Prepare for full Interstate 405 closure this weekend
March 31, 2011
NEW — 4 p.m. March 31, 2011
The Washington State Department of Transportation will close Interstate 405 between Northeast Eighth Street and the state Route 520 interchange from 11 p.m. April 1 to 4 a.m. April 4 for construction.
Crews will remove the old Northeast 12th Street bridge during the closure.
Click here for more information.
New photos released of Newcastle bank robber
March 29, 2011
NEW — 11 a.m. March 29, 2011
The man who robbed the Newcastle KeyBank was caught on camera when he fled across the parking lot to Safeway.
The King County Sheriff’s Office released new photos March 29 of the man who robbed KeyBank, 6917 Coal Creek Parkway S.E., March 18.
After robbing the bank, the man fled on foot across the parking lot to Safeway, 6911 Coal Creek Parkway S.E., where he entered through the south entrance. He took off his jacket, cap and glasses in the store and left through the north entrance.
Surveillance cameras at Safeway recorded the photos.
The man robbed KeyBank at about 12:20 p.m. that day. He walked inside and delivered a handwritten note to the teller explaining that he was robbing the bank, sheriff’s office spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said. The teller did not see a weapon, but he gave the man money from the till and tripped the bank’s alarm.
Officials to host meeting about May Valley sex offender
March 29, 2011
NEW — 10: 30 a.m. March 29, 2011
Robert Eugene Berry
King County Sheriff’s Office and Issaquah School District officials reached out to parents Wednesday, because a registered sex offender is moving to May Valley.
The sheriff’s office is holding a sexual-offender notification meeting from 6:30-8 p.m. April 20 at Apollo Elementary School, 15025 S.E. 117th St., Renton.
The offender, Randall Eugene Berry, is moving to the 18800 block of Southeast May Valley Road. People living near Berry’s residence received mailers about the move.
Berry was charged with first-degree rape in 1984. Posing as an off-duty police officer with a fake badge, he used his vehicle’s headlights or emergency flashers to stop women who were driving alone, according to the sheriff’s office. He then told victims they had committed a traffic violation, or that they had defective vehicle equipment.
Police Blotter for March 28
March 28, 2011
NEW — 10:15 a.m. March 28, 2011
Mailbox vandalism and theft
A man reported that the lock on his mailbox, 11800 block of Southeast 78th Street, had been punched between noon March 9 and noon March 10, causing $20 in damage. He believed some mail might have been taken.
A man reported that mail was stolen from his mailbox, in the 11800 block of Southeast 78th Street, between noon and 2 p.m. March 12. He said all the mailboxes in front of his house were propped open. There was no damage done to the mailbox or its lock.
Key Bank robbed March 18
March 21, 2011
UPDATED — 11 a.m. March 22, 2011
Police are searching for this man, who robbed Key Bank in Newcastle, 6917 Coal Creek Parkway S.E., just before 12:30 p.m. March 18.
A man robbed Key Bank, 6917 Coal Creek Parkway S.E., just before 12:30 p.m. March 18.
The man walked in the store and delivered a hand-written note to the teller explaining that he was robbing the bank, King County Sheriff’s Office spokesman John Urquhart said. The teller did not see a weapon, but he gave the man money from the till and tripped the bank’s alarm.
The man was white and about 6 feet tall and thin. He wore a black cap, black jacket, light-blue jeans and black-rimmed glasses. He left the store on foot, and headed northwest toward Safeway after leaving the bank.
Police searched the area but did not find the man, Urquhart said.
If you recognize this man, call the King County Sheriff’s Office at 206-296-3311 at any time of day, or call 911.
Police Blotter for March 18
March 18, 2011
NEW — 6 a.m. March 18, 2011
Home burglary
A woman reported that numerous pieces of jewelry had been taken from her apartment at Newport Crossing Apartments, 7311 Coal Creek Parkway S.E., between Feb. 6 and 19. She said her roommate denied any knowledge of the alleged burglary. She said her roommate might have had guests while she was away, and that a guest may have been responsible. She reported the stolen items to be a diamond ring worth $600, a golden band worth $400, a ruby ring with diamonds worth $4,500 and a tourmaline ring worth $700.
Newcastle eye surgeon gets 20-year sentence for murder-for-hire plot
March 17, 2011
UPDATED — 11:30 a.m. March 18, 2011
COURTNEY BLETHEN RIFFKIN / THE SEATTLE TIMES — Dr. Michael Mockovak, Newcastle resident and co-founder of Clearly Lasik eye-surgery centers, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
Fear of her family being gunned down by a man who was once part of their daily life has consumed Holly King for the past 16 months.
King, the mother of three and wife of successful laser eye surgeon Dr. Joseph King, said that fear prompted her to take firearms training and obsessively monitor the video-surveillance system in their Newcastle home.
“Each day, when I drive my children to school, I wonder which stranger is going to murder us,” Holly King, 32, said in King County Superior Court on March 17.
Judge Palmer Robinson granted the couple some relief from that fear by sentencing Dr. Michael Mockovak to 20 years in prison for plotting to kill Dr. King, his ex-brother-in-law, longtime friend and fellow co-founder of the Clearly Lasik laser eye-surgery centers.
Lake Boren playground closed for construction
March 16, 2011
UPDATED — 2:10 p.m. March 16, 2011
The Lake Boren Park playground closed March 14 for construction. Most of the playground will be removed to make way for new equipment, and construction is expected to continue through June 30.
The new playground is slated to expand to the north and east, and include two separate play areas: one for children 2-5 years old and another for children older than 5. The design calls for a concrete pathway to separate the play areas, and for the current swings — which are in good condition — to not be removed or replaced.
Bears spotted near Newcastle Elementary School March 15
March 15, 2011
NEW — 4:30 p.m. March 15, 2011
Several people reported bear sightings near Newcastle Elementary School Tuesday.
“Please remember that bear sightings are not uncommon around Newcastle Elementary School,” school administrators wrote in an e-mail to parents after the sightings. “Bears have typically been spotted in or around the gully north of the school.
“This is the time of year that bears are waking up and foraging for food, so please use caution if you happen to come across one.”
If you see a bear and are concerned, call King County Animal Control at 206-296-7387.
Local woman named top business student
March 11, 2011
Beauty industry business training company Nuts and Bolts named Newcastle resident Tamanda Nyasulu one of the top business students in esthetics in North America. The awards were presented at the International Salon & Spa Expo in Long Beach, Calif., Jan. 30.
Nyasulu was named the No. 3 esthetic student of the year based on her GPA, sales and visual presentation. Students from 74 beauty schools in the U.S. and Canada competed for the awards.
Nyasulu — an African emigrant — attends Evergreen Beauty College in Bellevue and recently accepted a job offer from a local branch of Beauty Works Salon and Beauty store.
