July 2008

Several days ago my house was broken into. I would like the thieves to know exactly what they did.

To the thieves that broke into my house:

I never knew that a person could have such a good and bad day all rolled into one day. I did, in fact, experience that the other day.

This may be hard for you to understand but the day started out great. I received an announcement, from my book publisher that the press release announcing the publication of my book was being sent out to the news media throughout the country.

Thousands of people watched the annual Fourth of July fireworks display near Three Tree Point. This year, the cost rose to over $21,000. Donations from Shorewood to Normandy Park are solicited. While many watched the show, many more staged their own home grown fireworks displays along the shoreline and in neighborhoods around the Highline area.

It is a wrenching conversation few 20 year olds can imagine.

A $10,000 reward is being offered, leading to the person or persons responsible for the arson fire on June 29 at the Tara and Jenny Marie apartments that killed three people and left dozens homeless.

The damage to the apartments is estimated at $1.75 million dollars. Anyone with information is asked to call the King County Sheriff's Office at 206-296-3311 or 9-1-1.

Sterling Savings in Burien, 224 S.W. 152nd St., is accepting donations. There are two monetary accounts - one for the Cisneros-Vel

Pro instruction offered

Local tennis professional Steve Walters again offers area tennis lessons at outdoor locations this summer. Walters, certified Pro 1 by the United States Professional Tennis Association since 1986, has coached at some of the world's top tennis resorts and academies in Florida, California, Texas and Canada. Also he traveled on the men's professional tour, including the 1988 U.S. Open, as a traveling coach for world-ranked pros and nationally-ranked juniors.

As a player, Walters has been ranked No.

Not a good Little League all stars game to talk about.

South Highline National came to play, but so did their foe, West Seattle, who survived the back-and-forth affair best in an 8-7 win of the Little League District 7 All Stars 9-10s Minors Tournament championship at Pacwest Fields June 28.

So, a loss for SHN, a tough loss that should not have been so tough to take, however, because any team could have won this one. West Seattle just did, and will now represent District 7 at the state tournament for 9-10s in Vancouver, Wash.

Sex offender sentenced

June 27--Kenneth Gouin, 49, a registered sex offender from Des Moines was sentenced to 171/2 years in prison for possessing hundreds of images of child pornography.

His twin brother, Kevin Gouin, was sentenced in 2006 to 37 years in prison for the same incident.

Des Moines police had been alerted by a relative that an adolescent male had witnessed child pornography on the brothers' computer.

Kenneth Gouin fled to Canada after the computer was searched by officers but was later extradited and convicted in U.S.

City, regional and state officials joined in a ribbon cutting last week to mark completion of phase one of Des Moines' 16th Avenue South Improvement Project.

Mayor Bob Sheckler noted that even as construction costs skyrocket, the $5.8 million project was completed "quickly, smoothly and within budget."

Work was finished a month ahead of schedule, "which means an awful lot to people who were affected by the project," Sheckler said.

Phase one, which encompasses a mile of 16th Avenue South Street from South 260th to South 272nd Street and goes past Woodmont E

Lorri Ericson, the current planning and research/administrative services manager for the Puyallup Police Department, has been named assistant city manager of Des Moines.

Ericson "brings a wealth of public sector experience and knowledge to our team," City Manager Tony Piasecki said recently in announcing her appointment.