Last week, the King County Executive, along with the Sheriff, Prosecuting Attorney and judges from around the county, revealed that King County is facing a budget crisis of great magnitude. This year alone, we may have to cut $20 million from the $660 million general fund. An additional deficit between $40 million and $70 million is predicted in 2009.
How will services be affected by the budget crisis?
Who is to blame for high gas costs?
Take time to smell the flowers. We don’t mean to spend more time with your family and less time at work — although that’s a great idea. We want you to smell the flowers, literally.
I find it interesting that “city officials want to make it easier to find parking while grabbing a latte or lunch” (“Town Center parking: For whom the bell [might] toll”) at a time when climate change, sustainability and the rising cost of fuel are all referred to in the media and in public discussion on a regular basis — shouldn’t we be considering something other than our cars?
On behalf of the Mercer Island Arts Council, we would like to thank a long-time Mercer Island resident, who wishes to remain anonymous, for her very special gift to the people of Mercer Island. The donor, on her frequent walks through the Mercer Island Outdoor Sculpture Gallery, had admired the sculptures, Island Poles, by Seattle artist Steve Jensen, and decided to purchase and donate them to the city of Mercer Island. She wanted to ensure that future generations could enjoy the sculptures for many years to come.
I thought the weather got people riled up! Going from meteorology to the energy industry put me in stormy seas.
When I graduated from the Naval Academy in 1957, Dwight Eisenhower was the president. Russia launched Sputnik into space just a few months later and the Cold War was well underway.
Girl Scout Troop 1047 and I would like to recognize and thank Albertsons and Emmanuel Episcopal Church for always supporting us. For the past two years, Albertsons has donated food and Emmanuel has donated their space for our troop to use for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser. Albertsons and Emmanuel have graciously supported us. This truly sets them apart! Through Albertsons’ and Emmanuel’s display of community support, we have learned what it means to be active and supportive of our community, and in particular, the youth of Mercer Island.
On Aug. 1, Tent City 4 will be coming to Mercer Island for a three-month period. Due to the conversations and questions within some parts of our community, I would like to clarify a few factual points and add my personal perspective on the invitation to Tent City by the Mercer Island United Methodist Church.
Letter to the mayor
Any Puget Sounder knows that true summer doesn’t arrive here until after July 4. On Mercer Island, true summer is heralded by Summer Celebration!, held each year on the second weekend of July. It is our hometown carnival — a celebration of all things Island.
Thanks to Maynard Smith for his letter in the July 9 Mercer Island Reporter that goes after Mayor Pearman and rightfully so. In the forum piece in the same issue, Pearman himself admits that he, the Council and the city have been studying Tent City for years. It would have been nice if the city had spent as much time consulting with the public on a potential Tent City as they did on the off-leash doggy area at Luther Burbank Park! I guess that shows where citizens rate compared to dogs. Shame on the mayor for being so careless with the citizens. Remember that next year, three seats are up for election and Pearman’s is one of them.
Today, most family-wage jobs in Washington require some form of post-secondary education or training. By 2014, 77 percent of those jobs will require training or education after high school — in King and Snohomish counties, the number jumps to 85 percent. And yet, Washington allows too many of its children to graduate from high school unprepared for post-secondary life.
