Special to the Times/News

(Editor's Note: The Highline Times is celebrating its 60th anniversary this month. In two previous articles, Anne Holmes highlighted Highline news from August 1945 and 1965. This week, she focuses on August 1985.)

On the world front, South Africa was in a state of turmoil.

President Ronald Reagan remained an ally to South Africa's president, Pieter W. Botha, who agreed to negotiate with black African communities while defiantly rejecting equal voting rights for the black majority.

Iraq and Iran were at war.

In San Francisco, the government broke up a large LSD ring.

Administration officials fought against "comparable worth" pay, a theory that equal pay should be granted to women who hold jobs of comparable skill, knowledge and responsibility as men.

On the local scene, The Highline Times featured articles that impacted Highline neighborhoods.

Two main issues were King County's update of land use surrounding Sea-Tac International Airport, and the Highline School District's budget.

Organizers of an update session expressed surprise at the number of citizens attending to voice their opinions regarding zoning and traffic plans for areas surrounding Sea-Tac. The meeting was held at Sunnydale Elementary School, at that time used as a community center.

When the public was asked for recommendations, there was no clear consensus. Discussions centered on the airport's north and south clear zones. Residents were angry with the Port of Seattle, saying the Port's buy-out and clearing plan rendered the remaining homes worthless.

Some locals favored a national veterans' cemetery for the south clear zone. Others wanted the cemetery along Des Moines Memorial Drive. Many liked the idea of a park in the north clear zone.

There were complaints of pollution in local streams coming from the developing light industry. One unidentified woman said, "Give it back to the Natives."

The school district"s budget proposal was equally important. Income projections in the spring had made it necessary to cut a popular program call Project Success.

This program added assistants to elementary and middle schools to help students with their language skills.

After a heated protest from parents, the school board vowed to reinstate some form of the program if funds became available.

A decision by the state Legislature to ease the ruling that limited local tax levies gave the school district access to additional funds. Now the fate of the program hung on revised budget decisions that had to factor in the ongoing negotiations for a new contract with teachers.

In a first for the Highline area, a privately owned site received King County historical landmark status. The 1880 Dodds homestead, also called the Sutton Farm, was selected to represent a link to the early agricultural history in the area.

A human-interest story on Ross Vick, a Highline High School graduate and Des Moines resident, was representative of the creativity abundant in the community.

Vick designed and built custom cars. A photo showed a 28 foot limousine he built for a sheik in Saudi Arabia. The limo, painted a blinding white, had 14-carat gold trim.

Vick considered himself an artist selling a limited number of his masterpieces each year.