Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Entries into Better Newspaper Contest
Citation preview
SEAHAWKS 12K | About 2,000 participate in walk/runs at The Landing [9]
REPORTER .com
R E N T O N
REPORTER NEWSLINE 425.255.3484A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
FRID
AY A
PR 1
6/10
Look, ma, no plastic | Two mothers come up with snack pack that is all cloth and no chemicals. [3]
More previews | See how the Hazen tennis and Lindbergh softball teams stack up this season [15]
34
04
81
206.949.1696www.marciemaxwell.com
Lisa LamRealtor, CRS,ABR & ASP
Marcie MaxwellAssociate Broker, Realtor & CRS
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
� ere’s little to distinguish Luke from any other American 5-year-old.
He loves to color. He’s adept at getting plenty of air on a swing.
Ask him if we wants his photo taken inside or out, he’ll choose out. “Out” in this case is a back-yard � lled with a patio, greenery and a big toy, with a luxuriant hillside as a backdrop.
It’s a far cry from the institu-tional “baby home” where Luke spent most of the � rst two years of his life on the island of Sakha-lin in eastern Russia. � en his name was Yuri. Now it’s Lucas Yuri Douglass and he’s the son of Peter and Janine Douglass of Renton.
His life in America has turned out much di� erently than that of another young Russian boy who spent the � rst seven years of his life in eastern Russia. � at sec-ond boy, Justin Hansen, was sent home alone from Tennessee to
Russia a� er his adoptive mother became fearful of his behavior.
Even though he was adopted as a 2-year-old, Luke’s � rst year with the Douglasses was “a doozy,” Janine said. Based on what she has heard about the Tennessee mother’s situation, she
said, “My heart goes out to her.”� e adoptions of both boys
were facilitated by WACAP, or World Association for Children and Parents. � e Renton-based WACAP is one of the largest adoption agencies in the United States.
Because of con� dentiality rules, WACAP o� cials can’t discuss a speci� c adoption case. But it is bound by its own poli-cies and laws imposed in foreign countries where it is licensed and
‘We are a family’BY DEAN A. RADFORD
� e annexation of the Fairwood area to Renton has received the formal go-ahead from the Boundary Review Board for King County.
� e vote last week was 9-0, with one member, A.J. Culver, abstain-ing because he had not attended the public hearing on the annexation in March in Fairwood.
Fairwood residents will vote on whether to annex in November.
� e vote means that in the board’s view the annexation meets all the state’s criteria for an area to annex, related to such key items as services, economics and land characteristics.
“� e annexation to the City of Renton of the Fairwood Area (including the Soos Creek Park and Trail) will support a harmonious, e� cient plan for the governance of the built community, preservation of the environment, and protection of the public health and safety of the citizens,” the board wrote in its conclusion.
� e board also approved changing the annexation boundaries to include the stretch of the Soos Creek Park and Trail north of Southeast 208th Street.
� at change was supported by Renton, Kent and King County, which didn’t want an unincorporated island within Renton.
Concerns were raised at the public hearing whether Fire District 37, which is administered by Kent, would continue to provide � re services to a southern part of the annexation area.
Renton and Kent have met on the issue and are now working out how much Renton will pay to the � re dis-trict to continue providing services to that area.
� e review board did not address the � re issue in its decision, but men-tioned it in its analysis.
Board OKsFairwood’sannexationto Renton
Luke Douglass swings high in his backyard just o� the Maple Valley Highway, as his parents Peter and Janine Douglass watch. Luke, who was born in Russia, was adopted by the Douglasses in 2006. DEAN A. RADFORD, Renton Reporter
BY DEAN A. [email protected]
A Renton-based adoption agency has found homes in America for nearly 10,000 children born overseas in its 25 years, includ-ing close to 500 from Russia alone.
One of those Russian children is now at the center of an international controversy.
Because of con� dentiality rules imposed by Russia, the agency, WACAP or World Association for Children and Parents, can
say nothing about the circumstances surrounding
the child’s adoption and subsequent return alone to Russia.
Its o� ces are on South Second Street, just across from Renton High School.
According to media reports, the child’s adoptive name is Justin Hansen. In Russia’s Far East, where he once lived in an orphan-
age, his name was Artyom Savelyev.His American grandmother told the As-
sociated Press that her daughter adopted Artyom in September. In recent months, the grandmother told the media, the child had become violent, threatening to burn down the family’s home.
� e grandmother put Artyom on an airplane in Washington, D.C., to return to Moscow. She arranged to have a man meet
WACAP finds home for 10,000 kidsWACAP responserentonreporter.com
[ more WACAP page 6]
With WACAP’s helpRussian-born Lucas Yuri Douglass livinghappy life in America
[ more LUKE page 8 ]
www.rentonreporter.com[8] April 16, 2010
340466
601 S. Carr RoadSuite #400, Renton, WALocated in the Paci� c Medical Building
425.277.0125
Valley Medical Center
167
N
S 43rd St.S 180th SE Carr Rd.
Talb
ot R
d. S
New patients will receiveFREE TEETH BLEACHING
FOR LIFE,a $400 value, with purchase of an adult
new patient exam, cleaning, and x-rays!**Bring in this ad to join our bleaching program.
Some rules apply.
Preferred Provider for: Washington Dental Service, Metlife, Regence, Premera
David Ford, D.D.S.invites you to join his of� ce
Voted Top Dentist - General Dentistryby Seattle Metropolitan Magazine
in the United States that ensure the safety and well-being of the child and new parents.
Janine speaks highly of WACAP’s services during the adoption process in 2006 and afterward, including follow-up visits with a social worker and special WACAP support groups and summer camp.
The Douglasses landed with Luke at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on July 4, 2006. Taylor, now 14 and Janine’s daughter from a previous marriage, made a trip to Russia to meet Luke, too.
The family was briefed extensively on Luke’s medical and family history.
“Every step of the process you have an opportunity to
say, ‘I don’t wish to proceed’,” Janine said.On paper, Janine said, Luke “didn’t look very good.” He
was born prematurely and had stopped breathing. He had a club foot. With many Russian adoptions, there is a concern about fetal alcohol syndrome, she said.
