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AFTER CHRISTMAS | Local organizations offer tree pickup [3]
Santa | Get updates on his progress through FRIDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2013 www.kirklandreporter.com [4]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Legendary | Tuskegee Airman, Kirkland resident dies at 90 [5]
Landlords react to marijuana store backlash from community Market Street property owner to sell instead of lease
BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@kirklandreporter.com
A
fter receiving several “nasty” phone calls from Kirkland residents, the landlord of 1818 Market Street will no longer lease the property, which has garnered interest from marijuana retail license applicants in recent weeks. The property is selling for $769,000.
Listing agent for the property Mansor Baghshomali said the property owner never signed a lease agreement with any of the marijuana retail license applicants - McCormick Green, Biloxi Green LLC, Mind’s Eye and Maison Botanique - but was simply exploring options. “Everybody was coming at us asking for the property,” Baghshomali said, who works with Skyline
Properties, Inc. The landlord went to the city of Kirkland to let them know of the change and city officials promptly took a sign down that notified the public of the marijuana license applications. The property is within zoning code and complies with the Washington State Liquor Control Board imposed 1,000 feet buffer between schools and other public places where chil-
dren might be. But because Market site came out,” the commercially zoned said Mayor Joan McBride. property is encompassed in “When they figured out a heavily residential where these shops neighborhood, many “Everybody would go, no one was coming would have thought in the community at us asking the Market neighboroppose the location because of the direct hood would be one for the route from Kirkland property.” of those places.” Middle School. Although none Mansor “I can say that Baghshomali of the businesses when we found out had secured a lease with Skyline from the Liquor Properties, Inc. for that location, Control Board, business owners the Council was added the address to surprised, a couple their application to of months ago, when that the Liquor Control Board
because it was where they hoped to operate business. Mikhail Carpenter, a spokesman with the Liquor Control Board, said applicants need only demonstrate they have a right to the property or that they’ve had discussions with the landlord to apply for a marijuana retail license. “Ideally, you’ve had these discussions, you know where you’re going to locate … but you may not have secured that location,” [ more LICENSE page 3 ]
Three-time Olympian has medals stolen from Kirkland home BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@kirklandreporter.com
Three-time Olympian Betsy McCagg Hills had all of her rowing medals stolen after a burglar broke into her Kirkland home on Dec. 2. The medals, worth nothing monetarily but everything to Hills, represent her hard work and dedication during the course of 12 years competing internationally. “I have a twin sister and she said ‘Oh you can just borrow some of mine’ and it’s just not the same,” said Hills, who works at St. Thomas School in Medina. Hills and her twin sister Mary McCagg-Larin were inducted into the National Rowing Hall of Fame in 2012. The two Kirkland natives grew up rowing in Seattle waters only to find themselves winning their first World Championship gold medal in 1995. Hills moved back to her Kirkland hometown three years ago, where her parents still live. On the day of the burglary, Hills’s hus-
band came home to pick up their daughter and noticed the desk had been rifled through, the bureaus were empty and all of Hills’s jewelry was gone. Hills said the jewelry wasn’t particularly fancy or worth very much -mainly jewelry her students handmade or gifts from parents. But most devastating was a missing wooden box that kept 12 years’ worth of World Championship medals. “Since then we’ve talked with police, but there’s really nothing we can do except check eBay and Craigslist,” Hills said. “I’ve talked to the pawn shops but they said they wouldn’t take something like that because it would probably be stolen.” Hills said her silver and gold medals aren’t really made of silver or gold. “I think that part of it … you feel bad someone must have been really desperate,” she said, adding that her 30 or so medals were boxed up because she recently went to speak about her [ more MEDALS page 3 ]
Having a holly jolly good time Kneal Hollander laughs at his friend and Kirkland Kiwanis president Ralph Loveland, as he cuts down the base of a recently purchased Christmas tree. In its 42nd year, the Kiwanis Club of Kirkland’s Christmas tree lot is located at Juanita Beach Park this season and is open until Dec. 23. All of the net proceeds go to programs designed to assist children in the Kirkland community. MATT PHELPS, Kirkland Reporter
Police investigate head-on collision in Kirkland as possible DUI BY RAECHEL DAWSON AND MATT PHELPS Kirkland Reporter
A head-on collision, which left one woman in serious condition on Saturday night, is being investigated as possibly DUI related, according to police. A car carrying five fe-
male members of a bridal party was traveling northbound up Juanita Drive Northeast in Kirkland just after 6 p.m. when a southbound car crossed the center line in the 13800 block and the two vehicles collided. “The female driver of the southbound vehicle was ejected from her
car,” said Kirkland Police Department Sgt. Rob Saloum. “She was transported to Harborview Medical Center with a possible brain injury but is expected to survive.” The five females in the northbound vehicle were transported to EvergreenHealth Medical Center with possible
broken bones and other non-life threatening injuries. “The collision is being investigated as possibly DUI related,” said Saloum. “The Kirkland Police Department’s Traffic Unit responded to the scene and will be conducting the investigation.”