Email: kendall.watson@patch.com
Phone: 206-455-1331
Hometown: Salem, UT
Age: 37
Bio: From 2006 to 2010, I've worked at newspapers in California and Washington state, including the Mercer Island Reporter in 2009 covering education and sports.
Beliefs
At Patch, we promise always to report the facts as objectively as possible and otherwise adhere to the principles of good journalism. However, we also acknowledge that true impartiality is impossible because human beings have beliefs. So in the spirit of simple honesty, our policy is to encourage our editors to reveal their beliefs to the extent they feel comfortable. This disclosure is not a license for us to inject our beliefs into stories or to dictate coverage according to them. In fact, the intent is the opposite: we hope that the knowledge that our beliefs are on the record will cause editors to be ever mindful to write, report and edit in a fair, balanced way. And if you ever see evidence that we failed in this mission, please let us know.
Politics
How would you describe your political beliefs?
I'm a mixed bag. I strongly believe in the power of the government to act as a force for good and to improve people's lives. It is, after all, made up of people. But I also believe that our elected representatives should be held accountable and spend money they raise for the state carefully and wisely—they should conserve our resources for when we really need them. It is, after all, our money. And finally, we should always be thinking about how our actions affect others, now and in the future—both those we don't know and our loved ones living with us now, as well as our children and grandchildren not yet born.
Are you registered with a certain party?
I am not currently registered with a political party.
Religion
How religious would you consider yourself?
I consider myself a casual observer of the mystery of life, and enjoy the multitude of expressions in celebration of it. Heck, it's one of the main reasons I sought out a career in writing. I believe in this.
The Senior Foundation of Mercer Island, local police and Rotary club members joined together Wednesday to support disaster planning — in Mandarin, Cantonese and English — for one of the community's most vulnerable populations.
Puget Sound Energy says a cluster of balloons caused 3,000 homes to lose power for several hours Wednesday evening.
The Islanders led at the half, but fell to the Roughriders, 8-7. They face Bainbridge Wednesday night in a loser-out elimination game.
The 613's celebrated Senior Night and a #2-seed in the Oct. 27 1B Sea-Tac Tournament.
On the eve of the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand, a training camp for the sport started by a Fijian star lands at the Mercer Island Boys and Girls Club.
In case you missed them, here are several Mercer Island news stories we reported on from the last week.
The following homes are holding open houses this Sunday, Oct. 23.
Councilman Dan Grausz, who has endorsed challenger Debbie Bertlin over Deputy Mayor El Jahncke, appears to support Jahncke in campaign flyer quote, sourced from a 2003 issue of the Mercer Island Reporter.
The following information from Oct. 9 - Oct. 18 was supplied by the Mercer Island Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction.
The Associated Press has a video report on a Florida family who found out the hard way charges that could be incurred by traveling internationally.
Mercer Island defense attorneys Michael & Alexander weigh in on the 'facts' of the case in the aftermath of a million-dollar settlement with a former city employee.
Catch the colors while you can -- you know we're headed into the gray months.
The Islanders stopped their winless streak at the Tualatin Hills Invitational, winning 4 games and losing to tournament champions Southridge in their final match.
City Council will meet in council chambers inside City Hall at 7 p.m. for its regularly-scheduled meeting.
The following homes are holding open houses this Sunday, Oct. 15.
The following information from Sept. 28 - Oct. 9 was supplied by the Mercer Island Police Department. Where arrests or charges are mentioned, it does not indicate a conviction
Thanks to the rain, a rainbow emerged over Mercer Island around 6 pm this evening.
The International School in Bellevue received the highest ranking in the state — 10th in the nation, according to US News & World Report.
In case you missed them, here are several Mercer Island news stories we reported on from the last week.
Each week, I'll pick two or three (or more) of the most interesting story or Facebook comments, questions, or Twitter tweets sent to Mercer Island Patch.
