Kent Reporter, March 21, 2014

Page 1

KENT .com

REPORTER

NEWSLINE 253-872-6600

INSIDE | Man pleads guilty to killing Kent co-worker [4] Sports | Kentwood grad is the new voice of AppleSox [18]

FRIDAY, MARCH 21, 2014

T-BIRDS | WHL PLAYOFFS

Amazon to open fulfillment center in Kent FOR THE REPORTER

The Thunderbirds’ Shea Theodore is considered a high-level offensive defenseman who specializes in power play situations as well as being a smooth and agile skater. Theadore, who tied a club

record for most goals by a T-Birds defenseman with 44, and his teammates open the Western Hockey League playoffs Saturday on ShoWare Center ice. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter

SHEA SHOWING THE WAY Theodore shines as T-Birds prepare for postseason

BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com

From a small Canadian town, Shea Theodore is working his way to bigger things. The popular Seattle defenseman is developing a following as he leads the Thunderbirds (41-25-2-4) into the West-

ern Hockey League playoffs Saturday against the Everett Silvertips (39-23-73). Face-off for Game 1 of the best-ofseven Western Conference series is 7:05 p.m. at the ShoWare Center. Theodore’s latest goal from last Sunday’s regular-season finale, a 6-1 win [ more THEODORE page 19 ]

Amazon.com, Inc. recently announced plans to open a nearly one-million-square-foot fulfillment center in Kent, creating hundreds of fulltime jobs at the site when it opens, the company said in a news release. It will be the Roth company’s fourth fulfillment center in the state. Amazon’s other centers are in Sumner and Bellevue, and a soon-to-beopen site in DuPont. “We’re excited to bring hundreds of great full-time jobs with benefits to Kent

and proud to further invest in Washington state with this new fulfillment center,” said Mike Roth, Amazon’s vice president of North America operations. “We are grateful to local and state elected officials who have supported Amazon in bringing a new fulfillment center to the state of Washington.” “Amazon’s expansion is great news for the people who will be working in the hundreds of great jobs there, as well as for all of Washington,” said Gov. Jay Inslee. “Amazon is a [ more AMAZON page 8 ]

GRCC building new complex BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com

Green River Community College’s industrial technology buildings are slightly deficient after 50 years. From cramped auto mechanic bays to exposed wiring to classrooms with a single window, the

existing facility has been in drastic need of renovations. Instead of renovating the aged building, college leaders have chosen to demolish it and build an entirely new complex dedicated to practical trade skills. [ more GRCC page 5 ]

Kent’s remarkable artist Kent artist Danny Pierce sits below a self-portrait of himself at about 25 years old at the Centennial Center Gallery on Sept. 2, 2010. Pierce, a well-known artist, passed away on March 6. He was 95. REPORTER FILE PHOTO

Danny Pierce dies at age 93; wife Julia died 12 days earlier BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com

Nationally recognized Kent artist Danny Pierce has died at age 93. Pierce died March 6 in Kent, just 12 days after his

wife Julia Pierce died at age 95 at their Kent home. They were married for 71 years and had a 70th wedding anniversary celebration last year in Kent. A memorial service for the couple is at noon Saturday, at Unity Church of Kent, 218 S. State Ave. Danny Pierce discovered his skill for art at age 4 in Woodlake, Calif., when he

saw a magazine photo of a cow that he wanted to trace. His cousin told him to draw it instead. “I wanted to trace it but he wouldn’t let me,” Pierce said during a 2010 interview with the Kent Reporter. “I drew it. That started it.” It helped launched a career for Pierce as an artist and [ more ARTIST page 8 ]


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