Written by Randy Corman
Charlie Conner’s Helicopter makes the Seattle Times. Click Here to see the story.
There is also a (non-scientific) poll with this story, where readers can give their opinion on this controversy. Right now, the results say 54 % would allow the helicopter, 41 % would be opposed, and the rest are not sure. (There have been about 1000 opinions recorded)
Written by Randy Corman
We trekked into San Fransico on BART during one of our days in California. San Francisco is a 45 minute trip from Pleasanton, where we caught the train. The train ride goes under a lake, and under the bay through a tube. I rode BART often while in High School, but had not been on it in 20 years prior to this trip. It still works great!
We also made a connection on a cable car, a classic San Francisco mode of transportation.
Written by Randy Corman
Katie relaxes at her grandparent’s home.
The weather was sunny and warm in the bay area this past week. I flew down to the Golden State with eight others (my wife, kids, son-in-law and a friend), and we enjoyed some real spring weather with our extended family. We saw more uncles, aunts, grandparents and cousins than we could keep track of.
Hence, my Renton blogging slowed down.
The snow was an interesting contrast when I returned (but it is awfully pretty against the cherry blossoms in our front yard).
Written by Randy Corman
Here is the story Click Here
Written by Randy Corman
Note: This is a different incident than the double-shooting at the Jack in the Box described in the blog below
RENTON, Wash. — A man was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries after being shot during a robbery attempt on Monday night.
Police spokesman Penny Bartley said a 911 call led police to the 3000 block of Royal Hills Drive SE around 7:20 p.m.
They arrived to find the 39-year-old Seattle man, whose name has not been released, shot in the back and lying near his car.
An officer on the scene said the man was conscious when police arrived; however, he was taken to Harborview Medical Center in dire condition.
It is not known what the thief or thieves were after. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
They searching for three men whom they believe fled on foot from the scene of the shooting. Detectives are working to determine their relationship to the victim. A description of the men was not available.
Written by Randy Corman
We must bring the criminal activity under control in this area. We are already doing emphasis patrols (we budgeted an extra $150,000 in 2007 for Highlands police overtime, and revised our police patrol districts in 2008). Obviously, this threat will be a priority for our police department, given the shooting we had last month on Index.
(I don’t know if the perpetrators were motivated by drug or gang ties, but I would not be surprised. Much of the violence our community suffers is a result of offenders wanting money for drugs, or being impaired by drugs, or both.)
Here is the press release: READ MORE »
Written by Randy Corman
This weekend my family and I attended the Norwescon Sci Fi convention in Seatac. This is the biggest Sci-Fi/Fantasy Convention in the state, and draws in visitors and panelists from all over the county.
The convention was held at the Double Tree Inn. The convention gets a lot of overlap interest with Sakuracon, an even bigger convention themed around Japanese Animated movies (called anime).
Both conventions draw in hundreds of magnificent costumes, as visitors dress as the favorite characters out of movies, books, and animated adventures (cartoons).
The pictures below give a quick overview of the convention. My wife and I both enjoy Sci Fi, and my wife is pretty well versed in the dragon/fantasy/gaming side of things (largely from raising our three sons).
Overall, a lot of fun!
Written by Randy Corman
You know that feeling…you’re at the ball game, sitting comfortably, and the guy four seats in front stands up for a better look. So the people behind him stand up, and now you really can’t see. Then the next row stands, and pretty soon you’re on your tip-toes getting the same view you had when you were in your comfortable seat. Now, what if instead of standing, everyone was building second stories.
The Windsor Hills neighborhood, on Bronson and Windsor Way (between old Sunset, Edmonds Ave NE, and NE 4th) has some beautiful vistas of Lake Washington, The Landing, Boeing, and Downtown. Off in the distance, the city of Seattle can be seen over the lake.
Typical homes date back 60 years or more, generally cover one story, and have shady lots big enough for a game of frisbee or volleyball in the backyard.
For these reasons, many of these residents have been loudly speaking out about new homes in their neighborhood that cover more of the lot, and reach up to the maximum height allowed by code in the R-8 district. (about 30 feet, depending on factors).
The city council has not changed anything about the zoning in this neighborhood for at least ten years (at least not that I can remember…we are checking), so this recent concern is a result of market conditions more than city policy direction.
But the resident uprising may create a dilemma: we can usually count on the other side to show up whenever we float the possibility of new restrictions. There are probably going to be some property owners, perhaps residents on the same streets, that will not want to face any new restrictions on their property. Any reductions in height or lot coverage will likely reduce the value of some lots, even while helping protect the views of others. All in all, it is likely to be a sensitive and delicate issue.
Windsor Hills neighborhood was at our council meeting in force on Monday, to drive home the point that they want council to take action of some kind if possible. The neighbors who spoke were eloquent, and the council is clearly sympathetic to such worried long-time residents; so we referred the issue to our Planning and Development Committee to investigate it further.
At this point it is not clear what Planning and Development Committee (a subcommittee of the council) will do. They could simply review existing rules, or recommend holding a public hearing, or conduct a survey, or many other actions to study this.
One interesting statement made on Monday night was that many of the properties in Windsor Hills carry restrictions on their deeds limiting building heights; if such a restriction does in fact exist on many of these homes, then the city building department has authority to enforce this. Such a restriction could possibly provide the relief the neighbors are seeking.
