Jean Williams

Pacific Raceways speeds ahead regardless of violations and environmental limits

Pacific Raceways in Kent has been fighting legal battles off and on for decades and its expansion plans have been curtailed by the passage in March of a King County ordinance. The new legislation blocked an amendment wanted by...

Judge denies Pacific Raceways' appeal against permit violations

On Wednesday, two days after Pacific Raceways was granted a controversial ordinance by King County Council to proceed with plans to undertake a massive expansion, Hearing Examiner Judge James O’Connor filed his ruling to deny the track&rsquo...

Pacific Raceways growth: Salmon and wildlife may be ultimate victims

On Monday evening, the Metropolitan King County Council voted to approve a controversial ordinance sponsored by Councilman Pete Von Reichbauer, which will allow Pacific Raceways to begin the process to expand and modernize its Kent racing facility.The final approved...

Pacific Raceways expansion: Public perceives unfair cronyism

At a King County Council meeting on Tuesday, things got intense as numerous citizens and community representatives expressed their dissatisfaction with a proposed ordinance (#2011-0277) that would allow Pacific Raceways in Kent, to expand its facility into an industrial...

Pacific Raceways unfairly blames neighbors for noise lawsuit

An appeal was concluded the first week of February, in response to a Notice of Order for Violations against Pacific Raceways, in Kent, Washington, brought by the King County Prosecutor’s office in 2011, on behalf of Department of...

King County's Greg Wingard: Self-made environmental leader

Greg Wingard, a Washington native, lived in Seattle for eight years and spent the rest of his time living in Kent, Enumclaw, and Covington, in the middle of South King County.Wingard is an unassuming individual, whose primary mode of...

Public blasts King County Council with pros-cons of Pacific Raceways expansion

On Monday, at the Seattle Court house, King County Council members heard arguments from supporters and the opposition to a mega-expansion ordinance proposed by Pacific Raceways in Kent and sponsored by district 7 Councilman, Pete Von Reichbauer.Supporters were...

Pacific Raceways: Community mulls lawsuit if County allows commercial expansion

On Thursday, numerous community members sounded off to Examiner.com about the proposed ordinance, 2011-0227, currently being considered by King County Council.For several years, Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington has been trying to get an ordinance passed that...

Washington's Alpine Lakes Wilderness Protection Inches Closer to Law

On November 10, Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced that legislation she introduced to expand the Alpine Lakes Wilderness and designate both the Pratt and Middle Fork Snoqualmie Rivers as Wild and Scenic has passed the Senate Committee on Energy...

Chase Bank dumped by energy business over demands

Big national banks have been getting a lot of negative publicity in the past few weeks, from Bank of America with their $5 debit fee to Chase Bank for inexplicably freezing the account of a Washington State family, causing them...

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