June 2008

The impact of sharply rising diesel fuel costs today prompted the Metropolitan King County Council to unanimously call for a performance audit of King County Metro Transit to identify more efficient business processes and ensure the best allocation of resources in order to maintain levels of service.

"When budgets are tight, that's the time to be doing more audits, not less," said Council member Bob Ferguson, who commutes by Metro Transit and sponsored the audit legislation.

"Skyrocketing fuel costs may soon lead the county executive to propose a fuel surcharge or fare in

Mayor Greg Nickels has awarded of $680,000 in matching funds to 22 summer Youth Initiative projects and 27 Small and Simple projects across the city.

The Youth Initiative projects will focus on programs for teens in the Central District and the Rainier Beach community. The Small and Simple projects are spread across the city, covering subjects as diverse as public art, race and social justice, youth-development, and climate protection.

The bike rack design and implementation effort of Sustainable Ballard was awarded $9,700 with a match of $15,280.

Two Catholic school principals say it's time for a change, and both will get their wish. Bob Rutledge leaves St. Alphonsus Parish School in Ballard to become principal at St. Bernadette Parish School in Burien.

St. Bernadette principal, Joe Budde, will retire.

Rutledge taught eighth grade social studies, language arts, and religion at St. Alphonsus for seven years, then became principal for four.

"I even taught a little math, but that's not my specialty," he said with a grin.

His responsibilities now include both hiring new teachers at St.

Summer sessions next week

By Dean Wong

With the tennis courts at Lower Woodland for closed construction this summer, Hamilton and the United States Professional Tennis Association that he is a member of are planning to attract players to Ballard High School's courts.

On Saturday, June 28, a block party will be held at Ballard High School to kick off Ballard Tennis's summer sessions. The event includes fun games, a cookout and other activities.

"Ballard Tennis is a great story. We offer a full service program just like any major club.

The Seattle School District says the class of 2008 has proven the School Board's change in four new statewide graduation requirements works when the class met and exceeded the state reading and writing portions of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, better known as the WASL.

The goal in changing the graduation requirements for the class of 2008 and beyond was to allow better preparation for students to contribute to their own economic well-being along with their families and communities, and to enjoy productive and satisfying lives in the future, says the district.
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"He's a cool cat," says Marcia Wold of eight year-old Ferris, her furry Maine Coon. "He's pretty nonplussed about things. Ferris likes to wait and see how everything shakes down before he reacts."

Wold says that while he is very gentle, he can become assertive when he wants to be let out at 4am. She explains, "He wakes me by slowly running his claws through my hair like he's combing me and it's pretty unnerving."

She says his favorite treats are lemon custard ice cream and coffee.

It woud be easy to simply blame our old whipping boy, Tim Eyman, for the apparent disaster looming over the King County 2009 budget, but that would be too simple and wrong.

A couple of weeks ago King County Executive Ron Sims made official what had been rumbling around county government for weeks: The new budget could be short about $148 million for the two-year 2009 - 2010 budget.

The result is crime in the streets and criminals going free or not even facing the prospect of justice.

How can this be?

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?

Steel Lake encouragement ate up the obstacles in a 13-4 defeat of Soundview in last Wednesday's District 10 Little League Majors (10-12 age) softball Tournament of Champions held at the Federal Way National Baseball Complex.

"The theme was E.A.T.

Let's imagine that you've been chosen as a speaker at your local high school's commencement ceremonies.

It's not so far-fetched, you've been the beneficiary of a few years of hard knocks, it's likely that you have developed some rules to live by.

So if you had to pare them down to just five choice pieces of advice, what would you offer to young people who will soon hit the mean streets with their whole lives ahead of them?

I asked a few people this question, some friends and family, and got some good responses.