March 2007

Aid for nursing homes

We all need to think about the power our legislators have as they haggle over the budget.

How important is it to you that your family or friends that may need care in a nursing home are well taken care of? Our state has chronically underfunded nursing homes, which leads to inadequate care for nursing home residents. Shouldn't quality of life for our most vulnerable citizens be a priority? And, who takes care of Washington state's nursing home staff when they need care? Nursing home workers earn low wages and most lack health benefits.

Neighborhood

Last trip to Safeway

After reading the article on March 14 in the Herald about the Admiral Safeway's new enforcement policy, I feel that the store can use better customer relations people.

Yes their policy has been abused by people taking the bus but not by usual customers. I always find a place to park. I asked a store clerk what is happening and she said no announcements have been made and most customers don't know about it. The abusers can go into the store and then walk out and catch the bus to downtown.

I'll say that was my last trip to the Admiral Safeway.

Wayne P.

Neighborhood

Viaduct clear winner

In the City of Seattle, King County advisory election, voters were given two options. Now government officials should do their job and properly interpret the advisory results, only as they apply to the two options.

On the Yes vote, 43 percent of votes were in favor of the viaduct compared to only 30 percent for the tunnel. The viaduct wins the Yes vote.

On the No vote, 70 percent of votes were against the tunnel whereas 57 percent were against the viaduct. The tunnel wins the No vote.

Based on the results, the viaduct comes through as the clear winner.

Suggestions for viaduct impasse

I am a West Seattle resident, and for us the recent ballot on the viaduct/tunnel has been a disaster. The political wrangling and posturing resulted in a ballot whose wording was ill conceived, not only for the presentation of what was on the ballot, but also for what was not on the ballot.

In the aftermath of the vote I keep hearing comments that it appears the people want a surface option, since they rejected the viaduct/tunnel options. Whoa, that will not solve the problem we in the west side (north and south Seattle) have of getting through Seattle in a timely manner.

Op-Ed - Olympia can help Seattle's renters

Seattle is struggling to meet the challenge of ensuring that individuals and families of all income levels can work and live in our city. One phenomenon impacting this challenge is the increasing conversion of apartments to condominiums. During the past two years there has been a significant loss of rental housing in Seattle due to condo conversions.

Nearly 4,000 apartments or about 3 percent of our rental units were converted to condominiums in 2005 and 2006.

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Residents discuss the future of White Center

To start a public workshop on a high note, facilitators asked approximately 90 residents to name places in White Center they'd want to take a friend.

Answers poured out: McLendon's Hardware, North Shorewood Park, Taco trucks, Pacific Rim Brewery, West Side Four-Square Church, Heng Heng Market, Cambodian Cultural Museum, Del Rio store and restaurant, Hicks Lake, Caf

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Special ed programs to end

Self-contained special education classes at Alki and Schmitz Park elementary schools will close at the end of the school year due to low enrollment, Seattle School District officials decided.

The district's yearly evaluation of it's special education programs revealed a decrease in special needs enrollment at the schools, forcing the decision to consolidate those students into programs at Arbor Heights and High Point, said Patti Spencer, a district spokesperson.

During the two-week review of the programs, the district looked at enrollment trends and budgetary needs to fig

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