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Community remembers beloved LW coach Watson guided Kang softball team to state tournament BY TIM WATANABE
BY BILL CHRISTIANSON
twatanabe@bothell-reporter.com
T
he Lake Washington High School and local softball communities suffered a great loss Aug. 17 when Mike Watson, who coached the Kangs to a Class 3A state tournament berth last spring, died after suffering a heart attack while driving. According to the “Team Kellie” Facebook page, Watson was taken to Swedish Hospital in Edmonds, where he underwent a 24-hour cooling treatment to help with brain trauma from the accident. In the early morning hours, Watson suffered a second heart attack and could not be revived. The Facebook page was set up in support of Watson’s wife Kellie, as she battles ovarian cancer. The 48-year-old Watson, who had coached fastpitch softball for more than 15 years, took over the head coaching position at Lake Washington after one of his closest friends, Troy Hennum, was placed on administrative leave just after the season started. Hennum’s longtime goal was to turn the Kangs’ fastpitch program around and into a yearly contender in the tough Kingco conference. He had no doubts about who his assistant would be when he was
LWSD avoids major cuts for 2012-13 bchristianson@redmond-reporter.com
Former Kangs softball head coach Mike Watson died of a heart attack Aug. 17. Watson guided the Lake Washington team to its second state softball tournament appearance since 2000 last spring. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO hired on as head coach in 2011. “Mike had extremely strong knowledge of the game, but with that I knew he would gain the respect of the players and the community,” Hennum said. “Mike was a coach who worked hard at the sport 12 months a year, not just three. When Mike took over the Kangs, I knew it was go-
ing to be fine.” With Watson at the helm, Kangs’ athletic director George Crowder marveled at Watson’s ability to connect with the girls on the team. “He was well-liked, always positive with the girls, carried himself well, and knew the game of softball well,” Crowder recalled,
who was the head fastpitch coach at Eastlake High in Sammamish for 16 years. “I had a tremendous amount of respect for him, I loved his demeanor in the dugout. Kids really cared for him.”
more story online… www.kirklandreporter.com
Woman pleads ‘absolutely not guilty’ in fatal crash on Juanita Drive Judge allows defendant to be shielded from media during hearing BY MATT PHELPS AND RAECHEL DAWSON Kirkland Reporter
Kirkland resident Kelly Ann Hudson, 42, pleaded not guilty to charges of vehicular homicide and three counts of vehicular assault Aug. 23 in King County Superior Court. The charges stem from a car wreck that killed an 81-year-old Kirkland woman and injured three on Juanita Drive. Hudson, who was dressed in an orange jumpsuit with blonde hair, told the judge that she was “absolutely not guilty.” “I think there was a tick of arrogance in that statement,” said Tom Kamm, nephew of Joyce Parsons who was killed in the wreck. “This is frustrating because no one
wins in this. This type of thing is out of control in our society... We need to keep educating people on this and I know all of the families feel this way.” Hudson has been in King County Jail on a $500,000 bond since her arrest. In a rare ruling, Judge Ronald Kessle allowed her lawyer, Scott E. Wonder, to shield her from the media and others in court. Wonder held a thin white sheet of Styrofoam between his client’s upper torso and face and those in attendance for her arraignment. Hudson reportedly does not want her children to see her in the papers or on television. [ more CRASH page 2 ]
This photo was taken of the victims just hours before the crash on Juanita Drive on Aug. 7. Pictured from left, Daniel J. Grieshaber, Jenny Grieshaber, Joyce Parsons and Arthur Kamm. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
The Lake Washington School District avoided another round of major state cuts to its 2012-13 budget while creating a stable spending plan that continues a crucial cushion for possible future shortfalls. The LWSD board of directors unanimously approved a $238.8 million general spending plan and $151.1 million for the capital fund, which includes voter-approved construction and technology projects. The other district expenditures include $44 million for debt service, $4.6 million for the associated student body fund and $1.3 million for the transportation vehicle fund, bringing the LWSD’s total expenses for the next fiscal year to $440 million. The general fund, which pays for the majority of expenses, has a beginning balance of $19.8 million with an expected $237.2 million in revenues, giving the district $257 million in spending power, according to Barbara Posthumus, business services coordinator for the district. LWSD is budgeting for $238.8 million in general fund expenditures, leaving $18.2 million left to transfer to the 2013-14 budget. The $18.2 million in general fund reserves more than meets the board’s 5 percent balance requirement. “We want to make sure we are reserving funds in case there are more state cuts,” Posthumus said. “There have been state cuts over the last two years so we have been conservative in how we spend our money.” more story online… www.kirklandreporter.com