Kent Reporter, July 18, 2014

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INSIDE | Rarmal wears Miss Cornucopia crown [2]

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Sports | Young fighter from Iraq finds a new home, makes impact with boxing club [14]

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014

City could get $350,000 per year from retail marijuana sales taxes BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com

The city of Kent could get an estimated $350,000 per year in sales tax revenue if it allowed three recreational marijuana

stores to operate. Kent has a six-month ban against any recreational marijuana businesses operating in town. The city’s Land Use and Planning Board recommended last month to the City Council that it should

continue to keep out retailers, producers and processors. The council discussed the land use board’s recommendation at a Tuesday workshop where David Galazin, assistant city attorney, revealed the tax revenue estimates.

“If there were three stores of average size operations based on what I can tell from Denver’s experience and stores operating now, roughly speaking, we might be able to get $350,000 just from our retail sales tax,” Galazin

said. “These are rough estimate, best guesses, but it’s a point to consider. I think revenue is an important part of zoning because one thing we want to do with [ more SALES page 4 ]

Public hearing set for par 3 property rezone BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com

Residents can tee up their comments and let the city of Kent know what they think of the proposal to rezone the Riverbend Golf Complex par 3 course property in order to sell it to a developer. The city’s Land Use and

Show of solidarity: Kent Rotary Club members and guests had their heads shaven to support fellow Rotarian, Kay Cook, middle, and Northwest Hope & Healing, a nonprofit organization that

provides financial assistance to women in need who are battling breast and gynecological cancer at the Swedish Cancer Institute. COURTESY PHOTO, Kent Rotary Club.

BOLD, BALD AND UNIFIED

Members of the Rotary Club of Kent demonstrated Tuesday their support for one of their own. Rotarians and guests had their heads shaven to support fellow Rotarian Kay Cook, who is battling cancer, and to raise awareness and

funds for Northwest Hope & Healing. Rotarian Wade Schwartz and his staff from Blanc’n Schwartz provided the expert head shaving following the club’s gathering at Down Home Catering. Ten members and [ more ROTARY page 4 ]

[ more PAR 3 page 4 ]

Woman shoots man in head at Kent strip mall parking lot BY STEVE HUNTER

FOR THE REPORTER

Planning Board will have a public hearing at 7 p.m. Monday, July 28 at City Hall to hear comments about whether to rezone the 23 acres and what type of development to allow. The City Council unanimously agreed in April to try to sell the course to a

shunter@kentreporter.com

Kent Police were still trying to figure out Wednesday what led to a woman shooting and injuring a 23-yearold Kent man on Tuesday afternoon in the parking lot at a Panther Lake neighborhood strip mall.

Officers arrived at about 12:21 p.m. in response to 911 calls that a man had been shot, according to a Kent Police media release. Police found the man lying in the parking lot with a gunshot wound to his head. [ more SHOOTING page 8 ]

From a tune to a tale: author connects with kids Retired school bus driver writes children’s book series BY MARK KLAAS mklaas@kentreporter.com

It began as a jingle and wound up being the impetus for a children’s Christian book series. Looking back, author Sue Brockett shakes her head and

laughs at the idea. A Kent School District bus driver for 10 years, Brockett wrote a catchy tune, “The Friendly Bus,” specifically to keep her kids calm and orderly. Did it work? “I actually put it on tape and played it,” she said, “and the kids would go, ‘Oh, Mrs. Bee, please don’t play that again. It stays with

us all day.’” All good-natured threats aside, the song served its purpose, promoting safety, trust and cooperation. In essence, it was a hit, a song later adapted to Brockett’s evolving book series, The Friendly Bus Series (CrossBooks Publishing). [ more AUTHOR page 10 ]

Author Sue Brockett has teamed up with illustrator Mike LaFond to create The Friendly Bus Series. MAR KLAAS, Kent Reporter


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