UPDATED x2 The Seattle Times is reporting that Rhonda Breard appeared in court today was charged with one count of mail fraud and released from custody. According to the article, “Under the terms of her release, she is barred from liquidating her assets.” King5.com has posted this story. KOMONews.com has posted this story. UPDATED The Seattle Times is reporting that Rhonda Breard,... [Read more]

UPDATED Read The City of Kirkland’s news release on this subject. Google has announced a plan to develop an experimental fiber network with ultra high-speed broadband in a small number of trial locations across the United States. With internet speeds of over 100 times faster than typical connections, the 1 gigabit per second fiber-to-the-home also promises “open access” and competitive... [Read more]

Today The Seattle Times announced an expansion of its local news partnership program with the addition of two Eastside hyperlocal news blogs – Kirkland Views and the Redmond Neighborhood Blog. “We’re thrilled to welcome these new partners to our network of quality sources for neighborhood and specialized news,” said David Boardman, executive editor of The Times and Seattletimes.com.... [Read more]

Redacted version of Sterbank Report now available from City of Kirkland UPDATED: As of October 14, 2009, the total amount billed by attorney Bob Sterbank, of Kenyon Disend PLLC,  for the Bank of America report was $8,993.47. The City of Kirkland has just released what is being called the “Bank of America Project Review” which tasked an outside attorney, Bob C. Sterbank, to review the... [Read more]

In an effort to provide a better understanding each of the eight candidates for Kirkland City Council running up to the General Election, Kirkland Views is featuring a four-part series on the following issues: Neighborhoods vs. Businesses Myth The Future of Totem Lake Structural Budget Gap / Sustainable Budget Population Growth / GMA Each candidate was asked to provide a statement on the above issues.... [Read more]

UPDATED Oh, Kirkland. Autumn is here and soon it will be time to elect four of the seven Kirkland City Council members. Only two of the four races have incumbents running for re-election so this year is sure to bring change to the council. Our vote will be a referendum on how well the people of Kirkland believe we are being served. Will the sentiment around town be “Stay the Course” or... [Read more]

In what was by far the liveliest meeting of the year, the Kirkland City Council displayed an image of infighting, distrust and raw politics UPDATED The September 1 Kirkland City Council meeting gave Kirklanders a glimpse of the deep political divide which both cripples our council and makes observers throughout the Eastside wonder what has happened in Kirkland City Hall. The division among the seven... [Read more]

Park Maintenance. Mutt Mitts. Recreation Classes. Special Events. Parking Enforcement. Neighborhood Grants. The Arts. Senior Services. Green Initiatives. Street Cleaning. These are but a few of the myriad services provided by the City of Kirkland. Times are tough and we must to prioritize our needs over our wants. We must live within our means. Is there a city program which you value above all else?... [Read more]

Property Taxes: With the drastic change in market values, should I appeal? By Gregg Anderson, Vice President, Absolute Mortgage // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ // < ![CDATA[ google_ad_client = "pub-5049538877929924"; /* 300x250, created 6/23/08 */ google_ad_slot = "1748785083"; google_ad_width = 300; google_ad_height = 250; // ]]> The roller-coaster ride of home values has made it unusually tough... [Read more]

Kirkland graduate student engages community in effort to inform about environmental justice Power of Community from Grant Enloe on Vimeo. Grant Enloe, a graduate student at Northwest University’s, International Care and Community Development program, promotes the power community and environmental awareness by highlighting the importance of supporting, purchasing and eating local food... [Read more]

Democracy at your service: Online Election Forum lets the public ask questions of the candidates for Kirkland City Council Voter Guide with candidate bios; issues discussion to include annexation and voted utility tax In cooperation with all ten of the City Council candidates, Kirkland Views has launched an online Election Forum which will allow readers to ask the candidates questions online. This... [Read more]

  551 Kirkland Half Marathon 2009 Photos on Flickr Please visit www.flickr.com/photos/kirklandviews/sets/72157617958157468/ to see the 551 photos we took at this event. The... [Read more]

Downtown Kirkland retailer’s annual giving helps those in need Each year, Simplicity Decor chooses a charity to support as a part of their Annual Giving Project. Hopelink was selected as the recipient of the project in 2008. Today, Simplicity Decor owner, “A” presented Hopelink with a check for $4,200, representing 10% of the store’s holiday season proceeds. Hopelink representative,... [Read more]

Sharon Rodman (Green Kirkland Partnership) and Cadi Poile (EarthCorp) stand before some of the 204 volunteers who helped clean up Juanita Bay Park on Saturday The Green Kirkland Partnership celebrated Earth Day with a work party of 204 volunteers at Juanita Bay Park. The volunteers, comprised of individuals young and old from various groups throughout the community, were lead by EarthCorps and the... [Read more]

Photo by Rick Takagi As soon as temperatures begin to rise and the sun appears more often in the sky, those who live in, or love to visit Washington, head outdoors. In Kirkland, WA, the month of May is officially the start of “Kirkland in Bloom.” As one of the state’s only waterfront cities, bursting with opportunities to walk, run, bicycle and get out on Lake Washington, Kirkland... [Read more]

