January 2007

ROBINSON NEWSPAPERS

Scott LaVielle, who most recently was fire marshal of the North Highline Fire District, became the department's new fire chief on Jan. 1.

A 27-year veteran who worked his way up through the ranks, LaVielle replaces Russ Pritchard.

North Highline Fire District commissioners voted 2-1 in December to promote LaVielle to fire chief.

In a controversial move on Sept. 7, the commissioners unanimously agreed to offer Pritchard a 57 percent pay raise in exchange for his resignation effective Dec.

The transfiguration of High Point - biggest construction project in West Seattle in decades - is at the midpoint and a few changes are being instituted for phase two.

Instead of having one contractor as in phase one, separate contractors were selected for the rest of the huge makeover. Tri-State Construction Inc. installed the underground utilities for the rest of High Point including sewer, water, storm water and natural gas lines.

Study results support the effectiveness of restricted driver's licenses for teens that limit nighttime driving and the number of passengers in the car, according to the American Automobile Association Foundation for Traffic Safety.

According to the foundation, death and injury crash rates for 16-year-old drivers are 20 percent lower in states with "graduated" driver's licensing laws.

Washington's graduated driver's licensing law includes both nighttime and passenger restrictions, and since its implementation in July 2001, collisions involving 16-year-old drivers on Washin

Unlicensed pets could fetch a hefty fine this year if Seattle Animal Shelter officers can catch them.

Thanks to a $250,000 boost in its annual budget, the shelter hired three additional officers, increasing its patrol staff to 15 as part of its "zero-tolerance policy."

Officers will be out patrolling parks, off-leash areas and neighborhoods more than 100 hours per week, up from 20 hours per week during the last few years, said Don Jordan, director of the Seattle Animal Shelter.

"It really gives us the opportunity to expand our services," Jordan said.

It wasn't that the plastic figures stolen from a nativity scene in an Arbor Heights yard were expensive. Bob Youngs was amazed that anyone would dispossess him of Jesus and Mary.

Thieves stole the figures, each about 3 feet high, from Youngs' yard in the 4000 block of Southwest 100th Street sometime during the night either Christmas Day or Dec. 26.

"It was just the idea of the whole thing," he said in astonishment.

The figure of Joseph was not disturbed.

A home d/cor disagreement caused a man to punch his stepfather last week. Apparently, the stepson didn't approve of their motor home being painted pink.

Responding to a family disturbance call in the 5900 block of 35th SW, officers found a child in a home where the interior was covered with garbage and rotting food. The officer writes, "I noted that there were multiple fruit flies in the kitchen that impaired my ability to breathe without ingesting them." A moldy pizza was in the middle of the floor, and food and containers were piled 3 feet high on the kitchen counters.

Last summer a team of seniors from the Northwest Seattle Little League went deep in into the playoffs by finishing in a second place tie in the Western Regional Senior Tournament in Salem, Oregon.

Although its still winter, the Northwest Seattle Little League is already thinking about baseball as they announced the sign-up period for local teams.

The league is now taking mail-in registration for children at least six years old and not yet 17 years old.

Since the beginning of time parents have relied upon experts to mentor them concerning parenting. In the extended family/farm community there was always someone older and more experienced who could watch over the little ones while the younger, more vigorous parents were out doing the chores of the day. After all, the older members of society have a wealth of knowledge about teaching young children to become independent adults.

Today parents live in relative isolation from such experienced caregivers.

It's more than too bad that shoddy planning and money mismanagement could come at the expense of community centers and educational programs. But if the Seattle School District wants to, or says it needs to, that's just what will happen.

Now that school closures are off the table for the time being, the district is reevaluating its real estate holdings to see where it can sell or raise the rent to make more money.

Some old school buildings serve as interim school sites and others have long- and short-term leases with third parties.

IN AND FOR

THE COUNTY OF KING

NO: 06-4-06670-4SEA

PROBATE NOTICE TO CREDITORS (RCW 11.40.030)

In the matter of the estate of: ARTHUR SAULNESS SR., Deceased.

The co-personal representatives named below have been appointed as co-personal representatives of this estate.