August 2007

A new left-turn traffic signal has been installed on South Spokane Street so eastbound cars and trucks can get off the Spokane Street Viaduct and turn north onto Fourth Avenue South.That's one of the changes West Seattle drivers can expect from Aug. 10 through Aug. 29 to ease the anticipated jam-up of cars seeking ways around nearly three weeks of repairs on the northbound lanes of Interstate 5. A mile-long stretch of I-5 needs to be shored up between Spokane Street and Interstate 90.

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Chas Redmond, with Ed and Wally Miller cook "slugs" (dough with homemade jam inside) over a fire barrel during Neighborhood Night Out on Tuesday night. The event, taking place nationally for the 24th year in a row saw neighborhood parties all around Seattle for the purpose of promoting neighborhood safety.

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Fireman Jeff Vale of Engine Company 37 roasts a marshmallow at the party. The company came to the party but had to leave on a call then came back. According to Vale, "We didn't get to roast our slugs!"

Photos by Patrick Robinson

The South King Fire & Rescue District could save up to $1 million over six years if voters approve Proposition 1 on the Aug. 21 primary election ballot, according to Chief Al Church.

Proposition 1, a property tax levy lid lift measure, would allow the fire district that serves Des Moines and Federal Way to charge up to $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value for the next six years.

In the past the district has run the levy lid measure every year.

Michelle Stanley, a senior at Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines, has been appointed by Lt. Gov. Brad Owen to the Legislative Youth Advisory Council (LYAC).

Stanley, 17, of SeaTac, also attends Highline Community College.

1. Federal Way police followed up on a 911 call regarding a domestic assault that took place in an apartment complex at 952 Southwest Campus Drive. The female victim told Federal Way officers that she and a friend were drinking and later fell asleep. She was awoken in the middle of the night because the friend was strangling her in her bed. The report states that he dragged her along the ground and elbowed her in the face. The report also states that the suspect kicked the victim in the face and bit her in various places.

BURIEN - There's something about those Marine Hills swim club sisters, Kenna and Kayla Ramey, and that "something" is spelled s-p-e-e-d-y.

Similar words comes quickly to mind, too, to describe the exemplary efforts of the two 15-18 senior age level 200-yard freestyle relay teams swimmers of MH -- boys and girls -- who both won to cap off a fifth place overall finish for Marine Hills in the Southern Division Seattle Summer Swim League meet at the Gregory Seahurst pool in Burien Thursday.

"That was kind of a nice little close," said Wendy Neely of the relay back-to-back win

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 is located at 22450 19th Ave. So. in Des Moines.

Federal Way High School graduate Karin Stender recently finish a successful season with the Purdue swimming team.

Stender competed in the butterfly and individual medley. She took 22nd place at the Big Ten meet in the butterfly in 2:07.82. and 32nd for the Boilermakers in the 400 IM.

Everett slugging away

Federal Way High School graduate Brady Everett is enjoying an impressive baseball season with the Burlington Bees of the Kansas City Royals organization. Everett is hitting .294 (84-for-286) for the full season lower Class A team in the Midwest League.

Fife-Auburn-Milton-Edgewood closed out its 2007 Washington state championship season of destiny with two consecutive wins in pool play to finish fourth in the Little League Softball Western Regional held July 26-August 1 in Missoula, Montana.

The tournament began with teams representing Southern California, Arizona, Oregon, Montana and Washington.

Washington had problems at bat, being shut out in its first three games. Southern California defeated Washington 3-0 before Arizona similarly shut out Washington 3-0.

It is said that good things come in threes: Past/Present/Future, small/medium/large, blondes, brunettes/redheads, all good things.

Note-Those with the glass half empty will tell you this is reversed and the notion is about bad things - I say, balderdash.

We make our own luck, mostly, and this was the way my week went, over three days, when I undertook some errands around town.

My weedeater was recalcitrant.

I had purchased it recently at Sears, thinking it was perfect for my style, which is decimating the awful, thorny greenery around the railroad ti