May 2011

By David Rosen

A national moment of remembrance took place at around 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm on Memorial Day at Forest Lawn Cemetery located at 6701 30th Ave SW on May 30, 2011. About 100 people showed up for the memorial service to pay respect to those who have fallen in the line of duty.

The ceremony was presented by the American Legion Post 160.

Memorial Day commemorates U.S. military personnel who died while in service. It was first enacted by former slaves to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War and was later extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars.

Bar fight leads to stabbing and shooting

A man celebrating his 21st birthday was critically stabbed and another person was shot after a fight escalated outside a bar in Burien. An argument between several people began inside the Wah Long Sports bar. The fight involving four men eventually moved to an outside parking lot, where one of the men pulled out a knife and stabbed another man several times. One of the other men fighting ran to a parked car, pulled out a gun and fired several shots, striking one of the other men involved in the fight. The shooter, stabbing victim and others then got into the car and sped off. Medics were called and rushed the shooting victim to Harborview Medical Center. Meanwhile, the getaway car dropped off the stabbing victim and his sister at Highline Medical Center in Burien, then fled. The victim was transferred to Harborview. The 33-year-old gunshot victim has serious, but non-life threatening wounds. However, the stabbing victim was critically injured. Police are still searching for the man responsible for the stabbing and there have been no arrests.

Car break-ins, vandalism, prowlers and thefts

If you think the times are tough now you should have been around in 1932. Mom and Dad were feeding ten kids with some help from the state of Oregon and various agencies like the Elks Club, the Oregon Dental Aid agency the Portland Police Sunshine Division and teachers at school and friendly neighbors.

We kids all had jobs, piling wood, selling magazines, perfume, apples, and had paper routes.

So when Dad came home one day with $124 he hadn't spent on whiskey I could hardly wait to tell my friends. And when I told them that we were now owners of a gold mine in Bandon, Oregon they held me momentarily in awe.

I did not know that the newfound wealth was somehow connected to a new gold mine we owned.

My friends stopped punching me and when I mentioned our new gold mine was in a lake and there was a cabin with bunks for sleeping I floated on a cloud while talking about nuggets as big as hen's eggs and maybe I might be able to take them with me swimming and fishing.

Dad had some partners, including an engineer who had designed a great big barge. It was floating on the lake. I heard about it at dinnertime.

I'm back, Burien.

I haven't lived full-time in Burien since September 1966 when my parents drove me across the state to attend Washington State University. At the time, this sheltered Burien boy couldn't wait to see the lights of my hometown in the rearview mirror of my parents' station wagon.

As young adults are wont to do, I rebounded back to my mom and dad's house temporarily for summers or after life's setbacks. The last time I was 38.

But now Marge and I are moving into what we say is the South Seahurst/West Gregory Heights/North Three Tree Point neighborhood.

I've worked at the Highline Times in Burien for 11 years. It's kind of strange that someone would wait so long before deciding to move closer to work.

Well, I think it's a funny story.

The way I like to tell the tale is that it all began one warm summer afternoon when Marge called me over to our backyard dock while I was kayaking in the lake.

"You're not happy here," she declares in my story.

"I'm not?" I reply.

But what's closer to the truth is that while I loved my house and the lake, I missed being part of the community I reported on. I felt more at home in my old hometown.

If there's anything that's fun and rewarding to do it's making something that needs a little spiffying-up into something beautiful.

Maybe it's a vase of flowers on a rainy day, a colorful tablecloth on a well-used table, neighbor's freshly mowed yards, newly painted houses and storefronts, babies sleeping with full tummies and a dry diaper, a cat that purrs and a dog that doesn't bark... all because someone cares.

I wonder if we are teaching our children about the beautiful things of life so vital to happiness? It's the little everyday things human beings can do and it doesn't take a cell phone or high tech machinery to "do beautiful."

The style of communication these days is evident when folks walk together with both of them on their cell phones talking to someone else. I wonder why they bothered bringing the other person along. Is the art of one-on-one conversation lost?

