Bob Hughes has announced his intention to resign from the board of directors of the Lake Washington School District, effective April 1. Hughes noted that he and his wife would be moving out of the district to live closer to their grandchildren.Hughes has served on the board since June 1978, and as board president in 1983, 1986, 1987 and 1993. Hughes has become an expert on both educational and technology reform, speaking at more than 600 workshops and conferences, organizing nine major conferences and educating legislators.
Thoreau principal Steve Roetcisoender good-naturedly stood on the school stage and asked the packed house what he had in common with the three very tall people towering next to him. Would it be height ... or a love to read?The kids applauded loudly - clearly loving the joke - at their March 16 assembly where Sonics players Rashard Lewis and Robert Swift and Storm player Ashley Robinson came to hand out awards and to encourage the students to read.The assembly, which was in partnership with the National Basketball Association's Read to Achieve programming and Scholastic Book Fairs, acknowledged Thoreau for doing so well in previous book fairs
On Feb. 22, we lost a great and dear leader. Dr. Clayton Rich was a neighbor, a friend and someone we all looked up to. When my husband and I first moved to our home, we saw signs announcing a meeting for a fish ladder in O.O. Denny Park. At the meeting, we were impressed by so many neighbors donating their professional talents, time and energy to an organization named Denny Creek Neighborhood Alliance (DCNA). Rich happened to be president of DCNA that year. We later found out that Rich was a gifted grant writer and managed to get funds for many environmental projects.
I wish that March had gone out like a lamb. Some months, I am completely at a loss for what to write. This month, however, there is an overwhelming amount to report and my editors are probably going to have to cut my column back to fit it in the Juanita space. We have had quite a month and there is only more to come.
Our meeting on March l3 was very informative and well-attended by residents and most of the Kirkland City Council. Mike Cogle from the Parks Department gave an update on our two new neighborhood parks: Ben Franklin Park, a 4-acre parcel on the north side of the school grounds; and the Rose Hill Meadows Park on l24th Avenue N.E. Improvements to both are beginning this summer and should be finished by fall. The natural features, trails, forest restoration and area for neighborhood events will be incorporated at Ben Franklin as well as a volleyball court and a playground later.
"I feel bad about Pinot. How's Penny doing?" asked Downtowner John G., after learning that Pinot Noir passed away peacefully on March 23. It came a week after Pinot's 12th birthday, which is pretty old for a golden retriever. He has the distinction of being one of the last of Downtowners to have been born in the Kirkland Animal Hospital.Pinot had countless friends and befriended anyone going into or walking by the Grape Choice wine shop. He enjoyed lying on the patio and nodding hello to everyone. For many of his friends, the prime reason to walk by the Grape Choice was just to pet him.
I attended the North Rose Hill Neighborhood Association's general meeting and wanted to share some of the highlights. If you weren't there you missed some excellent and interesting presentations. Maybe you can make it next time?(By the way, word on the street tells me that in North Rose Hill we have more neighborhood participation than the other Kirkland neighborhoods. However, if you consider we have approximately 1,700 households in NRH, there are still quite a few of you missing out on the action.)
Thank you to the Kirkland City Council for attending the March 15 Highlands neighborhood meeting. The council addressed our questions about emergency preparedness, the railroad corridor, annexation, downtown Kirkland development, noise walls, sidewalks, traffic and numerous other issues.Full answers to all of the questions can be found on the city's neighborhood services Web site: http://tinyurl.com/2prw2c.
The Lloyd Nordstrom Children's Hospital Guild is celebrating its 30th anniversary, said this year's president Judy Maleng. With 22 members from both Magnolia and Queen Anne, the guild is one of hundreds in Washington state, and they all raise money for the Seattle hospital, she said."But all the money we raise goes for the free medical treatment of children, which is so critical," explained Sheila Magnano, one of the founding members of the local guild."The reason we started it is most of us had little ones," said Magnano, who added that the original group of 10 members got together at the Magnolia Co-op Preschool.
Fr. Robert Ivan Dawson was removed from Lower Queen Anne's Sacred Heart Catholic church on March 23 after an audit revealed he had allegedly misspent parish funds, according to Archdiocese spokesman Greg Magnoni."Funds were redirected from their intended use to parish remodeling," he said. That included work on the sanctuary and on a new altar in the basement, said a parishioner who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It's just outrageous," the parishioner said. "We had a fine altar; we didn't need to do that.""Where the issue was with Fr. Dawson, he diverted funds from ordinary operations to a capital program," explained Magnoni.
Queen Anne Little League Opening Day 2007 is busting out.
When you worry that your community business district is having problems, who are you going to call? Sustainable Seattle.That is just what concerned citizens of Wallingford, Lake City and North Beacon Hill did last year. The three resulting citizens committees met last week to discuss what progress they have made, how they did it and what remains to be done. A panel of experts analyzed the reports.All three communities have been working with professional urban-planning staff from Sustainable Seattle, an award-winning, nonprofit, non-government organization that assists communities plan for the future
Mosaic, a community coffeehouse and ministry of Seattle First Church of the Nazarene, opened its doors to the public last Saturday, March 31, in the Wallingford neighborhood. And when Mosaic opened its doors, it literally welcomed everyone in the community, even those who couldn't afford to purchase a coffee.
Where did all the benches on Ave go? I found to the dismay of my tired self that the bench was gone from the Metro bus-stop shelter at [Northeast] 50th [Street] on the Ave (University Way Northeast) - very peculiar. Then I noticed that the benches in front of the University Bookstore have disappeared. Is this a [Greater University] chamber of commerce ploy to drive us into coffee shops to rest?
Who am I today?" Margie Freeman asks when introducing herself at community meetings or business encounters. She considers her many varied roles - wife, mother, resident, community activist, multiple-business owner - to select the one most applicable.Business, personal growthMargie came to Fremont in 1976. Looking for moorage for a 90-foot tugboat she'd just purchased, she also found her husband, Mark. He'd been born here, literally, and his parents,