Steve Hunter, Kent Reporter

Community welcomes new MultiCare family health clinic

REPORTER

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Working to move, preserve historic barn Page 2

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FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 2019

Rail yard at Lowe’s, Dick’s Drive-In sites opposed

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

The Kent City Council unanimously passed an emergency zoning ordinance Tuesday night to prohibit Sound Transit from building a 30-acre transit operations and maintenance facility for light rail

cars on a West Hill site that would remove Lowe’s, Dick’s Drive-In and other businesses.

Mayor Dana Ralph said Sound Transit officials just revealed plans to city staff in November about the agency’s potential sites for the facility, including three locations in Kent, two in Federal Way and

one in unincorporated King County. Lowe’s sits at the southeast corner of South 240th Street and Pacific Highway South.

The council began plans more than 10 years ago to rezone the Midway area along Pacific Highway South to allow transitoriented development, such as retail, offices and residential uses. Sound Transit

plans to start construction in fall 2019 on the 7.8-mile light rail extension to Federal Way from SeaTac, including two light rail stations in Kent, and finish the project in 2024. The agency plans to extend the line to the Tacoma Dome by 2030.

See YARD, Page 4

48 years for fatal shooting of baby Fain exits proud, grateful

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

Family and friends of Malijha Grant let out a soft cheer and words of praise when a judge announced a sentence that will keep Marty Kime, 27, in prison until his early 70s for fatally shooting the 1-year-old baby girl and firing shots at her parents’ car nearly four years ago in Kent.

“May God be the glory, thank you Jesus,” one woman said after King County Superior Court Judge Johanna Bender issued a sentence of 48 years, six months to Kime on Jan. 11 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center in Kent for second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and firearm enhancements on each charge.

Kime faced a standard sentencing range of 48 to 61 years. He pleaded not guilty to the charges in January 2016.

A jury in November convicted Kime of the charges in what Senior Deputy Prosecutor Adrienne McCoy described as a drive-by, gang retaliation shooting. She described to the jury how Kime targeted Martrice Grant-Walker, the baby’s father, but instead the shots hit Malijha as she rode in a car seat in the backseat of her parents’ vehicle late in the afternoon of April 16, 2015, near Reith Road and Lake Fenwick Road as they headed home from the Safeway grocery store.

“I feel a relief,” said Lisa Lynch during a brief interview after the sentencing.

By Robert Whale rwhale@soundpublishing.com

Lisa Lynch wipes away tears Jan. 11 outside a Kent courtroom after a judge sentenced Marty Kime to 48 years in prison for fatally shooting Lynch’s 1-year-old daughter Malijha Grant in April 2015 in Kent.

STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter

Lynch said she would “continue to do what I do everyday and wake up and make sure the world remembers her,” and that she would do what she can to, “stop gun violence and stop gang violence.”

McCoy recommended a 50-year prison sentence, based on a violent criminal history that included an assault in 2006, a robbery at gunpoint in 2010 and

an assault in 2012.

“And while pending trial on this matter, he and others committed what amounted to a group assault on a mentally-ill man in the jail,” McCoy said. “That man suffered a fractured, dislocated tooth and facial lacerations.”

McCoy said Kime drove the car that followed Grant-Walker’s car and that either Kime and/ or his passenger fired the shots

that killed Malijha. Lynch drove the car while Grant-Walker sat in the front passenger seat. Neither was hit by the shots. Kime is a Low Profile gang member while Grant-Walker is part of the rival Deuce 8 gang, both in Seattle.

McCoy said Kime also planned the shooting. Kent Police have not arrested anyone See SENTENCE, Page 4

Joe Fain lost his bid for a third term as state senator for the 47th Legislative District last November to Mona Das, D-Covington, on the heels of a rape allegation leveled against him by a Seattle woman.

In early December, his former peers in Olympia decided to discontinue the investigation they’d begun into the allegation.

On Monday, as Das was coming in, Fain was heading out.

For people inclined to fret about him, Fain had this to INSIDE say: don’t, ■ Senate doing great. newcomer Mona “The Das, D-Covington, opportunity sworn in. Page 3 not to have to live away from my family for three or four nights a week is pretty awesome,” Fain said. “We’ve had a couple of really good months preparing for what it’s like to be full-time as a family, and it’s been a lot of fun.”

For instance, on the very eve of the new session, when Fain would usually be up to his neck in preparations, he went snow tubing up at Snoqualmie Pass with wife Steffanie and their two small See FAIN, Page 2

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Sentence From Page 1

else in connection with the shooting.

“He’s not just a danger to Martrice, not just a danger

Kent Reporter to Deuce 8 but a danger to this community,” McCoy said. “He has demonstrated that through his conduct in this case and through his long criminal history.”

Defense attorney Lisa Mulligan recommended a sentence of 25 years,

...obituaries TO SUBMIT A PAID OBITUARY, CALL: 253.872.6677 EMAIL:paidobits@reporternewspapers.com or go ONLINE at this publication.

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Clara Kristofferson

Clara Kristofferson, long-time resident of Kent, was born in Auburn, WA on August 27, 1939 and died on January 10, 2019 in Gig Harbor, WA. She is survived by her husband Sam Kristofferson, her daughters, Heidi and Sonja, and 5 grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her son Mark. Services will be held at Marlatt Funeral Home on January 21 at 11:00 am. Interned will follow at Hillcrest Burial Park.

Please sign her online guestbook at marlattfuneralhome.com.

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based on an effort to show that Kime’s youthfulness impacted his decisions.

“The court’s have been recognizing increasingly the difference between the actions taken by someone who is younger in light of scientific developments and understanding brain development,” she said. “Even though Mr. Kime at the time of this incident was a little bit older (23) than a lot of the cases have dealt with, he was still within that range of time when the brain continues to develop.”

Bender later rejected Mulligan’s request for an exceptional sentence on the basis of youthfulness.

“This crime was committed when Mr. Kime was approximately 23-and-ahalf years old,” Bender said.

“I’m not aware of any other cases where 23-and-a-half was considered youthful.”

Kime addressed the judge and said he didn’t commit the crime.

“I apologize to the family for their loss,” Kime said.

“Like I said from the beginning, I did not commit this

act nor was I a participant in this act.”

Kime said a jury found him guilty because a baby had been killed and that the prosecutor simply came up with a story about the gang retaliation.

“They put me as the face of this case, so I will take everything that comes with it,” Kime said.

Kime said he didn’t even know Grant-Walker.

“I don’t like a couple of Deuce 8 people, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to go out and shoot at every Deuce 8 member I see,” he said. “I don’t even know Martrice to know that he’s from Deuce 8 to even put him in a position where I’m going to get a strike (killing a rival gang member) off of that. I don’t give a (bleep) about strikes.”

Kime then spoke to Malijha’s parents.

