired term, and is due to face voters again next year.

Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 11

Happy Holidays from the children & merchants of Newcastle

Drawing by Madison Kingett, 4th grade, Sierra Heights Elementary

451 Duvall Ave NE, Ste. 140 Renton, WA 98059

Across from the QFC/Bartell Drug shopping center Minutes from Lake Boren Park

425-228-KIDS (5437)

BELLEVUE - NEWPORT HILLS 5800 119th Ave S.E. • Bellevue, WA 98006 425-281-0997 • www.kumon.com

Drawing by Hayden Sky Kingett, 2nd grade, Sierra Heights Elementary

Shooting Star Preschool 4201 Sunset Blvd. N.E. Renton, WA 98059 (425) 271-8985 • www.amantepizzaandpasta.com

483 Duvall Ave NE Renton, WA 98059

425-254-1346

LAKEMONT ACADEMY

5015 Lakemont Blvd. SE Bellevue, WA 98006

425-564-8200

Drawing by Nolan, Age 6

Drawing by Violota

425.392.6434 Issaquah, WA 98027 www.newcastle-news.com

Newcastle Fruit & Produce Co. 13013 Newcastle Way Newcastle, WA 98059 425-227-8400

BELLEVUE - LAKEMONT 4957 Lakemont Blvd. # C-3 • Bellevue, WA 98006 425-647-8997 • www.kumon.com

Community

PAGE 12

Events Holiday Kickoff and Tree Lighting Celebration, presented

by Chiropractic Wellness, is from 5-6 p.m. Dec. 7 at 6965 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. There will be hot chocolate and candy canes, with a chance to win a free massage. Call 641-7470.

The Hazen Players present “A Christmas Carol” Dec. 7-8 at 1101 Hoquiam Ave. N.E., Renton. Call 204-4200.

The Newcastle Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon is from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Dec. 12 at Tapatio Mexican Grill, 6920 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. Guest speaker is to be determined. Cost is $20 for members, $25 for nonmembers.

A 5-Chamber Networking Breakfast, with members from the Issaquah, Sammamish, Mercer Island and Snoqualmie Valley chambers of commerce, is from 7:30-9:30 a.m. Dec. 14 at The Egg & Us, 375 N.W. Gilman Blvd., Issaquah. Cost is $15 for members, $25 for nonmembers. Make reservations at www. issaquahchamber.com.

The Newcastle Weed Warriors are hosting photos with Santa and free gift-wrapping from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 15 and 21 at KeyBank, 6917 Coal Creek Parkway. There will be five photo packages available starting from $15. Learn more at www.newcastleweedwarriors.org.

Get photos with Santa from 12:30-4:30 p.m. Dec. 21 at Chiropractic Wellness, 6965 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. Call 641-7470 to schedule a time.

Public meetings All city public meetings are at City Hall, 12835 Newcastle Way, Suite 200. Call 649-4444. q Economic and Community Development committee — 8-9 a.m. Dec. 11 q Parks Commission — 6-8 p.m. Dec. 12 q City Council meeting — 7 p.m. Dec. 18 q Planning Commission — 7-9 p.m. Dec. 19

DECEMBER 7, 2012

IN THE SPOTLIGHT Visit Santa and get gifts wrapped

Contributed

Santa will be available to chat and pose for photos with Newcastle residents at several events this month.

The Newcastle Trails board meets the first Monday of the month at 7 p.m. at Regency Newcastle, 7454 Newcastle Golf Club Road. Learn more at www. newcastletrails.org.

YMCA The Coal Creek Family YMCA, 13750 Newcastle Golf Club Road, has regular family programs for all ages. Get a complete schedule by calling 2821500 or go to www.seattleymca. org/Locations/CoalCreek/Pages/ Home.aspx. q Last Minute Holiday Gifts, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 12, $10 for members/$15 for nonmembers q Snowflake Lane family dinner, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Dec. 14, $3 for ages 3-13, $5 for ages 13 and older q Fun with Food: Holiday Cookie Craze, for a ages 3-10,

5:30-6:15 p.m. Dec. 19, $5 for members/$10 for nonmembers q Teen Winter Break: Snow Tubing and Teen Leadership, for ages 10-15, 8 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Dec. 21, Snoqualmie Pass, $40 for members/$50 for nonmembers q Teen Winter Break: Holiday Art at KTUB and indoor rock climbing, 8 a.m. to 6 a.m. Dec. 21, Snoqualmie Pass, $40 for members/$50 for nonmembers q Teen Winter Break: Holiday Festival and Family Fun Center, 8 a.m. to 6 a.m.

