This past week the National Assessment of Educational Progress put out its annual report on the achievement levels of fourth and eighth graders in this nation. This assessment is done by taking a random sample of students from each state; local school districts have been involved in the past, comparing them to previous year’s achievement.
The 2011 Legislative session was the hardest for me and for most lawmakers, even those who have been serving for many years. As we prepare for another round of heart wrenching budget decisions, I want to stop and share some good news that came out of my work from last session.
Name a sport. What’s the first thing you think of? Maybe soccer, baseball, or football.
I can certainly tell the political season has entered the full bore mental twilight zone.
Calls have been coming in at the office that in other situations I would consider the person partially paranoid, suspiciously psychotic or the more technical term — political-campaign nuts.
Numbers, they can make everyone’s life miserable.
Adding and subtracting numbers has been torturing young kids through adults for thousands of years, and it continues to this day.
The political wind machine is shifting into high gear with about a month before the election verdicts are handed down from the voters.
It’s no secret that I hate the color pink.
True, I have come to see it as a neutral color since my daughter Lyla arrived almost two years ago, but still it’s not a color I have in abundance in my wardrobe.
With students in theTukwila School District beginning another school year, I can’t help but think of my first day as a student at Sammamish High School. Actually, it wasn’t the day I remember so much as the angst-filled morning precipitating it.
Gang violence seems to be everywhere today, even right here in our own suburban neighborhoods – and it’s mobile, moving across city borders. So, how can south and east King County communities work together to deal with it?
Head injuries in athletes resulting in concussions occur more frequently than previously thought. We are learning more about the problem and the important consequences.
Edward Gibbon wrote in the “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” the two most important elements of war are “caution and vigilance.”
For some reason the line popped into my brain the other day when I was driving to work when I probably should have been thinking about cinnamon rolls or brownies with white chocolate chips inside.
One of the more intriguing aspects of my job is covering the governments and communities of five cities.
Election time is great. Voters become more aware of community issues that seem to be less visible between election cycles. Candidates step up to make their case.
Words have been my business for many years and I am always fascinated by how they are used. Sometimes words are used to say one thing and mean something quite different.
I was at a council meeting in another city and the term affordable housing came up during the discussion.
Citizens are absolutely right to expect their elected officials to be honest and maintain high ethical standards. I too believe elected officials should be held to these high standards and nothing they do as an elected official should enrich them financially.
This week, let's explore the compensation for our elected positions and what we get for our money. For City Council members, the expectations are high and the pay is low.
In February, the Tukwila City Council, in a 4-3 vote, voluntarily cut the revenues to your city by over $50,000 a week and will be putting almost 450 employees out of work. They do this by closing the three commercial card rooms operating on Interurban Avenue.
In the short time I have spent getting to know the town of Tukwila, it has become clear this is an intriguing community with a complex history and many stories to tell.
Last week’s news about a cyberstalking case in Issaquah made the headlines, mostly due to the young age of the accused “cyberstalkers”.
I’ve been watching “American Idol” on TV this season (it’s not what you think; I only watch it for the articles), and was disappointed when Kent’s only remaining contestant Stefano Langone was booted off the show.
[flipp] 