October 2005

Seattle Lutheran held its first football homecoming in school history last Saturday afternoon by defeating Quilcene 14-7.

The come-from-behind win was the Rangers only league loss of the year and the game evened Seattle Lutheran's record to 2 and 2 in league, 3 and 4 over all.

Quilcene scored their only touchdown on their first play from scrimmage on a 60-yard run by Bret Kenney.

There were five minutes remaining in the first quarter when Matt Bigliardi sacked the Quilcene quarterback causing him to fumble.

Elsbeth is adept at peeling a pair of hot soft-boiled eggs without getting yellow yolk all over her hands like I do. She just rolls the hot five-minute eggs around on the counter, then casually peels them without wincing .

Then she presents the two perfect cackleberries along with my toasted muffin and hot coffee all at the same time. But she only does this on Sundays. The other days I have to fend for myself.

I have no luck in duplicating her big feat.

Does monorail still make sense for Seattle?

I think so.

Instead of arguing about the appropriate length of the financing plan and the future value of money, I will focus on the fundamental transit arguments. Do we want rapid transit in Seattle at all? Yes. Rapid transit systems always pay off in the long run with increased economic activity, property values, and quality of life. So what kind of rapid transit should we build? Let's compare.

Speed. A rapid transit system must be faster than cars or most people won't use it.

Now more than ever, West Seattle needs the monorail.

While the city's urban village scheme may have helped improve our local business climate; provided better choices for restaurants, entertainment and shopping; and increased the housing supply, it has come at a high price to our mobility.

West Seattle's streets are clogged with traffic morning, noon and night as a result of the building boom in the Junction, along California Avenue and Alki - all throughout our community.

Getting in and out of West Seattle during the commute is especially frustrating.

bus delays

I read Greg Buck's opinion piece "Express bus trumps monorail" as I rode the bus into downtown this morning and I wondered if he is one of the many monorail opponents in Seattle who don't actually use our excellent bus system.

I am not going to try to debate Buck's travel times on buses vs. monorail.

It was with tremendous pleasure that I opened my issue of the West Seattle Herald this morning and saw my son, in color, on the front page.

The only problem is I did not name him Kirk! The Huling Bowl picture on the front page lists Kirk Zaid as the Seahawk defender. The defender is actually Schuyler Taylor, a sophomore at Chief Sealth.

Just two weeks ago, Matthew Durham and I had a lengthy conversation covering all the reasons we see so little high school football coverage in the paper.

Remember when the viaduct was closed for two days after the big earthquake a few years ago? The signs now hanging over the foot bridge as we drive onto the West Seattle Bridge could read, " No Monorail, No Viaduct: 2 hours to I-5 from here."

Think long-term and decide wisely when you vote.

Susan Davidson

Seaview

The monorail's finance plan that was unveiled last Monday (Oct. 17) is well within the spending parameters the voters established with our last vote.

Transportation infrastructure projects are expensive, especially given our city's hills and waterways, but even the city's own studies concluded back in 2001 that the monorail was the most efficient and cost-effective option for connecting Seattle's west side.

not a problem

I would welcome light rail to West Seattle, particularly in lieu of the monorail. I would like to set the record straight, gradient is not a stumbling block as Allan Munro implied in letters, Oct.19. "the Forward Thrust 'steel wheels on steel rails' transportation mode could not have come to West Seattle. The grade is too steep."

In San Francisco three light rail lines (J, L, N) climb grades as steep as 8 percent. In the past, older streetcars there (not cable cars) climbed grades as steep as 15.6 percent. I'd be happy to furnish Mr.

We were stopped at the light when we became a vehicle accident number.

The man at fault copped to it immediately. It seems, he tells us all, he was "distracted." Now we (and I use that in the large editorial sense) are taking meds and in treatment.

For all you jackasses yakking on your cell phones and reaching for your fancy bottled water here's a bulletin: there are other cars on the road, with people in them with lives that your short-sighted self-centered ways impact.

Next time?