January 2007

Pro instruction offered

Local tennis professional Steve Walters again offers area tennis lessons at outdoor locations this summer. Walters, certified Pro 1 by the United States Professional Tennis Association since 1986, has coached at some of the world's top tennis resorts and academies in Florida, California, Texas and Canada. Also he traveled on the men's professional tour, including the 1988 U.S. Open, as a traveling coach for world-ranked pros and nationally-ranked juniors.

As a player, Walters has been ranked No.

Boating

Coast Guard Auxiliary

Ongoing

U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Des Moines Flotilla No. 32 regularly offers Boating Safety and Seamanship courses at Mount Rainier High School.

They cover the full range of boating safety subjects, including federal requirements, basic piloting, marlin spike, seamanship and boat handling.

The instruction is free, although there is a nominal fee for the student text and work books.

Mount Rainier looks a lot like last year in girls basketball, early on, anyway, with an average record, while the Evergreen Wolverines look like a team in need of help. They do need assistance after more turnovers than one can count on four hands, losing, 51-46, to the visiting Rams Friday.

The Rams moved to 5-4 overall and 2-1 in the Seamount while the Wolverines dropped to 1-1 in league and 1-4 overall. Both these teams made it to districts last year.

King County Councilwoman Julia Patterson, D-SeaTac, has been named vice-chairwoman of policy as part of the council's reorganization for 2007.

Her appointment came on a unanimous vote of county council members.

As vice-chairwoman of policy, Patterson will chair the council's Committee-of-the-Whole.

The council's Committee-of-the-Whole is the only standing committee on which all nine members serve.

The North Highline Unincorporated Area Council is gathering ideas for a permanent memorial for Deputy Steve Cox, who was killed in the line of duty on Dec. 2.

Deputy Cox worked in White Center and was well known throughout the North Highline area. He also was president of the North Highline council.

A task force of community leaders and representatives of King County government and the King County Sheriff's Office will consider all ideas.

Ideas for the memorial tribute must be submitted in writing either by e-mail or the U.S.

Industry veteran Tay Yoshitani was named the new chief executive officer of the Port of Seattle last week.

The port operates Sea-Tac International Airport.

Airport director Mark Reis will report to Yoshitani.

Yoshitani, who was appointed by the Port of Seattle commissioners, replaces Mic Dinsmore.

Dinsmore had announced his resignation earlier.

Yoshitani has led ports in Oakland and Baltimore and was deputy executive director of the Port of Los Angeles.

Across the state, many high school students with developmental disabilities are being denied the privilege of participating in graduation with their classmates.

But, State Rep.

Racha Turki is an elementary school student, she is deaf-blind, and she is a potter.

Racha began pottery at the Moshier Community Art Center in Burien in the fall of 2004, working with Donna Shaman and Meg Johnson, a pediatric occupational therapist and an orientation and mobility instructor respectively.

Pottery is definitely Racha's favorite activity, and she is always delighted to play and create with clay during pottery sessions.

On a Saturday pottery morning, Racha's foster mother, using tactile sign language, signs the phrase "pottery wheel" into Racha's

In a joint effort to help Highline residents, the Des Moines Enhanced Public Safety Committee, the Des Moines Police and South King Fire and Rescue have published an Emergency Preparedness Check-List booklet.

It is specifically designed for emergency situations the area experienced with a widespread power outage in December.

Wayne Corey, committee co-chairman, said, "People were caught unaware of the severity of the last storm and need to think about future events that might occur."

Des Moines Master Police Officer Dave Hamilton spearheaded the pamphlet's creat

Add up all the war, political corruption, genocide, racial violence, religious extremism and continued spread of HIV/AIDs, and 2006 left us with a pretty bleak legacy.

Unless, that is, we take time away from the screaming headlines and frantic newscasters to consider the small, quiet stories of goodness.

Those stories are the almost-unnoticed fabric of our daily lives. Chances are you live, work, play and maybe even worship with people who make your life good.

You are probably good to others.