INSIDE | City considers which streets to repair [3]
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Sports | Freshman enjoys success on the cross country trail for K-M [10]
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2013
Council candidates square off
Kent City Council candidate Jim Berrios, right, responds to a question while his opponent, Wade Schwartz, waits for his turn during Wednesday’s debate at the ShoWare Center. STEVE HUNTER,
BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Four candidates in the two Kent City Council races took on city taxes as part of a debate Wednesday at the ShoWare Center. Jim Berrios said at the Kent Chamber of Commerce luncheon event that he wants
Kent Reporter
to dump the city’s business and occupation (B&O) tax while opponent Wade Schwartz supports the tax adopted last year by the council. “We need to get people excited about doing business in Kent,” said Berrios, owner of the Golden Steer Steak ‘n Rib House on the East Hill and
president of the Kent Chamber of Commerce. “And eventually we have got to get rid of that ugly B&O tax.” Schwartz, who owns Blancn-Schwartz Salon in downtown Kent, favors the B&O tax that helps pay for street repairs [ more DEBATE page 9 ]
Kent hot spot for Tesla electric car fire BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The city of Kent became the hot spot for national news last week because of the first Tesla electric car fire. When firefighters from the Kent Fire Department Regional Fire Authority first arrived at the car fire at about 8:21 a.m. Oct. 1 on the Willis Street off-ramp from southbound Highway 167, they focused on making sure no one was in the car and on putting out the fire. They didn’t realize initially the car was a Tesla Model S, the fully electric luxury sedan that sells for more than $70,000. But when a passerby posted a video of the Tesla fire on YouTube - well - news spread like wildfire. The
fire also caused a decline in the California-based Tesla’s market value. The phone rang like crazy all week for Kyle Ohashi, spokesman for the Kent Fire Department. He received calls from the New York Times and many, many others with inquiring minds. “We’ve had inquiries from every national news organization, car magazine and research group - everyone but Tesla themselves,” Ohashi said during a phone interview. “There’s a lot of interest because this is a first-time thing. I don’t know if Tesla expected it to happen.” Rob Carlson, of Bellevue, the driver of Tesla, was alone in the car and escaped injury. Tesla posted Carlson’s email [ more TESLA page 5 ]
PATCH OF SUN Tarah Pittman, left, and Lizzy Mayers survey the Carpinito Brothers pumpkin patch off West Valley Highway on a sun-splashed Saturday last weekend. Warm weather graced the Puget Sound region over the weekend, a welcomed respite from a string of blustery days. Cloudy but mostly dry weather is forecast for the local area this weekend. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
Vengadasalam, Elliott square off for school board seat BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com
Outside of their mutual interest in the importance of English proficiency for students, Maya Vengadasalam and Bruce Elliott – candidates for Kent School District School Board seat No. 5 – have very
different views on where the district needs to go in the future. While Vengadasalam comes from more than a decade of experience within the school system, Elliott grew up in the valley, attended Renton schools and has lived here ever since as a farmer. A Washington State University
graduate with a degree in animal science, Elliott said he can provide the board with a more experienced perspective as a longtime resident. Vengadasalam comes from an accounting background with a degree in accounting from Florida Atlantic University and has been
active in the district, serving on various boards and committees. She raised her son through Kent schools. The candidates also have different priorities for their first year in office, with Vengadasalam focused on speaking with school staff and students to better understand
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their needs. She also plans to [ more SEAT page 4 ]
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