Drew Dotson

Tacoma

Journalist at Renton Reporter

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Articles

City denies claim for man whose car was totaled by tree

1 week ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

A city tree fell on a man’s car in Renton, but the city is not paying for the damages. Renton resident Steve Childers said in the early evening of May 8, he returned to his car parked near 130 Main Avenue S. after going to the store to find a tree had fallen on his car. “It got me really good. It smashed my car,” Childers said. “It got the windshield. It got the post the windshield goes up against.
King County looks for trash solutions as landfill fills up

1 week ago | kentreporter.com | Drew Dotson

With the current landfill filling up, Renton and King County are looking for solutions for what to do with King County’s trash in the future. The county conducted a study looking at long-term disposal options to prepare for the eventual closure of Cedar Hills Regional Landfill.
Safe Streets Renton keeps bikes and walkers in mind

2 weeks ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

A Renton resident is forming an advocacy group focused on making Renton roads safer. Tristan Kochan said he is starting Safe Streets Renton to encourage the city to make it safe for everyone to get around Renton, with or without a car, and to make the city more accessible to people without a car. Kochan said he grew up in a rural setting where people had to drive everywhere because it wasn’t safe to walk on the roads.
Water main replacement along NE 12th Street starts in June

2 weeks ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

A pipeline replacement project in Renton that is set to start next month will likely cause interruptions in water service for nearby residents. The city awarded the construction contract to the lowest bidder, Raudenbush Earthworks, for the amount of $2,071,559.32 for the NE 12th Street AC Water Main and Stormwater Replacement project. The bid is $393,006.58 under the engineer’s estimate for the project.
For a Better Renton group eyes council elections and more

3 weeks ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

A new association was launched to spearhead efforts to fight issues in Renton such as the Logan 6 development, the Renton High School eminent domain case and the abandoned building on Park Avenue. Sheryl Friesz, president of For a Better Renton, commonly speaks during the Renton City Council’s public comments about issues. She announced the formation of the new association at the May 5 city council meeting.
2 Renton council members to run for King County Council seat

3 weeks ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

Two Renton City Council members will be running for a position on the King County Council. Current Renton City Council members Ryan McIrvin and Kim-Khánh Văn will both be running for the metropolitan King County Council District No. 5. They will be running against four other candidates for the open position: Ahmad Corner, Peter Kwon, Steffanie Fain and Angela Henderson. Former Tukwila City Council member De’Sean Quinn was appointed to fill the position in Jan.
Renton hires new security service for downtown parking garage

3 weeks ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

The city of Renton is hiring a new security service to monitor the City Center Parking Garage. At their May 12 meeting, the Renton City Council approved an agreement with Pacific Security for the security of the city’s public parking garage on S. 2nd Street. Pacific Security was selected as the lowest qualified bidder at $263,868.62.
Renton City Council candidates file for general election

3 weeks ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

All of the Renton City Council positions up for elections in 2025 will be contested, following the filing deadline last week. Three positions on the Renton City Council will be decided in this year’s general election: Position No. 1, Position No. 2 and Position No. 6. Position No. 1 is currently filled by council president James Alberson Jr., who is running for re-election this year. He will be running against Michael Westgaard and Gwendolyn Hosea-Mimms.
Renton launches new city website

4 weeks ago | rentonreporter.com | Drew Dotson

The city of Renton launched a new website this year with the goal of creating a better user experience. The website change was first proposed as a budget item in 2022, and the city began working on it in 2024. The city launched it in January 2025. At the April 28 Committee of the Whole meeting, Renton communications and engagement director Laura Pettitt said the previous supplier had transitioned from municipal websites to providing mostly school websites, and customer support was ending.
Renton preps downtown for hosting World Cup action

1 month ago | kentreporter.com | Drew Dotson

The city of Renton is preparing for next year’s World Cup — and hosting a national team — by improving its downtown public spaces. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in the U.S., Canada and Mexico next summer. Seattle has been named a host city for World Cup matches, while the city of Renton recently announced it will be hosting a national team at the Seattle Sounders facility during and prior to the main competition.