June 2008

'Leatherheads' downright fun

Directed by George Clooney

Rated PG-13

(Three Stars)

By Bruce Bulloch

The opening scenes of "O Brother, Where Art thou?" were a revelation.

Unless you are a total Bushie or have spent the past couple of years selling oil in Saudi Arabia, you understand that the world is using up our natural resources at a breakneck pace and turning our once pristine earth into a giant toxic waste dump.

We have to change and we should be thinking like we need to change.

We cannot keep shipping our garbage to eastern Washington or Oregon - even the Hawaiians on Oahu are getting ready to ship their garbage in ships bound for the Columbia River and thence to eastern Oregon.

Oil is spiraling toward $150 a barrel and OPE

The Parks Department proposal to close the beach fires under the Seattle Climate Action Now recommendation is an attempt to make an end run around the community's wishes and should be strongly opposed.

It is the Parks Department's responsibility to provide recreational facilities to the citizens of Seattle for their myriad uses. It is not the Parks Department's right to dictate local climate policy. That duty belongs to the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency.

The Mayor's effort to reduce greenhouse emissions and raise awareness of our individual environmental impact is a noble and necessary effort. The Parks Department using it as an excuse to close Alki Beach fires is nonsense.

How are we going to stay warm when we gather for the Christmas ships? Not to mention our annual family reunions and high school graduation celebrations?

This is silly and shame on the Parks Department for hijacking the Mayor's program for their own ends.

Monica Linscott

Alki

I'd like to know what the West Seattle Junction Association plans to do with the money (a grant of $10,000 from the Office of Economic Development).

Arlene Carter

West Seattle

The King County Council said on Monday it wants to audit Metro Transit to figure out how they can "best ensure the best allocation of resources in order to maintain levels of service.

?Skyrocketing fuel costs may soon lead the County Executive to propose a fuel surcharge or fare increase for Metro Transit,? said Councilmember Larry Phillips, who represents Ballard on the council.

Seattle Public Schools has been awarded a $503,797 grant to help enhance and fortify its readiness and emergency management plans.

Seattle is one of 92 school districts in 34 states to receive an award under the Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools grant program. In total, more than $24 million was awarded to school districts across the country.

The Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools discretionary grant program provides funds for local school districts to improve and strengthen their emergency management plans.

When neighbors saw two young men try to kick in the door of a home Thursday evening, they yelled and gave chase. Ultimately, six to eight young men took off running southbound in the 3200 block of 40th SW. Three (residents of Renton, Tacoma, and south Seattle) were caught, detained and questioned by officers. They are also possible suspects in another residential burglary. They were released to one of the boys? fathers.

While being detained during a domestic violence investigation, an intoxicated suspect kicked an officer twice in the groin.

Tell Coast Guard to keep bridge open

By Tom Rasmussen

West Seattle residents and businesses will see major road projects in the West Seattle bridge corridor begin in the next several years. Construction to widen and improve the Spokane Street viaduct and the inevitable Alaskan Way viaduct project may cause tremendous traffic delays.

Deficit should never have happened

By Larry Phillips

In response to the King County Executive's call for an 8.6 percent across-the-board budget cut for all county agencies, the chair of the County Council's 2009 Budget Review and Adoption Committee asserted that the county's projected $68 million budget deficit for next year could have been avoided with better planning.

This should never have happened - we have known since 2001 that King County was facing a formula for disaster with shrinking revenues and growing costs.