Dec. 27, Snoqualmie Pass, $40 for members/$50 for nonmembers q Teen Winter Break: Teambuilding at Bellevue Square and swimming, 8 a.m. to 6 a.m. Dec. 28, Snoqualmie Pass, $40 for members/$50 for nonmembers q Tumbling: Mommy/Daddy & Me, for ages 1-3, 10:45-11:30 a.m. Thursdays, $5 for mem-

Santa Claus will take time out of his busy holiday schedule to meet and take pictures with Newcastle residents this month.

His first appearance is from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 15 in the conference room at KeyBank, 6917 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. Then, on Dec. 21, he returns to pose from 12:30-4:30 p.m. at Chiropractic Wellness Center, 6965 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. Those interested in taking pictures at that location are encouraged to call 641-7470 ahead, for scheduling purposes, but drop-ins are also welcomed.

A professional photographer will be there both days.

Proceeds from the photograph sales benefit Weed Warriors and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound.

Volunteers from the Weed Warriors will also be available to provide gift-wrapping services both days. The group will be at KeyBank from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 15 and then again from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Dec. 21.

The Weed Warriors are still seeking volunteers to help wrap presents. Community service hours are available. Learn more by calling Grace Stiller at 206795-5783.

The Dec. 15 event is hosted by KeyBank; the Dec. 21 event is hosted by Chiropractic Wellness Center.

December 2012

January 2013

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bers/$9 for nonmembers q Diabetes Prevention Program, for ages 18 and older, starts Jan. 1, call for times or to sign up q Swimming lessons, for ages 3 and older, $54, call for age group times and dates q Itty Bitty T-Ball, for ages 3-4, Jan. 2 to Feb. 27, 4:30-6 p.m., $30-$56 q Tae Kwon Do, for ages 5 and older, Jan. 5 through March 28, $28-$54, call for age group times and dates

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Library events The Friends of the Newcastle Library meets from 7-9 p.m.

Dec. 11 at the Newcastle Library, 12901 Newcastle Way. The Newport Way Library is at 14250 S.E. Newport Way, Bellevue. Libraries will be closed Dec. 24 for the Christmas Eve holiday, Dec. 25 for Christmas Day, Dec. 31 for the New Year’s Eve holiday and Jan. 1 for New See CALENDAR, Page 13

Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Calendar From Page 12 Year’s Day. The following programs are offered the rest of the month: q Korean Language Story Time Series, for ages 3-5, 10:30 a.m. Dec. 7, 14 q Chinese Story Times Series, 10:30 a.m. Dec. 10 q Friends of the Newport Way Library Association meets at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 q Drop-in to learn about eBooks, for adults, 6 p.m. Dec. 11 q SAT Skills & Strategies, for teens, 1 p.m. Dec. 15 q Opera preview: “La Cenorentola,” for adults, 7 p.m. Dec. 18 q Computer class: “Internet Level 1,” for

Governor urges Congress to pass sales tax bill Gov. Chris Gregoire urged Congress on Nov. 26 — Cyber Monday, the largest online shopping day all year — to require online businesses to collect sales tax.

The governor said Washington businesses

adults, noon Dec. 19 q Chinese Story Time @ Kidsquest Museum, for ages 3-5, 6:30 p.m. Dec. 20 q Volunteer informational meeting, for teens and adults, 7 p.m. Jan. 2 q Study Hall, for teens, children and families, 2 p.m. Wednesdays and 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 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.

face unfair competition from online and mailorder retailers that fail to collect sales taxes.

The proposed Marketplace Fairness Act aims to give states the option to collect sales and use tax revenues from outof-state sellers.

Gregoire said the focus on taxation issues and the “fiscal cliff” present a good

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The Society of Artists for Newcastle, an art organization, is seeking new members. Call 2715822.

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 2550895.

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.

opportunity to address the issue.

The measure does not aim to raise additional taxes, but to collect existing taxes that go uncollected. The measure could generate $558 million in state and local taxes during the 2013-15 biennium and $934 million by the 2015-17 biennium, according to the state

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.

Health Angel Care Breast

Department of Revenue.

PTA gives Newcastle Elementary $26,000

Newcastle Elementary School received $26,000 in donations from its PTSA Nov. 7.

The money was accepted as two separate gifts from the school’s PTSA during the Nov. 7 Issaquah

PAGE 13 Cancer Foundationtrained survivors offer free emotional support to the newly diagnosed, enhancing emotional recovery while going through treatments. Go to www.angelcarefoundation.org.

Volunteers Newcastle Weed Warriors: Volunteers are needed to staff the information booth at Newcastle Days at Lake Boren Park, 13058 S.E. 84th Way. Learn more at www.newcastleweedwarriors.org.

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 Trails — trail

School Board meeting.

