Local News

The band director at Stadium High School in Tacoma has resigned and will surrender his teaching certificate after school officials concluded there was ”sufficient reliable information” to find that he had sex with a female student during the 2009-10 school year, according to the Tacoma News Tribune.

David J. Mulkins, 36, was placed on paid leave March 23 after the allegations surfaced. He has been the school’s band director for 10 years. His resignation was announced in a letter the school sent to parents on Tuesday.

It’s a crime in Washington for a teacher to have sex with a student regardless of age. The student in question was a senior at the time. Prosecutors have not decided whether to file criminal charges.

Mulkins’ resignation, effective May 24, was in lieu of termination, the paper reported.

A friend of the girl told Stadium’s principal about the alleged relationship.  In text messages obtained by the TNT, “the girl says she was confused and sometimes afraid during the course of the relationship, which continued after she graduated. She says she didn’t report it for fear of public humiliation,” the paper reported.

Weather: Did you notice it was starting to get light at 5 a.m. today?  The chart says light rain for the next four days, but we don’t believe it. The sun is peeking out from the clouds, and we’re banking on that. Sunday looks great, as in sunny. We’re still seeing below-normal temperatures. We’re supposed to be in the low 60s by now. Go figure.
The National Weather Service forecast.

Traffic: The map and cams.

Workers at Eileen Fisher shop at Sixth Avenue and Pine Street were taking down sheets of plywood put up to protect the windows. (Photo by Jack Broom / The Seattle Times)

May Day mayhem: We certainly hope it’s over. Thanks to Mother Nature and the rain last night.

Big fine for immigration violation:  A Duvall herb farm charged with firing illegal immigrants then turning around and rehiring them has been hit with a $1 million fine in federal court.

Teaching assistant, sex, student: A teaching assistant, Cheri Powers, is charged with sexual misconduct for allegedly having sexual contact with a 16-year-old boy at Goldendale High School in Klickitat County.

Proposed tuition hikes at Wazzu: The board of regents at WSU meets Friday to consider raising tuition by 16 percent. That would mean $11,000 for in-state students and $24,000 for non-residents.

Most-read stories this morning on seattletimes.com:

1. Rain drives May Day protesters away after earlier outbreak of vandalism
2. Sparks fly over Dan Savage’s comments to students about Bible
3. Survivalist’s bunker was built for one
4. Deciphering what the heck the Seahawks were thinking in draft | Jerry Brewer
5. May Day protests: traffic jams or worse?

Weather: OK, it’s the end of December, so what can we expect. It’s either showers or rain, or the chance of either, right through the weekend and into the new year. Let’s grin and bear it. On the bright side, the temperatures have been in the high 40s, and we haven’t been scraping ice off our windows or slipping and sliding to work, right? The details.

Traffic: It’s the second day of tolling on the 520 bridge. Yesterday wasn’t too bad, although volumes increased on I-90 in the afternoon. We’ll have some stats from the state later today, we think. Are you tired of these stories yet? The map and cams.

Community college instructor to student: Taking off your clothes will improve your vocal range. That’s from a story in The News Tribune in Tacoma this morning about Tacoma Community College instructor Kevin Gausepohl, who is charged with seven counts of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Sex acts will help your singing, too, according to the charges.

What was the Alamo Bowl game score, a college basketball game? Doesn’t anyone play defense anymore?

Prudence Hockley

Teacher slain: In the case of the Woodinville teacher from Seattle who died Christmas Day, her boyfriend is now charged with killing her. Beloved by students and colleagues, Prudence Hockley leaves behind a 13-year-old daughter, two adult children and no doubt people asking themselves how this could happen. And then there’s this, from our story today: She was struck with such force that the bones in her face and head were shattered.

 Snowy owl: One of these white critters was caught on camera in Ballard the other day. The photo is on the website of our community partner, My Ballard.

KOMO TV meteorologist and blogger Scott Sistek comes up with the most interesting and sometimes curious weather stats. A recent one:

In 2011, Washington was coldest state in lower 48, relative to normal.”

Most-read stories on seattletimes.com this morning:

1. Huskies score 56 points, but still can’t beat Baylor
2. Wild ride for Huskies is ultimately frustrating | Jerry Brewer
3. Boyfriend charged in Woodinville teacher’s death
4. 520 tolls begin: Traffic gets heavier on I-90
5. Verizon will charge $2 fee for bill paying

A cross country coach and teacher at Kent-Meridian High School, accused of offering a student $100 for sex and sending her a cellphone photo of his penis, has been charged in King County Superior Court.

Ernie Ammons, 36, of Black Diamond, has been charged with communication with a minor for immoral purposes. The 16-year-old student told Kent police she and Ammons were Facebook friends who text-messaged each other daily. She said Ammons sent her photos of his penis and she sent him nude photos, according to the charges filed on Dec 11.

Ammons told the school principal that he began corresponding with the girl in August, when he accepted her Facebook friend request, according to charges filed in King County Superior Court. The two started text-messaging each other, and Ammons said the girl told him that she was broke and “asked him if she had sex with him how much he would pay her,” Senior Deputy Prosecutor Chuck Sergis wrote in charges.

Ammons told the girl he would pay her $100 and suggested a few places to meet up for sex, charges said. Ammons told the principal that he never planned to have sex with the girl, Sergis wrote in charges.