REDMOND
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REPORTER
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TECHNOLOGY | Redmond companies launch products into space [5] CRIME ALERT | Redmond Police Blotter [3] SPORTS | Redmond High’s Moriyama signs on to play tennis at Cal Tech in Pasadena. [16]
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2015
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Four City of Redmond incumbents file for re-election ANDY NYSTROM anystrom@redmond-reporter.com
Four Redmond incumbents — Mayor John Marchione and City Council members Hank Myers, Hank Margeson and David Carson — have all filed to run for re-election in the Nov. 3 general election. Current council member Tom Flynn will step down when his term expires on
Dec. 31, like the others, and has endorsed Angela Birney for his position. The current council foursome and Birney all filed with King County Elections on Monday — the first day to file — and other possible candidates have until 4 p.m. today to step in the ring.
MARCHIONE
Marchione, who has seen
the city grow and street grid in change since his downtown. These family moved were the first there in 1969, will new roads built be running for in Redmond his third term of in more than a mayor. decade. He next Under Mayor wants the city to John Marchione Marchione, the complete work on city extended Redmond Way so Bear Creek Parkthey can turn the way, 161st and 164th streets one-way street into a twoto make a more complete way road.
Isenhower’s life of service continues as DelBene’s district director As district director, Isenhower will be in charge of DelBene’s local offices Serving others has been within the district — which part of Matt Isenhower’s life includes Redmond — in since he was a boy. Bothell and Mount Vernon. From being in Boy Scouts His duties will include conwith his father to his time sulting services in the U.S. Navy, for immigration, to running for veterans and state Legislature, other issues. He the 35-year-old will also oversee Redmond resident outreach efforts has made it his and casework life’s mission to throughout the help others. district. Matt Isenhower This week, “Frankly, this is Isenhower will a great opportube bringing his nity,” Isenhower passion to serve told the Reporter about his to the First Congressional new job. District as he will be joining He said DelBene’s chief of Rep. Suzan DelBene’s office staff approached him about as the new district director. the position in mid-April He starts today. [ more ISENHOWER page 8 ]
In his first term as mayor, Marchione implemented a new, transparent Budgeting by Priorities (BP) process and raised the city’s bond rating to AAA (Standard and Poor’s). “The city is more efficient now. Working with the City Council, we have reduced the cost of government from a record high of over 6 percent in 2007 to a record
low of under 5 percent in 2015,” Marchione said in a press release. The cost of government reflects the percent of income residents pay in taxes for city services. He added that last year more than 1,400 people provided feedback during the budget process to establish the city’s funding priorities. [ more FILING page 10 ]
The horse rescuer
SAMANTHA PAK
spak@redmond-reporter.com
Joe Tafoya stands near a herd of wild horses he and his wife’s family are caring for at their ranch east of Redmond. SAMANTHA PAK, Redmond Reporter
Former Seahawk and his wife’s family huddle up and care for herd of wild horses near Redmond SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
For more than two decades, football was Joe Tafoya’s life.
But now that the former Seattle Seahawk is retired from the sport, something else is taking up much of his time. It all started with his first date
with his wife about a decade ago. Instead of going out to dinner or seeing a movie, the couple spent their date cleaning out her family’s horse stables at their ranch in unincorporated King County, just east of Redmond. Since then, the former footballer has traded his pigskin [ more HORSES page 8 ]
DigiPen pairs with Make-A-Wish Foundation to bring boy’s game to life SAMANTHA PAK spak@redmond-reporter.com
Mason Beckler first discovered video games when he was 5 years old. He had received a Gameboy Micro handheld game console for Christmas and there was “something magical” about it that has had him hooked on interactive
media ever since. When he was about 13, the Renton resident began thinking about a video game of his own and brainstorming ideas. His first concept focused on pigs with machine guns. As time went on, he came up with a new game involving a bat who could control other bats. This new concept took
hold and Beckler came up with more ideas. Over the course of the last few months, the 16-year-old has been able to see his ideas come to life with the help of DigiPen Institute of Technology in Redmond.
DETAILED CONCEPT
The result is “Lord of the
Bats.” Pearce Bergh, one of the student co-leaders of the game team at DigiPen that designed “Bats,” said the game focuses on Battede, a bat soldier in Lord Zlo’s army. “(Lord Zlo) has sent you on a mission to retrieve the Loopemus Fruit, only found on Mt. Loopemus,
which will save the Bat Kingdom,” Bergh said, explaining the player’s mission. He said they worked very closely with Beckler to design the game. All of the characters, worlds, game mechanics and story were the teen’s ideas. “Before we met with him, we were sent a seven-page
document outlining all of those,” said Bergh, who is a senior and working toward his bachelor of science degree in computer science in real-time interactive simulation. Bergh and his team first met with Beckler in November 2014, followed by a couple more meetings over [ more WISH page 9 ]