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Athlete goes from Hazen star to Liberty soccer coach Page 14
Newcastle teen takes control of spiraling life By Christina Corrales-Toy Newcastle teen Terrence Neese should have worn a cap and gown on June 13, 2013. He was supposed to embrace his parents as he emerged from the Kent ShoWare Center with a Hazen High School diploma. Terrence was there to watch his classmates that day, but with insufficient credits to graduate, he was sitting in the stands, not on the floor. “These are the kids I grew up
with,” he said. “How did I get to a point where they are all going on in their lives without me? How did that happen?” It happened because he was more concerned with partying than schoolwork and more likely to sleep through the day than go to class, he said. Terrence went to the graduation ceremony to support his friends, but he left the arena with a much-needed wakeup call. “When he went to that grad-
uation it was very, very hard on him,” Terrence’s mom Tammy said. “I don’t think he was prepared for how far he had gone off track until he was sitting there in that auditorium.” Terrence looks upon that June day as the turning point, when he said enough is enough, and attempted to take back his life. Less than a year later, the previously unmotivated teen has now dined with four-star generals and hopes to attend the U.S. Military Academy, thanks to a
local program that just wouldn’t let him fail. Washington Youth Academy Terrence’s academic challenges began during middle school, Tammy said, making for an overall frustrating school experience. He did OK during his freshman year at Hazen. He was passing his classes, but as time went on, she and her husband could tell he was burnt out and heading toward a future as a high-
school dropout. An opportunity arose for Terrence to visit India for half of a school year, and the family saw it is a chance for him to regroup. “It kind of had the opposite result,” Tammy said. “He did fabulous in India, experienced successes right and left, but when he came back, he was now really far behind in school.” Terrence knew he would have
Neighbors voice concerns about Energize Eastside
Little Rhody Park comes to fruition By Christina Corrales-Toy
Upgrades to infrastructure needed By Christina Corrales-Toy When Newcastle neighbors Larry Johnson and Dave Edmonds peer into the backyards of their Olympus homes, transmission lines and power poles greet them. It’s not the best view, but residents have learned to live with the 60-foot beams that carry 115 kilovolt power lines. The infrastructure has been there since long before the city was incorporated 20 years ago. Those poles could get a lot taller, with lines that carry even more power, if Puget Sound Energy upgrades that corridor as part of its Energize Eastside project. “What we have now is
not great,” Edmonds said. “We’ve got power line poles 30 feet from people’s homes. We want something better than what we have, not worse.” Energize Eastside The project will bring higher capacity electric transmission lines to the Eastside, Andy Wappler, PSE’s vice president of corporate affairs, explained in an April 1 presentation to the Newcastle City Council. The exact route the lines will take is yet undecided. Proposed path Route M goes through Newcastle. The region’s growth is straining the transmission
By Greg Farrar
Alicia Southey, 2, of Bellevue, makes a new friend as she prepares to gather plastic eggs at Lake Boren Park April 19 at the Olympus Homeowners Association Easter Egg Hunt. See more pictures of the event and of Earth Day on Page 15.
See ENERGIZE, Page 3
28% of 2-5 year olds are affected by cavities!
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The first person to officially climb the stairs of Little Rhody Park’s new playground was, surprisingly, not a child. It was Corin Carper, one of the neighbors who volunteered his time to help build the community’s new slide and play structure at an April 12 work party. Carper has children that will benefit from the new playground, but they will never get to say they were the first ones on it. His childlike excitement was evident as he bounded up the still-unfinished stairs of the structure on Southeast 80th Street in the city’s west end. “Let it be known, I was the first,” he said. The project was a culmination of more than a year’s work after Newcastle Public Works Director See PARK, Page 5
DID YOU KNOW? Dr. Mike Lee Specializing in Children’s Dentistry
See TEEN, Page 2
May 2, 2014 VOL. 16, NO. 5
Newcastle Dentistry Modern Dentistry by Professionals Who Care
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