Finding a job is the best substitute for an unemployment check, but as more and more Americans exhaust their jobless benefits, employment opportunities remain sparse.
In July, the state unemployment rate was 8.6 percent, down from 9.5 percent a year ago; however, in parts of Washington it is in double digits. The Portland-Vancouver metro area reports 13.3 percent unemployment, about the same as last year.
If there’s an anti-incumbent, electoral revolt going on in the United States this year, voters in the Evergreen State evidently aren’t interested in playing a part in it.
If you’ve been reading the papers lately, you’ve probably noticed political mini-scandals popping up with regularity this month. Wife beater? Time to resign! Juvenile conviction? How can such a person effectively represent us! Can’t be bothered to vote in primaries? Clearly, this candidate doesn’t care about democracy.
Walking along a busy street in Seattle’s University District, a young passerby asked if I hunt ducks from my tractor.
The out-of-the-blue question was wholly appropriate, considering it was Apple Cup Saturday and – like anyone of good character and in possession of more than a thimbleful of common sense – I was letting the world know My Color Is Crimson. The Washington State University hat and Cougar sweatshirt were an automatic target for what was, I thought, a relatively clever one-liner.
As Aug. 17 draws closer, election officials have ramped up efforts to remind us that it’s once again time to be mindful of our civic duty to vote.
In a way, however, they’re almost doing us a disservice by advertising this election as a primary, because we don’t have a true primary. What we really have is a two-part general election, with Tuesday, Aug. 17 being the first stage.
To the driver of the brick red, convertible Seabring Touring driving west on state Route 169 around 1:30 p.m. two Mondays ago – I was in the car directly behind you from Southeast Wax Road to Cedar Grove. It might have been longer, but I really had no reason to notice you until we stopped at the intersection in front of O’Reilly’s. You got out of your car, in the middle of traffic, to rummage through your trunk.
I don’t get out to the Maple Valley Farmers Market as often as I should. Apparently, I missed the Lyndon LaRouche supporters (yes, he is still alive) displaying posters of President Obama sporting a Hitler mustache.
It’s fairly well documented that I don’t think particularly highly of the Tea Party Movement.
I believe the exact phrase I used was “Generally speaking, the Tea Partiers are a bunch of angry, ill-informed loudmouths whose inconsistency on their own positions and total ignorance of government, history and the Constitution makes them impossible to take seriously.”
Jules: “Do you know what I heard on NPR today?”
Travis: “NPR? I didn’t think you listened to that anymore.”
Jules: “I don’t. But I was channel surfing, and I heard this. You’re not going to believe it.”
Travis: “The BP oil cap broke again.”
Jules: “Nope.”
Arizona’s new illegal immigrant policies took effect last week, which put the issue of illegal immigration back on the hot topics for talk radio and in the newspapers. I’ve been getting more of those Angry White Guy e-mails comparing Mexican immigrants to burglars who break into his “house” and demand free social services while accusing the angry white guy of being a racist.
In December 2002, the Covington Water District invested in the development of additional water supply when it entered into a partnership agreement with the cities of Tacoma and Kent and Lakehaven Utility District. Covington’s investment in Tacoma’s Second Supply Project or SSP was imperative if the district was to lift the water moratorium imposed because growth was exceeding the capacity of the district’s own groundwater supply sources.
Every election, I am asked about endorsements by the newspaper of candidates – I’m asked by the candidates themselves, their staff and readers of The Courier-Herald and The Reporter. Last week was no exception as we continued to meet with candidates running for the various seats in our legislative districts and seats in Washington D.C., nearly all wanting the endorsement of this newspaper.
The hospital wars in Covington are still ongoing, but this war feels more like an elaborate courting ritual, and unfortunately not the cutesy teenagers-in-love type of courtship. It’s more like a couple of strippers who are dressing up nicely to cozy up to Old Man Covington’s millions.
I have a new business scheme, and it’s a dandy.
There are a few tiny problems to work out, mainly I need to convince a certain reluctant daughter of mine how brilliant my plan is.
For some time I have been trying to convince my little miss know everything daughter, Katy, that I possess all the special tools needed to pick the perfect boyfriend for her. I believe my natural sunny disposition and trust of no male under the age of 94 makes me the most fair and balanced of judges.
Give me grammar, give me code, give me project management – I’m your gal. But baking isn’t one of my strengths. In fact cooking isn’t one of my strengths.
The Green River Valley is under threat of flooding by the diminished capacity of the Howard Hanson Dam. Lots of work still remains to put a permanent fix in place at the dam and shore up levees along both the Green and Cedar rivers. Now, it has come to light that a new threat to the Green and Cedar River Valleys has emerged – taxes.
If pundits are to be believed, the hottest contest for elected office in our state this year is our U.S. Senate race, now that Dino Rossi has decided to challenge Patty Murray.
But there’s another battle that promises to be just as fierce: the looming showdown between Republican Dave Reichert and Democrat Suzan DelBene, the expected winners of the primary in the Eighth Congressional District, which includes Redmond.
The Greater Maple Valley Unincorporated Area Council met for its regular monthly meeting July 12. Several major topics discussed were joint unincorporated area council forum, Black Diamond master planned developments and King County code change recommendations.
The council serves as an all volunteer, locally elected advisory body to the King County Council representing all rural unincorporated area residents living in the Tahoma School District.
Over the past two years the Board of Commissioners, leadership team and staff members of King County Fire District No. 43, Maple Valley Fire and Life Safety, have taken aggressive measures to monitor expenditures. Line item budgets and the emergency reserve fund have been reduced, training, travel, overtime and other discretionary costs have been restricted or eliminated. These steps were initially taken after the most recent levy failure in the fall of 2008.
This past Tuesday was declared Carly Overhauser and Dean Kayler Day in Maple Valley, due to their heroic actions in pulling a drowning man from Shadow Lake, and administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics could arrive.