.com
BUSINESS BUZZ | Hobby Lobby opens new store in FW; Wild Waves is hiring 1,000 [2]
VOL. 15, NO. 13
Mirror
F E D E R A L WAY
division of Sound Publishing
OPINION | Roegner: All quiet on the local election front [4] Jarvis: The Czar’s 5-step plan for performing arts center [5] CRIME NEWS | Burglar wakes up woman; ex-teacher pleads guilty in sex scandal [3] ROLLERMANIA | Annual fundraiser nets more than $5,000 for homeless shelters [6]
SPORTS | Updates on prep baseball and FRIDAY, MARCH 29, 2013 | 50¢ softball. Plus: Girls tennis preview [15]
Group says dog park needs more attention By GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
A hidden gem of Federal Way is French Lake Dog Park, one of the few off-leash dog parks in the region. Created by a push from the non-profit group Park Pals, the park allows man, and man’s best friend, a place to play and get outside in Federal Way. According to a number of Park Pals members, the burden of much of the work for the dog park has fallen to their group, with the city taking a perceived backseat approach to the maintenance of what still is a city park. “This park is a vital part of our city and its people,” said Park Pals board member Ben Pittman to the Federal Way City Council during the council’s March 19 meeting. “This park needs to be a much bigger priority to this city because, as far as I can tell, this city doesn’t think our dog park matters.” Pittman said he believes the park could become a liability to the city — if the city doesn’t start taking a larger role in its maintenance. According to Pittman, the pond at the park has never been well kept, and has been a home to muck, insects and disease. “(The pond) could be a great thing for this park, but instead it’s simply a breeding ground for very [ more PARK, page 13 ] NEWSPAPER RACKS: To see a list of rack locations for the print edition of The Mirror, visit federalwaymirror.com/about_us.
CALENDAR | Lions annual Easter Egg Hunt; Federal Way Symphony concert [9-12]
City wrestles with higher jail costs By Greg Allmain gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
Federal Way’s financial commitment to the SCORE jail facility is running far over projected cost estimates for the past few years. However, the jail is still on the minds of city officials. Located in Des Moines, the jail is shared by a consortium of cities in the region,
but Federal Way pays nearly 25 percent of the total load. As Federal Way Mayor Skip Priest has alluded to in recent months, those cities tied into SCORE as “member” cities have been exploring options to market the jail to other agencies and entities throughout the region. As the agreement between cit-
ies sits now, those who send the most prisoners to SCORE end up shouldering a higher cost than those who don’t, and Federal NEWS Way had been sending a fair amount, resulting in the unanticipated costs. City finance director Tho Kraus gave a brief update on SCORE and what measures are being taken to alleviate the costs to
UPDATE
the city. In 2012, jail revenues were roughly $607,000, which has been adjusted downward a bit to $602,000, Kraus said during the March 26 Finance/Economic Development/Regional Affairs (FEDRAC) committee meeting. “For the first two months (of 2013), we’re up at $217,000,” she [ more JAIL, page 13 ]
FW schools represent at We Day By ANDY HOBBS editor@fedwaymirror.com
Pictured above: FWHS senior Caleb Dawson tells a crowd of 15,000 about the power of We Day and community service by youth. Pictured right: Decatur High School’s jazz choir performed “Will You Be There” with Jennifer Hudson. See more photos on The Mirror’s website. PHOTOS BY ANDY HOBBS, The Mirror
Delaney Brown, a junior at Federal Way High School, got inside access to some of the celebrities and guests at We Day.
Nearly 1,250 students from Federal Way schools attended the U.S. debut of the star-studded We Day, held March 27 at Key Arena in Seattle. We Day is a youth-empowerment program that has been packing stadiums across Canada for years. More than 15,000 students gained admission to Wednesday’s event by performing a local and global act of charity. Federal Way was wellrepresented. The Decatur High School Jazz Choir sang “Will You Be There” with Oscar- and Grammy-winning performer Jennifer Hudson. In addition, Federal Way High School student Caleb Dawson shared his school’s success in embracing the We Day mantra through recordsetting Halloween food drives. Last October, the We Scare Hunger effort organized in Federal Way netted 12,562 pounds of food with help from 350 students. “That is the power of We Day,” Dawson told the crowd, which gave a standing ovation. As a surprise, the final act was Seattle-based rap duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy with the chart-topping single “Thrift Shop.” [ more WE DAY, page 12 ]