April 2006

To Sit and smell the roses

Years ago when Keith Gormezano sat on the porch of a historic 18th century home on the East Coast, he imagined neighbors and passersby from decades ago traveling the busy road that lined the front yard, bringing news from town.

In the small, cozy towns he visited during a six-month trip around the Unites States, Gormezano was often reminded that sharing with neighbors used to be a major form of news gathering and a way to stay in touch with the community.

Neighborhood
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Safety is city's number one priority

You should investigate and explain the claims of Seattle police that increased number of police do not help reduce crime. (Your March 15, 2006 issue.)

One factor to keep in mind is that more crimes will be reported when people have more confidence that police are paying attention. That may obscure the reality that crime has decreased.

Your article contains an apparent contradiction by police. They say they cannot move police to areas with more crime because availability of police in other areas would drop below that required for timely response.

Category

Care for our park...or else

Editor:

Today, Sunday, I walked past the Ballard Commons Park and just have to comment what a wonderful addition it is to our community. Today is warm and sunny, one day before our "official" spring. The park is a beehive of activity. Young adults playing Frisbee, little kids zipping around on bikes and trikes, daring people using the skateboard bowl, and older citizens sitting in the sun. To my mind it really brings the community together, all ages enjoying the open space.

Neighborhood
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The vote that never was

Loyal Heights Community Council

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels' recent Ballard News Tribune interview finally gets to the heart of the ongoing flap over Loyal Heights Playfield between residents and the Seattle Parks Department. Nickels' comments expose the underlying myth upon which dismissal of opponents' concerns have been based. Key to Nickels' "sore loser" hypothesis is his assertion that there was a city-wide vote to convert Loyal Heights to synthetic turf. In the interview, Nickels even describes the phantom election: "That was in the Pro Parks Levy years ago.

Neighborhood
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