News

Julia Patterson is a member of the King County Council. Her 5th District includes Kent. Contact her at 206-296-1005

Join King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson for lunch Friday with the Kent Reporter

Join King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson, Kent Reporter Publisher Polly Shepherd and Editor Laura Pierce for lunch noon Friday at the Kent Senior Activity Center.

  • Jul 8, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Julia Patterson is a member of the King County Council. Her 5th District includes Kent. Contact her at 206-296-1005

Kent police fatally shoot man after standoff at water tower

While following up on an early-morning, domestic-violence assault July 7, Kent Police Officers located the suspect, a 42-year-old Kent man, atop a City water tower at about noon. When contacted, the man made suicidal and homicidal threats to police negotiators, then reportedly feigned surrender as he attempted to draw an apparent weapon from his pocket. Officers shot the man, believing there was a threat to themselves as well as an adjacent day-care facility.

  • Jul 8, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Four young women are vying for the Miss Cornucopia title this year. They are

Kent Cornucopia Days opens today, lasts through the weekend

Good times are about to roll again downtown at the 39th annual Kent Cornucopia Days. More than 600 vendors will fill 19 blocks and draw an estimated 250,000 people to the July 9-11 festival that features food, crafts, a fun run, dragon boat races, music, a carnival and a parade.

Four young women are vying for the Miss Cornucopia title this year. They are
J.D. Speilgel-Singh plays around with her nephew Andy Townsend

Kent Fire Department offers tips to beat the heat

With temperatures expected in the 80s and 90s through the weekend of July 9-11, the Kent Fire Department and the Office of Emergency Management has several tips about how to stay cool and beat the heat.

  • Jul 8, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
J.D. Speilgel-Singh plays around with her nephew Andy Townsend

Valley Medical’s Joint Center patients to gather at ShoWare Center in Kent

Nearly 1,000 people are expected to attend the Valley Medical Center's 10th annual Joint Center Reunion from 6:30-8:30 p.m. July 8 at the ShoWare Center in Kent.

  • Jul 8, 2010
  • BY Wire Service

Police arrest Kent man in connection with 1993 killings in San Diego

Police from Kent and San Diego arrested a 34-year-old Kent man Wednesday morning outside his home in the Panther Lake area in connection with a double homicide of two Navy sailors in 1993 in San Diego. Kent detectives worked with the cold case squad from the San Diego Police and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service to find the man, according to a Kent Police media release.

  • Jul 7, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Robert Painter III

Heatwave predicted for King County over the next three days

A heat wave has been predicted for the next three days, and Regional Animal Services, the Office of Emergency Management, and Public Health – Seattle & King County are reminding residents that by taking simple precautions, they can keep family and pets cool and safe.

  • Jul 7, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Robert Painter III
Tahoma National Cemetery caretaker technician Marci Kloberdanz

Kent inmate crews perform valuable labor, including burials, at Tahoma National Ceremony

Al Morgan grabs one end of the large belt attached to the coffin to help lower it into the ground on a partly cloudy morning at the Tahoma National Cemetery. The job was just one of the various tasks Morgan and eight other inmates (all nonviolent offenders) from the Kent city jail perform each day at the cemetery in unincorporated Kent near Maple Valley. The crew also picks up old flowers at grave sites, digs holes to place headstones and makes sure the rows of headstones are lined up straight.

Tahoma National Cemetery caretaker technician Marci Kloberdanz
Country singer Ray Wylie Hubbard plays at 7 p.m. July 8 at Lake Meridian Park.

Hubbard to open Kent’s Lake Meridian concert series July 8

Country singer Ray Wylie Hubbard performs from 7-8:30 p.m. July 8 at the city of Kent's annual Thursdays by the Lake at Lake Meridian Park, 14800 S.E. 272nd St.

  • Jul 6, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Country singer Ray Wylie Hubbard plays at 7 p.m. July 8 at Lake Meridian Park.
Sam Nageb of Kent cracks a smile during the 18 and older division of the Pie-Eating Contest at the Kent Fourth of July Splash.

