Along with the New Year, I celebrate one year with Kirkland as its economic development manager. Among many positive things, I count first and foremost the professional support and friendship extended to me by the leaders of the business community - Bill Vadino of the Kirkland Chamber and Dick Beazell of the Kirkland Downtown Association.Committed to business vitalityI value the business retention services to small business that Duncan Milloy provides thru a city/chamber partnership. Together with executives who have signed on to the Kirkland Business Roundtable, business leadership is committed to business vitality without compromising the exceptional quality of life that is Kirkland.
Kirkland, like most of the Puget Sound region, was hard hit by the monsoon-strength rainstorm and gale-force winds in December.But now that power has been restored and most of the mess has been cleaned up, Kirkland is about to embark on a bit of soul-searching about the way the emergency was handled, according to City Manager David Ramsay. "We, in many ways, regard this as a wake-up call," he said.Of course, some of the effects of what is described as a 100-year storm couldn't be avoided as rain lashed the city, according to Public Works Director Daryl Grigsby. The 6-foot-wide storm-water main downtown is adequate for normal storms and even a bit above that, he said.But an inch to an inch and a half of rain fell in a very short amount of time, Grigsby said. "That basically overwhelmed some of downtown's storm system."It took about an hour before the floodwaters started to recede downtown, he added, but that was only part of the problem. Like the rest of Kirkland, power went out at the city's sewer-pump stations. But Public Works crews brought out back-up generators to all of the pump stations, so there was no sewage overflow, "which is a pretty big deal because all the stations are located next to water," Grigsby said.
Kirkland resident and pharmacist Valentina M. Milman pleaded guilty Dec. 7 to her part in a conspiracy that was allegedly used to bilk Medicaid out of more than $1.5 million at A-Z Pharmacies in Bellevue, Kent and Tacoma and launder the money, the United States Attorney's Office has announced. Mrs. Milman's husband, Alexander D. Milman, is facing the same charges for his part in an alleged scheme that took place from 2002 to 2004 at the three pharmacies he and his wife owned and operated, according to court documents.Mr. Milman - who has been jailed for violating terms of his pretrial release - was originally scheduled for trial on Feb. 13, but that will likely change now, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Emily Langlie.
Again this year, I attended a local family's annual pre-New Year's potluck dinner. The potluck took place in a beautifully restored duplex on east Capitol Hill overlooking the Arboretum. Some time last year, I had a discussion with one of this paper's bigwigs, over whether Capitol Hill is or isn't a real "neighborhood" or was just a jumble of subcultures and "tribes" sharing the same patch of real estate.At this particular party, Capitol Hill IS a neighborhood. Painters and schoolteachers and real estate agents and former City Peoples Mercantile clerks and musicians and small business owners and Microsofties and families and singles and gays and assorted races and generations, all coming together. Some no longer live on the Hill but still identify with it. At occasions like this dinner party, the Hill really is a neighborhood.Perhaps no one at the event was ever next-door neighbors to anyone else at the event. But they're still a community. Capitol Hill is a real community. It's also a "virtual" community, a state of mind.
Welcome to the 11th year of selecting my annual list of the year's most overhyped and underreported stories. As usual, there's plenty to unravel: stories that should never have been stories, stories whose reporting largely missed the point and stories barely told at all. My national list of such stories is at www.workingforchange.com.Meanwhile, here are 2006's most underreported and overhyped stories from our own little corner of the universe.
Dietitians are not fond of January.Yes, we get a lot of business this time of the year, but it's not a pretty picture. For so many of our clients the most wonderful time of the year is followed by a period of misery and regret. Again, the holiday celebrations have left their mark - mostly around the waistline - and it can be hard to muster enough resolve to take up the battle of the bulge once more. Frankly, we spend a great deal of time and effort to talk people out of giving up for good.We all know that failure is a part of life and, to a certain extent, we are willing to accept that. Of course, we prefer to think of ourselves as successes. It's important for us to know that we are making progress in one way or another. My generation in particular has been brought up to believe that there are always bigger and better things in store for us and that our best days are still ahead. I am no exception. Throughout my life, I never questioned the importance of achievement. I've always considered myself to be a disciplined, goal-oriented person, someone who was able to roll up her sleeves and do whatever it takes to get the job done.As a wife, a mother, a homemaker, a professional and an entrepreneur, I tried my best to do what was expected of me - by others, but more so by myself. I was even known for organizing my aspirations by drawing up flow charts, listing short-, middle- and long-term goals as well as strategies to implement their realization. Life can be planned! Or so I thought.
TIME ONCE AGAIN for saluting the year's Ten Best movies. Although 2006 brought a handful of terrific films, overall it seemed an off year for cinema: more movies than ever, but few that registered strongly. Those that did are remembered here. Both frequent News film critic Kathleen Murphy and I have slightly adjusted the lists we posted with MSN.com a couple of weeks ago (what with late-arriving beauties and memory tardily kicking in); if interested in reading more, go there and click on "Movies."- Richard T. Jameson
When Hurricane Katrina blew away their jobs and rendered their apartments unlivable, two young theatricals from New Orleans, Gannon Patton and Morgan Aldrich, migrated to Seattle (following a short layover in Austin, Texas). Having arrived here for one of the wildest and wettest winters on record, the intrepid duo decided to put on a show.What they established, Two Hours' Traffic (Capitol Hill's latest fringe troupe), was formed by young artists who are all "not from around here."
