August 2007

Sound Transit will add another Sounder commuter train, which will include service to Tukwila, during the three-week closure of lanes on northbound Interstate 5 that begins Friday, Aug. 10.

The extra train will run from Puyallup Station to Seattle's King Street Station each weekday morning beginning August 13. It will depart Puyallup at 6:17 a.m. and stop in Sumner, Auburn, Kent and Tukwila before arriving in Seattle at 7:10 a.m.

In the evening, it will depart Seattle at 4:50 p.m.

The state Supreme Court dismissed last week a challenge by Burien, SeaTac and Tukwila to non-compete fees they receive from the city of Seattle.

In a 6-3 ruling, the court upheld the legality of noncompete fees that Seattle City Light pays to several suburban cities, including Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, to stay out of the utility business.

Writing for the majority, Justice Barbara Madsen said Seattle can pay the suburban cities because those fees do not constitute a government tax.

State law restricts one city from imposing fees on another city's municipal

Besides battling fatigue and the chill from 50-degree water, Justin Moser may have to watch out for bears while swimming the 2.3 miles between Des Moines and Maury Island on Aug. 25.

The route for the second annual Brent Rice Memorial Swim of the Sound between Des Moines Beach Park and Point Robinson is similar to one taken by a wayward bear recently.

Except the bear reversed the course, starting from the island and wading ashore a bit south at Saltwater State Park.

The residents of Burien have no vote on the potential annexation of North Highline/White Center to Burien. The residents of Burien had no advisory vote regarding the annexation of North Highline/White Center to Burien because the city council rejected the idea of an advisory vote, saying that the residents are not capable of making any sort of judgment regarding annexation.

The only recourse left to the residents of Burien is a vote for candidates in the upcoming election.

The residents of Federal Way and Des Moines are being asked to vote for Proposition 1 on August 21. This Lid Lift would allow South King Fire & Rescue to maintain the current levy rate of $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

What makes this election even more important is that a vote for this proposition will cover a six-year period from 2008 through 2013 instead of the one-year period. The present election system costs up to $200,000 each year. The savings on a six-year election period could be as much as $1 million in election cost alone.

This August 21 we will be facing many decisions in the Primary Election, but one of the most important is Proposition One which is the South King Fire & Rescue Levy Lid Lift. Each year you have been very consistent in voting for the continuing support of our Firefighters. This year there is a change, not in the amount of tax that will be collected each year, as that will remain the same; $1.50 per $1,000 of assessed valuation.

The difference is in asking for a six-year commitment for this same rate of tax over that period of time.

Don't be shocked if you soon see a left-turn traffic signal on the Spokane Street Viaduct allowing eastbound cars to exit 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.

Tomorrow, Twelfth Night Productions will produce Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma," a musical in set at the turn of the century in Indian Territory.

It is about the love affair between Curly and Laurey, Will Parker and Ado Annie, and the others that get in their way, including Jud Fry and countless other men.

What is Twelfth Night Productions? It is quaint West Seattle homegrown group that has been building since 1984. They began as a children's drama class lead by instructor and director, Mary Springer.

A fund-raiser for Chris Niemeyer, the victim of a hit-and-run accident last December, will be held at the RockSport Bar and Grill at 7 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 11.

The evening will include a silent auction from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Auction items have been donated from past RockSport staff members and area business owners. Although there is no cover charge, a donation of $5 is suggested.

The most expensive option for improving flood control in Fauntleroy - new streets with curbs and gutters - would cost an estimated $1,380,000. An inaccurate cost estimate figure was included in an article about the problem in the Aug. 1 edition.