August 2010

Big Tomatoes

For many years I had been in competition with my brother-in-law in Portland in raising tomatoes. Big Tomatoes.

He was very good and regularly trounced me by raising huge beefsteaks using his secret fertilizer and some abra cadabra phrases, which he muttered by moonlight.

And my sister never did reveal his method, other than hint that he used to sometimes beg her to let him raise rabbits. Maybe he used the bunny banure.

Finally, I resorted to trickery and bought several monsters from a Seattle friend and knowing he and my sis were coming up cleverly tied them to one plant with extremely fine wire.

I knew when they were arriving so I was in the driveway next to my garden and was posed with a watering can as he drove up.

He looked over at me, spotted my twin monsters and leaped out of his car, his face ashen with concern and got on his knees and I assumed he would start bawling. He didn't.

He shouted," You double-dyed faker, I can see the fine wire you used."

He had me. Again,

So I gave up. And this year bet him on who could raise the first ripe one.

So I am sending him a picture with my entry of the first ripe one.

I live in West Seattle near Burien and frequently enjoy the Burien King County Library and spend time in the restaurants and shops, especially along 152nd Street and some specialty shops nearby.

Yesterday, I met a Chinese immigrant at the library as a volunteer tutor to help her with her SSCC courses and parked across from the library on 152nd Street.

She was a little late and I had spent more time helping her than planned, and when we parted I was hungry so walked to a restaurant about a block away.

When I returned an officer was writing a parking ticket-- rightfully so-- since I had surpassed the 2-hour limit. Although he claimed to have marked my car 10 minutes before I had even arrived, and then gave a dumb answer when I told him so, he was right in that I had surpassed the limit and so I'm paying the fine.

I was quite shocked to find that the fine was so high, $50. I would have appreciated such a high fine to be posted at the parking sites.

It if was, I certainly would have paid closer attention to the time. From looking on Internet blogs, I see complaints about red-light camera violation fines of $101, which I also think, is rather excessive.

By Wendy Ann Morgan

If you are enjoying the summer weather and want to visit a nearby place of beauty and peacefulness, come visit the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden in North SeaTac Park. Better yet, visit the webpage for a preview and directions to find the garden, which is located at South 138th and 24th Avenue South, just north of Sea-Tac Airport.

Once in the garden, the springtime blooms will charm you, meandering trails and the breathtaking Seike Japanese Garden. If you meet volunteer coordinator Markus Burdine, you will be fortunate to get a mini-tour and explanation of the history behind the Elda Behm Paradise Garden and the Japanese Garden.

If you are interested in learning more about plant care and want to spend your time in the garden, there are numerous volunteer opportunities that also provide the chance to give back to your community.

Currently, there are opportunities to propagate plants, to prune old blooms, and help maintain the beds. Telephone 206-391-4003 or visit with Markus in person at the garden.

The largest summer mobilization ever is cruising King County roadways through Sept. 6 for the state's "Drive Hammered, Get Nailed" campaign against drunk driving.

Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac, Tukwila and Port of Seattle police will join the Washington State Patrol and other agencies on extra DUI patrols along county roadways in search of impaired drivers.

This Drive Hammered, Get Nailed will be the largest summer DUI enforcement campaign ever with 178 agencies participating throughout the state.

During the summer months - July through September - Washington experiences the greatest number of alcohol or drug impaired driver-involved traffic deaths, according to law enforcement officials.

Labor Day weekend is one of Washington's deadliest holidays, averaging more than seven deaths each year. Impaired driving is the leading factor in traffic deaths in Washington.

Last year, impaired drivers contributed to the deaths of more than half of the 491 people who died on Washington's roadways, the offcials said. The 264 impaired driver-involved deaths in 2009 represent a decrease of nine fatalities compared to the previous five-year average of 273.

Suspects in deadly SeaTac ambush found guilty
On August 3rd, a jury found Antoine E. Davis, Jontae Chatman, and Nestor Ovidio-Mejia guilty of first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. The defendants were tried for an ambush shooting in SeaTac. One man was killed, and another seriously injured. A two-year-old narrowly escaped injury. Chatman believed that one of the men in the car had shot a friend of his earlier in the day. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

Tukwila detective escapes vehicular assault attempt
Tukwila police report that when detectives were examining a suspicious truck in a parking lot the driver backed towards the detective, attempting to hit him. The truck then pulled out of the lot and drove south on Military Road as the detective fired on it. The truck was later found disabled, and a man near it was taken into custody.

Would-be peacemaker receives nasty bites

I would like to compliment the SeaTac Police Department on its rapid response to vandalism on our street. While my neighbors were vacationing, their van was sprayed with graffiti.

