The Renton Reporter moves to Kent

The sign outside the Mills Ave. building where The Renton Reporter resides says "Your Community Newspaper". While still planning to be of the community, for the community, the Renton Reporter will no longer be in the community as of tomorrow, when it moves to Kent to share digs with sister publication The Kent Reporter just three blocks shy of Renton.

Helping out with overhead at the West Valley Hwy and S. 194/6th Street location is just temporary, the staff at the Reporter assured me today while they had an impromptu going away cake amidst the moving boxes and slight disarray. (The Picaroon was graciously offered cake but declined - our summer sugar intake has been a tad scary!). The Kent Reporter can expect to have Renton around just until their lease is up and then the plan is to return back here, with the ultimate goal being to open their offices in a storefront location.

The Renton Reporter Staff :
Jamie Faase, Natalie Bonham, Dean Radford, Rene Flansaas, Ellen Morrison, Celeste Gracy, Adam McFadden

The general staff consensus is that you will see them around even more and not less. The Reporter would not like us to feel as if we have been abandoned in anyway. However, it will put a kink in Celeste Gracy being able to walk to half of her interviews for articles and from seeing Rene and Natalie out and about on a coffee run to Liberty Cafe.

Safe travels down Kent way and hope the lease is up soon!

Cause of Recent Renton Fire still unknown

Cause of the fire that has burnt to the ground a huge portion of Harrington Square, a new apartment and condo complex in Renton Highlands last night, has yet to be discerned. The Renton Reporter says that maybe an arsonist specialist will be called in, though it has been noted that there were roofers on the building that day using tar. The investigators expect to take up until tomorrow to report on the cause of this incredible blaze that could be seen for miles in the area.

Look here to read the Reporter's article on this event and scroll to the bottom of the page to see an AGGREGATE LISTING of all the articles written about this, the latest Renton Fire. (Wow - The Picaroon made it into the list !)

Update: Seattle Times article here on the possible cause of fire.

In with the new - a glimpse of the new face at the Renton Reporter

It's amazing what you can see on the corner of S. Third St.
Here is the crew of the Renton Reporter escorting Emily Garland (second from end on right, next to Dean Radord, editor) to her farewell lunch at La Hacienda here in downtown Renton. Emily departs for the wilds of Cambodia to work with the Peace Corps on July 21st.

Emily fades into the background of Renton's reporting scene as Celeste Gracy, on the left, takes her place. Welcome to Renton Reporter's newest addition and safe travels, Emily!

Saying goodbye to Emily

I just began to know Emily, and now off she goes to Cambodia. But if the Peace Corps need her, I am just going to have to buck up and wish her Safe Travels and hope to have a new pen pal.

This week will be the last one for Emily Garland, reporter for the Renton Reporter, to be writing her local articles. Her plans are to then visit her family, currently living in Canada, and then head back to Renton to prepare for her July 21 departure date for Cambodia with 48 others.

This isn't some new idea to go abroad and teach English part-time and help develop kids programs for the nonprofit "Youth Profit" arm of the Peace Corps. It is a long process. Emily applied last summer and she was nominated for a spot just a little over a week ago. The Peace Corps will send you a special invitation, and if you are unable to take them up on the offer, there is no guarantee that a second one will be issued.

Emily had no plans to go to Cambodia. She initially told the Peace Corps that she would accept a posting anywhere and was initially told to maybe expect Azerbaijan. But Emily's recent foot surgery changed her window of availability, and she never imagined that she would be heading off to Southeast Asia.

Renton will miss Emily, and she assures me that she will be missing Renton. Emily began writing for the Renton Reporter in 2006, when there was still a King County Journal and the Reporter had yet to be purchased by Sound Publishing. As a Mass Communications major in school, she has been writing for a good many years. The change of scenery and work is going to be welcome, if not a little on the exotic and humid side.

There will be at least one person in the Peace Corps group who graduated from Emily's old Linfield College, Oregon Alma mater. But I hope that she remembers that she still has all of us here in Renton. We would love to hear her stories from afar.

Sorry, Emily - seems we still need you to keep writing for us.

Renton Fire Aftermath - where do you go when you haven't got a home?

This was the entryway to apartments on the second floor of the building that caught fire last night here in Downtown Renton. The entryway to the home of seven Renton residents, all whom escaped the 5 Alarm Fire without harm, but who now are also without a home.

Roy Beeler, manager of the apartment was there when the he heard the cry for help come from one of the tenants when the fire began. He was there when he opened doors to be met with thick clouds of nasty, cough inducing smoke to try to help people to safety. He is now also there to help relocate these 7 people to an adjacent apartment building that has vacancies (and is owned by the same owner, Mr. Bob Delancey, I believe) and to try to help with the businesses, The Comic Den and A-1 Vacuums & Locks, that lost their livelihoods as well.

People have already begun to inquire as to how they can help - that is the sort of town spirit that I am always proud to report. I have been informed that Red Cross has already met with the tenants and is helping them with their needs. But there are ways that you, Renton, can help:

From the desk of Jennifer Davis Hayes, Community & Economic Development:

There is hope that the two businesses in the building that caught fire can relocate to another storefront on S 3^rd St. Neither of these businesses had fire insurance due to the age of the building (cost prohibitive). A business relocation fund has been set up for A-1 at US Bank and they are working on setting one up for Comic Den at Bank of America. Donations can be made to either to help the businesses rebuild their livelihood.

Donations of twin mattresses for the residents and bedding and other household items are being requested. Roy Beeler, building manager, is accepting donations and can be reached at 425-227-5433.

We are fortunate that no one was hurt in the fire and thank the quick action of the Renton Fire & Emergency Services Department and other local departments for their actions.

The Renton Reporter has an excellent video concerning the fire - and you should check it out here. Great job with that, Dean!

Again - this is what make's Renton GREAT - and I couldn't be prouder.

Now hear this - the Renton Reporter has spotted us

It seems that the gig is up - local Renton blogs have finally hit the Renton Reporter's radar. It was in print today, so it must be true. But I will tell you how the story truly goes. We have the lovely Liz Stewart, Renton Historical Museum Director, to thank for bringing us all into focus. Seems that while the latest museum exhibit was having it's key open house, there were two local bloggers on hand to report the event, and only that. So Liz "tweeted" as such to the local rag, got a kinda "Huh?" response, and cleared the confusion by listing off some of the local bloggers that she knew. So, now it seems that maybe that the Reporter will have a blog as well ? (Oh, or maybe just have us "log" on). I, personally, remain steadfastly independent. My comrade-in-arms are listed in my blogroll to the right. Let the fun begin.

Cast Your Vote, Win a Prize

With so many of us being online these days, it's natural that our local rag, the Renton Reporter, should do the same. In order to help it's readers make the transition, they are offering the public a chance to vote on their favorite places here in lovely little Renton online (while hopefully catching you up on the local news). In exchange, the lucky voter will win a $500 gift certificate to CD Danza. Men, don't despair - you could go there to get a new "do" too, but most likely, the lady in the house will wipe this baby away from you. CD Danza has got some prime goodies in it's store, and with this recession thing going on, a girl doesn't like to cut back too far on her girlish necessities.
Click here and look for the flashing button on the righthand corner of the screen to enter.