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LETTERS | Kirkland residents sound off [4]
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2014
Blotter | Man arrested after over filling washing machine, man assaults friend over nationalized healthcare [5]
Former deputy mayor Dick Ekins dies BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Former Kirkland Councilmember, and owner of Kirkland Hardware, Dick Ekins has died at the age of 87. Born Sept. 1, 1927, he passed away Dec. 14. For 30 years, he ran the Kirkland Hardware store at 424 Kirkland Avenue with
his wife, Sandy Ekins. An active member of the community, he was a member of the Kiwanis Club of Kirkland and served as its president from 1976-77. He also served as the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce president. Ekins was elected to the council in 1985, eventually serving as deputy mayor. He
Parents fight boundary adjustment by LWSD
supported plans by Costco to build its second store in Kirkland, where it eventually relocated its headquarters in 1987 and adopted the “Kirkland Signature” brand for its products. Ekins first met his wife, Sandy, in 1949 during a fraternity social at the [ more EKINS page 2 ]
BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
P DICK AND SANDY EKINS
KPD raids drug house on Finn Hill BY TJ MARTINELL AND MATT PHELPS Kirkland Reporter
Following a detailed investigation by the Eastside Narcotics Task Force (ENTF) and the Kirkland Police Department, one suspect was taken into custody at approximately 6:45 a.m. on Dec. 19 in the 8200 block of NE 142nd Street in the Finn Hill neighborhood of Kirkland. The arrest brings to an end years of police calls from neighbors of the known drug house. “We have been working on this for years,” said Kirkland Police Lt. Mike Murray. “Patrol officers [ more RAID page 2 ]
Coaches reinstated at JHS Juanita High School football head coach Shaun Tarentola, center, and assistant coach Lele Te’o, right, seen here during a preseason practice, will return to the classroom in January. MATT PHELPS, Kirkland Reporter
Tarantola, Te’o return to classroom in January BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
The two Juanita High School (JHS) football
coaches placed on administrative leave following an alleged sexual assault incident in October by Cteam football players have
been fully reinstated by the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) to their respective teaching and coaching positions within the district. [ more JHS page 3 ]
Council increases impact fees for new developments BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
The Kirkland City Council approved a school impact fee hike on new development during its Dec. 9 meeting. The ordinance increases the fees for new
single-family homes from $6,302 to $9,623 for new multi-family unit developments. The fee increased from $207 per unit to $745. The new impact fees will go into effect at the beginning of the new year. Impact fees are based on the impact
fee schedule and go in to effect on the date a complete building permit application is filed. The new impact fees are intended to help the Lake Washington School District handle the increase in students, according to spokes-
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person Kathryn Reith. “Often what happens when you have developments is you have more kids coming but not enough to justify building a new school,” she said. “There are a lot of different factors that [ more FEES page 2 ]
lans by the Lake Washington School District to redraw school boundaries has drawn the ire of parents whose children will be pushed out of the Lakeview School Zone under all the proposals. LWSD is currently examining three separate options for rezoning the school boundaries in an attempt to properly accommodate student growth by placing them in schools based on capacity and expected growth in each neighborhood. Though there were originally seven scenarios considered by the school board at a Nov. 17 study session, they have been whittled down to three. The district sought public input on these three options for the Lake Washington Learning Community from Dec. 1-15. The problem, as Lakeview and Kirkland Middle School parents see it, is that in all three scenarios their children are pushed out to Ben Franklin Elementary and Rose Hill Middle School. Meanwhile, a subsidized housing complex located across the South Kirkland Park and Ride on Northeast 38th Place is slated to be a part of Lakeview Zone. Parents are even disputing the numbers the district is offering to justify their decision, claiming they don’t add up, such as subsidized housing complex, which is estimated to only have seven students attend Lakeview Elementary. Bellevue resident Deanna Androski, a parent with two children in the Lakeview Zone, said she first moved into her home on the west
side of I-405 a decade ago so that her children could attend Lakeview Elementary. Though they live in Bellevue, as do many of the families affected by the proposal, they are located within the LWSD. Under any of the three proposals, Androski’s children will be pushed to the other side of Interstate 405, which she sees as essentially kicking them out of the neighborhood. Androski, who said she volunteers up to 10 hours a week at Lakeview, said she does not understand why people who have lived in the school zone for years are being pushed out in order to make room for people who have yet to move in and have no current ties to the community. “We don’t understand how this is logical or fair,” she said. “We’re deeply invested. The families in this neighborhood have owned the homes for a decade and we send our kids to the schools for a reason.” Under all three options, 42 students would be moved from Lakeview to Ben Franklin. Meanwhile, under two of the three options, an additional 21 students would be moved to Ben Franklin from Benjamin Rush Elementary. In a letter to the school board and director, Androski said they are treating the proposal as though the decision was a foregone conclusion and that it would unnecessarily divide a neighborhood. “It is absolutely unacceptable to cut our homes out of the Lakeview zone - kids that have been established in their school - while including the apartment complex on 38th that is going to be populated [ more LWSD page 3 ]
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Whip | Senatorelect Cyrus Habib elected to top position [2]