External Articles

Articles from around the area, including re-prints from various newspapers (provided under Fair-Use provision.) These are information only, which means that many, Many, MANY of these do not represent my point of view. (Seriously, they don’t.) I just want you to know what’s out there being discussed by electeds that concern Des Moines.

Poverty Bay is located along the eastern coast of Puget Sound and extends from Federal Way to Des Moines. It is an important area for both Tribal and recreational shellfish harvesting. The shellfish harvesting area is nearly 1000 acres. Half of the wild geoducks are harvested by the Puyallup Tribe while the remaining are auctioned

Former probation officer in Pierce County accused of having a sexual relationship with a client

May 13, 2024May 15, 2024

External Articles, Public SafetyNews-Tribune

Puneet Bsanti / The News Tribune (TNS) A former probation officer in Pierce County is accused of having a sexual relationship with a client who was assigned to him. Prosecutors have charged Mario Joseph Tropiano, 39, with three counts of first-degree custodial sexual misconduct, court records show. Charges say that between October 2022 and October

NPR editor Uri Berliner tells how the network lost America’s trust in The Free Press

April 16, 2024April 16, 2024

External Articles, TransparencyNational Public Radio, NPR, The Free Press

Uri Berliner, a senior business editor at NPR, says he started sounding the alarm internally when he noticed a bias creep into the network’s coverage. (Pete Kiehart for The Free Press) I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust. Uri Berliner, a veteran at the public radio institution, says the

Point Ruston properties set for auction after $91 million judgment

April 15, 2024April 15, 2024

External ArticlesMcBride Cohen, Point Ruston

Two Point Ruston properties will be auctioned off in a foreclosure sale in May. SHAWNA DE LA ROSA | PSBJ By Shawna De La Rosa – Reporter, Puget Sound Business Journal Two Point Ruston buildings — a garage and public market — are set for auction next month after a Pierce County Superior Court judge entered a

Burien seeks new police chief after sheriff refuses to enforce camping ban

April 11, 2024April 13, 2024

External Articles, Public SafetyBurien

By Lauren Girgis Seattle Times staff reporter The Burien city manager is seeking a new police chief after the King County Sheriff’s Office halted its enforcement of the city’s anti-camping ordinance while a federal judge decides on the ordinance’s constitutionality. In a succinct letter sent from Burien City Manager Adolfo Bailon to King County Sheriff Patti Cole-Tindall

Go With The Flow

April 8, 2024April 10, 2024

Environment, External ArticlesBioswales, Puget Sound Business Journal

At the site of Seattle’s first large-scale mass timber building, developers have incorporated infrastructure to address a common runoff problem Mark Grey, of the Hess Callahan Grey Group, is part of the development team at Northlake Commons. The project’s native plant-filled bioswale is a unique large-scale partnership with Seattle Public Utilities that will filter 2.6

Heat-trapping carbon dioxide and methane levels in the air last year spiked to record highs again

April 6, 2024

Environment, External ArticlesAssociate, Climate, Seattle Times

FILE – A flare burns at a well pad Aug. 26, 2021, near Watford City, N.D. The levels of the crucial heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere reached historic highs in 2023, growing at near-record fast paces, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (AP Photo/Matthew Brown) SETH BORENSTEIN The Associated Press The levels

US Homes Face Costly Retrofits for Induction Stoves, EV Chargers

April 5, 2024April 15, 2024

Environment, External ArticlesBloomberg

Photographer: Nathan Howard/Bloomberg By Kendra Pierre-Louis April 5, 2024 at 2:00 AM PDT Buyers of new homes in the US may find themselves saddled with electrical systems better suited to the 20th century than the 21st. The International Code Council, which sets model construction standards for new homes, was expected to include building electrification measures

Point Ruston parcels including Waterfront Market, garage site set for foreclosure sale

April 4, 2024April 6, 2024

External ArticlesNews-Tribune, Point Ruston

LOCAL Point Ruston parcels including Waterfront Market, garage site set for foreclosure sale BY DEBBIE COCKRELL APRIL 04, 2024 5:00 AM The Point Ruston Public Parking garage and Public Market (background) were the focus of a foreclosure decree issued March 29, 2024. They are shown on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. TONY OVERMAN toverman@theolympian.com An investment-lender

Investors foreclosing on parcel with Point Ruston parking garage, Waterfront Market after loan defaults

April 4, 2024April 6, 2024

External ArticlesKING5, Point Ruston

An investment group was awarded a $91 million judgement against the developer of Point Ruston after a years-long legal battle. Author: Helen Smith Published: 11:54 AM PDT April 4, 2024 Updated: 1:04 PM PDT April 4, 2024 RUSTON, Wash. — An investment group is foreclosing on a parcel of land in Point Ruston after a judge ordered the developer to

Ongoing Stuff

Get vaccinated! Yeah I know you’d like to forget about it, but there are new variants and the infection rate is climbing. Fortunately, there is an effective booster, which is recommended for people 65 and older and those who are immuno-compromised. It is available now, effective, free and you can get your appointment today here and here , including walk-Ins at SAFEWAY, Walgreen’s, Rite-Aid, SeaMar and Healthpoint.

