Kirkland Reporter, November 21, 2014

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SELF SERVICE | New garage opens in Kirkland for DIY mechanics [10]

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NEWSLINE: 425.822.9166

KIRKLAND

Award | Kirkland Fire Department Cpt. Bill Hoover honored for efforts in improving firefighter training standards [2]

Legislature | Lawmakers attend FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2014 summit in Redmond [7]

A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING

Antique Mall property in downtown put up for sale BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com

T

he Antique Mall property in the heart of downtown Kirkland is up for sale. Located at 113 3rd Street, two blocks from the waterfront and adjacent to the Heathman Hotel, the site was formerly occupied by the

Antique Mall, which closed in 2009 after being the centerpiece for the downtown area for a quarter of a century. The Antique Mall opened in 1983 under coowner Marietta Van Patten. Pat Pope, the final manager of the Antique Mall, said in 2009 that the antique business has been steadily declining since 2000.

Ellen Miller Wolfe, the economic development director for the city of Kirkland, said whatever the outcome is of the sale, downtown Kirkland will benefit. “I think it’s real important for the look and feel of downtown that the property gets developed,” she said. “It’s a potential catalyst

for other property owners to consider redevelopment.” She added that, “There’s no downside to this for Kirkland.” The city has an agreement with the property owner which allows the city to lease parking spaces surrounding the antique mall. [ more MALL page 5 ]

The Antique Mall building in downtown Kirkland. TJ MARTINELL, Kirkland Reporter

Kirklanders endure spike in car prowls

On the move

BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com

New school opens in Kirkland Student Jack Miller runs with the football during recess at Providence Classical Christian School, which moved from its location in Lynnwood to Christ Church in Kirkland last summer. The school moved to Kirkland because it had outgrown its previous location. The school has about 200 students and the curricula is taught through a three-part approach called “The Trivium.” The headmaster, Ryan Evans, has been with the school for nine years. For more information about the new school visit www.pccs.org. TJ MARTINELL, Reporter

Earlier this month Kirkland suffered a string of vehicle prowls, most of which were reported within a 24-hour period near the North Rose Hill Neighborhood. Between Nov. 1-6, there were a total of 37 vehicle prowls, 23 of which were reported between Nov. 2-3. On Nov. 2, there were 15 reported vehicle prowls, according to the Kirkland Police Department. Another eight vehicle prowls were reported on Nov. 3. The police incident reports state that the crimes occurred between the late evening of Nov. 1 and were discovered by the car owners the following morning on Nov. 2. More than five of the prowls occurred at a single condominium located 12000 block of NE 97th St. According to

the police reports, all five vehicles had their windows smashed. Vehicles in Kingsgate and Forbes Creek were also prowled. Although a 19-year-old Auburn man was arrested on Nov. 3 for an outstanding felony warrant for residential burglary, as well as an outstanding misdemeanor warrant out of Auburn for vehicle prowling was found with vehicle prowling tools on his person, it is not known if he is responsible for any of the vehicle prowls, according to Kirkland Police Spokesperson Lt. Mike Murray. The suspect did not confess to any of the prowls and the police do not have any evidence connecting him to the crimes. While fingerprints have been recovered from several crime scenes, Murray said it is not clear if there [ more PROWL page 5 ]

Former Sonics player charged in connection with drug house raid BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com

Former Seattle Sonics basketball player and Kirkland resident Robert Swift has been charged by prosecutors for possessing an illegal sawed-off shotgun in

connection with the raid of an alleged meth house last month near Helen Keller Elementary in Kirkland. The King County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Swift with unlawful possession of a short-barreled shotgun, with bail set at

$20,000. His arraignment is schedule for Nov. 26. The shotgun was allegedly discovered inside of the meth house along with nearly 30 other firearms during a raid by Redmond and Kirkland Police during October.

The Reporter first broke the news that Swift was living in the Kirkland home after discovering that police had been called to the residence in the days following the raid. The police reports, obtained through a public information request,

repeatedly mentioned Swift, and Kirkland police later confirmed his identity. The owner of the home on the 14000 block of 108th Ave., Trygve Lief Bjorkstam, 54, has been charged by the King County Prosecutor’s Office with buying,

manufacturing and selling methamphetamine and heroin. Swift had been previously evicted out of his Sammamish home after it was foreclosed. At the time of the October police raid, he [ more SWIFT page 3 ]


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