Los Angeles Times

Officials bought a motel in Kent, Wash., to hold coronavirus patients; neighbors are enraged

SEATTLE - Health officials here thought they found a fine place to quarantine COVID-19 patients: a motel that was up for sale.

This week King County completed the $4 million purchase of an Econo Lodge in Kent, Wash., a diverse, lower-income community of 130,000 just south of Seattle.

"We hope to have it operational within days," County Executive Dow Constantine announced Wednesday at a news conference on the mounting coronavirus deaths. Officials said it could house up to about 80 patients.

But the plan has created a firestorm of opposition in Kent, where community leaders feel blindsided.

"We have invested millions

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times4 min readSocial History
Jackie Calmes: Donald Trump's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Second Term
Millions of us are justifiably focused on seeing that Donald Trump is held to account for what he's allegedly done in the past. Scheming to flip the legitimate 2020 election result and resisting the peaceful transfer of power, a first for U.S. presid
Los Angeles Times3 min readAmerican Government
Lawmakers Grill California Gov. Officials On Homelessness Spending After Audit Causes Bipartisan Frustration
LOS ANGELES — Democrats and Republicans expressed frustration Monday as they grilled Gov. Gavin Newsom's top housing officials in a tense legislative hearing about how billions of state dollars have been spent on the worsening homelessness crisis. T
Los Angeles Times4 min read
Commentary: What A Quail Taught Me About Grief By Joining A Flock Of Turkeys
It’s dusk in spring, and the seven-year anniversary of my mother’s death from cancer is approaching, a death that marked the end of my biological family. I want to text my friend Margot, who lost her dad to AIDS in the spring years ago, and ask, “How

Related Books & Audiobooks