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INSIDE | Kent welcomes new indoor soccer team [12]
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FRIDAY, JULY 11, 2014
Kent hires Covington’s Matheson as CAO BY ERIC MANDEL emandel@covingtonreporter.com
Derek Matheson will resign as the Covington city manager to take on a larger role as the city of Kent chief administrative officer.
Matheson, who spent more than seven years in the post, announced his resignation to City Council and staff via phone and email on Monday. “We’re in mourning,” said Sharon Scott, Matheson’s executive assistant. Kent Mayor Suzette Cooke hired
INSIDE: Council committee OKs two city hirings at a cost of $223,000, page 3
Matheson for the city’s top appointed position. He will take on day-to-day operations for the city of 121,400
residents and 630 employees. He will oversee economic development, finance, human resources, parks, police and six other departments. In his email to Covington city staff, [ more MATHESON page 4 ]
Matheson
City gets surprise bill of $237,535 BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
The city of Kent just got stuck with an unexpected bill of $237,535. For at least the past six years, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs (WASPC) failed to bill the city for electronic home monitoring equipment used by the city jail officials to monitor offenders released from jail.
School district studies options in wake of growth
SUMMER HEATS UP A Kent man and his daughter roll the large stone sphere at the Town Square Plaza water fountains across from the Kent Library on a blistering Sunday morning. Temperatures in Kent and around
BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com
the valley are expected to remain in the 80s and reach into the 90s for the weekend and most of next week. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
Kent Cornucopia goes younger with Berrios’ as King and Queen BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Jim and Suzanne Berrios truly believed they were too young to be named the Kent Cornucopia Days King and Queen for 2014. “We were very surprised but felt
INSIDE: Kent Cornucopia Days returns this week; details in calendar, page 9
honored,” Jim Berrios said during a phone interview last week from a vacation in Michigan. “Typically,
they tend to be a little older than us.” The Greater Kent Historical Society (GKHS) decided to mix things up this year and go younger. Jim is 55 years old, Suzanne, 51. The group also wanted to honor a couple [ more CORNUCOPIA page 11 ]
SUNDAY BRUNCH BUFFET ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT 9AM-1:30PM
JOIN US FOR HAPPY HOUR SUN - THURS • 4PM TO CLOSE All Appetizers $6 • Well Drinks $3 • Domestic Drafts $2
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The Kent School District has a number of potential changes coming up over the next several years and has started discussions of how to best
Kent Police Chief Ken Thomas revealed the mistake during a budget request to the City Council’s Operations Committee on July 1 to pay for the bill. “Our bill including taxes was $312,000,” Thomas said to the committee. “(Acting City Attorney) Pat Fitzpatrick was able to negotiate that down to $237,535.” [ more BILL page 3 ]
approach those changes in a way that will accommodate its policy goals. A report prepared by Richard Stedry, district chief business officer, and Fred Long, director of facility services, sheds some light to the district’s options in the next five years. [ more SCHOOLS page 8 ]
Jim and Suzanne Berrios continue to make an impact in the Kent community as business owners and volunteers. COURTESY PHOTO, Megan Johnson
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23826 104th Ave. SE Kent Suzanne & Jim Berrios, Owners
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