“I want to tell Lisa that I apologize for her loss and tell Martrice that I am sorry for his daughter being killed in a stupid, stupid act - the most stupidest act of violence that I can even think of,” he said. “I

apologize, not because I did this, but because no family should have to bury one of their loved ones.”

Lynch said outside the courtroom after the sentencing that she’s glad Kime finally apologized.

“That’s all I’ve been asking for four years - an apology - if you say you did it or not,” Lynch said. “Do you mourn for this little girl is all I care about.”

Grant-Walker didn’t attend the sentencing. Kime and Grant-Walker each exploded in anger in the courtroom in November shortly after the announcement of the jury’s guilty verdict. Police and correction officers swarmed to each man to keep them from fighting each other.

Because of that outburst, court officials decided to move the sentencing hearing to the basement court at the Regional Justice Center used for arraignments that has a glass partition to keep people in the gallery separate from the defendant, judge and attorneys.

Lynch and several other

family members and friends - from a microphone stand behind the glass - addressed the judge and Kime prior to the sentencing.

“Daughters are supposed to be a mother’s best friend - her most precious treasure - and you took that away from me forever,” Lynch said. “The loss of Malijha has brought us an arrange of difficult emotions numbness, guilt, anger, emptiness, disbelief and deep sadness.”

Lynch said she doesn’t understand why Kime fired at her family. Now she wants her daughter’s death to potentially help lead to the end of gang violence.

“Everyday I wake up for the community and I try to represent my daughter’s name because this gun violence and this gang violence is not OK,” she said. “I play this incident over and over in my head wishing I could change this, but in reality nothing could change this but you. …Her body’s dead but Malijha’s life and spirit will live on forever through me, her family and the community.”

John Franz Feichtinger

Darlene (Anderson) Thompson

Darlene Thompson, 77, went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 23, 2018. Darlene was born in Auburn, Washington to Jens and Opal Anderson on August 14th, 1941. She married James Thompson in August of 1961, and together they raised their two children in Colorado, Oregon and Arizona.

She is survived by her loving husband Jim, her daughter Lisa and granddaughter Alexis of Palominas, AZ and her son Clark (K’Anne) and grandson Silas of Rosharon, TX. Also surviving are her brother, J. Martin (Lynn) Anderson and her sister Marlene (Ron) Benson, and many extended family members.

Darlene had a strong faith, and a cheerful outlook on life.

She was an active member of the Lutheran Church in every place that she lived. With her friends in the quilting groups she helped make hundreds of charity quilts. She loved her family and friends with a generous heart. She also loved birds, traveling, skiing, counted cross-stitch, sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, reading great books, and a nice cup of tea.

Darlene’s life was celebrated with services at Sierra Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sierra Vista on January 5th at 11:00am. Her wish was to have her ashes released over the mountains near the beautiful home she and her husband designed and built together at the base of the Huachuca Mountains. Her wish was fulfilled during a private family ceremony later on that afternoon.

A memory garden has been prepared near her home; gifts of potted plants, bulbs, seeds, birdfeeders or birdseed will lovingly honor her memory for years to come.

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From Page 1

“The whole (Midway) area is primed for high-density, mixed-use development including residential,” said Councilman Dennis Higgins prior to the vote. “It’s certainly not what we had in mind to put in some big 30-acre train yard.

“It’s inconceivable that a public agency for the region would even conceive of doing such a thing in a city like ours. I am so glad we are taking this action. There are so many better alternatives for a rail maintenance yard than in the middle of an area that the community has a dream of re-envisioning.”

Several council members applauded after their 7-0 vote to approve the zoning change.

Ralph said the former Midway Landfill, a 60-acre site just west of Interstate 5 and east of Pacific Highway South between South 246th Street and South 252nd Street, would be an ideal site for the facility. The property is owned by Seattle Public Utilities. The landfill closed in 1983.

“It has been capped and treated and measured and monitored and all of

those things required for construction to be done on the property,” Ralph said. “It is a large piece of vacant property that is begging for a use.”

The council will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5, at City Hall about the interim zoning change with plans to make the change permanent. The change prohibits a maintenance facility north of South 245th Street, but allows it south of South 245th Street.

“The action by this council shows a really, really bad choice and what we believe to be a really good choice for the maintenance and operations facility,” Ralph said after the vote.

“Kent is not saying we do not want this in our backyard. What we are saying is we’ve got a place that is not appropriate because of a plan that has been done for many, many years, and because we have viable, healthy important businesses to the community in that location.”

Seattle-based Dick’s Drive-In just opened in December on the West Hill, immediately south of Lowe’s. Jasmine Donovan, Dick’s executive vice president, wrote a letter this month to the Sound Transit board to oppose the Lowe’s and Dick’s site. She explained to the board that Dick’s opened about 65 years ago in Seattle and plans to be

in Kent just as long.

“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of customers we’ll serve and thousands of employees we’ll train and help to graduate over the next 65 years, we ask you to please remove the Midway Shopping Center and our brand new and only location in the South Sound from consideration,” Donovan wrote.

Donovan said the company agreed with a letter sent to the board from Ralph, Federal Way Mayor Jim Ferrell and Des Moines City Manager Michael Matthias in support of the former landfill site.

Ralph said she has asked Sound Transit to take the Lowe’s site off the list, but the agency has yet to remove it.

“I am committing to this council and the community to do everything in my power to get this site off the list,” she said.

Ralph said the city will work with Sound Transit to use the former landfill site for its operations and maintenance shop. The facility would bring in about 300 jobs to Kent, according to city staff.

Sound Transit has a light rail Operations and Maintenance Facility in Seattle, 3407 Airport Way S., and See YARD, Page 7

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(1965 – 2018)

John Franz Feichtinger of La Conner, Washington, beloved father, son, brother, and friend, left us too soon.

Born in Seattle, John grew up in Ballard and Kent before he moved to his chosen home of the Skagit Valley. An unfailingly kind man, John’s love of nature grew from the forests and waters he dearly cherished, including recent explorations of the coastlines in Alaska, where he found incredible joy. With pockets full of friendship and dog treats, whether it was someone in need, a pool game, a cat to secretly friend, or a party with oysters, John was there.

John is survived by his daughter Megan, mother Ilona Saray, father Alfred (Virginia), sisters Deborah and Tana (Ray Petersen), former wife Sam, family across the US, Canada and Europe, and hundreds of dear friends.

In lieu of flowers, the family encourages everyone to talk openly and honestly about depression. Donations in John’s memory can be made to NAMI or Arbor Day Foundation.

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Police arrest 2 in connection to shooting

City working on parking crunch

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REPORTER KENT

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FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2019

7 months, 7 pedestrian deaths in Kent

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

When a vehicle struck and killed 73-year-old Alan Kern last month shortly after he walked off a Metro bus, he became the seventh

pedestrian in the previous seven months to die on the streets of Kent.

Six pedestrians were hit by vehicles and one by a train, according to Kent Reporter news articles.

