April 2010

South King Fire & Rescue (King County Fire Protection District #39) is seeking persons interested in being named to a committee "for" or "against" Proposition 1, a fire district funding measure to be placed on the August 17th Primary Election ballot. Interested persons should contact Lauri Perry, Executive Assistant at 253-946-7253 by May 21st, 2010.

The Board of Fire Commissioners passed a resolution to place Proposition 1 (also known as a benefit charge) on the ballot as a way to stabilize funding for emergency service levels. Revenues have shrunk $3.6 million for South King Fire & Rescue in 2010 because of a decline in home values due to a poor economy.

Your fire department has managed the revenue loss by eliminating staff positions, delaying equipment replacement, and using limited reserve funds. This strategy cannot continue for 2011 and a stable funding source is being sought to maintain emergency service levels for our community.

I would rather be chatting with Jodell Egbert of Bella Umbrella than interviewing her. Then we could just talk food, shoes and walking routes.

But after stopping in regularly to “visit” the umbrellas, I decided it was time to get in line behind The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for an interview. Those writers may have been able to talk weddings, floral and food, but could they speak Ballard?

Started as online business, renting and selling vintage umbrellas, Bella Umbrella has had a shop in Ballard since November 2008; the shop opened three weeks after owner Jodell noticed a “For Rent” sign in the neighborhood while walking her dogs. Having purchased a little house nearby, opening a shop for the business was a second homecoming.

Jodell’s first apartment as an adult was in Ballard; over the years she then “hit all the hills.” Years ago she wondered why someone would want to live in Ballard given its relative distance to the freeway. Now, we wonder together why does anyone ever need to leave Ballard?

“Everything I need is here,” Jodell said.

Artists' applications are due May 14 for the annual Normandy Park Arts Festival.

Open to the public, the festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, June 5th and Sunday, June 6th. The festival will include student and adult art shows, vendor exhibits, artist demonstrations, and live entertainment both days from Noon to 2 p.m.

The call for artists is currently open for new and original works of fine art in drawing, painting, photography, artisan works and sculpture categories, with professional adult, amateur adult, and youth divisions. The juried show judges include Jena Scott and Kelly Lyles.

Forms and link to sign up to receive all Arts & Cultural e-notices are on the city's website at www.normandyparkwa.gov. Form is also available at City Hall and can be mailed or emailed upon request by contacting City Hall at 206-248-7603 or via email artscomm@ci.normandy-park.wa.us.

When the Admiral Theater opened in 1942 they chose a film called Weekend in Havana. Sunday April 25th they celebrated that opening night by showing the film again but went one better.

They had a local cuban music ensemble called Charanga Danzon play a live show before the film. People enjoyed cocktails up in the balcony and then watched the concert. The Admiral Theater's Dinah Brein explained how she came up with the idea.

"We happened to be standing over by the cash register and I happened to look over and saw our film that we showed, the first film that we ever showed when the theater opened up again in 1942 was Weekend in Havana, with Cesar Romero, and Alice Fay and Carmen Miranda complete with her fruit basket on her head, and I thought, 'How fabulous' so that's what we did."

(Editor's Note. This is the third in a series of articles on West Seattle legend Morey Skaret, who was born on his parents' homestead in Canada in 1913. At 96, he still has keen memories of his boyhood adventures on the prairie, and lives by many of the lessons he learned there.)

When Morey Skaret turned eight, the age at which a lad made the leap from haphazard chores to full-time farmhand, his father made him the hog boss. Morey took his new position seriously, executing his duties with the same care, precision and panache that would one day make him a leader of men, and propel him to the top of many professions.

Not only did life on the prairie make men out of boys before their time; it meted out many other tough lessons as well. "My mother had six children, all told," Morey says, combing through an old photo album. His older brother, Johannes, died in 1909.

"He was just a child," Morey recalls. "They buried him behind the house. All the homesteaders had private plots. They didn't have a cemetery. There was just a house here; then two miles, another house. And they just buried their dead at the home place.

