Kent Reporter, October 04, 2013

Page 1

KENT .com

REPORTER

NEWSLINE 253-872-6600

INSIDE | School dedicates climbing wall in memory of teacher [3] Sports | Versatile Carter makes Royals go [14]

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 4, 2013

Farm stand owner shoots, kills man City still pursuing action against sex offender homes BY STEVE HUNTER

shunter@kentreporter.com

The 64-year-old owner of Frager Farm Stand in unincorporated Kent shot and killed a man early Wednesday morning after he found the man inside his business office. The business owner, who lives

next door to his Frager Farm Stand in the 25100 block of Frager Road South, called 911 at about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to report the shooting, according to a Wednesday email from Sgt. Cindi West, spokeswoman for the King County Sheriff ’s Office. “The man said he was in his home and heard a noise coming from the

area of his business (on the same property),” West said. “He took his shotgun and went to look around. When he got to the business he saw two men in his office. The homeowner fired a shot and struck and killed one of the men. The other man

[ more SHOOTING page 4 ]

BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com

Children from the Kent Youth and Family Services line up outside the ShoWare Center to get a look at Carole and Patty, two of the elephants in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter

THE CIRCUS

[ more OFFENDERS page 4 ]

Students find a way to recover in the classroom

COMES TO TOWN

BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com

REPORTER STAFF

The circus returns this week to Kent’s ShoWare Center. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents Fully Charged – Gold Edition, a high-speed connection to electrifying performers from around the world. The circus is in town through Sunday. Kent is one stop in the circus’ 40-city North American tour. Children from Kent Youth and Family Services caught a preview of the circus Wednesday. They watched and joined circus performers, got up close to exotic animals, including the 10,000-pound Asian elephants. For tickets, visit www.showarecenter.com or call 866-973-9613.

A dispute continues between the city of Kent and at least one operator of group homes that house sex offenders. City officials initially in May notified operators of 10 group homes that they must shut down because they are in violation of the city code for being too close to schools, child care facilities or other sex offender homes. “This matter is a priority of the City Attorney’s Office, and we are in the process of taking action,” said Acting City Attorney Pat Fitzpatrick in a Sept. 26 email. “This is a very complex matter, and there are a number of property owners involved. “The city may bring a civil code enforcement proceeding against those who refuse to comply with the law, or, we may take the matter straight to the (King County) Superior Court.

Either way, there is a significant amount of ground work that the city must lay before it proceeds. “We anticipate taking enforcement action within the next couple of weeks.” One home has complied with the code, Fitzpatrick said. Two other homes are expected to soon come into compliance. But Eddie Weber, who operates six of the homes, plans to keep fighting the city to keep his home open for sex offenders. “Unfortunately, Eddie Weber, who operates a number of the homes, has told us he has no intention of complying with the law,” Fitzpatrick said. “Several property owners whose houses Eddie Weber is renting have indicated they are willing to comply with the city’s zoning ordinance by attempting to evict Eddie Weber and the residents of these houses.”

Abdirahaman Dahir jumps rope with circus members. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter

Eduardo Torres was a good student for much of his academic career. But when his grandmother died during his sophomore year at Kent-Meridian High School, his grades plummeted. Torres, however, made an academic recovery by keeping the value of his education in sight. High school students have different ideas of why education is important to

them. For some, it’s a family expectation while others value it when considering a career or making a better life for themselves than their parents had. But every so often students can lose sight of their objectives in school either through personal tragedy, peer pressure or simply difficulty and hopelessness. Other times, students feeling overwhelmed by a system that isn’t serving them correctly can start [ more STUDENTS page 5 ]


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.