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FEATURE | Author’s ‘Halo Found Hope’ tells story of surviving brain surgery [6] CRIME ALERT | Redmond Police Blotter [3]
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2015
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
SPORTS | Redmond High soccer players sign letters of intent. [12]
City hopes to put a new levy on the ballot this year Potential levy to focus on public safety, city infrastructure and a greener Redmond SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
On Tuesday, the City of Redmond will hold its second of two community
open-house gatherings regarding a potential levy and the public is invited to attend. The open house will be from 6-7:15 p.m. in the
Guevara in jail for possession of child pornography Bail set for $100,000 SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
Redmond resident Kevin Guevara was charged with three counts of possession of depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct — each in the first degree — according to charging documents. As previously reported, Redmond Police Investigations, Pro-Act and patrol units served a search warrant and took custody of Guevara, 21, at about 9 a.m. on Jan. 28 at a residence in the 15800 block of Northeast 111th Street in Redmond, which is less than a block away from Norman Rockwell Elementary School. Janessa Rosick, public information coordinator for the Redmond Police Department (RPD), said investigators are currently working on a forensic analysis of the electronics they recovered from his residence. When served with the warrant, Guevara con-
fessed to distribution of child pornography and is currently in King County Jail with bail set at $100,000 and a no-contact order with all minors, without exception. Charging documents state that between Aug. 10, 2014 and Jan. 28, Guevara “did knowingly possess visual or printed matter depicting a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.” The documents continue, reading that Guevara possessed “several hundred gigabytes” of images, which were recently uploaded to his Microsoft OneDrive accounts. In addition, the suspect admitted to law enforcement his sexual attraction to children and possessed journals containing his fantasies about abusing children. “The journals were taken into evidence and are quite graphic in nature and incredibly concerning,” charging documents state. It was also stated in court documents that Guevara possessed narcotics when he was arrested, causing further concern “with respect to [ more GUEVARA page 3 ]
lobby of Redmond City Hall, 15670 N.E. 85th St. The focus of the open house will be gathering public feedback on additional resources needed for public safety, city infrastructure and a greener Redmond. Jane Christenson, deputy city administrator for
the city, said during the city’s budgeting process in the summer of 2014, feedback from the community emphasized the importance of these three priorities. According to a press release from the city, the public input gained at the open house will be used
to develop priorities for a potential levy that may take place later this year. Attendees will be asked to rate various priorities while calculating implications to their individual annual property taxes. Input received at the open houses — the first of which was held earlier
this week — and online will form recommendations that will be presented to City Council at the Feb. 17 meeting. In addition to providing more resources to the three priorities, Christenson said the potential [ more LEVY page 7 ]
New plans for old building
Alexa Munoz, president of the Nokomis Club in Redmond, stands in front of the Nokomis building, which was constructed in 1933 by early club members. Natural & Built Environments has new plans for the building and that concerns Munoz. ANDY NYSTROM, Redmond Reporter
Nokomis building is currently in the process of being sold to Natural & Built Environments SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
As downtown Redmond continues to grow into the city’s vision of an urban center, more multi-use buildings are being constructed to make way for the planned popula-
tion growth. But as new buildings go up, sometimes, old ones must come down. And this is the case for the old Nokomis building at 16210 N.E. 80th St. OneRedmond (formerly the Greater Redmond Chamber of Commerce), a public-private partnership focused on economic development in the city, owns the property but the building is currently in the process of being sold to Natural & Built Environments (NBE), a Kirkland-based development company committed
to sustainability. According to the company’s website, NBE invests in “creating a transformation of existing and new properties to new levels of sustainability from solar, to wind power, green roofs, rain gardens, salmon-friendly streets, access to public transportation, flex cars, dual flush toilets, regional materials, how to ventilate living spaces with fresh air to reduce the need for air conditioning and more.” Robert Pantley, the company’s owner and CEO, said he became [ more NOKOMIS page 7 ]