The largest one, $16,000, will be used to buy a SmartCart mobile computer lab, which will help teachers temporarily turn their classrooms into computer labs for specific lessons. The other $10,000 was donated with the intent to purchase new fitness equipment for the physical education program at Newcastle.

advocates and builders for Newcastle: The group has built and maintained miles of trails for the public throughout the city, and has regular meetings and work parties. Call 4539292, ext. 110. Learn more at www.newcastletrails.org.

Places to go Cougar Mountain Regional Wildland Park, on Lakemont Boulevard Southeast, is a 3,000-acre park with more than 30 miles of trails and the site of the 1880s coalmines. Go to www.metrokc.gov/parks.

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Schools

PAGE 14

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Hazelwood teacher honored for going above and beyond

By Christina Corrales-Toy Donald Maher does what any dedicated parent would do.

He is a fan at every extracurricular activity, including ballet and whatever sporting event is in season. He has fun with the kids, but he’s strict when he has to be. He puts time and energy into crafting a meaningful relationship with his kids. But most importantly, he teaches and inspires his children to want to be better.

The only thing is that Maher is not a father, per se; he’s a fifth-grade teacher at Hazelwood Elementary School.

“I don’t have any children of my own yet, so I look at my students like they are all kind of my children,” he said.

With the enthusiasm of a proud father, Maher spends his free time roaming the sidelines at soccer, baseball and football games, or sitting front and center at one of his students’ dance recitals.

It’s all a part of his

effort to show his students that he cares about their lives both inside and outside of the classroom.

“I want them to see that I’m not just here Monday through Friday and that’s all I’m here to do,” Maher said. “I want them to see that I’m interested in what they’re doing. It’s great when the students say, ‘You know, Mr. Maher is taking the time to come see me in my environment, so I’m going to give him everything I’ve got in his environment.’”

Maher’s outside efforts pay dividends in the classroom, stimulating the students to want to work harder, said Christina Mason, whose daughter Emma, now a seventhgrader at McKnight Middle School, had him for fourth and fifth grades.

“He takes an interest in the students’ families and their lives, and it makes them feel really important and it makes the kids want to really engage in class and what’s going on,” she said.

Emma Mason said Maher is easily one of her favorite teachers.

“He was nice,” she said.

“He treats his students more like people instead of just kids.”

It’s not often that a teacher will spend so much of his or her time continually engaging with students, but it’s all Maher has ever known thanks to Ms. McCalip, the fifthgrade teacher who inspired him to become an educator.

“I just remember her being really cool, someone I really looked up to,” Maher said. “She was almost like an adult that got me. She made it a point to see me outside of the classroom, so that’s why I try and do it with my students.”

That meant that as a kid growing up in California, Ms. McCalip would come watch Maher compete in his first love, baseball. Before Maher began his teaching career in Arizona, he played semiprofessional baseball.

He has continued to

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Donald Maher, a fifth-grade teacher at Hazelwood Elementary School, poses with his 2012 Diamond Award, which he proudly displays in his classroom. Maher won the award for his commitment to his students inside and outside of the classroom. keep the sport in his life by coaching with Eastside Select Sports.

“I enjoy coaching more than anything, more than playing,” he said. “I just love being able to share a lot of my experiences with the kids.”

Christina Mason described Maher as a bit of a celebrity in the Newcastle community.

“It’s funny, you go to him at Starbucks and say

hi, and like a celebrity, he and his wife are interrupted every five minutes when they are in public,” she said. “But you know, he just loves the community and he’s given back so much.”

Maher doesn’t mind engaging with students and parents outside of school; in fact, he loves it.

While he lives in Renton, he does all of his grocery shopping in Newcastle,

Maywood program makes an !MPACT

By Christina Corrales-Toy Most days of the week, it takes a bit of coaxing to get Maywood Middle School sixthgrader Alya Phillips out of bed.

But on days when she gets to go to !MPACT, an after-school enrichment program at the school, you don’t have to ask her twice to wake up.

“Usually during the week I’m really tired and I have nothing to do after school, and then I realize it’s an !MPACT day and it helps me get out of bed a little bit faster,” she said. !MPACT is a fun, engaging program that gives middle school kids a place to develop their interests and craft new relationships in a safe, Issaquah School District-monitored environment, said Karen Kirsch, the program’s site manager.

The program is already in place at middle schools across

the district, but this is !MPACT’s inaugural year at Maywood.

“It’s definitely growing,” Kirsch said. “We’re projected to be the biggest program on the south end in a few years. We’re going to be busting at the seams probably, because there isn’t really a program like this in this area.”

The district program combines tutoring, homework time, enrichment classes and recreation to provide a unique environment that not only benefits the children, but also assists working parents looking for affordable after-school care.

