Year in Review: Renton Reporter’s top stories of 2024

Here are the top 12 most-read stories on the Renton Reporter’s website in 2024:

1. Fire at Renton grocery store was intentionally set: An investigation of the Aug. 24 fire at the Top of Hill Quality Produce, a family-owned grocery store in Renton, identified the fire as having been intentionally set. Surveillance video from a business in the area captured footage of an unknown individual setting the building on fire. Community members and local businesses rallied to support, volunteer, and initiate fundraising efforts for Top of the Hill Quality Produce following the fire.

2. Two new restaurants to open at The Landing: Two new eateries are making their way to The Landing, opening from summer and fall of 2024. On May 20 it was announced that in the summer 2024, Clove, an Indian restaurant, will open across from the Big Chicken and a few months later, Crumbl Cookies will be located between ULTA Beauty and Top Pot Donuts.

3. Major weekend traffic: I-405 in Renton closed: The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has announced that I-405 in Renton would be closed for the weekend starting Sept. 13 between Coal Creek Parkway Southeast (Exit 10) and Northeast 30th Street (Exit 6). Contractor crews switched traffic to the new bridge and conducted paving and utility work.

4. “Belltown Hellcat” arrested on Renton bench warrant: Law enforcement arrested 21-year-old Miles Hudson, the “Belltown Hellcat,” a social media influencer, at a Seattle court hearing on Aug. 12 on a $25,000 Renton bench warrant. Hudson, facing a lawsuit and misdemeanor criminal charges in Renton and Seattle, drives a black 2023 Dodge Charger: “a vehicle which has been modified to be excessively loud,” a vehicle that has resulted in complaints from workers and residents in downtown Seattle, and a vehicle frequently featured on Hudson’s Instagram page with more than 700,000 followers.

Melanie Hanes (center) talks about her sister, Andrea Hudson, at press conference held at the site of the deadly March 19 crash near Renton. The collision caused the deaths of Hudson, 13-year-old Matilda Wilcoxson, and 12-year-olds Eloise Wilcoxson and Boyd “Buster” Brown, as well as life-threatening injuries to Hudson’s children, Nolan, 14, and Charlotte, 12. From left to right: Issac Smith, Chase Wilcoxson, Hanes, Jessica Brown, Jaron Brown. Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing.

5. Driver in fatal Renton crash placed under house arrest: At an early arraignment hearing conducted over Zoom, 18-year-old Chase Daniel Jones of Kent pleaded not guilty after being charged with killing one woman and three children, while seriously injuring two other children in a high-speed collision in Renton on March 19. According to police documents, Jones’s sedan T-boned 38-year-old Andrea Hudson’s minivan as she carpooled five children at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast in the Cascade-Fairwood area of unincorporated King County after running through a red light at 112 mph. The collision caused the deaths of Hudson, 13-year-old Matilda Wilcoxson, and 12-year-olds Eloise Wilcoxson and Boyd “Buster” Brown, as well as life-threatening injuries to Hudson’s children, Nolan, 14, and Charlotte, 12. Jones was charged with four felony counts of vehicular homicide, two felony counts of vehicular assault with aggravating injury, and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving following the collision.

6. Beloved Renton pizza spot celebrates 10 years: Smoking Monkey Pizza has been Renton’s one and only primate sci-fi pizza parlor for over a decade. On June 4 in downtown Renton, Smoking Monkey Pizza commemorated its 10-year anniversary with a celebratory ribbon cutting ceremony. After the opening of the Renton Farmer’s Market, residents flocked to support the restaurant on this milestone day. In addition to the ribbon cutting, Smoking Monkey Pizza had raffles, a spinning wheel for prizes, a buy-one-pizza-get-one-free deal and — quite on brand — a large monkey and pizza costume.

7. Several King County grocery stores on Kroger-Albertsons sale list: A total of 124 grocery stores in Washington state — including dozens in King County — will be sold to New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers as the corporate merger of Kroger and Albertsons moves forward. Kroger and Albertsons on July 9 released the locations of 579 stores across the nation that it plans to sell as part of a corporate merger, first announced in 2022. In King County, cities with the most locations up for sale are Seattle, Kirkland and Redmond. Leaders of the grocery companies claimed the merger and sale won’t change anything, but local unions say the merger would harm workers and customers.

8. Victims identified in ‘mass casualty’ collision that killed four near Renton: King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) reported that an adult and three minors were killed March 19 in a multiple vehicle collision that occurred in the Cascade-Fairwood neighborhood, which is east of Kent and south of Renton. More than 24 hours after the incident, little was known about the cause and circumstances surrounding a “mass casualty” collision that occurred at the intersection of SE 192nd Street and 140th Avenue SE in the Fairwood area of unincorporated King County.

