Thumbs up
• To Steven Pyeatt stepped up to help rebuild National Guard Sgt. Leonid Milkin’s Kirkland home that was destroyed in a fire three years ago following the killing of his family.
• To those who stepped up to raise funds for the relief efforts in Haiti, including Parkplace Books, and four Peter Kirk Elementary School 5th graders – Rileigh Thompson, Kaitlyn Heindel, Lexi Enstrom, Mackenna Thompson – who raised $377.30.
• To the community who attended the Jodi Bardinelli dinner and auction to raise funds for Bardinelli’s three daughters. Bardinelli, who was the manager of the Kirkland Wednesday Market, recently passed away of cancer.
• To Urban Coffee Lounge owners Jeff and Alicia Miner. The husband and wife duo helped raise about $800 for the Kirkland Firefighters Benevolent Association through the sale of the “Goldberg Mocha” in the month of December. Kirkland Firefighter Terence Goldberg recently passed away of cancer.
• To Kirkland’s Solid Waste Division that has installed two solar powered garbage compactors and recycling kiosks at the corners of Lake Street and Park Avenue and at the end of Kirkland Avenue in the spirit of “go green.”
• The Heathman Hotel and General Manager Les Utley for taking the lead on adopting a community park.
• To the Lake Washington boys basketball team, which has made a miraculous turnaround from last season’s four win in-league record. The Kangs are currently in first place in the Crown Division.
• To the people who sold shirts at the Lake Washington High School basketball games to benefit Haiti.
• To Daryl Grigsby for his many years of work as the Kirkland Public Works director.
Thumbs down
• To the city for wasting $5,000 on the Sherman Report that it decided not to use.
• To the legal system for taking more than three years to get the trial State vs. Conner Schierman to court.
• For there not being proper lighting on Third Street in downtown Kirkland. Construction should not be an excuse for public safety.
• To the state’s legislators in the House Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Committee who voted against the marijuana legislation last week. The Reporter is not advocating the legalization of the marijuana but there is enough evidence of public support throughout the state that there should at least be a debate on the issue by our representatives.
• To the state GOP for endorsing Tim Eyman’s latest initiative before the signature drive even begins. The initiative would require all tax increases be approved by a two-thirds majority in the state Legislature or by a public vote at a time when the state government could go broke.
Thumbs up, Thumbs down is the opinion of the Kirkland Reporter editorial staff.