Maywood’s program has a plethora of activities to keep kids entertained, including a pool table, a foosball table, an Xbox and a Wii. But it’s not all fun, games and field trips, even though a lot of it is, Kirsch said. It’s also about doing homework and learning new things.

just so he can interact with the community.

“To be honest with you, I like running into parents and students in Safeway,” he said. “It’s fun. I like seeing people away from the school environment, just because I like to be able to interact on a normal basis compared to in a classroom.”

Maher’s dedication See TEACHER, Page 15

On the web Learn more about Maywood Middle School’s !MPACT program at http://bit.ly/Uc5BMV.

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Drew Fritz (left) and Will Dunlap play foosball at !MPACT, an afterschool enrichment program at Maywood Middle School.

For example, Kirsch plans technology lessons utilizing an iPad, hosts cooking classes and creates activities that force the kids to think critically about the world around them.

“It’s really driven by student interest, and we kind of explore different things that they want to do,” Kirsch said. “It’s a place to hang out, essentially, right after school and do something productive. That’s really what it is.”

Derrick Bridges enrolled his daughter Mikayla in the Maywood program and said he appreciates the fact that she is

doing something educational and fun after school.

“I work 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., so I can’t get her until the evening, and the fact that she can sit and learn and interact with other kids is just great,” he said. “I mean, they went to GameWorks last week and that’s stuff that I can’t quite do for her during the day, so it’s awesome.”

Mikayla’s favorite part about !MPACT is the opportunity to create new friendships with her fellow !MPACT participants.

“I would really miss these people if we didn’t have

!MPACT,” she said.

For Alya, the prospect of !MPACT is the main thing that keeps her going through a long, tiresome school day.

“I always look forward to coming to !MPACT,” she said.

“It doesn’t feel like you are at a daycare type thing. There’s pingpong, pool and a foosball table.” !MPACT is open weekdays after school, during school breaks and during the summer.

For the school year, the fee is $225 per month, if a child goes to !MPACT every weekday. The cost decreases depending on how many days a week a child attends.

Even with the fee, Bridges said he would recommend the program to any parent.

“You know it’s the most inexpensive thing for parents around and the most beneficial to your kids,” he said.

Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Renton superintendent joins governor’s staff Renton School District Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel will join Gov.-elect Jay Inslee’s administration as chief of staff when he takes office Jan. 16.

In a statement announcing her new position, Heuschel said that few opportunities could entice her from her current post, but the call to serve at the state level provides her an enormous opportunity to lead, impact public education and to help reform state government.

“Renton, the community and the school district, will always have a very special place in my heart,” she said in the statement. “It has become my family.”

Heuschel will remain with the district until mid-January, when she will begin her new, $165,000-a-year position.

Meanwhile, members of the district staff are working on a transition plan for the school board that includes selecting an interim superintendent and soliciting applica-

tions for a new one.

“We have an exceptional team already in place to support an interim arrangement,” Heuschel said in a statement. “District staff will work quickly to assist the school board in their work to find the right new superintendent to take this office.”

District spokesman Randy Matheson said the process to hire a new superintendent is expected to last several months as the district and a hiring firm collect applications, sift through résumés and conduct thorough interviews.

Before taking the helm at the Renton School District, Heuschel served as the deputy state superintendent for the Washington State Department of Education. She has also served as a school principal in the Yelm School District and has taught at West Point Military Academy.

Heuschel has served as the district’s superintendent for six years.

Teacher

dents, he was also honored for his work with an after-school tutoring program and the fifth-grade science camp.

“It was awesome,” he said of the award. “It’s an honor simply because it’s coming from the community in which I work in. I love how strong the community sense is in Newcastle.”

From Page 14 earned him a 2012 Newcastle Chamber of Commerce Diamond Award, which is proudly displayed in his classroom. In addition to his commitment to the stu-

Rotary clubs honor students of the month Rotary Club of Renton names student of the month Anna Diss, a senior a Hazen High School, was selected as a Renton Rotary Anna Diss Club Youth of the Month for November.

She maintains a 3.9 grade point average and has been involved with the construction of the yearbook, National Honor Society, Gordy Guides and the swim team.

Diss has received a scholar athlete honor, the Hazen Achievement Award, the Presidential Service Award and the Outstanding Junior Award.

She works part time at the Lakeridge Swim Club and volunteers with Camp

Heather Nelson, a language arts teacher at McKnight Middle School, has been selected as one of the Rotary Club of Renton’s teachers of the month for November.

Nelson attended Eastern Washington University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in English education.

