May 2008

In North Admiral, a convicted sexual offender took an opportunity to wave hello to some women who parked their car in front of his house. He pulled up the window blinds but, shall we say, did not pull up his pants. Nor did he wave with his hands. The prosecutor's office will receive a report that documents the incident.

A man spent two hours in a bathroom at a local bowling alley and was then accused of peeping as a customer relieved himself. The customer tried to detain the man while police were called, but in the struggle they fell to the ground.

Last Oct. 10 Maria Cantwell headlined the grand opening of Propel Biofuels' fuel station at Bernie's Automotive in Ballard, its first of 15 planned. The senator praised the $3.59 per gallon biodiesel for its renewability, minimal discharge of CO2 gas, 78 percent lower than petro-diesel fuel, and for its promise to propel vehicles inexpensively.

In that half a year, however, biodiesel has increased two dollars per gallon. Propel Biofuels just opened its first West Seattle location at a family-owned Exxon station on Southwest Barton Street at 35th Avenue Southwest.

After eight months, I know just one thing for certain. If their marriages were anything like mine, recent widows and widowers would benefit from having a global positioning system (GPS) in their vehicle.

It's not that we need direction. But it is important, in the process of grieving, to accommodate the uncomfortable memories and regrets.

John and I fought rarely but passionately. Everyday sniping was not our style. Our all-out nuclear meltdowns were most likely to occur when we were driving, confused and lost in a strange city.

Business Week's best selling book called "The Tipping Point" describes how New York changed itself from a crime-ridden city to a Jewel of Pride in a few short years.

It was based upon the broken window theory. The idea is that if you see an abandoned house and one person throws a rock and breaks a window, another will do the same, thus creating a downward cycle in the homes and neighborhood.

They found the opposite is also true; little positive changes pay huge dividends. They started by arresting those people who would jump over the toll stations at the subways.

To paraphrase part of a recent Suze Orman article on financial planning about acquiring a dream home, it would sound like this: "If annexing an area you long for requires the appearance of a fairy godmother, a grant out of the blue, a winning lottery ticket, promises of funds from another governmental agency, or stretching the city finances to the point that the dream is destined to become a nightmare, then the city should reshape its dreams.

What good is the dream if it leads to a financial mess?"

The Burien city council meeting held on May 19th was very telling in the w

As a citizen, each time I have tried to get information from the City of Burien, it has been like trying to milk a bull. Speaking nicely, pushing or pulling produces little results. The bucket remains empty and the bull gets angry.

The Neighbors of Seahurst Park have repeatedly tried to get the city to explain the procedures for an appeal to a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS).

I am sure people reading the Highline Times are tired of my letters to the editor, but what happened over the weekend in King County's Lakewood Park, I wish to shout from the rooftops.

The restrooms in the park were closed from July 2007 for remodeling until they were opened Friday, 5/9/2008.

As expected, Burien council members voted May 19 to call for the annexation by election of the southern portion of North Highline.

The vote was 6 to 1 with Councilwoman Lucy Krakowiak opposing annexation.

However, city manager Mike Martin cautioned lawmakers that a complex bureaucratic process is ahead before affected North Highline voters could vote--possibly in February.

King County Prosecutor Dan Satterberg is one of several Highline High School graduates, who will return to their alma mater on June 7, to participate in the third annual Relay For Life of Highline. The 18-hour event at Highline Memorial Stadium is part of the international effort to benefit the American Cancer Society.

Satterberg and his rock band, The Approximations, will perform a free concert of favorite dance music from the 1960s '70s and '80s in the stadium during the relay, which is open to the public.

The city of SeaTac is going green.

SeaTac lawmakers have voted to join ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, a group with a membership of 800 cities worldwide, including 400 in the United States.

The group was established in 1990 as the International Council on Local Environmental Initiatives.

SeaTac will use the organization's software to track its carbon footprint, according to public works director Dale Schroeder.

To combat climate change, local governments have immediate control over their facilities and possible regulatory control over pri