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]
By Rob Butcher UPDATED At their March 2 Study Session, the Kirkland City Council briefly discussed the issue of how annexation might affect Kirkland’s neighborhoods and how the neighborhoods might be re-partitioned in the post-annexation era. At issue is the size and population of the soon to be annexed neighborhoods of Finn Hill and Kingsgate in relation to Kirkland’s existing neighborhoods. The... [Read more]
Dear valued readers, Recently, several suggestions have been made by readers as to how Kirkland Views can better present Letters to the Editor. Some have suggested that letters be placed deeper within the website, and off the front page. Others think that providing prominence to voices which would otherwise be unheard is an important public service of this website. Kirkland Views is an open forum which... [Read more]
Original oil painting titled, "Wednesday Market" will be auctioned off Monday evening. UPDATED When friends of Jodi Bardinelli made the call out to the community for auction items for this Monday night’s benefit dinner and auction (January 11), the response was tremendous. Phone calls, emails, cards and letters from far and wide have poured in. Auction items large and small have been... [Read more]
UPDATED The first Kirkland City Council meeting of 2010 started with the ceremonial swearing in of the the new council members. Kirkland City Clerk Kathi Anderson administered the oath of office to Council Members Joan McBride (Position No. 1), Penny Sweet (Position No. 3), Amy Walen (Position No. 5) and Doreen Marchione (Position No. 7) who were elected to office in the November 2009 general election.... [Read more]
Jodi Bardinelli Mother, daughter, dear friend and neighbor. Truly a warm-hearted soul. You touched our lives and gave so much to our community. We owe you our deepest gratitude. Sleep well, in the arms of the angels. As many of you know, Jodi Bardinelli was diagnosed with terminal cancer just over a month ago. She passed away in her home on December 30th. Jodi managed the Kirkland Wednesday... [Read more]
Good tidings to all! Warm wishes of a very peaceful and Merry Christmas from Kirkland Views. Peace on Earth, good will toward men Christmas is my favorite time of the year. A Charlie Brown Christmas was always a favorite show to watch on television when I was a kid. I found a clip on YouTube to share below. Merry Christmas! Read More →
The voters have spoken. While the final results are being tallied, it looks the message is clear. The majority of voters want change in Kirkland’s leadership and they don’t want to pay increased utility taxes. The majority of voters in the annexation areas want to officially become a part of the City of Kirkland. These outcomes are no longer up for debate. The voters spoke with resounding... [Read more]
Kirkland Views would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication shown by each of the candidates and their supporters over the course of this election. One simply cannot endure the trials of a contested campaign for elected office without a true sense of civic duty. For this, we thank you. Kirkland is a better place because we all care so much about this place we have chosen to call home. We... [Read more]
Political gamesmanship was again played at last night’s Kirkland City Council meeting. However, that is now par for the course and really no surprise. Of particular interest in this election was the Sterbank Review of the Bank of America fiasco from last year in which actions taken by City Staff were reviewed by outside council. In a nutshell, Sterbank’s review said the City acted accordingly.... [Read more]
For those of you who have yet to vote in this election, one lesson to learn is this: do your homework. There are falsehoods and dirty tricks being played to persuade... [Read more]
Rendering of remodeled Houghton Center The Houghton Center is undergoing a major facelift as they prepare for the arrival of a new Metropolitan Market, hopefully in 2010. The old Houghton Market is long gone and only a shell of the building remains. This past week a rendering was posted shedding light on what the future holds for the site. Design work at Nelson Legacy Group’s Houghton Center in Kirkland... [Read more]
Group urges vote against Councilmemeber Hodgson based upon “his violation of every ethical protocol we know of…” In an extraordinary plea to the voters of Kirkland, fifteen former Kirkland mayors and city councilmembers have posted an open letter urging Kirklanders to oust incumbent Councilmember Tom Hodgson and vote for Doreen Marchione. Marchione is running against incumbent Hodgson... [Read more]
Your ballot is either in your hands or it is in your mailbox. The big decisions before Kirkland residents are for City Council and the voted Utility Tax Prop 1. In the City, there are four races for City Council. In the Potential Annexation Area, there is no bigger decision to make than annexation. The question is, do you wish to become a part of Kirkland or do you not? The outcome of these decisions... [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]
UPDATED In an effort to give our readers an improved commenting experience, we have updated the comments portion of the blog with additional features we think you will find useful. The new commenting system has been updated to provide new functionality. It will prevent incidents described in this article from happening. Readers can now “vote” up or down on each comment thus producing a... [Read more]