She then enrolled at Lesley University, where she obtained a master’s degree in education, with a focus on curriculum and

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Rotary Club of Issaquah honors Liberty students The Rotary Club of Issaquah recently honored the following seniors as students of the month for October: Jessica Basi q Category of recognition: science q Parents: Sarbjlt and Gurjlt Jessica Basi Basi q Sponsoring teacher: Erin Stephens q Scholastic achievements: National Advanced Placement scholar, 5 on Advanced

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PAGE 15

instruction.

Nelson also earned an endorsement in school library and media, and Heather is currently Nelson working toward her National Board Certification.

She has taught in the Renton School District for 10 years.

Placement biology, AP U.S. history, AP language and composition q Activities: more than 400 hours of volunteer service, National Honor Society member q Scholastic interest: biology, psychology q Hobbies: reading, volunteering q Outside school affiliations: Puget Sound Blood Center volunteer, Watershed Report leadership team q Education goals: fouryear university, and then graduate school to earn an M.D. q Occupation/career: physician Michael Shaw q Category of recognition: math q Parents: Aaron Shaw, Jeri Bernstein q Scholastic achieve-

ments: National Merit Scholar, National Honor Society, 800 math SAT q Michael Athletic Shaw honors: cross country captain, lettered in wrestling every year q Scholastic interest: The Patriot Press’ The Beat editor, violinist in orchestra (four years) q Hobbies: varsity cross country and wrestling q Education goals: attend four-year college (MIT or University of Washington) to obtain engineering degree q Occupation/career: aerospace or mechanical engineering

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Sports

PAGE 16

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Highlanders defeat Patriots, 50-44

By Christina Corrales-Toy After the final buzzer rang in the boys basketball matchup pitting Renton rivals Hazen and Liberty high schools against each other, the court was filled with a sea of celebrating students — Hazen students, that is.

Hazen’s sizable student section, all clad in white, stormed the court at Hazen High School after the Highlanders knocked off Liberty, 50-44, Dec. 1.

“I know there’s a certain rivalry with Liberty and Hazen,” Hazen coach Ryan Thompson said.

“I don’t think the two schools are too fond of each other, so it’s a big win for us. They got us last year and we certainly wanted to get some revenge this year.”

Hazen got off to a quick start, outscoring the Patriots, 14-8, after the first quarter. The deficit widened before halftime, with the Highlanders leading Liberty, 28-20.

But the Patriots, following the guidance of new coach Omar Parker, refused to go down easily, putting together an inspired second half in

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Liberty High School’s Robbie Thomas is fouled by a Hazen High School defender as he goes for the basket. which Liberty actually outscored Hazen 24-22.

With just less than two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Liberty tied the game at 44. But the Patriots were never quite able to capture the lead and in the waning seconds of the game, the Highlanders pulled away.

“It was really a sign of toughness for us to come out and see how hard we would play tonight,” Thompson said of Hazen’s performance. “We didn’t

drop our intensity at all, so that was the biggest thing that I was proud of our guys for.”

Senior captain Brody Graybeal led the Highlanders in scoring with 15 points. Matthew Campbell led the Patriots with 15 points as well.

Thompson called the win a complete team effort, but did single out the play of junior center Anthony Phillips.

See BASKETBALL, Page 18

By Christina Corrales-Toy

Anthony Phillips, Hazen High School junior center, goes to the basket as Liberty defends during their Dec. 1 basketball game. Hazen defeated Liberty, 50-44.

Liberty fades to finish fourth in state soccer tourney Tara Johnson (11), Liberty High School junior midfielder, does half a fist-bump with Holy Names Academy sophomore midfielder Hannah Powers while going for the ball during the second period of their state 3A consolation final Nov. 17 in Puyallup.

Johnson scored for the Patriots Nov. 16 in the 2-1 semifinal loss to Columbia River.

By Greg Farrar

By John Leggett A Liberty High School girls soccer squad that breezed through the regular season to win the KingCo 3A with a 12-0-1 mark, and automatically punch its ticket to the state tournament as the conference winner, could not have met with worse fortune in the semifinal round of the state tournament held at Puyallup High School’s Sparks Field on Nov. 16 and 17.

In the semis, against Columbia River, Liberty was cruising along and it seemed as though it had secured a surefire 1-0 victory, courtesy of a Tara Johnson goal scored in the first half off a Katie Noonan assist.

Suddenly in the con-

test’s 69th minute, the Chieftains took one of their two kick-and-aprayer shots on goal they strung together during the entire game. It somehow got past one of the leading net minders in the state to knot the tally at 1 all.

The Chieftains shored up their defense to keep Liberty at bay the rest of the way in regulation, and after a pair of fiveminute overtime periods yielded no winner, the semis shifted into a shootout scenario, from which Columbia River emerged as the game’s winner.

