February 2006

Real estate advisors are confident they'll be able to sell monorail properties up and down the Green Line because the market is brimming with interested buyers.

Advisors from GVA Kidder Mathews, which claims to be the largest commercial real estate firm in the Pacific Northwest, told the Seattle Monorail Project board of directors Jan.

Improvement project guru Sam Star is at it again, and this time he's taking the lead on the Salmon Bay Elementary and Middle School playground renovation.

After getting input from Salmon Bay students and staff, a preliminary sketch of an estimated $225,600 playground was presented at the first public meeting last week.

When the bandages came off and Miguel Flores opened his new right eye for the very first time, he saw the two people he loved most.

"I saw my parents first. They looked happy and were smiling. My mom cried. I was amazed," said Flores, a Ballard High School student who underwent a cornea transplant on November 23.

Another emotional moment came a few weeks later, when Flores held a picture of a 20-year-old University of Washington student who died in a car accident.

Flores could not help but stare at the young man's right eye. "I saw his picture.

Next Tuesday, February 7, city residents and taxpayers will vote whether to pass or fail a bond financing a long-range plan for the renovation and rebuilding of the district's schools and facilities. In order to pass, a "supermajority", at least three fifths or 60%, of Federal Way voters must cast in its favor.

The Washington state constitution grants school districts the power to raise capital via bond measures and levies by authorizing increased property taxes within the district.

Toney Mikesell still feels haunted by the violent image of the vicious attack that robbed him of his two beloved canine companions.

The sales rep from Anderson Merchandisers returned home from work on the afternoon of January 17, expecting the same affectionate greeting he's received for the past year and a half.

He opened the garage door to an unusually quiet house and the suspicion that something horrible had happened. Puddles of urine covered portions of his hardwood floors. Smeared mud and large paw prints stained his carpet and furniture.

If you are thinking of adopting a new family member of the canine or feline persuasion, be sure to do your homework and research, research, research!

That's what Tom Sayre, spokesperson for the Humane Society of Tacoma and Pierce County, advises.

"Find out which breed matches your lifestyle," Sayre told the FW News last week.

"In the case of dogs, a basset hound behaves much differently than a retriever.

I have a little secret. Well, it's more of an admission, really. But please don't tell anybody.

Because if word gets out, my image as a mature, responsible adult will be seriously tarnished.

What could be so damaging, you ask? Shhh...Come closer. I'll whisper.

It is this: I play dodge ball. That's right, dodge ball.

Once a week, with individuals who, out of respect for their professional reputations, shall also remain anonymous.

If you live in a cave, then you were probably camping and this explains why, no doubt, you were among the first to hear about Ziploc omelets.

Though I had no luck in determining the origins of this nifty camper's recipe, it likely originated out of necessity (like 'smores) or an accident (like the vulcanization of rubber) but unfortunately for me, my Ziploc omelet tasted a bit like a combination of the two aforementioned.

It began with an innocent email from my Dad.