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SPORTS | Kentwood boys and girls basketball teams end seasons [10]
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FRIDAY, MARCH 2, 2012
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Kent’s ShoWare Center loses money
Preliminary report gives new insight into crash
The city arena has been in the red for the past three years
BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Kent’s ShoWare Center suffered financial losses for the third straight year in 2011. The 3-year-old arena lost $457,480 last year after losses of $398,013 in 2010 and $451,723 in 2009, according to the ShoWare Center income statement released by SMG, the operator of the events center. “Our adjusted gross income was down $55,000 and our indirect expenses were up $112,000 for a $167,000 variance,” said Patrick McClusky, ShoWare finance director, as he explained the income statement at the Feb. 23 meeting of the Public Facilities District board, which oversees operations of the city-owned arena. “We had a higher event load versus our budget and lower than expected [ more SHOWARE page 8 ]
The Cessna 172 plane crash that killed Kentlake High School swim coach Seth Dawson smashed into trees on the western face of Mount Si in North Bend during a “personal sightseeing flight” about 20 minutes after takeoff from Renton Municipal Airport. “The airplane fragmented upon impacting trees KENTLAKE and up-sloping mountainous terrain, which resulted in substantial structural damage,” according to the preliminary report released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board. The fuselage was found upside down. Dawson, 31; Rob Hill, 30, swim coach at Federal Way’s Decatur High; and Elizabeth Redling, 29, of Federal Way, were killed in the Feb. 15 accident. The three were on a “personal sightseeing flight,” according
TRAGEDY
Music from the heart
Teacher recovers from car accident BY SARAH KEHOE skehoe@kentreporter.com
This year, Feb. 22 wasn’t just a normal day for Kent resident Linda Louie. It marked the one-year anniversary of Louie’s car crash, an accident so severe, Louie spent several months in rehabilitation to try and get back to her normal self. She survived a head-on collision, but broke her ankle, cracked her ribs and suffered a Hangman’s Fracture, a break in the neck caused by force from the crash. “I feel lucky to be alive and don’t take anything for granted,” Louie said. “Whenever my mind goes back to the accident, I remember how strange the thoughts in my head where as I was crashing. Shock is a crazy and emotional experience.” Louie was driving home from a vacation in Oregon
Neely-O’Brien Elementary School students Sara Pot and Asia Tanis perform during Kent’s You, Me, We family festival event Feb. 24 at the ShoWare Center. DENNIS BOX, Kent Reporter. To view a slide show go to www.kentreporter.com and to buy photos go to the website and click on the photo reprints tab.
with her husband and their exchange student when a large truck swerved in front of her. Her husband suffered from a cracked sternum and damage to the nerves in his hands, while the exchange student was rushed to surgery for internal bleeding. “I was so thankful that we all came out okay in the end,” Louie said. The doctor’s placed a halo brace on Louie’s neck and told her she had to wear it for four months. Louie went from a long stay at the hospital to a nursing home for rehabilitation. “I would say that being in the nursing home was my darkest hour,” Louie said. “I woke up every day in a place I didn’t expect to be in yet and just felt like a caged animal.” Louie stayed positive by praying and by talking to friends, family, coworkers and students that came to visit her. “The one thing that helped me get through it all was my family, my coworkers and students,” Louie said. “They encouraged me, brought me flowers and made me feel appreciated.” Louie is an ESL or English as a second language teacher for adults at Highline Community College at the Kent [ more TEACHER page 7 ]
[ more REPORTS page 9 ]
Kent teacher Linda Louie wears a halo brace after breaking her neck in a car accident. COURTESY PHOTO