9. More freeway closures this weekend in South King County: What the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) calls a “monster weekend,” several parts of South King County’s interstates and state routes were closed, primarily through Renton, Kent and the southern end of Federal Way beginning Sept. 27.

10. Families forgive suspect involved in fatal Renton area crash: Chase Daniel Jones, 18, has been charged with four counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault and one count of reckless driving after running through a red light at 112 mph and causing a mass-casualty collision March 19 at the intersection of Southeast 192nd Street and 140th Avenue Southeast in the Cascade-Fairwood area of unincorporated King County. Jones collided with a beige Toyota Sienna driven by Andrea Hudson, 38, who was heading eastbound on 192nd Street through the green light at the intersection. Charging documents report that Jones’ car T-boned the minivan, which also held five passengers: Matilda Wilcoxson, 13; Eloise Wilcoxson, 12; Boyd “Buster” Brown, 12; and Hudson’s children, Nolan, 14, and Charlotte, 12. Chase Wilcoxson then spoke for the families at a memorial, saying that they have forgiven Jones. “We try to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. We believe in unconditional forgiveness and we pray and we plead for you to pray for the young man who caused this terrible accident and pray for his family. God loves him and we want the best for him,” Wilcoxson said.

11. Driver in fatal Renton area crash arraigned from hospital bed: Chase Daniel Jones, 18, of Kent, pleaded not guilty April 1 to four felony counts of vehicular homicide, two felony counts of vehicular assault with aggravating injury, and a misdemeanor charge of reckless driving in King County Superior Court. Jones appeared at his arraignment hearing through Zoom from his hospital bed. First responders transported Jones to Harborview Medical Center following the collision.

12. Best of Renton 2024 winners: Best of Renton 2024 winners were announced May 15 during a reception hosted by the Renton Chamber of Commerce at the Renton Pavilion. Voted on by the public, the winners represented a number of businesses and categories.

In April, Vince Mottola Jr. cuts the ribbon for the 50th anniversary of Vince’s Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria on Sunset Boulevard in Renton.

More top Renton stories and events of 2024

JANUARY

• Boon Boona celebrates five years of African coffee, hospitality: When it comes to celebrating one of downtown Renton’s most popular spots, not even the teen temperatures could keep people away. Saturday, Jan. 13, marked the five-year anniversary celebration of Boon Boona Coffee’s flagship cafe in Renton, and with it came an after-hours party that included music, special gift packages, wine, beer from local breweries — and, most importantly, people in the community. “Tonight is really to just thank the community of support that’s been here with us from the beginning,” said owner Efrem Fesaha.

FEBRUARY

• Renton’s minimum wage measure is passing: Renton now has one of the highest minimum wages in the country, on par with its neighbor, the city of Tukwila. Renton residents voted to adopt Initiative Measure No. 23-02 during the city’s February special election with 8,144 voters (58.04%) having voted in favor of the measure, and 5,888 voters (42.96%) having voted against it. According to the final results, 23.91 percent of registered voters in Renton had their votes counted, with 14,048 votes counted out of 58,745 registered voters. On Jan. 31, the Renton Reporter hosted a public forum regarding the minimum wage raise that went before Renton voters in the Feb. 13 special election. The discussion included two panels with community members from both sides of the issue, with the goal of addressing the nuances of the policy and dispelling misconceptions about the initiative.

• Renton Little League breaks in new softball field: On a brisk morning Feb. 10, Renton Little League debuted a new turf infield on a softball field at Kiwanis Park. The field is the first of its kind for softball players in the Renton area, and over 150 girls will potentially use the new turf. A field of this quality gives girls access all year round and is much safer than poor, pot-hole ridden fields that softball players have been playing on.

MARCH

• Missing Renton business owner found dead in Mexico: Renton police confirmed a Renton woman was found deceased in Mexicali, Mexico, two weeks after friends reported her missing. Renton detectives suspected foul play in the disappearance of Reyna Hernandez, 54, a Renton hair salon owner, after friends reported her missing to police on Feb. 28, and an investigation found evidence of Hernandez being “taken against her will” with her vehicle missing. Hernandez failed to return home, answer her cellphone, and show up to work for two days prior to the report. According to the medical examiner’s office, Hernandez died as a result of a gunshot wound of the head, with the manner of death identified as a homicide. Mexican law enforcement officials arrested 61-year-old Renton resident Louie Hernandez, whom King County prosecutors were working to extradite.

APRIL

• Construction begins on new Valley Cancer Center in Renton: Construction has officially begun on the new Cancer Center at Valley Medical Center in Renton, with early 2025 being the expected completion of the initial phase of construction. Along with its better proximity to residents in South King County, the Cancer Center will meet an increased need for comprehensive cancer services as many treatments and screenings were delayed during the pandemic. Renton’s Valley Medical Center serves over 600,000 residents throughout South King County. The need for a single-facility cancer center in Renton is crucial, as Valley Medical has reported that its existing clinics have been strained.

