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BEST OF FEDERAL WAY 2013 | Check out a special section on this year’s winners [7]
VOL. 15, NO. 11
Mirror
F E D E R A L WAY
division of Sound Publishing
OPINION | Roegner: Risks vs. rewards for building an arts center [4] Hobbs: Letter for Lake Dolloff second-graders [4] BUSINESS NEWS | Top Food and Drug will close Federal Way location [2] CRIME NEWS | Family fight turns violent; chiropractor faces felony sex charge [3]
SPORTS | Volunteers fix baseball field at CALENDAR | Free recycling event on Sat.; Reach Out Rollermania coming soon [6] FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 2013 | 50¢ Thomas Jefferson High School [27]
White House honors Jones
FW spreads academic acceleration Legislation would require all schools to adopt policy
By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
Federal Way Public Schools (FWPS) has sponsored companion bills in the Legislature that would require all districts in the state to adopt an accelerated academics policy similar to the one imple-
mented by FWPS in recent years. In a recent legislative update at the school board’s March 12 meeting, board member Ed Barney shared that the Washington State School Directors Association (WSSDA) is not giving its bless-
ing to a pair of bills sponsored by the district, Senate Bill 5243 and House Bill 1642, a move that left board president Tony Moore a bit irritated. “WSSDA…weren’t too interested in supporting any bills, unless they
were permissive, meaning they would allow districts to opt-in, optout, such as our academic acceleration bill,” Barney said. “They chose not to support it because it required all districts to be in the program.” Accelerated Academics, as instituted in FWPS, puts all students [ more SCHOOLS, page 26 ]
By GREG ALLMAIN
Tax credit can help kick-start project, reduce sticker shock
gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
Erin Jones, Director of Equity and Achievement for Federal Way Public Schools, was honored by the White House as one of 10 education leaders who have devoted their professional careers to helping further education achievement among African American students. Honored late last month as a Champion of Change, the recognition was part of President Obama’s White House Erin Jones Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, a program launched in summer 2012. “The Champions of Change award was an opportunity to celebrate the work I have done with a community of educators, my family, teachers, administrators and community organizations across this state over the past 16 years,” Jones said [ more JONES, page 25 ] NEWSPAPER RACKS: To see a list of rack locations for the print edition of The Mirror, visit federalwaymirror.com/about_us.
By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
Rendering of a proposed performing arts and conference center on 20th Avenue South by the Federal Way Transit Center. COURTESY IMAGE
PACC: City debates cost, necessity light of a recent cost estimate of nearly $32 million. “Ever since the almost $32 million The Federal Way City Council cost came out, I’ve been very spent a morning, and debated surprised,” said CouncilmemNEWS into the afternoon, about the ber Susan Honda. “I really merits of the proposed perwant to see a performing arts forming arts and conference center, but the cost of it is very center (PACC) project for the concerning to me.” downtown area. Newly-minted CouncilmemDuring the council’s retreat on ber Kelly Maloney echoed Honda’s March 9, some council members thoughts, saying her biggest concern expressed their support for the project is that some part of that nearly $32 wholeheartedly. Others expressed semillion price tag will be passed onto rious reservations about the project in Federal Way residents in the form of By GREG ALLMAIN
gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
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new taxes. “That’s my biggest issue. Are we going to have to tax them?” she asked. “I just want to make sure that we know from our residents that they’re willing to pay for this with the potential of taxes.” Maloney added that she’d like to hear more from a greater segment of the community about the PACC. She said that for her, at least, the PACC is a difficult decision. “I’m really on the fence about this. I have a lot of questions that still aren’t [ more PACC DEBATE, page 25 ]
BRAKE CHECKS
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A tax incentive program could help lift a future performing arts and conference center (PACC) off the ground and alleviate sticker shock over the project’s estimated cost. The Federal Way City Council held its annual retreat March 9, discussing a number of significant issues facing the city in the near future. First and foremost among them is the city’s desire to construct the PACC in the downtown core, using a combination of public and private money. A handful of citizens attended the retreat and urged the council to move forward and take the risk. “It’s the council’s job to make this decision,” said Betty Huff of the Federal Way Symphony, pleading with the council to seize this opportunity and avoid letting “the naysayers” dominate the process. “We need to grab this opportunity now,” she added. A recent presentation given by community and [ more TAX CREDIT, page 25 ]