Original, local art featured on permanent and rotating basis; galleries openBuild it and they will come. Indeed. But there is more.Evergreen Hospital Medical Center is putting the finishing touches on its state-of-the-art, disaster-ready emergency department and patient facility. Certainly, the hospital will be offering top-notch medical care.
It's official. Kirkland will again host its summertime festival of wine, food and art that traditionally draws in excess of 45,000 attendees. There are two changes to be noted, however. The city has taken over the sponsorship from the Kirkland Arts Center. As such, the event formerly known as Summerfest is heretofore known as Kirkland Uncorked. Once again, the festivities will converge on the lush lawns of Marina Park in mid-JulyThis year the event has been expanded and is positioned to be one of Puget Sound's premier wine, art and food festivals
A formal resolution hasn't passed yet, but the Kirkland City Council signaled its willingness on March 27 to move on to Phase II of the proposal to annex Finn Hill, Upper Juanita and Kingsgate.It's a complicated issue, and not everyone is enthusiastic about the annexation proposal, which was prompted by the state's Growth Management Act and favored by King County.City Finance Director Marilynne Beard briefed the council on the results of the first phase of the planning, which involved public outreach and an initial look at long-range financial ramifications
The March 17 Kirkland American Little League parade went off without a hitch, despite a little "Thunder." Click FULL STORY link for another picture and a link to the opening day story
n 1999, the city decided it was time to update the then 14-year-old downtown transit center. Eight years later, the partnership that is Kirkland, Sound Transit and King County Metro have created a footprint for the center's replacement on Third Street, slated for construction in 2009.Over the past year and a half, the trio has taken a blank slate and - via workshops and study sessions with the city council - emerged with engineering consultants, an architect and a solid configuration. Now they want to hear from you.An April 23 open house will be facilitated by Sound Transit as well as Kirkland Public Works to share information but also to request critical feedback.
One hundred girls, ages 6 to 12, headed to the Kirkland Boys & Girls Club for an All Girls Sports Day on Feb. 21. The girls, from clubs all over King County, rotated among three sports stations, trying their hand at ultimate football, handball and basketball.Kate Starbird, a former Seattle Storm basketball player, coached the basketball station all morning and ran drills with the girls to teach them basketball fundamentals.
On March 17, the Kirkland American Little League paraded from Heritage Park to Lee Johnson Field.The teams and coaches were introduced, the players circlec the bases and lined up around the infield. the mayor addressed the crowd, the Kirkland Junior High School chorus sang the national anthem and Thunder player Emilee Ronbeck threw out the first pitch.KALL pulled off the parade but the rainy weather at the end of March wreaked havoc with the league's schedule.
We live on [Forbes] Lake; we bought here in 1974. We love living here. We always have taken pride in the lake because there was no public access. My kids learned to swim here, as did their friends. My grandkids now will swim out back.Then the condos were built and they put in a public dock. Before we knew it, kids were drinking and doing drugs, riding their bikes into the lake and building rafts out of everything they could get to float. We were always cleaning junk out of the lake. Kids would swim out to the middle and not be able to swim back and would swim to our dock. The condos took the dock out and it has been much easier to police the area.
Have you heard of Eric Oemig? No doubt many of you have, since Oemig was elected to the state Senate last November, defeating incumbent Toby Nixon in the 45th District by nearly 3,000 votes.Or perhaps you know of him from the innocuous sounding bill he proposed in Olympia on Feb. 14, SJM 8016. In that bill, Oemig called upon Congress to investigate whether or not to impeach President George Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney. An auspicious debut, yes? Yes. And while he was aware that a maelstrom of some sort would likely result, Oemig said it was something he had to do. Not surprisingly, Oemig has received a varied reaction, most of it taking place in the weeks immediately following his filing of 8016
On Jan. 27, at its Third Annual "FiSHing for a Cure" auction, the Kirkland-based nonprofit organization Pacific Northwest Friends of FSH Research raised more than $191,000 for FSH muscular dystrophy research.The event, which was at the Bellevue Hyatt, featured TV personality John Curley as auctioneer. Thanks to the generosity of 290 guests, the auction raised record funds for new research projects at the University of Washington.Curley delivered a lively and engaging performance as he orchestrated the auction of more than 30 live-auction items. Curley has agreed to return for next year's auction, scheduled for Jan. 26, 2008.
A proposed state construction budget released March 19 includes $11.7 million in funding for projects on the Eastside, including Kirkland. State Rep. Roger Goodman (D-45th District) serves on the House Capital Budget Committee, where the proposal was developed
Kirkland Parks and Community Services is moving ahead with making improvements to Heritage Park, which is slated to include three main components:❚ New formal strolling garden adjacent to Heritage Hall (i.e. Centennial Garden);❚ New tennis courts and paved parking at the northwest end of the park; and ❚ New paved parking lot for cars and boat trailers adjacent to Market Street.
Hopelink will launch its annual End Summer Hunger fund and food drive in April, with the proceeds going to stock Hopelink's six food banks in north and east King County for the high-demand summer months when subsidized meal programs at schools are not available, and for homelessness prevention. In 2006, the End Summer Hunger campaign raised more than $115,000 in monetary and food donations.
