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.
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.
Despite a fight involving up to 40 people and "lots of guns," which killed two men and injured four others in front of scores of bystanders, King County Sheriff's deputies have not been able to make a single arrest related to the July 17 shooting in Lake Sammamish State Park.
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.
Two proposed amendments to the King County Charter were placed on the November ballot July 19 by the Metropolitan King County Council.
After 30 years in the employee of the Kent School District, Becky Hanks is moving on.
Hanks, who wore many hats and outlasted several superintendents, saw her last day July 1, with a retirement party at district headquarters.
Becky Hanks, the Kent School District's longtime spokesperson, has retired after three decades of serving the Kent School District.
Her stated reason was to take the pace of her life down a few notches.
"I want to go play," Hanks said, when asked about her reasons for leaving. "It's been a great life but I'm gonna explore other aspects of it."
But Hanks isn't the only high-level official decamping the school district this summer.
The district also has lost Finance Director John Knutson, Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Fred High, Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Larry Minor and several other high-ranking administrative staffers.
Nearly 10,000 bicyclists will pedal early Saturday morning through Kent as part of the 31st annual Group Health Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic.
The Washington State Patrol arrested a 42-year-old Kent man for investigation of felony eluding and driving with a suspended license after an 11-mile chase at about 8:30 a.m. July 13 through South King County.
A 72-year-old SeaTac woman was killed after her car collided with a semi truck at about 5:34 p.m. July 14 in the 27600 block of 68th Avenue South, also known as the West Valley Highway.
Western Washington University student Terra Compton, daughter of Scott and Connie Compton of Kent, received a $1,000 Alumni Association Leader Scholarship for the 2010-2011 academic year.
The WWU Alumni Association offers scholarships to students with a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher, who show a strong desire to succeed and demonstrate a diverse background in school and community activities. Compton, a student at WWU, has earned a 3.802 GPA. She is planning to graduate with a degree in biology. Compton’s professional goals include becoming a biomedical researcher.
Cody Thueringer of Kent, a business major at the University of Montana Western in Dillon, Mont., is the recipient of the $300 Sneed Memorial scholarship. Thueringer maintains a 3.0 grade point average and was selected to the Dean’s List. He is a 2007 graduate of Kentwood High School and is the son of Julie and Marty Thueringer.
George Fox University’s spring 2010 commencement ceremonies took place May 1 in Newberg, Ore. The following Kent residents graduated from the program: Kathleen Kehmeier, Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration, with an emphasis on marketing; Emily Grace Yarnold, Bachelor of Arts in Music, with an emphasis on performance.
Joanna M. Stultz, of Kent has been named to the dean’s list for the spring 2010 semester at the University of Vermont, in Burlington, Vt. Stultz is a junior environmental engineering major in the College of Engineering & Mathematical Sciences.
Dave George had just paid to renew his vehicle license tabs so he had doubts about a proposal by the Kent City Council to start charging an annual city vehicle license registration fee of anywhere from $10 to $20.
“Every time you blink an eye they tax something,” said George, of Kent, as he walked out of the Kent Licensing Agency office Tuesday at a strip mall along Washington Avenue South.
Kent resident Patrick J. Betts made the 2010 spring dean’s list at Colorado State University-Pueblo. The list recognizes undergraduate degree-seeking students who have completed 12 or more credit hours with a minimum grade-point-average of 3.5.
Kent resident Joseph Giorgio Bianco, a senior at George Fox University, made the dean’s list for 2010.
To qualify for the dean’s list, a student must earn a 3.5 grade point average for at least one term.
Derrick Focht has heard it before: A police officer becomes a hostage negotiator because of an ability to chat.
But it’s an ability to listen, he said, that helps a negotiator turn a potential crisis into a safe outcome.
“It’s a misnomer that you get on the phone with a gift of gab and talk,” said Focht, a Kent Police detective and one of three hostage or crisis negotiators for the department. “We do active listening.
