Candidates talk about the issues, vie for newspaper endorsement
September 30, 2015
NEW — 3:16 p.m. Sept. 30, 2015
Candidates for the only contested Newcastle City Council race separately convened in Issaquah Sept. 25, where they met with The Issaquah Press newspaper group General Manager Charles Horton and Managing Editor Kathleen R. Merrill.
Newcastle News is one of four newspapers in that group.
Victoria Sandoval
Linda Newing
Horton and Merrill quizzed Victoria Sandoval and Linda Newing on everything from traffic to city finances, as the two made their cases for a Newcastle News endorsement. Newcastle News previously asked the candidates a series of questions here and profiled them here in the lead-up to the election. Read more
Issaquah Press group names new GM
September 30, 2015
NEW — 2:45 p.m. Sept. 30, 2015
Charles Horton III has been named the new general manager of The Issaquah Press newspaper group. He started in his new role Sept. 14.
Horton replaces former general manager Joe Heslet who left The Issaquah Press in May.
Charles Horton
Horton comes most recently from the Standard-Examiner, a daily community newspaper in Ogden, Utah, where he served as a vice president and the publisher since 2013. Before that, Horton worked for nine years at the Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, where he started as the circulation director. While at the Sun, Horton moved up through the organization to take on increasing responsibilities in interactive, advertising, and then eventually was named publisher and chief revenue officer. Read more
Newcastle Days takes shape
August 6, 2015
NEW — 6 a.m. Aug. 6, 2015
The bright lights of Broadway are coming to the Lake Boren Park stage this September.
A cast of community members will dance and belt out tunes from various hit musicals in the hourlong “Broadway at Boren” spectacular 7 p.m. Sept. 11.
“It’s some singing, some dancing. Just a variety of whatever talent we happen to get,” said Wendy Kirchner, Newcastle community activities liaison.
“Broadway at Boren” represents the opening act of the city’s expanded 2015 Newcastle Days celebration. Read more
Fourth of July kicks off summer schedule
July 2, 2015
Fireworks are banned in the city of Newcastle, but, as always, there is one place where residents can legally watch the pyrotechnic displays mostly associated with Independence Day.
The city’s annual Fourth of July celebration returns to Lake Boren Park this Saturday.
As the region experiences particularly dry conditions, now more than ever, city officials are pleading with citizens to heed the firework ban.
“Our fire and police departments recommend that people take advantage of the elaborate public firework displays around the region,” said Wendy Kirchner, Newcastle community activities liaison. “Please consider treating your family to a fun Fourth of July this year at Lake Boren Park.” Read more
Get Granny on Fallon
April 30, 2015
Movement starts to get Newcastle resident on ‘The Tonight Show’
By Christina Corrales-Toy
Italene Gaddis, a 90-year-old poet, songwriter and musician, plays her autoharp in her Newcastle home in 2013.
Newcastle resident Italene Gaddis had a dream. Read more
Notes from Newcastle
April 2, 2015
A plea to #hashtag it
Newcastle is suffering from an identity crisis.
No, I’m not talking about anything that the city is or isn’t doing. This crisis, it so happens, is simply out of City Hall’s control.
The problem would best be described as a “social media identity crisis.” Go ahead; search ‘Newcastle’ on Twitter. What do you see?
You’ll likely see a lot of tweets about Newcastle United FC, a soccer team in the English Premier League. Though the majority of Newcastle tweets are about the Magpies, they, incidentally, have nothing to do with our Newcastle. Read more
Notes from Newcastle: Video killed the radio star
November 7, 2014
Since Newcastle News comes out only once a month, I split my duties between this paper and The Issaquah Press, a weekly.
I work on community features and Liberty High School sports for The Press, but I usually stay away from the more newsy Issaquah items, saving those for the main Issaquah Press reporter.
Well, we bid a sad farewell last month to Peter Clark, our Issaquah city reporter who moved on to greener pastures. In his absence, and while we searched for his replacement, I picked up the slack a bit.
That meant, for much of October, I shuttled back and forth between Issaquah and Newcastle city council meetings. It’s the first time I’ve ever really attended a council meeting other than Newcastle’s, so it was interesting to compare and contrast the two. Read more
Newcastle plans National Night Out events
July 31, 2014
Newcastle will join cities across the country to celebrate National Night Out Aug. 5.
The event aims to heighten crime prevention awareness, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police-community partnerships, and send a message to criminals about neighborhoods organized against criminal activity.
National Night Out is celebrated with neighborhood block parties, often visited by local law enforcement.
The Donegal Park neighborhood event begins at 5:30 p.m. at Donegal Park, 7319 125th Ave. S.E. Neighbors are encouraged to bring folding chairs and food for grilling on the park’s barbeque, said event coordinator Lorinda Ecklund. Read more
Nominations come in for 2014 Diamond Awards
July 2, 2014
For the second year in a row, the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce’s Diamond Awards will be an elegant evening affair, hosted at The Golf Club at Newcastle.
Nominations are already coming in for the Nov. 20 ceremony that honors Newcastle’s top community members. Get to know some of the nominees below, and be sure to cast your nominations at www.newcastle-chamber.org.
Reminder: Chamber hosts Issaquah Press Inc.’s Joe Heslet
June 10, 2014
NEW — 10:45 a.m. June 10, 2014
Joe Heslet, general manager of Issaquah Press Inc., will speak at the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce’s June 11 luncheon.
Heslet oversees operations of The Issaquah Press, Sammamish Review, SnoValley Star and Newcastle News. He will talk about how to create advertising retention with top-of-mind awareness.
Before joining Issaquah Press Inc. in October 2013, some of his more noteworthy career experiences include his tenure as director of sales and advertising at the Puget Sound Business Journal, general sales manager for Fisher Communications’ KOMO and KVI stations, and founding and leading his own research firm.
The luncheon starts at 11 a.m. June 11 at Tapatio Mexican Grill, 6920 Coal Creek Parkway S.E. The cost is $20 for chamber members and $25 for nonmembers. RSVP for the luncheon at http://bit.ly/1lb7n0c.
