January 2012

Standing before supporters of marriage equality, Gov. Chris Gregoire today announced she will introduce legislation that if passed, would allow same-sex marriages in Washington state.

“It’s time, it’s the right thing to do, and I will introduce a bill to do it,” Gregoire said. “I say that as a wife, a mother, a student of the law, and above all as a Washingtonian with a lifelong commitment to equality and freedom. Some say domestic partnerships are the same as marriage. That’s a version of the discriminatory ‘separate but equal’ argument.”

If legislation is approved, Washington would be the seventh state in the nation to legalize gay marriage, after Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York plus the District of Columbia.

WestSide Baby, the now well known charitable organization whose mission is to collect clothing, disposable diapers and car seats for infants and children is moving its annual benefit tea from the Brockey Center at South Seattle Community College (where it has been held for the past three years),for the best of reasons. It's been so successful they need more room. The organization has chosen the Hilton Conference Center near SeaTac Airport.

The press release explains:

The King County Sheriff's Office announced 53 of their deputies will be trained on and soon carry Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to help jump start victims' hearts in emergencies when a deputy arrives on the scene before paramedics.

Here are the full details from KCSO
In partnership with King County Emergency Medical Services, a division of Public Health - Seattle & King County, 53 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are being distributed to 53 King County Sheriff’s Deputies. The deputies can be dispatched to a cardiac arrest call along with emergency medical responders.

Equipped deputies who arrive first to the scene of a cardiac arrest will start resuscitation and deliver the first defibrillator shocks. Once emergency medical responders arrive on the scene, they will take over resuscitation duties.

“Training and equipping Sheriff Deputies with external defibrillators is a great service for all residents in King County and will definitely save lives. Rapid defibrillation can literally snatch the life from the jaws of death,” said Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, the Medical Director for King County Emergency Medical Services.

The King County Sheriff's Office announced 53 of their deputies will be trained on and soon carry Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) to help jump start victims' hearts in emergencies when a deputy arrives on the scene before paramedics.

Here are the full details from KCSO
In partnership with King County Emergency Medical Services, a division of Public Health - Seattle & King County, 53 Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs) are being distributed to 53 King County Sheriff’s Deputies. The deputies can be dispatched to a cardiac arrest call along with emergency medical responders.

Equipped deputies who arrive first to the scene of a cardiac arrest will start resuscitation and deliver the first defibrillator shocks. Once emergency medical responders arrive on the scene, they will take over resuscitation duties.

“Training and equipping Sheriff Deputies with external defibrillators is a great service for all residents in King County and will definitely save lives. Rapid defibrillation can literally snatch the life from the jaws of death,” said Dr. Mickey Eisenberg, the Medical Director for King County Emergency Medical Services.

Update for Jan. 4, 4 p.m.
The King County Sheriff's Office reports 15-year-old Frank Ngyuen was found at Harborview this afternoon.

He was actually found earlier in the day walking along a roadway, but due to communication problems he was not identified until the afternoon.

Press release from the King County Sheriff's Office

The help of the public is needed to find a missing 15 year-old autistic boy with virtually no communication skills. He will probably panic when he gets scared.

The boy, Frank Ngyuen, was last seen this morning (January 4th) about 7:45 AM at the Evergreen High School Pool in White Center, 820 SW 116th St. His residence is about a mile away in Burien.
Frank is about 160 lbs., 5’ 7” and medium build. He was wearing a BB hat, white polo shirt with a long sleeve shirt underneath and blue jeans. He was not wearing a jacket.

If anyone has seen this boy they are asked to call 9-1-1 immediately.

Update for 3:57 p.m.
King County Sheriff's Office reports 15-year-old Frank Ngyuen was found at Harborview this afternoon.

Press release from the King County Sheriff's Office

The help of the public is needed to find a missing 15 year-old autistic boy with virtually no communication skills. He will probably panic when he gets scared.

The boy, Frank Ngyuen, was last seen this morning (January 4th) about 7:45 AM at the Evergreen High School Pool in White Center, 820 SW 116th St. His residence is about a mile away in Burien.

Frank is about 160 lbs., 5’ 7” and medium build. He was wearing a BB hat, white polo shirt with a long sleeve shirt underneath and blue jeans. He was not wearing a jacket.

If anyone has seen this boy they are asked to call 9-1-1 immediately.

Press release
Forty-one people showed up under unusually warm, blue skies for the Walk-n-Talk on New Year's Day! Wow! Rainier was out. It was like a springtime day as people gathered on Town Square's grassy knoll, having come from near and far to bask in a seasonal glow and chat with their neighbors. Wow. Forty-one people, young and old, plus three pups and many new faces in the crowd.

We started hoofing from Burien Town Square at 2:15, right on schedule, and walked through Gregory Heights' neighborhoods that were quintessential, classic, and oh-so-retro! The four, patterned cement block homes on 10th garnered much conversation (adjacent to the site of the old water tower).

Everyone walked at the level of their own abilities, so the 3.3 mile route was ribboned with a stream of walkers, some faster, some slower. Back at Town Square at 3:45, Charlene, Amanda and Rosalie, plus little poodle Toby, stopped for a moment to flash peace signs. "Peace, man, in 2012!"

- Maureen Hoffmann

Next Walk-n-Talk: Sunday, February 5.

Editor’s Note: Due to a misunderstanding by our freelance reporter, the rate of the marina lease increase was incorrect in previous posts. The lease rate has increased nearly $100,000 per year, not per month. The Highline Times Jan. 6 print edition also contains this inaccuracy. We have also made some other corrections to the article. The Times/News regrets the error.

By Christina Gramling

The Des Moines Marina lease went up by nearly $100,000 per year, starting Jan. 1.

The city of Des Moines received a very large discount for many years, but that will all end in 2012. Harbormaster Joe Dusenbury said he thinks the City Council will approve the lease at its Jan. 12 meeting.

“They don’t have a lot of options,” Dusenbury noted.

There have been some possible alternatives, such as creating a walkway on the breakwater to deem it as “public access” making it a “no-fee” lease area or the purchase or trade of land in areas that are of little use to the state has also been pondered by the city, said Dusenbury.

The West Seattle Senior Center is presenting a Community Concert on Jan. 20 featuring Orville Johnson & Casey MacGill, playing "New Orleans style music."

The press release for the event states: "Casey wails on the piano and uke while Orville grinds it out on guitar and dobro and they both sing up a storm!

The West Seattle Senior Center is located at 4217 s.w. Oregon Street

Doors open at 5:30pm, Music begins at 6:30. Food and Beverage will be provided “a la carte” by the SCWS.

You can preregister: 206 932-4044 (ext. 4) $15-adults, $5-12 & under

The growth of enrollment in Seattle Public Schools has created a need for the system to address capacity management the Seattle Public Schools said in a press release. The plan, to be introduced at a School Board meeting at the John Stanford Center on January 4 recommends reopening Boren School as an "interim site" for K-5 science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) for students at Denny International Middle School and Madison Middle School.

The press release states:

A short-term capacity management plan to address Seattle Public Schools’ enrollment growth is being introduced at the Seattle School Board meeting Wednesday night, Jan. 4, with board action scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 18.

The recommended plan, approved by the School Board’s Operations Committee Dec. 14, was developed following input from the Facilities and Capital Management Advisory Committee (FACMAC) and from 300 attendees at six community meetings held in September-December 2010, plus 550 written comments.