May 2006

A lot of top notch performances competed for attention at the Seamount King Division track and field championships at Highline Stadium Friday.

Evergreen's Vicente Cordova was tops, taking the boys high jump at 6-2, the boys triple jump at 41-4 1/4, the boys long jump at 21.7 1/2.

But for now, the main talk will be about single event winners, like Tyee's Charles Serisier winning the 800 meter run in 1:59.85 and finishing second, barely, to Alex Smyth of Sequim.

Sequim? I didn't even know they ran track out there?

"I know," said Serisier, laughing.

motorcycle, SUV crash

A 21-year-old SeaTac man died on May 10 from injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident on International Boulevard May 8.

According to King County Sheriff’s Sgt. John Urquhart, the victim, who was not identified, was driving north on International Boulevard around 6 p.m.

A recent independent investigation into the conduct of two Burien City Council members has rekindled a debate over whether lawmakers should be entrusted with policing themselves.

“I believe there should be a commission,” Councilwoman Rose Clark, a long-time advocate of an independent city ethics commission, recently told the Times/News.

“I don’t believe the council or any group can investigate itself.”

But, countered former Councilman Stephen Lamphear, who was defeated by Clark last November, “The council should police itself

King County’s final two open houses on the potential annexation of the North Highline unincorporated area to Burien or Seattle will be:

Wednesday, May 17, 7-8:30 p.m., White Center Heights Elementary multi-purpose room, 10015 Sixth Ave. S.W.

Tuesday, May 23, 7- 8:30 p.m., Hilltop Elementary cafeteria, 12250 24th Ave. S.

Burien officials also will hold meetings for community input on annexation.

They will be:

Wednesday, May 31, 7-8:30 p.m., Burien City Hall, 415 S.W. 150th St.

This weekend’s three Choral Sounds Northwest performances will bring the curtain down on Mark A.

The specter of a potential shortage of parking spaces in downtown Burien and ways to curb the problem preoccupied city council members at their May 8 study session.

Although there still is adequate parking in the downtown area, several council members expressed concern that a parking shortage might result with the development of Town Square.

“There is, I believe, a fairly decent-size deficit in the number of parking stalls that [the city] is currently providing in our plans for [the new] city hall based on what [the developer’s] standards are,” Councilma

Police officers assigned to three Highline high schools could be removed as the district searches for cost-cutting measures to make up a $3.1 million gap in next year’s budget.

Superintendent John Welch suggested that the district stop funding school resource officers at the Highline, Evergreen and Tyee campuses during a budget work session with board members on May 10.

The district could also transfer $75,000 from the general budget to its capital projects fund to pay for Mt.

Apublicrate hearing will be held on Wednesday, May 31st at 6:00 p.m. at the King County Water District #20 office at 12606 1st Ave S.

Published in the Highline Times/Des Moines News on MAY 17 & 24, 2006.

#1495

Today in King County, our gas prices are rising, more people are commuting than ever before and our employment base is growing.

King County’s overall population will soon top two million. Meanwhile, our bus service levels remain stagnant.

With today’s routes, King County Metro is not able to keep pace with tomorrow’s demands.

A population equivalent to the Portland metro area -- 1.2 million people -- will move to our region over the next 25 years.

Thank you so much for carrying the editorials by Ralph Nichols. They are a refreshing change from the usual liberal tone of the paper. We appreciate them and they are one of the reasons we decided to renew our subscription to the Times.

B. Kadeg

SeaTac