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OSO | ICS students to perform talent show to raise funds for slide victims [10]
Champs | Lake Washington High School dance FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2014 team takes state title, again [2]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Building | Lake Street development passes SEPA [11]
Potala Village developers to begin site cleanup BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@kirklandreporter.com
A
fter several years of controversy, cityimposed moratoria and legal battles, the developers of the Potala Village project are making headway on their proposed 88 unit apartment complex on Lake
Washington Boulevard. After demolishing the previous buildings and submitting a revised building permit application in December 2013, developers with Path America have acquired several cleanup permits. Independent contractor Kane Environmental and
the Department of Ecology are working with the city and developer Lobsang Dargey to implement the cleanup action plan, which was created in September 2013 by Earth Solutions NW, LLC. “Testing to date indicates low levels of dry-cleaning solvents in a small area to
A rendering of the Potala Village project on Lake Washington Boulevard. The entrance has since been moved to the center as opposed to the south where it’s currently depicted. COURTESY PHOTO, City of Kirkland the northwest corner of the Potala Village property,” said city of Kirkland senior planner Angela Ruggeri in an email. “Also, motor fuel/ oil exists in the west central
area of the property.” The 1.2 acre lot once encompassed a dry cleaner and gas station, among other businesses, and a residential home that was
heated by a pressure oil burning furnace that used an underground heating fuel storage tank. Ruggeri said that since [ more POTALA page 6 ]
New discussion group takes on Great Ideas BY RAECHEL DAWSON rdawson@kirklandreporter.com
Kirkland Mayor Amy Walen stands with CACHET winner Kathy Feek and Santos Contreras, who accepted the CACHET award on behalf of the Kirkland Performance Center. The fourth annual CACHET award ceremony was held on April 2. For more on the award and ceremony see page 5. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
KPC has a lot of CACHET in Kirkland
Kirkland police K9 injured in suspect search BY MATT PHELPS mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
A Kirkland Police Department tracking K9 was accidentally struck by a police cruiser early on the morning of April 4 during a suspect search. The K9 named Thor, who was momentarily knocked unconscious, was transport-
ed to Seattle Veterinary Specialists located in Kirkland and is recovering in good condition. Police received a call for a possible felony assault at about 12:30 a.m. in the 13000 block of NE 70th Place. “The suspect reportedly assaulted the victim with a broken piece of glass and was last seen leaving the area on
foot,” said Kirkland police Lt. Mike Murray. Thor and his handler, officer Daniel Hopkins, responded to the area and began tracking the suspect. Another officer working a perimeter post observed who he believed to be the suspect in the 6300 block of 132nd Ave. NE. A third officer responding to assist,
inadvertently struck Thor with the front of his police cruiser. Officer Hopkins was not struck or injured. The suspect Thor was tracking for the assault is currently in custody at the Kirkland Police Department for investigation of seconddegree assault. As a precaution, Thor was kept overnight at Seattle Veterinary Specialists for observation.
While most coffee shops are alive in the mornings as workers rush to grab their caffeine fix, some may argue St. James Espresso in Kirkland is truly vibrant in the evening - at least once a month, that is. Since October 2013, the Great Ideas discussion group has held a monthly meeting at the cafe to discuss topic such as love, memories, courage and why there are so many religions. “We say we’re not about finding a solution, we’re about finding beautiful questions,” said Great Ideas organizer Margit Moore. “The questions that really cause you to think and ponder and come to those conversations is what the goal is.” St. James Espresso manager Matthew Reidt said he
welcomes the communitycentered meet up and is open a half-hour later during monthly conversation, as the group often becomes immersed in discussion well into the hour and a half that’s allotted. Comprised of about eight people - five regulars and 20 irregulars - Great Ideas was formed by Moore as a way to provoke thought and learning from other people’s perspectives. Moore, a Kirkland resident, has taught English, social studies and philosophy, and is currently in the process of opening up an alternative school. She recalls a philosophy course when she once taught students utilitarian and universal ethics. To further study the concept of ethics, Moore had her seniors interact with first graders, who were study[ more IDEAS page 7 ]
Kirkland Police Department K9 Thor. CONTRIBUTED, Kirkland Police Department