Pat
This may surprise you. King County Metro is buying a fuel that is significantly more expensive than diesel, may be worse for the environment, may increase local food prices, may lead to global hunger and potentially cost King County more as a member of the Chicago Climate Exchange.
Many of the residents who attended the final City Council meeting about the Sammamish Town Center were disgruntled, to say the least. It has been grueling for everyone involved, but we hope they hang with the process.
I moved with my family to the Sammamish Plateau just one year ago, from an area of Minnesota known originally for its expansive prairies. I am accustomed to looking straight ahead and seeing the horizon — where an open, blue sky meets vast, level earth. Here in Sammamish, to see any patch of sky, I must look straight up, away from the mountains and through the tops of the tall trees. And when I gaze upward, with my neck crooked as far back as it will go, it is quite likely that I will see a bald eagle, a great blue heron, or — in the evening — a swooping bat.
The election season is approaching, and the state’s two major political parties are in a twitter.
The reason? We have a new primary system this year and there’s no longer a guarantee that both a Democrat and a Republican will make it to the November General Election ballot.
The first week of June is “tomato time.” It is also the first week to think about setting pepper and other heat-loving plants out into the garden.
Thousands of mortar boards will be tossed into the air across Washington this June; a time-honored sign that our high school seniors have finally graduated.
I helped a friend and his wife load their stuff into a big U-Haul some days ago. They were moving to southern California. Some people think a move from this part of the world to that part is sort of like trading a gentle scalp massage for a whack on the head with a garden rake. That’s a bit of an exaggeration. A small shovel would be more like it.
Since the Sammamish Plateau Water and Sewer District began fluoridating our water in 2005, new scientific information has become available regarding health concerns about fluoride. Along with several others, I spoke to the District’s commissioners at their May 19 meeting to highlight some of these developments, referencing parts of the January article in Scientific American, “Second Thoughts about Fluoride.”
King County and the Port of Seattle made history on May 12 when the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Eastside rail corridor was secured for public ownership. The Port of Seattle will pay the below market value of $107 million to acquire the 42-mile corridor that stretches from Renton in the South up to the city of Snohomish in the north. King County will pay the port $1.9 million for a 26-mile easement for trail development that runs from Renton to Woodinville. As more and more people commute from South King County to Eastside cities, and vice versa, it is clear that our region needs more transportation options, as well as more recreational opportunities.
From steroid-using athletes to celebrities who bounce between clubs and rehab, today’s role models can leave a lot to be desired.
The countdown has started for hands-free calling here in our state. It can’t come soon enough.
Don’t let the snowstorms of the past couple of months fool you, motorcycle riding season is upon us here in Washington.
A recent study underscores the fact that good health isn’t just a matter of personal choice for Americans.
What do you call two straight days of rain in western Washington? A weekend!
The long-awaited Sammamish Farmers Market debuts from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 and runs weekly through Oct. 1. Along with the Summer Nights Concert series and the Fourth on the Plateau, the market will build on Sammamish’s spirit of community by providing a place for neighbors to gather.
We are told it is a time for change in our nation, but what about our state?
The King County Charter is currently open for a review that occurs once every 10 years. The Charter Review Commission has been gathering information and deliberating, and will soon forward amendments they endorse to the County Council. The Council will consider those recommendations, then decide which amendments will be placed on the ballot this fall. The voters will have the final say.
I was sure sorry to see the passing of the famous actor Charlton Heston a couple of weeks ago. I especially liked him as Moses in the movie “The Ten Commandments.” Moses lived to be 120; Charlton Heston, a mere 84.
