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VETERANS DAY | Special section highlights Federal Way’s tributes to the military [15]
VOL. 15, NO. 45
Mirror
F E D E R A L WAY
division of Sound Publishing
OPINION | Roegner: Burning political questions [6] Q&A with Mr. Federal Way: Schools must fix the grading system [7] CRIME BLOTTER | Suspect fires shots while chasing two other men in a parking lot [2] MARIJUANA | City council reinstates moratorium due to conflicting legalities [5]
SPORTS | Local figure skater follows her CALENDAR | ‘You Can’t Take it With You’ brings together FWHS alumni [14] FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 75¢ dream at the national level [20]
‘Radical’ speaker prompts review
Jim Ferrell wins mayoral election By ANDY HOBBS editor@federalwaymirror.com
By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
The Federal Way School Board requested a review of the district’s “Intercultural Speaker Series” after some questioned the inclusion of Dr. Angela Davis as this year’s first speaker. Davis gained national fame in the 1960s as an activist with ties to both the Communist Party USA and the Black Panthers. The announcement of Davis’ speaking engagement for Oct. 16 in Federal Way attracted both praise and criticism from several community members. Some residents lauded the presence of an accomplished educator with a unique historical perspective on cultural issues. Others decried Davis’ controversial past and labeled her as a “radical” with ties to a terrorist organization. On hand at the Oct. 29 school board meeting were Wanda Billingsly, Director of Title I/ LAP programs for the district, and Erin Jones, [ more DAVIS, page 4 ]
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Deputy Mayor Jim Ferrell reacts to the initial election results that show him leading Skip Priest in Federal Way’s mayoral race Tuesday night. His campaign gathered at Time Out Alehouse. ANDY HOBBS, Federal Way Mirror
MORE INSIDE
Election results show Jim For more Ferrell winning the race coverage of for mayor of Federal Way. local elections, As of Thursday, the city’s including city current deputy mayor has council and captured 55.2 percent of school board the vote (5,464) compared races, see to incumbent Mayor Skip pages 10-13. Priest’s 44.5 percent (4,407). This year’s race was a rematch from 2010, when Priest, a former state representative, defeated Ferrell with 52 percent of the vote to become Federal Way’s first elected mayor. Ferrell, a King County prosecutor, had successfully led a campaign in 2009 to change the city’s form of government to a “strong mayor” system. In 2013, Ferrell ran again, this time on a platform of public safety and the slogan “We can do better.” Throughout the campaign, and with the backing of the Federal Way Police Officers Guild, Ferrell criticized Priest’s administration for fluctuations in the city’s crime statistics, such as home burglaries and auto theft. Ferrell argued that crime in Federal Way — and a depleted police force — was detrimental to the city’s economic health. “The voters have clearly said public safety matters,” Ferrell told The Mirror. “We need true job growth in this city. We’ll turn Federal Way around. We’re going to shine it up like a new penny.” [ more MAYOR, page 13 ]
Mother discovers meth-tainted apartment By ANDY HOBBS editor@federalwaymirror.com
A Federal Way woman is seeking answers after her apartment tested positive for methamphetamine residue. Upon signing a lease at the Enchanted Woods Apartment Homes last August, Jade Winslow-Fuentez noticed a strong odor akin to cigarette smoke. Management arranged to clean the apartment, she said, but the odor eventually returned. “They put me in a unit that smelled like an Indian casino,” she said. Shortly after, she and her two children — ages 2 and 16 — began coughing and
feeling dizzy. Acting on a hunch, she ordered a home testing kit from methlabcleanup.com, swabbed certain spots in the apartment, then mailed the samples for testing. The results came back positive for methamphetamine. Winslow-Fuentez said neighbors had shared stories of the former tenants, and said they may have used meth in the apartment — unit F104. In response, Guardian Management sent WinslowFuentez a letter, saying that the apartment received a “professional inspection” and tested negative for meth. The letter said there were no
records of drug use or complaints involving the previous tenants. Winslow-Fuentez independently sought a second opinion from Bio Clean Inc., a Lake Stevens business certified by the state Department of Health. Again, the apartment tested positive for meth. Theresa Borst, owner and president of Bio Clean, said meth residue is harmful regardless of whether the drug was smoked or manufactured in the apartment. “The place is contaminated,” Borst said, adding that the management’s initial claim of negative results is questionable. “There’s just [ more METH, page 13 ]
Jade WinslowFuentez holds two pieces of paper: one that confirms a positive test for meth residue in her former apartment, and one from the apartment’s management company that denies any meth residue was found in the dwelling unit at Enchanted Woods. ANDY HOBBS, The Mirror