November 2009

It's the middle of winter in the Washington cascades, and in a mountain pass town a mysterious visitor arrives at a small hotel just before a winter storm blocks the path both ways.

An escaped convict is believed headed toward the town, and the seven people staying at the Wallflower Inn each have a story to tell. Can you figure out who dunnit? And can you spot the references to all 63 Alfred Hitchcock titles in the script?

Directed by Michael Brunk, with music by Nancy Warren, Snowbound features the talents of Andrew Smith and Laura Smith (who are not playing the roles of Mr. and Mrs. Smith), Teresa Widner, Steve Scheide, Kelly Johnson, Scott Green, Martin J. McKenzie, and Brenan Grant.

Andrew Pogue is the stage manager, and the script is by T.M. Sell.

The show is at E.B. Foote Winery, 127B SW 153rd St. in Burien.

Tickets are still only $20, which includes hors d'oeuvres and tasting of E.B. Foote Wines. Wine is also available for purchase by the glass at the winery.

Tickets are available at the winery, 206-242-3852, and also at CorkyCellars in Des Moines, 22511 Marine View Drive, 206-824-9462.

I would like to thank the voters of Des Moines for granting me another four years to represent our great city.

While Des Moines has struggled to overcome a number of adversities over the years, we are poised to build a bright future for all of our residents-- one that reflects the values of our community, takes advantage of our ties to Puget Sound and our proximity to regional transportation facilities, and one that ensures a rational, sustainable level of city services for our residents.

I've been proud to serve as your City Councilmember for the past four years, and I'm looking forward with enthusiasm and energy to the next four years.

Thank you again!

Dave Kaplan
Des Moines City Councilmember

All developmentally disabled persons age 16 and above are invited to participate in Des Moines Yacht Club's annual Holiday Cruise and Dance.

The event will be held Dec. 6 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Yacht Club. The address is 22737 Marine View Drive South.

The event is free, but pre-registration is required by Nov. 30.

Contact Judy Brown at 425-226-0559 for further information and registration forms.

Judy Brown
Des Moines Yacht Club

Burien's proposed vehicle license fee went down to a resounding defeat (75% voted no) NOT because voters don't think sidewalks and bike routes are good things.

It went down because it is the wrong time (can you say recession,) wrong revenue source (a non-deductible fee unrelated to the objective or the ability to pay.) and wrong method (a stealth transportation benefit district (TBD) as a wholly-owned subsidiary of the council.)

Regardless of the resounding defeat, the TBD/city council has the power to impose a $20 annual license fee without voter approval. Will the council defy the voters to impose this fee anyway?

Don't forget, any neighborhood in need of sidewalks can form a Local Improvement District (LID) to assess itself for street improvements (the city will help with that.)

Broad improvements are obviously a responsibility of the larger community (check your City Light bill for the costs of undergrounding utilities in the First Avenue improvement area.)

I guess we don't have all those parking spaces promoted in the pre-Town Square planning available after all.

I found out from Grocery Outlet that the two dozen newly "Reserved only 7 a.m.-7 p.m." parking stalls in their parking lot are for the City of Burien employees and not the store customers.

How outrageous to spend the money to intrude on a private business. There is no label to indicate that the spaces are for the City of Burien.

Ashamed to let anyone know?

Why couldn't the old City Hall lot in front of the new City Hall be used? Or is it not as upscale as the paved Outlet lot?

And you wonder why it is so hard to get businesses to open up in Burien.

