December 2009

The visiting Tyee girls basketball team started tough, but Highline overcame that toughness with gritty, smart play of their own, coming back to win going away against the visiting Totems Friday.

The Totems started this season on fire, beating Chief Sealth, 47-44, and then Sammamish, 40-36, and this game would start on that same winning note as the Totems built a 7-2 lead on the Pirates only to have it be 7-6 by the end of the first quarter.

Arenesha Smith, a sophomore point guard for the Totems, scored all seven of her team’s points early on.

She was frustrated with her team’s performance in the second quarter, which copied efforts against Sammamish and Chief Sealth.

“We have not been strong in the second quarter,” said Smith, whose series of acrobatic moves to the hoop and a steal, or two, thrown in for good measure was fun to watch early.

Highline moved to a 6-0 lead to start a Seamount League boys basketball opening game Friday, before Tyee came back, overtaking that lead and leading the Pirates by as many as seven points, 26-19, midway through the second quarter.

But the Pirates switched things up defensively to go on to confuse and frustrate the visiting Totems, going on a 12-6 run to end the half and slowly, but surely put this one to bed, 70-61, by game’s end.

A lot of time is left for the Pirates to continue to build on this opener and for the Totems to realize a seven point lead is nothing against a quick, athletic, tall, defense-strong foe, like the Pirates.

“Our record was 7-13 last year,” said Robert Graham, Highline boys basketball coach. “But I really think we will be a lot better this season.”

Tyee was the better team in the beginning of this one, but soon that changed.

Nate Hawthorne, a 6-2 guard for the red and black Totems, spoke afterward of what went wrong following his team’s hot start to lead 21-16 after the first quarter.

Drive Thru Christmas Story--While driving through the church parking lot, your family will visit live scenes of angels, shepherds, donkeys, sheep, goats, guests at the inn, wisemen, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus. Free admission. Dec. 12 and 13, 6-8:30 p.m. Normandy Christian Church, For directions www.normandychristian.org or 206-878-4740.

December 11

December Membership Luncheon and Holiday Celebration---Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce, 11:30-1:30 p.m. Rainier Golf & Country Club, 11133 Des Moines Memorial Dr. S. $20 pre-paid by noon 12/10, $25 at the door. Featuring the festive sounds of the Seattle Christian Vision Ensemble Choir. Please bring non-perishable food items. RSVP to the Chamber 206-575-1633.

December 12

Consumer Bankruptcy Seminar--Marine View Law & Escrow is offering a free seminar about consumer bankruptcy, specifically Chapter 7. 12 p.m. at the Des Moines Public Library. Please RSVP 206-878-8777.

Free Community Meal--Des Moines United Methodist Church, 22225 9th Ave. S. 5-7 p.m. For info 206-878-8301 or www.desmoinesumc.org.

December 13

In an act of desperation, the SeaTac City Council and staff have declared war on property and business owners around the SeaTac Airport Light Rail Station, by imposing a development moratorium on a 30-acre area around the new Sound Transit Airport station.

The City's goal is to prevent property owners from developing anything while the City forces through an entertainment district at a cost of over $100 million to SeaTac taxpayers.

The viability of this "entertainment district" has not been proven nor does it have the Citizen's endorsement. The financing scheme calls for increased taxes, car tab fees, and a host of other modifications within the zoning code.

This adds insult to injury because the City has already initiated condemnation procedures against Park n Fly despite Park n Fly having a valid development agreement with the City to build a mixed-use project with a hotel, retail, and parking.

This "development moratorium" resolution was presented by outgoing Councilman Chris Wythe. It was not on the agenda, and appeared to have been written hours after the City received an application for development in the station area, on the day of the Council meeting.

Between March and April of 2009, the Des Moines Police Officers Guild entered into contract concessions negotiations with the City of Des Moines.

The Guild agreed to a one-time surrender of a funded annual benefit, saving the City in excess of $70,000.00.

On Nov. 12, 2009, in an unprecedented event, the City and the Mayor met with the Guild in an effort to re-open concessions negotiations on the existing contract.

The City and the Mayor believed they could save currently occupied Police Officer positions from layoff only if the Guild were to concede to an annual reoccurring cut in wages, amounting to approximately $62,000.00.

The Guild countered again with a one-time surrender and agreed to respond back to the City by no later than 12/03/09.

On Nov. 19, 2009, City Council, in absence of the Mayor, voted and passed a motion to eliminate four (4) currently occupied Police Officer positions, one (1) Sergeant position and three (3) currently vacant positions, which were earlier eliminated.

