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CONCUSSIONS | Lake Washington School District taking steps to protect athletes from brain injury [13]
Mayors | Leadership Eastside meets to FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015 welcome new classes [3]
A DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
Tennis | Central Park team wins sectional [18]
Former JHS students involved in assault playing football again One defendant, awaiting trial for attempted rape, playing for Lake Washington High School, parent claims incident was a result of hazing culture BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
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wo of the Juanita High School (JHS) students charged with assaulting a special needs student in the school locker room last year are listed on football rosters for other schools in the Lake Washington School District, with a third listed
on the football roster at another school district in King County. One of the guardians of a defendant in the case is claiming that the incident was, in part, the result of an uncurtailed culture of hazing at the high school. The Reporter has learned that one of the remaining suspects, who is scheduled for trial in October for
second-degree attempted rape, is on the football roster at Lake Washington High School. The another suspect is attending Mount Si High School in Snoqualmie and listed on their football roster. The defendant had a hearing scheduled yesterday, after the Reporter’s print deadline. Another student is attending Eastlake High School in
Sammamish. He pleaded guilty to third-degree assault in August along with two other defendants. The student was initially on the EHS football roster but his name is no longer listed on the website. The Reporter discovered the student was attending the school and playing basketball last winter. During that academic year, the defendant
was also recognized by the school for his academics, effort and/or citizenship. The Reporter was unable to determine if the other two students, who pled guilty to third degree assault, are playing football elsewhere. All five of the former JHS C-team football players were initially charged with seconddegree attempted rape for
trying to sodomize a specialneeds student on Oct. 22 as part of hazing ritual known as “jubie,” according to court documents. The three who pleaded guilty to third-degree assault were sentenced in Juvenile Court to 12 months of community supervision, 48 hours of community service, as well [ more ASSAULT page 15 ]
Saving lives is in his blood New interim fire chief comes from law enforcement family BY TJ MARTINELL tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Growing up in a family of cops that included his dad, four uncles and both his brothers, it seemed logical that Joe Sanford would make a career out of law enforcement. Spending his youth in Seattle, he often met his father’s police partners when they would stop by for lunch, which gave him an inside look at the police world. For years, that was his plan. However, Sanford’s journey turned out different from those men in his family
“I kind of fell into that by accident. I thought ‘I’ll take those tests as a practice.’ And Kirkland Fire called me and offered me a job. I really never looked back.” Joe Sanford
and it has led him to be named Kirkland’s interim fire chief. His path took an unexpected turn after he completed a test for the Kirkland Fire Department in preparation for applying to the police department. “I kind of fell into that by accident,” he said. “I
thought ‘I’ll take those tests as a practice.’ And Kirkland Fire called me and offered me a job. I really never looked back.” Despite his family’s legacy in law enforcement, Sanford said he has never had second thoughts. “[It’s] the best job on the planet, as far as I’m concerned,” he said. His family’s work in law enforcement provided him a contrasting perspective when he went out on calls with other firefighters. [ more SANFORD page 7 ]
New Interim Kirkland Fire Chief Joe Sanford comes from a family of police officers. MARIE JENSEN, City of Kirkland
LWSD task force tackles growing enrollment issues
More of everything this year at the Kirkland Oktoberfest
BY SAMANTHA PAK Reporter Newspapers
tmartinell@kirklandreporter.com
Weiner dog races are always popular at the Kirkland Oktoberfest. This year’s event will be held at Marina Park in downtown Kirkland on Sept. 25-27. CONTRIBUTED
If this year’s third annual Kirkland Oktoberfest at Marina Park in downtown has a theme, it would be “more of everything.” The three day authentic München-style Oktoberfest Biergarten, Sept. 25-
27, plans on adding more authentic German cuisine, imported beers, as well as micro-breweries. They’re also adding more live performances by German bands including The S-Bahn, Doppelbock, The
BY TJ MARTINELL
Gordanairs, Happy Hans, Smilin’ Scandinavians and the Bavarian Biergarten Band. Creative Director Rob Butcher said they expect 10,000 people to attend, and that the number has
been doubling each year. “There are a lot of Oktobfests (on the Eastside), but Kirkland has a special appeal,” he said. “We have the greatest location on Lake Washington in [ more BEER page 9 ]
The Lake Washington School District’s (LWSD) Long-Term Facilities Task Force recently came out with a number of recommendations for the district regarding its growing enrollment. According to a district press release, districtwide enrollment is estimated to increase to more than 30,000 students by 202122. That is more than 5,000 more students than
district schools were built to serve, the release states. There is little space left in current school buildings, some of which need replacing due to their age and building conditions. “The district continues to experience significant growth and it’s critical that we develop a longterm facility strategy to address both our growth and our aging facilities,” said LWSD Superintendent Dr. Traci Pierce. This was the challenge [ more LWSD page 13 ]