Hilva Novota
Burien

White Water Aquatics, a swim team who swam out of Evergreen Pool in North Highline until the pool closed in September, hopes to reopen the pool by the first of the year with community donations.
King County has asked White Water Aquatics to raise $100,000 before they reopen the pool.  White Water Aquatics created White Water Aquatics Management  (WWAM) to take over management of the pool if it is reopened.
A loan for $30,000 has been secured by WWAM and another $8,000 has been raised in donations.
WWAM is a non-profit organization, so any donations are tax deductible.  In the event WWAM is not able to reopen the pool all of the money will be returned to the donors.
"It is kind of a unique challenge because Mt. Rainier (Pool) had the backing of the three cities to bring in revenue," WWA Head Coach Joel Schweiger.  "We don't have any of that."
In this years King County budget, $300,000 was reserved to renovate Evergreen.  WWAM President Ed Marrs said in a statement that it is very important the county pass the budget as it is.
County council members have expressed their desire to use the money to repair the pool.

The West Seattle Garden Tour is actively seeking a few more gardens to be included on their 2010 tour.  If you would like your garden considered, or know of someone whose garden should be considered for tour inclusion please contact: Gail Stevens at  206.935.9217. 

They are also actively recruiting new volunteers to join the WSGT Committee. Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month. Come see how fun and rewarding it is being involved with a non-profit fund-raising organization that benefits local causes. They make it a casual evening beginning with a potluck supper, followed by a meeting to move the business of the current year's tour forward.  

A different member hosts each meeting in their home. Contact the WSGT at info@westseattlegardentour.com .Contact them if you would like to attend and they will email you with the location and driving directions to this month's meeting.  Additional information can be found on their website; www. http://westseattlegardentour.com

Three days a week, at Arena Sports on East Marginal Way South Michael Vujovich, uses his head. At the age of 56 he plays in an adult soccer league.
Michael's love of the game began in his native Yugoslavia as a child. He played competitively and if you ask him, he still does. It keeps him in great shape. He's still fast, outrunning much younger men, and is often at both ends of the field ahead of his teammates. Four minute games are fast and loose. No refs, no hard and fast rules. Play safe and call your own fouls, like pick-up basketball. Score a goal and the balls comes back out immediately in play again.

Sideboards circle the playing pitch, ala hockey. A loose net hangs from the ceiling to protect balls from striking the overhead lights. A ball into the nets halts play. But not for long. No time is wasted as the players begin again. With only four minutes, it does not take long.The buzzer signals the end of action. Like an Olympic athlete Michael hops the 3-foot side panel, landing lightly on his feet to wait for the next round of play. At 1:30 he says "showtime" which is basically the last 30 minutes of the two hour session.

Teen charged as adult

A 16 year old Tukwila teen accused of robbing another teen at gunpoint has been charged as an adult. King County Prosecutors filed first degree robbery and unlawful gun possession charges against Jaime Cisneros-Velazquez. In the charging documents, prosecutors alleged that Cisneros-Velazquez and a female companion followed a Highline High school student home from a school bus and robbed him at gun point.

Cineros-Velazquez drew a pistol and demanded his belongings. The teen handed over multiple items, including his backpack, jacket and cell phone.

Contacted, by police, at a Burien alternative school, Cisneros-Velazquez had a handgun and several small bags of marijuana and a small bag of crack cocaine. Cisneros-Velazquez is expected to be arraigned in King County Superior Court. His companion has been charged as a juvenile, according to court documents.

Fugitive escapes Police at Airport

Who'd have thunk?

Sure, we've come to expect intramural fighting within the Des Moines Council, but who figured there would be just one disputed council race in Burien and all-out warfare in SeaTac?

Last election, the SeaTac incumbents all ran unopposed.

But, as of this writing, not only is one council race within the recount margin, SeaTacers (SeaTacites?) aren't even sure what form of government they will have.

The vote on a proposition to change from a city manager/council form of government to an elected mayor is very close.

It looked like the elected mayor proponents had the momentum but robo-calls by current Mayor Ralph Shape right before the election may have shifted the balance.

SeaTac staffers may be kicking themselves now that they didn't take citizen Earl Gipson's complaints about flooding in his neighborhood more seriously.

Gipson became disenchanted with city bureaucracy, started digging into other controversies and tapped into long simmering complaints about city staffers.

This is actually the third time that the elected mayor proposal has been on the SeaTac ballot.