Girls basketball
Tyee 55, Hazen 51
Tyee trimmed the Highlanders in a Tuesday, Dec. 15 Seamount League game.
Morton 49, Christian Faith 28
Christian Faith Center was stopped by Morton last Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Boys basketball
Ev. Luth. 64, Quilcene 54
Evergreen Lutheran rode to victory over its Sea-Tac B League rivals Tuesday, Dec. 15.
Kennedy 76, Evergreen 63
Kennedy came through for a win in its Tuesday, Dec. 15 game against the Wolverines.
Neils Humphries, right, of Evergreen wins the decision 14-10 over Kennedy Catholic’s Steve Conn in the 171 lb. weight class.
As firefighters of South King Fire & Rescue, we have concerns about public safety and potential service delays for the Citizens of Des Moines.
South King Fire & Rescue serves fire and emergency medical services for the cities of Des Moines, Federal Way and a small area of unincorporated King County.
For decades, King County Fire District #26 (Des Moines Fire) and the Des Moines Police Department have enjoyed a close working relationship--something that is not common in a lot of jurisdictions.
Three years ago, King County Fire District #26 merged with Federal Way Fire, creating South King Fire & Rescue. After the merger we have been able to continue this close working relationship.
Our relationship creates a more cohesive, efficient and safe working environment out on the streets of Des Moines, ultimately making a safer community for our citizens.
A staffing reduction in the police department is a concern to us and should be a concern to the city council and citizens of Des Moines.
Our #1 priority is the citizens we serve and time is of essence when mitigating emergencies.
The level of service provided and the safety of our community hang in the balance.
House fire in SeaTac
SeaTac fire crews were able to put out a house fire near the intersection of South 128th Street and 22nd Avenue South. The one resident in the home was able to get out. A neighbor who saw smoke coming out of the roof called it in. The fire was mainly in the wall and the attic. No cause for the fire is known yet, but investigators are looking at a space heater or a pellet stove as possible starting locations.
Drunk and disorderly
A transient had been overly consuming wine and, as a result, roamed the streets of Burien being loud and belligerent. The subject entered the Safeway at 138 S.W. 148th St. and attempted to unlawfully take meat products and skin cream. An employee requested the subject be trespassed from the store.
Drunk driver slams into patrol car
During this holiday season, law enforcement officers in Burien, Des Moines, Federal Way, Normandy Park, the Port of Seattle, and SeaTac will join colleagues from across Washington to conduct X-52 patrols.
Officers will look for people who drive after drinking or using drugs and arrest them. Police departments from across King County will work together to conduct DUI patrols on December 25, 26, and 31.
"Traffic crashes kill or seriously injure hundreds of people in King County each year," said Dr. David Fleming, director and health officer for Public Health - Seattle & King County. "By driving sober or planning safe rides home, you can protect yourself, family and friends."
A total of 94 people died in King County traffic crashes in 2008, and an additional 669 people were seriously injured.
In a 2006 survey of Seattle drinkers, the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center found that one out of five drinkers admitted to driving after drinking too much at least once in the past month.
Despite his continued discussions with Deputy King County Executive Fred Jarrett, Burien City Manager Mike Martin has recommended again that the city council postpone setting March 2 as the official date for the annexation of the southern portion of North Highline.
The delay stems from a controversy ove King County's proposed sale of Puget Sound Park .
At the Dec. 14 council meeting, Councilman Gordon Shaw wanted more information on plans for the remaining portion of the park land after the construction of a library is completed.
The unspoken assumption seemed to be that the sale of the park will go through, yet Shaw emphatically stated that due to the lack of information he could not be "anything but against the sale," even if it was a good move for the city of Burien.
Martin noted Jarrett's verbal support of a public process and the commitment both men have to resolving the matter by Christmas.
Even so, Martin admitted to being at an "extreme disadvantage" on enlightening council members because he was equally in the dark and had no paperwork on the plans.
"They told Eiffel to take down his tower after the fair because it was an eyesore.
"They said the same thing about the Golden Gate Bridge. Maybe we should take that down, too."
That's the way Burien architect Roger Patten responded to criticism from state Department of Transportation officials who rejected his proposal for an Elliott Bay Bridge to replace the viaduct.
In a 2006 memo, state transportation officials said Patten's bridge would block views of the bay. The memo said Patten's 800-foot bridge towers would be eight stories higher that the Columbia Tower, 200 feet higher that the Space Needle and 100 feet higher than the Golden Gate Bridge.
The Times/News outlined Patten's design last week.
Patten's cable-stayed bridge would be an alternative to the planned deep bore tunnel and would arc out over Elliott Bay. He has a patent pending on his buoyancy-stabilized floating pier to hold the structure.
Patten claims his design would cost $2.4 billion, which is $1.8 billion less that the tunnel's estimated cost.
"My bridge is a win-win," Patten declared. "It is one block shorter than the Viaduct and drivers would get a view of the city from the bridge.
To Des Moines Bureaucracy:
Because I often walk up 26th Avenue from Marine View Drive past the library.
Because there now exists adequate and, indeed, plenty of room for bicycles and walkers without the proposed expenditures along this route.
Because Des Moines is in dire need for monies to carry on such functions as the parks department.
I hereby recommend that earmarked money be repositioned to be of greater benefit to the citizens of Des Moines.
John Corr
Des Moines
With New Year's upon us, it is ever more important to think about safety on the road.
The holiday season, between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, has a significantly higher number of drunk driving crashes, this according to MADD.org (Mothers Against Drunk Driving)
In 2006, MADD estimated about 1,000 people die during the time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day.
This is due largely in part to the increased amount of alcohol consumption because of parties and holiday festivities. Also, more people are on the road during icy and rainy conditions going to these parties, shopping, and traveling.
In 2008, an estimated 11,773 people died in drunk driving related crashes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention states that 32% of all fatal vehicle crashes during this year involved a driver impaired by alcohol.
The CDC also states that 1,347 children ages 0-14 were killed in vehicle crashes; about one out of every six of those accidents involved alcohol. Half of those children were riding with the impaired driver.
"Strange, isn't it? Each man's life touches so many other lives, and when he isn't around, he leaves an awful hole, doesn't he?"
-- Clarence Oddbody, A-S-2 (Angel, Second Class)
Hello. My name is Lauri and I am a Christmas-holic. I love it - the whole deal. The cheesy decorations. The Christmas cookies. The caroling. The lighting of the tree in town.
And so much of Christmas for me has always been the movies. I had a crush on Rudolph's Hermy the elf when I was 10 (he actually made it sound cool to want to be a dentist.) I know every line of Linus's speech to Charlie Brown and the gang.
But nothing meets the needs of a seasonal addict like good old Bedford Falls.
What great lessons George Bailey can gives us - and our children. The importance of friendship? See Clarence the Angel, who dedicates Tom Sawyer to George with, "Remember, no man is a failure... who has friends."
Good perspective on wealth? How about when Harry the war hero says, "A toast! To my big brother George, the richest man in town."
The movie is full of wonderful sentiments, admirable values, and the pure love and joy of small town America.