But the Douglasses’ concerns were eased in consultation with doctors at the University of Washington while they were still in Russia.
Janine’s health-related job as an occupational therapist at Valley Medical Center also gave her confidence they could deal with health issues.
Still, Luke was at times inconsolable and would bang his head and start rocking. But a doctor assured them he was “self-stimulating” because of the low exposure to stimulus he had received at the “baby home.”
Children 4 and older go to orphanages, which Janine described as “scary.”
Still, some behaviors lingered. Luke would hide food in his armpits. He had learned, Janine said, “that his needs weren’t going to be met.”
“He was in survival mode,” she said.
The Douglasses assured him that they had plenty of food. And they offered something more.
“We are a family,” she said.Luke has some aggressive moments and the family is
dealing with some self-control issues.The Douglasses put together a book of photos they took
when Luke was still a child in Russia. He likes to carry it around and it even became something he brought up in his kindergarten class at Rainier Christian School.
It was “no big deal,” Janine said. He’s just an American kid. “He doesn’t know any differently.”
Anyone interested in adopting a child should become aware of the resources available to them, Janine said. Kirk-land author Deborah Gray writes about attachment issues. FRUA, or Families for Russian and Ukrainian Adoption, is also a resource.
She wouldn’t recommend that all single parents should adopt a child from overseas. Justin Hansen’s mother in Tennessee is single.
“If you are a single parent, it’s going to be even harder,” she said. “I tell my husband, ‘This is a two-person job’.”
Family consulted doctors on Luke’s medical history[ Luke from page 1]
The following information was compiled from City of Renton police reports:
By CeLeSTe GRACey
There was a report of a drive-by shooting at South Grady Way and Talbot Road South April 2.
A witness observed a man in maroon Monte Carlo shoot a handgun at a smaller two-door sedan.
Police were unable to identify the suspect or the victim.
Nearby witnesses at a gas station got down for fear of getting hit, said the wit-ness.
Man cheats at pokerA man got caught cheating at a Baccarat
poker table at the Silver Dollar Casino at 3100 E. Valley Rd. March 17.
After losing a hand, he pushed his chips into the winning area of the table to make the dealer think he won.
Security had the man leave the casino and filed a police report so he could be reported to the Gambling Commission.
After the man had left, police discovered he had a warrant for arrest.
Copper thiefSomeone stole copper wire from
five City of Renton light poles Gene Coulon Memorial
Beach Park March 28.A screwdriver was used to remove
the wire covers, before the wires were pulled out.
There weren’t fingerprints or other evidence at the scene.
Car arsonPolice helped investigate a possible arson,
after discovering a car had been engulfed in flames on the 600 block of Southwest Fifth Court March 30.
The owner of the black Mitsubishi couldn’t be identified.
The fire did significant damage to a near-by GMC Jimmy. Investigators identified the owner of the second vehicle through a piece of mail, but she wasn’t the registered owner of the burned Mitsubishi.
Wire thiefWire was stolen from Seattle Public
Utility’s Brood Stock Facility on the 1300 block of Houser Way South March 15.
The electrical box covers were re-moved and wire had been pulled from the conduit pipes.
Drive-by shooting on GradyCrime
alertThis week’s…Police Blotter
___________________________INDIAN EDUCATION
GRANT APPLICATIONPUBLIC MEETING
Renton School District’s Indian Education Program will hold a public meeting to discuss the Indian Education Grant application on Wednesday, April 20, 2010 at 6:30 pm at Renton High School in the Commons Area located at 400 S. Second Street in Renton. Students who are of Native American/Native Alaskan heritage may qualify to register for this program. This program offers many services to those enrolled in the district program. For more information, you may contact Earline Bala, Indian Education Advisor, at 425-204-3474. Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010. #351373.___________________________
KING COUNTY DEPT. OF DEVELOPMENT
& ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (DDES)
900 Oakesdale Ave SW, Renton, WA 98057-5212
NOTICE OF PERMIT APPLICATIONREQUEST: Grading PermitFile: L09CG364 Applicant: Troy Jones Location: Btwn Lk Desire & E. Lk Desire Dr SE RentonProposal: Remove fill within
critical areas bufferSEPA Contact: Mark Mitchell 206-296-7119COMMENT PROCEDURES: DDES will issue an environmental determination on this application following a 21-day comment period that ends on May 17, 2010. Written comments and additional information can be obtained by contacting the SEPA Project Manager at the phone number listed above. Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010. #351389.___________________________
CITY OF RENTONNOTICE OF RESOLUTION
ADOPTED BY THE RENTON CITY COUNCIL
Following is a summary of the resolution adopted by the Renton City Council on April 12, 2010:
RESOLUTION NO. 4041 A Resolution of the City of Renton, Washington, declaring a moratorium on the permitting of Adult Entertainment Businesses and Taverns, as defined in City Code, within specific geographical areas, establishing a public hearing date and establishing a termination date for the moratorium.Effective: 4/12/2010 Complete text of this resolution is available at Renton City Hall,
1055 South Grady Way; and posted at the Renton Public Libraries, 100 Mill Avenue South and 2902 NE 12th Street. Upon request to the City Clerk’s office, (425) 430-6510, copies will also be mailed for a fee. Bonnie I. Walton, City Clerk Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010. #351430.___________________________ The regular April 21, 2010 meeting of the Soos Creek Water & Sewer District Board of Commissioners has been cancelled. The Next Regular Meeting will be held at 4:30 P.M., Wednesday, April 28, 2010, at the District Office.SOOS CREEK WATER & SEWER DISTRICTBOARD OF COMMISSIONERS14616 SE 192ND STREETRENTON, WA 98058 Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010. #351433.___________________________SELF STORAGE LIEN SALE
MAY 5TH, 2010SALE WILL BE HELD AT
RENTON HIGHLAND SELF STORAGE3408 NE 4TH ST.