I-405 CREWS MARK MILESTONES IN APRILOn a stretch of highway where crews have no fewer than seven projects either in construction or ready to go to construction, hardly a week passes without some sort of milestone. In April, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) is on track to meet a few major construction milestones in Kirkland: ❚ Crews will complete the southbound portion of the new I-405 bridge at N.E. 116th Street. ❚ Crews will open the intersection of 116th Avenue N.E. and N.E. 128th Street to traffic after a three-month closure to raise the Kirkland roadway. ❚ Crews will open the new N.E. 128th Street bridge. This will provide a new east-west route over I-405 for all drivers. ❚ Crews will open the new transit/HOV direct access ramps on the south side of the N.E. 128th Street bridge. This improves access for HOV users between I-405 and the Kingsgate Park-and-Ride in Kirkland. A BIT FARTHER SOUTHIn two months new projects in Bellevue and Newcastle will begin. Drivers in Bellevue will notice the start of the N.E. 10th Street bridge going up between the new Overlake Hospital and the New Group Health facility this summer. This new bridge scheduled to open in 2009 will take the growing pressure off N.E. 8th Street while allowing pedestrians safe access to the local hospitals east of I-405. Drivers who use I-405 at I-90 will also notice a new bridge going up. The new bridge will carry three lanes of southbound traffic. The old southbound lanes will become northbound HOV lanes when the work is done. North end work in Kirkland will be complete by October.SCHOLARSHIPS FROM KIRKLAND KIWANISThe Kirkland Kiwanis will again make up to eight scholarships available to graduating seniors on the Eastside. The awards range from $500 to $1,000. Students, or their parents, must live or work within the attendance boundaries of Lake Washington High School or Juanita High School. This includes Kirkland and parts of Redmond and Woodinville. Students may attend any high school, so long as they or their parents live or work within the designated area. The Kiwanis Scholarships are based on a variety of factors, including academic performance, financial need and community service.Kirkland Kiwanis also supports Special Olympics, Eastside Baby Corner, Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing and sponsors service organizations at Lake Washington High School and Kirkland Junior High.The Kirkland Kiwanis scholarships are awarded in honor of Kiwanis members who have exemplified the Kiwanis tradition of service to the community.For additional information, or to obtain a scholarship application, please contact John White, scholarship committee chairman, at white@lfa-law.com.FINANCIAL CLASSES❚ Women's Investment Coffee Club, third Wednesday (April 19), 6 p.m. and third Friday (April 20) at 7:30 a.m. both at Edward Jones office (963 Sixth St. S.) Each is ongoing and one hour long. New people are welcome.❚ Second Tuesday Broadcast, 963 Sixth St. S., 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Topic for May 15: Take charge of your financial security: A woman's guide to financial security at every stage of life but especially when you're on your own. Plus, 10 ways in which women sabotage their retirement. Bring your mother, sister, daughter, co-worker or friend to learn together. Classes provided by Sarah Taylor, investment representative at Edward Jones, 828-9087, www.edwardjones.com.SHUGARTS HONOREDGreg Shugarts, who owns a FASTSIGNS sign and graphics center in Kirkland, was named franchisee of the year for 2006 by the International Franchise Association (IFA).At FASTSIGNS' annual convention, Shugarts center was recognized for achieving more than $1 million in total sales from Oct. 1, 2005 through Sept. 30, 2006.This is the eighth consecutive year he has been honored for sales exceeding $1 million. In addition, his center was recognized as the one of the top three centers in FASTSIGNS' Western region with the highest total sales.FASTSIGNS of Kirkland is located at 12004 N.E. 85th St.OUTSTANDING SALES FOR BROWNKirkland's Josh Brown was honored by AdvoCare International L.P. in recognition of his outstanding sales performance involving distributors and retail customers. Brown is an independent distributor. AdvoCare sells nutritional supplements and skincare products.GARDNER TO KEYNOTE HOPELINK LUNCHEON Christopher Gardner, whose life story is portrayed by Oscar-nominated actor Will Smith in "The Pursuit of Happyness," will be the keynote speaker this fall at Hopelink's annual fundraising luncheon. Hopelink, the Eastside's largest social services agency working with poor families and the homeless, will host Gardner at its 12th annual Reaching Out Luncheon to be held on October 15, at Bellevue's Meydenbauer Center. Gardner's extraordinary experience as a father struggling to make, and keep, a nurturing and safe home for his young son parallels the challenges facing many of Hopelink's clients. Gardner's first book, "The Pursuit of Happyness," is an account of his life story and was released in June. The movie, starring Smith as Gardner, was released in December.For more information about Hopelink's Reaching Out luncheon, contact Brenda Tincher, 883-8430 or brendat@hope-link.org. <br
For much of the country, the end of February and the beginning of March brought plenty of wind, rain, sleet and snow. But the stormy weather wasn't confined to the atmosphere - there was also plenty of turbulence in the financial world. As an investor, how should you respond? No one really likes to see the stock market shed so much wealth in a short period of time. But if you concentrate on quality, look for good deals and think long term, you can navigate the sometimes-bumpy roads of the investment world and continue on your journey toward your important financial goals.