With the state championship trophy now out of reach, Liberty showed its character by soldiering on to play the Holy Names Academy in Saturday’s consolation

encounter early the next day. After a scoreless first half, the Holy Names Academy Cougars’ Katie Chandler took an assist from Camariah King to notch the meeting’s only goal in the 57th minute. Holy Names’ goalie, Kayla Baskett managed to preserve the shutout, as she staved off all offensive threats attempted by Liberty, and the Patriots’ season ended as Holy Names registered a 1-0 conquest.

Tami Nguyen, the firstyear coach of Liberty and the fourth one that the Patriots have had in as many years, said there was no way she would call the season a disappointment.

“For these girls, espeSee SOCCER, Page 18

Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 17

Liberty, Hazen swimmers compete at state

By Lillian O’Rorke and Christina Corrales-Toy Liberty takes eighth After coming into the 3A state championship ranked 12th, the Liberty High School girls swim team racked up four topeight finishes to take eighth place overall with 98 team points.

With all of those points having been earned by underclassmen, coach Kris Daughters is already excited for next year.

“We are looking forward to the next couple of years. We should have strong teams,” she said after the meet. “The main state team is going to stay intact for the next two years.”

Daughters attributes a lot of the Liberty Patriots’ rise from their 12th-place ranking to an eighth-place finish to two freshmen: Ellie Hohensinner and Lauryn Hepp. Hohensinner finished the 500 freestyle with a time of 5 minutes, 18.88 seconds.

“It was really, really nice to see her drop that seven and half seconds in the 500 yesterday to make the top eight,” Daughters said. “When you are making the top eight as a freshman, that’s a pretty big deal. It means you are one of the top swimmers in the state. I think it gives you some confidence and excitement for the next three years.”

Hepp also had a lot to be excited about. Her preliminary time of 59.89 made her the only freshman in the top eight finals for the 100 backstroke. With a final time of 1:00.52, she finished in eighth place.

“Her confidence has just grown and grown and grown,” Daughters said.

Photos by Greg Farrar

Above, Mackenna Briggs, Liberty High School sophomore, swims in the 50-yard freestyle final Nov. 10 in 24.2 seconds, good enough for third at the 3A state swimming championships. At right, Talisa Wibmer, Hazen High School junior, swims her 100-yard backstroke race with a time of 58.05 seconds for a win during the consolation finals.

“Believe me, I did not expect her to go under a minute in the backstroke yesterday. When she did that, I was probably more surprised than she was … it was amazing.”

Hohensinner and Hepp, along with Mackenna Briggs and Cecilia Nelson, also swam as members of Liberty’s state 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. With a time of 1:54.47, the Patriots took seventh in the 200 medley relay. The girls came back later to take ninth in the 400 free relay with a time of 3:44.63.

Sophomore Kourtney Brunings swam in the consolation finals of the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke.

Hazen relay teams for the 200 medley and the 400 freestyle also swam in the consolation finals.

Wertman said he was particularly proud of outgoing senior Amy LeBar’s performance at the meet.

LeBar swam as a member of the relay teams and in the consolation finals of the 100 freestyle.

“This is her senior campaign and she swam as

well or better than I had hoped for to finish off her career,” he said.

The future should be a bright one for the Hazen girls swim team, Wertman said. Wibmer and Brunings are slated to return next year and freshman Kristin LeBar and Clarissa Mitchell both played breakout roles for the team.

“We had two young ladies, two young freshmen come in and immediately help us in Kristin LeBar and Clarissa Mitchell,” he said.

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Hazen places 14th At last year’s 3A state championships Hazen took home eighth place, but this year’s 14th-place

finish is not a disappointment, said Hazen coach Rick Wertman, considering the amount of talent the Highlanders lost after last year.

“I thought we had an exceptional season,” Wertman said. “We were eighth a year ago, but we lost a top-eight diver and we lost a top-eight swimmer.

So, losing that, I was ecstatic at the way we swam.”

Junior Talisa Wibmer swam in the consolation finals of the 100 freestyle and the 100 backstroke, placing ninth in both races.

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Briggs, a sophomore who painted her nails in Liberty colors blue, green and silver, earned the team’s top state finish when she took third in the 500 freestyle with a time personal best of 24.2.

“It’s just an awesome feeling,” she said after accepting her state medal.

“It’s just all the work that you do pays off when you go up there.”

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Newcastle News

PAGE 18

DECEMBER 7, 2012

Basketball From Page 16 “I thought Anthony Phillips, who is battling an ankle injury and just played through it, was really big for us inside,” he said. “I think he had nine rebounds and really was big inside and had some big baskets late.”

