January 2015

To the editor:
It is important that the citizens of the Highline School District understand
the enormous commitment they are being asked to make by the Highline
School District Board on February 10th. For this reason, Karen Steele,
Normandy Park resident, founded an educational committee called
Sensible Spending on Our Schools (SSOS). She feels that every citizen
should know the breadth and scope of this Bond and its effect on their
lives.

Unfortunately, Lois Schipper, President of Highline Citizens for Schools, in
an attempt to quash the opposition to the Highline School Consruction
Bond, felt compelled to file a complaint with the Public Disclosure
Commission (PDC). Lois Schipper claims that the proper paperwork was
not filed with the PDC. However, contrary to Lois Schipper's notions, Karen
Steele assures that all necessary paperwork has been filed with the
appropriate agencies and that nothing illegal or improper has occurred. And
while the PDC is doing it's duty and looking into Lois's complaint, SSOS
has not been charged with any wrong doing.

In August 2014, when Sensible Spending on Our Schools was founded and

By Georgie Bright Kunkel

Lately my incoming mail has become saturated with requests for donations. Since my late husband was active in saving wildlife, my email is still bombarded with requests for donations to save every form of wildlife known to be threatened. I know, you have heard from me before on the way the great middle class is the target of requests—saving our wildlife, saving the whales, saving whatever, you name it. The latest plea is money to save the yellow billed cuckoo.

By Tim Clifford

The City Council held its first bi-monthly meeting at SeaTac City Hall on Jan.13 at 6:30 p.m. Receiving an unusually light turn out for a Council meeting there were only three citizens present to address the council and the business for the evening was covered fairly quickly.

Here are the highlights:
• After a unanimous vote the study session time has now been changed to 4:30 p.m. from 4 p.m. The later time is to accommodate those who wish to attend the study session and stay for the council meeting which begins at 6:30 p.m. Study sessions are held before council meetings and allow new issues to be introduced for consideration before the next meeting.

• An update on the construction project taking place on Military Road was given. The overhead utilities have been removed, sidewalk installation is “substantially” complete with 7500 feet of sidewalk installed, and new drainage systems have been installed. What remains to be complete is a traffic loop installation, final paving, and lane striping. The project is ahead of schedule with an end date estimated some time near the end of February.

By Cooper Inveen

OLYMPIA--Would your legislator ever consider decriminalizing heroin possession? Or maybe turning the Supreme Court justices’ elections partisan? What about allowing teenagers to taste alcohol?

The 2015 legislative session is just getting started, but already some proposed bills are likely to turn a few heads.

Sixteen Republicans and three Democrats have sponsored House Bill 1051, which would require Supreme Court justices — but no other judicial officer in the state — to declare a partisan affiliation when running for election. One sponsor, Rep. Hans Dunshee, D-Snohomish, has called the bill more of a poke at the Supreme Court than a genuine attempt to pass legislation.

The bill comes in response to the Supreme Court’s 2012 McCleary decision, which requires legislators to pass fundamental reforms to state education funding. The bill’s sponsors believe the Supreme Court violated the separation of powers by telling legislators explicitly what to do, and therefore “should be considered partisan like the legislature,” according to the bill’s first section.

By Tim Clifford

On Jan. 16 the Seattle Police Department held a closed door meeting at 3:30 p.m. with Burien programmer Tim Clemans, the most aggressive records requestor in the department’s history, to discuss a possible research project for Clemans to develop software for SPD that would automate redactions in police reports, dash cam videos, and footage from body-worn video cameras.

“The law was never designed for the potential that terabytes of data would be automatically released to the public, and this is a real problem now,” said Clemans.

Transparency has been a key issue for the department with the oncoming implementation of body-worn video cameras and the endless hours of footage that will need to be readied for public release.

“Basically the goal is to develop software code that’s automating the release of police reports, in particular, then there’s also stuff with video that they want to do,” said Clemans.