Fourth of July Splash was a gas: See the slide show

Gray skies couldn't dampen the spirit of participants at the Kent Fourth of July Splash. The city's big ode to Independence Day had the hallmarks of an old-fashioned festival, with pie- and watermelon-eating contests, live music, and of course fireworks.

  • Jul 5, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Sam Nageb of Kent cracks a smile during the 18 and older division of the Pie-Eating Contest at the Kent Fourth of July Splash.

SeaTac man nearly killed by homemade fireworks

A 64-year-old SeaTac man was injured when homemade fireworks exploded last night (July 4), sending him to Harborview Medical Center with critical injuries. The Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Unit and Bomb Disposal Unit are investigating.

  • Jul 5, 2010
  • BY Wire Service

Woman cited for animal cruelty after leaving dog in car: Police blotter

Animal cruelty Kent Police cited a 61-year-old woman for animal cruelty after she left a dog locked alone in a parked car for at least 30 minutes at about 6:30 p.m. June 24 at a parking lot in the 400 block of Ramsay Way.

  • Jul 4, 2010
  • BY Wire Service

Kent house fire on the 4th displaces three; doesn’t appear fireworks-related

A Kent fire investigator as of Sunday afternoon was looking into the cause of a house fire that took place this morning, July 4, in the 13500 block of S.E. 233 Street. The fire, which was first reported at 11:20 a.m., has displaced three people.

  • Jul 4, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Fireworks are fun

Be safe in Kent on the Fourth of July

The Kent Fire Department wants to remind residents and visitors that the Fourth of July, while a time to celebrate our country’s independence, also is a day of potential injuries and fires.

  • Jul 3, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Fireworks are fun
Jayne Johnson

Thanks to all who have been helping teen Jayne Johnson fight Severe Chronic Neutropenia Kostmann’s Syndrome

With sincere hearts, we - Jayne Johnson and Family extend our gratitude for the time, talent, abilities, and contributions that have changed our lives for the better. It's absolute truth: Life is about meaningful relationships in community.

  • Jul 3, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Jayne Johnson
King County Animal Shelter Volunteer Derek Yoshinaka rewards two shelter dogs during a training and walk session at the King County Animal Control and Care shelter Wednesday in Kent.

Kent, other cities, move to new animal-control program through King County

On July 1, residents in unincorporated King County and 27 contracting cities will have a new Regional Animal Services model to handle animal control, sheltering and licensing services.

  • Jul 2, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
King County Animal Shelter Volunteer Derek Yoshinaka rewards two shelter dogs during a training and walk session at the King County Animal Control and Care shelter Wednesday in Kent.

Power outage strikes 1,900 Kent customers

An estimated 1,900 customers of Puget Sound Energy lost power for a couple of hours the morning of July 2 on Kent's East Hill near Lake Meridian. Tree branches hit power lines along Canyon Drive and caused the loss of power at about 8:15 a.m. July 2, said a PSE spokeswoman.

  • Jul 2, 2010
  • BY Wire Service

State Patrol issues 667 cell phone, texting tickets in 20 days

The Washington State Patrol issued 667 citations to drivers for cell phone or texting violations between June 10 and July 1.

  • Jul 2, 2010
  • BY Wire Service
Libby Seidel will be leaving the Kent Downtown Partnership after eight years of volunteering.

Kent Downtown Partnership loses longtime helper: Libby Seidel hangs up her calculator

A longtime, friendly face at the Kent Downtown Partnership hung up her calculator last week. Libby Seidel, a volunteer financial wizard for the nonprofit for the past eight years, resigned her duties June 30.

Libby Seidel will be leaving the Kent Downtown Partnership after eight years of volunteering.
Curtis John Walker

Kent man pleads not guilty to shooting of Skyway teen Alajawan Brown, 12

The Kent man accused of killing 12-year-old Alajawan Brown in Skyway in late April pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder July 1. Curtis John Walker, 35, is being held in the high-security county jail in downtown Seattle on $5 million bail. His next court appearance is July 15.

Curtis John Walker