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PRIMARY RESULTS | 1st Congressional District candidates Koster and DelBene advance [2]
FRIDAY, August 10, 2012
LOCAL | Weekly show of rare, exotic cars dazzle spectators at Redmond Town Center [7]
SPORTS | Great Day of Play coming to City Hall Campus Aug. 24 [14]
Concerned community seeks relief for school Parents, students urge LWSD to take action with overcrowding at Rosa Parks BILL CHRISTIANSON bchristianson@redmond-reporter.com
The overcrowding issue at Rosa Parks Elementary School is hindering student development at the Redmond Ridge school and the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) needs to take immediate action in fixing the problem. That’s what a group of concerned, purple-clad parents and students told the LWSD board of directors at Monday’s meeting during the public comment period. “This school is very overcrowded,” former Rosa Parks student Kelsey Swenson told board members. “The hallways are like rush hour so it’s hard to get around.” Swenson, who attended Rosa Parks and will be a sixth-grader at Evergreen Middle School, was one of 14 who spoke in favor of a re-boundary plan formulated by concerned parents to provide relief to the over-filled school. In total, there were about 25 community members all wearing purple — the school’s color — who attended Monday’s meeting to show support for the plan. Paul Onu, who will be a fourth grader at Rosa Parks, told board members that the overcrowding issue has been hard on students, especially when some students are taking tests while other students from other grades are navigating the hallways and making noise. He [ more ROSA PARKS page 6 ]
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Three-year-old Greyson Callahan gives McGruff a high five at Tuesday’s National Night Out, a nationwide event where residents have community block parties to raise awareness about crime and connect neighbors. This year’s event had a record 49 parties in Redmond with about 2,500 people attending. Samantha Pak, Redmond Reporter
Neighbors’ night out Record number of residents participate in crime awareness event Samantha pak spak@redmond-reporter.com
O
n Tuesday evening, residents of Wildwood Glen gathered in a cul-de-sac of their development to listen to the Redmond Police Department’s (RPD) Matt Hurley discuss crime and public safety in the city and specifically, their Grass Lawn neighborhood. Hurley, a school resource officer (SRO) at what will now be Redmond Middle School (RMS), answered questions about
how the RPD addresses car prowls and burglaries and the department’s Victim Assistance Team’s (VAT) role in helping people after they’ve been on the receiving end of a crime. He also offered tips on how to avoid being a victim in the first place and more.
A RECORD-SETTING EVENT
Hurley’s visit wasn’t in response to a rash of crimes in the neighborhood. It was part of the 29th Annual National Night Out (NNO), a crime prevention event
that took place in a record 49 Redmond neighborhoods this year and all around the country. RPD community outreach facilitator Jim Bove, who organizes the annual event, said early estimates have about 2,500 people attending parties this year — another all-time high. He added that he is always amazed at the community’s support for the police, fire and city employees as well as for each other. And while organizing the ever-growing [ more NNO page 5 ]
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