October 2010

I understand that our state is in an ugly place financially and I don't have an answer for fixing this.

Cutting the services to people with developmental disabilities is not the answer. Not unless you want to open the institutions and nursing homes to care for neglected individuals, which means higher costs for care.

I went to pick up one of my guys yesterday at Des Moines Adult Day Health. He is 47 years old, has Down syndrome and has recently been diagnosed with Alzheimer's. He doesn't have the coping mechanisms to deal with change and neglect.

If you cut 10 percent of the hours of support he gets, who is going to support him the rest of the time? His mother is dead and his father is 81. He has no family that can help with his care.

If we cut the services to our individuals that need support we are putting them in the place to be neglected. The individuals with disabilities, for that matter, our children, disabled and elderly, shouldn't have to pay the debt for our state.

Cheryl Metcalf
Burien

Normandy Park's Companion Animal Medical Center has become another victim of the economy. Dr. Leslie Kasper closed the doors to her veterinary clinic to the public after 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 15.

Kasper will continue to run Burien's new animal control program despite the closure.

While the veterinary clinic closure was not something Kasper had expected, or wanted to happen, she said now she will be able to spend more time on Burien's animal control.

"I hope that I will be even more accessible because I won't be trying to operate the shelter and a veterinary office," Kasper said.
For the time being Burien Animal Control will not have a physical place to drop off and pick up pets.

The city of Burien took animal control services in house, instead of contracting for animal control services with King County, in July of this year. Previously Burien had contracted for animal control services with King County since its incorporation in 1993.

The county's decreased service and additional fees would have cost the city $330,000 over the next two years, above and beyond the $119,000 the city generates in pet licensing fees to pay for animal control.

With the Highline Historical Society's D.B. Cooper exhibit currently on display at SeaTac City Hall, many Highline residents are reminiscing about Cooper's daring skyjacking 39 years ago.

The day before Thanksgiving, on Nov. 24, 1971 Northwest Airlines Flight 305 was racing down the runway on route from Portland to Sea-Tac International Airport.

A man wearing sunglasses and a suit passed a note to a flight attendant stating he had a bomb and would blow up the plane if he was not given $200,000 in cash and four parachutes when the plane landed.

In addition to his demands for the cash and parachutes, he also ordered the pilots to then fly to Mexico. He let all 36 passengers off at Sea-Tac, and the plane took off again.

The man then walked down the rear stairs of the plane, according to investigators, and parachuted his way into infamy. "D.B. Cooper" came to be the most notorious skyjacker in American history; and he was never found dead or alive.

Ken Wilson and Loren Peterson, Northwest Airlines retirees, were both very involved in the entire ordeal and have colorful stories to tell.

Highline High and Des Moines Elementary, two of Highline's oldest schools, will not be rebuilt-at least for now.

Highline School Board members decided Oct. 13 not to place on the February ballot a $200 million bond measure that would have funded replacement of the two schools, technology improvements and building repairs.

However, voters will decide in February on a four-year educational programs and operations levy. The current levy expires in 2011.

The replacement levy would be $46 million for the first two years, $47 million for the third year and $49 million for the final year.

District staffers estimate the tax rate for the first three years would be $3.44 per $1,000 of assessed home value. In the fourth year, the rate would go to $3.52.

A levy needs a simple majority of yes votes to pass while a bond needs a 60 percent favorable vote. The levy would fund teachers' salaries and benefits, educational needs such as textbooks and operational costs such as utilities not covered by state funding or other revenue sources.

King County voters began receiving their ballots and voters' pamphlets last week. This year's General Election ballot is very large, so voters should make sure to read the entire ballot from top to bottom, and front to back before filling it out.

In addition, voters will receive two voters' pamphlets this year - one from King County Elections, with city and county voting information, and one from the state Secretary of State, with federal and state information.

"This election has a record number of ballot measures along with the candidate races, so there's a lot to consider on both sides of your ballot" said Sherril Huff, King County elections director. "Don't forget to sign the voter oath on the back of the return envelope to make sure that your ballot is processed."

