The U.S. Senate passed by unanimous consent a $60 billion emergency supplemental spending bill July 22 that includes $44 million to repair the Howard Hanson Dam that helps protect the Green River Valley from flooding.
The bill now goes back to the House for consideration. The House is expected to consider the bill soon because Congress is scheduled to take its August recess Aug. 9 to Sept. 12.
Call it gut instinct.
Whatever it was, Kent Senior Little League coach Kevin Vallala was right on the money Wednesday night at Redmond's Hartman Park.
"I had a good feeling before the game," the coach said. "I told the players we were going to get 15 hits and win 10-3."
Vallala undershot just a bit.
You have probably heard the phrase “integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.” In the same way, doing the right thing, or the wrong thing, when everyone is watching also speaks to integrity, ego, and the nature of celebrity. Two recent events illustrate this phenomenon.
Colton Harris-Moore was finally arrested in the Bahamas after a multi-state crime spree that started in the Camano Island area. After walking out of a juvenile-detention facility, the teenager committed burglaries and thefts for months, evaded law enforcement and became a cult figure, attracting intense media attention and thousands of Facebook fans. Some people have attributed a sort of romanticism to him, and rooted for him to continue his seemingly harmless and interesting exploits. It was like the movie “Catch Me If You Can,” with a nice-looking, local kid.
Eight Seattle Thunderbirds players are scheduled to participate in the 2010 Rob Sumner Hockey Camp at ShoWare Center in Kent from Aug. 16-22.
The players scheduled to be at the camp are goalie Calvin Pickard, defensemen Brenden Dillon and Dave Sutter and forwards Luke Lockhart, Brendan Rouse, Brenden Silvester, Tyler Alos and Marcel Noebels.
Talk about having a day.
Kent’s Matthew Franceschina had an entire week rolled into two hours Sunday afternoon.
Franceschina blasted three home runs and drove in six, leading Kent’s 9-10 All-Stars past Pac West of Burien 10-0 in an opening round game of the state tournament at Shoreview Park in Shoreline.
“I don’t know if I have ever seen that,” said Kent coach Steve Wright. “I’ve seen kids hit two (home runs in a game), but three ... that’s pretty rare.”
Kevin Vallala could sense a momentum shift coming.
But would it happen too late?
Thankfully for the Kent/Chinook Senior All-Stars (ages 14-16), the swing of momentum happened just in time during the opening round of the state tournament on Saturday at Redmond’s Hartman Park.
Exhausted and aching in unfamiliar places, Martin “Mitch” Mitchell uttered three words Monday evening that have come to define his character.
“I did it,” Mitchell said.
More than 400 drivers cited by the Kent Police between June 10 and July 1 for holding a cell phone to their ear or texting while driving will receive a refund of their $124 tickets because of an error by state Department of Licensing officials.
Enjoy an outdoor evening concert when Craicmore plays contemporary traditional Celtic music from 7-8:30 p.m. July 22 at the Thursdays at the Lake series at Lake Meridian Park, 14800 S.E. 272nd St.
Children and their parents will find plenty to laugh about when Roberto the Magnificent entertains from noon to 1 p.m. July 21 at the city-sponsored Wednesday Picnic Performances at Town Square Plaza Park, Second Avenue and Harrison Street.
A Kent mill was closed for several hours Tuesday morning following a leak of ammonia gas inside the building.
Continental Mills, in the 7800 block of South 192nd Street, was evacuated at 8:30 a.m. when a small amount of ammonia gas began to leak from a refrigeration system, according to a Kent Fire Department media release.
King County Sheriff's Office detectives continued Tuesday to try to figure out the shooters during a July 17 gunfight at Lake Sammamish State Park in Issaquah where a 33-year-old Kent man and a 30-year-old Seattle man were shot to death.
Municipal League of King County rankings for local candidates for the state Legislature ranged from "adequate" for State Rep. Geoff Simpson (the 47th District incumbent for Position 1) to "outstanding" for Joe Fain (the challenger in the District 47 State Senator race), and State Rep. Pat Sullivan (the unopposed incumbent for State Representative, Position 2.)
The Washington State Department of Agriculture annual gypsy moth summer trapping program is underway once again. By the end of July more than 22,000 small cardboard traps will be placed around the state, checked every two to three weeks during the summer, and taken down in September. Traps will be placed in all 39 counties.
Job openings in Washington increased for the first time in nearly three years, according to the Employment Security Department’s “Spring 2010 Washington Job-Vacancy Survey.”
Two proposed amendments to the King County Charter were placed on the November ballot July 19 by the Metropolitan King County Council.
Aiesha Goodlow got redemption.
It has been a little more than a month since the recent Kentwood High graduate just missed qualifying for the Class 4A state track and field meet in the 100 hurdles. Goodlow, however, received a second chance of sorts during the Nike Track Nationals, which was held from July 1-4 at Hayward Field on the University of Oregon campus in Eugene.
They received steady pitching, and delivered air-tight defense, too.
The Kent/Auburn 10-11 All-Star fastpitch team also came through with clutch at-bats. Combine the three and the Kent/Auburn Stars were able to put together a flawless District 10 tournament last month at Federal Ways National Complex, winning three straight games to come home with the championship.
Adrienne Wilson’s opportunity of a lifetime proved to be a whirlwind two-and-a-half week excursion of ups and downs that the Kent transplant will never forget.
By the time it was complete, Wilson was able to celebrate the Fourth of July like never before – in a different country, with a title in hand, and with plenty of new friends.
Big challenges are nothing new to Kent’s Martin “Mitch” Mitchell.
Mitchell, 57, recently quit smoking, an addiction that spanned 40 years.
“It’s the hardest thing I have ever done in my life,” he concedes.
For an encore, Mitchell has signed up to ride in the Seattle to Portland Classic, a 200-mile cycling marathon slated for July 17-18. And he’ll be doing it for a good cause, too. To add motivation and increased incentive to the event, Mitchell has chosen to pedal to Portland for peanut butter.
