April 2006

The gutting of the Initiative 601 Spending Limit is a slap in the voters’ face. We voted to limit spending by the Legislature for a good reason.

I was interested in Tahnee Runion's letter explaining why she voted "no" on the Highline School District bond.

Four years ago, my husband and I started helping a great teacher at Midway Elementary School. When my daughter from Jackson, Miss., visited me, she accompanied me to Midway.

When you think of Mississippi schools, sad to say, you think the worst.

When my daughter saw Midway, she said, "This is embarrassing.”

My daughter is an elementary school librarian, and another daughter in Jackson teaches a "gifted" class.

Would your newspaper be interested in a story that needs to be published? This is a problem long overdue that requires resolution.

Cascade Middle School has a traffic mess when 700 students emerge after the school day ends, with eight school buses and 50 parents’ vehicles converging along two-lane 10th Avenue Southwest between Southwest 112th and Southwest 114th streets.

Parents are parking in front of fire hydrants, on 10th Avenue Southwest -- causing one-lane traffic, and in resident’s driveways.

On a recent sunny morning, students rallied at SeaTac’s Angle Lake Park to protest proposed legislation in Congress that, if enacted, would impact millions of illegal immigrants in the United States.

Many in the mostly Latino crowd carried signs proclaiming themselves not criminals as they danced in the parking lot with an occasional rally cry against House Resolution 4437.

“It really affects our Latino community and society as a whole,” said Julian Torres, a Highline-area student and protest organizer.

“It will open the doors for more r

Burien, Seattle and King County formally joined together last week to reach a cooperative annexation solution for the North Highline unincorporated area.

With their March 31 accord, they agreed to work together for annexation of the entire unincorporated North Highline community by one or both of the cities.

In a Memorandum of Understanding, signed by King County Executive Ron Sims, Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle and Burien Interim City Manager David Cline, the jurisdictions agreed that it is in their joint interest, and the interest of the public, to work with residents t

The Burien City Council awarded on March 27 the contract for the long-awaited $26.2 million First Avenue South Improvement Project to Frank Coluccio Construction of Seattle.

Work will begin this spring and is expected to be completed no later than spring 2008.

The project will improve First Avenue South from Southwest 146th Street to Southwest 162nd Street.

The project to upgrade and beautify First Avenue South in Burien’s main business district is expected to give the corridor an economic shot in the arm.

“We’ve seen how the c

SeaTac lawmakers, acting on two controversial matters March 28, authorized rebuilding the McMicken Heights fire station and changed zoning to allow a student health clinic at Tyee High School.

Four neighboring residential properties will be bought out to accommodate the expanded fire station at 3521 S.

Ed Penhale, a communications director for two governors and an ex-Highline Times editor, passed away March 24.

Mr. Penhale graduated from the University of New Hampshire, where he was editor of the school paper. He then worked for a year as a newspaper reporter in Dover, N.H., before driving to the west coast with his college girlfriend.

He first job here was with the Highline Times.

Ken Robinson, associate publisher of the Times/News, gave Mr. Penhale his first newspaper job in Washington.

Recalling Mr.

The city of Burien received on March 31 a payment of $233,300 from Town Square private developer Urban Partners.

City officials noted this payment signals that construction of the highly anticipated development planned for downtown Burien will soon be underway.

The deposit is for the Urban Partners’ purchase of city owned property where Town Square’s residential, retail and professional buildings will be built.

Mayor Joan McGilton said the deposit for the property is an important signal that Town Square is progressing.

“We&#821

Baseball

Mt. Rainier 10, Hazen 0

Chris Mahoney and Justin Thornton combined for a two-hit shutout Monday, March 27, with Thornton coming on in relif in the fifth.

Thornton also hit 2-for-3 with a triple and two RBI, while Matt Rogers hit 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Highline 16, Tyee 0

Brendan Grdner-Young threw a one-hit shutout Monday, March 27. He went the distance in the five-inning game, striking out seven and walking one.