Three collisions were on the East

Hill, three in the Valley and one on the West Hill.

“Although these incidents have tragic impacts to all those involved, it serves as a reminder of the importance of traffic safety for pedestrians and motorists,

recognizing that each can prevent these types of incidents,” Kent Police Assistant Chief Jarod Kasner said in an email.

“Pedestrians need to be attentive, follow the laws of the road and to cross where it is appropriate

Federal Way may start sending inmates to Kent jail

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

Federal Way Police could be housing inmates in the city of Kent jail starting in 2020.

“We’re still in the negotiation stage with Federal Way but are working on a contract, which we Rafael Padilla hope to have in place in spring/summer of 2019,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said in an email.

Federal Way leaders decided last year to leave a seven-city interlocal agreement with the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) regional jail in Des Moines, which opened in 2012. Kent operates its own jail and is not part of that regional agreement.

“Prior to housing inmates at SCORE, the city of Federal Way contracted with various government entities for its jail services,” said Tyler Hemstreet, city of Federal Way spokesman, in an email. “We are returning to contracting inmates to bring significant jail cost savings.”

The cost and how many inmates Kent will house for

Federal Way remains to be negotiated. Federal Way will need to house about 50 to 60 inmates per day starting in January, so it plans to contract with several jails.

“We are in talks with other government entities about housing our inmates,” Hemstreet said. “Our goal is to have a total of five or six jail service contracts in place by the end of the summer that will address our jail population.”

Leaving SCORE is expected to save Federal Way about $2.1 million per year, Hemstreet said. When the city joined Auburn, Renton, Des Moines, SeaTac, Burien and Tukwila in 2009 to build the new jail, it was expected to be less expensive than contracting with jails in other cities or counties. But the costs at the new jail have been much higher than projected.

Kent’s jail, 1230 Central Ave. S., has 98 beds on the hard side with a dormitory that can hold another 30-plus inmates who are on work release and return at night. The average daily population in the jail is 89 for 2018. The average daily population had hit 99 in 2017, but the city’s new DUI court See JAIL, Page 7

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Comedy, right at home Jeff Dye returns to Kent to perform with a festival lineup of laughter at ShoWare

By Mark Klaas mklaas@soundpublishing.com

Sweet sound Darwin Gomez, an eighth-grader with the Meeker Middle School Jazz Band, plays “St. Louis Blues” on his baritone saxophone during the 32nd annual Kent Kids’ Arts Day at the Kent Commons last Saturday. A community tradition, the festival celebrates National Youth Arts Month by bringing kids, creativity and diversity together.

Kids’ Day is presented by the Kent Arts Commission and the Kent Parks, Recreation & Community Services Department, with partial funding from 4Culture, Washington State Arts Commission, Kent Lions Club, Fred Meyer, The YMCA of Greater Seattle and Kent Community Foundation. MARK KLAAS, Kent Reporter

HAPPY HOUR 2PM - 7 PM EVERYDAY

and safe. Drivers also need to be attentive and watch for pedestrians and bicyclists, be sober and follow the laws of the road.”

The King County Prosecuting

& KARAOKE

Comedy has taken Jeff Dye near and far.

Name the place and stage – perhaps that hole-in-the-wall hangout, that cozy corner club, that tuckedaway campus hall or modest community theater - and Dye probably has performed there.

The whirlwind profession, Dye said, Jeff Dye has taken him to a different city every weekend for the past 13 years.

The tour never ends, and that’s just fine with Dye, who grew up in Kent before launching a successful career as a nationally-recognized comedian, actor, host and prankster. Single and living in Los Angeles today, Dye remains passionately devoted to bringing love and positivity through laughter to everyone he encounters.

“I think it’s very easy,” Dye said of his demanding work schedule, “and there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. I love it.”

While Dye has delivered punchlines in nearly every major U.S. city market, he has never performed in his hometown.

See COMEDY, Page 11

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From Page 1

Attorney’s Office has charged drivers in two of the cases with vehicular homicide. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to file charges against drivers in three incidents and they declined to file a charge against a driver in one collision. The other death was a woman hit by a BNSF Railway train.

Three deaths happened in the evening, two late at night, one in the early morning and one in the afternoon.

“We, as an agency partner with Washington Traffic Safety Commission and

20

their Target Zero Program to conduct education and enforcement emphasis, focused on distracted driving, DUI, speed, seat belt and pedestrian safety,” Kasner said. “I would also like to add that we have partnered with Union Pacific Railroad to conduct enforcement focused on railroad crossing safety.”

Deaths up nationwide Kent isn’t alone with the high number of pedestrian deaths, but part of a nationwide trend.

A study released last month showed that pedestrian deaths in the United States have reached their highest level in 30 years,

according to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report at ghsa.org.

The GHSA projects that 6,227 pedestrian fatalities occurred in 2018, the highest number in nearly three decades. States were asked to report pedestrian fatalities for the first six months of 2018. After adjusting this raw data based on historical trends, GHSA projects a 4 percent increase in the number of pedestrians killed during the full 2018 calendar year. In 2017, 5,977 people on foot lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes.

“While we have made progress reducing fatalities among many other road users in the past decade, pedestrian deaths have risen

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35 percent,” GHSA Executive Director Jonathan Adkins said in the report. “The alarm bells continue to sound on this issue; it’s clear we need to fortify our collective efforts to protect pedestrians and reverse the trend.”

The report noted pedestrians are projected to account for 16 percent of all traffic deaths in 2018, compared to 12 percent in 2008. While advancements in motor vehicle safety and technology have increased survivability for vehicle occupants involved in crashes, according to the report, pedestrians remain just as susceptible to sustaining serious or fatal injuries when struck by a motor vehicle.

In Washington state, pedestrian deaths are expected to decline by about 4 percent in 2018, with 42 killed by motor vehicles. Five of the 42 (11.9 percent) were in Kent.

Many unsafe driving behaviors across the nation, such as speeding, distracted and drowsy driving, pose risks to pedestrians, and alcohol impairment by the driver and/or pedestrian was reported in about half of traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian fatalities in 2017, according to the GHSA report.

Vehicular homicide charges were filed by prosecutors in the Feb. 23 death of Kern, allegedly hit by a then-city of Kent employee driving a parks maintenance pickup. Nicholas Slater, 37, admitted to drinking at a local bar prior to the collision.

Prosecutors also filed a vehicle homicide charge against the 21-year-old driver who hit Benito Rojas, 70, on July 25 on the West Hill as he walked along a Pacific Highway South sidewalk. The driver was allegedly speeding.

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Prosecutors declined to file a charge against the driver who hit Joseph Page, 47, on Dec. 15 on the East Hill after a shootout at a nearby sports bar.

“The driver was fleeing a shooting, and the pedestrian made some contributing factors to the collision,” Kasner said.

