October 2007

For those unaccustomed or unwilling to read the "supermajority" fine print, let me help.

Our state constitution currently requires a 60 percent "yes" vote from "40 percent of the number of voters who voted in the preceding general election" in the relevant school district, in order to pass an excess levy.

That's (.60 x .40) = 24 percent "yes" votes. Our constitution thus permits 24 percent of voters to successfully vote to tax the remaining 76 percent.

Eliminating the existing "24 percent" superminority provision would produce an even laxer tax equation.

I fully realize it is the policy of the West Seattle Herald to publish all but the most egregiously profane Letters to the Editor that it receives. I am gratified to having never violated that sacred charter over the course of 16 years that I've lived in West Seattle while submitting many Letters to the Editor composed within the dusty recesses of gray matter belonging to your's truly. It has been equally gratifying to see the many letters from people with whom I disagree. I enjoy, and learn from, opposing viewpoints. I even like the letters to which I find no bearing whatsoever.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a neighborhood coffee for Steve Sundquist, a candidate for the Seattle school board. It is my belief that a well-funded, well managed, public school system is a critical component of a successful democracy. It is also my biggest concern these days.

Law enforcement and community activists in Seattle's South Delridge neighborhood and unincorporated White Center neighborhood offer many viewpoints on the degree of gang activity that hugs Roxbury Street, the boundary that both divides and unites their communities.

Some say gangs are under control. Others declare the sky is falling.

One of the biggest needs in the city for senior citizens is low-cost housing, but the severity of the situation is a mixed bag.

Alan Rhone, with the Seattle Office for Senior Citizens Senior Information and Assistance program, helps seniors find resources for various issues like healthcare and insurance. But most of the seniors he counsels, some of whom are homeless, need housing.

Some have been sitting on wait lists for low-income programs through the Seattle Housing Authority for up to a year. In that case he usually refers them to the U.S.

An Indian fisherman recently caught more than Coho salmon in his gill net anchored just south of Duwamish Head.

Witnesses on shore, including a photographer, say he hauled a harbor seal pup into his boat, roughly untangled it from his net, and dumped it back into Elliott Bay - apparently dead.

This was Saturday morning, Oct. 20, in the shallows south of Anchor Park.

Fishermen at the local docks say other seal pups had been caught in gill nets, drowning three this month.

When voters approved the "Bridging the Gap" program to improve transportation in Seattle, a special fund was set up with $4.5 million for neighborhood transportation projects.

A half dozen types of transportation projects are eligible.

Mayor Greg Nickels says the city has stepped up efforts to keep people safe, protect property and keep Seattle moving during this year's winter storm season.

The mayor also urged all residents to make sure they are prepared to weather storms with emergency kits at home and in their cars.

"We can't control the weather, but we can control how we respond to it, and in Seattle our obligation is to be ready for the worst," the mayor said.

This year the city's winter storm preparations are based on lessons learned from the historic December 2006 wind and rain storm t

Seattle Public Schools and_Gatewood Elementary PTA will get a $30,000 matching grant from the King County Youth Sports Facility Grant program for upgrading the Gatewood Elementary playground

King County has announced 17 matching fund grants totaling nearly $800,000 that will give youth sports and recreation facilities a much-needed boost in the region.

King County Parks' Youth Sports Facility Grant program will leverage nearly $4 million for local parks and recreation projects through partnerships with cities, schools, and local community organizations.

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Seattle and other local agencies will participate in a yearlong demonstration project testing the performance of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in an urban area.

The money will come from the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory, matched by funding from program participants.