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FIRST BOOK | Organization to hold fundraiser at Kirkland Performance Center [8]
Wrestling | Rebel Mason McDaniel finished FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2015 second at Mat Classic [7]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Parkplace | City Council approves rezoning for redevelopment [3]
Heated discussions dominate public hearing on 405 tolls BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
T
he proposal to toll Interstate 405 from Bellevue to Lynnwood received less than an enthused response at a public meeting held at Kirkland City Hall Feb. 19. A presentation by Tolling Division Assistant Secretary Craig Stone to the State Transportation Commission
(WSTC) at the beginning of the meeting intended to relieve some concerns about the proposal, as well as explain the necessity for it on a highway which Stone said is among the worst, if not the worst, in the state when it comes to traffic congestion. Traffic is so bad, he said, the high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane is not meeting state and federal requirements for vehicles to
be traveling at 40 miles per hour 90 percent of the time. Instead, Stone said, vehicles are driving at that speed only 60 percent of the time, despite adding nine transit centers, 5,000 new park and ride parking stalls and 1,700 vanpools since 2002. The proposed toll would charge for the use of the existing carpool lane from SR 522 to I-5, along with two lanes between Northeast 6th
Street in Bellevue and SR 522 in Bothell, or 17 miles, for those with less than the specified occupancy. Motorcycles, and buses that seat at least 16 people, would be exempt from the toll. Stone cited tolled highways in Miami and San Diego as evidence of how the proposal would reduce traffic congestion. Though the commission has yet to determine the [ more TOLLS page 6 ]
Teens plead not guilty to attempted rape
Heathman sells for more than $17.4 million
Two enrolled in other schools, 500-foot protection order issued
BY MATT PHELPS
BY TJ MARTINELL
mphelps@kirklandreporter.com
The Heathman Hotel in downtown Kirkland has gone through some changes during the past few years. The hotel had a major remodel and changed general managers in 2012. The award winning hotel is going through more changes. The Heathman in Kirkland was sold for more than $17.4 million last week to investors from Los Angeles, according to King County records, and employees are optimistic that the new ownership means a bright future. “We were able to retain all of our employees,” said hotel general manager Troy Longwith. “That was the first thing on everyone’s mind. We have a large number of employees who have been with the hotel from the start and this is the first ownership change. We are just a couple of days into this but they are committed to Kirkland longterm.” Hotel Kirkland Limited Liability Co. purchased the 91-room four-story hotel on Feb. [ more HOTEL page 2 ]
Tolls for the HOT lanes on I-405 between Lynnwood and Bellevue are expected to be between 75 cents and $10. REPORTER FILE PHOTO
tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Denny’s Pet World manager Kelly Parsons bags a customer’s purchase using a plastic bag, which will be prohibited next March thanks to an ordinance passed by the Kirkland City Council. TJ MARTINELL, Kirkland Reporter
Council passes plastic bag ban BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
The Kirkland City Council voted to approve a proposed ban on most plastic bags at city businesses, despite a 2013 survey of residents that showed overwhelming opposition. The ban prohibits single-use plastic bags while allowing exemptions for plastic bags such as those used for transporting bulk food, hardware items, frozen foods, meats and newspapers. It also requires retail stores to charge customers at least a five cent fee for recyclable paper bags. The new policy is sched-
uled to go into effect on March 1, 2016. It is estimated that the new regulation will affect approximately 170 retail businesses in Kirkland. Mayor Amy Walen, who voted in favor of the ordinance, has said a ban is necessary for environmental reasons. “Kirkland is growing and we must grow in a smart way,” she said in a release. “I’m proud to see Kirkland adopt this consumer- and business-friendly legislation that shows Kirkland’s commitment to being responsible for our environment.” The only councilmember to vote against the ordinance
was Toby Nixon, who has voiced opposition to the idea of a plastic bag ban from the beginning. Other cities with plastic bag bans include Seattle, Issaquah, Bellingham, Shoreline and Mercer Island. A May 2013 survey conducted by Elway Research, Inc. of around 400 Kirkland residents found that eighty percent of them reuse more than one type of bag and nearly half of them already bring their own bags to the grocery store. The survey also found that residents heavily favored voluntary measures, albeit 85 percent [ more BAGS page 2 ]
The five Juanita High School football players charged with second-degree attempted rape have pled not guilty in King County Juvenile Court. The five students, all former freshmen on the high school football program’s C-team, are accused by the King County Prosecutor’s Office of attempting to sodomize an 18-year-old special-needs student with an object on Oct. 22 in the high school boy’s locker room. One of the students is also accused of filming the incident and then later deleting the footage. The five suspects have been released until their trial. As part of their arraignment, the suspects have been placed on 24-hour surveillance and are forbidden to have unsupervised access to the Internet. They are also forbidden to have any contact with the alleged victim or come within 500 feet of the school or his residence. While the news of the alleged incident has shocked the Kirkland
community, defense attorneys for the suspects tried to downplay the severity of the incident. Addressing the judge prior to the arraignments, one attorney said the media has “portrayed it as something it’s not.” Another attorney during the arraignment of their client described the alleged incident as a “football hazing case.” The suspects are alleged to have assaulted the victim in an attempt to “jubie” him, a slang term referring to a hazing act known to football players. During the followup investigation, police discovered one of the suspects sent out a text to the other four prior to the attempted rape saying they were “gonna jubie” the victim. The same defense attorney objected to restrictions on their client, prohibiting contact with juveniles two years younger, which he said are similar to those imposed on sex offenders, as well as aspects of a renewal of a sexual assault protection order. The victim, he told the judge, has already filed a [ more SODOMY page 5 ]