Police arrested a Seattle man for investigation of vehicular homicide in an Oct. 6 incident on the East Hill following a domestic dispute. Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to file a charge in the death of Ana Leal, 43. Leal may have purposefully lain on the roadway where the vehicle ran over her.

“There are indications that the victim may have been making a suicide attempt,” Kasner said.

The Washington State Patrol continues to seek a hit-and-run driver who struck Long Wells, 46, on Dec.18 in a crosswalk on 84th Avenue South near Highway 167.

Prosecutors have yet to decide whether to file a charge against the 66-yearold Black Diamond woman who struck Frishta Noori, 25, as she walked in a crosswalk with two of her children in a stroller on Nov. 14 at East Smith Street and State Avenue North. The children were not injured.

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REPORTER

Drive collects more than 5,000 toys for local children Page 2

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FRIDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2018

Corridor projects need $11.6M

PERSON OF THE YEAR

Choate brings cheer to Kent Food Bank

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

Jeniece Choate dashes through the halls, offices and storage rooms of the Kent Food Bank with a friendly demeanor, ready to help make sure people who stop in get their basic needs met.

In her 12th year as the food bank’s executive director, Choate knows day after day, week after week, month after month people continue to count on the agency at 515 W. Harrison St. for help with food and clothing.

“There’s not an end or finish line,” Choate said she took a short break in her small office from her busy routine. “But everyone who comes in, we are able to help them that day.

We are not able to solve everything, but we can help that one part. If you don’t have food, you’re not getting proper nutrition and you’re not thinking clearly. You can make a much better decision if your belly’s full.”

Choate and Camico Rivon, the assistant director, are the only paid staff members at the food bank. About 60 volunteers help the food bank serve as many as 200 families on the busiest days during the holidays and an average of 100 families per day.

Because of Choate’s efforts and dedication

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

For Jeniece Choate, the executive director of the Kent Food Bank, the work is never done in answering the call to help feed the hungry. ‘No two days are the same,’ she said. ‘We are able to help people when they come in the door. They need food, we are able to send them out with food.’ STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter

to help make the Kent Food Bank a success, she is the Kent Reporter’s 2018 Person of the Year.

“Jeniece is a very compassionate, caring and hardworking individual,” said Pat Pawlik, president of the Kent Food Bank Board of Directors and a division chief with the Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority. “Jeniece consistently does what she can to meet the needs of the community members who come to the Kent Food Bank for services. Jeniece is dedicated to helping people and does so in such a way that the clients always have a

positive experience.”

Choate’s constant smile keeps those around her smiling as well.

“She is a delight to work with – always eventempered and pleasant,” said Verla Morrison, the food bank board vice president who represents Kent United Methodist Church.

Local girl returns home Choate oversees the local food bank and she is about as local as they come. She grew up on Kent’s East Hill and attended Meridian See PERSON, Page 8

Puget Sound prepares for the big one

By Melissa Hellmann mhellmann@seattleweekly.com

and Aaron Kunkler

akunkler@soundpublishing.com

Vashon Island resident Vicky de Monterey Richoux keeps fully stocked emergency kits readily available at all times, much as some people keep spare pairs of glasses casually strewn about rooms or cars.

On a recent Friday afternoon, she stood outside of the island’s fire training center with her car’s trunk pried open to reveal several plastic tubs.

Removing the lid of one large blue container, she explained the contents: “Extra clothing, there’s a real warm jacket,” de Monterey Richoux said in a soft voice as she placed clothes from the bin onto the trunk bed. “I save my old stuff

that doesn’t look nice, but I’m happy to lay under the car with it; first aid kit, safety vest, rain jacket, a blanket for my grandson,” she said as the pile steadily grew.

As the president of VashonBePrepared, a coalition of disaster-preparedness organizations that helps coordinate volunteers to reduce the impacts of catastrophes, de Monterey Richoux

is vigilant about stockpiling supplies that will come in handy in an emergency. Originally started as the Vashon Disaster Preparedness Coalition in 2002, VashonBePrepared became a nonprofit in its current iteration five years later.

While this rural island of about 11,000 residents is often See BIG ONE, Page 5

City staff expects to return to the Kent City Council early next year with proposals to come up with the final $11.6 million needed to complete two major road projects along the South 228th/224th Street corridor.

Bids are expected to go out by the end of the year for the final phase of the South 228th street overpass to cross the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and phase 2 of the extension beyond the new South 224th Street bridge over Highway 167. City staff estimated another $11.6 million will be needed for the two projects.

“Bottom line is we need $5.2 million to complete UP, and we need $6.4 million for the 224th extension,” Public Works Director Tim LaPorte said to the council at a Dec. 11 workshop.

State, city and federal funds have covered most of the $41.5 million Union Pacific Railroad grade separation. The city recently closed a portion of South 228th Street for the next two years as crews complete storm drainage work over the next few months and then start a $7.7 million project for ground improvements, approach embankments and installation of bridge shafts.

The fifth and final phase of the project will be to construct the bridge, remaining embankments See PROJECTS, Page 2

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Friday, December 28, 2018

Person From Page 1

Elementary and Mattson Junior High and graduated in 2000 from Kentwood High School.

While at Kentwood, Choate (then known as Frydenlund) played volleyball and earned second team South Puget Sound League North Division honors as a setter in 1999. She went on to play at Green River College in Auburn for two years and was an All-Northwest Athletic Conference West Division first-team pick in 2001.

Choate gave up competitive volleyball when she transferred to Western Washington University in Bellingham, where she earned a community health degree in 2004.

She moved back to Kent after college, married Ryan Choate (they met at Green River) in 2005 and worked at Fred Meyer before her mother spotted a story in the old South King County Journal newspaper about the Kent Food Bank looking for a new executive director.

“My mom thought it would be perfect for me,”

Kent Reporter Choate said.

The food bank board hired her in 2006, just two years after the food bank moved to the current West Harrison Street site from Kent Commons, the city-owned recreational facility. The food bank has operated in Kent since 1970.

“Jeniece has built a great team of volunteers who work at the food bank,” said Pawlik, a 19-year board member, including more than 10 years as president. “Jeniece is a good communicator and can connect with all the volunteers.”

Choate said she couldn’t do her job without all the volunteers, even more so with the way the number of clients has grown. When Choate started, a busy day at the food bank meant 40 to 50 families.

“We had one computer and everything else was done by hand,” Choate said. “It was a long check-in system, write it down and slide it down to the next person. Six months after I was here, we got four computers so we can do one-on-one visits with each client.”

“Lucky to have her” Pawlik has watched how

well Choate does her job.

“We are very lucky to have Jeniece as our executive director,” Pawlik said. “Just as every executive director we have had, Jeniece has been able to move the Kent Food Bank to the next level.

She has streamlined the operations at the food bank to make the process easier and quicker for our clients.”

Morrison can tell Choate takes pride in her work.

“She leads by example – working long hours and weekends when needed,” Morrison said. “She is the one to write grants, balance the budget and oversee everything. We are so lucky to have her.”

