Renton Reporter, November 06, 2015

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COLD/FLU | The difference is nothing to sneeze at. [7]

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A LEGACY OF SERVICE | The grandson of one of the founders of a local American Legion Post works to help vets get what they deserve. [Page 21]

FRIDAY, NOV. 6, 2015

McIrvin takes council lead; Parnell is at risk on hospital board

BY DEAN A. RADFORD

dradford@rentonreporter.com

Ryan McIrvin was winning handily over Monique Taylor-Swan for Renton City Council Position 4 in initial returns in Tuesday’s general election. Position 4 was an open council seat following Greg Taylor’s decision not to seek re-election to a third term. Mayor Denis Law ran unopposed for a third four-year term. Also unopposed was Ed Prince, who is completing his first term on the City Council. Ruth Perez, who was appointed in January to the seat vacated by Terri Briere’s death and was elected to finish the term. Don Persson also

ran unopposed and will serve a fifth term on the Council. Carol Ann Witschi also will join the City Council in Position 3, the seat held by council veteran Marcie Palmer. Palmer’s decision to not seek re-election came too late to have her name removed from the ballot; she won 27.48 percent of the vote to Witschi’s 71.94 percent. Also is appears that Carolyn Parnell’s long career as a Public Hospital District No. 1 commissioner is coming to an end. In initial returns, Parnell received 35.88 percent of the vote to M. Chris Monson’s 63.79 percent in commission District 2. The race for the open hospital district commission Position 4 seat was closer. Lawton Montgomery of Kent

received 55.87 percent of the initial returns to Savannah Clifford-Visker’s 43.56 percent. Only Renton School Board member Lynn Desmarais faced a challenger in Tuesday’s general election. In the initial tally, she received 62.96 percent of the vote to Larry Wright’s 36.67 percent. Longtime School Board member Todd Franceschina ran unopposed, as did Gloria Hodge who is seeking an open seat on the School Board. The King County Elections Division will continue to post new results online at www.kingcounty.gov/elections at about 4:30 p.m. each weekday. The final results will be certified on Nov. 24.

Practice makes perfect Firefighters with Renton Fire and Emergency Services, here working together to remove a “victim” from a crumpled car, took part in a regional training exercise on extrication techniques Tuesday at the headquarters station for the Renton fire department Tuesday. BELOW: Victim is carried away DEAN A. RADFORD, Renton Reporter

Renton man dies after fall off hiking trail BY BRIAN BECKLEY

bbeckley@rentonreporter.com

A 63-year-old Renton-area man died Monday night after falling during a hike on Little Si in North Bend. According to the Sheriff ’s Department, dispatchers received a call at about 7:55 p.m. Monday from a man who said he fell off a trail and was injured. He was disoriented and not sure where he was. The dispatcher pinpointed his location to the Little Si area and members of King County Search and Rescue responded and found [ more FALL page 4 ]

Former Hazen High School teacher charged with rape of a child BY DEAN A. RADFORD dradfrod@rentonreporter.com

A former Renton School District teacher fired from his job in August has been charged with third-degree rape of a child for allegedly having sex with one of female students nearly 10 years ago. Arraignment for Jeffrey C. Willis, 43, of Kent, is Nov. 16 at the Norm Maleng

Regional Justice Center in Kent. He was charged Oct. 30 and is not in custody. His firing occurred following an internal investigation by the school district, triggered when the student, now 23 years old, in August revealed to district officials the incident at Dimmitt Middle School when she was 14. The school district forwarded the information to the Renton Police Department. Detectives investigated and submitted their case to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. According to charging documents, Willis had sexual relations with the girl in 2006 at each of their homes, in his car

Your Residential Specialists

and on a trail behind Maplewood Heights Elementary School, among other places. They kissed at Dimmitt, where the girl was in Willis’s language-arts class. Willis would occasionally drive her home, which drew the attention of fellow teachers who counseled him not to do so, according or charging documents. He would then pick up the girl a few blocks away from school. The girl developed a crush on Willis, according to charging documents, and his heart would skip a beat when they passed in the hallway. The girl broke off the relationship in fall 2006 when she was a freshman at Hazen

High School. Willis was still at Dimmitt Middle School. Renton investigators on Sept. 24 interviewed Willis, who was accompanied by his attorney. He acknowledged developing a sexual relationship with the girl, which he knew was wrong, according to charging documents. District spokesman Randy Matheson indicated last week the district believes this was a one-time incident and not a pattern. “We have no reason to believe there were other students involved,” he said. Reach Dean A. Radfrod at 425-255-3484 ext. 5050.

206-949-1696 info@MarcieMaxwell.com www.MarcieMaxwell.com

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Charges stem from 2006 sexual relationship with 14-year-old student


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