Federal Way Mirror, June 06, 2014

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SCHOOLS | Superintendent recommends adding more school staff, technology [2]

VOL. 16, NO. 23

MIRROR

F E D E R A L WAY

DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

OPINION | Letters: Alternate views on the PACC [4] Roegner: What do we want in new superintendent? [4] CRIME | Man charged with second-degree murder in fatal shooting [7] COMMUNITY | Federal Way police, mayor raise torch for Special Olympics [12]

SPORTS | Federal Way High School girls FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2014 | 75¢ and boys track grab gold at state [14]

South King Fire, Valley Regional Fire weigh merge Fire chief Al Church: ‘We need time to do it right.’ BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com

Public records indicate the potential for a South King Fire and Rescue merge with Valley Regional Fire Authority should no longer be considered rumor. “We probably started thinking about it several years ago,” said South King Fire and Rescue Chief Al Church in an interview. “Actually, many years ago there were talks between the Auburn fire department and District 39 before it was South King Fire and Rescue.” But now department officials are more than just talking. On Dec. 23, 2013, a memo was sent to all department personnel with South King Fire and Rescue and Valley Regional Fire Authority. The memo detailed a robust analysis of partnership opportunities within the entities. It outlined goals, guiding principals, the process, the six committees that will analyze policy and governance, operations, labor, administrative operations, finances and an oversight committee to [ more MERGE page 21 ]

CALENDAR | Hooked on Fishing derby coming to Steel Lake this Saturday [22]

Council unanimously approves PACC BY GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com

T

he Federal Way City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved moving forward

on the proposed Performing Arts and Conference Center slated for the city’s downtown core area. The Council committed the city to approximately $32 million to build the

Widow of slain police officer settles with city

facility, with all saying the time is now for the city to move on revitalizing the downtown core. “When I first moved into unincorporated Federal Way in 1972, it was a land

of great potential,” said Councilman Bob Celski. “Forthcoming were many of the great features and assets that we now enjoy as a community. Things like the Aquatic Center, Hylebos,

the BPA Trail, Wild Waves. I could list 40 or 50 assets that we have now. There were a lot of people who took risks developing those assets.” [ more PACC page 3]

Rare repeat state titles

BY CARRIE RODRIGUEZ editor@fedwaymirror.com

Renee Maher recalls putting her hand on the tinted window of the limousine. As she looked out at the 11-mile procession, two fire trucks crossed elevated ladders, forming an arch over Pacific Highway in honor of her husband Patrick. He was the first Federal Way police officer killed in the line of duty on Aug. 2, 2003. In his honor, city officials named a police training room after him and placed a basalt boulder memorial with his badge in front of City Hall. But nearly 11 years later, Renee Maher is outraged at the city over Federal Way High School sophomore Tyson Penn competes in the high jump during the state track meet last Friday at Mount her husband’s insurance policy that Tahoma High School, bringing home two individual titles for the boys team. The school’s boys and girls track teams pulled a rare twoshe claims the city should have paid peat during the meet, both grabbing the gold. For the full story, see sports on page 14. GREG ALLMAIN, the Mirror her after he died. She filed a civil lawsuit against the city and Standard girlfriends at an AM/PM in Federal suicide note because the department ance policy was a condition of Insurance Company in January and Way when one of the men ran across checked out quickly, while they were employment based on a collective on May 8 settled with the city for 272nd Street and tried to climb telling everybody they were taking bargaining agreement between the approximately $88,000. over a fence. Patrick Maher pulled care of me.” Federal Way Police Guild and the “You can tell a lot about a the man off the fence and during a Renee Maher, who met her city. She said it was the person, not by their words, scuffle, the man, Jason Roberts, got husband while she was a prosecutor city’s responsibility — not but by their actions and these ahold of the officer’s gun and shot in Hawaii, married him 15 months her husband’s — to ensure were not the actions of a city him in the abdomen below the edge before he died. he signed up for the policy that reveres Patrick,” Renee “You start sitting there and makand claims the city violated of his bulletproof vest. Maher told the Mirror. “You He was transported to Harborview ing deals with God about how long the agreement. can put his face on a wall and Medical Center, where he underwent do I have to live with this, can you tell people that you revere two surgeries and died. just give me cancer?” She said. “You SLAIN OFFICER Patrick Maher him, but it’s how you treat Roberts pleaded guilty to the start having really strange conversaPatrick Maher, 46, his family after he’s gone that crime and was sentenced to 30 years tions with God.” was an officer with the really tells you what the city in prison. But she “got through it” because Honolulu Police Department before truly believes the value of their of“We had just moved, we had just of her son Nick, who was 5 years old the city of Federal Way hired him in ficers are.” bought a house, so I didn’t know at the time. He was Patrick Maher’s January 2003. City officials said Patrick Maher anybody, I didn’t know anybody,” stepson and she said the two were Seven months later, he was did not submit an application for the said Renee Maher, crying. “ … I had responding to a fight between insurance at the time he was hired. [ more POLICE page 23] signed my will and I was writing a two brothers and one of their exBut his widow said the insur-

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