September 2015

Margie Gibb, 78, was born September 12, 1936 and graduated from Birdville High School in Haltom, TX. She moved to Burien, WA, where met her future husband, Noel Gibb, at the Firestone store that was located on 152nd St. Noel worked at Firestone prior to opening N & R Automotive.

She was a public figure, not in the sense that she held a title like her husband Noel, former mayor of Burien. More in the sense that volunteering came easy to her. Margie Gibb was the materteral woman of Burien. The first in line to help at community events. The first to open her arms and her heart to give of herself.

The former publisher of the Highline Times, Jerry Robinson, chose Margie as an annual Robby Award winner in 2008 for this very reason. After Dick Dahlgard and Jim Hughes, Margie was the first woman to receive the honor of excellence in community service.

By Tim Clifford

A new system for the King County District Court has gone online with the hopes of easing the time and expense that judges and citizens expend handling traffic infractions. This new e-mitigation system now allows citizens to enter in their name, ticket number, and response for a judge to review online.

“With the development and implementation of our new e-mitigation program, citizens can more easily respond to tickets and the Court can address tickets much faster. Overall, the process has become much more efficient—saving both time and money,” explained Hon. Donna Tucker, the presiding judge of the court.

By going to the court’s website boxes will pop up allowing those with infractions to enter their name and ticket number and post a response to the ticket. The judge can then review the response online as well as access any other pertinent information in the court’s records system to make a determination. The process should lessen the time and expense that the legal process has previously required when handling tickets.

The system can be accessed at https://districtcourtsearch.kingcounty.gov/einfraction/.

The Highline School Board has officially approved a three-year contract with Highline teachers at last night’s school board meeting. The contract was ratified by Highline Education Association (HEA) members on Monday by a vote of 97.4 percent.

The contract:

• Raises teachers’ salaries to make them competitive with comparable districts.
• Rewards Highline’s most experienced educators with additional pay, incentivizing them to stay in the district.
• Increases teacher voice in selection of curriculum and instructional materials.
• Reduces the amount of paperwork required of educators so they can focus on planning quality instruction.
• Deepens the partnership between district leaders and HEA on the Professional Growth and Evaluation system, or teacher evaluations.
• Establishes the student calendar for the next three years.
• Establishes a joint committee to look at possible alternatives to early release that provide teachers with the time they need and want for collaboration and professional learning. Currently students are dismissed 90 minutes early on Fridays.

By Tim Clifford

When considering the case of Timothy Pauley two questions immediately come to mind: How much can one person truly change in 35 years? And, is 35 years enough time to serve for the murder of three people and the torture of two others?

For Congressman Dave Reichert and King County Prosecutor Dan Satterburg the answers to either of those questions will never be satisfactory enough when it comes to the crimes that Pauley is currently serving time for.

In 1980 Pauley, now 56, plead guilty to three counts of murder in the first degree in the Barn Door Tavern triple murder case and was sentenced to serve three life terms. At that time Washington State did not have the death penalty.

Last May the Indeterminate Sentencing Review Board (ISRB) determined that due to Pauley’s good behavior behind bars the minimum terms of his last two convictions have been reduced from just over 33 years to now just over 28 years. That puts Pauley in line for potential release in February of 2018.

To the Editor:
The latest teachers' strike is illegal under state law. This was a major provision in  teachers contracts to assure children would not have their education disrupted. Every teacher promised by signing their contract, that they would not strike, thereby protecting the paramount right – as stated in the Washington state Constitution – to a good education. Regardless of this promise, we are subjected to ilegal teacher strikes. This latest action is unlawful and should be repudiated in the strongest terms. Proposed legislation that would block the state from paying a striking teachers's salary or benefits while they are on strike should be approved immediately. In State Senator Mishael Baumgartner's words, these strikes use our children as a political football.

2016 West Seattle Garden Tour Committee Members Needed
The West Seattle Garden Tour needs new committee members to help produce our July 2016 Garden Tour. Volunteer opportunities include PR & Marketing, Sponsorship, Graphic Design, as well as several administrative positions. We meet monthly to discuss the business of the WS Garden Tour, which benefits many local non-profits. If you love gardening and meeting new friends, come have fun with us. For more information: Clay Swidler 206.669.4653

Holy Family Community Street Fair
9622 20th Ave. SW
Sat., Sept. 12, 11-8 p.m. & Sun., Sept. 13, 9:30-4:30 p.m. Bring the Family! Live music and dance from around the world, karaoke, pony rides, food, fun, vendors, prizes and games.

Evening Walk with Owls, Ravens & Other Life Forms at Lincoln Park
8011 Fauntleroy Way S.W.
(north parking lot across from Rose St.)

By Tim Clifford

Carjackers on Palm Avenue
A man living on the 1600 block of Palm Ave. S.W. narrowly escaped an early morning carjacking outside of his home on Aug. 27. While one suspect was taken into custody shortly after the incident the main suspect in this case remain on the loose and extremely dangerous.

At 6:31 a.m. the victim had just finished getting ready for work and was getting into his car to leave. At the front of the driveway is an electronic gate which the victim had to wait for to open. As soon as he pulled out of his driveway he looked both ways down the street. To his left he saw two black males with bandanas on their faces waiting on the other side of the gate.

The main suspect sported a blue bandana and began walking quickly towards the victim’s car with a handgun out. The victim hit the gas and sped away northbound on Palm Avenue S.W. before the suspects could reach his car door. As he was dialing 911 the victim looked in his rearview mirror and saw both suspects running away southbound.

By Amanda Knox

Saturday morning I woke up feeling a presentiment. I pondered it while sipping tea and staring out the window. It didn’t much make sense. It was raining out, but I like the rain. I had the day off from the bookstore so I could attend a friend’s housewarming party in Portland, a city I like to visit. My cat, Picard, was curled in my lap and purring.

I decided to sidestep the inexplicable and unplaceable dread. As much as I place my faith is such things, I also place no faith in them at all. Colin woke up, we had breakfast, picked out a housewarming gift on the way to the car (a Serge Gainsbourg album on vinyl), and hit the highway.

Colin drove, which was why I didn’t immediately notice the wind. After a while I did notice that we were just barely going the speed limit and were occasionally swerving slightly within our lane. It made me nervous.

“It’s the wind, babe,” Colin said.

By Pat Cashman

Labor Day weekend is set up to honor the working people of this country. So far there is no national holiday honoring the shiftless do-nothings.

But for the occasionally shiftless do-nothing who writes this column, a big part of this holiday weekend is missing---and gone forever.

The Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) dropped their association with Lewis a couple of years ago---and this year dropped the TV telethon altogether. Sure the broadcast was sometimes tacky, tasteless and tawdry.

Maybe that’s why I miss it so much.

The ending of the MDA and Jerry Lewis relationship was like any other breakup---like Jennifer Lopez and Marc Antony or Lassie and Rin Tin Tin---the MDA and Jerry Lewis affair ended uglier than a warthog with measles.

If you ever saw Lewis in action on the telethon over the years, it’s easy to see why the end was inevitable. His sometimes boorish manner turned the annual telethon into a personal showcase for Jerry’s uncontrollable addiction to self-aggrandizement and shtick.