Choate enjoys the variety of the job. Those who come in include the homeless or newly unemployed.

“No two days are the same,” she said. “We are able to help people when they come in the door. They need food, we are able to send them out with food.

We are low barrier, you just need picture ID and proof of address and we can help you.”

Finding more funds remains a constant duty for Choate. The city of Kent and United Way are the primary donors, although United Way continues to cut back

funding. Individuals are actually the second highest funding source behind the city of Kent. People send quarterly or yearly checks.

Businesses and churches also contribute.

The donations help the food bank to purchase items such as milk and eggs, which it gets at a discount. Choate searches for discounts and the best deals to get the best bang for the buck.

In addition to running the food bank, Choate volunteers with the Sunrise Elementary School PTA. Her 9-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son attend the school. She also coached her daughter in soccer through the city of Kent Parks recreational program and now coaches her son. Choate played soccer in the city program when she was a kid.

Her children also help out once a month with distribution at the food bank.

“It’s great to have the kids involved in what I do,” she said.

And so, living and working in Kent serves Choate well just as she serves the community so well.

“I grew up here, so it’s my home and it’s my home now,” she said.

Kent-Meridian’s Texeira, Roberts Kent-Meridian High School’s Rodrigo Texeira, senior, wrestling, is the Kent Reporter’s Male Athlete of the Week.

Q: What is your favorite subject in school?

A: Weight training.

Q: What other activities do you participate in?

A: Lifting weights and listening to music.

Q: Person who has helped you succeed the most?

A: My coaches.

Q: Do you have a pre- or postgame tradition? What is it?

A: Not really.

Q: Song you currently can’t get enough of?

A: “Back in Black” by AC/DC From the Sideline “Rodrigo has shown a lot of growth in the last two years. This is his third year of wrestling as he started in his sophomore year.

He has put in a lot of time and work to improve and hasn’t missed any practices. His record is 9-1. He has an accumulative GPA of 3.739.”

– Coach Todd Owens

The Athlete of the Week is sponsored by the Kent Reporter

Kent-Meridian High School’s Miriam Roberts, junior, wrestling, is the Kent Reporter’s Female Athlete of the Week.

Q: What is your favorite subject in school?

A: Biology and history.

Q: What other activities do you participate in?

A: Playing the tuba and trombone.

Q: Person who has helped you succeed the most?

A: My mom.

Q: Do you have a pre- or postgame tradition? What is it?

A: Before, I sit, think and deescalate my nerves. After, I reflect on my performance.

Q: Song you currently can’t get enough of?

A: “Mia” by Drake.

From the Sideline “Miriam has for the last two years been a leader for our girls wrestling team, and this year she has taken that leadership and maturity off the mat and turned it into positive results on the mat. She has posted a 7-4 records en route to second- and third-place finishes at tournaments, with two of her losses coming against teammate and defending state champion Ofa Tuifua.

She is maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. She is in all IB (International Baccalaureate) classes.”

– Coach Jesus Valdez

Stars win, take over first place Adam West and Chase Hanson each scored two goals, leading the Tacoma Stars past the Ontario Fury 6-3 in front of 1,457 fans at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, Calif., last Sunday The Stars (4-1) moved a half-game ahead of the Fury (4-2) for the Pacific Division lead in the Major Arena Soccer League standings and completed a weekend road sweep with Nick Perera debuted as player-coach.

Tacoma defeated the Shockers in San Diego 5-4 last Saturday.

Perera got the call to succeed Darren Sawatzky, who accepted the head coaching position with FC Tucson of the USL League

One. Ontario’s Juan Carlos Gonzalez scored on a power-play goal with 13:38 left in the first quarter, but Perera notched the equalizer with 4:29 on the clock after one quarter.

The Stars scored three unanswered goals in the second quarter. The first was an own goal by Ontario credited to Jamael Cox with 11:19 left in the half.

Mike Ramos nailed his first marker of the season on an assist by Perera with 6:11 remaining. A minute later, West scored his first goal of the match to give the Stars a 4-1 lead.

Maicon de Abreu closed out the scoring in the first half for Ontario.

Big One

increased to a two-week supply. This general awareness has been carefully promoted by VashonBePrepared through frequent reminders and community engagement. “Our roots aren’t just wide, they’re deep,” Wallace said.

According to de Monterey Richoux, there are three main reasons why people don’t prepare for disasters: anxiety, a distrust of the message or messenger, and fatalism. Starting preparation can be as simple as buying a few extra bottles of water or cans of chili during a shopping trip, she said. The organization also successfully ran an advertising campaign asking people what would happen to their pets in an emergency as an attempt to reach people plagued by fatalism.

Even while VashonBePrepared may not be as prepared as Wallace would like, it may fair better than many areas of the mainland.

“What we have is a strength of community,” Wallace said. “There’s a culture here of taking care of yourself that doesn’t exist on the mainland.”

From Page 7

VashonBePrepared and de Monterey Richoux.

The island’s relatively small size will make it easy for responders to check infrastructure, including its single school building, four gas stations, and two supermarkets. The group additionally publishes an annual emergency preparedness insert for the VashonMaury Island Beachcomber, and the island has its own webcasting station that can be utilized during disasters.

Vashon residents have already grown familiar with a mindset of self-reliance that may feel foreign to others throughout King County when disaster strikes, de Monterey Richoux said. A recent community survey answered by around a quarter of the island’s population found that 90 percent of respondents had at least the recommended amount of a three-day supply of food and water, which has since been

Challenger Das upsets Fain for state Senate seat

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Kentridge takes top act to state volleyball stage Page 12

KENTREPORTER.COM

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2018

Boeing may move 1,400 jobs to Kent Man loses

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

Boeing is considering moving 1,400 jobs to Kent next year from its other Puget Sound-area sites.

Kent Mayor Dana Ralph revealed the news during her Nov. 6 report to the City Council.

“They are bringing somewhere between 1,400 and 1,600 news jobs to the Kent Valley,” Ralph said after meeting the previous week with Boeing representatives.

“About 800 could be here by the end of first quarter.”

When told about the mayor’s announcement, a Boeing spokesman released the following statement: “We’re in discussions on relocating some current Puget Sound-based positions to Kent which could have the capacity for as many as 1,400 employees,” said Boeing spokesman Paul Bergman in an email Monday. “Planning is still underway and we don’t have any further information to share at this time.”

Ralph said the decision to move jobs to Kent had to do with where the company’s employees live. Boeing’s Kent facility sits along the West Valley Highway between

South 199th Place and South 208th Street.

“They are excited to bring these employees here,” she said. “They did some surveying in different departments and it showed the majority lived in the south end, south of Bellevue.”