RENTON, WA 98056Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010, April 23, 2010, April 30, 2010. #351443.___________________________Superior Court Of Washington
County Of KingIn re the Estate of: ANNA L. SHELTON, Deceased.NO. 10-4-01974-7 KNT
NOTICE TO CREDITORS The Personal Representative named below has been appointed as Personal Representative of this Estate. Any person having a claim against the decedent must, before the time the claim would be barred by any otherwise applicable statute of limitations, present the claim in the manner as provided in RCW 11.40.070 by serving on or mailing to the Personal Representative or the Personal Representative’s attorneys at the address stated below a copy of the claim and filing the original of the claim with the Court in which the probate proceedings were commenced. The claim must be presented within the later of: (1) Thirty days after the Personal Representative served or mailed the Notice to the creditor as provided under RCW 11.40.020(1)(c); or (2) four months after the date of first publication of the Notice. If the claim is not presented within this time frame, the claim is forever barred, except as otherwise provided in RCW 11.40.051 and
11.40.060. This bar is effective as to claims against both the decedent’s probate assets and nonprobate assets.Date Of First Publication: April 16, 2010.PR: DUANE P. SHELTONPeter W. Mogren WSBA #11515Of MOGREN, GLESSNER & ROTI P.S.Attorneys for Personal Representative100 Evergreen Bldg.; P O Box 90Renton, WA 98057-0090(425) 255-4542King County Superior CourtCause No. 10-4-01974-7 KNT Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010, April 23, 2010 and April 30, 2010. #351469.___________________________
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY
POLICY AS TO STUDENTS New Horizon School, a school for learning-disabled students, located at 1111 South Carr Road in Renton, does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in administration of its scholarship, athletic, and other school-administered programs. No person shall, on the ground of race, creed, color, national origin, sex, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability unlawfully be excused from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any activity performed by New Horizon School. Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010. #351722.___________________________
CITY OF RENTONRENTON CITY COUNCIL
SPECIAL MEETINGCouncil Workshop
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Renton City Council has set a special meeting (workshop) to be held on Wednesday, April 21, 2010, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Merrill Gardens at Renton Centre, 104 Burnett Ave. S, Renton, WA 98057, to consider the following:Financial ForecastCapital Project Priorities & Funding OptionsFire Authority Financial Analysis2011 – 2016 Business Plan For information regarding compliance with the American Disabilities Act, and interpretive services for the hearing impaired, contact the City Clerk Office at 425-430-6510.
Bonnie I. WaltonCity Clerk
Published in the Renton Reporter on April 16, 2010. #352055.
PUBLIC NOTICES
BUMBLEBEE BRIDGE | Shattuck Avenue reopens with a beaming presence [2]
REPORTER .com
R E N T O N
REPORTER NEWSLINE 425.255.3484A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
FRID
AY M
AY 1
4/10
Reading Buddies | About 2,000 students celebrate reading about 100,000 books in mentoring program [3]
Playo� time | Follow along with local teams as they work through playo� s [12]
Fuhyda Rogers performs a praise dance at the Celebration of Life Monday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church to remember Alajawan Brown, who was shot to death on April 29. DEAN A. RADFORD, Renton Reporter
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
� e homeless encampment, Nickels-ville, has moved back to Skyway, a� er a nearly year-long sojourn through Port of Seattle property and � oors and lawns at Seattle churches.
� e tent city spent three months in spring 2009 at the Bryn Mawr United Methodist Church on the other side of Skyway from where it is now. It le� in June for Seattle.
Now, Nickelsville is on vacant private land along Martin Luther King Jr. Way South at South 129th Street that was home � ve or six years ago to another tent city that circulates through the Seattle area.
In Bryn Mawr, Nickelsville looked out over downtown Renton and the Cascades. Now, during the day is the constant noise of a gravel pit and the highway.
Nickelsville is named for former Se-attle Mayor Greg Nickels, who did not support temporary measures to house the homeless, preferring a permanent
Nickelsvillereturnsto Skyway
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
Hundreds of mourners � lled the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church in the Highlands with hope and sorrow Monday, in remembering slain 12-year-old Alajawan Shakur Brown.
� e church’s sanctuary rang out with music and song, at the same time tears � owed freely. Alajawan’s own big personali-ty and the stories of friends and family, and even strangers, provided an ever-present personal backdrop for the sad day.
His house in Skyway is a lot quieter now that he’s gone. No more will he wage a friendly cooking war with his dad Louis Brown. His mother Ayanna a� ectionately calls him Peter Pan.
Alajawan was gunned down April 29 as he walked home from the bus stop on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South. He was
caught in the cross� re of a violent argument at the Cedar Village Apartments on South 129th Street.
He had just bought football cleats at Walmart to get ready for the foot-ball season.
Alajawan wore the No. 77 jersey for the Renton Rangers. While holding
it up for the mourners to see, a coach said No. 77 would be retired in honor of the young football player.
“He loved the game,” said the coach. Alajawan got particularly pumped when
the team played Rainier Beach, the team’s archrival.
Rev. Jerry Lee, pastor of the Destiny Unlimited Faith Ministries, said the day was di� cult for family and friends and the community at large.
“He will be missed,” Lee said. “� at heal-ing will take time.”
Fuhyda Rogers performed a praise dance, near Alajawan’s family, including his mother and father in the front row, and the casket that bore his body.
Among the numerous speakers was county Sheri� Sue Rahr, who stood at the back of the church sanctuary for much of the service.
“Our entire community has lost a young man with so much promise,” said Rahr.
She said she failed Alajawan and asked those in the room to “never let this happen again.” � e mourners rose in applause.
She stepped down and hugged Ala-
Family, friends say goodbye to slain Alajawan Brown, 12
Alajawan Brown
Family donation stolenPage 6
Nickelsville, the tent city that spent several months in Seattle, is now at Martin Luther King Jr. Way South and South 129th Street. DEAN A. RADFORD, Renton Reporter
FYI
The tent city Nickelsville is in need of basic supplies for its three-month stay in Skyway. Residents could use food, water, tents, tarps, � rewood, � ashlights and batteries, among other items.
To help Nickelsville
[ more NICKELSVILLE page 7 ][ more ALAJAWAN page 6 ]
35
55
25
206.949.1696www.marciemaxwell.com
Lisa LamRealtor, CRS,ABR & ASP
Marcie MaxwellAssociate Broker, Realtor & CRS
www.rentonreporter.com[6] May 14, 2010
A crowd of mourners spilled throughout the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Baptist Church in Renton Monday for Alajawan Brown’s Celebration of Life that was both sad and uplifting. DEAN A. RADFORD, Renton Reporter
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
A donation jar regularly raising more than $100 a day for the family of the 12-year-old boy shot dead in Skyway April 29 was stolen Saturday from the 7-Eleven store counter where it sat.
