November 2008

They say it takes a village to raise a child. No one knows this better than Treehouse for Kids.

In keeping with the needs of children, the non-profit organization recently partnered with the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. The result is a dynamic program with resources for foster care children in South King County.

On Oct. 18, the Treehouse Learning Center officially opened its doors. Located in the southwest corner of the Starfire Sports Complex, the center sits on the grounds of the former Fort Dent Park.

Offering developers a property tax exemption to encourage development of the Pacific Ridge area prompted a heated discussion at the Des Moines City Council meeting on Oct. 30th.

The proposed legislation calls for a multi-family tax exemption on a number of new units developed on Pacific Ridge.

The units given the exemption would only pay tax on their land for eight years. The number of units that would be given the exemption is still unclear.

Faced with a $2.771 million deficit in 2009, Des Moines City Council members already have agreed on approximately $1.8 million in spending cuts next year.

At special meetings on Oct. 25 and Oct. 28 and their regular Oct. 30 meeting, council members gave preliminary approval to a series of program reductions that will be incorporated in the final budget-writing process.

State law requires that the new budget be adopted by Dec. 31.

Six local residents recently were honored by the city of Des Moines for their quick response that saved one life and attempted to save another in Puget Sound last summer.

Val Champion, Bruce Johnson, Tim Kinghorn, Steve Kokita, and Truman Skang were presented with Citizen Certificates of Valor. Brian Kinghorn, 14, received a Citizen Certificate of Merit.

All six were at the Des Moines Marina the evening of June 20 when a vehicle plunged into the water below and drifted 40 feet from shore. A 76-year-old man who was driving was pulled to safety by their prompt action.

Football

Kennedy 56, Hazen 21

The Lancers continued their march through all of their Seamount League opponents by posting another high-scoring win Friday, Oct. 24.

Kennedy garnered 500 yards of total offense, including 385 yards rushing on 43 plays.

Iron sharpened iron.

Playing toe to toe and all-out for all the 50/50 balls on the beautiful Starfire field turf for a good-sized crowd on both sides, Kennedy and Mount Rainier wrote a good script for soccer excitment, won by the Lancers, 2-1, over the Rams in both team’s regular season ender at Starfire in Tukwila Wednesday.

Kennedy won the Seamount with a 15-0-1 record while the Rams settled for only their second loss of the season in finishing 12-2-2.

A belated but nonetheless sincere word of thanks to the crew who responded from the Burien Fire Department's Station 29, on the evening of Friday, October 10 on the occasion of our step-mother's - Margaret L. Gudmestad - death.

Those firefighters carried out their duties in a quiet, compassionate and professional manner and our family is grateful for their assistance.

These are the individuals who respond to our aid, day and night, no matter what the incident. A simple word of thanks or plate of cookies is inadequate.

Tom Gudmestad

Normandy Park

Highline Hospital is celebrating 50 years of service to our community this week. At the same time, it is moving forward with a huge expansion of the emergency ward.

The little hospital on the hill, overlooking Sylvester Middle School across the street, has come a long way since a few citizens came up with a big idea in the early 1950s

The biggest obstacle to a hospital-- other than lacking huge sums of money-- was the lack of a sewer system south of the Seattle city limits in White Center.

The Southwest Suburban Sewer District, managed by former state Sen.

There's an election soon and I find it interesting that no one seems to care.

We have a candidate who opposes a law that requires identification in order to vote. (This guarantees fraudulent elections.) No one cares.

Who opposes English as our official language? No one cares.

Who supports the Death Tax (upon death, grieving families can be forced to give half of all they own; assets, homes, vehicles, stocks, land, etc.)?

If Pastor Leskovar truly believes that God is the "terminator of life," then if he's ever taken an antibiotic, vaccine or any other type of medical treatment, he is lying about that statement. If he had not made those personal medical decisions, God would have been his "terminator" very quickly.

In accepting any medical treatment, you have gone against God's will. In making your own health care decisions, you are saying it's your choice and no one else's. And it should be, which is what I-1000 is all about. It allows health care choices to be the patient's and no one else's.