The trees are a slightly different variable. While people in view neighborhoods often try to get rid of their neighbor’s trees, the citizens I’ve heard from in Windsor Hills are grieving the loss of some of the older trees. Some of the residents have read my blog, and realized that the tree-cutting issues are similar to what is occurring on the property next door to me.
I’m not on the Planning and Development Committee, but I’ll be anxious to see what they have to recommend.
Meanwhile, the council will no doubt be receiving more correspondence from residents and other property owners on this issue in the coming weeks.
Here is a flier that one of the residents passed around the neighborhood prior to Monday’s council meeting.
Written by Randy Corman
Today’s Seattle Times included a special column on Renton’s downtown rejuvination, written by Kirkland free-lance writer Jackie Smith.
Click here to read it!
I thought it was cute that she started her tour at the Common Ground, which I had just recommended in the column I posted last night. (see below)
Written by Randy Corman
We finally had our professional council portrait taken, now that the council has been finalized. (Previous pictures I posted this year were taken by visitors to the council chambers)
These pictures were taken in a light rain, but you can hardly tell. And rainy day pictures always have the nicest lighting and nice color. (click pictures to enlarge)
Here’s mine.
Written by Randy Corman
One of my favorite new coffee shops is Common Ground Coffee and Cupcakes on Third Street. The cupcakes are a delicious alternative to the common donut, and the coffee and atmosphere are fantastic. Located right in the heart of our downtown, on Third and Wells, the Common Ground provides the perfect place for a quick walk break, a quiet chit-chat, or a cozy place to read a good book when visiting downtown.
They also have free Wi-Fi,real fruit smoothies, Italian soda, bubble tea, Frappes, creamy hot chocolate, and rocking horses for the kids.
A loyal patron poses in front of Audry Hepburn in Renton’s “Common Ground”
Written by Randy Corman
While other parts of our nation are mired in recession and experiencing plummeting house prices, the Northwest appears to be the one region that is holding up in this economy. Even more amazing Renton is holding up better than the rest of King County, with about twice the rate of new business, job growth, and housing starts than the rest of the region on average (this is without taking credit for growth from the new Benson Hill annexation). Renton may very well be experiencing some of the heathiest economic conditions of anywhere in the US right now!
Denis Law gave his first State of the City Address today, (79 days into his mayoral term), and shared some of the good news about the condition of our city finances overall, and the strength of our local economy.
Here are the highlights of his address:
Written by Randy Corman
Here is a story in today’s Seattle Times that deserves a rant. While the rest of the world is working to stomp out sex offenses, a sick woman in Woodenville decides to use the tough laws to wrongly persecute her professor…and she only gets eight days in jail for it.
In addition to this Woodinville woman trying to take this innocent man’s life away from him, she made it more difficult for real victims of sexual assault. If she had not been found out, through fingerprints and review of forged documents, he could have put him into prison for life, his family would have likely lost all their assets (in a protracted legal battle and civil suit), and his memory on this earth would have been spoiled.
I think it is wrong that she would only get 8 days in jail for this.
This was not one of those cases where she had false memories that she thought were true, or where they were in a he-said/she-said date-rape situation. This is a case where the accuser very deliberately set out to frame her college professor, by creating false documents and then concocting a false story that he came to her house and violently raped her.
In turn he was vilified by the public, dismissed from his job, labeled an imminent danger to the public, and thrown in jail on $500,000 bond. And he faced the prospect of lifetime incarceration for a crime that never happened. Even though he was ultimately completely exonerated, he faces the prospect of a permanent arrest record and charging record that will never go away, and a lifetime of nightmares about how close he came to losing everything because of one very sick woman.
She got off easy, because filing a false report is a misdemeanor.
I think deliberately and knowingly falsely accusing someone of a felony should in itself be a felony. And the punishment for the crime should be equivalent to the punishment for the crime alleged… in this case, up to life in prison.
If it sounds harsh, it should be. If she had bought a gun, and taken shots at him, it would have probably been less traumatic for for the professor. And if she killed him, his family would have probably had life insurance to secure their future….help that they would not get if he was wrongly jailed for life and branded a sex offender. Finally, her using a gun would not have hurt the true victims of sexual assault out there…victims and survivors who will now have a slightly harder time being believed thanks to this psychotic woman.
And one final comment. While it’s tragic that she was assaulted by her grandfather as a child (presuming we can trust that conviction), it’s no excuse for her to pick an innocent professor and target him for the worst society can pile on him. It sometimes seems almost every sex offender has a history of being a victim of abuse, but it does not cause us to therefore show mercy on them and limit their sentence to 8 days. It sounds to me like she should have still been seeing a counselor… perhaps if she was, then an innocent man, his family, his college, his students, and society could have been spared.
Meanwhile, our state legislature needs to find a way to throw-the-book at people who would intentionally pervert the laws that are intended to protect the most vulnerable among us.
Written by Randy Corman
There is so much information coming out about the tanker, and so many people have things to say about it, that Boeing has just hosted it’s own public blog on the topic. Please take a look, and post your comments.
Renton is home to Boeing Commercial Airplane Headquarters, giving our city an unusually high stake in this selection.
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