But the 51-year-old Seattle man arrested in connection with the the� returned the cash while a sheri� ’s deputy was still � lling out paperwork.
Alajawan S. Brown died in the store’s parking lot on Martin Luther King Jr. Way South a� er he was hit by a bullet � red during a con-frontation at an apartment complex just a half-block from the store.
� e store had set up the donation jar for the family and money was turned over to the Browns each day, said Sgt. John Urquhart, a spokesman for the King County Sheri� ’s O� ce.
� e the� was caught on the store’s surveillance video.
� e man placed the jar
on the ground while the store clerk was distracted. He le� the store and came back a minute later. He then wrapped his coat around the jar and walked out.
One man told the deputy that the suspect is known to everyone and said something like “I hope you get to him before we do’,” according to Urquhart.
� e deputy was called back into the store a� er the suspect returned. � e Seattle man was with a community organizer who had worked on the May 5 prayer vigil for Alajawan and the donations to the family.
� e suspect o� ered to return $30, indicating that was what he took from the jar. But the clerk said the store had typically been collecting about $100 a day.
When he searched the suspect, the deputy found about $43 in bills and change. It was returned.
� e suspect was arrested for investigation of the� . He also has two the� war-rants. He was booked into the King County Jail.
Thief steals, thenreturns donations
jawan’s family, which had expressed hope that something good would come from his death.
� e Sheri� ’s O� ce has received some tips from the public, but none that has led investigators to Alajawan’s killer, said Sgt. John Urquhart, a sher-
i� ’s spokesman.� e mourners spilled out into the
church entryway and its fellowship hall, where sound was piped in.
� e service lasted about two hours. A� erward, the mourners gathered at Harambee in downtown Renton for a slide show, food and more remember-ing.
� e program for Alajawan’s service had the bookends of his young life.
• Opening Act, July 8, 1997, 2:02 p.m.
• Final Performance, April 29, 2010, 6:30 p.m.
� e photo shows Alajawan, smiling, holding a football and helmet, wear-ing the red and white No. 77.
Tips received in shooting, but no leads to killer[ ALAJAWAN from page 1]
Come visit our locationNow Open to Serve You
www.AHRenton.com504 Renton Ctr. Wy. SW #3
Renton, WA 98057
425-203-9000
36
24
00
Renton Hours:Mon, Wed, Fri 8am - 8pm
• Tues & Th urs 8am - 6pm • Sat 10am - 4pm• Sun Closed
Kent Hours:Mon, Tues, Fri 10am - 7pm
• Closed Wed & Th urs • Sat 10am - 4pm• Sun 10am - 4pm
FREE exam fornew patients*
$25 Off any service**Some restrictions apply. Call for details.
Also ask about our credit & financing options (6 months same as cash)
Also see us at:Animal HealthCare of Kent
22815 68th Ave S., Kent, WA 98032(Corner of 228th & West Valley Hwy.)
253-520-7000www.AHCKent.com
Renton
222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222222000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000111111111111111111111111111111111000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
RentonRentonRentonRentonRentonRentonOf
ANIMAL HEALTH CARE OF RENTON
CLAM LIGHTS | Holiday tradition to light up Coulon Park Friday [2]
REPORTER .com
R E N T O N
REPORTER NEWSLINE 425.255.3484A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
FRID
AY D
ECEM
BER
3/10
An early Christmas present | A Renton retiree had the winning ticket, worth $6.3 million, in recent Lotto drawing. [3]
Final look at fall | Catch one last wrap-up of Renton’s standout fall athletes [13]
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
Once in session starting Jan. 10, state lawmakers will spend the next four months in Olympia talking about priorities for how to spend the state’s scarce dollars.
And the public is going to feel the weight of those choices, perhaps like never before.
“� e choices are very limited,” said state Rep. Marcie Maxwell of Renton, who has easily won her second term representing the 41st District in the House of Represen-tatives.
“People in our local communities are going to feel those cuts in important services that are vital to their lives,” she said in an interview.
Maxwell’s work as a state legislator never really stops, even when the Leg-islature is not in session. � e conversa-tion about how best to serve the public is ongoing.
She meets o� en with constituents at the Kennydale Starbucks and other
co� ee shops throughout the sprawling 41st. At about the same time Maxwell was pulling out her money in Ken-nydale, the barista was rattling o� the ingredients of her drink. Maxwell didn’t have to utter a word.
Now, her attention is focused on Olympia, where she’ll work from 6:30 a.m. until 10:30 p.m. on many nights and even deeper into the early morning hours near session’s end.
Maxwell, a Democrat, easily defeated her opponent, Peter Dunbar, a Mercer Island Lib-ertarian. A key to her success, Maxwell said, is that she’s a “business-friendly Demo-crat” and a business owner herself, selling residential real estate for more than 20 years.
“I think suburban Democrats � t their districts pretty well,” she said. “We aren’t Seattle Democrats; we are
Legislature’s choices limited to balance budget, says Maxwell
Marcie Maxwell
BY TRACEY COMPTON
Students in a Renton Technical College English as a Second Language class are learning new skills and heal-ing the world one knitted square at a time.
Led by their instructor, Elizabeth Falconer, the class is participating in the KasCare program, which has people internationally knitting squares of cloth for blankets for AIDs orphans in southern Africa.
Falconer came across the charity group KasCare Inc. online during summer break and thought it would be a great project for her ESL class. � ey knit squares in the class that meets at WorkSource Renton Monday through � ursday evenings.
� e knit-a-square project started as an Australian family’s pursuit in 2008 and grew to a charity with 82,000 squares knitted and 7,000 garments.
Sandy and Roger McDon-ald came up with the idea of asking the world’s knitters and crocheters to send roughly 3-inch by
8-inch squares to South Africa, where they would be sewn into blankets.
“Many of the people in my classes are unemployed and we try and keep things upbeat around here,” Falconer said. “It seemed like a good way to give some perspective on how bad it is in other places in the world. Like even if we’re unemployed here, our life
isn’t that bad compared to what other people are facing.”
