Sam Simpson-Gordon

Newcastle resident Sam Simpson-Gordon, of Troop 638, recently earned the rank of Eagle Scout.

Simpson-Gordon’s Eagle Scout project was completed on the May Creek Trail in Newcastle, with the help of Newcastle Trails’ Peggy Price.

He led a team of volunteers that improved a 100-foot portion of the May Creek Trail. The group widened and leveled the trail, built stone retaining walls and dug out roots to make the trail meet Newcastle’s standards.

In recognition of his accomplishment, he received a care package and letter from Cmdr. Chris Follin, of the USS Simpson. The guided missile frigate is named after Simpson-Gordon’s great-grandfather, Rear Adm. Rodger W. Simpson.

“I can see that you continue your great-grandfather’s legacy of steadfast devotion and relentless dexterity in the attainment of meaningful goals that benefit others,” Follin said.

Simpson-Gordon, a senior at Hazen High School, received his Eagle badge April 21 at Aldersgate United Methodist Church, in front of friends and family.

He plans to attend Bellevue College once he graduates and study computer graphic design.

File Former Seattle Seahawk Mack Strong (right), with wife Zoe, are hosting a fundraiser April 28 for TEAM-WORKS Academy.

Newcastle residents will have the opportunity to partake in a night of football, chocolate, wine and charity at a special TEAM-WORKS event May 9.

Locals are invited to visit Sweet Decadence from 5-7 p.m. to meet former Seahawk Mack Strong, who will be available to talk football and sign autographs.

Sweet Decadence will donate a portion of the night’s proceeds to TEAM-WORKS, an organization founded by Mack and Zoe Strong to empower at-risk youths toward a better future.

TEAM-WORKS partners with entities in the Northwest to offer mentoring services for disadvantaged youths and their families in indigenous, minority and impoverished communities. The nonprofit organization’s goal is to encourage kids to develop strong minds, strong bodies and strong character.

“I really appreciate the vision that Mack and Zoe have,” said Sandra Wixon, the owner of Sweet Decadence. “I think supporting kids is amazing.”

The event also doubles as a kickoff to make local residents aware of the July 17 charity golf tournament and auction held at The Golf Club at Newcastle to support TEAM-WORKS. Attendees will have the chance to register for the tournament or dinner auction at the May 9 event.

“This is to make people in Newcastle aware that their fellow neighbors, Mack and Zoe, are doing something very, very special,” said John Jensen, co-chair along with wife Lisa, of the dinner auction. “They’re getting results and they’re changing lives.”

Everyone who signs up for the July 17 fundraiser at the meet and greet will be entered into a drawing to win an autographed football signed by Mack Strong. Those who sign up by May 17 are ensured discounted, early-bird pricing. All proceeds directly support TEAM-WORKS programs.

“In a city like Newcastle, that’s relatively affluent, everybody looks for a way to give something back and sometimes when you write a check, you don’t know how effectively the money is being used,” Jensen said. “I can put $5 out there in a lot of different ways, but I know when I do it with TEAM-WORKS, it’s going to do something meaningful.”

Adults and children alike are welcomed to the May 9 meet and greet.

If you go

• TEAM-WORKS fundraiser and meet and greet
• 5-7 p.m. May 9
• Sweet Decadence
• 12835 Newcastle Way, Suite 100
• RSVP by emailing robin@teamworksacademy.org.
• www.teamworksacademy.org

It seemed like a no brainer, he said, to simply buy a drink for a person who put his or her life on the line to protect this country’s freedom.

Years later, the Regency Newcastle USO Happy Hour is still going strong, bringing nearly 100 veterans and supportive community members together to celebrate the sacrifices made by the men and women of the armed services.

“We started it as a local way to say thank you,” Jensen said. “What we didn’t realize was how appreciative the veterans would be of this very simple recognition.”

The fifth annual event is set to take place May 20 at The Golf Club at Newcastle in partnership with Regency Newcastle.

Each veteran will receive two free drinks as a small token of appreciation.

“People have asked, ‘How do you know if they are a vet or not?’ and we say, ‘It’s on the honor system.’ That’s never an issue with these guys,” Jensen said.

The event will feature a special guest speaker in Col. Robert P. Dickerson, the commander of the 3,300-person 16th Combat Aviation Brigade.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, Dickerson played football for the Black Knights. He served as a professor of military science at Tulane University and recently completed a senior fellowship at Harvard University. He is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal, and a veteran of Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm, as well as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

“The event is an opportunity for the military people to be in the same room and re-engage across generations, and it’s also a chance for people who have never been in the military to see real people that have been there,” Jensen said.

