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PROCLAMATION | City of Bothell declares Jan. 8 Cougar Football Day, team finishes 59th in nation [6]
FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2015
Bothell | Family escapes house fire, community donates money and food [3]
Coyote sightings around Kenmore raise concern BY DEANNA ISAACS
disaacs@bothell-reporter.com
Recently, there have been coyote sightings in the Kenmore area and, even more disturbing, a coyote killed by an illegal trapping device in the neighboring township of
Lake Forest Park. Coyotes are nothing new, nor are they a problem that is likely to disappear. Kenmore police advise people to contact the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) or the US Department of Agriculture’s
Wildlife Services unit when these sightings are reported. “Sightings themselves are ‘actionable’ no more than seeing a skunk or raccoon, but if people are concerned, we want to know about it,” said Craig Bartlett, public information officer for the
Local representatives support bill defelonizing drug possession BY DEANNA ISAACS disaacs@bothell-reporter.com
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ep. Luis Moscoso of the 1st District and Rep. Jessyn Farrell of the 46th District have announced their support for a proposed House Bill to defelonize drug possession. The bill was filed on Dec. 8 by Rep. Sherry Appleton. The bill would remove any felony charges for the personal possession of illegal substances and reduce the charges to a misdemeanor if passed by legislature. The intention is that the state could save a significant amount of money each year, from the approximate 9,000 non-violent drug felony
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. “...It’s really unusual for coyotes to turn on people, usually there’s some feeding involved when that happens.” Coyote attacks are rare. The first recorded case of a coyote attack in Washington
took place in April 2006, when one coyote bit two young children who were playing near their parents, and that animal was euthanized for unusually aggressive behavior. “If you have a sighting, pay attention to the behavior
of the coyote,” said Andy Cleland, wildlife specialist for the USDA Wildlife Services unit. “Keep in mind the five W’s; who what when where and why. The important pieces are the time of day, where you were at, what [ more COYOTE page 7 ]
Kenmore hosts Legislative Send-Off
arrests to freeing up space within the prison system. “Defelonizing personal drug possession is a smart, pragmatic approach to reducing the harms associated with the drug war,” said Farrell, who represents Kenmore residents in Olympia. “The move would reduce incarceration, save the state millions of dollars, and prevent thousands of individuals from receiving a permanent and costly felony record.” Other local representatives are looking to cosponsor the bill, but have yet to officially do so. “I expect to co-sponsor the bill to change possession of controlled substanc[ more DRUG page 2 ]
Mayor David Baker introduced each of the representatives during the ‘Legislative Send-off ’ held on Jan. 8 at Kenmore City Hall. During the two hour public event, representatives and senators spoke of how they plan to tackle issues in this coming legislative session, and citizens were given time to address some concerns. For the full story see page 5. DEANNA ISAACS, Kenmore Reporter
Amaro Bistro marks start of retail rejuvenation in downtown Bothell disaacs@bothell-reporter.com
Amaro Bistro celebrated its grand opening on Jan. 7 with a ribbon cutting ceremony at their new location along Northeast Bothell Way. The restaurant is the
first to open as part of the 10-year-in-the-making revitalization project in downtown Bothell. Nick Wilkes is not only the owner of both IL Bistro, in Seattle, and Amaro Bistro, but also a Bothell resident. When he heard about the chance to open up a restau-
rant within his home town, he knew he couldn’t pass it up. “I’m a resident of Bothell, and I’ve lived here now for 16 years, raised my kids here and really love the community,” Wilkes said. “When I saw that Bothell was starting a revitalization of the down-
town I was really interested and got involved in some of the early planning. When I heard that the 6 Oaks... would have retail space, I contacted the developer to see if they were interested in having a restaurant.” The community has helped him find a path to
Bothell’s revitalization, too. although for Wilkes the clincher was McMenamin’s coming to the old Anderson School building. He knew of McMenamin’s from his days living in Portland and is looking forward to having such a destination experience bring people to
the city and to his resturant. The opening of Amaro Bistro is one of the first steps in this long revitalization project, though, and the first restaurant to open since the process began. “This revitalization plan started at least 12 years ago [ more BISTRO page 9 ]
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BY DEANNA ISAACS