1 of 11 | A candlelight vigil in December by Women in Black honors homeless people who died in 2022. Deaths by overdose have skyrocketed. (Daniel Kim / The Seattle Times) By Anna Patrick Seattle Times staff reporter Before the pandemic, most fentanyl-related overdoses reported in the Seattle area involved people with homes. They started
... continue reading.Public Safety
From Warriors to Guardians–Recommitting American Police Culture-Sue_Rahr-2015-248654
Dismal student scores make clear ‘normal’ doesn’t cut it
Agreed. https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/editorials/dismal-student-scores-make-clear-normal-doesnt-cut-it/ M. Ryder / Op-Art By The Seattle Times editorial board Grim as they were, the recent release of student assessments known as “the nation’s report card” should have surprised no one. Education researchers say the effects of learning disruption during the pandemic are worse than what kids in New Orleans faced after Hurricane
... continue reading.Pet Licensing (PRR 16116)
Roughly speaking, how much annual revenue does the City receive from pet licenses? I asked that question from the dais months before I filed Public Records Request #16116 with the City. It was information I thought would be useful in deciding whether or not to move Animal Control Services to Burien C.A.R.E.S. When I originally
... continue reading.PSEM Committee Meeting June 2, 2022
I struggled to not publish this. I ran for office in 2019 to improve transparency and reduce the rubber stamping. But after almost two and a half years, I gotta say, things may actually be getting worse. But this has become truly alarming. Perhaps my colleagues are simply unaware of how business is supposed to be conducted.
... continue reading.Burien Cares ACO proposal
04/06/2011 – Animal Control Ad Hoc Committee
Following the shooting of a dog by DMPD that had gotten out of its yard, the City Council created an Ad Hoc Committee to do a lessons learned and establish policies going forward. The story of ‘Rosie the Newfoundland’ got national press coverage and led to a legal settlement with the owners. https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/des-moines-to-pay-51000-over-fatal-shooting-of-dog/
Animal Control: Officer Magnuson 2.0
There is an upcoming discussion about outsourcing Animal Control Officer (ACO) services to Burien CARES. For people new to Des Moines, this may seem like not such a big deal. Frankly, the service has not been great the past couple of years for a couple of reasons I won’t go into here. Suffice it to
... continue reading.A letter to Selena Taylor
Selena Taylor is the mother of a young man killed at La Familia Sports Pub on Pacific Highway September 26, 2021. Hi, I am writing you today to (hopefully) respond a bit more clearly to your public comment last night. Just as you and Betty were speaking it dawned on me that this weekend is,
... continue reading.Many years ago…
3 Comments on Many years ago…Many years ago my wife survived an abominable domestic violence. It took her two years to escape that relationship and during the entire time no one suspected. What many people do not understand is that there are many, many reasons why a person can become so completely trapped that they will never reveal their true
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