Longhouse 6th Anniversary Celebration
Duwamish Longhouse & Cultural Center
4705 W. Marginal Way S.W.
206-431-1582 or www.duwamishtribe.org
Sat., Jan. 24. Free. Open house 10-5 p.m., visit exhibits, art gallery and gift shop. Festivities: Films at 11 a.m. & noon; Artist Reception 1-2 p.m.; and Concert 2 p.m. - The Duwamish story “How Stinging Nettles Saved the Duwamish People” by NW Native storyteller Roger Fernandes, and join in song and dance with the Duwamish Heritage Group. As in ancient times, Longhouse is the site where tribal business is conducted and cultural and educational events are held. Donations in support of the continuing operation of the Longhouse are always welcome. Free parking in area. facebook.com/events/1550433678530150

Discovery Shop
4535 California Ave. S.W.
206 937 7169

By Tim Clifford

Man chases down burglar on S.W. Stevens
Shortly before 1 p.m. on Jan.8 police received a call from a man informing them that he was in his truck and in pursuit of a burglar who he had caught stealing mail. Despite being asked to give up the chase the man kept tailing the suspect as he ran multiple blocks in an attempt to get away. Police made contact with the man in an alleyway near 63 Ave. S.W. and S.W. Admiral WY where he lost the suspect.

The man explained to the officers that he had confronted the suspect, described as a short statured 32-year-old Hispanic male with a black pony tail, when he witnessed him stealing mail from a secured mailbox in front of his home on the 6000 block of S.W. Stevens St. Chasing the suspect down on foot the man shook the suspect at which point multiple bottles of prescription acne lotion fell out of his sleeves. The suspect began begging the man not to call police because he had drugs in his backpack. As the man brought his cell phone up to take a picture of the suspect he took off running.

By Rob Ketcherside
 
There's a story waiting to be told here, about racism.
 
Alki Beach opened on July 4th, 1911. You probably know that Alki means "by and by" or "before long", and that Seattle's first name was New York Alki. The first ship of pioneer settlers were both aspirational and willing to make fun of themselves. They joked to each other that the tents would be transformed into a new New York before long.
 
I opened up the digitized Seattle Times for the day before Alki opened. At the top of the page, above the Alki article, was a political cartoon. On the left, a big strong white man looks down on a tiny, scrawny black man with the caption "One Year Ago Today". On the right, that scrawny black man is now huge but still boney and goofy and with lips half the size of his head; the white man is miniscule but muscular, and the caption says "Today". It was a commentary on the one-year anniversary of Jack Johnson's defeat of James Jeffries. If you don't know what that means, do yourself a favor and look it up.
 

Update 2:50pm
Aside from some minor pockets of outages power has been restored.

Update 2:05pm
The outage in north Admiral that began around 1:34am persists with projected resolution now targeted for after 3:30pm. It affect some 101 City Light customers.

Update 11:12am
The biggest power outage in West Seattle was resolved but one near the Junction affecting 142 homes and another in the Admiral District are continuing.

Update 10:10am
A group of 363 homes from the original power outage that began at 1:31am remained without power as of 10:10am. There was no estimate of restoration by City Light. The others still affected were in the Junction area with 186 customers still out and 101 in North Admiral without power.

Update 9:10am
The outage that hit the White Center area this morning that was expected to take well into the afternoon to fix has been restored. Meanwhile the outages along the water south of Lincoln Park that were expected to be resolved this morning are continuing. No time estimate for restoration has been posted.

Update 8:45am

The National Weather Service has issued a Wind Advisory effective from 10pm to Noon (yes right around kickoff for the Seahawks game). Gusts may reach 50 MPH.

WIND ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 10 PM THIS EVENING TO NOON
PST SUNDAY...

* SOME AFFECTED LOCATIONS...BELLINGHAM...FRIDAY HARBOR...OAK HARBOR... ANACORTES...EVERETT...BELLEVUE...SEATTLE...BREMERTON... TACOMA...OLYMPIA AND CHEHALIS.

* TIMING...WINDS WILL INCREASE DURING THE EVENING HOURS THEN WILL SLOWLY DECREASE DURING THE DAY ON SUNDAY.

* WIND...SOUTH TO SOUTHWEST 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 50 MPH.

* IMPACTS...WINDS THIS STRONG CAN SNAP SMALL TREE BRANCHES... TOPPLE SMALL OR SHALLOW ROOTED TREES...AND CAUSE LOCAL POWER OUTAGES.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND ADVISORY IS ISSUED WHEN SUSTAINED WINDS OF 30 TO 39 MPH AND/OR GUSTS OF 45 TO 57 MPH ARE LIKELY.