This past calendar year has been filled with shocking news in the Northshore area, from the admission of the Bothell Mayor of having an affair to the City of Kenmore’s consideration of putting tolls on the Sammamish River Bridge.
Here are just a few of the big stories that surrounded the Northshore area in 2012 that the Bothell/Kenmore Reporter covered.
January
The Bothell skate park closed to make room for the new McMenamin Hotel. The deal to build the new hotel officially closed in August. The new hotel will open in August of next year.
Kenmore resident Brent Smith and Bothell resident Andy Rheaume were sworn in as the newest members of their respective City Councils.
Bothell residents showed outrage at The Paradise Espresso stand on Bothell-Everett Highway for “costumes-themed stands” they deemed inappropriate.
Northshore Fire Department chief Tom Weathers retired after 11 years with the department.
Kenmore received a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) award from then Congressman Jay Inslee for the new City Hall design.
Staci Adman became the third woman to receive the Kenmore Heritage Society’s McMaster Award for community service.
February
The Northshore Secondary Academy for Success won Lighthouse honor and received a $20,000 grant for its strong STEM curriculum.
Wranglers raised $10,000 for Special Olympics, earning top fund-raising honors for 2012. More than 50 Wranglers braved 41 degree temperatures to jump into Lake Union for a Polar Plunge event and fund raiser.
The Bothell City Council unanimously voted to put annexation back on the ballot in a special election held in April. It would be the second time the measure would go on the ballot after failing by a little more than 200 votes in November 2011. The annexation was for an area north of the city in Snohomish County of approximately 22,000 residents.
A street in Sammamish was named after Bothell resident and King County Sheriff’s officer Stan Chapin after his death of natural causes at age 61. Chapin was the resource officer for Eastlake High School and Inglewood Junior High in Sammamish.
Ronald Swafford, a coach with the Northshore junior volleyball program was arrested and charged with attempted second-degree child rape and communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. Although Swafford originally pled not guilty to the charges, he then changed his plea and was sentenced in August to a little less than a year in prison.
Rob Karlinsey was announced as the new Kenmore City Manager to replace the retiring Fred Stouder after a nationwide search. Karlinsey made a five-year commitment to the city.
Blue trees are planted in Kenmore by the Burke-Gilman Trail. The Himalayan Birch trees have become a symbol of the area during the past year.
March
Woodinville Fire and Rescue honored Will Fischer, 9, after springing into action following a car accident in Bothell on Interstate 405. The boy unbuckled his 5-year-old brother and got him to safety following the accident on Dec. 7, 2011.
Cedar Park Christian High School celebrates the opening of its “Field of Dreams” on its Bothell campus. The $1.5 million facility is home to the school’s football and soccer teams.
April
Kenmore resident and Redmond Fire Department assistant Fire Marshall Todd Short was honored at Red Cross Heroes breakfast for helping to save an Issaquah man by performing CPR in a Redmond parking lot.
Retired astronaut Bonnie Dunbar spoke at the annual Light a Fire luncheon to celebrate Northshore students.
Northshore’s Can-Do event hosted 1,442 people for the fourth annual running event, which raised more than $22,000 for Northwest Special Families’ programs.
Scenes from the independent movie “Matt’s Chance” were filmed on the Bastyr University campus in Kenmore, featuring actors Edward Furlong (Terminator 2) and Edi Zanidache. The film also featured Seattle Seahawks runningback Marshawn Lynch’s acting debut.
A special election was held for Bothell annexation, even though the vote was extremely close for a second time. The measure fails.
Johns Hopkins University Center for talented Youth honored Bothell resident Merun Subha, 9, as one of the top young students in the nation. Subha was one of 50,000 students who participated in the talent search. The center only honored 25.
Nearly 200 members of the Eastside Four Square Church helped walk a gigantic wooden cross from Kirkland’s Juanita Beach Park to the church in south Bothell for Good Friday celebrations.
Inglemoor High School teacher Jennifer Hallenbeck was awarded the Ludwig teaching award by the American Association of Teachers of French. The excellence in teaching award was given to Hallenbeck in Chicago, Ill. as she was nominated by her peers.
Kenmore resident Cherie (last name withheld for security reasons) was honored for helping the Bothell Police Department catch a credit-card skimming ring created by two Romanian nationals. Overall, the ring stole more than $1 million from more than 300 banks in the Pacific Northwest.
Liquor sales is privatized during the 2011 Washington state general election and a subsequent online auction is completed for all state-run liquor stores.
Students from Inglemoor and Bothell high schools won the automotive state title during a competition held at Renton Technical College. The students won more than $42,000 in scholarships after competing in the Ford/AAA Student Auto Skills state finals.