It is true that north Broadway will soon lose The Elite. But The Elite will not be lost to Capitol Hill. Announced last week, the second oldest gay bar in the city, will relocate several blocks west to the Olive Way business corridor.Robert Bault, who has owned the Elite for the last five years, said the departure from the bar's longtime Broadway location was sad and regrettable. But, since the building's current owner required that he shut down or move, Bault scrambled to find a new Capitol Hill location. Such efforts proved successful. The Elite will relocate to a much larger location at 1520 E. Olive Way.
Bill Bryant has been coaching girls soccer for nine years - 20 teams in all - but he has never had a team like the Capitol Hill Soccer Club's Cougars before.His team of seventh graders is the team that can do it all ... and win it all. The team's laurels include the 2006 Seattle U-13 (under 13-years old), district and state championships."We ran the table," Bryant said with pride and satisfaction. He has reason for pride in his team. It is not an easy thing to prevail over 250 teams state-wide, especially when you have to come from behind, out of the losers' bracket, to do it.The state cup competition took place on Dec. 2 and 3 in Oak Harbor. The Cougars won their semi-final game 3-0 against Olympia's Flying Cucumbers. The final game pitted the Cougars against the Vancouver (Wash.) Huskies, and the score was again 3-0 (somewhat lower than the Apple Cup score between the "other" Huskies and Cougars this year).
What kind of year was 2006? What stands out about the year just past? With 2007 just getting started, it's interesting to consider what kind of footprint was left by the year we left behind. It would be impossible to imagine that someone living on the Hill could forget the shooting rampage of March 25, when loner Kyle Huff shot and killed six young people at an after-dance party before taking his own life. The killings made international headlines and served as the Hill's 15 minutes of global fame. Nine months later, it is still difficult to square the quiet street scene at 2112 E. Republican St. with the tragedy that took place inside the house. It could have been much worse. It is once again worth praising the efforts of Seattle Police Officer Steve Leonard, whose prompt response and cool head when confronting Huff almost assuredly saved many lives. And it's worth noting that the house is now being rented to another group of tenants, a return to normalcy noted by both Seattle dailies in end-of-year-feel-better-about-things stories.
MICHAEL MENTERI think it's going to be a great year. I just retired from my 38-year career. It was mostly sitting behind a desk. I just got a job part-time at Starbucks. It will be nice to interact with people.JULIE BREWER (with Zoe)Personally, I am optimistic. My business is growing and looking good for this year. It's hard not to be optimistic with a dog.
Dietitians are not fond of January.Yes, we get a lot of business this time of the year, but it's not a pretty picture. For so many of our clients the most wonderful time of the year is followed by a period of misery and regret. Again, the holiday celebrations have left their mark - mostly around the waistline - and it can be hard to muster enough resolve to take up the battle of the bulge once more. Frankly, we spend a great deal of time and effort to talk people out of giving up for good.We all know that failure is a part of life and, to a certain extent, we are willing to accept that. Of course, we prefer to think of ourselves as successes. It's important for us to know that we are making progress in one way or another. My generation in particular has been brought up to believe that there are always bigger and better things in store for us and that our best days are still ahead. I am no exception. Throughout my life, I never questioned the importance of achievement. I've always considered myself to be a disciplined, goal-oriented person, someone who was able to roll up her sleeves and do whatever it takes to get the job done.
I'm not diseased. I'm not cursed. I'm not even sad and miserable. I'm single. And no matter what anyone tells you (especially my mom with her desperate fixation on grandchildren), I do make an effort. I take this apparent defect very seriously.Boy troublesGranted, I started late - preferring to read and write stories in high school over actual living. But once in college, I quickly "found" a boyfriend, and he instantly conferred upon me the status of "good wife material." The facts that I neither actively sought him out nor wished to settle down forever with the first James Dean-wannabe I met, seemed immaterial to everyone. And I found his presumption about our future charming, until I discovered "wife material" meant he expected me to sit quietly by while he screwed around with non-wives. I instantly dumped him. Do you blame me?From there, I fell seriously for the bad boy, then the crazy boy and then the most-intelligent, most-popular boy. I ended up in a long-term, verbally abusive, co-dependent, tortured romance with a pretentious philosopher who showed lots of promise.It took several years to learn that promise doesn't get me help with the laundry. Determined to do better, I gritted my teeth and sallied forth into the single Seattle scene.
Cuauhtemoc "Moc" Escobedo believes the lessons learned in a music class can apply to everything in life. As a band teacher at Eckstein Middle School, Escobedo provides these lessons to the hundreds of students who pass through his programs yearly.Escobedo was recently awarded the 2006 Stanley O. McNaughton Golden Apple Award, the highest award of the KCTS Golden Apple Awards, which honor excellence in education.Parents, students and faculty agree: Escobedo is the essence of excellence in education. An inspiration Escobedo is passionate about teaching and music. His favorite part is watching the students perform."It's so enriching...just watching the students glow and shine; it's just fantastic. I wish everyone could see it. It is so cool," Escobedo said.