April 2008

The owner of a Chiropractic clinic Dr. Tom Payne had his prized mascot Sasquatch Sam stolen last year and the thieves were attempting to cut off the legs to cover up the theft when they were caught 4 blocks away in a neighborhood backyard.

Public sympathy stretched around the world in news photos of the event and back again to Jon Osterberg of Pemco Insurance here in the state.

Osterberg called Payne and asked if he could hold a public chainsaw carving event to replace the BIGFOOT that had been stolen. Dr. Payne agreed.

Friday, March 21

Baseball

Hazen 17, Kennedy 11

Kennedy was clobbered by the Highlanders in a high-scoring game Friday, March 21.

Renton 21, Tyee 9

Renton got the best of Tyee in a wild game Friday, March 21.

Lindbergh 6, Evergreen 3

Evergreen lost a closer game in Friday, March 21.

Fastpitch

Tyee 19, Renton 8

Earline Byers is taking some time off. Her "Over the Fence" column will resume when she returns.

The Burien City Council has addressed the annexation of North Highline a number of times. At this time there is a proposal on the table to having mediation with Seattle to resolve the conflicting Proposed Annexation Areas (PAA) of North Highline.

At this time I am not convinced that the annexation of North Highline is appropriate for Burien.

The March 12 Highline Times reported that fuel leaks are confined under the airport, study says.

May I urge that the Port of Seattle Commissioners take that report with a grain of salt. As you probably recall from your high school physics classes, water seeks it's own level. The same is true of water contaminated with fuel, glycol and other spills.

This was a major concern of mine and caused me to join the anti-third runway groups while I was a Highline Water Commissioner. Port management was endangering our drinking water supply.

Proximity to downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac International Airport, affordable land, and cooperative municipal leaders.

Those were the key attributes of Southwest King County touted March 26 to developers and real estate investors at an economic forum in SeaTac.

The Seattle Southside Forum was sponsored by the cities of SeaTac, Tukwila, Des Moines and Burien, as well as the Port of Seattle and Highline Community College, to spotlight current projects and future development opportunities in the four Highline cities.

After the forum, two buses took developers and in

Snow played havoc with sports schedules in the Highline-Des Moines area Friday, including with a sport - soccer - that normally is not postponed no matter what the weather.

Tyee was scheduled to play at home against Highline and Hazen was set to visit Evergreen.

Burien City Manager Mike Martin presented council members with three options for a partial annexation of the North Highline unincorporated area at a special meeting March 31.

Martin also submitted to city lawmakers a no-annexation option.

Council members did not discuss his proposals, which they directed him to draft earlier this year, because Councilwoman Sally Nelson was excused from the meeting.

Surrounded by a bus full of high-powered developers and real estate investors, I had not felt so out of place since I attended an all-day motivational sales seminar starring Rudy Giuliani.

We were touring 12 current or future development projects around the Highline area as part of a Seattle Southside economic forum.

It was fun to munch on my box lunch ham sandwich while listening to conversations between developers and municipal leaders:

"So when you declare eminent domain on that widows and orphans home, we can bulldoze it and build that 3,000-car airport par

A memorable feat was accomplished when Seike Japanese Garden was moved from its location on Des Moines Memorial Drive to the Highline SeaTac Botanical Garden.

Now this 45-year-old living work of art - a place where harmony and tranquility meet - appears larger than life on the big screen.

The Seike Garden: An American Story is a fascinating documentary that chronicles the five-year effort to relocate the garden.

It profiles the garden's history, challenges faced by the cities of Burien and SeaTac, and cooperative efforts by local governments, non-profits and pr