May
Kenmore was named one of 213 KaBoom! “Playful City USA” honorees. The award is given to cities that are “dedicated to play.” Kenmore was one of five cities in the state to earn the award.
Suzan DelBene opened a political office in Bothell in an attempt to win the vacated First District seat to Congress. DelBene would defeat John Koster for the seat during the general election.
Inglemoor High School biology teacher Sue Black introduced President Barack Obama during a visit to Seattle. She was selected for the honor after battling cancer and benefited from the president’s efforts to reform national health care laws.
June
A Seattle man, who killed four people and then himself at Cafe Racer, a University District bar, was found to have purchased the .45-caliber gun in August of 2008 in Bothell.
The City of Kenmore and Kenmore Camera approved a purchase-and-sale agreement for a portion of the Kenmore Village property that the city has owned since 2003.
July
A Waste Management strike cut off service for nearly two weeks.
A tractor trailer accident on Woodinville-Duvall Road spilled fuel into the Sammamish River, which runs through Bothell and Kenmore. The truck spilled 30-35 gallons of fuel.
After months of deliberations and several delays, the City of Bothell adopted higher business-license fees.
Supporters for Dawn McCravey and Rosemary McAuliffe, both running for state Senate, began a strong campaign of letter writing and attacks that would culminate in one of the most active and divisive campaigns in the state.
Bothell’s Veronica Asence was named the 2012 Miss Seafair.
August
Kenmore residents raised concerns about water quality in north Lake Washington from barges transporting heavy pieces for the new 520 bridge. Advisory signs are placed at Log Boom Park stating that the sediment would be tested. The issue is ongoing with groups like the Kenmore Action Network working to raise concerns about the contamination of the lake waters.
A Bothell Sikh temple, The Sikh Centre of Seattle, became a place for locals to help grieve and find peace after a gunman stormed a Sikh temple in Wisconsin, killing six people and then himself. More than 200 people attended a special gathering to show their support for the Sikh community.
Bothell resident Michael Barrett drowns in the Ohanapecosh River on Aug. 11.
September
The Bothell Police Department served two search warrants on a massage and spa for alleged prostitution, arresting three adult females and one adult male for investigation.
The Northshore Schools Foundation was awarded more than $80,000 for local education. More than 9,000 students in the Northshore School District benefitted from the NSF’s work.
The Northshore School District announced that overcrowding issues will force it to build a new school in Bothell. The district eventually decided to go forward with potentially building a new high school instead of an elementary.
October
The Washington School Safety Organization named Kenmore police officer Mark Childers Washington School Resource Officer of the Year.
A Woodinville couple was charged after a state trooper pulled them over on I-405 in Bothell and found their children in the trunk and evidence of drugs.
A Bothell man was arrested and charged with being the “Tour de Banks” robber. The man allegedly robbed eight separate banks in King and Snohomish Counties using a bicycle, stealing $142,000.
The Kenmore City Council announced that it will consider tolling the Sammamish River Bridge and imposing a vehicle-tab tax to pay for city-wide road repairs and the replacement of the west bridge. The city would drop the idea of the toll a few weeks later.
A Kenmore man’s remains were found in St. Edward Park. The man was later identified as Brian MacDonald, who went missing in 2006 after going on a walk.
The University of Washington Bothell announced that Chancellor Kenyon S. Chan would step down at the end of the academic year. Chan is just the second chancellor in the college’s history.
Police shot a man near Wayne Golf Course in Bothell after leading authorities on a low-speed pursuit from Edmonds. The man was allegedly suicidal and his truck was stopped when police deployed spike strips.
November
Bothell Mayor Mark Lamb was accused of having an affair with an intern at his law office during a wrongful termination lawsuit. The woman claimed they had a two-year affair that culminated with the mayor giving her the internship at the law office. The mayor would later admit to the affair in court documents. The suit is ongoing.
The November general election brought a Democratic sweep in Northshore races. Some of the most notable races were McAuliffe defeating McCravey for state Senate, Derek Sandford defeating Sandy Guinn for Pos. 1 from the 1st District and King County Council representative for the Bothell and Kenmore area Bob Ferguson was elected to be the next State Attorney General. Gay marriage and marijuana legalization was also passed statewide.
An elderly woman’s death is ruled a homicide and her daughter is arrested in the case. Terie Sue Davidson is accused of striking her mother in the head with a glass mug.
The City of Kenmore received $5.2 million for SR-522 improvements from the Washington State Transportation Improvement Board.
December
Bothell residents called for Lamb to step down after the woman suing him claims she attended at least one overnight council trip with the mayor.
Kenmore Mayor David Baker and Rep. Cindy Ryu applied for a vacant King County Council seat, along with 13 other hopefuls.
Bothell resident Phillip Warren was convicted of using a gun during a road-rage act.
