When it comes to bikes and protecting the environment, the City of Redmond scores big points.
On the city government front, I’m wondering why more people aren’t keen on running for a City Council spot.
When it comes to bikes and protecting the environment, the City of Redmond scores big points.
On the city government front, I’m wondering why more people aren’t keen on running for a City Council spot.
Based on conversations around the water cooler, it seems that there’s a bit of mystery about the newly formed organization known as OneRedmond.
Under the Washington state constitution, providing an ample education for all students is identified as state government’s “paramount duty.” Last year, the state Supreme Court ruled that the legislature had failed to meet that duty by persistently underfunding our schools. This year, the legislature is responding.
Shamefully, I need to start by confessing that it’s only been about a year since I started taking an interest in the “smart growth” development of our town. It started with the city’s plans to remove all the trees at the old Group Health Hospital site. It seemed to me that if they could build a hospital around all the trees, they should try a little harder to save some of them during this current redevelopment project. From there, I looked at the proposed light rail coming to Redmond, the high-density housing that we’re seeing in the downtown area, zoning changes and public domain parameters; in short, just about all of the “sustainable” development plans encountered in Redmond’s “Vision For 2030.”
Gov. Jay Inslee has called the Legislature back in special session next week to finish work on the budget. In January, most observers agreed we had three main issues to address:
1. Balance the budget over both two and four years complying with our four-year balanced budget requirement.
In my last column, I shared with you some of the drug trends in our local neighborhoods. As alarming as drug and alcohol use may be, there are other issues plaguing our kids. Chief among them are stress and depression.
As the weeks became months for those of us crafting the Senate operating budget, and the plan itself crept closer to the 400-page mark, it helped to pause and remember that our task was about more than making policies and allocating dollars.
On average, how many Redmond Police Department (RPD) officers are on the road at a time? On average, how many calls for service does RPD receive in a week? (A “call for service” being a call generated through our dispatch center requiring an officer response. This can range from an accidental 911 hangup to a murder. It doesn’t matter whether one or five officers respond — it accounts for one “call for service.”)
Welcome, neighbor.
You may know much, some or very little about Bastyr University near you in Kenmore.
We see some conservatives in our state are upset over what they see as “activism” by the state Supreme Court. Specifically, they’re peeved the court has ordered the Legislature to spend more money on education. At the same time, they’re upset the court has ruled that it only takes a simple majority for the Legislature to increase taxes.
It’s been almost 10 years since I graduated high school and while I have now reached my late 20s, I still feel closer to being a kid than a grown-up.
Lawmakers got some good news last week as state revenue was projected to be $40 million higher than anticipated over the next two years.
I think about stuff as I drive. It’s my one-on-one business meeting time.
I make my way to Redmond via State Route 522 from north Seattle each day, and as I drive through Bothell, the wheels in my mind start turning.
We all want to know what our kids are being exposed to at school and within the community. And no doubt, there are some things we should be paying attention to, especially when it comes to substance use.
When I graduated from the University of Washington’s (UW) journalism program in June 2008, the use of social media in the industry was still fairly new.
The state Supreme Court made the right call when it ruled that the Legislature can pass a tax increase with only a majority vote. Let’s hope lawmakers don’t run amok with this power.
Even when snow blanketed the playground in a white fluffy comforter and the rain washed out parts of the soccer field in a small monsoon, it was impossible not to miss those floral print Hawaiian shorts standing out in the cold, greeting each of us as we arrived at school. Something about reaching for those high fives had an uplifting effect on a day that had not begun yet, and that contagious smile warmed the heart instantly. Don Wong was an educator, a mentor, a coach, a life coach, a friend, family member and perhaps just shy of an angel.
I never knew Don Wong, but after attending Wednesday night’s celebration of life event for the popular coach, I feel as if I’m part of his extended family a little bit.
I love Redmond, but I hardly know her — and that’s coming from someone who has volunteered in the community for 20 years. I bet all of you have that same feeling. But what if we could get to really know Redmond and what her residents aspire to — is that worth striving for?
Washington state is at the center of the high-tech industry. Companies like Boeing, Microsoft and Amazon offer our children endless opportunities. Even traditional blue-collar jobs like farming and manufacturing are becoming increasingly reliant on technology skills.