November 2015

By Matt Wendland

Telesforo Hernandez-Roa of Burien pleaded guilty to second degree murder for stabbing his ex-wife at a Kent park-and-ride in 2014 at a hearing on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Hernandez-Roa, then 41, was arrested on July 20th of 2014 after police found him walking in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood covered in blood and with his shirt turned inside out. Upon questioning, he told police that his ex-wife had been cheating on him and that her new lover had been sending him nude photos of her.

With the information from Hernandez-Roa, police located the red Nissan Pathfinder owned by 39-year-old Ruth Castillo-Yanez in a Kent park-and-ride located on the 23400 block of Military Road South. Officers found signs of a struggle outside of the vehicle before locating her body within the SUV. She had been stabbed over 25 times.

Court records show that the couple had been legally divorced for seven months before the murder. The couple’s teenage daughter told police that her parents had often met at the park-and-ride and that she believed her parents had gone out to dinner before the stabbing.

By Matt Wendland

Telesforo Hernandez-Roa of Burien pleaded guilty to second degree murder for stabbing his ex-wife at a Kent park-and-ride in 2014 at a hearing on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Hernandez-Roa, then 41, was arrested on July 20th of 2014 after police found him walking in Seattle’s Seward Park neighborhood covered in blood and with his shirt turned inside out. Upon questioning, he told police that his ex-wife had been cheating on him and that her new lover had been sending him nude photos of her.

With the information from Hernandez-Roa, police located the red Nissan Pathfinder owned by 39-year-old Ruth Castillo-Yanez in a Kent park-and-ride located on the 23400 block of Military Road South. Officers found signs of a struggle outside of the vehicle before locating her body within the SUV. She had been stabbed over 25 times.

Court records show that the couple had been legally divorced for seven months before the murder. The couple’s teenage daughter told police that her parents had often met at the park-and-ride and that she believed her parents had gone out to dinner before the stabbing.

Highline boasts a long list of well-known and accomplished alumni and dozens of grads you haven't yet heard of who are making their mark on the world. One of those graduates is Maya Mendoza-Exstrom, a 1999 Highline High School graduate. 
 
Highline is featuring Maya in this month’s #HighlineAlum social media campaign. She is currently the General Counsel for the Seattle Sounders FC and serves as Executive Director of the RAVE Foundation.
 
“I was given the opportunity to have a fantastic education. I think that the amount of creativity and curiosity that was infused into my education pushed me to always think about my passions and my interests, and to orientate myself in ways that pushed me academically and think about the world critically,” said Maya.
 
Maya is also a volunteer on the Board of Trustees for the Highline Schools Foundation.  As a proud Highline graduate, Maya attended school at Valley View Elementary School, Sylvester Middle School, and Highline High School. 

New York, NY – November 17, 2015 – The award-winning Scholastic News Kids Press Corps™ today welcomed 27 new Kid Reporters, ages 10 to 14, to the country’s oldest and largest student reporting program. The newly-appointed reporters will join eight returning young journalists to report “news for kids, by kids” with coverage of current events, breaking news, entertainment stories, and sports events from their hometowns and on the national stage. The new team of 35 Kid Reporters from 22 states and the District of Columbia will carry out a long-standing tradition of covering the presidential election, reporting on stories from the campaign trail to Election Day, and the inauguration of the next U.S. president.
 
“Through the stories on our blog, and the reporting in Scholastic News magazine and on Scholastic News Online, Kid Reporters provide a relevant and age-appropriate look at contemporary news for readers just like them,” said Suzanne McCabe, Editor of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps. “We’re gearing up for an exciting year of news coverage that will offer these young reporters tremendous opportunities to grow as journalists and writers.”
 

New York, NY – November 17, 2015 – The award-winning Scholastic News Kids Press Corps™ today welcomed 27 new Kid Reporters, ages 10 to 14, to the country’s oldest and largest student reporting program. The newly-appointed reporters will join eight returning young journalists to report “news for kids, by kids” with coverage of current events, breaking news, entertainment stories, and sports events from their hometowns and on the national stage. The new team of 35 Kid Reporters from 22 states and the District of Columbia will carry out a long-standing tradition of covering the presidential election, reporting on stories from the campaign trail to Election Day, and the inauguration of the next U.S. president.
 
“Through the stories on our blog, and the reporting in Scholastic News magazine and on Scholastic News Online, Kid Reporters provide a relevant and age-appropriate look at contemporary news for readers just like them,” said Suzanne McCabe, Editor of the Scholastic News Kids Press Corps. “We’re gearing up for an exciting year of news coverage that will offer these young reporters tremendous opportunities to grow as journalists and writers.”
 

By Michele Smith

On November 3rd, 2015, residents of Normandy Park voted 'no' on a levy that would have continued funding for two Police Officer positions and a Records Specialist position. The levy failed by 283 votes and the layoffs will happen Jan. 1, 2016 in order for the city to balance the 2015-16 budget.

Believing these layoffs will have a significantly negative impact on safety in their community, Normandy Park residents Patti Gifford, Gerry Osgood, Lynn Hewitt, Susan West and Tom Munslow began a grassroots effort and a 501(c)3 foundation called Friends of Normandy Park (FONP) that also includes community members and local businesses tasked with raising funds through event and project planning. They are currently seeking donations in the amount of $276,000 to save the three Police Department positions for 2016.

Retaining these positions would maintain the minimum level of police support the group believes is necessary although the department would still be two positions short from a full-size staff of 12 full-time Police Officers, 1 Community Service Officer and two Records staff.

Home and Business Break-in/Burglary:

Home and Business Break-in/Burglary:

Marilyne Reeff, 85, of Sagle, ID, passed away peacefully November 12, 2015 at home, surrounded by her immediate family.

Predeceased by husband, Jean; parents, Bernard and Ruth (Middleton) Reynolds; daughter-in-law Ramona; brothers, Delmar, Loyal, James and Glenn; sisters, Rachel, Mildred and Laurabelle; and dear friend, John Olson, Marilyne is survived by her children, Cathy Engrissei (Jim) of Seattle, Marlyne J. Reeff of Arlington and Linda Cline (Bill) of Sagle, ID; 7 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; brothers, Donald, Myron and twin Marlyne; and sisters, Winnie, Sarah and Bernadine.

“You are my sunshine. You make me happy when skies are grey. You’ll never know dear, how much I love you.”

Services pending. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to Bonner County General Health Hospice.

Published in The Highline Times Section of The Westside Weekly November 27, 2015.

Born in Lewiston, ID in 1936 to Ethel (Wiss) and Kermit Eaton, Phyllis passed away October 25, 2015 after a final struggle with cancer.
The family moved to Seattle, WA, and Phyllis became a proud 1954 graduate of West Seattle HS. Her careers included time at the Washington State Ferry System, GM Nameplate, and Highline Hospital as administrative secretary.
Phyllis is survived by her husband, Scott; son, Owen Wright; and daughters, Shelley Houston and Tricia Baslington.
Phyllis’ Celebration of Life will be held Thursday, December 3, 2015, 3-5 p.m., at Des Moines Beach Park Dining Hall, 22030 Cliff Ave. S.
Remembrances may be made to Highline Cancer Center, % Highline Medical Center Foundation, 16259 Sylvester Rd., Burien, WA 98166.
Guestbook: www.legacy.com/obituaries/seattletimes/

Published in The Highline Times Section of The Westside Weekly November 27, 2015