Highline Public Schools will hold community budget workshops Saturday, May 1, 9- 11 a.m., at Hazel Valley Elementary and Tuesday, May 4, 6-8 p.m., at Mount Rainier High School.

The state budget passed by the legislature recently cuts funding for public schools by $120 million. The cuts are not as deep as predicted early in the legislative session, but Highline still faces a budget shortfall of approximately $3.4 million.

After several weeks in special session, state lawmakers finally agreed to a revenue package that includes a tax increase on beer, pop, bottled water, candy, and cigarettes; establishes a temporary business surcharge on services; and closes tax loopholes for out-of-state businesses. The revenue will help plug the $2.8 billion hole in the state budget, sparing schools and other state services from drastic cuts.

"The cuts are not as bad as they could have been," reported Superintendent John Welch. "However, we are still facing significant cuts on top of the $10 million we have had to slash over the past two years. We don't have a lot left to cut."

Teenagers at Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines proved to be Washington's most financially fit students when H&R Block challenged high school students nationwide to tackle topics like credit card debt, managing a budget and building savings.

More than 3,500 teams of students participated in the online competition created to improve students' financial fitness. As the state's highest-scoring team, Mt. Rainier will be recognized at the DECA International Career Development Conference in Louisville, Ky., later this month.

The challenge is offered by H&R Block Dollars & Sense, a program dedicated to increasing teens' financial fitness. Through this program, H&R Block has donated more than $1 million in personal finance curriculum to high schools in the U.S. and Canada and will be rewarding students with $50,000 in college scholarships in honor of April's designation as National Financial Literacy Month.

Suspect charged with first-degree murder

Taape Nunu, 29, stands accused of beating Robert Marrs to death in a SeaTac Motel 6. According to charging documents, Nunu had robbed a female acquaintance of her cigarettes and beer earlier in the evening then smoked some drugs with a woman and Marrs. Without apparent reason, Nunu punched Marrs in the head and face before fleeing the motel. Marrs later died. King County Sheriff's deputies arrested Nunu at a bus stop nearby. He was carrying a backpack belonging to Marrs and admitted to beating him. Nunu has been charged with first-degree murder and remains jailed on $1 million bail.

Air marshal accused of rape

Lecheton O. Settles, 30, a federal air marshal, has been arrested and charged with first-degree rape on allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman at the Sea-Tac Marriott Hotel. According to charging documents filed, Settles contacted an escort through a website.

With Des Moines Police Chief Roger Baker retiring in June, Des Moines is looking at making changes to the police department.

Options facing the City Council include making no changes, dissolving the department and contracting police services out, merging with another city, or something in between.

Mayor Bob Sheckler began the discussion saying he did not want the city to give up its own police department. He said it would be a loss of city identity to either merge with a larger city such as Kent or Federal Way or to contract police services out.

Tukwila and Normandy Park have their own departments while Burien and SeaTac contract with the King County Sheriff's Office.

The rest of the council shared Sheckler's sentiment. Councilman Scott Thomasson said, while he was not in favor of contracting all of the services out, it would make sense to look at all of the positions and see if it makes any sense to contract some positions out.

Councilmember Melissa Musser agreed, suggesting the city hire a consultant to take an outside look at the efficiency of the department.

"Love Your Mother" is the theme for the 10th anniversary of Tukwila's Backyard Wildlife Festival, held this year on May 8 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Although it falls on Mother's Day weekend, this "mother" refers to Mother Earth. It also has been scheduled to take place on International Migratory Bird Day.
This festival provides educational booths, exhibits and demonstrations regarding the care of the environment.

Tukwila, according to committee member Karla Slate, was the first in the state to become a "Wildlife Habitat Community" as determined by the National Wildlife Federation.

"Tukwila was also the fourth in the country to receive that honor," said Slate.

Slate says Tukwila is the perfect location for a festival such as this because of its many habitats.

"Many people know that the Green/Duwamish River runs through Tukwila, however, many people don't realize that part of the river in Tukwila is also home to dozens of species of wildlife."

Special to this year will be the dedication of Codiga Park at 9 a.m., located at 12535 50th Pl. S. along the Duwamish River.