Craigslist ad seeks candidates for Kirkland City Council On Tuesday, May 26, a rather odd listing appeared on Craigslist soliciting candidates for the Kirkland City Council Positions #1 and #3. The ad was referenced in a comment by “FrankieM” regarding the article, Amy Walen to hold “office hours” at St. James Espresso. According to the ad, “The smart money says that... [Read more]
Three cheers for volunteers and donors! Joint effort by Kirkland citizens and businesses saves the day. UPDATED Donations are still needed to help pay for the fireworks! There has been some confusion around this issue. Given the rate of generosity to date, the show will go on. Donations to save the fireworks show are still being collected. To donate, please visit www.celebratekirkland.org, or stop... [Read more]
Dear readers: Kirkland Views was presented a yummy chocolate/chocolate birthday cake compliments of Sweet Cakes April 28 marks the one year anniversary of this website. It has been both an honor and a joy to host this forum over the past year. From the beginning, our goal has been to create a place where the people of Kirkland can freely discuss the issues before us. We welcome all perspectives on... [Read more]
The New York Times article examines some of the changes taking place in the hyperlocal news scene KirklandViews.com has staked a claim as Kirkland’s source for hyperlocal news and events Hyperlocal news websites, such as KirklandViews.com, are causing more than just consternation for local newspapers across the country. They are competing head to head for readers — and often winning.... [Read more]
The following letter was written by Anna Rising at the request of those in attendance at the recent Everest Neighborhood Association meeting. This letter has also been received by the Kirkland City Council. Dear Neighbors and Kirkland friends, THE KIRKLAND CITY COUNCIL WILL BE VOTING ON ANNEXATION ON TUESDAY APRIL 7TH AFTER A PUBLIC HEARING. PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING, PLAN TO ATTEND ON THE... [Read more]
April 6 at 7:00 p.m. Annexation Study Session – new financial data to be released! April 7 at 6:00 p.m. Special Meeting on Annexation! April 7 at 7:00 p.m. Public Hearing on Annexation! April 8 Deadline for Resolution of Intent to be sent to Boundary Review Board! The excitement never ends. The ink from the latest annexation financial reports will have barely dried when the Kirkland... [Read more]
If there ever was a time to rally behind our local merchants, the time is now. The economic slowdown has hit home and it has hit hard. It has forced us all to be more cautious with our spending. It has taken its toll on our local Kirkland merchants, and they need our support. They are facing the brunt of this downturn, and for some, these are dire times. The people who work in Kirkland retail and... [Read more]
Having a 640 bed jail sited so close to our schools and residential areas cannot possibly be in our best interests. The Woodinville City Council has taken a stand and said it does not support the jail. To date, the Kirkland City Council has remained silent on the prospect of having a jail sited in Kirkland’s Potential Annexation Area (PAA). Despite concerns by residents regarding the proximity... [Read more]
According to this Associated Press article by Rodrique Ngowi in the Seattle P-I, Western Massachusetts has come up with a novel way to get locals to keep their money circulating through the local economy: they have created their own currency called “BerkShares.” The local currency in the state’s Berkshire region, is circulated among smaller retail participants (national chains... [Read more]
At the final Kirkland City Council meeting of 2008, Mayor James Lauinger acknowledged the year as having been a difficult one and paraphrased Queen Elizabeth II, calling 2008 “Annus Horribilis“, a Latin phrase meaning “horrible year”. Queen Elizabeth II had used the phrase “Annus Horribilis” in a 1992 speech alluding to a particularly bad year for the monarch: in... [Read more]
Peace on Earth, good will toward men Christmas is my favorite time of the year. A Charlie Brown Christmas was always a favorite show to watch on television when I was a kid. I found a clip on YouTube to share below. Merry Christmas! Read More →
Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century BCE. Hanukkah is observed for eight nights, starting on the 25th day of Kislev according to the Hebrew calendar. This year, Hanukkah begins at sundown tonight. Several public menorah lightings, sponsored... [Read more]
Kirkland Views has become a participating business in the Kirkland Green Business program. Kirkland Green Business incentive program has been created in partnership between the City of Kirkland, the Kirkland Chamber of Commerce, and Puget Sound Energy to recognize Kirkland-based businesses for their environmentally-friendly practices. The program recognizes local businesses as leaders in Green... [Read more]
UPDATE: The slideshow presented at the Nov. 18th Public Hearing on the 2009-2010 Budget is available in PDF format. Download it here. The City of Kirkland is facing extremely difficult budget choices ahead. Kirkland is in a situation in which revenues are declining at the same time expenditures are rising. Expenditures are out of control, yet discretionary spending is limited to only a fraction... [Read more]
