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ALL FIVE SENTENCED | Criminal action complete in 2010 Finn Hill home-invasion robbery [9]
What a crew | Sammamish rowers FRIDAY, APRIL 1, 2011 have great day on Greenlake [21]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Jeffrey Ross | “Roastmaster General” will visit Laughs Comedy Spot on April 8 and 9 [5]
KTUB youth organize against YMCA changes foot facility that has provided educational and emotional outreach to Claiming their voices disadvantaged youth in were ignored, many teens Kirkland since 2001. are outraged after the BelChinnell-Mateen, who levue YMCA laid off the has been a regular member entire staff at the Kirkland of KTUB for more than Teen Union Building in five years, says the center an effort to reorganize the has been a place where she staffing structure last week. is accepted for who she is. The layoffs will be effec“I’ve been through lots tive April 2. of ups and downs and staff Several teens has welcomed me,” have organized a she said. “They Facebook page, open up their arms “Force the YMCA to and help me talk Hear Youth Voices,” about my problems. and created a petiThey are like my tion that has already family.” garnered more than The Reporter Amina 300 signatures. A could not reach Chinnell-Mateen group of KTUB any KTUB staff for youth, staff and area comment. teen-center advocates also She found out about plan to attend the next the layoffs March 22 from Kirkland City Council KTUB staff. She said the meeting on April 5 to adchange was abrupt and the dress the council and speak YMCA “didn’t ask us for out against the issue. our input.” “What frustrates youth Chinnell-Mateen, who is we were promised that interns at KTUB as an KTUB would be changed activities coordinator, also for the better, but not like worries the YMCA will this,” said Amina Chinnell- eliminate some of the inMateen, a Lake Washingtern positions and possibly ton High School senior. other programs during the “We don’t want staff to be reorganizing efforts. She forced out. We feel as youth said the staff and programs we are being ignored.” are the biggest reasons The Bellevue why teens come to YMCA took over the center. KTUB operations of the “We feel that if city-owned teen the YMCA were center last July, after to go through these the Friends of Youth changes, it would organization decided it greatly affect the time could not maintain KTUB youth spend here,” she past its 10-year contract. added. Under the new 10-year However, Joan Steberl, contract, the YMCA will [ more KTUB page 3 ] operate the 5,000-square-
More than 150 walk in Petter’s memory
BY CARRIE WOOD
cwood@kirklandreporter.com
YMCA
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BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
US Congressman Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island, speaks to Lake Washington seniors in Kirkland as a part of Democracy Day with Rock the Vote. MATT PHELPS, Kirkland Reporter
Inslee visits Lake Washington HS seniors for Democracy Day BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
Four decades ago a group of teachers led the charge to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 with the 26th Amendment. The push was with the thought that any person old enough to be drafted to fight in the Vietnam
War had the right to vote. The organization Rock the Vote celebrated the 40th anniversary March 23 with Democracy Day, in which they held 20 assemblies to teach high school seniors nationwide about the importance of voting. One of those assemblies took place at Lake Washington High School with a
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special guest speaker - U.S. Congressman Jay Inslee, D-Bainbridge Island. “Our goal is to hook them into our democracy,” said Inslee, who represents parts of Kirkland, Bothell and Redmond in Washington’s 1st Congressional District. “One of the ways they can express them[ more INSLEE page 5 ]
White gloves, bright red jackets and honking horns brought vibrancy to downtown Kirkland at 6 a.m. on Friday. It was all a part of remembering Kirkland resident Bill Petter who brought joy to many Kirklanders. Petter died of a heart attack earlier in the week at age 79. “He touched thousands of people’s lives,” said Bill’s son Terry Petter. “We had a little doubt at first that people would show up this early. But this is dad’s day.” More than 150 people took Petter’s place on his morning walk from Sur Le Table in downtown Kirkland, south down Lake Washington Boulevard to Houghton Beach Park and back. The walk drew family, friends, Kirkland City Council members, Kiwanians and many others. Local TV news crews even showed up to cover the event. “This is Kirkland. It doesn’t surprise me,” said Councilmember Bob Sternoff about the turnout. “My dad used to walk with Bill. I always had a connection with him because I used to be in the auto industry.” The start of the walk near the corner of Lake Washington Boulevard and Central was fitting as [ more PETTER page 2 ]
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