June 2008

Revenue and expenses are up in Des Moines

General governmental revenue collections and expenditures by the city of Des Moines were marginally higher in the first quarter this year compared to the same period in 2007.

Revenue collections of $4,133,966 through March accounted for 23 percent of the city's annual budget, compared to 20.8 percent last year, according to the First Quarter 2008 Financial Report recently submitted to the Des Moines City Council by finance director Paula Henderson.

General expenditures of $4,367,602 came to 24.5 percent of the 2008 budget, compared to 24.1 percent in 2007.

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Performances featured at Burien Strawberry Festival

Burien's 2008 Strawberry & Arts Festival will feature the largest performance schedule in its history, with three stages providing music and dance on Saturday, June 28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday, June 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Also new this year are many "strolling surprises", which include the Trash Apes, human gorillas/professional dancers with a dose of drama and comedy. The Anunnaki Project will be stilt walking, while Miles and Karina will sing and play accordion in the crowds.

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Sports Briefs

Pro instruction offered

Local tennis professional Steve Walters again offers area tennis lessons at outdoor locations this summer. Walters, certified Pro 1 by the United States Professional Tennis Association since 1986, has coached at some of the world's top tennis resorts and academies in Florida, California, Texas and Canada. Also he traveled on the men's professional tour, including the 1988 U.S. Open, as a traveling coach for world-ranked pros and nationally-ranked juniors.

As a player, Walters has been ranked No.

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Rams breezing into summer Legion season

There's a good flow to the Mount Rainier Rams baseball team, and not just the spring high school season.

"There's summer ball and fall ball," said Bobby Odegard, the head coach of the Rams summer league program playing in the American Legion against other teams mostly made up of underclassmen high schoolers from respective schools -- Sammamish, Redmond, Liberty, Enumclaw and others.

There's a reason why the Rams' high school team has made it to the playoffs six of head coach Darren Rawie's eight seasons.

The reason why the Rams baseball program is consistently

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Area athletes dominate spring all-star picks

Karli Merlich took the mound for most of the way for the Kennedy fastpitch softball team this year, leading the Lancers to a state Class 3A championship.

Merlich was honored as the Most Valuable Pitcher of the year for her efforts in the Seamount League.

Meanwhile, her coach -- Dino Josie -- reeled in the Coach of the Year award.

Sarah Martinez of Mount Rainier was named as the Most Valuable Player.

Merlich and Martinez also led the first team selections as seniors, with Merlich named as a first team pitcher and Martinez as the first team shortstop.<

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Children and More

I tell stories to important people

By Lauri Hennessey

The other day my seven year-old son asked me what I did for a living. When you are seven there are livings that are easy to understand, of course. Teacher? Easy. Firefighter? Cool. Dentist, doctor, store owner. All graspable.

Try explaining to a 1st grader that you do public relations.

This challenge has been bouncing around my mind as I read the flap over Scott McClellan's book. The former White House spin doctor now admits he lied on the job. Most of America isn't surprised.

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Under green cover

The Parks Department proposal to close the beach fires under the Seattle Climate Action Now recommendation is an attempt to make an end run around the community's wishes and should be strongly opposed.

It is the Parks Department's responsibility to provide recreational facilities to the citizens of Seattle for their myriad uses. It is not the Parks Department's right to dictate local climate policy. That duty belongs to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

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