According to a July 2008 report by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDs, there was an estimated 5.7 million people living with HIV in South Africa; approximately 3.2 mil-lion are women and 280,000 children up to age 14.
� e Renton class surpassed its goal of 100 squares, which is a drop in the bucket to the charity’s goal of 105,000 for 2010. For them, it’s the experience and chance to give back that matters.
Cisse Aboudramane is originally from the Ivory Coast and the proj-ect is close to his heart. As a human
A life lesson learnedone stitch at a time
Cisse Aboudramane, Elmer Raimundo and Gebreamlak Tesfaslasie, from left, get down to business in their Renton Technical College ESL class, knitting squares that will become blankets for AIDS victims. TRACEY COMPTON, Renton Reporter
ESL students at Renton Technical College knit squares that will become blankets for young AIDS victims in south Africa.
“We will work through this one. I am there because I care about my communities.” State Rep. Marcie Maxwell
Communities will feel cuts in services that ‘are vital to their lives,’ says 41st District state representative.
[ more MAXWELL page 12 ]
“If you make something for other people, it makes you happy.” Kesone Lityouvong
[ more KNITTING page 9 ]
43
69
88
206.949.1696www.marciemaxwell.com
Lisa LamRealtor, CRS,ABR & ASP
Marcie MaxwellAssociate Broker, Realtor & CRS
suburban Democrats.”The state needs to keep its businesses and
grow new ones to help schools and com-munities thrive, she said.
She’s meeting with local city councils, including Renton’s, to talk about their wish
lists they’re submitting to the Legislature.In just one term, Maxwell has become an
important voice in the conversations about the future of the state’s education system, including basic education. She’s hoping to remain on her current committees once House committee assignments are made in the next week or so.
Maxwell’s 41st District straddles five cities, Renton, Newcastle, Bellevue, Mercer Island and Issaquah – and five school districts that together embody the racial, economic and academic achievement diversity of the district.
She said working in a school district that “is very ethnically and economically diverse is very helpful to all of my districts,” she said. Maxwell served for eight years on the Renton School Board.
She’s pleased to have had the chance to take the lead on education issues.
“That is our state priority by Constitu-tion, but it’s also the future of our commu-nities and our building our workforce and making sure our children have the oppor-tunities that they need.”
But not all the state’s education estab-lishment falls under that constitutional mandate, including the state’s two-year and four-year college system and ready-to-learn programs.
The college system, Maxwell said, is “very important to our economy and it’s very important to our children that they have their 21st century skills.”
Still, the state’s mandated priorities will rule the day.
Besides basic education, those priorities include public safety, the vulnerable, jails and debt.
“They have to be our priorities,” Maxwell said. “That is typically 70 percent of our budget right there.”
Finding the dollars to pay for that 70 percent is the challenge facing the state Legislature.
Voters in the general election sent a message they want services paid for with existing revenue, meaning no new taxes or increases in existing ones.
Those votes, Maxwell said, “are a re-sponse to how uneasy people are feeling about the length and depth of this great recession. I certainly don’t blame them for that.” Families have cut their budgets and so has the state, she said.
But the state cuts are not over. There’s talk of a special session to plug a revenue hole in the hundreds of millions of dollars in what remains of the current two-year
budget. On top of that, it’s already esti-mated there’s a $5.7 billion shortfall in the next two-year budget that the Legislature must adopt by the end of April – or go into a special session.
Local communities, she said, are going to feel those cuts more directly.
“We need to understand what we are buying with those dollars,” she said.
For example, some families could lose health coverage under the state’s basic health plan if the minimum qualifying income drops. They would need to find health coverage elsewhere or go to the emergency room for care, a cost that’s passed on to everyone, she said.
Maxwell is both concerned and optimis-tic about the future.
Those months in Olympia are “going to be very difficult.”
She says she’s always been up to a tough challenge.
“We will work through this one,” she said. “I am there because I care about my communities.”
www.rentonreporter.com[12] December 3, 2010
Maxwell meets with local cities about ‘wish lists’[ Maxwell from page 1]
FYI
Renton is represented by state legislators in key leadership positions who can act as the city’s champion. All are Democrats, who retained control of the state Legislature, despite some Republican inroads in the November general election.
State Rep. Marcie Maxwell, for example, sits on key education committees and on one that plays an impor-tant role in the state’s economic development. Maxwell was appointed by Gov. Chris Gregoire to the Quality Education Council that will make key recommendations about education reform.
Another, state Rep. Pat Sullivan of Covington, who represents the 47th Legislative District, is the new House majority leader, the House’s second-ranking position. He sits with Maxwell on the Quality Education Council.
Margarita Prentice of West Hill who has deep ties to Renton will become the next president pro-tempore of the state Senate, where she will preside in the absence of Lt. Gov. Brad Owen. She is stepping down as the chair of the powerful Senate budget committee.
Renton is part of five legislative districts, the 5th, the 11th, the 37th, the 41st and the 47st.
legislative committees
43
72
90
Eat better. Smile more.WORRY LESS!
• Dr. Odegard is a diplomat in the internationalcongress of oral implantologists.
• CAT scan 3D technology for your safety.• Oral sedation dentistry (relax while you have
your work done).• Call today to discuss your problem with
Dr. Odegard for no charge.• Dr. Odegard can improve the quality of your life by
replacing your missing teeth or securing yourdentures with permanent dental implants.
Actual patients of Dr. OdegardTom and Marlys Leonard
DENTAL IMPLANTS Dr. Robert L. Odegard, D.D.S.,
451 Duvall Ave NE • Renton WALocated in the Highland's Professional Plaza across from QFC in the Renton Highlands.
www.drodegard.com
Give us a call 425-277-4000Mon – Thu 7am – 5pm
Give us a call 425-277-4000Mon – Thu 7am – 5pm
Initial exam and
implant consultationwith coupon only. Expires 12-31-10
FREE
VISIT SOUTHPORT...