The relocation of employees to Kent would reverse Boeing’s trend over the last several years to move employees out of the city. The company announced in November 2016 that it would move 1,000 positions from its Kent site to Tukwila between 2017 and 2020. Bergman declined to comment See BOEING, Page 4

civil suit against two Kent officers

By Steve Hunter

shunter@soundpublishing.com

Kent jury Spirit in the sky finds Kime guilty of killing baby Officers had to restrain the man and baby’s father to avoid confrontation after verdict is read.

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

Just moments after a jury found Marty Kime guilty of fatally shooting 1-year-old Malijha Grant, nearly a dozen officers had to forcibly restrain Kime and the baby’s father from going after each other in an emotion-packed Kent courtroom.

Kime and Martrice Grant-Walker never got close to each other as King County Corrections and Kent Police officers swarmed the two men in the heavily guarded courtroom Nov. 8 at the Maleng Regional Justice Center. Kime, found guilty of second-degree murder in the April 2015 drive-by, gang-retaliation shooting, struggled with officers as they removed him from the courtroom and into the hallway that leads back to the See GUILTY, Page 5

Stearman World War I vintage biplanes, led by pilot Rich Aldridge, approach to fly over Tahoma National Cemetery as honored guests stand during the Veterans Day ceremony last Sunday. The cemetery in Kent honored veterans and military members and recognized the centennial of the ending of World War I at its 21st annual program. More photos, page 9.

SARAH BRENDEN, Covington-Maple Valley Reporter

A jury ruled against a Marysville man who sued the city of Kent and two of its police officers for assault and battery as they removed him from a 2015 rock concert at the ShoWare Center.

“The City of Kent is gratified that, after considering the evidence, the jury concluded both officers acted lawfully and appropriately under the circumstances,” read a statement in a city press release emailed to the Kent Reporter on Monday by Police Chief Rafael Padilla.

Despite the victory, it cost the city about $400,000 to defend the case, according to an email from City Attorney Pat Fitzpatrick. The Seattle law offices of Mills Meyers Swartling represented the city and the officers.

“Unfortunately, in this type of case, the reimbursement of these costs, which might deter individuals from filing these lawsuits in the first place, is not an option,” Fitzpatrick said.

Patrick Van Horn, 52, claimed that Detective Eric Moore and Officer Tami Honda used excessive force and that they injured his right shoulder and caused him to have a Taser dart surgically removed from his stomach after they took him out of the arena Oct. 9, 2015 for reportedly pouring beer on a man and his daughter in the row in front of him during a Scorpions concert, according to court documents.

A King County Superior Court civil jury in Seattle took less than an hour to reach a verdict, according to city officials.

The trial lasted four days.

Van Horn asked the jury to award him $480,000, arguing that the arrest aggravated his arthritic shoulder and See SUIT, Page 5

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Suit From Page 1

caused him to need shoulder surgery, city officials said. But his orthopedic surgeon testified that Van Horn would have needed the surgery eventually, even without the arrest. Another medical expert testified that MRI images taken a few weeks after the arrest showed no injury to Van Horn’s shoulder, only chronic degenerative conditions.

“We disagree with the verdict,” said John Kannin, the attorney for Van Horn, in a Tuesday email. “Upon discussing the case with the jury, jurors expressed their opinions that what the police officers did was wrong, however, with the jury instructions

given to the jurors they could not hold the police accountable for their wrongdoing.”

Kent Police arrested Van Horn for investigation of fourth-degree assault and obstructing an officer after he refused to leave his seat at the ShoWare Center to discuss the incident. A Kent Municipal Court jury found Van Horn not guilty to each charge.

Van Horn claimed the two officers used excessive force to remove him.

Event staff tried to get Van Horn to leave his seat to talk about the incident.

When he refused to leave, event staff called off-duty police officers working the concert to come to the seat.

When Van Horn didn’t comply with orders to leave his seat, Moore took hold of Van Horn’s left arm and told him to turn around and put his hands behind his back. Instead of complying,

Van Horn tensed his left arm and used his right hand to grab Moore’s shoulder. During last week’s trial, Van Horn admitted grabbing Moore but claimed he had tripped and was merely trying to keep from falling.

When Van Horn grabbed him, Moore delivered a single knee strike to Van Horn’s abdomen. And Officer Honda used her Taser on Van Horn when she saw him grab her partner.

The Taser was not effective, however, and Van Horn testified at trial that he did not even notice it at the time.

Honda has worked 14 years and Moore 12 years with the Kent Police.

Before trial, the court dismissed Van Horn’s claims for false arrest, civil conspiracy, negligence, and negligent hiring, retention, training and supervision due to lack of evidence to support those claims.

Friday, November 16, 2018

David Leroy Norman

David Leroy Norman was born on July 19, 1979 to Michael Norman and Anna (Benish) Norman in Redmond, Washington. He was raised in Kent, Wa and graduated from Kentridge High School in 2000. He lived 8 years in Spokane, Washington before moving to Vancouver in 2008.

He is survived by his parents, and he adored his brother Miles Norman and sisters Irene Norman Uzzell and Noelle Norman, brother-in-law Johnnie Uzzell Jr and nephew Johnnie Uzzell and several Aunts, Uncles and Cousins whom he dearly loved. He was the shining light in the family and lived his life loving God, his family and his friends. He truly touched everyone he met.

He loved making lists and organizing his day. He loved participating in Special Olympics. He enjoyed sports especially the Seahawks, Huskies and Beavers, but his favorite team of all was the Lady Falcons at Prairie High School.

A Celebration of Life was held at St. John The Evangelist, 8701 N.E. 119th Street,Vancouver, WA on November 16th at 11 a.m. Remembrances to Special Olympics.

2257684

Guilty From Page 1

county jail.

Officers also removed Grant-Walker, the intended target in the shooting near the intersection of Lake Fenwick Road and Reith Road, from the courtroom.

“He did do it,” Grant-Walker repeated several times as he left the courtroom followed by repeats of, “This is what he wanted,” and “He is cooked.” Grant-Walker then added, “God is good, he got my baby.”

Kime and Grant-Walker were members of rival Seattle gangs during the shooting in Kent. A bullet struck and killed Malijha Grant as she sat in her car seat in the back seat of a car driven by her mother Lisa Lynch with Grant-Walker riding in the front passenger seat.

About 14 relatives and friends of Malijha Grant sat on the left side of the courtroom behind Senior Deputy Prosecutor Adrienne McCoy to hear the verdict after the jury deliberated for two and a half days. A handful of women sat on the right side behind Kime and defense attorney Lisa Mulligan, who sat in chairs at a desk in front of the judge.

Kent Police sent extra officers to the Regional Justice Center because of the gang ties to the case. Police SUVs lined the streets outside of the center. Inside the facility, extra officers were positioned outside the courtroom, some armed with rifles.

More than a dozen corrections and police officers were inside the courtroom. Three stood in front of the exit door. Seven more were up front, two right behind Kime and one facing the gallery with his back to Kime. Three

police officers sat at the end of rows on Kime’s side of the gallery.