MAY

• Affordable housing units open near Renton City Hall: After three years, the Watershed Apartments near downtown Renton and across the street from City Hall has finally opened, offering 145 affordable housing units at 625 Williams Avenue. On April 18, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was performed with Mayor Armondo Pavone, members of Renton’s City Council and local community leaders in attendance. Standing at six stories, all of the apartments are available for residents who earn between 50% and 60% of the area median income (AMI) who also meet the household requirements that have been defined by King County.

JUNE

• Man charged in killing teen outside Renton sporting goods store: A 51-year-old Newcastle man faces a second-degree murder charge for the Renton shooting June 5 of Hazrat Ali Rohani, 17, a Kent-Meridian High School student. Aaron Brown Myers also faces charges of second-degree assault and firearm enhancements with each charge, according to King Count Superior Court documents filed June 10. Myers is accused of shooting Hazrat outside Big 5 Sporting Goods. The Renton Police Department arrested Myers at the scene in the 600 block of South Grady Way on the evening of June 5. According to the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, Hazrat, of Kent, died as a result of multiple gunshot wounds. The medical examiner’s office identified his death as a homicide.

JULY

• Documentary on reparations includes Renton family’s story: Just over a year after the Renton Reporter published the story of John Houston and his family’s fight for reparations from the Renton School District, several more articles have been written, a radio interview has been conducted and video segments have been made. Awards have even been garnered for the journalists who have written about the Houston story. In 2024, the Houston story has expanded to Cascade PBS with a new documentary series helmed by director Angela Moorer. Titled “King County Reparations Project,” the documentary tells the stories of “the displacement of African Americans in King County, WA for the purpose of documenting their pain and their suffering in order to establish a case for reparations.” Houston told the Renton Reporter, “when the district attempts to close the door in our faces, I have found another door with ‘King County Reparation Project.’”

• KC Council approves traffic safety study in Fairwood: Nearly four months after a high-speed collision that caused the deaths of one woman and three children in Fairwood, the King County Council’s Local Services and Land Use Committee unanimously approved legislation on July 17, asking the county to evaluate strategies to improve traffic safety in the area. “After many conversations with members of the Fairwood community, I believe it’s critically important to review all ideas for improving road safety in Fairwood — such as roundabouts, cameras, and increased traffic enforcement — so that together we can proactively avoid further tragedies stemming from dangerous driving,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn, who sponsored the legislation.

AUGUST

• Invasive freshwater mussel found in Renton aquarium store: Invasive species are a real threat to the local ecosystem, and in early August, a certain mollusk was prevented from getting into Washington waters. On Aug. 5, a wholesale aquarium company in Renton notified the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) of an invasive species that had found its way onto a shipment of Marimo moss balls, which are often used to decorate aquariums and water gardens. An aquatic invasive species early detection team that was monitoring American Lake in Lakewood was quickly dispatched to the Renton business and verified that the invasive species was a zebra mussel, a freshwater mussel originating from lakes in Russia and Ukraine.

SEPTEMBER

• Renton Civic Theatre overhauls leadership team over sex crime convictions: The Renton Civic Theatre announced a completely overhauled board of directors on Sept. 8 following a social media campaign that discovered a history of sex crimes for two members of the previous leadership team. The entirety of the Renton Civic Theatre’s previous leadership stepped down following the social media campaign, including Alan Parsons, former president of the board, and Bill Huls, former artistic director. Original reporting from Fox 13 Seattle found previous Washington convictions for sex crimes against both Parsons and Huls. The theater announced the selection of Graham Arthur Blair to replace Parsons as president of the board on Sept. 3. On Sept. 8, the theater introduced the new leadership team, with Brad Lo Walker as the vice president of operations, Lisa Stromme Warren as vice president of marketing and communications, Eleanor Withrow as secretary, Samantha Simas as treasurer, and Kiki Werner as a member of the board.

OCTOBER

• Good nightmare and good luck: Bidding adieu to the haunted house of east Renton: By the time you read this, the east Renton haunted house will be shuttered forever. Not a real haunted house, but a home that has gone all out for Halloween, both inside and out, with enormous spiders, several 12 foot tall skeletons and walking jack-o’-lanterns, flying witches, evil dolls, undead Daenerys Targaryen on a dragon, a creepy vampire baby and the dreaded clown room — just to name a few. For Marc and Lisa L., the owners of the house and lovers of Halloween (they both have birthdays within the last week of October and a black cat for a pet), decorating their home started out as a way to make the neighborhood trick-or-treaters happy (and scared) on All Hallow’s Eve. “My parents used to throw Halloween parties for 20-plus years when I was growing up and then my brother started doing some and then I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna start doing it too,’” said Marc, who asked that their last name not be used. “So every year we started doing a little bit more, and then more and more people came. Then word got out, and things got bigger and bigger.”

