Articles by Elizabeth Celms
District 41 state legislators
District 41 lawmakers detail long legislative session
By Elizabeth Celms • April 13, 2010 1:28 pm

The Mercer Island Chamber of Commerce hosted District 41 state legislators Judy Clibborn, Marcie Maxwell and Randy Gordon at its monthly luncheon on April 8. The representatives each spoke on their personal area of expertise: Clibborn on transportation, Maxwell on education and Gordon on state taxes.
According to Clibborn, “transportation is making more bipartisan headway than any of the other budgets.”
The tension is not so much between parties, she said, but rather between “Democrats and Democrats, and between the House and the Senate.”
But King County transportation is moving forward. The Island representative said that she was happy with plans for the Alaskan Way Viaduct and seawall replacement project. According to WSDOT, major construction on the decades-old elevated SR-99 highway begins this summer. Engineers and environmentalists are still reviewing three alternatives for the viaduct’s central waterfront section: a cut-and-cover tunnel; elevated structure alternatives, and a bored tunnel alternative recommended in January 2009.

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To pay or to pick: More than you ever want to know about lice
To pay or to pick: More than you...
By Elizabeth Celms • April 13, 2010 1:18 pm

Lice are pesky critters. They hide. They cling. They nest. It’s tough to rid young heads of their poppyseed-sized presence. Harder yet to keep the buggers away when siblings, friends and classmates may be hopping with lice themselves. And that is where Lice Knowing You comes in.

A funny sort of business
The state’s only trained and certified lice removing experts, Lice Knowing You just opened a new clinic on Mercer Island in January.
In a nitshell (pun intended), this means that Islanders wary that their children may be hosting a family or two of the prolific head parasite can visit for a $15 screening. If the lice are found, owner Nancy Gordon and her staff offer professional (“100 percent bug-free guarantee”) removal of the pest. It’s as thorough and safe a treatment as people will get, Gordon said.

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The business directory for the 77 Central building remains mostly empty
Mercer Island commercial space slumps with recession
By Elizabeth Celms • April 6, 2010 1:53 pm

Like much of the Seattle area, Mercer Island has no shortage of commercial real estate up for lease. The signs are visible throughout the Town Center. Even on the South end, shopping center windows advertise vacant retail and office spaces. It is a reflection of the times. Yet commercial realtors on the Island say the situation is getting better.

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Islander Gail Pettis left her orthodontics practice to pursue the more artistic path of music. Today
Mercer Island jazz artist reflects on leap from...
By Elizabeth Celms • April 6, 2010 1:32 pm

Once an orthodontist, now a stage-hopping jazz artist with local notoriety, Gail Pettis has made quite the occupational jump. The Island resident, with a natural — albeit long unrealized — talent for singing, has just released her second album, “Here in the Moment” (OA2 Records) after her first CD, “May I Come In?” was welcomed with warm response in 2007. Most of her songs are well-loved classics: “The Very Thought of You,” “Night and Day,” “I Could Have Danced All Night,” given new life through Pettis’ sensuous voice, which lingers long after the songs end. A relative newcomer to Seattle’s jazz scene, Pettis sat down with the Reporter to discuss her first tentative steps into music and the rewarding success that followed.

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“The Sun Comes Up in the Palace Garden
Looking forward and back | Paintings by artist...
By Elizabeth Celms • April 6, 2010 1:25 pm

It’s hard to decide what is more remarkable; Maria Frank Abrams’ artwork or her life story. Both, of course, are connected.
A Hungarian-born Holocaust survivor, Abrams has spent the majority of her life in the Pacific Northwest. She studied art at the University of Washington after emigrating from war weary Europe in 1948. The young artist quickly fell in love with Washington’s landscape and “beautiful light.” It served as the inspiration for much of her work. And it helped the Holocaust survivor, who lost 33 members of her family — including her parents — to heal.

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Mercer Island schools’ tech plan moves toward data, analysis
Mercer Island schools’ tech plan moves toward data,...
By Elizabeth Celms • March 30, 2010 1:34 pm

Mercer Island School Board members discussed and approved the district’s 2010-2013 Technology Plan on March 11, with fresh ideas for the future.
“Based on an external review completed in 2007 and the implementation of the 2020 Vision, technology needs have grown,” Director of Learning and Technology Services Jennifer Wright wrote in the plan. “We have moved beyond just purchasing equipment to facilitating true technology integration with targeted professional development … Implementation will allow for technology integration that supports more personalized learning opportunities, more content connections, more cognitive thinking opportunities, more global connections, and create students that are better digital citizens.”

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Burglary and theft led Mercer Island crime in 2009
Burglary and theft led Mercer Island crime in...
By Elizabeth Celms • March 30, 2010 1:14 pm

Mercer Island crime statistics for 2009 are now listed on the city’s Web site. In general, crimes have stayed steady and low over the past six years, with zero homicides and an average of three robberies.
The highest category of crime, according to Mercer Island Police Department statistics, is theft. In 2009, there were 323 reported thefts. This compares with 316, the previous year, and 456 in 2004.

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Survey says: Mercer Island residents are concerned about traffic, schools
Survey says: Mercer Island residents are concerned about...
By Elizabeth Celms • March 23, 2010 2:58 pm

The City of Mercer Island has published its 2010 citizen survey, a biennial poll that goes out to 400 registered voters on Mercer Island. The survey asked questions regarding the quality of life on Mercer Island, from public safety to satisfaction with the school district, city staff, transportation, the Town Center, property taxes and public services. The poll is conducted every two years, with previous data included from as far back as 2004.

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