When Judge Johanna Bender read the jury’s guilty verdicts on the second-degree murder and two first-degree assault charges (for firing at Grant-Walker and Lynch), Kime appeared to shake his head, visibly upset about the verdict. Mulligan, his attorney, put her hand on his shoulder and hugged him a moment later to try to console him.

Grant-Walker appeared to be staring at Kime, who several times glanced back at Grant-Walker. Shortly after the judge confirmed the verdict of each jury member, someone shouted and Kime immediately jumped to his feet before officers quickly grabbed him to take him out of the courtroom. Grant-Walker started to move out of the middle of his row but officers stopped him.

Officers eventually escorted the friends and relatives of Malijha to another area of the Regional Justice Center. Officers also escorted the friends of Kime out of the courtroom.

Everyone who entered the court went through extra security and could not bring in cellphones, smartwatches or cameras. That ban also applied to the media, which included just one newspaper reporter.

Judge Bender and the attorneys were unable to set a sentencing date for Kime before the eruption in the courtroom. Bender, on Tuesday, set a sentencing date of Jan. 11. The judge will consider recommendations from prosecutors and the defense attorneys before she sentences Kime.

Kime, 27, faces a sentence of 41 to 54 years in prison, according to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

Kime, whose hometown listings include Seattle and Auburn, pleaded not guilty to the charges in January 2016. He didn’t speak to detectives

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about the shooting after his arrest and he didn’t take the stand during his trial, which began Sept. 10.

Attorneys and family members were unavailable for interviews after the abrupt ending to the hearing.

Mulligan argued that Kent Police arrested the wrong man. She claimed two other gang members in a different car shot at Grant-Walker and hit the baby instead.

McCoy, the prosecutor, said Kime wanted to avenge the killing of close friend and fellow gang member John Williams, fatally shot in March 2015 in Seattle. She said video surveillance from homes and businesses, cellphone records and social media sites used

by Kime showed that he and another man followed Lynch’s car starting in Renton and then to the Safeway in Kent, down West Meeker Street and up Reith Road to Lake Fenwick Road.

Detectives matched shell casings found at the shooting scene near the intersection of Lake Fenwick Road and Reith Road to a gun that Kime posed with in a cellphone photo.

Police never found the gun. The other man in the car has not been identified or arrested in connection with the fatal shooting of Malijha.

Investigators do not believe that Kime acted alone, and the intent is to continue to work all avenues of this case in order to bring everyone involved in this crime to justice, according to a Kent Police media release on Monday about the verdict.

“Even with the insurmountable barriers that investigators had to overcome during this investigation, they remained determined to ensure the ultimate goal of obtaining justice for baby Malijha and her family; I think it is fair to say, we were able to accomplish that,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said.

...obituaries TO SUBMIT A PAID OBITUARY, CALL: 253.872.6677 EMAIL:paidobits@reporternewspapers.com or go ONLINE at this publication.

Paid obituaries include publication in the newspaper and online.

All notices are subject to verification.

Donald Edward Hanson

Donald Edward Hanson, 96, of Kent, Washington passed away on November 3, 2018. Don was born on September 11, 1922 in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota to Edward and Myra Hanson.

Don served as a Chief Petty Officer 1st Class in the US Navy during WWII serving on both the USS Idaho and USS Atlanta and worked for United Airlines for many years.

Mr. Hanson was a member of the DAV A One #33 of Kent, VFW Post 1741 of Auburn and American Legion Post 15 of Kent.

Don volunteered his time at Tahoma National Cemetery as a chaplain and service support member and was loved by everyone who knew him.

Don was preceded in death by his wife Betty in 2005, daughter Susan in 1953 and brother Duane in 2014. He is survived by his sons Mark (Julie) and Steve; brothers Allen and Curt Hanson; step daughters, Jill Weiss and Judy Tolbert; grandchildren Seth, Miranda and Melody, and significant other and caregiver Sharon Penwell.

Viewing will start at 11:00 AM with funeral services to be held at 12PM Monday, November 19, 2018 both at First Christian Church 11717 SE 240th ST Kent, Washington 98030 followed by burial with full military honors at 2:00 PM at Tahoma National Cemetery Kent, WA, reception immediately following the committal service back at First Christian Church.

Please visit www.yahnandson.com to share a memory or photo of Don. 2257584

Gary Wilhelm Wivag

Gary Wilhelm Wivag, 74, of Cle Elum, passed away on Tuesday October 30, 2018 at Snoqualmie Valley Hospital with his wife Sherry, sister Connie and brother-in-law Larry Wallace at his side.

Gary was born January 20, 1944 in Kent, Wa. to Wilhelm and Betty Wivag.

He was raised in Kent where he attended and graduated from Kent Meridian High School.

Following High School Gary attended the University of Oregon on a football scholarship.

After college Gary went on to owning a variety of Companies.

He loved to build them up and then move on to something else.

He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather and friend, spending time at Ocean Shores feeding the deer and driving his team of horses for parades, weddings and just for fun.

He loved spending time with his grandkids, teaching them how to work, drive and growing into wonderful adults. He treasured spending time with family and friends.

Survivors include his wife Sherry of Cle Elum, children Justin (Cindy) Wivag, Scott (Lisa) Brandt and Annette Brandt, his sister Connie (Larry) Wallace, sister-in-law Debra (Stan) Fornalski, brother-in-law Jack (Dawn) Trumbull. Grandchildren Brandon, Kelsey, Lukas, Colby, Tanzerica and Chase. Great grandchildren Dezmine, Kristopher, Kristina, Demarri and Logan, and many nieces and nephews, extended family members and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents Wilhelm and Betty Wivag, and his in-laws Ralph and Noreen Trumbull.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 1:00pm Sunday December 2, 2018 at the Enumclaw Golf Course Men’s Club House: 45220 288th Ave SE, Enumclaw, WA. 2257625

5

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REPORTER KENT

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Field to be named in honor of late Kentridge High AD Page 9

KENTREPORTER.COM

FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018

OFFICER DIEGO MORENO

Police motorcyclists line up outside the accesso ShoWare Center on Tuesday. STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

Those who knew Kent Police Officer Diego Moreno soon learned about a simple, two-word quote he liked to say: “Die living!”

Moreno lived life with so much energy, enthusiasm and compassion that his family and friends chose those two words to print on his memorial service program

handed out to an estimated 3,300 people Tuesday afternoon at the accesso ShoWare Center.

A crowd that included hundreds of uniformed officers who traveled to town to honor Moreno – killed in the line of duty on July 22 when he was struck by a fellow officer’s vehicle during a pursuit that began after shots were fired at a nearby bar parking lot.

A procession from Emerald Downs in Auburn to the ShoWare

Arena in the black ShoWare Center shows profit through first six months for first time.

By Steve Hunter shunter@soundpublishing.com

For the first time since it opened in 2009, the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent turned a profit for the first six months of the year.

