INSIDE | Construction awaits environmental park [3]
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City ready to tap into microbreweries
Prosecutors: No charges in shooting death, cite self-defense BY ROBERT WHALE
Development Committee, which first suggested the idea last October. Small craft breweries and The Planning Commisdistilleries, wine production sion held a public hearing facilities and tasting rooms May 17 on the measure, then can draw tourists, promote expressed its preference for small business allowing manufacand boost a local turing and produceconomy. tion facilities in the Auburn City downtown urban Council decided core only if they also Tuesday to open the had a tasting room. door to them. And Language requiring that will require a a tasting room is not few changes to the Backus part of the ordinance City Code. at this time. “It is to allow in City staff added a definiour downtown and urban tion for a wine production core some commercial and facility and changed the industrial zoning areas definition for a tasting room where there could be small to be more general and to craft breweries, wine facilibe dependent upon proof ties and tasting rooms. … of a valid Washington State I’m very supportive of this liquor license. ordinance,” said CouncilTasting rooms, however, woman Nancy Backus bewill be an outright permitted fore voting on the ordinance. use, requiring no Backus is a member of the Planning and Community [ more BREWERIES page 3 ] BY ROBERT WHALE
rwhale@auburn-reporter.com
rwhale@auburn-reporter.com
The King County Prosecutor’s Office revealed June 29 that it won’t file criminal charges against Olenthis Woods in the shooting death of Shennon Shelton and the wounding of his brother, Gaston Shelton, May 1 outside of an apartment complex in Auburn. According to the King County Prosecutor’s Office, the police investigation determined that Woods acted in defense of himself and others. “We understand that the loss of Mr. Shelton’s life is truly tragic for his family and friends,” the prosecutor’s office said in a press release. “However, the evidence in this case dictates that criminal charges are not warranted.” In this case, prosecutors said, Woods could and would claim that he had a lawful right to defend himself and his family members under state law. Here is what happened, according to the release, which is
Heavy metal Mayhem returns with big lineup
[ more SHOOTING page 8 ]
Pacific Days begins Pacific Days – a free three-day celebration with families and kids in mind – opens today at Pacific City Park, 600 3rd Ave. SE. The festival hours are 4-9 p.m. today, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Sunday. There will be more than 60 arts and crafts vendors, as well as raffles, food booths, parades, kids’ activities, a car bash and onstage entertainment. For more information including a map to the park, visit www.pacificpartnerships.org.
Sports | Donna Johnson comes full circle as an athlete. Auburn woman prepares for her fifth sprint-distance triathlon at Steel Lake [10]
BY SHAWN SKAGER sskager@auburn-reporter
Rock steady
more photos online… auburn-reporter.com
Dakota Fares, 9, climbs a rock wall at Les Gove Park during Monday’s Fourth of July celebration. Festivities included a bike parade, two stages of entertainment, a kids’ craft corner, more than 50 arts and crafts booths, a car show, inflatable rides, bingo and food concessions. RACHEL CIAMPI, Auburn Reporter
The fourth installment of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival invades the White River Amphitheatre this Tuesday, bringing along 13 of the heaviest metal bands in the business. The summer’s festival will again feature a mix of established bands – such as main stage headliners Disturbed, Godsmack, Megadeth and Machine Head – and lesserknown acts such as Suicide Silence and Straight Line Stitch, both playing on the Jägermeister and Revolver
Disturbed, with lead guitarist Dan Donegan, headlines this year’s Mayhem Festival. SHAWN SKAGER, Auburn Reporter
stages. For Alexis Brown, lead singer of Straight Line Stitch, the tour is an [ more MAYHEM page 12 ]