KENT .com
REPORTER
NEWSLINE 253-872-6600
INSIDE | City’s only casino to close in March [3]
FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015
It’s Blue Friday!
Go Seahawks
Sports | Local soccer pitches take on international flavor [12]
Kent hopes to attract new FAA offices to Riverbend par 3 property Riverbend par 3 golf course property. The Kent City Council voted 5-1 on Jan. 20 to approve the conditional sale of the 18.5-acre site to a partnership led by the Texas-based Trammell Crow Company, one of
BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
Kent city officials hope to attract the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) new Northwest Region Headquarters to the city-owned
The GSA will select a site for a 300,000-squarefoot facility to handle approximately 1,600 employees.
the nation’s leading commercial real estate developers and investors. The sale price will be disclosed after the proposal submission deadline to GSA, slated for Feb. 6,
COURTESY RENDERING
[ more FAA page 4 ]
Ex-treasurer pleads not guilty to stealing Little League funds BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
A former Kent Little League treasurer pleaded not guilty on Monday to 14 counts of first-and second-degree theft for allegedly stealing $226,515 over a 16-month period in 2012-13 from the youth baseball and softball group. Kevin L. Baker, 50, of Maple Valley, entered the plea in King County Superior Court at the Maleng Regional Justice
Plugged in to pedal Confidence Orji from the TAF Academy demonstrates the electric bike she created with a teammate. The bike uses a wheel hooked to a generator to create energy from cycling. More than 100 independent projects by innovative young scientists were displayed at the annual TAF (Technology
19 years later, teen returns to same physician for corrective surgery
BY MARK KLAAS
Theresa Bates didn’t have to look far to find the right surgeon for her daughter. No need for a change of heart, she insisted, no need for a change of
Reserve Now!
Valentine’s
APPETIZER FOR TWO ♥ ENTRÉE ♥ DESSERT
DINNER PACKAGES
for
BY STEVE HUNTER shunter@kentreporter.com
physicians. The Kent woman recently returned to Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston, the nation’s largest pediatric center, and Dr. Charles Fraser, the same pediatric heart surgeon [ more BATES page 8 ]
TWO FEB. 14!
5995
$
when re served by 2/12
[ more THEFT page 5 ]
Ex-Kent City Councilman Sharp sentenced to 43 months in prison
Access Foundation) Academy STEM Expo, formerly known as Science Fair, last Saturday at the academy. This year, students designed their projects to include a positive social or environmental impact. Story, more photos, page 2. ROSS COYLE, Kent Reporter
mklaas@kentreporter.com
Center in Kent. Baker was fingerprinted, booked and released after his plea. He remains out of custody. He is scheduled to return to court Feb. 9 for a hearing when a trial date could be set or attorneys could ask for more time to prepare the case. Baker, who is represented by Seattle defense attorney Jeff Williams, reportedly used some of the embezzled funds
Ex-Kent City Councilman Ken Sharp received the maximum sentence of 43 months in prison for stealing more than $470,000 from his 93-year-old mother’s bank accounts. “I’m ashamed for what I’ve done,” Sharp said prior to his sentencing on Jan. 22 at the Maleng Regional Justice
12
go Hawks !
Center in Kent. “I apologized to my family for all the heartache and troubles that I’ve done and I accept responsibility for what I’ve done. “While some of the things mentioned may not be completely accurate, the fact is I did it and I’m ashamed, embarrassed and accept responsibility for my actions.” [ more SHARP page 5 ]
23826 104th Ave. SE Kent
253-852-1144
1205715