October 2011

Trick or treating can sometimes be a hit or miss depending who's got the candy and of course who's got the most. Westwood Village is out to make sure their event is a hit this year.

They've purchased enough to keep all 40 participating mall merchants well supplied during the shopping center's Halloween Trick or Treat event happening from 5 pm to 7 pm on Oct. 31

Assistant General Manager Andy Thompson said, "We've got candy assortments and chocolate assortments and we've got a whole pallet full, 850 items in fact."

Merchants with businesses on the 2nd floor of the western side of the mall will be down at either end of the building outside giving out candy to kids.

With the election deadline of Tuesday, Nov. 8 fast approaching, voters may be casting about for election resources.

As candidates and their detractors trade charges over who is financing the campaigns, interested voters can go to the state Public Disclosure Commission website at http://www.pdc.wa.gov/MvcQuerySystem/Candidate/loc_candidates. Use the locality filter to enter the city you are searching for.

Even without polling places, voters don’t have to use the U.S. Postal Service and a first class stamp. Ballot drop points are available. Unfortunately, none of the drop points are in the Highline area.

The closest ones are at Federal Way City Hall, 15600 8th Ave. S; King County Elections, 919 S.W. Grady Way in Renton; Regional Justice Center, 401 4th Ave. N. in Kent and King County Administration Building, 500 4th Ave. S. in downtown Seattle.

Ballots returned at the boxes must be in by 8 p.m. on election night, Nov. 8.

The Burien City Council is considering allowing a small group of shoreline property owners and others to negotiate with the state Department of Ecology (DOE) on the city’s shoreline management plan.

The DOE is reportedly poised to reject certain portions of the plan passed by the Burien council and submitted to the DOE.

The council approved a 20-foot buffer for new development on marine shorelines but the DOE is insisting on a maximum 50-foot barrier with an additional 15-foot setback. A smaller buffer was approved if neighboring houses are closer than the requirement.

The DOE also is requiring removal of a ban on watercraft on Lake Burien if public access is approved.

Another issue is a possible limitation on the ability to replace a destroyed home if that home would require the continued maintenance of a shoreline-stabilizing bulkhead.

The final disputed issue involves a requirement for a shoreline variance for certain developments in critical areas.

Yesterday was College Bound Kickoff Day as Chief Sealth and West Seattle High School seniors in the College Bound Scholarship program toured South Seattle Community College.

Seniors From Cleveland, Rainier Beach, and South Lake high schools also attended.

The College Bound Scholarship provides an opportunity for students and families who otherwise might not consider college as an option because of cost.

According to the College Bound Scholarship website, "The amount of the scholarship will be based on tuition rates at Washington public colleges and universities and will cover the amount of tuition and fees (plus $500 for books) not covered by other state financial aid awards.

"Low-income 7th and 8th grade students who sign a pledge by June 30 of their 8th grade year are eligible. Students promise to graduate from high school, demonstrate good citizenship, and seek admission to a college or university. Family income will be re-checked and college admission confirmed after the student graduates from high school."

Update for Oct. 28
No state sales tax credit almost certainly means no annexation of White Center and the remaining unincorporated North Highline.

“The council has been fairly clear that it won’t go forward with annexation without the sales tax credit,” City Manager Mike Martin said Friday morning.

Eliminating the state sales tax credit to cities that annex unincorporated areas was among the proposals offered by Gov. Chris Gregoire on Thursday as a way to deal with the latest state budget shortfall.

Martin said city officials are still looking at what the proposal may mean. That would include the credit already being received by Burien for annexing the Boulevard Park area.

“We’ll have to wait until the dust settles,” Martin added.

Meanwhile, council candidate Greg Duff issued a statement saying he would not support annexation without the credit.

“You can rest assured that King County, Snohomish County, and officials from all 7 cities affected will be having meetings with the governor,” Duff wrote.

by Kyle Howard, photos by Kurt Howard

Kennedy Catholic and Highline girls’ soccer teams took the field on a very cold Tuesday night at Highline stadium. It was a chilling 46 degrees at game time.

Please click the image above for more.

This would be the third and final matchup between the two teams, Kennedy Catholic had beaten highline twice before, the last game resulted in a 3-0 shutout for the Lancers.

Kennedy Catholic kept the tempo up being offensively aggressive the whole game, keeping the ball on Highline’s defensive side of the field.

After a foul from Highline, Kennedy Catholic was awarded an indirect free kick, and from 35 yards out senior captain Kirsten Olsen scored the game’s first goal 19 minutes into the game.

Just seven minutes later Olsen scored her second impressive goal, this time at 30 yards out, making the score 2-0.

The Pirates picked up their game and were able to get a few shots on goal near the end of the first half. Highline received a free kick and Junior Breezy Brookbank took the shot from 20 yards out, hitting the cross bar just missing the goal.

After a budget meeting held on Mercer Island on Thursday morning, Oct. 27, King County decided to delay their vote on a funding request for the DESC Delridge Supportive Housing Project, according to Patrick Baer with the Delridge Community Forum. To read the most recent Herald coverage on the project, please click here.

“This time will be used to address community concerns about the fitness of the North Delridge neighborhood,” Baer said.

He said six North Delridge residents attended the Mercer Island meeting and expressed their concerns about the project.

A decision from King County is expected on Nov. 17, Baer said.

On Oct. 24 Washington State approved $500,000 in funding for the project in their 2011 Funding Round report.

The DEA has scheduled another National Prescription Drug Take Back Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 29. For West Seattle and White Center, the closest dropoff point will be the Seattle Police Southwest Precinct at 2300 S.W. Webster St (near Home Depot on Delridge).

During the last take back day on April 30, the Southwest Precinct recovered 80.5 pounds of prescription medications.

In April, Margaret Shield, King County’s policy liaison for the Hazardous Waste Management Program, talked to the Herald about the need for a year-round take back program, ideally funded by drug companies selling prescriptions in Washington State. She said the four-hour take back events are positive, but act as a "band-aid" in lieu of a year-round system that can reduce the environmental impacts of unused drugs being thrown out, or falling into the people's hands for recreational use.

To read more about what Shield had to say, please click here.

The Issaquah Press is reporting that Issaquah’s economic development director is headed to Burien to replace former Burien economic development director Dick Loman.

Loman retired last month.

Dan Trimble departed Issaquah on Oct. 21.

Trimble started in Issaquah in July 2007. He had similar posts in California and Maryland before coming to Washington state.

Trimble told The Issaquah Press, "I think a great majority of the job of an economic development person is building relationships with people in the community and people in the business community, and being there as a good resource for them after you build the relationship."

“Projects come and go, but to me that’s the most important.”

Today Gov. Chris Gregoire announced a set of budget-reduction alternatives to respond to the continuing shortfall of state revenues. As a result of declining revenues, the state of Washington has already reduced per capita spending to its lowest level in 25 years.

“These budget alternatives will impact real people,” Gregoire said. “They’re all around us. They’re in our neighborhoods, on our streets, in our schools – and they have needs the state will no longer be able to meet. I put myself in the shoes of the people who will be hurt. I asked myself of all the services our citizens receive, which ones are the most important and which ones – by necessity – are we forced to do without.”

Gregoire said that this is merely the beginning. She expects additional feedback from communities and various stakeholder groups, which will be considered before she presents a more complete budget next month.

"I said the work of slashing our budget by another $2 billion would be dreadful, and that’s what it is. Washingtonians are going to get a lot less of what they need,” she said.

Reductions that will likely be included in Gregoire’s November budget proposal would: