Eyes on Kenmore

Best Friend in the News Again

Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Business | 4 Comments

Gotta say, I’m surprised neither of the competing Kenmore blogs have jumped on this story…

From Tuesday’s Kenmore Reporter: Customer orders a hot chocolate, allegedly gets a bit more at Kenmore stand

King County Sheriff’s detectives are investigating an incident in which a female barista at the Best Friend coffee stand in Kenmore allegedly exposed herself to a male customer buying a hot chocolate.
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The reporting party told police he visited Best Friend after retrieving his car from the nearby Kenmore Park and Ride Lot. He stated he had no idea the coffee shop employed bikini-clad baristas. After he ordered his drink, the female barista allegedly asked him if he wanted a show. The man said he nervously responded positively, not really knowing what to expect.

According to the police report, the man states the barista allegedly exposed herself from the waist up and from the waist down, reportedly fondling herself briefly. Asked by the barista if he had enjoyed himself, the man reportedly said, “No,” and drove off with his drink but no change from a 20-dollar bill.

Follow-up on KIRO 7 yesterday: Why Prosecutors Can’t Charge Baristas Who Bare It All (video)

KIRO 7 Eyewitness News morning anchor Chris Egert found that King County sheriff’s deputies have pages and pages of reports documenting questionable activities at a Kenmore espresso stand, yet so far, not a single case has made it to court.
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It is stuff too raunchy to put in this report. It is beyond the level of bikinis: private body parts put on display, all body parts, exposed to undercover deputies.

“At the face of this you’d say, ‘Well, my gosh. There’s indecent exposure, or perhaps even prostitution involved here.’ But as we read the statute, and more importantly as the prosecutors read the statutes and the city ordinance in Kenmore, it does not appear that there has been any crime committed,” said Sgt. John Urquhart of the King County Sheriff’s Office.

Even though investigators saw women take off their clothes, expose their breasts, backsides and vaginas, it is not a violation of the law.

City of Kenmore prosecutors told deputies that what happened doesn’t meet filing standards for indecent exposure or prostitution.

The King County Prosecutor’s Office could, in theory, attempt to move forward with charges, but said that even if it wanted to, it doesn’t have the resources to proceed.

What would it take to have charges filed? A victim—someone who isn’t a cop—and who didn’t want the show undercover investigators said was being offered at Best Friend Espresso.

Of course, none of the victims are willing to do that, so it would seem that for now, the show must go on.

I’m not going to sit here and defend the caffeinated peep show, but I have to wonder… why are King County sheriff’s deputies spending their time making multiple “undercover” stops to Best Friend, if nothing that’s happening there is illegal enough for them to pursue criminal charges?

I’ve got one theory…

Just sayin’.

Tags: Best-Friends, bikini, Business, photo

Read more | Comments (4) | December 4th, 2010

Still Wasting Electricity at the “Green” City Hall

Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video | 4 Comments

Lest you believe that the photos I posted here last week do not represent the regular goings-on at our nearly-open new City Hall, I present a brand new set of photos, taken last night (Tuesday) at 11:00 PM.

Zero cars in the parking lot, zero sign of anyone anywhere inside the building. Roughly 90% of the interior and exterior lights (including in the underground parking garage) were turned on.

Here’s a close-up of the front again:

And another one of the room that I thought was going to be a meeting room. Now that it’s full of desks, I’m thinking it’s probably just some sort of mass office? Either way, I don’t see why they need to leave all the lights on throughout the night.

Here’s the back door…

…and what’s this just across the driveway, in basically the only dark spot on the lot?

According to the sign on the right there, that would be the generator and fuel tank—totally unlocked and wide open to whoever wants to stroll on by. That seems safe.

I wonder how much electricity our new green city hall will have pointlessly wasted before it is even open for business?

Tags: city council, city hall, photo

Read more | Comments (4) | May 5th, 2010

Check out Kenmore’s New GREEN City Hall

Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video | 6 Comments

The photos below were taken at 9:00 PM Sunday night. As far as this crow could tell the building was completely unoccupied.

That’s nearly every exterior and interior light turned on. For nobody.

All the inside lights on in the entry room. Those things at the top that look like ceiling tiles that are falling off are the “art.”

All the lights on in the rear first floor meeting room, too. No signs of anyone at all inside the building.

Don’t you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, knowing that our fancy new City Hall is so green? I know I do.

Tags: city council, city hall, photo

Read more | Comments (6) | April 25th, 2010

Ch-ch-ch-Changes Around Kenmore

Posted by the Kenmore Crow | Filed under Photo/Video | 2 Comments

All kinds of changes happening around Kenmore in the past week or so…

The new unnecessary traffic signals at both ends of NE 181st St behind Safeway have been activated.

Grocery Outlet has moved, opening in their new location in Kenmore Square yesterday.

The new store looks great, and has much better visibility than their old location in Kenmore Village. They were smart to jump on this space as soon as it became available, considering the public statements from Urban Partners, the supposed eventual developer of Kenmore Village, that they basically aren’t welcome to stay in the fancy-schmancy new upscale downtown when it finally gets built (whenever that will be).

Speaking of Kenmore Village, the grand future downtown of Kenmore is looking more and more like a ghost town with each passing month. Here’s an update of our map.