"Beautiful" is about protecting and teaching life's values such as showing respect for others, never stop reading, help those who need help, and encourage kids to "reach for the moon" because they're worth it and can.

The Highline Garden Tour will bloom on Saturday, June 11. Participants will tour beautiful private gardens in Burien, Normandy Park, and SeaTac. Ticket holders also will be treated to access to the organic kitchen garden that supplies the gourmet Copperleaf Restaurant in SeaTac.

Other tour features include a plant sale at the Highline-SeaTac Botanical Garden. Gardening expert Lorene Forkner will speak on "Small Is the New BIG: 3 Big Rules (& 4 Small Ones) for Designing Small Gardens with Impact."

Tour tickets are $15 in advance, with group rates of $12 per person if bought in groups of four or more. Tickets will be $18 on the day of the tour. Tickets can be purchased at Herr Backyard Garden Center, 107 SW 160th Street; Burien Bark, 13258 1st Avenue S; and Lavina Mays, 17824 1st Avenue S. Tickets also can be purchased by calling 206-241-5786.

For more information about the Highline Garden Tour and about the Highline Historical Society, visit www.highlinehistory.org

A couple checks out the local berries at a previous Des Moines Waterfront Farmers Market The market opens again at 10 a. on Saturdays beginning June 4 at South Marina Park. The market closes Oct. 29. The Burien Farmers Market continues at Town Square Park on Thursdays.

A new community initiative announced at the May 25 Highline school board meeting will expand instrumental music education for children in Highline Public Schools.

The Highline Music4Life program (www.HighlineMusic4Life.org) will acquire musical instruments and supplies for eligible elementary students. Working cooperatively with the Highline Schools are the three Rotary clubs located within the district and Music4Life, all non-profit organizations.

"Our goal is to provide every student in the district an opportunity to play a musical instrument, if they want to, regardless of their ability to afford it," says Steve Swank of the Des Moines Rotary Club. "We do this at a time of financial challenge because research shows that students who study instrumental music do better in math, science, history, languages and many other academic disciplines. We believe that, when funding is low, it is time for the community to step-up."

Highline Schools Superintendent John Welch noted, "Music4Life is a great example of how the community is partnering with schools to support our students,

Roland (Sandy) Wheeler, CEO of Redpine Healthcare Technologies, Inc., hopes to inspire Central Washington University graduates as this year's commencement speaker for students who have earned degrees at CWU satellite campuses in western Washington. The ceremony will be held on June 12 at the ShoWare Center in Kent.

Highline Community College in Des Moines houses a CWU branch.

Wheeler is the former vice president of Marketing and Sales for Direct Focus Inc. - now known as the Nautilus Group Inc. The Nautilus Group manufactures and markets Bowflex Exercise Equipment and owns Schwinn Fitness, Nautilus and Stairmaster.

Wheeler graduated CWU in 1974 with a degree in accounting.

"I wasn't a traditional student. I came to college after Vietnam. I had a baby and was married by my sophomore year," Wheeler recalled. "I was dogmatic in my education and my professors accommodated me. I'll never forget how they helped me."

Des Moines Councilman Dan Sherman announced May 27 that he will not be seeking re-election to Position 2 on the Des Moines City Council. Councilmember Sherman started his public service as a community organizer followed by 4 years on the Des Moines Planning Commission and then went on to serve for 16 years on the City Council. He has focused on transportation, public health, human services and municipal facility development.

Dr. Sherman reports that he will be refocusing more time and attention on his psychiatric medical practice as the nation moves into a new era of healthcare. He is also looking forward to spending more time with family, friends, and his well known interests in snow sports and multi-century bicycle rides.

Councilman Sherman said: "I want to thank the many good people of Des Moines who support my focus on open/ethical government, preservation of single family neighborhoods, and financial responsibility. These issues require constant vigilance and I hope a new generation of Des Moines citizens will continue these goals through public service. It has been a privilege and honor to serve for the benefit of our community."