I sent an email to Police Chief Graddon and within a few hours, there was a response. Thank you to the staff of Police Chief Graddon for taking care of the matter so quickly, especially police officer, Ed Brady, and the clean-up crew.

The van is now clear of the graffiti. How wonderful that my neighbors are returning home, and seeing the van in its normal state!

All the neighbors on 34th Place South in SeaTac appreciate the service in this matter!

Marlene Jones
SeaTac

The Tukwila Police Guild wants to inform the citizens of Tukwila about the pending cuts to the police budget.

The city administration has ordered the police chief to cut $895,712.00 from the annual budget. With a total budget of approximately $13 million, this will greatly reduce police services to the citizens.

The council members themselves stated that this will more than likely cause layoffs within the police department, which in turn, reduces the number of officers on the streets, in addition to cuts in many services within the department including the Major Crimes Unit, Traffic Unit, and Crime Prevention Unit.

Tukwila has historically been tops in the state in crime per capita. The 2009 statistic provided by the WASPC again has Tukwila ranked at the top.

With a population of only 18,000 residents, to most, it would seem like 70 police officers is more than sufficient. The city estimates that the daytime population of Tukwila is approximately 200,000 people, and the calls for service reflect this larger population.

As part of the Seattle Department of Transportation's Spokane Street Viaduct widening project the lower roadway has been blocked between the bottom of the offramp from West Seattle at 1st Avenue to 6th Avenue. The schedule called for it to open during the summer, and it did on July 16 but an officer is on the scene to guide traffic. Now you can turn right and head to Costco and might even be allowed to turn right on 1st Ave.

According to MaryBeth Turner of the Seattle Department of Transportation where and when you can and cannot turn is really up to the person in charge on the scene.

"Motorists traveling eastbound on lower Spokane St can turn right on 4th Ave S. Some cars can turn right at 1st Ave S, it is up to the discretion of the police officer stationed in the intersection.

The reason is that the lanes on 1st Ave S (south of Spokane St) are not wide enough for trucks to safely make the right turn. Regular sized cars and smaller trucks can make the turn. Again, it is up to the discretion of the officer."

As expected and to the delight of many in the Seattle Police Department the Seattle City Council voted unanimously Aug. 9 to confirm John Diaz as the next Chief of Police. Diaz has served as a Seattle police officer for the past three decades and was appointed interim chief in March, 2009.

From the Seattle City Council press release:

Following a recent practice of defining goals for new Department heads, the Council also presented written expectations for Chief Diaz. The letter details expectations in four areas: focused and proactive problem-solving policing, leadership and training in de-escalation practices, setting the bar high in cases of misconduct and restorative discipline, and building public confidence through enhanced crime information reporting. The Council requested regular quarterly updates on these items.

"Chief Diaz has served Seattle for 30 years, but the hardest ones may still be ahead of him," said Councilmember Tim Burgess. "I look forward to working with him to improve the department’s performance in the areas of concern we have highlighted."

SPSL Football 2010 Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 2
Tahoma at TJ
Friday, Sept. 3
Graham-Kapowsin at Federal Way
Kentwood at Mt. Rainier
Saturday, Sept. 4
Emerald Ridge at Todd Beamer
Thursday, Sept. 9
TJ at Kentwood
Federal Way at Puyallup
Friday, Sept. 10
Mt. Rainier at Auburn
Todd Beamer at Bethel
Thursday, Sept. 16
Curtis at Federal Way
Kentlake at Mt. Rainier
Friday, Sept. 17
Auburn at TJ
Saturday, Sept. 18
Todd Beamer at Aub.-Riv.
Thursday, Sept. 23
TJ at Kentlake
Friday, Sept. 24
Mt. Rainier at Kent-Meridian
Rogers at Todd Beamer
Federal Way at Emerald Ridge
Thursday, Sept. 30
Bethel at Federal Way
Todd Beamer at Spanaway Lake
Friday, Oct. 1
Aub.-Riv. at Mt. Rainier
Kent-Meridian at TJ
Thursday, Oct. 7
Mt. Rainier at Kentridge
Friday, Oct. 8
Federal Way at Todd Beamer
TJ at Aub.-Riv.
Thursday, Oct. 14
Kentridge at TJ
Spanaway Lake at Mt. Rainier
Friday, Oct. 15
Rogers at Federal Way
Todd Beamer at G-K
Bonney Lake at Decatur
Thursday, Oct. 21
Puyallup at Todd Beamer
Friday, Oct. 22
Federal Way at Spanaway Lake
Saturday, Oct. 23
TJ at Mt. Rainier
Friday, Oct. 29
Federal Way at TJ
Todd Beamer at Curtis