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CRIME BLOTTER | Panhandler with infant raises concerns among motorists [8]
VOL. 16, NO. 1
Mirror
F E D E R A L WAY
division of Sound Publishing
OPINION | Teen pregnancy an issue in Federal Way [4] Roegner: Mayor launching slowly from change platform [4] Q&A WITH MR. FW | What am I going to do without Seahawks Sunday? [9] CALENDAR | New police chief to offer selfdefense tips during seminar [10]
SPEEDSKATING | Celski’s Olympic quest IF I WERE CZAR | Bringing city from ‘Felony Way’ to ‘Freakin Awesome Way’ [19] FRIDAY, JANUARY 3, 2014 | 75¢ kicks off at U.S. Trials [12]
Man charged in fatal crash
Artist creates world’s toughest sudoku puzzles
By Carrie Rodriguez
gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
editor@fedwaymirror.com
Maciek Jozefowicz, a Federal Way artist, has created the world’s toughest sudoku puzzles, two 16x16 grids that replace the familiar sudoku num-
A Federal Way man was charged with vehicular homicide in a crash that killed a Tacoma man on Dec. 30. Jeffrey Waterfall, 56, who police say was driving drunk, drove his Ford Mustang into a power pole at approximately 11:16 p.m. in the 28900 block of Redondo Way South, according to the Federal Way police report. The crash killed 52-year-old Kurtis D. Nevin of Tacoma, who was a passenger in Waterfall’s vehicle, the police report continues. He died at the scene. Waterfall was transported to Valley Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries. Blood testing showed he had a bloodalcohol content of .232, according to charging documents filed in King County District Court. Waterfall was booked into SCORE jail. He has a prior DUI conviction in 1979. The crash knocked a power pole off its base.
NEWSPAPER RACKS: To see a list of rack locations for the print edition of The Mirror, visit federalwaymirror.com/about_us.
by Greg Allmain
Maciek Jozefowicz
ber sequence with graphic symbols instead. Jozefowicz, who sells his unique puzzles through his website konokopia.com, said he had an insight into the nature of sudoku, which allowed him to create the two new puzzles that
are aptly named Hercules Sudoku 1 and 2. “I realized that sudoku really isn’t a numerical puzzle, it’s essentially a graphical puzzle,” said Jozefowicz, who has a master of architecture [ more SUDOKU, page 2 ]
Patrons step up to help sick server Benefit dinner set for longtime server with terminal lung cancer By Carrie Rodriguez editor@fedwaymirror.com
I
f you’ve sat in Ginger Kelpszas’s section at Billy McHale’s before, chances are she’s already served you before you even got inside the restaurant. “Half the time I see my customers in the parking lot and I get their drinks ready,” Kelpszas said. “When you wait on someone for 26 years, you know what they want.” The longtime server said her main mission is to treat guests like she did her beloved late father. “I’d kiss the top of their heads,” she recalled, laughing. “Every once in a while you’d get a crabby one and I’d say, ‘There’s a shrink out in the lobby there.’ I never let anyone leave upset. You can always replace bad food but not bad service.” But after 26 years of serving customers during what she considers the best job of her life, Kelpszas recently stopped working at Billy McHale’s as she battles stage four lung cancer. Now her customers and coworkers are rallying behind her. Billy McHale’s will host a benefit spaghetti dinner on Jan. 6 to help Kelpszas with her medical bills and other financial needs. “I’m in awe,” said Kelpszas, who is 59. “I feel like, how do I deserve this? Why is it me that’s getting such a huge thing done for me?
Ginger Kelpszas, (right) a longtime server at Billy McHale’s, has supported her customer Donna App (left) as App battles multiple myeloma. Kelpszas was recently diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and App and other regulars are now supporting her. contributed The only thing I can think of is they love me as much as I love them.” She says she plans to attend the dinner to thank her customers, but it won’t be easy. “That night is going to be very hard on me because I don’t get to see them now, it’s like losing my family,” she said, crying. “I’ve cried so many times, I’m so in love with
them. You love these people and not seeing them now is so hard for me. I’m grieving losing my job and I’m grieving that. One thousand times I want to thank them for being in my life for so many years.” One of those customers she is thankful for is Donna App, who Kelpszas met more than 20 years ago. “I met her at Billy McHale’s just
from going in to eat and she was often our food server and then we’d begin to request her, then they just seated us in her section,” said App, noting the two are now good friends. “Ginger is a super sweet gal. When it comes to work, she was the best food server I have ever seen. Whether you are a first time customer or somebody she had [ more SERVER, page 3 ]
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