Sign up for the King County Code Red Alert program. When you sign up for Code Red you’ll be notified immediately when there is a possible health threat. After the recent ‘Boil Water Notice’ I received just a few grouses that ‘it did not work’. I’m 99% certain that the problem is that you have to actually sign up for an account. Do It! There is this ‘guest’ option which is stupid and should not even be an option. Everyone who had an account in their system was notified. If you’re like me and signed up ten years ago (after the last notification), go to the site immediately and verify your account. Ten years is a long time for any computer system.
Check out the 223rd Green Street Project web site and take the 223rd Green Street Survey before December 11th!
Check out the Des Moines Marina Steps web site and take the Marina Steps Survey.
If you’re interested in any of our Kids or Senior activities, you can sign up here.
Learn more about our Comprehensive Plan and take the Housing Action Plan Survey.
Take the City Communication and Engagement Survey
Give blood! Schedule an appointment today. There is a CODE RED emergency shortage.
Masonic Home! There is a petition for those who are interested in historic preservation of the property. If you have questions, don’t contact me. Contact Barbara McMichael and Lloyd Lytle Jr
Community Service Officer Tonya Seaberry wants to hear from neighborhood groups interested in establishing block watch programs: Tseaberry@desmoineswa.gov or 206-878-3301.
City Of Des Moines Minor Home Repair Program: Low to moderate income households can get grants to do all sorts of necessary repairs. Email Tina Hickey (206) 870-6535.
Every home should have a Carbon Monoxide Detector–especially during the colder months! Full stop. If you need one but money is tight, South King County Fire And Rescue will get you one. Just call their Community Affairs Office at 253-946-7347.
And last, but not least: If your home has Port Package (sound insulation system) that is having issues, please go to SeatacNoise.Info

How to attend meetings and provide Public Comment

City Council Meetings are scheduled for Thursdays at 6:00PM at City Hall 21630 11th Avenue S., Suite #C Des Moines WA 98198. They can also be viewed live on Comcast Channel 21/321 or on the City’s YouTube channel. Committee Meetings are either at 4:00PM or 5:00PM, also on Thursdays.

You do not have to sign in to attend a meeting!
The sign-in sheet is only for people wishing to make a Public Comment.

There are three ways to provide Public Comment:

In person: Show up a few minutes before the meeting and sign the sheet. Public Comment is usually conducted at the beginning of the meeting.
By e-mail: All e-mails sent to citycouncil@desmoineswa.gov are considered public comment. They are instantly available to all members of the City Council and the City Clerk who includes them into the record of public comments at the next meeting.
By US Mail: Attn: City Clerk Office, 21630 11th Avenue S., Des Moines WA 98198 no later than 4:00 p.m. day of the meeting. Please provide us with your first and last name and the city in which you live.

All letters or e-mails requesting a specific action are referred by the City Clerk to the appropriate City department.

If you would like a follow up from me, personally please indicate that or call me (206) 878-0578.

The Clerk does not read e-mails to the Council in full; only the subject line. However, we do see them as soon as you send them. Your comments are added to the Agenda Packet available on the City web site following each meeting.

How to view public comments, correspondence and meeting materials

The City publishes a meeting agenda on the Friday (six days) before city council meetings. On the day after the meeting (Friday) the City updates that same file with all the slide presentations, the correspondence, and a list of the people who signed up to give public comment at the meeting. Currently, there is no button on the web site that says Show me the meeting comments for xx/xx/xxxx. You just have to know that this is the procedure. Below is a recipe to get you there.

Go to www.desmoineswa.gov
Once there, hover over Your Government and then click Council Meeting Center. (Or, you can skip Step #1 and just click on Council Meeting Center.)
Select the meeting date you’re interested in from the Schedule Of Meetings calendar.
Click on Regular Meeting for the meeting date you want. In this case, December 1, 2022.
Click the Agenda Packet link under “Print Verson”.
You can also select a meeting using the list near the top. You can also use the left and right arrows to select older meetings.
Once the agenda packet loads, there are two links we’re interested in:
- Correspondence to view all e-mails received by the City Council since the last meeting.
- Comments From The Public to view a list of the people who spoke in-person at the meeting.