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Maple Valley’s Sandi Sutton victim of crash BY KATHERINE SMITH ksmith@maplevalleyreporter.com
Sandi Sutton, a resident of Maple Valley, was identified Feb. 22 by the Clark County Coroner’s office in Las Vegas as one of the victims of the shooting and subsequent car crash which happened in the early morning hours of Feb. 21 on Las Vegas Boulevard, the city’s center of gaming known as The Strip. Sutton was a passenger in a taxi cab that was struck by a Maserati
at the intersection of Flamingo Road and Las Vegas Boulevard. According to Officer Jose Hernandez in the public information office of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, the taxi exploded and caught fire. Both Sutton and the driver, Michael Boldon, died at the scene. “This morning occupants of a black Range Rover opened fire on the occupants of a Maserati,” Sandi Sutton LVMPD Sheriff Douglas Gillespie said at a news conference Feb. 21.
“The Maserati driver, having been shot, sped through the intersection of Flamingo and Las Vegas Boulevard, colliding with a taxi cab and causing a six car accident. The driver and passenger of the taxi both died on the scene when the car exploded due to the impact.” Police believe the altercation between the drivers of the Range Rover and Maserati began in the valet area of a nearby resort, the Aria Hotel and Casino, after which both vehicles began traveling northbound on Las Vegas Boulevard. After colliding with the
taxi, the Maserati also struck four other vehicles, Hernandez said in a phone interview on Feb. 22. The driver and passenger of the Maserati both suffered gunshot wounds and were transported to a local hospital where the driver, Kenneth Cherry Jr., died due to his injuries. Three people from the other vehicles in the crash were also transported to the hospital. The Las Vegas Metropolitan police department located the Range Rover Feb. 23 and identified Ammar Harris as the sus[ more SUTTON page 3 ]
Support and hope for those affected by suicide Changes on
the way for Covington Days festival
Out of the Darkness walk at Tahoma High School raises more than $3,000
A
licia French’s efforts to offer hope and support to those touched by suicide culminated Feb. 23 when more than thirty community members gathered at Tahoma High for a 5K walk to raise awareness of suicide and offer support to one another. Participants wore beaded necklaces of different colors, with each color symbolizing the relationships through which they had been touched by suicide — spouses, parents, children, friends, first responders and military members. “The more awareness the better,” sad Leanne Shipley, a teacher at Tahoma High and participant in the walk. “There are a lot more people than we know.” The walk was organized by Alicia French, a senior at Tahoma, for her senior project and was sponsored by the American Founda-
tion for Suicide Prevention. The walk was also a fundraiser for AFSP, with the money raised going toward local programs to raise awareness and offer help as well as counseling to those struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts. “I wish more people had come out but I’m happy with the fact we’ve raised so much,” French said. “It doesn’t matter how many people came out, there are 37 more people who are aware.” The AFSP hosts campus walks, community walks and works with other organizations to raise awareness according to Jo McNeal, Pacific Northwest area director. For Candi Lommen, a community member and teacher at Cedar River Middle School, the walk was a chance to de-stigmatize suicide. “We have suicide in our family,” Lommen said. “It was a big secret nobody [ more WALK page 5 ]
BY KRIS HILL khill@covingtonreporter.com
Haley Alderson and Brooke Proctor lead the group of community members that turned out for the 5K Out of the Darkness walk Feb. 23 at Tahoma High. KATHERINE SMITH, The Reporter
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Changes are on the horizon for the Covington Days festival, which this year is set for July 20-21. Planning for this year’s festival began in September, said Judy Swanberg, a Covington Lions Club member who has helped chair the planning committee since the Lions took over the event in 2005. The festival began more than 20 years ago and was organized by a community committee. Later it was managed by the city before the event was handed off to the Lions. At a meeting to plan for the festival Feb. 21, Swanberg said, city staff brought up three options. “The first option they gave us was they’d take it over, they’d do it, not the Covington Lions Club,” Swanberg said. “The second option was they pull out their support and they would put on their [ more FESTIVAL page 3 ]
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