• School district plans to build new Renton High School: The Renton School District is gearing up to replace Renton High School on its current grounds, with additional land being acquired next to the site. In May 2023, after reviewing nearly 10 pieces of property within district boundaries, the district focused their work on expanding the existing campus. Renton School District voters passed the school construction election measure on the Nov. 2022 ballot with an overwhelming 64% approval. The ballot passed general obligation bonds in the amount of no greater than $676 million to pay the costs of making district-wide safety, security, seismic, and other essential capital improvements. This bond proposal included replacing the current Renton High School as a project. Total costs for purchasing and preparing property and constructing a new Renton High campus are estimated at $435 million. According to city documents, the new RHS groundbreaking is estimated to be in the spring of 2027 for a planned opening in the fall of 2029.

Boeing workers strike in Renton in September. (Sound Publishing file photo)

NOVEMBER

• Boeing Machinists approve contract, ending 52-day strike: Boeing Machinists union approved the latest contract offer from the company Nov. 4, ending a 52-day strike and sending 33,000 members back to work as soon as Wednesday morning. More than 59% of union members International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers voted to accept the latest offer and end the strike. The announcement, streamed live on Facebook, was greeted with a mixture of cheers and boos. “Now it’s our job to get back to work and start building the airplanes,” said union President Jon Holden during a press conference after the results were announced.

• Tales from the dark side: East Renton residents share their power outage stories: Nearly a week after the Nov. 19 “bomb cyclone” windstorm that left 474,032 Puget Sound Energy (PSE) customers without power, many people in Renton were still affected by the loss of power — and were waiting in the dark. As of 2:55 p.m. Monday, Nov. 25, the PSE Outage Map showed 316 outages and 6,779 customers who were still impacted. For Anna Sanchez, 33, her power had gone out at 7:30 p.m. the night of the storm and didn’t return until 10:30 a.m. Monday, Nov. 25. She told the Renton Reporter that nearly a week without power in the Emerald Crest neighborhood had been “cold and boring, with an underlying sense of calm introspection.” Sanchez, like many others throughout Renton had lost cellphone service. She said she would get some messages over 10 hours after they were sent. “My home was stone cold, so I mostly sat with my cat, keeping each other warm and reading books for work and fun,” she said, remembering the morning after she had lost power.

DECEMBER

• Friends and family celebrate the life of Kim Unti: Following her accidental death, friends and family of Kim Unti, who was acting executive director of Renton Downtown Partnership, met at Drum Roll Wine to enjoy refreshments and celebrate her life Dec. 13. On Nov. 26, Unti had been in downtown Renton handing out flyers for an RDP event when she was struck by a car. She died Nov. 28 because of a fatal brain injury. The Renton Police Department said the circumstances of her death are still under active investigation. RDP board member Jennifer Thompson said Unti was the glue that held the downtown partnership together. They wanted to celebrate and take a moment to do what Unti would do, celebrating her life through raising a glass. Thompson said Unti would not want her friends and family to wallow: “This event is to honor her and to not ever forget what an amazing person she was in this community. What an amazing mother, what an amazing wife, and what an amazing friend. She was all those things.”

More photos:

Body Language Studio students wow the crowd at the 2024 Renton River Days parade.

King County Fire District 20 posted this photo of the Aug. 24 blaze at Top of the Hill grocery store in Renton. Courtesy photo

Presented by Renton Downtown Partnership and Renton Pride, the Sip and Strut Wine Walk made its return on June 14. Small business vendors and LGBTQ+ artists and vendors showed their wares at the Renton Pavilion Events Center while local wineries partnered with various downtown Renton businesses. File photo

Rivalry games undoubtedly create the best atmospheres when it comes to football, and Renton and Lindbergh supporters who arrived at Renton Memorial Stadium had hopes that their side would come out on top Sept. 20 in the “Battle of the Birds.” But it was Renton’s night as they dismantled the Lindbergh Eagles. Pictured: Renton junior Major Bloodsaw runs the ball with blockers in front. Ben Ray / The Reporter

Downed trees were peppered throughout east Renton after the Nov. 19 bomb cyclone. Photo by Benjamin Leung/Sound Publishing

Local business owner Ramandeep Mann (left) spoke against the Raise the Wage ballot initiative as Michael Westgaard (right) spoke for it during a public forum Jan. 31 at Carco Theatre. The discussion included two panels with community members from both sides of the issue, with the goal of addressing the nuances of the policy and dispelling misconceptions about the initiative before it was eventually approved by voters in a special election Feb. 13. (Photo by Bailey Jo Josie/Sound Publishing)