News

Speak your piece Tuesday on the Kent City Budget: Hearing scheduled

Residents can tell the Kent City Council what they want or don’t want in the 2010 city budget at a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 200 Fourth Ave. S.

(From left to right) Zhang Chi

Exchange experience enriched Kent student’s life

Life experiences have a way of twisting our perspectives, forcing us to see what we purposely overlooked before. This summer I was given an opportunity to spend 3 weeks in China, and my way of seeing the world is irreversibly altered because of it.

  • Oct 2, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
(From left to right) Zhang Chi

Flood insurance: Buy it, officials say; but it may not cover all losses

While no one can say for sure if or when there will be a flood this winter, the advice is the same from the governor to the chamber to the city to everyone in between, including Mike Howard, External Affairs Director for FEMA Region 10.

A general-purpose syringe. The vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus

King County readies for arrival of H1N1 flu vaccine; first batch comes next week

The first, small amounts of H1N1 influenza (swine flu) vaccine have been released by the federal government and will be arriving locally next week in King County for immunization of health-care workers. The larger amounts of vaccine that are needed to begin broader-scale vaccination for people who are at higher risk for H1N1 are projected to begin arriving in mid-October.

  • Oct 1, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
A general-purpose syringe. The vaccine for the H1N1 flu virus
Danielle Patke

Kent schools enrollment down, meaning fewer state dollars

While some schools in the Kent School District are scrambling to make room for larger-than-expected populations, overall enrollment in the district is down so far this year by 130 students, which could cost the district hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funding they are counting on to meet their budget.

Danielle Patke
Tom Oxley with King County Elections looks through a list of ballots that have been electronically scanned and filtered to only include the Kent School District board member race Sept. 9.

Recount shows no change in Kent School Board race

A mandatory recount in the Kent School District Director District No. 5 primary election earlier in September revealed no changes in the vote total to either candidate, meaning Dale Smith, who has unofficially dropped out of the race, will remain on the second ballot line this fall.

Tom Oxley with King County Elections looks through a list of ballots that have been electronically scanned and filtered to only include the Kent School District board member race Sept. 9.

Kent School Board race heads for recount

The race for the second ballot line for this fall's open Kent School Board is officially headed to mandatory recount.King County Elections Officials Sept. 2… Continue reading

  • Sep 30, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
Kent Chamber of Commerce staff smile before the organization's Sept. 2 candidate forum. They are

Kent Chamber of Commerce forum draws a crowd

The Kent Chamber of Commerce conducted an elections forum Sept. 2 for the candidates for Kent Mayor and City Council.

  • Sep 30, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
Kent Chamber of Commerce staff smile before the organization's Sept. 2 candidate forum. They are

What would Jesus do? Well, he can’t run for school board, but he did get a vote

Not sure who to vote for in the Kent School Board race?How about Mickey Mouse?Don't laugh. According to 2009 Primary Election Recount Write-In Report, the… Continue reading

County elections office moved due to flood concerns

King County Elections Sept. 28 opened the doors of the new temporary headquarters in Tukwila, adjacent to Boeing Field at 9010 East Marginal Way S.

  • Sep 30, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
Sen. Patty Murray talks at a press conference along the banks of the Green River Monday in Kent about what residents and the federal government can do to prepare for flooding this winter. Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke

King County Councilmembers praise Congressional delegates for flood assistance

Metropolitan King County Councilmembers Dow Constantine and Julia Patterson today praised the efforts of Western Washington’s Congressional delegation in securing a $3.45 million allocation by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to purchase 400,000 sandbags and other flood-fighting materials for use in the Green River Valley.

  • Sep 30, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
Sen. Patty Murray talks at a press conference along the banks of the Green River Monday in Kent about what residents and the federal government can do to prepare for flooding this winter. Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke

Kent Historical Society plans fundraiser

Help support the Kent Historical Society by attending its annual dinner and auction 5:30 p.m. Oct. 10 at the Kent Senior Activity Center, 600 E. Smith St. Tickets are $40 per person and include appetizers, a buffet style dinner with choice of prime rib or salmon entrees, beverages, and auction entertainment.

  • Sep 30, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
Kent resident Denton Hanford says city officials are 'unrealistic' in their projections of an increase in sale tax revenue in the second half of this year.

Kent man disputes state of city’s finances: Says city budget not realistic

As a Kent resident, Denton Hanford’s worried that city officials could put the city budget in a deep financial hole because of what he called an “unrealistic” projection of an increase in sales tax revenue for 2009.

Kent resident Denton Hanford says city officials are 'unrealistic' in their projections of an increase in sale tax revenue in the second half of this year.
Sen. Patty Murray talks at a press conference along the banks of the Green River Monday in Kent about what residents and the federal government can do to prepare for flooding this winter. Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke

Federal leaders: Green River Valley will get protection from flooding

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., came to Kent Monday to let Green River Valley residents know the federal government is prepared to help protect them from flooding.

Sen. Patty Murray talks at a press conference along the banks of the Green River Monday in Kent about what residents and the federal government can do to prepare for flooding this winter. Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke

Seattle Times: Little flood insurance for Kent Valley businesses

Flood insurance options aren't looking good for businesses in the Kent Valley. Alarm ringing by state and local officials has caught the ear of insurance providers who are declining new policies because of increased flood risks. The Seattle Times has details.

  • Sep 29, 2009
  • BY Wire Service

Kent School Board meeting draws crowd to the microphone

The first school board meeting of the year brought congratulations, thank yous and further discussions of both class size and funding issues during the public-comment section of the Kent School Board’s Sept. 23 meeting.

Jennifer Bennett of Seatac

Kent, other King County cities look to get into animal-shelter business

Kent city officials expect to join with other cities to form and pay for a new regional animal care and control service group as King County prepares to get out of the animal-care business by next June.

Jennifer Bennett of Seatac

Kent man accused of stabbing girlfriend 31 times enters plea in her death

Just two weeks before his trial, a 43-year-old Kent man pleaded guilty Friday to first-degree murder with a deadly weapon in connection with the stabbing death last October on Interstate 5 of his Kent girlfriend.

  • Sep 28, 2009
  • BY Wire Service
King County will move animals out of Kent Animal Care and Control Shelter by Nov. 1 because of flooding risk. King County Executive Kurt Triplett has announced that he is providing six months of funding in his 2010 budget to help the county begin a regional process for transitioning out of animal care and sheltering services.

Flood worries mean new home for the Kent animal shelter

King County officials plan to close the Kent animal shelter by Nov. 1 because of the risk of flooding this winter in the Green River Valley due to reduced capacity at the reservoir behind the Howard Hanson Dam.

King County will move animals out of Kent Animal Care and Control Shelter by Nov. 1 because of flooding risk. King County Executive Kurt Triplett has announced that he is providing six months of funding in his 2010 budget to help the county begin a regional process for transitioning out of animal care and sheltering services.
Business owners Doug Gabler

Corps finishing up temporary fix to Howard Hanson Dam; flood worries continue

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers expects to finish construction of a grout curtain by Nov. 1 to slow the water leaking through a damaged abutment at the Howard Hanson Dam. But it remains to be determined how much more capacity the $8.9 million temporary fix will give the corps to store water at the reservoir behind the dam in order to reduce the risk of flooding this winter in the Green River Valley.

Business owners Doug Gabler