In other news

Republican State Rep. Skip Priest announced he will seek his fourth term as 30th District representative.

Rep. Priest seeks re-election

Republican State Rep. Skip Priest announced he will seek his fourth term as 30th District representative.

The candidate invites the public to a campaign kickoff celebration from 4:30 to 6 p.m. May 18 at the Federal Way Courtyard Marriott, 31910 Gateway Center Blvd. S., Federal Way.

Priest currently serves as the ranking member of the House Education Committee, ranking member of the Appropriations Subcommittee for Education, and is a member of the Appropriations Committee. Among other legislative assignments, he also serves on the Basic Education Finance Joint Task Force, the Legislative Work Group on the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, and as a trustee of the Life Sciences Discovery Fund.

So far, Priest’s only election opponent is Federal Way resident Carol Gregory, who declared her candidacy April 7.

Gregory will run as a Democrat. She is a former elementary school teacher, a former president of the Washington Education Association, former representative on the Seattle-King County Workforce Development Council and a former member of the Small Business Improvement Council for the Governor of Washington. She currently serves as executive director of BuRSST for Prosperity, a program that helps low-income residents in Burien, Renton, SeaTac, Skyway and Tukwila.

The election will be held in November.

Vehicle fires

About 4 a.m. May 9, South King Fire and Rescue firefighters responded to a report of a residential fire at 131 Mirror Lake Park, Federal Way, reports said.

When firefighters arrived, they found two vehicles fully engulfed with fire, near a garage. Fire crews quickly extinguished the fires. Fire damage was contained to the two cars with damage to the garage exterior. There were no injuries resulting from this fire, reports said. The fires are under investigation by South King Fire and Rescue. Damage is estimated to be $20,000, reports said.

Officer fires at fleeing suspect

A Federal Way police officer was on patrol at approximately 4:44 p.m. May 10 when he observed what appeared to be a vehicle prowl in-progress in the area of South 324 Street and Pacific Highway South.

When the officer attempted to detain the subject, the subject fled on foot and the officer gave chase, reports said.

During the foot pursuit, the white male suspect in his 20s pointed a handgun at the officer. The officer fired at the suspect. The suspect continued to flee on foot, but police quickly contained the area and a search resulted in locating the suspect. The suspect was taken into custody without further incident. Neither the officer nor the suspect were injured. The investigation is ongoing.

The officer, whose name has not been release, has just over two years with the Federal Way Police Department and has been placed on administrative leave, which is standard police practice.

Highline CC president

On May 8, the Highline Community Board of Trustees selected interim president Dr. Jack Bermingham to serve as the next president of Highline Community College.

With the appointment, Bermingham will focus on the future of Highline Community College, its students and the South King County community, according to a news release.

“It is an honor and privilege to have been named the permanent president. We do important work at Highline Community College as we prepare students to live in a multicultural society and to work successfully in a competitive global economy. I will continue this work as I serve the college and community,” Bermingham said in the news release. “I was overwhelmed by the support I received both on and off campus while interim president, and will strive to meet to the changing needs of our region.”

To learn more, e-mail Lisa Skari at lskari@highline.edu.