THE HIDDEN GEM OF RENTONOPEN HOUSE &
TREASURE HUNTSunday, December 5th, 3-7pm
~tasty treats & beverages, fun activities, demos, samples, prizes~~FREE yoga classes, portrait sittings, wine tasting, and tours~
Peyrassolcafé at southport
GRAND OPENING
YOGA :: PILATES :: MASSAGE :: ACUPUNCTURE :: SKINCARE :: BOUTIQUE
1133 Lake Washington Blvd. N., Renton, WAExit 5 from I405, follow signs • Next to Gene Coulon Beach Park
Free 2-hour retail parking in garage438724
Luxury Living by the Lake
866-968-5424866.571.5771438177
Brand New Apartmentsat The Landing
in Renton! Visit us today for a tour and ask about our
move inspecials!
A CHRISTMAS ANGEL | Local salon comes to rescue of shop closed by accident [13]
REPORTER .com
R E N T O N
REPORTER NEWSLINE 425.255.3484A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
FRID
AY J
ANUA
RY 7
/11
National honor? | Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel is in the running for National Superintendent of the Year. [3]
Boys basketball | Get a look at the Renton basketball scene as league play returns [10]
44
67
06
206.949.1696www.marciemaxwell.com
Lisa LamRealtor, CRS,ABR & ASP
Marcie MaxwellAssociate Broker, Realtor & CRS
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
If there’s a rallying cry for Renton o� cials for the 2011 leg-islative session, it’s “� x the worst � rst.”
� at “worst” is Renton’s constant companion – Interstate 405 – and the most-congested
interchange in the state, I-405 and State Route 167.
Doing something about I-405, and � nding a way to pay for that something, is at the top of the City of Renton’s wish list for the 2011 session of the state Legisla-ture, which opens Monday.
Right now, the state has identi-� ed about $1.5 billion in projects
for I-405 between Renton and Bellevue, that still rates as one of the most congested stretches of freeway in the state even with millions of dollars in already-completed projects.
But the city is realistic, too. It
understands that with a multibil-lion-dollar hole in state revenues, there’s going to be little money available for the city from the state.
In turn, the city doesn’t want legislators to impose any new “unfunded mandates,” those state requirements that come with no state money to pay for them.
“We don’t have the money, either,” said Mayor Denis Law.
Cities have cut their budgets “to the bone,” Law said, and cannot a� ord to assume the responsibili-ties of the state and counties.
� e City of Renton formally spells out its wish list and policy
Improved I-405 tops city’s Olympia wish list
BY TRACEY COMPTON
As the state Legislature begins to tackle Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget proposal next week, the Renton School District is already facing a $850,000 loss for the current school year or 18 1/2 positions.
� at shortfall is the result of the voter repeal in November of the candy and bottled water tax, Initiative 1107. Even deeper budget cuts could come as the as the Legislature tries to � ll a multibillion-dollar hole in state revenues for the next biennium.
How much more the school district might lose isn’t known yet.
“What we’ve heard so far is that because of the loss of revenue that the state is going to have to make reductions in a lot of di� erent programs and the worst for us is just that we’re losing approxi-mately about $850,000 from the state that was being earmarked for certi� ed sta� ng in kindergarten through fourth grade,” said Rich Moore, assistant superintendent of operations for Renton School District.
� at amounts to 18 1/2 positions. � at’s $850,000 less money the district will have to work with begin-ning in February.
It doesn’t mean the district will reduce the number of teachers; o� cials are looking at a lot of options, said Moore.
Moore expects the district will continue with the
Renton schoolswill feel pinchof state budget, initiative repeal
William Leavy stands in his wife Kal’s private studio at home on Talbot Hill. Kal, who died last summer after a � ve-year battle with cancer, was well-known in the Renton art community as an artist and in the community as an arts teacher. DEAN A. RADFORD, Renton Reporter
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
Bits and pieces of the last � ve years lie frozen in Kal Leavy’s private art studio.
� ere’s a May 11, 2008, Seattle Times, open to the high school sports page. O� on a high desk in a corner is a cal-endar husband William bought for her at a time of hope when she was making plans to see her art students again.
Her last painting sits un� nished on an easel, partially
obscured by two paintings done by students.
Her wheel-chair is pushed to the side. It faces away from three paintings, among the last created by her students at her Springbrook Academy of Fine Arts.
Someday, Wil-liam knows, Kal will tell him when it’s time to put away the visible memories of their 18 years together.
Kal Leavy taught art,how to live life fully
Kal Leavy, in purple swimsuit, wades into the cold water of Lake Washington on Jan. 1, 2008, for the Polar Bear Dip. RENTON REPORTER/2008
[ more BUDGET page 4 ][ more ARTIST page 8 ]
Read the full agendarentonreporter.com
[ more WISH LIST page 6 ]
Kal died on July 20 in their Talbot Hill home, a� er � ghting a particularly aggres-sive form of breast cancer that spread to her brain – twice – for � ve years.
William is just now feeling like he wants
to talk about his wife’s death – and her legacy as an artist and teacher. William is 55; Kal was 61. � ey had no children, but through her school, young students were always in their home. An artist himself, William o� en helped out with the classes.
Kal was well-known in the Renton arts community, both as a winner in the Renton Annual Art Show and as a teacher of artists in her downstairs studio and in the community.
Her care and death have “taken a tre-mendous toll on me,” William said. But he wants something good to come from Kal’s death. � ose who go through something similar need to learn all they can about cancer and always ask doctors questions.
Both art and teaching were important to Kal, William said. She asked her student to be creative, to be kind of people and animals and be considerate to others. And, have some fun.
Kal was joyful on Jan. 1, 2008, when she ran into the frigid waters of Lake Wash-ington for the � rst Polar Bear Dip. It was a celebration of life. She was cancer free.
“I wanted to feel alive,” she told the Renton Reporter at the time.
She legally changed her given name, Karin, to Kal, as she was really known. � at act was part of the celebration, Wil-liams says.
Kal was diagnosed in fall 2005 with triple negative breast cancer, which isn’t responsive to typical drugs, said William, a registered nurse at the University of Wash-ington Medical Center.
“She did everything she was supposed to do,” said William, exercising and paying at-tention to her diet. She had no bad habits.
