December 2005

SeaTac City Council members have budgeted $2 million next year to rebuild a fire station, but haven't decided which one.

Lawmakers unanimously approved Dec. 13 an amendment to leave the $2 million in the budget, but exclude naming the station at 3521 S. 170th St. as the one to be replaced.

The action came in the wake of controversy at their Nov. 12 meeting over constructing a new headquarters station in McMicken Heights.

A 15-year-old girl was shot in the face in SeaTac on Dec. 14 around 12:50 p.m. The girl was staying at a house in the 21400 block of 33rd Ave.

It was during the depression and I was 9 years old. My brother Russell, two years older made a supreme sacrifice .

He knew I coveted his two favorite marbles, each red and blue. He called them his twin glassies. They were so beautiful I coveted them openly but he never even let me do more than look as he poured his hard won treasures out on the bed after each day of doing battle on the dirt playground at Woodlawn elementary.

More than 70 years ago I got a surprise left on the front porch by Santa Claus. At least my older sisters said Santa was the one who left presents on our front porch on Christmas Eve. Our whole family would sit around the real fir tree with the candles burning brightly on the fragrant limbs and wait for the knock on the front door. The knock was Santa letting all us kids know that there were presents on the front porch. Yes, there was the knock.

You know how you have certain images from your childhood that are sort of stuck with you? You may remember the pattern of the Formica in your childhood kitchen, or the look of your bedroom. You may remember a certain day, or a wonderful event. I have always had the memory of "the assembly".

It was the first day of school, 1975. I was just starting junior high, and sat waiting for the opening day assembly to begin. I had my friends around me, and we were wearing our new clothes we had bought that summer.

We needed to say that just because some narrow-minded seasonal grinches have stained the season by demanding that all stores abandon such greetings at "Happy Holidays" or "Seasons Greetings." One loud-talking mental midget even suggested a boycott against any store that does not immediately do what he says.

We know many merchants and their employees who say no one they have met in their stores ever got miffed because someone said Merry Christmas. Some people who are not of the Christian faith suggest that, in the words of one, "Well, Dec.

Thanks to Sharon Best for sharing her 2005 healthy living makeover story.

I also set a goal to lose weight in 2005 and have lost more than 65 pounds with the South Beach Diet. I agree wholeheartedly with Sharon's diet guidelines of no sugar and no white flour. That has worked well for me also.

I did want to say that for those who are looking for a lower cost alternative to hiring a personal trainer, I joined Curves in West Seattle and have worked out regularly with good success. I enjoy the short but intense workout and have dropped a lot of inches along with the weight.

I am a deputy with the King County Sheriff's Department.

I am also a council member on the North Highline (Unincorporated Area) Council. Lee Lim is the Asian liaison with the Sheriff's Department and a council member. Steve Davis is a sergeant in the fraud unit of the Sheriff's Department and a council member.

Last week the daily newspapers carried stories that many of the so-called "megachurches" were taking a pass on worship services on Christmas Day.

It is suspected that this decision is based on the expectation that attendance might be lower than their customary "thousands." However, some have offered the feeble excuse that the decision is to "allow their families to celebrate in their own living rooms."

Here in West Seattle and White Center it is not likely that any congregation can claim the title of "megachurch." You can be assured that open doors and meaningful services

River otters are being killed in West Seattle. Particularly along Beach Drive, some property owners-annoyed with otters-simply call a pest control company to trap and destroy them.

River otters are being senselessly killed throughout Washington-the Evergreen State might not be so green after all.