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VOL. 16, NO. 40
MIRROR
F E D E R A L WAY
DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
OPINION | ROEGNER: Marijuana politics in Federal Way [4]
COMMUNITY | Church honors long-time organist [8] CRASH | Motorcyclist collides with car on Pacific Highway South, dies of injuries [12]
POLICE | Man gets 7-year sentence for using firearm Sports | Federal Way girls FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2014 | 75¢ soccer climbs the rankings [10] during deadly drug deal [15]
Woman grows 70, 80 pound pumpkins BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com
Dani Clement has lived in Federal Way for 34 years but this is the first autumn she’s been able to grow a 68.5 pound pumpkin and a 78.5 pound pumpkin. “We’ve been planting pumpkins forever,” Clement said, noting she started when her first grandchild was born. While a nearly 80-pound pumpkin won’t win her a Washington State Fair award for largest pumpkin — those fruits can be up to 1,600 pounds, she said — the trick is to make sure the pumpkin has a continuous water supply. She said she planted her two pumpkins this season from a selfstarter kit meant for giant pumpkins using two pumpkin seeds. “One seed germinated and took off,” she said. “The starter pot was planted in July.” When her grandchildren were younger, she would often incorporate “pumpkin Sundays” where they would come to her and her husband’s backyard and pick pumpkins. Clement’s backyard is also filled with giant sunflowers, tomatoes, rhubarb, a fig tree and several other fruits, vegetables and flowers. [ more PUMPKIN, page 2 ]
Candidates talk education, transportation District 30 hopefuls sound off at Federal Way forum BY RAECHEL DAWSON
rdawson@fedwaymirror.com
D
istrict 30 candidates didn’t deviate much from the script as
they addressed top issues facing the state this next legislative issue. Fully funding education (also known as the McCleary decision) dominated the political rhetoric with a transportation package and providing well-paying jobs as other top concerns. The packed banquet room at Twin Lakes Golf
and Country Club listened to the six candidates’ opening remarks before they answered how they would find the funds for education and what their top three priorities were. A lightning round of five questions as well as some from the audience marked the end of the forum before each gave [ more FORUM, page 3 ]
District 30 hopefuls answer questions during the lightning round at a candidate’s forum on Wednesday. RAECHEL DAWSON, the Mirror
Police arrest shooting suspect BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@fedwaymirror.com
Gary Darcey, president of the Twin Lakes Homeowners Association that represents nearly 1,400 homeowners, kneels by Lake Lorene in his backyard. Both Lake Lorene and Lake Jeane — collectively called Twin Lakes — are closed due to toxic blue-green algae. CARRIE RODRIGUEZ, the Mirror
Twin Lakes residents concerned about toxic algae BY CARRIE RODRIGUEZ editor@fedwaymirror.com
Gary Darcey looks out in frustration over the green grime on Lake Lorene that has become a Loch Nesstype monster of its own. The toxic blue-green algae bloom separates like a stream of water through thick pea soup as a pair of ducks swim through the lake in Darcey’s backyard.
Lake Lorene was also a mess six years ago, when Darcey first moved to Federal Way’s Twin Lakes area. “The issue back then was milfoil — underwater weeds that grow up and kind of mat over and algae wasn’t a problem,” he recalled. He complained enough to the Twin Lakes Homeowners Association that four years ago they made him president of the association.
Now, he’s in charge of managing the private lake. Darcey first saw the algae two years ago and persuaded the nearly 1,400 homeowners in the association to pony up $40,000. “We spent a lot of money for a product called Phoslock that’s supposed to go down and sequester the phosphorous in the bottom of the [ more ALGAE, page 16 ]
Washington’s Largest Halloween Event
Federal Way police arrested a 19-year-old man in connection with the fatal Seattle shooting that occurred Sept. 24. A 58-year-old woman, said to be the man’s grandmother, called police at approximately 2 a.m. on Tuesday stating she overheard him talking on the phone to someone about a shooting in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle and that he was not going to turn himself in, according to a Federal Way police report. After the tip, police arrived at Crestview West Apartments in Federal Way and located the suspect sleeping on a couch in the front room. After confirming his identity with a Texas identification card, birth certificate and social security card, police dispatch contacted the Seattle Police Department, inquiring whether they had a warrant to arrest him. At first investigators did not have information [ more POLICE, page 2 ]
Wild Waves Theme Park