Kal underwent surgery and chemothera-py at Valley Medical Center, just down the road from their home. A� erward, she was
www.rentonreporter.com[8] January 7, 2010
Change Your Shape In January!
Swimsuit ReadyBy Spring
...or at least a little closer.
GenCare Lifestyle of RentonThe Lodge at Eagle Ridge
1600 Eagle Ridge Dr, Renton WA 98055
425-336-0171gencarelifestyle.com
Show Off Your New Shape In Victoria, BC!
Up To31 Chances to Win
Overnight TripFor Two!
Personal TrainerMeet our trainer Libby, in a one on one session to create a personalized vitality fitness
program just for you.
Every Monday, Wednesday, Saturday 9:30am-1:30pm
450069
14410 SE Petrovitsky • 425-271-7725Evening & Saturday Appointments available
EMERGENCIES ARE ALWAYS OUR FIRST PRIORITY
HAPPY SMILES Created by:Doctors H. Walia, Ramanan and Bhan-Kachroo
• Orthodontics • Invisalign• Oral Surgery • Dentures • Fillings • TMJ• Endodontics • Crowns, Bridges & Implants• Periodontics • Cosmetics
44
67
54
30+ Years of Excellence
$59 NewPatientSpecial
Includes: Exam &Full Mouth Xrays
One coupon per customer. With coupon only. Coupons may not
be combined with any other offer. Limited time only.
$100 OffSingle
CrownsSOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY,
CALL FOR DETAILSOne coupon per customer. With coupon only. Coupons may not
be combined with any other offer. Limited time only.
One coupon per customer. With coupon only. Coupons may not
be combined with any other offer. Limited time only.
$500 OffOrthodontic Treatment
SOME EXCLUSIONS APPLY, CALL FOR DETAILS
skicrystal.com
[ ARTIST from page 1]
Artist Kal Leavy taughthundreds of art students
[ more ARTIST page 9 ]
447846
Congratulations, Mandy!Your photo entry won the DecemberCool Bird & Me Photo Contest!Enjoy your prize–4 tickets to aSeattle Thunderbirds game in January!
Submit your Cool Bird & Me photos soon at www.kentreporter.com for a chance to win in January!
REPORTER .com
K E N T
450103
IRISH FESTIVAL | A Terrible Beauty to raise money for cancer research [10]
REPORTER .com
R E N T O N
REPORTER NEWSLINE 425.255.3484A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
FRID
AY M
ARCH
4/1
1
Elections return | King County will move its Elections O� ce back to a building it owns on Grady Way in June [3]
Basketball | Read about how the Highlanders performed at the state tournament [12]
BY DEAN A. RADFORD
Boeing will add roughly 1,200 jobs at its 737 plant in Renton over the next two years to handle the record-breaking production of the world’s most popular airplane.
� e production ramp-up includes construction of a two-story, 75,000-square-foot building that will house equipment purchased directly by a Boeing airplane customer and make production more ef-� cient.
� e building is working its way through the Renton review process.
“We are working very closely with � e Boeing Co. to ensure its ramp-up of pro-duction of the 737 is seamless,” said Mayor Denis Law. “Coupled with Boeing’s signing of a 20-year lease agreement for Renton Municipal Airport, we view these capital improvements as additional signals that Renton will continue to be a center of com-mercial airplane manufacturing for many years to come.”
� e jobs will span all facets of the 737 workforce, from engineering to support to
production, said Liz Verdier, a company spokeswoman at the 737 plant. Boeing will add roughly 600 workers during each of the two production increases.
Boeing doesn’t release speci� c employee numbers at its plant, but its Renton work-force is estimated at 8,000 to 9,000 workers, including support sta� .
� e region got a big employment boost last week, thanks to Boeing, when the U.S. Air Force awarded the aerospace company the $35 billion contract to build a new � eet of air-refueling tankers using the 767. � at
Boeing to add 1,200 jobs for 737 ramp-up
Boeing has delivered 300 Next Generation 737-800s to Europe’s largest low-fare carrier, Ryanair. BOEING CO.
BY TRACEY COMPTON
Sometime the biggest way to moti-vate someone is to tell them they can’t do something.
For Karlene Petitt, someone told her she couldn’t be a pilot and that sealed her fate. She began taking lessons at the age of 16 at Renton Mu-nicipal Airport. Now a pilot for Delta Airlines, she’s helping to introduce other women and girls to aviation.
March 7-13 marks Women of Aviation Worldwide Week. � e week is designed to celebrate all women of
aviation past and pres-ent and
reach out to women and girls to show them the bene� ts and opportunities a career in aviation has to o� er.
Renton Municipal Airport will mark the occasion on March 13 by introducing non-licensed women and girls to aviation with a free 15-minute � ight.
Last year the airport was � rst run-nerup for “most female-pilot-friendly airport in the world.” � ey were � rst in the United States for the title that meant they had introduced the most non-pilot women and girls to aviation.
Petitt will supervise the event that is a cause close to her heart. She said that more than 100 years ago only
three percent of all licensed pilots were women and today only six per-cent are women.
She’s been � ying commercial airlines for 23 years and a mother for 28 years. She said being a pilot and mother has been challenging and will remain so for many women until some familial responsibilities shi� in the home.
“I think the reason the numbers of women in aviation are so low is that women don’t know how to do it all at the same time,” Petitt said. “Many women think they have to choose between being a mother or a pilot. And with the choice to do it all, the complexities are many. Emotional
She’s putting women in pilot’s seat BY DEAN A. RADFORD
Renton is a lot bigger – 82 percent – than it was 10 years ago, mostly because of the annexation of Benson Hill, according to newly released U.S. Census Bureau � gures.
And the city’s population of 90,927 puts it on the list of Washington’s 10 largest cities for the � rst time, at ninth place. � e city’s population in 2000 was 50,052, ranking it as the state’s 14th largest city.
Renton is also a diverse city, mirroring a trend in cities throughout South King County. � e diversity is apparent in the Renton School District, where 87 languages are spoken.
Renton’s Asian population is 19,298; only Bellevue and Seattle have a larger Asian population. � e city’s Hispanic population is 11,947, followed by African American, 9,670.
� e City of Renton has reached out to its diverse ethnic, cultural and non-English-speaking groups and has worked to make the city’s programs and services more accessible.
