The year in review | People and events that made news in 2015

January Bellevue College begins partnership process Bellevue College and Washington State University began the continuing process of partnering together on what both parties have said will be a new type of institution in Washington State when the Bellevue Board of Trustees authorized President David Rule to explore potential financial partnerships in January. Months later, the two schools signed a memorandum of understanding and moved on to the second-level of talks to merge the two institutions. WSU president Elson S. Floyd, who spearheaded the partnership talks by approaching Rule in November 2014, died earlier this year, but the two schools continue to explore the partnership.

By Allison DeAngelis • December 30, 2015 1:26 pm
A rogue beaver wandered over to Chick-fil-A in June and ended up receiving a police escort back to his habitat seven blocks away. Many citizens and critters made their way to the restaurant after it opened in March
A rogue beaver wandered over to Chick-fil-A in June and ended up receiving a police escort back to his habitat seven blocks away. Many citizens and critters made their way to the restaurant after it opened in March

January

Bellevue College begins partnership process

Bellevue College and Washington State University began the continuing process of partnering together on what both parties have said will be a new type of institution in Washington State when the Bellevue Board of Trustees authorized President David Rule to explore potential financial partnerships in January. Months later, the two schools signed a memorandum of understanding and moved on to the second-level of talks to merge the two institutions. WSU president Elson S. Floyd, who spearheaded the partnership talks by approaching Rule in November 2014, died earlier this year, but the two schools continue to explore the partnership.

February

Mylett is the new police chief

After nearly a year of searching, Steve Mylett was chosen as the Bellevue Police Department’s chief of police. Mylett had spent a combined 27 years as the police chief in Southlake and Corpus Christi, Texas. He took the reins from Linda Pillo, who retired in April 2014.

Mylett would take the reins mere weeks before the department released a 518-page investigative report into allegations against former police lieutenant John Manning. In the months following, now-former Deputy Chief Michael Johnson would abruptly resign after being caught using his department-issued police cruiser in violation of department regulations, and Deputy Chief J. Jolliffe would be placed on administrative leave pending the results of an internal investigation.

March

Bovee Park renamed

A city park originally named after the first mayor of Bellevue, Charles Bovee, was renamed decades after he was accused of molesting several young girls and run out of the city. Bovee Park had only recently been named when he was arrested for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old girl in 1959. The charges were dropped when Bovee agreed to leave the city, settling and later dying in Ephrata. The park was renamed in May to honor former city councilmember Georgia Zumdieck.

April

Sound Transit deal reached

After six months of negotiations, King County Executive Dow Constantine and Bellevue Mayor Claudia Balducci announced a tentative agreement with Sound Transit for East Link light rail service. The MOU removed $60 million from the city’s contribution to contingency costs in 2023, following the completion of the $100-million downtown tunnel that starts near the East Main station and ends at the Bellevue Transit Center station at city hall. Sound Transit accepted a $121 million bid in November for the construction of the East Link light rail extension in Bellevue, and construction is expected to start soon.

June

Football program punished

Two coaches were handed down game suspensions and the Bellevue High School football team received sanctions after an investigation revealed that violations of district rules and the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association articles. An investigation carried out by a third party found the football program had conducted out-of-season coaching and illegal recruiting. Head coach Butch Goncharoff and another coach received two-game suspensions and the team was put on probation for three years.

It was later alleged that the coaches and members of the football booster club had directed and/or paid for players to attend the Academic Institute in Bellevue and used false addresses and received subsidized housing in Bellevue to gain eligibility to play on the team. With rumors flying around, the district asked the WIAA to conduct an investigation into the program in August. The investigation is ongoing,

but the Reporter reported in December that many members of the football program feel that the third-party investigators have a racial bias and are targeting black students.

July

Ordinance raises alarm

An ordinance requiring residential and commercial alarm owners to register their systems caused confusion and frustration. Under a new program meant to curb responses to false alarms, alarm owners were required to register their alarms, pay an annual fee as well as fees for any false alarms. When registration opened in July, the Bellevue Police received many phone calls and emails from confused citizens. That feeling was duplicated in October when  the Public Safety Corporation, which created the CryWolf program being used by the city, sent invoices for overdue account charges and fines.

September

Toddler dies in crash, flashing yellow lights questioned

A 2-year-old toddler in a stroller was struck and killed in a crash on 140th Ave N.E. and Bel-Red Road after A Bellevue driver failed to yield at a flashing yellow light and was hit by oncoming traffic and pushed up onto the sidewalk, killing Shraddha Panchakarla.

The accident sparked a continuing conversation about the safety of flashing yellow lights, which the city has maintained are safe. City data supported those claims.

October

High schools to start later

The Bellevue School Board voted Oct. 6 to approve a conditional 8:30 a.m. start time for district high schools. The new start time will tentatively begin in fall 2016.The start time is subject to board approval of an implementation plan that includes a feasibility study at each school.The decision came after a feasibility study, public vote and months of debate.

Not everyone was in favor of the decision, and some parents voiced concern over the conflict with the conflict with extra-curricular activities. It sparked similar conversations in Seattle, Mercer Island and Issaquah.

November

Balducci wins county council election

Former mayor Claudia Balducci defeated Jane Hague in a three-to-two margin for position 6 on the King County Council. Balducci was elected to Bellevue’s City Council in 2004 and mayor in 2014.

In the City Council election, Vandana Slatter and John Chelminiak won their respective races by a narrow margin. The council will choose the next mayor during its next meeting on Jan. 4.

December

City, Microsoft partner to increase safety

The City of Bellevue, Microsoft and UW partnered up create a safer city for cyclists and pedestrians. The city’s transportation department, researchers for Microsoft and the university, and engineers from Seattle’s Toole Design Group are using existing infrastructure in Bellevue to see if there are patterns or data which can be used from collisions and “close-calls” to help pinpoint where they are most likely to occur and possibly prevent future crashes and save some lives. The city also recently announced a plan to reduce motor vehicle deaths called Vision Zero.