July 2006

All three Burien representatives to the Miss Washington Pageant placed in the top 10 on July 7 with the Gilbert sisters both chosen in the top five.

Amelia and Melody Gilbert remained close with younger sister Melody placing one spot below her sister.

Competing as Miss Emerald City, Amelia was named third runner-up.

Melody, Miss Burien 2006, was fourth runner-up.

Meanwhile, Burien's Jackie Graybill, Miss Puget Sound 2006, made it to the top ten among the 20 contestants.

Jackie was first runner-up to the Gilbert sisters in the 2005 and 2006

The public is invited to attend a July 25 groundbreaking ceremony that will officially start the First Avenue South Improvements Project in Burien.

The event 2 p.m.

Burien's timeline for annexing the North Highline unincorporated area might slow down if the Seattle City Council doesn't speed up their negotiation process.

At the July 10 Burien City Council meeting, council members discussed a scheduled July 31 meeting of representatives from Burien, the office of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and King County Executive Ron Sims.

Burien Community Development Director Scott Greenberg said meeting participants will focus on three goals for annexation that Burien developed earlier this year as they attempt to determine if there is an alternat

Police officers will remain in three Highline high schools, Superintendent John Welch announced July 10.

Welch told board members that district staffers had removed elimination of the school resource officers (SROs) from suggested budget cuts.

The district will instead reduce additional administrative positions and make other cuts, he said.

An estimated $3.1 million revenue shortfall needs to be eliminated from next school year's budget.

I was disappointed to see an anti-annexation group take part in Burien's annual Fourth of July Parade. My disappointment turned to concern when I learned that this group was petitioning citizens along the parade route.

My concern is that the citizens who were approached by the anti-annexation individuals were misinformed about the implications of annexing all or part of the North Highline area.

It seems the take-home message that was being delivered by the petitioners is that any annexation equals higher taxes or that annexation will "forever change" the character of Burien.

After reading Eric Mathison's article claiming that nobody cares about the third runway expansion and that 37 percent of the residents are not even aware of the runway construction, I am totally mystified with several questions about the reporting:

What is the credibility of the reported EMC phone survey, given that the paying customer for the survey (PSRC) benefits from this result with future studies of air cargo increases, the future Regional Airport Study being conducted by the State and other Sea-Tac projects?

If there is truth in the theory that people are born with a destiny of fulfilling specific roles in life, then retiring South King Fire and Rescue Chief Jim Polhamus must have been born with a "fancy" for red fire engines.

For 30 years, Polhamus answered "the fire bell" for Des Moines.

After attending fire drill and pumper truck operation classes and riding along to a North Hill garage fire, Polhamus said, "I was hooked."

Becoming American is less a function of birth or blood and more a function of embracing a set of ideas.

Dinesh D'Souza in

"What's So Great About America?"

Last week, Eric Mathison missed the mark in his reply to my July 5 column about immigration, our national heritage and the English language.

Illegal immigration and border security, and the assimilation into American society of those who come here legally, comprise the most critical domestic issue facing the United States.

Therefore, a sequel is in order.

Just about every golfer in this area has played Tyee, the unique track at the south end of Sea-Tac Airport.

Many years ago I played it pretty often. That was when George Puetz was the pro. It had a driving range, a sizeable pro shop and lot of interesting holes.

It was, then as now, the noisiest course in the world with jets landing and taking off at probably a hundred feet overhead.

It is now owned by the Port of Seattle and undergoing major surgery in the whole layout, and last week I got in nine fascinating holes.

Burien's timeline for annexing the North Highline unincorporated area might slow down if the Seattle City Council doesn't speed up its negotiation process.

At a Burien City Council meeting last week, council members discussed a scheduled July 31 meeting of representatives from Burien, the office of Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and King County Executive Ron Sims.

Scott Greenberg, Burien's community development director, said meeting participants will focus on three goals for annexation that Burien developed earlier this year as they attempt to determine if there is an altern