June 2008

The Mayor's effort to reduce greenhouse emissions and raise awareness of our individual environmental impact is a noble and necessary effort. The Parks Department using it as an excuse to close Alki Beach fires is nonsense.

How are we going to stay warm when we gather for the Christmas ships? Not to mention our annual family reunions and high school graduation celebrations?

This is silly and shame on the Parks Department for hijacking the Mayor's program for their own ends.

Monica Linscott

Alki

I'd like to know what the West Seattle Junction Association plans to do with the money (a grant of $10,000 from the Office of Economic Development).

Arlene Carter

West Seattle

The King County Council said on Monday it wants to audit Metro Transit to figure out how they can "best ensure the best allocation of resources in order to maintain levels of service.

?Skyrocketing fuel costs may soon lead the County Executive to propose a fuel surcharge or fare increase for Metro Transit,? said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who represents Ballard on the council.

Seattle Public Schools has been awarded a $503,797 grant to help enhance and fortify its readiness and emergency management plans.

Seattle is one of 92 school districts in 34 states to receive an award under the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant program. In total, more than $24 million was awarded to school districts across the country.

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools discretionary grant program provides funds for local school districts to improve and strengthen their emergency management plans.

When neighbors saw two young men try to kick in the door of a home Thursday evening, they yelled and gave chase. Ultimately, six to eight young men took off running southbound in the 3200 block of 40th SW. Three (residents of Renton, Tacoma, and south Seattle) were caught, detained and questioned by officers. They are also possible suspects in another residential burglary. They were released to one of the boys? fathers.

While being detained during a domestic violence investigation, an intoxicated suspect kicked an officer twice in the groin.

Tell Coast Guard to keep bridge open

By Tom Rasmussen

West Seattle residents and businesses will see major road projects in the West Seattle bridge corridor begin in the next several years. Construction to widen and improve the Spokane Street viaduct and the inevitable Alaskan Way viaduct project may cause tremendous traffic delays.

Deficit should never have happened

By Larry Phillips

In response to the King County Executive's call for an 8.6 percent across-the-board budget cut for all county agencies, the chair of the County Council's 2009 Budget Review and Adoption Committee asserted that the county's projected $68 million budget deficit for next year could have been avoided with better planning.

This should never have happened - we have known since 2001 that King County was facing a formula for disaster with shrinking revenues and growing costs.

On February 3 while the New York Giants were receiving Eli Manning's tossed footballs, Ballard's Richard Ladner and Ann Sauer were receiving their five year-old Welsh Corgi, Abby.

"We got her on Super Bowl Sunday," recalled Ladner. Abby came to them through Cascade Pembroke Welsh Corgi Rescue in Olympia.

A good Samaritan had previously rescued Abby from a Tacoma shelter because she had a 14 ounce bladder stone and needed surgery.

"That kind lady negotiated a fee with a veterinarian, cared for Abby, then gave her to the Olympia rescue shelter," said Sauer.

great teacher

My daughter, Amelia, had a phenomenal teacher named Peg Swartzman in her preschool classroom at North Seattle Fives Cooperative Preschool this year. North Seattle Fives is located in the daylight basement of St. John's Lutheran Church on Phinney Avenue, across from Woodland Park Zoo.

Peg Swartzman, the much beloved teacher at North Seattle Fives, is retiring this year. Peg has touched the lives of so many.

It was a pleasure to read of the new hip replacement operations being done at Swedish/Ballard in last week's paper (June 4, 2008). It is always great to have access to the latest surgical advances that result in better outcomes and shortened recovery time. We all like that. However, for me, the best part is that these advanced procedures are being performed right here in Ballard at our own hospital.

I regard this as a tangible example that Swedish/Ballard is indeed on the way back.