As the author of this blog, I would like to state my sincere hope that the results of the Kirkland City Council’s annexation vote will not further divide Kirkland and our neighbors to the north. While many people hold deep concerns about the annexation process and the financial projections for annexation, those concerns should not be a source of division between the people of Kirkland and the... [Read more]

The news about the April 7 Public Hearing on annexation (to be immediately followed by a City Council Go/No Go vote) is apparently spreading throughout the neighborhoods. Citizens around Kirkland are writing letters and sending emails, letting friends and neighbors know that their City Council is pulling a fast one on them: the Council  has fast-tracked annexation in a highly unusual maneuver which... [Read more]

Confused about annexation and don’t know where to turn for answers? Want both sides of the story? Here are a few annexation resources to help you learn more: Annexation websites to visit City of Kirkland annexation website Annexation articles elsewhere on KirklandViews.com www.onekirkland.org www.nokirkland.com Documents to download Annexation Timeline (Kirkland Views) Annexation process... [Read more]

Juanita Beach Park will close for renovation likely starting in July. The closure will last 8 to 10 months as part of phase 1 of completing the park master plan. Juanita Beach Park is going to close for renovations this summer. The $2.3 million project (including $500,000 in State funds) is on schedule to begin in July and will focus on the south side of the 30 acre park. The effort will include improvements... [Read more]

As the Kirkland City Council looks for more ways to trim the City budget, some in City Hall are pointing to Public Safety as a place to cut. According to the October 13, 2008 City of Kirkland Memorandum on Local and Regional Jail Planning, “The Kirkland Police Department currently has the lowest ratio of officers per thousand of population of any of our partner cities in the NECC consortium.”... [Read more]

The Kirkland City Council has made another policy reversal regarding potential annexation: they now plan to allow the Casino Caribbean in Kingsgate to remain open if annexed, overturning Kirkland’s 1999 ban on gambling establishments. As if the prospect of having a 640 bed jail in Kingsgate, unincorporated King County weren’t bad enough, now the Kirkland City Council is actively lobbying... [Read more]

Through the purchase of perpetual water rights, the City has found a way to save some green When the City Council negotiated the recent 2008 budget cuts, maintenance of Kirkland’s 39 parks took a hit. No longer will our park lawns (with the exception of athletic fields) be irrigated. The grass will turn from green to brown. The medians along our streets will not be maintained as often. These... [Read more]

Last night the topic of adding an off-leash area for dogs at Crestwoods Park was on the Norkirk Neighborhood Association meeting agenda for the second month in a row. In attendance at Heritage Hall were about 50 citizens to have a discussion about a proposed change in the master plan for Crestwoods park. Fielding questions for the evening were Parks Director Jennifer Schroder, along with three members... [Read more]

The proposed 640 bed jail site in Kirkland’s Potential Annexation Area (PAA) is drawing fire from neighboring residents and businesses. Even the City of Woodinville has weighed in. The unincorporated King County site is on a short list of six possible locations for a large municipal jail facility to serve as the primary misdemeanant jail for the North East Cities of King County. The proposed... [Read more]

UPDATE: The following news release is from the Kirkland Fire Department:   January 30, 2009  ROSE POINT HOUSE FIRE ACCIDENTAL Investigators Disclose Cause and Origin of Fire Based on their investigation this past week, Kirkland Fire Investigators are concluding that the cause of Monday’s house fire (see below) was caused by the failure of the fuel system on a motorcycle that was left idling under... [Read more]

Apple iPhone and iPod Touch give you access to Kirkland Views while on the go. Now you can access the latest Kirkland news and events while on the go. Kirkland Views has been updated and specially formatted for your iPhone and iPod Touch. When you visit www.KirklandViews.com from your mobile device, the site will load in custom, richly formated pages designed just for these devices. It is all automatic.... [Read more]

  Bridle Trails State Park There are times when a person (or persons) makes a selfless gesture, it needs to be shared with others. This is one of those times. The Everest Neighborhood has set an inspiring course which encourages others to follow. In the process, they have shown us the true meaning of community. We would like to recognize them for doing so. Thank you, Everest Neighborhood.   The... [Read more]

UPDATED The wheels have been set in motion to develop a Pilot Off-Leash Area (OLA) for dogs at Crestwoods Park, adjacent to Kirkland Junior High School in the Norkirk Neighborhood. According to this memorandum, the Parks Department is recommending to the Park Board that planning steps for an OLA commence this month and for the Park Board to present final recommendations to the City Council in July. K.D.O.G.,... [Read more]

  Posted financial information was preliminary and not verified   The City of Bothell has pulled the financial information regarding annexation from their Imagine Bothell website and informed us that the information we quoted in this article was posted to the City site prematurely. The City is verifying the information and plans to post finalized financial information late Thursday. We received... [Read more]

  UPDATE: The City of Bothell has informed us that the information quoted in this article has since been removed from the City website as it was preliminary. Please visit this article for details. The City of Bothell has completed a fiscal analysis of the prospect of annexing Kingsgate, Upper Juanita and Finn Hill. King County urged Bothell to study the possibility of annexing these unincorporated... [Read more]