Parker said he was pleased with his team’s determination, especially in the second half, despite the loss.

“I thought our guys just played super hard,” he said. “I loved how connected we were emotionally. We really seemed to be playing for each other.”

Parker has a very experienced team to work with this year, with nine of his team’s 14 players being seniors.

“The difference between a sophomore and junior in high school and a senior is a pretty big leap and this group of seniors has shown great leadership,”

By Christina Corrales-Toy Contributed

Andy Jolly, Hazen High School junior forward, leaps and shoots as Liberty players Sean Campbell (left) and Robbie Thomas defend. he said.

Look for seniors Robbie Thomas, Timothy Phan, Tynan Gilmore, Dalton O’Brien and Matthew Campbell to play key leadership roles for this year’s team, Parker said.

While Liberty has experience, Hazen is just

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Hazen High School’s varsity girls cross-country team, named 2012 academic state champions with a collective grade point average of a near perfect 3.958, are (from left) Kate Ahearn, Alexis DeBrock, Cindy Truong, Vicki Tang, Laura Truong, Cassandra Slaugh, Kristin Ericksen, Alisha Piazza, Vivian Tang, Lucia Rios-Flores and Coach Sarah Menaul.

the opposite, with only three seniors on its varsity squad.

“We’re very young and a little green, but the good thing about that is we’ve got a long ways to go,” Thompson said. “I think we can really get to somewhere special by the end of the year if we keep working and stay together.”

Hazen runners are academic champs Hazen High School’s varsity girls cross-country team has been named academic state champions, thanks to the group’s combined grade point average of 3.958 through the fall sports season.

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cially the seniors, to accomplish what they have in the past four campaigns, under four different coaches, is pretty amazing. They finished second in state last year, so obviously we would have liked to be in the championship game this season. But I wouldn’t say that this season was discouraging by any means,” said Nguyen, adding that it was all about the journey the girls made together to reach the post-season, including a decisive 3-1 triumph over

The team, led by Coach Sarah Menaul, received its award at the state’s cross-country championship in Pasco Nov. 2-3.

“We try our best to excel in class, on the track and in all aspects of our lives,” Vicki Tang, the team’s captain, said. a very good Bonney Lake squad in the quarterfinals and the friendships they made along the way.

Additionally, Nguyen reported that for four of the seniors graduating in June will move on to play at the college level.

While senior midfielder Kiana Hafferty will stay in the Puget Sound area to play for Seattle Pacific University in 2013 on a soccer scholarship, fate has steered defender Katie Noonan southward, as she will play for Southeastern Louisiana University.

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Newcastle News

DECEMBER 7, 2012

PAGE 19

Newcastle teen races in Head of the Charles Regatta

By Christina Corrales-Toy It may be hard to believe that the mere sight of a waterway can bring tears to a person’s eyes.

But for a rower, it is nearly impossible to remain emotionless when standing at the foot of the iconic Charles River in Massachusetts, and it wasn’t any different for Newcastle teen Justyn Jacobs, who competed on the river in late October.

“They always say that when you see the Charles, you are going to cry because the river, the bridges, the Boston skyline behind it, is just breathtaking,” she said. “I couldn’t even have dreamed of something like that.”

The Charles River plays host to the marquee competition in the rowing community, the Head of the Charles Regatta.

College teams, Olympians and top junior rowers, like Justyn, gather at the river yearly to compete in the sport’s pinnacle event.

Only the best in the sport ever make it to the Charles.

So, it is a huge accomplishment for Justyn, who has only been rowing for a little more than two years, to compete in the event as a high school senior.

“Nobody gets to the Charles without working their butts off,” she said.

“So, to be a part of that, it’s just so amazing.”

Justyn is at the top of her game. She had the opportunity to compete in her sport’s premier event

Police blotter Where’s the music?

Between the evening of Nov. 2 and the afternoon of Nov. 3 an unknown suspect entered two parked cars in the 7500 block of 135th Avenue Southeast and took about 20 music CDs. There were no signs of forced entry in either vehicle.

Shattered An unknown suspect shattered a window of two different cars parked in the 8200 block of 154th Avenue Southeast between Nov. 2 and 3. A $1,500 laptop was stolen from one car, but nothing was taken from the

By James Conlu

Members of the Sammamish Rowing Association, including Newcastle resident Justyn Jacobs, compete at the prestigious Head of the Charles Regatta in October. Jacobs, a senior in high school, will row for Oregon State University next year.

and in just two years she’s become a highly recruited athlete, with college teams across the country clamoring for her services.

But even just a few years ago, she could have never imagined the whirlwind of success that has brought her where she is today.