Veterans are asked to RSVP for the event by emailing Jensen at john@jensenroofing.com with name and military branch. As each veteran confirms his or her attendance, Jensen posts a photo and summary of where, when and which branch of the military each attendee served to the Newcastle USO Happy Hour Facebook page.

“Our ability to be unaware of the sacrifice of the veterans is because of the sacrifice of our veterans,” Jensen said. “It’s just so easy to forget all that they do for us. They’re a special group.”

If you go

• Regency Newcastle USO Happy Hour
• 4-6 p.m. May 20
• The Golf Club at Newcastle
• 15500 Six Penny Lane
• RSVP by emailing john@jensenroofing.com.

On the web

Learn more about the Regency Newcastle USO Happy Hour by liking the event Facebook page at on.fb.me/YhPnuH.

Contributed
A volunteer helps spruce up the Newcastle Cemetery during a spring cleaning in 2010.

Newcastle residents are invited to join the effort to remove downed trees and groom the walking trail inside the Newcastle Cemetery as volunteers spruce up the historic site with a good, thorough spring cleaning.

There will be two community work parties from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. May 18 and 25. The cleanup is a cooperative effort between the Newcastle Weed Warriors and the city of Newcastle.

Volunteers can munch on hot dogs, courtesy of the Weed Warriors. The city will provide gloves and tools. All ages are welcome to participate and students can earn community service hours.

The Newcastle Cemetery is at 7810 129th Ave. S.E. Learn more at www.newcastleweedwarriors.org.

I noticed a knotweed patch in our backyard greenbelt last year and contacted Grace for help. She pointed me in the right direction, and King County personnel came out and killed it. It’s hardy stuff, though, and she’s urged me to keep my eyes peeled for shoots. If you think you have a knotweed infestation but aren’t sure, go to www.newcastleweedwarriors.org, where you can view pictures of patches and see what her group is up to. It’s not the ugliest plant that you’ll ever see, but it’s one of the most insidious. Don’t let its heart-shaped leaves, sprays of white flowers and bobbing habit seduce you. This plant is not our friend.

I didn’t spot any stands of weeds on a recent hike that The Sainted One and I took, trying out the soon-to-be-completed May Creek Trail extension. We’d hiked the western part of the trail before (or “run” it, if you want to include the amble that we did at the back of the Newcastle 5K pack last year.) The new segments were charming, with bubbling streams, a footbridge and supporting rockwork. Going East to West, the first part is all downhill, but the uphill was made manageable by gentle switchbacks and well-placed viewpoints.

Through the Newcastle Trails organization, Peggy Price and the members and volunteers have carved out this trail and many others that we all enjoy. Or should enjoy. If you’ve not muddied up your tennis shoes lately, I suggest that you go to newcastletrails.org, print out a map and put some local miles on.

After Dennis Yarnell passed away, I wrote an article about what makes a place. Peggy and Grace and their members and volunteers make this place as well. When you pass a weed-free open space or walk to downtown Newcastle on a trail, think of Grace and Peggy and the people who work with them.

And please note that I once spent a morning with Peggy working on the northern terminus of the Olympus Trail, so you can think of me as well when you walk on that, but only for a nanosecond.

_________________

You can reach Pat Detmer — who hates a bad weed and loves a good trail — at patdetmer@aol.com.

Katie Tinnea

Katie Nicole Tinnea, 30, of Snoqualmie, passed away peacefully April 4, 2013, after courageously fighting cancer for two years.

She is survived and will be missed by her husband Ryan, daughter Kennedy, parents Tony and Jocelyn Aldridge, and many extended family members and friends.

She will be remembered for her love, positivity, grace, energy and humor. Katie was an inspiration to many as a well-respected teacher at Newcastle Elementary School, and as a spokesperson for colon cancer prevention, research and awareness. Her passions included her family, her students, holidays, the Seahawks and shopping!

A public memorial service to celebrate Katie’s life will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Bellevue, 1717 Bellevue Way N.E., Bellevue, WA 98004, on Sunday, April 21, at 2 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Katie’s name can be made to the Colon Cancer Coalition.

The name stuck, so much so that once when I introduced Fred at a book-signing on Whidbey Island, a man shook his hand and said, “Fred? And here I always thought your first name was The.” Just a few weeks ago, a reader recognized me in the Palm Springs Airport and asked if that was The Sainted One at my side.