Their budget cutting actions were retaliatory based. Their cuts were discouraged by our Chief of Police and deeper than those proposed.

How can you identify a potential murderer? Do they walk different, talk different - look like everyday folks?

Do they appear as harmless as a toothless dog, when truth is their brain is brewing up a hurricane-force storm of hatred and/or mental instability?

Ask celebrity true crime author Ann Rule, who after a volunteer shift at the Crisis Clinic years ago, was walked to her car by a decent-looking, genial, fellow co-worker whose name was Ted Bundy, the late notorious serial killer of women.

At anytime we could stand side-by-side with potential killers and not know it. Friday, Nov. 27, the day after Thanksgiving, I believe that happened to me-- right here in Des Moines Beach Park.

Two days later, on Nov. 29, the media released a picture of a man who allegedly killed four highly respected Lakewood Police Officers.

That suspect's picture looked like the man I saw in Des Moines Beach Park.

The man in the park wore a brown leather jacket and walked across a pedestrian bridge toward me. Maybe his size caused me to pause and a strong sense of "Take Caution" struck me.

I've always wanted to be invited to one of those multi-day, wild-and-crazy wedding extravaganzas in an exotic location.

I've seen those events in movies set in Las Vegas or on a private estate with stars like Vince Vaughn or Cameron Diaz. Just this season, "The Office" gang on TV trekked to Niagara Falls for Jim and Pam's wedding.

The most fun wedding I've attended was my own. Marge and I loaded family and friends onto the "Goodtime II," anchored the boat off the Alki Lighthouse and tied the knot in a homemade wedding ceremony. Afterwards, we ate a potluck dinner and danced to cassette tapes.

But the guests came to us and it was a pretty simple affair.

Last year, I missed out on my best opportunity to date when we were unable to attend nephew Paul's wine-country wedding.

So, when nephew Mark and his fiancé Sara invited us to their wedding in the hills above Berkeley, California, I RSVP'd back immediately, even though it was set for the weekend before Thanksgiving.

It looked to me like my imagined giant group party would get started from the outset when I discovered that five of us wedding attendees were all booked on the same Sea-Tac flight down.

Aren't You Bob Snyder?

This was fun. I knew Bob Snyder almost 60 years ago when we were both members of the Early Birds Toastmasters Club in White Center.

Here he is today. He was shopping with his wife Lois at Burien Fred Meyer.

Bob became a West Seattle attorney after graduating from the University of Washington Law School. He married Franklin High grad Lois and they raised two boys and two girls.

Bob worked as a test electrician at Plant 2 for Boeing and then served eight years in the Navy during WW II.

There were a lot of well-known businessmen in that group of aspiring young men.

To name a few, there was Norman Ackley a young attorney who went on to become a state legislator and judge; Fred Egge, a Junction appliance dealer for 25 years; George Rose, optometrist; Bob King, founder of Westside Federal Savings and Loan; Bob Burgess, who was working as a salesman for Diamond Ice and Cold Storage and went on to ownership of his own company, which is now owned by his son; Jerry Robinson, publisher of the White Center News and later the West Seattle Herald; and another attorney, Dick Wing.

What is John Roberts doing now?

No smoking please

Police were called to a complaint at Denny's Restaurant, 14821 1st Ave. S. A customer ate his meal and decided to have a cigarette. He went into the men's restroom of the restaurant and started smoking. An employee went into the restroom and asked the customer to leave but he refused. Police trespassed the man from the restaurant.

No free hotdogs here

A man entered the 7-11 at 2000 International Boulevard South to get something to eat. He asked the clerk for three hotdogs. When the clerk asked him to pay the man said he will pay for them later, he has a girl out working for him. The clerk told him no and the subject got upset, made a fist and spit on the clerk. The customer faces charges of fourth degree assault.

Missing Tukwila man

In an effort to balance the budget Des Moines will eliminate five police officers after the first of the year. Des Moines Police Chief Roger Baker said this does not mean any services will be cut.

In the original cuts proposed by Baker three police officers would be cut, along with the elimination of any currently unfilled positions. Two more police officers would be moved from the city's general fund to the levy lid lift budget. The lid lift was passed by voters to increase the police levels in Des Moines.

Even with the reduction in staff Baker said he is not planning on having to cut any police services, such as the Crime Prevention Task Force.

He said as long as he can maintain three police officers to every sergeant on duty he would not have to eliminate any police services.
In the Nov. 19 council meeting, Councilman Dave Kaplan made a motion to eliminate a sergeant position. This would save an additional $30,000.