“They always say that when you see the Charles, you are going to cry because the river, the bridges, the Boston skyline behind it, is just breathtaking. I couldn’t even have dreamed of something like that.”

— Justyn Jacobs Newcastle teen

‘Something that was hers’ Justyn, the youngest of three children, was used to standing on the sidelines.

She cheered from the stands as her older brother picked up state titles with

the Bellevue High School football team. She clapped from her seat in the auditorium as her older sister performed in a dance recital. She played sports, but struggled to find one that suited her.

“You know, this is the little girl that didn’t make the basketball squad and tried out for the cheerleading team and tried

other. The overall damage, including the laptop theft, was estimated at $2,800.

belongings was stolen, including a tablet computer, a GPS and a set of drills worth $700.

Prepare for flight

Check denied

More than $1,900 worth of personal belongings was stolen from a car parked in the 7400 block of 137th Place Southeast Nov. 3. Among the items stolen were a flight bag and an aviation headset worth $1,000.

A check was stolen from an outgoing mailbox in the 11200 block of Southeast 77th Place between Nov. 11 and 13.

The suspect washed the check and attempted to cash it at a bank in SeaTac, but was denied.

Rude awakening

Stolen mail

A victim awoke to find that his vehicle was damaged and contents stolen Nov. 7. The vehicle was parked in the 8400 block of 118th Avenue Southeast. More than $1,000 worth of personal

Several checks were reportedly stolen from an outgoing mailbox in the 11200 block of Southeast 76th Street between Nov. 12 and 13.

out for the drill team and just never kind of found her thing,” Janine Jacobs, Justyn’s mother, said.

She had never quite found a talent that truly belonged to her, that is, until she took up rowing the summer before her sophomore year of high school.

Justyn’s smile beams when she reminisces about the first time she tried rowing. On a whim, a high school friend encouraged her to try the sport and, despite the unruly 6 a.m. practice wakeup call, she decided to go through with it.

Janine will never forget the smile on her daughter’s face when she returned home after a rain-soaked practice. Right then, she knew that her daughter had found her passion.

“It was gross and muddy, but the only thing

Breaking and failing An unknown suspect attempted to enter two garage doors that hold tools for the maintenance department at Castle Creek Apartments, 7000 132nd Place S.E., on Nov. 15 or 16. The suspect damaged the doors but was unable to gain entry. The damage to the doors was estimated at $120.

Let’s party Police responded to reports of a party at a vacant home for sale in the 11900 block of Southeast 71st Street Nov. 16. Police arrived to find numerous kids and loud music playing inside the house. Among those

that you could see was her beautiful smile in that face full of dirt and mud, and she was just happy,” Janine said. “She was always her siblings’ biggest cheerleader and it was just nice for me to see this little girl who all of the sudden had something that was hers.”

Finding a ‘home’ Justyn found a home with the Sammamish Rowing Association and, behind the encouragement of her coach Courtney Moeller, worked harder than she ever had to get on the team of eight rowers that would compete at the Charles.

“My coach is just an amazing person,” Justyn said. “She bestows in every rower a new sense of confidence, and I know I couldn’t have accomplished everything without her.”

While the team didn’t

present was the homeowners’ daughter who had invited some friends over. Police ensured that the kids were OK to drive and sent them home. The homeowners were unaware that the gathering was occurring.

They arrived, locked up the house and took their daughter home.

Clean the carpet During the weekend of Nov. 17, more than $3,400 worth of goods was stolen from the maintenance storage building at the Cedar Rim Apartments, 7920 110th Ave. S.E. A $100 fog machine and a $900 commercial grade carpet shampooer were among the items stolen.

place as high as they would have liked at the event, Justyn said it was still just an honor to be able to experience it.

“It’s a legacy to be able to race at the Charles,” Justyn said. “So, to be there and to be a part of that legacy and say, ‘In 2012, I went to the Head of the Charles,’ it’s just so amazing.”

Justyn’s parents have never missed one her races, and Janine said she loves supporting and cheering on her daughter at the competitions.

Justyn will take her talents to Oregon State University, where she will row for the Beavers next year.

“It’s a great sport. I think everyone should try it,” Justyn said. “I think it’s a home for a lot of people who have never really found a sport.”

Wanted: Holiday light displays It’s that time of year again as homes and businesses in the area join in the holiday spirit by proudly displaying holiday decorations.

The Newcastle News seeks spectacular — or just plain cute — light displays from throughout the Newcastle area to feature on our website.

Email your contact information and, if possible, a photo of your illuminated light displays to newcastle@ isspress.com, or contact the newspaper on Twitter at www.twitter. com/newcastlenewswa.

Newcastle News

PAGE 20

DECEMBER 7, 2012

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