King County Elections has projected at 68 percent turnout in King County, with Seattle showing 69 percent and the rest of the county 67 percent.

Voting began last week, and you can vote and return you ballot as soon as you receive it. There are 11 ballot drop boxes open for returning your ballot in person, or you can mail it through the postal service, which requires a first class stamp.

All of us at Hospitality House want to thank you and your readers for supporting our annual Walk for the Women fundraiser last month. We were touched by the numbers of new supports that came out to walk as well as the many, many long time supporters that collected pledges in this very tough economy.

The money collected at the Walk will go toward our comprehensive programs where we bring Home, Health and Hope to over 80 women each year.

Hospitality House is different from most shelters: once a woman enters our doors, she is assigned a case manager to help create an individual plan to promote healing and rebuilding.

Sixty-five percent of the women that enter Hospitality House go on to stable housing and a fresh start.

Thank you for your continued support.

Tammie Schacher
Hospitality House Board Chair

Susan Goding raises some interesting questions about the Highline School District and student performance.

I think we would all agree that there is definitely a need to redesign the Highline School's educational model in order to raise our student performance and test scores.

I was concerned when, in the Highline Highlights Back-to-School Community Report issued recently, our superintendent, John Welch, touched on the need to "delve deeper into evaluating student results and working together to find more effective ways to help students learn..." and then talked about "a bond that will allow us to rebuild aging schools."

I hope the district has more specific, measurable educational goals, especially given the amount of money the taxpayers have given in the past 10 years for bonds to rebuild most of our schools. Our district test scores are among the lowest in the state.

Bonnie Moormeier
Burien

(Editor's Note: The Highline School District has decided not to place a construction bond measure on the February ballot.)

A Federal Way man died Monday night after being struck by four vehicles, including an ambulance.

State Route 509 was closed for a time in both directions at South 128th Street about 11 p.m. on Oct. 18.

According to police reports, a Subaru was going the wrong way on SR 509 when it hit a black Ford Explorer head-on and also struck an Acura.

The Subaru driver fled on foot from the scene and was hit by four cars and the ambulance. The man died at the scene.

The Washington State Patrol said the medics in the TriMed ambulance had seen the driver of the Subaru turn around a drive south in the northbound lanes. Shortly after the ambulance struck the man when he fled the scene.

Five other people in struck vehicles were taken to Harborview Medical Center with injuries ranging from not serious to critical.

THIS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 24TH WE WILL HOST A SPECIAL BENEFIT FOR SOFIA GEOFF

The Admiral Theater 2343 California Ave. s.w. will host a special benefit this Sunday, October 24th at 11:00 AM. The benefit is for Sofia Goff. She and her late husband Sean were the proprietors of the wonderful Cafe Revo in West Seattle. When Sean passed very quickly, Sofia tried desperately to hold onto the restaurant.

While opened, she was always the first to offer to hosts benefits for many West Seattle businesses and causes and we're hoping you will come to her aid now. Not only has she lost the restaurant and her car, but is in danger of losing her home.

Sofia is raising two wonderful children by herself so you can imagine the dire straits she is in. We will show the wonderful Disney film, Ratatouille, a poetic rat in the South of France who longs to become a chef. Not only is the film wonderful, but wonderfully appropriate.

Kate O'Hara got her dog Pachuco two years ago as a gift and he's a great example of a gift that keeps on giving. More on that to come.

Pachuco is a English Bull Terrier (or Hinks Terrier) and as a breed he's recognizable for being in the movie Patton, as 'Spuds MacKenzie' a character in a series of beer commercials from the 80's and more recently as the "Target Dog" used in print, display and on television.

His name refers to "Zoot Suiters" of the 1940's in Los Angeles. "They wore the big suits, and were fancy men," said O'Hara," we gave him that name because two years ago on Christmas Eve when it was snowing he wouldn't go out into the snow, so we had to carry him out to go to the bathroom for about a week."

He eats Arcana dry dog food purchased at Pet Elements (just south of the Morgan Junction) and if there's a treat he likes, "It's bacon," said O'Hara.