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Man pleads not guilty to shooting deaths BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Leland D. Russell Jr. enters a not guilty plea to two counts of first-degree murder on Monday in Kent in connection with the Aug. 20 shooting deaths of two Shell station employees. Defense attorney Deborah Wilson is on the right. STEVE HUNTER, Kent Reporter
Tony Deniston expected a much larger man when Leland Dean Russell Jr. entered a Kent courtroom on Monday to enter a not guilty plea to two counts of first-degree murder in connection with the Aug. 20 shooting deaths of two Shell service station employees.
“I was expecting a real big guy, but the guy just kind of blew me away,” said Deniston, the father of victim Carlos Gonzalez, told reporters after the arraignment at the Maleng Regional Justice Center. Deniston even called Russell “a little punk” when he first saw the 5-foot-9, 145-pound man
accused of shooting to death Gonzalez, 26, and David Christianson, 52. “That’s what I thought,” said Deniston, who along with other family members wore a bright orange shirt with a photo of Gonzales to the courtroom, about his description of Russell. [ more SHOOTING page 4 ]
City committee passes ban on recreational marijuana businesses BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
GOING GOALWARD The 7-U Lions’ Mason Morey dribbles the ball up the field with a pack of Wildcats in pursuit during the season-opening Youth Soccer Jamboree at the refurbished Wilson Playfields last
Saturday. The city of Kent dedicated the new multi-use turf fields at Wilson Playfields during an official reopening ceremony. The city funded the $1.8 million turf replacement project using $500,000 from the general fund, $800,000 from the real estate excise tax and the remainder from delaying other park improvement projects identified in the capital improvement fund. MARK KLAAS, Kent Reporter
A Kent City Council committee agreed with the city's Land Use and Planning Board to ban recreational marijuana businesses. The council's Economic and Community Development Committee voted 2-1 on Monday to agree with the land use board's recommendation in June to not allow marijuana retail, production or processing facilities in Kent. Council members Jim
Berrios and Bill Boyce voted in favor of the ban. Dennis Higgins opposed it. The full, seven-member council is expected to consider the ban on Oct. 7 when it could pass an ordinance against recreational marijuana businesses operating in the city. Kent currently has a moratorium against the businesses that expires in November. "I do need to respectfully disagree with the outcome of their process," Higgins said about the land use [ more BAN page 4 ]
Teacher files grievance BY ROSS COYLE rcoyle@kentreporter.com
expected to open in October. About 33 units are already leased. People interested in renting can tour the complex daily between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. to find out if the
A former Kentridge High School substitute teacher has filed a grievance with the Kent School District after he discovered he was being paid at a substitute rate when he believes he should have received a teacher’s credential and contract from the district. According to the teacher, the district owes him restitution payments on benefits he should have received as a contracted teacher. The district hired Danny Priest on Oct. 4, 2013,
[ more PLATFORM page 2 ]
[ more GRIEVANCE page 3 ]
New downtown apartments ready to open in October BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
People will soon be moving in to The Platform Apartments in downtown Kent. Rents range from $1,039 to $1,845 per month at the five-story complex,
said property manager Heather Lagat during a tour last week. The complex offers move-in specials of a month’s free rent and $99 down. Leases are from six to 18 months. Construction started last year on the 174-unit complex that’s
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