June 2008

Despite dreary spring weather, the Elliott Bay Water Taxi is off to a strong start, registering a 17 percent increase in riders over last years record-setting pace.

The downtown-to-Seacrest Park run served a total of 29,340 riders since opening its 2008 summer season on April 27.

"The continued strong increases in ridership show that the Elliott Bay Water Taxi has become an important and valued commuting option for West Seattle residents," said Dow Constantine, member of the King County Council.

What might have been

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

At a time of being despondent there are always thoughts of the one that got away or what could have happened if something hadn't gone wrong. My husband can always remember the marlin that he played for hours leaving him with aching arms for days after one fishing trip. I get seasick so didn't accompany my husband on the fishing boat off the shores of Kauai. I waited in the motel for him to return and when several hours had passed I called the tour office.

Summer reading listed for teens

By Wally Bubelis

Summer is almost here, and with this year's recession, that may mean that the annual family road trip will be shortened or put on hold entirely. We can expect a lot more inexpensive activities for everyone, and teens will likely find themselves either working for some spending money or having a lot of time on their hands.

One cost-effective activity that delivers a huge bang for the buck is, of course, reading.

As a West Seattle High School community member I am very dismayed with the new bell schedule that is posted on the school Web site for the 2008-09 (school year).

Once again our students are being shortchanged on instruction time, in class, learning with a teacher.

The difference between 55 minutes and 50 minutes is 15 hours per class per year, or 360 hours per student over the course of four years. The 55 minute periods were mandated by Ms.

Public safety cuts are necessary

By Dow Constantine

How would cutting 100 Sheriff's deputies affect police response times? How would a reduction of 30 deputy prosecutors impact our ability to put criminal suspects on trial?

These are examples of the grim decisions facing King County citizens and lawmakers as we confront a $68 million budget deficit for 2009 and a possible $80 million deficit in 2010.

How did this problem come to be?

The South Park Bridge, which spans over troubled water, is in trouble itself.

While the Duwamish River needs to be cleaned, the bridge above may need to go. The 78-year-old bridge cannot yet be retired, and must continue to carry 18,000 cars and 2,600 trucks per day.

With epoxy-repaired columns, shaky wooden piers buried in shallow water, enormous gears with teeth that have shifted out of line, and fuses reminiscent of those in Dr.

Thirty-five dots sprinkled the initial City of Seattle municipal jail site map. Each represented a potential seven-plus-acre site for a new 445-bed misdemeanor jail.

And then there were four. One is off 15th Avenue West abutting the Interbay Golf Center's southern border. Another is on 11762 Aurora Avenue North, across the street from Puetz Golf.

The remaining two candidates have nothing to do with golf, but everything to do with the South Park neighborhood, whose former rough-and-tumble reputation has softened over the last decade.

When Anne Magyer and her husband, Justin Cline, first toured the old Dilettante caf

Two online companies that promised consumers "free" big-ticket items but required them to pay for trial offers and subscriptions must pay $55,000 in civil penalties under a settlement announced last week by the Washington Attorney General's Office.

Under the terms of the settlement, SubscriberBASE Holdings, Inc., of Columbia, S.C., and SubscriberBASE, Inc., can no longer offer such promotions to Washington residents.

The Seattle Department of Planning and Development has new land use recommendations for south downtown and it has included a supporting environmental impact statement.

The two documents are the result of a study on a livable downtown, a multi-year public initiative to explore ways to facilitate the additional jobs and housing called for in neighborhood plans.

The study area includes Pioneer Square, Chinatown/ International District including Little Saigon east of Interstate 5, the east side of Rainier Avenue South between South Dearborn Street and South Main Street, and t