About 54 percent of Renton’s population is white.� e Benson Hill annexation added about 16,300
people to the city on March 1, 2008. Also, said Mayor Denis Law, there have been “several years of fairly aggressive annexations.” In all during the last 10 years, the city added about 23,000 new residents through an-nexations.
In� ll within the city’s existing borders also adds to its population.
While some may like to say they’re the mayor of a
Diverse Renton is ninth-largest city
Pilot Karlene Petitt, at work in the cockpit of a Boeing 747-400, hopes to expose more women and girls to aviation during Women of Aviation Worldwide Week, March 7-13. SUBMITTED
Women’s SummitSee page 7
[ more 737 page 5]
[ more CENSUS page 13 ][ more PILOTS page 8 ]
Cleanup at 737 plantSee page 4
46
53
70
206.949.1696www.marciemaxwell.com
Lisa LamRealtor, CRS,ABR & ASP
Marcie MaxwellAssociate Broker, Realtor & CRS
www.rentonreporter.com [5]March 4, 2011
Boeing uses ‘deliberate planning’ to ramp up productioncontract will secure thousands of direct and indirect Boeing jobs in the Puget Sound region.
The ramp-up in 737 production is a bright spot in Renton’s overall economic outlook. Every Boeing job at the 737 plant generally supports 1.7 jobs in the community. That number has been described as conservative, however.
“The Boeing Co. is a powerful engine in our economy and is respon-sible for creating thousands of jobs, attracting other companies and eco-nomic opportunities to Renton,” said Bill Taylor, president of the Renton Chamber of Commerce.
City officials point out that a 2008 Deloitte study indicated that Boe-ing’s operations in Renton account for nearly $7 billion (2.7 percent) of Washington’s gross state product, 10.7 percent of the state’s exports and more than 45,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Boeing increased 737 production to 31.5 planes a month last year, a record rate. Then, later in the year it
announced a production rate of 35 737s a month beginning in January 2012 and to 38 a month in the second quarter of 2013.
The 737 is built on two moving as-sembly lines at the plant.
The production increases are made with “deliberate planning,” said Verdier, the Boeing spokeswoman, to avoid “significant” drops that can occur if rates were increased too fast and too high.
“We have learned a measured ap-proach,” she said.
At the same time, she said, “we are making sure we’re meeting market requirements.”
Boeing has a backlog of 2,164 737s on order.
Mayor Law points out that more than 40 percent of the jetliners in the air worldwide today took their first flight from Renton Municipal Airport. “We will do everything we can to ensure Boeing’s continued success,” he said.
The new warehouse will be built on an empty parking lot off Logan Av-
enue North now used by second-shift workers at the plant, according to the City of Renton.
Construction will begin in the next few weeks and finish by year’s end, said Vicki Ray, a Boeing spokes-woman.
The company will receive and then stage such equipment as seats and gal-leys until needed in the final assembly buildings, said Ray.
This is a good example of a Boeing Lean practice the company has imple-mented in recent years to improve efficiency, Ray said.
“You do as much work as you can off the assembly line and have parts arrive just in time for installation,” she said.
Boeing also will place two 2,900-square-foot seal booths within the Boeing 4-20 building, demolish-ing the existing seal booth when the new ones are completed, according to the city.
“The expansion is one of many steps we’re taking to prepare for increased 737 production rates,” said Ray.
[ 737 from page 1]
Shy Quarter AcreImmaculate young Kennydale home and yard. Covered front porch & glass entry door welcome you. Laminate hardwoods thru 2 story
tall entry & kitchen. Entertainment sized dining room with bay window. Kitchen has 5 burner gas cooktop and eating bar. Gas
fireplace in open family rm plus loft bonus rm too. Lrg master w/walk in closet & 5pc bath. Handy upstairs laundry. $369,500
46
53
73
Experience, Service, Results!• Seller & Buyer Representation
• Over 2,600 Homes Sold & 20 Years of Experience• Top 1% Ranking, Locally & Nationally
• 2010, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006 Five Star agent– Best in Client Satisfaction awards
• Windermere – Leading the Northwest in Sales& Sales Technology
[email protected]@marciemaxwell.com
www.marciemaxwell.com
Affordable CondoDesirable top floor 2 bedroom home enjoys views of Olympic Mountains, colorful sunsets, night lights, plus peek to Lake WA. Vaulted ceilings and neutral paint throughout. Fireplace warms living room with bright skywall
window. Open dining room plus appliances stay in kitchen. Full size washer and dryer in unit. Large master has dbl closets. Generous storage, view deck, carport with plenty of parking here. Swimming pool too! $88,000
Vintage 1928 CraftsmanWell maintained Bryn Mawr view home has covered front porch & lovely glass entry door. Period details include: mahogany/fir hardwoods, coved ceilings, archways, millwork, lighting, wood wrapped windows, and one
panel doors throughout. Fireplace with arts & craft style surround & mantle warms living & dining rooms. Four large bedrooms, extra basement w/
potential for more living spaces, 1 car garage. $299,900
17626 161st Ave SE, RentonRoom for everyone in this spacious Fairwood remodel! Energy efficient gas furnace, 2 yrs new gas water heater, & dbl pane vinyl windows. Recent paint, white 6 panel doors/millwork, neutral carpet, & fixtures. Fireplace w/marble surround & bright wall of windows in living. Laminate wood floors in dining. Rich maple cabinets,
newer appliances, & eating bar in granite kitchen. Two masters-each w/private bath. 2nd fireplace in downstairs family rm. Deck overlooks fenced yard. $325,000
Open
Hou
seSu
n 1-
4pm
463801
White River Valley Museum
918 H Street SE, (Les Gove Park)Auburn, WA 98002 • (253) 288-7433
Admission: $1 for children and seniors, $2 for adults
Admission Free Each Wednesday & 4th Sundays
465655
WRECKED!Misadventures on the
Northern Pacific Railway
Family DayRiding the Rails!March 12 12-4pm
www.wrvmuseum.org
Sponsored by:
Email: [email protected]
Off-Site Catering Call (206) 395-5126
Venue Booking Call (425) 277-8408
www.raincitycatering.com465356
