September 2008

We often hear people say they have written, called or stopped by a local public official's office only to feel rejected or ignored. People will write an e-mail expressing dismay, anger, support or questions for a project, proposal or new rule or law.

"I got some general stuff thanking me for my letter, but no real answers to my questions," goes the refrain.

We understand the feeling because editors and reporters often share that feeling. Calls or e-mails asking for a response sometimes seem to disappear into the ether.

I was with you up until you said, "We do not fight the fact that plastic bags are bad for the environment."

What exactly are you basing this assumption on? Obviously not actual facts. Sure, most of what us humans do is bad for the environment.

What does it take to get the Seattle Department of Transportation, Mayor Nickels and now Mr. Licata to see the "light"? (pun intended!) Instead of all the little Band-Aid approaches? Curb bulbs, red flags, changing signs - all help very little like "Peter and the Dyke" - not in the long haul though!!

We need more police enforcement. I know they are busy fighting "crime," but I look at this as assault with a deadly weapon! Remember "Tatsuo".

We want and need a push button stop light at 47th Southwest and Admiral Way.

November's Sound Transit proposal to expand express bus service, enhance commuter rail, and add 36 miles of light rail will have enormous benefits for West Seattle and the entire three-county region.

The 15-year plan - known as Mass Transit Now - is a sound investment that will provide immediate relief for overcrowded buses and commuter trains while creating infrastructure that will serve people's mobility needs for generations into the future.

Seattle has begun to see a change in the type of people who are coming in for food bank services - people with their pressed slacks and white button down shirts are no longer a rare sight amongst the usual consumers.

As gas and food prices dramatically increase, food banks are getting hit by the economic blow as well as are Seattle families. However food banks are finding alternative ways to support the gradual increase of those seeking assistance.

"On average we have about 525 families that come in a week ...

The recast Statue of Liberty, atop a new pedestal and surrounded by a plaza of inscribed bricks, will be rededicated during a daylong celebration Saturday.

The Uptown Lowdown Jazz Band will start the celebration at 11 a.m. Arts and crafts, and food vendors will be set up between the new plaza and the Bathhouse. Boy Scouts will demonstrate activities toward earning badges.

The statue will be unveiled during a ceremony at 1:30 p.m.

Local troops of Cub Scouts, Sea Scouts, Boy and Girl Scouts will present colors.

During the six months that Bruce Harrell has been a Seattle City Council member he has grown frustrated with the limited feedback he hears from the community.

While he found that the council often heard from certain activists, he said he rarely gained a balanced perspective from the majority of the city.

"Most people (in Seattle) are either enjoying their lives or struggling, and they don't have the time or resources to be committed to process," Harrell said.

Seattle Public Utilities has reported that food scraps take up about one-third or 45,000 tons of residential trash each year and solving this problem has been made easier for single family homes by giving them the solution to create their own food composting and yard waste compost bins at their own leisure.

But what about multi-family homes that have to share waste bins or don't have the option for food composting in their housing complexes?

A program called Food Waste for Apartments and Condominiums Test Project began late last November of to start solving this problem.

The Washington Drug Card, which is free to all residents and provides savings of up to 75 percent on prescription drugs, can now be accessed by simply visiting any Safeway pharmacy location.

In the past residents were required to obtain and present a member card in order to receive prescription discounts through the program.

"This presented a problem as many uninsured and underinsured residents were not getting access to the program and this will solve that problem," said Eric Brown, development director for the Washington Drug Card.

As a result of their commit

Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Gallagher has made appointments to four key positions in the organization: recreation director, parks director (all maintenance activities), planning and development director, and deputy planning and development director.

"The broad range of skills in this team of creative thinkers will serve Seattle well as we finalize our five year Strategic Action Plan and begin to implement it," Gallagher said.