That’s how he’s been perceived all of these years: The Sainted One, operating with an unruffled, Zenlike calm, staking claim to a tranquil island in a sea of fluctuating hormonal tsunamis, cool, composed, beloved by all. But now I know better.

He wasn’t Sainted. He was deaf.

For years, I was the one who complained about the yippy dogs, the unidentified squealing and moaning from the new refrigerator, and the mysterious and nameless plumbing and house-settling sounds. Our interchanges were like an auditory version of the old movie “Gaslight,” where Charles Boyer makes Ingrid Bergman believe that she’s crazy by denying reality. In our own personal Gaslight, I began to believe that I was nothing more than an edgy, impatient witch who was just one step away from taking a brickbat to anything that made noise. “What was that?” I’d snap in alarm, and The Sainted One’s response (unless there was a 747 landing in the driveway with a convoy of wailing fire department vehicles to support it) was “Huh? I don’t hear a thing.”

Turns out he wasn’t kidding. He couldn’t hear a thing, but since he got fitted for his hearing aids several weeks ago, he’s been as acoustically alert as a Cairn Terrier on methamphetamines.

I feel a certain smugness now when he asks me why I must crumple the newspaper so loudly. I smile serenely when he wonders aloud at the popping sounds that he hears when he stands (his knees), or when he questions the volume of the fax machine or asks if the front door squeak was always that obnoxiously loud.

I ask you: Who’s The Sainted One now?

You can reach the new Sainted One at patdetmer@aol.com.

The Comprehensive Plan is a document that outlines the city’s vision and goals for the future. A statute requires cities to update their plans by June 2015. Newcastle last completed its Growth Management Act-mandated update in 2003.

The Planning Commission seeks public input as it begins to update the city’s Comprehensive Plan. The easiest way to get involved is to attend one of its meetings at 7 p.m. the third Wednesday at Newcastle City Hall, 12835 Newcastle Way, Suite 200.

Consultant joins Tastefully Simple

Newcastle’s D’Ann Lucke has joined Tastefully Simple Inc. as an independent consultant. The sales company offers easy-to-prepare foods.

As an independent business owner, Lucke offers food samples at home taste-testing parties, along with ideas for everyday meals, recipes and serving suggestions.

All of Tastefully Simple’s products are open-and-enjoy or can be prepared by adding only one or two ingredients.

Hazen receives achievement awards

The State Board of Education and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction awarded two Washington Achievement Awards to Hazen High School: One for its overall excellence, and one for being a top performer in the field of mathematics.

This is the fourth year in a row that Hazen High School has received a Washington Achievement Award. Hazen was one of five schools in the Renton School District that were recognized.

Washington Achievement Awards are given in several categories, including graduation rate, language arts, math and science.

A total of 381 state schools received Washington Achievement Awards. The award-winning schools will be honored during an award ceremony on April 30 at Kentwood High School in Covington.

Army Pvt. David Taylor has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C.

During nine weeks of training, he studied the Army mission, history, tradition and core values, physical fitness, and received instruction and practice in basic combat skills, military weapons, chemical warfare and bayonet training, drill and ceremony, marching, rifle marksmanship, armed and unarmed combat, map reading, field tactics, military courtesy, military justice system, basic first aid, foot marches and field training exercises.

Taylor, the son of Brian Taylor of Renton, is a 2012 graduate of Hazen High School.

Justin Boggs

Army Spec. Justin Boggs has graduated from basic infantry training at Fort Benning, Columbus, Ga.

During nine weeks of training, he received training in drill and ceremonies, weapons, map reading, tactics, military courtesy, military justice, physical fitness, first aid, and Army history, core values and traditions. Additional training included development of basic combat skills and battlefield operations and tactics, and experiencing use of various weapons and weapons defenses available to the infantry crewman.

Boggs, the son of Allen and Rita Boggs of Renton, is a 2006 graduate of Hazen High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 2010 from Central Washington University in Ellensburg.

Affiliated with NASA and the University of Washington, the program is a free, competitive, science, technology, engineering and mathematics program for high school juniors from the state.

Stroming is among 285 student applicants from 117 public, private and home-school organizations who applied earlier this year. He is among 218 students still participating in the program. Having already completed five online lessons, he will spend the next three months continuing to compete for one of the 160 slots available in a summer residency session held at The Museum of Flight in June and July.

Applications for the 2013-14 program will be available in late summer at www.museumofflight.org/was.