Temple Theatre drama, murder sentencing, councilman dies among TNT’s top stories

Top stories from The News Tribune on Wednesday ranged from a historic Tacoma theater hiding illegal apartments to a deadly mental health crisis to Amazon trucks tearing up a DuPont neighborhood.

Here are key takeaways:

• A rooftop electrical fire at Tacoma’s Temple Theatre on May 12 led city investigators to discover at least three illegal residential units inside the historic Stadium District venue, prompting a “Do Not Occupy” order on June 11. Tenants at the Temple Theatre said they believed they were renting legitimate apartments, with one paying $1,700 monthly rent and a $4,000 deposit before learning the units were unpermitted after the fire knocked out power.
• Gaven Lee Flowers, son of Tacoma Public Utilities director Jackie Flowers, was sentenced to 20 years, four months in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder for fatally stabbing his stepfather Michael Spears on Feb. 11, 2025. A forensic evaluation found Gaven Flowers suffered from a schizophrenia-spectrum psychotic disorder and was hearing voices that commanded him to kill Spears, with crisis responders having visited the family home just three days before the murder.
• Amazon semi-trucks have spent about three weeks traveling through a tight DuPont residential neighborhood, damaging at least seven cars and totaling one, after GPS systems routed drivers off Center Drive during a nearby road closure. DuPont resident Judy Norris said the city was slow to respond despite repeated calls and police reports, and Amazon has not said whether it will pay for damages to residents’ vehicles and lawns.
• Sumner City Council member Greg Reinke, a retired East Pierce Fire & Rescue captain with 37 years of service, was found dead at his home Monday evening from what officials said were natural causes. Sumner Mayor Carla Bowman called Reinke’s death a great loss, writing that “he was Sumner” and ordering flags lowered to half-staff in his memory.

The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by senior editor Adam Lynn. The source reporting referenced above was written and edited entirely by journalists.