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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2014
City targets bikini baristas with lewd conduct ordinance BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Bikini baristas at about a half dozen Kent coffee stands will need to wear a bit more clothing or face arrest for lewd conduct. The Kent City Council last month approved a new lewd con-
duct ordinance that becomes effective Feb. 21 to give police a new tool to handle complaints from residents about the lack of clothing worn by the women who serve coffee at the drive-thru stands. “We do not anticipate this will put anybody out of business
who is in business but it might slightly alter the way they conduct themselves,” said Pat Fitzpatrick, acting city attorney, last month at a council Public Safety Committee meeting. “For example, some of these businesses female baristas wear tape or pasties over their
breasts and that will no longer be permitted under our ordinance.” Lewd conduct is a misdemeanor, which carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Police have received complaints about seven bikini barista stands
in Kent, said Cmdr. Eric Hemmen. Three are on the East Hill, three in the Valley and one on the West Hill. A bikini barista, who didn’t want her name or coffee stand location published in the article [ more BARISTAS page 4 ]
City Council picks 7 finalists for vacant position BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Mill Creek eighth-grader Tina Ni uses a micro-dropper to mix two different colored liquids in Connie Franks’ forensic science class. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
STUDENTS FOCUS ON FORENSICS Mill Creek class catches on, challenges its young scientists BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com
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hen Mill Creek science teacher Connie Franks was asked to come up with an elective class, she wasn’t expecting her rigorous forensic science class to get approved, much less become one of the most popular classes at the downtown middle school. The class teaches eighth-graders about biology and biochemistry in
a way they can practically apply to each lesson during the day. “It really puts your brain to work,” said Grant Staton, one of Franks’ students. “It’s very challenging but very rewarding.” The class has received such a good reception that parents will fight to keep their students in the classroom, sometimes making significant sacrifices to stay in the Mill Creek area. “One mom said she didn’t move from her apartment,” Franks said, “so that was really a lot of pressure on me!” Franks, who has been teaching science in the Kent School District
for 15 years, got the idea after studying at the Fred Hutchinson Science Education Partnership, a professional development class at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. Through her studies, she gained access to the center’s technology, which she can rent out and use in her own classes, so she took advantage of the opportunity to use the technology in her classroom. Her forensics class provides a number of advanced lab classes, ranging from handwriting analysis to even low level genetic engineering. [ more FORENSICS page 2 ]
The Kent City Council cut a list of 38 applicants on Tuesday night to seven finalists to replace Ken Sharp on the council. The finalists are Jed Aldridge, Christine Budell, Brenda Fincher, Barbara Phillips, Debbie Raplee, Wade Schwartz and Sarah Veele. “It was a challenge,” Council President Dana Ralph said during a phone interview. “We had some really good applicants.” Council members met in executive session to discuss the applicants. The council returned to an open public meeting and each of the six members voted for their top seven choices. Any applicant with three or more
School levies passing Voters were approving the Kent School District’s Technology and Maintenance and Operations (M & O) levies from Tuesday’s special election. After the first batch of ballots were counted Tuesday, both levies were leading with more than 56 percent approval. The M & O levy was leading 10,278 to 7,857 votes,
votes became a finalist. The council will pick a replacement for Sharp at a public meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25 when each finalist will be interviewed. Sharp resigned in January after only two weeks into his four-year term because of pending first-degree theft charges for allegedly stealing nearly $300,000 from his 93-year-old mother’s bank account. Former council members as well as several people who have run for the council were among the applicants. Those who didn’t make the final list included Tim Clark, who served 16 years on the council and lost to incumbent Suzette Cooke in the mayor’s race last fall, [ more COUNCIL page 3 ]
and the technology levy was winning, 10,511 to 7,629 votes. A simply majority is needed to pass levies. The M & O levy will go toward re-implementing school programs that were cut. The technology levy will pay for maintenance and upgrades to classroom computer systems, digital education tools and digital media tools. – Ross Coyle