ShoWare made $16,452 in the first half of 2018 with revenues of $1.647 million and expenses of $1.630 million, according to the income statement ending June 30.

“I don’t know if we’ve been profitable for the first six months of the year in the past,” said Mike Miller, chair of the Public Facilities District Board that helps oversee operations of the $84.5 million arena, at the group’s July 26

Bagpipers march in front of the accesso ShoWare Center on Tuesday prior to the memorial service for Kent Police Officer Diego Moreno. STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter

INSIDE

Center drew folks along Fourth Avenue in Kent to watch as motorcycle officers, a bagpipe band and police and vehicles headed down the street. Outside the ShoWare, officers stood at attention as the Moreno family arrived along West

James Street and walked into the arena to celebrate the life of Diego Moreno.

“Diego lived his life to the fullest as a son, a brother, a husband, a dad, a police officer,” Chaplain Pat Ellis said at the service. “He lived it, and his life became the very example of what it meant to die living.”

Moreno, of Auburn, died just five days after turning 35. His survivors include his wife, two young children, his mother, his

brother and two sisters.

“Serving with compassion came natural to him and became evident with the assignments he chose,” Kent Police Chief Rafael Padilla said about the eight-year veteran of the force. “He chose assignments to put him in position to care for and help people.”

Moreno worked as a field training officer, a recruiting officer

meeting.

“It is the first time there has been a profit for the first half of the year,” ShoWare Director of Finance Arletta Voter confirmed in a Monday email.

ShoWare has lost money each year since it opened in 2009, a total of $3.9 million. The arena had its best year in 2016 when it lost $155,268. Through the first half of 2016, the arena lost $23,788.

Several highly attended concerts in April helped bring in more revenue. SMG, which operates the arena, projected a loss of $264,522 through the first

six months as it doesn’t count concerts toward income unless they have been booked far ahead of time. The concerts helped boost rental income by $193,858 above budget and increasd food and beverage concessions by $100,824 above budget.

More than 7,000 attended the sold-out concert by Banda MS, a regional Mexican group, on April 8. The heavy metal band Judas Priest drew more than 6,000 on April 15 and rapper Post Malone attracted 6,500 on April 29.

With the extra concerts, the city’s admission tax (5 percent on

each ticket) brought in $260,263 through the first six months, funds counted separately from the profit/loss statement. The admission tax money goes to the city’s general fund rather than the arena’s income statement. The city then moves that admission tax money to its arena operating budget to help cover any losses help pay for capital improvement projects at the ShoWare.

“From a cash flow standpoint it’s really important to the city because they were taking money

■ Teen driver charged in police chase that killed officer. Page 3

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Living life to the fullest

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Friday, August 3, 2018

Kent Reporter

Officers salute the procession Tuesday for Kent Police Officer Diego Moreno outside the accesso ShoWare Center.

Right, A woman brings a large flag and small flags as she watches the procession. Former co-worker Matt Mullenix says, “Diego lived his life at 1,000 mph with such a fierce intensity I’ve never seen anything like it, I don’t know how he did it.” STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter

Officer From Page 1

and a hostage negotiator. He earned three life-saving medals for saving a drowning child, rescuing an elderly woman from a fire and saving a woman from a drug overdose.

“He did more in eight years than most of us do in 20,” Padilla said.

Moreno is only the second Kent Police officer to die in the line of duty. Town Marshal Harry Miller died in 1908 after a shootout with five men who had robbed a man.

Born in Venezuela Born in Caracas, Venezuela, Moreno moved with his family at age 16 to the United States.

He became a U.S. citizen in high school. He attended Columbia Basin College in Pasco and graduated from Washington State University in Pullman. The memorial service decorations on the ShoWare stage included a WSU college football game day flag sent by school officials to the Kent

Police.

The vigor Moreno displayed began as a child.

Lizzie Lee, his mother, told the audience that Moreno was a loud kid – always looking to make noise.

“In the sixth grade, his teacher read anonymous answers from her students after she asked them to write down what their parents would complain about them,” Lee said. “The teacher wanted the parents to guess. She goes, ‘I make too much noise.’ We knew that was his.”

Matt Mullennix worked with Moreno at the Kent Police Department before he recently left the department to become a firefighter. They became close friends.

It didn’t take long for Mullennix to find out about Moreno’s spirit.

“Diego lived his life at 1,000 mph with such a fierce intensity I’ve never seen anything like it, I don’t know how he did it,” Mullennix said. “He would walk into the break room at work and whether you knew this man for 10 years or 10 seconds, he would immediately infect everybody in that room with that energy.”

Moreno would even joke with

fellow officers by all of a sudden sitting on their lap to make them uncomfortable.

“The energy he left in a room would stay there long after he was gone,” Mullennix said.

Fun at home Shelly Moreno didn’t see her husband’s enthusiasm at work, but she saw it at home.

“It’s easy to see Diego loved police work,” Moreno said near the end of the service after others had spoken. “There is one thing he loved more and that was being a daddy.”

Because Diego Moreno worked a late shift, he spent days with his children. Shelly Moreno said she would get Instagram messages at work from her husband that would include such activities as he and the children singing in the car. He took his daughter for a pedicure in one of his final moments with her.

“His childlike enthusiasm for life was contagious,” Shelly Moreno said. “When playing sidewalk chalk, he wouldn’t just draw pictures. He would turn our dog into a striped zebra.”

That playful attitude drew the couple close.

“Diego’s ability to play was unmatched,” Shelly Moreno said. “He was wild and loud and persistent. Without a doubt, he was my man-child and he was well loved for it.”

A video/slide show at the service displayed Moreno’s love for life.

Photos celebrating, traveling and simply enjoying life with his wife, children and friends.

On the job Earlier in the service, Kent Mayor Dana Ralph described Moreno’s love for his job.

“Officer Moreno wore his badge with grace and honor,” Ralph said.

“He did the job he loved every day until that job took him from us. A life ended too early, an amazing career cut short and taken from a family who loved and adored him “Officer Moreno was more than a public servant, more than a police officer, he was our hero. It has been said it is not how an officer died that makes them a hero, but how they lived.”

Ralph watched how Moreno

lived the afternoon before his death. Chief Padilla threw a barbecue for the department at the mayor’s house. A way to show appreciation for the officers outside of their normal workplace.

“I watched Diego running around the yard playing with his kids, loving his wife and spreading that infectious smile to officers and family members,” she said.

The mayor also saw something else.

“The last time Diego kissed Shelly was in my yard,” Ralph said.

“She kissed him goodbye lots of times, but had no idea this would be the last one.”

Ralph promised the city of Kent will always be there for Moreno’s family.

“I want them to know the love and support that they get from this community will never fade,” she said. “You will always be a part of the Kent family and we ask to be a part of yours.”

Ralph added she knows what Moreno is doing now.

“Today he patrols the streets of heaven with the same infectious smile he had while working the streets of Kent,” she said.

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