Kirkland Reporter, July 22, 2011

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KIRKLAND .com

REPORTER

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520 TOLLING? | Opening date for 520 tolling remains uncertain as testing continues [14]

Welcome to Kirkland | Downtown gets a FRIDAY, JULY 22, 2011 new Visitor Information Center [2]

A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

Lunatic farmer | Joel Salatin to headline 2nd Annual Kirkland Health Fair on July 23 [9-12]

Kirkland Police see high volume of fireworks complaints With the fireworks ban in effect in Kirkland’s new annexed neighborhoods, Kirkland Police saw a surge in complaints citywide with 157 calls BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com

Editor’s note: The recent annexation of the Finn Hill, Kingsgate and North Juanita neighborhoods into the City of Kirkland has many complicated components. One of the most visible elements of annexation for the new residents is the presence of Kirkland police officers. This is part one of a four-part series on policing in the new neighborhoods. One of the first big enforcement events in the new neighborhoods for the Kirkland Police Department was the Fourth of July. “The Fourth of July is a blackout date and no one can get it off,” said KPD Chief Eric Olsen, about his staffing for Independence Day. “This was the first year for that area, so we tried to concentrate on education.” KPD Capt. Bill Hamilton said the department received a high volume of fireworks complaints throughout the city this year, compared to last. There was a total of 157 calls of fireworks com-

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plaints citywide, with 43 percent, or 68 calls, coming from residents in the new neighborhoods. The calls in those areas were equally divided, he noted. Last year, there was only a total of 28 fireworks calls in the city. That number was up by 31 percent this year, with 89 calls in the pre-annexation Kirkland. Hamilton said he is not certain why the KPD had such a low incidence of calls from the community last year, but thinks it may have something to do with the fact that the city has had a fireworks ban in place for many years, and that last year’s weather was cloudy and rainy. The spike in fireworks complaints citywide can also be attributed to increased awareness, he said. This year, “we purposefully increased our visibility and focused on educating our community on the fireworks laws, particularly in the neighborhoods where fireworks were previously allowed for many years,” [ more FIREWORKS page 7 ]

MORE PHOTOS ONLINE… kirklandreporter.com

Kirkland comes Uncorked with wine, food and art Above, Kirkland chef Lynn Tran, of Lynn’s Bistro, warms up some crepes to serve up during the annual Kirkland Uncorked event in the Marina Park pavilion on Sunday. Right, A Kirkland Uncorked volunteer hands a glass of wine to an event patron. The annual three-day event drew thousands of people to Marina Park to wine and dine on the waterfront. The festival featured art, food and wine, grilling demonstrations, a grill-off, live music and more. CARRIE WOOD, Kirkland Reporter

Two runoffs set for primary election BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com

The Aug. 16 primary will be busier than first thought for Kirkland voters. For the first time in at least a decade there will be two run-off elections, as the race for Kirkland Council Position No. 2 will join Position No. 6. The addition of the second run-off is due

to former council candidate Chuck Hinson being unable to withdrawal before the deadline. “At the time of my decision to withdraw I was on vacation,” said Hinson, who will be on the ballot against incumbent Bob Sternoff and Kingsgate resident Jason Gardiner. “I made email and voice contact with King

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County Elections on June 1416. I was informed on June 16 that my request to withdraw was not recognized, as I had not completed, or certified, the necessary King County Elections form for this purpose.” King County Elections spokesperson Kim Van Ekstrom said the Elections Commission needs that

deadline date to stay firm. “Once that deadline hits it defines the primary,” said Ekstrom. “We need to have time to layout the ballot and create the voters’ pamphlet. We have to get those pamphlets out to our military personnel and people overseas. We have to make sure we meet all of our legal [ more ELECTION page 7 ]

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