April 2012

Dear Editor:  
I am an 8th grader from Washington Middle School. In this letter, I hope to express a concern that you and your readers might share. I have a concern for the safety of the people who use the pedestrian crosswalk on Harbor Avenue SW at the intersection of Harbor Avenue SW and California Way SW, which is near the West Seattle Water Taxi dock.
 
At the intersection of California and Harbor, there are no traffic lights, for either pedestrians or cars. Harbor Avenue is a very busy street. I’ve witnessed that frequently, drivers do not stop for pedestrians, and pedestrians often have to rush across the street in order not to get hit. According to King County, about 216, 155 passengers rode on the water taxi between West Seattle and Downtown Seattle last year, and a lot of those people use that crosswalk. Also there is a school bus stop on a corner of that intersection, endangering the kids as well.
 

SeaTac motel murder trial delayed
John Wayne Folds’ trial for second-degree murder trial was scheduled to begin March 29 in King County Superior Court. Folds, 47, is in the King County Jail in lieu of $1 million bail. He pleaded not guilty a year ago February. Frank Kouny, 36, from San Francisco, was visiting Seattle on business. Folds was arrested in Dec. 2010 after DNA linked him to the slaying, prosecutors say.

Chase ends in crash
Police were in SeaTac checking on a stolen vehicle when they saw a man jump into a car in front of the officers and drive off. The man failed to yield near the intersection of South 172nd Street and 51st Avenue South causing him to lose control of the car. He crashed into a bush and a fence. The man jumped out of the car and fled on foot. He was later found near 170th Lane South and 53rd Avenue South hiding in an abandoned house.

Car break-ins, vandalism, prowlers and theft

The mayors of Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac and Tukwila will provide updates to the business community at the Southwest King County Chamber April membership luncheon on Friday, April 13.

Brian Bennett of Burien, Dave Kaplan of Des Moines, Tony Anderson of SeaTac, and Jim Haggerton of Tukwila will address specific issues within each of their cities, with a focus on economic development activities.

The luncheon will be held 11 a.m.–2 pm, at the Rainier Golf & Country Club, 11133 Des Moines Memorial Drive South.

The cost to attend the luncheon is $20 paid in advance of the event or $35 paid at the door. To participate in the Business Showcase portion of the program, please contact the Chamber for details and cost. Register by contacting the Chamber at 206-575-1633 or email staff@swkcc.org.

The Southwest King County Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit business organization that has served the business communities of Burien, Des Moines, SeaTac and Tukwila since 1989.

The mission of the chamber is to be a leader in Southwest King County and a regional voice and resource for building business success.

When I was younger I thought the fire department’s job was merely to fight fires. As I have grown older, I now understand the vital role they play as first responders in our community.

When we find ourselves amidst crisis, the fire department is called upon to bring calm to our storms.

These past few years have been difficult for us all with a struggling economy and falling home values. Not only have we been affected but our fire department has as well. They have responsibly done the best with what we as taxpayers have given them.

As I viewed www.yesfireandems.com, I was alarmed at how under funded our fire department currently is and why it’s so critical now to support those that have been there for us.

By voting YES on Proposition 1, we have an opportunity as a community to do our part and make a significant difference in the services they can provide. Our community is better and safer because of the work these men and women do.

I encourage you to vote YES this April 17th.

Danny Peterson
Federal Way

Thank you for the story about Drew Hidalgo. It is refreshing to read about his determination and success, and his appointment to West Point.

In these days, when everything seems to be going wrong, it is heartening to learn that some of our youths have goals and are willing to work towards them.

Congratulations, Drew Hidalgo.

Dan Lee
Normandy Park

Liz Browning of the Browning gun family has spearheaded an effort to bring a therapeutic treatment center for severely mentally ill patients to the Normandy Park Towne Center. She has lined up 16 investors willing to pay $100,000 or more to finance this project. The advertised return on this investment is expected to be 18 percent to 20 percent, according to the Browning Community website.

Normandy Park Towne Center owner Tom O’Keefe has leased the space above the Kayak Grill to Hanbleceya, a group from La Mesa California, to expand their operation to Normandy Park. According to the Hanbleceya website they treat patients with the following disorders: schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, affective and anxiety disorders, trauma based conditions, and dual diagnoses.

Their unique program is advertised as a residential treatment program that is community based. The community in this case is Normandy Park. The residences are single-family homes purchased and/or leased by Hanbleceya.

To the Burien City Council:

At the City Council meeting on March 19, there were citizen presentations questioning some city staff and city council members’ association with the North Highline Unincorporated Area Council (NHUAC).

Who is the NHUAC? This group was set up and recognized by King County to represent the people of North Highline. It was supposed to create membership seats based on areas of neighborhoods.

King County gave them $10,000 per year to run this group. However, so few people vote in the NHUAC elections--2 to 20 people per each seat elected (representing no more people than the council itself and some of their spouses)-that there is really no neighborhood representation, let alone representing Area Y. The NHUAC represents the views of very, very few people who live in Area Y-- less than 1 percent.

What their purpose is as a group is also unclear. Their president spoke at the last Burien City Council meeting and implied that they are a public service group.

By Brenda Chrystie

Domestic violence affects people from all racial, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. It is a serious public health and safety problem with many consequences for individuals and families regardless of ethnic or racial backgrounds.

For the population in general, we know that on average more than three women a day are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends in the United States.

Here’s a story told by a Burien woman, Suzette:

“In Aug. 2003 my son was born. What had started as an occasional slap or a push, turned into a constant episode, what I referred to as his “meltdowns."

I was ashamed, I was horrified and I was hopeless. He had stated many times that I'd be dead if I ever tried to leave. He made it clear that he had “tools” available and that nobody would ever find me. It was more than realistic -- it was a living nightmare. I believed him.

I have driven my 1979 Cadillac Coupe deVille daily since 1995. The car, now 33 years old, is showing signs of its age.

It was called "A personal luxury car" when it was issued in 1979.

That was the year grandma and Papa bought it. They put just 40,000 miles on it in their lifetime. My wife's mom bought it from their estate. She drove it to 70,000 miles and then sold it to us. It still ran like a new car. Smooth and powerful and luxurious in its appointments; plush, butter-yellow leather seats, everything electric and very roomy inside.

Now that I am thinking about selling the old girl, I find there are some parallels between its history and my own.

When that great car came off the assembly line, it was in perfect condition. It was tight and strong and the big motor hummed. It could climb long hills and barely breathed. It was fast when it needed to be and could cruise forever. Everything worked. When I was 18 (the same age the car was when I bought it) I was in great condition, strong and light on my feet and brimming with energy

UPDATE: April 6
The Pacific Institute, headquartered in West Seattle, today released the following statement to their "Winners Circle Network" regarding the response to the passing of founder Lou Tice and the upcoming memorial service set for April, 13.

"We would like to thank all of you who have posted pictures and comments on our Facebook site. There have been around 20,000 posts, all of them providing us with this ever-expanding view of the international effects of Lou’s work. You truly bring smiles to our faces.

Because we have had so many requests, Diane Tice has asked that Lou’s memorial service be made available to those around the world who would like to experience it with us in Seattle. So, we will be streaming the service via the Internet.

The service is set for Friday, April 13, 2012 at 10:00am (Pacific Daylight Time), at St. Edwards Catholic Church. The service will be streamed at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/lou-tice-service

Again, we thank you for your thoughts, prayers and good wishes. In a time of loss, they are most appreciated."