June 2007

Graffiti artists, "Artmobiles" and high school students modeling new clothes made from trash are just a few new scenes planned for Burien's Strawberry and Arts Festival on Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24.

The annual celebration will be at the Burien Community Center and Dottie Harper Park at Southwest 146th Street and Fourth Avenue South.

Colorful "Arts Parades" will include Orchestar Zirkonium, a Balkan-style "noise" orchestra and dance band; Show Brazil!, featuring costumed dancers; and the renowned Filipino Youth Drill Team.

In the Dottie Harper Park

The third-ranking official in the U.S.

Drivers on State Route 518 will endure nighttime detours and delays around Sea-Tac International Airport as the light-rail line is built across the freeway.

The light rail bridge will be built across SR-518, just west of International Boulevard near the South 154th Street station in Tukwila.

Because of increased airport traffic on Friday evenings, there will be no Friday night closures. The closures will also take a holiday during Independence Day week from Thursday, June 28, through Friday, July 6.

The closures are scheduled between 11 p.m.

Two races for the Burien City Council and one for the Tukwila City Council are the only Highline-area council contests that will appear on the Aug. 21 primary election ballot.

Candidates filed for all open city, county and district offices last week.

In Burien, Councilman Gordon Shaw is seeking re-election. Former Councilman Stephen Lamphear and J.

Burien council members stood firm last week against continuing criticism from public officials and homeless advocates who oppose the city's plan to proceed with demolition of the Lora Lake Apartments.

"We're hearing, 'If Burien doesn't keep the Lora Lake Apartments open, that will jeopardize state funding'" for projects in the city, Major Joan McGilton noted at their June 4 meting. "I find this incredible."

The elected officials making those comments "truly don't understand the problem or the scope" of the issue, McGilton said.

Only U.S. Rep.

It was good to have Ms. Rosenberg from King County Housing Authority (KCHA) acknowledge [May 30 Times/News) that they are going to honor their contractual obligations and vacate the Lora Lake Apartments.

From my recent view of this situation you would hardly know that was their intent.

The Burien Co-op Preschool had a fundraising auction in May. We solicited donations of goods and services from the local business community.

I was struck by how generous our Burien businesses are. They helped make our event a success and now I would like to encourage people to buy locally. Burien businesses make our school events successful.

Also you will drive less and save on gas by shopping in Burien. Shopping here will increase our tax base by putting our money back into local businesses.

Thanks, Burien businesses, for supporting our School.

I recently read some articles concerning Debra George.

Debra George gave me a shot when nobody else would. She listens to me when I really need to talk to her. She gives me constructive advice when I need it.

She also has given me some of the nicest compliments that any boss has ever done.

While I am at it, I met Jean of Miss Kitty's a couple of years ago.

Thank you so very much for the local coverage of issues each week. I am greatly helped by reading your newspaper.

Last week I thought what Gary Long wrote about the Lora Lake apartments was good. This week I was even more impressed by Rhonda Rosenberg's article. Affordable housing is in such short supply it seems to make more sense to me to hold onto what we have of it especially as it is a blessing to Burien as well because of the income stream.

I know agreements were made and it was to be closed.

How dare Ron Sims and Greg Nickels threaten Burien and try to tell them how to run their City!

One of the reasons that Burien incorporated was because King County (read Ron Sims and Greg Nickels) was allowing increasingly large numbers of low-income, high-density, multi-family apartments to be built there.