August 2005

An average of 26 pedestrians die in King County each year as a result of crashes involving motor vehicles, according to a report by Public Health - Seattle & King County.

The report calls for increased pedestrian safety education and enforcement activities, in addition to convening partners to further explore and address pedestrian safety issues.

"Walking is one of the healthiest forms of transportation for people and the environment," said Dorothy Teeter, interim director and health officer.

As part of Mayor Greg Nickels' citywide Restore Our Waters Strategy, a new $300,000 grant program was approved last week that is expected to benefit the quality of the city's aquatic habitat, plus create and finance partnerships between the city and communities.

"Seattle is a city that is defined by its beautiful waterways," Nickels said.

The Metropolitan King County Council has recognized twelve student winners of the White Center-South Delridge Youth Program anti-drug poster contest.

"The most powerful and convincing arguments that young people should avoid drugs come from their peers," said King County Councilman Dow Constantine. "A great deal of effort and creativity went into these posters, but I'm most impressed with these young artists' sincere desire to serve their community."

Winners were chosen in four age groups ranging from elementary school to high school.

Investigating a report of a naked child wandering unsupervised on 32nd Place SW, an officer found the child's home. He also found grandma asleep in a rear room, an aggressive, undernourished dog with puppies and feces littering the house, and another small child in a heavily soiled diaper, lying on a mattress with no sheets. Child Protective Services will be checking into the situation.

At a party, a teen found his friend in the basement being hit and kicked by 15 other males. When he tried to intervene, he was punched in the face several times.

The dog days of summer are upon us and gardens can be looking a bit tired. Shorter days, longer nights and lower night temperatures are signaling plants to begin the shut down for winter.

Annuals are getting pooped out after a couple months of continuous bloom. Regular removal of spent blooms, some careful trimming up and a shot of liquid fertilizer light on nitrogen will coax a few more weeks of color.

Tidy up the garden, cutting back overgrown perennials and twiggy shrubs, cleaning up litter, and removing failed plants.

So many people talk about contentment as if it was some state of being that everyone yearns for and might even achieve.

To one it means sitting in front of TV watching the Mariners with a beer in hand and pretzels at arm's reach. To another, it might mean a good night's sleep. I can certainly identify with the latter after doing night duty for my husband since he came home from the care center.

Golfers at Rainier, Glen Acres and West Seattle are used to seeing many crows, ducks, squirrels, robins, swallows and an occasional fox or eagle.

But they don't see too many pigeons.

This week I was playing Rainier and saw a fat pigeon standing on a metal box near the 10th green. As I got nearer to him he didn't move or flee like most wild things.

Squirrels often raid your golf cart in search of a candy bar or half-eaten sandwich.

While the tax cutters chop away at the public purse, Seattle and many other juristictions are dithering while the infrastructure crumbles and collapses.

monorail

We, the people of Seattle, voted to get the monorail four times for many reasons.

As a newcomer to West Seattle, I really enjoy the Herald and look forward to finding out what's going on in my neighborhood each week.

However, you assume all of your readers know where the places you refer to are; e.g. Jack Block Park, among other areas. Even Seattle Parks and Recreation doesn't know where Jack Block Park is.

Please, please give addresses or directions when you extol the glories of some really remarkable real estate in West Seattle. I'm sure I'm not the only resident who would appreciate this courtesy.

Patricia Barber

Delridge