Hmmm… I’m not sure this is the best way to control crime in our transit system…
Category: Uncategorized
Renton sky
I shot this from my front yard a few days ago. So pretty.
My guest article in today’s Renton Reporter; Animals!
Renton – An Animal Friendly Community
By Randy Corman, Renton City Council
Renton has always been a city that is friendly to animals. We recognize that animals occupy an esteemed place in many of our households, often being treated as members of the family. They offer a source of amusement, pleasure, and companionship. They provide opportunities for outdoor exercise and socialization. We have some of the lowest animal license fees in King County, we allow dogs in 26 of our 28 parks, and we have our own animal control officers who love animals. They are responsible for inspecting properties to make sure they are suitable for the safe and appropriate care of the animals. We also enjoy a great history of large animal husbandry, dating back to Longacres, which for decades hosted up to 1,500 horses. The greater Renton area has also been home to some great pet, feed and tack stores over the years.
Recently, we heard from our community about their preferences and desires regarding pets and other domestic animals. Many people are intensely passionate about the animals they keep and their right to keep them. On the other hand, people also feel equally strongly about the impact of animals in their neighborhood and their property rights. We decided to review our current code and regulations so that we could be responsive to residents’ needs and concerns, anticipate future needs regarding keeping animals and ensure that we protect property rights and our neighborhoods.
I’m happy to share with you that at our last Council meeting, we updated and approved our regulations regarding the keeping of animals in the city of Renton. The new regulations change the definitions so that they are more specific about which animals are permissible, and revise the definitions of small, medium and large domestic animals. The type and number of permissible animals is now based on the lot size required to keep these animals. The new code links the use to the property, and does not prohibit the homeowner from replacing animals.
For instance, homeowners on lots of over 6,000 square feet can now own laying hens, for a supply of eggs. The new law also allows people on larger suburban lots of over 12,500 square feet to keep miniature goats, ducks, geese and sheep. Those with lot sizes of at least one acre can keep potbelly pigs, cows, llamas and horses. The number of animals allowed varies according to the lot size. Historically people could have a total of three dogs and cats. The new law allows one additional dog or cat for homeowners with large sized lots that are over 30,000 square feet.
In addition to providing flexibility and security for Renton residents who love their pets, this new ordinance safeguards the animals, and protects against any detrimental effect to neighboring properties. It also makes it easier for our newly-annexed residents to continue to keep their animals.
For more information please contact Angie Mathias from our staff at 425-430-6576, or visit our website at rentonwa.gov.
Sincerely, Randy Corman
Death of a bypass in crowded Issaquah
While most Rentonites are very familiar with the configuration of the Renton end of the Renton-Issaquah road (highway 900), the east end in issaquah has been confounded by constuction delays, overuse, and restriction to single lane each way through many highly congested segments.
In some ways, these restrictions have helped Renton residents by resticting the total volume on this highway…but for those residents trying to commute on this road toward Issaquah, the growing traffic has been agrivating.
Many years ago I use to commute from Issaquah to my Boeing job in Renton, before I smartly moved my residence to our city. More recently, I’ve actually commuted from my Renton home to a Boeing facility in Issaquah, an ironic reverse of my commute two decades earlier. In both directions, the traffic on the Issaquah end makes our issues in Renton not seem as unsolvable, as they are constrained by even tougher topography and wetland issues than we see here in Renton.
Recently, there was an article about the end of the Issaquah bypass that has been discussed for 12 years to alleviate some of the backups.
I don’t have feelings either way about the death of the bypass, but I am sympathetic to Issaquah officials trying to resolve their worsening traffic problems.
Seattle PI: Renton community helps family in need
Someone already commented this… but YES, our police caught the suspected killer
From: “Denis Law” <dlaw@ci.renton.wa.us> Date: February 26, 2008 3:57:37 PM PST
To: “Don Persson” <dpersson@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Greg Taylor” <gtaylor@ci.renton.wa.us>, “King Parker” <kparker@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Marcie Palmer” <mpalmer@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Randy Corman” <rcorman@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Rich Zwicker” <rzwicker@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Terri Briere” <tbriere@ci.renton.wa.us>
Cc: “Jay Covington” <jcovington@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Julia Medzegian” <jmedzegian@ci.renton.wa.us>, “Kevin Milosevich” <kmilosevich@ci.renton.wa.us>
Subject: Fwd: Homicide Arrest
Dear Councilmembers.
A suspect has been arrested in the homicide case, thanks to the great work by our detectives. They have recovered a gun and gathered other vital evidence that will help with the prosecution of this case. The suspect was known to the victim and is well known by our officers.
Denis
Milosevich, Kevin(Kevin Milosevich) 2/26/2008 11:18 AM >>>
We arrested our suspect in Tacoma this morning. I will provide the details at staff.
Gun death in the Highlands
RENTON POLICE DEPARTMENT
MEDIA RELEASE
February 24, 2008
Contact: Renton Police
Office: 425-430-7500
Case 08-1827
At approximately 5:22pm on February 24, 2008 Renton Fire Department responded to an aid call in the 600 block of Index Ave. NE. The subject a 20 year old male was laying in an alley/right of way face down and was unresponsive. Fire Department personnel determined that the subject had died and the Renton Police Department Patrol, Investigations and Traffic personnel responded to the scene. It appears the man died as a result of a gunshot. The police department is investigating this case as a homicide. There are no suspects in custody at this time.
9:00 pm 2-24-08
Floyd Eldridge Commander,
Investigations Division
Renton Police Department
I’ve been scanning old photos; here are some pictures from the year Cathy and I met (in highschool)
Cathy poses with her first Golden Retriever
I give my cousin Scotty a ride on my unicycle
No! Ralph…. I liked you in the 60’s, but you are simply not wanted now!
Ralph Nader seems bent on destroying everything he has ever stood for. In restarting his role as spoiler, Obama will now be competing in the general election with one hand tied behind his back.
I think Ralph Nader’s last run for president was a disaster, and I resent him even more for doing it again. I don’t know what he hopes to accomplish. If he just wants to contribute to the dialog, he should get himself a radio show like Rush Limbaugh, or a blog like this one. Becoming a candidate is a sure-fire way to make sure that the next president, whether republican or democrat, is elected by a plurality…a minority of voters.
Grrr…..
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Nader Announces Another Presidential Bid
Ralph Nader is launching a third-party campaign for president. The consumer advocate made the announcement Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He says most Americans are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties, and that none of the presidential contenders are addressing ways to stem corporate crime and Pentagon waste and promote labor rights.
Another day, another 737 departs the Renton plant (this one’s for Virgin Blue)
Thanks to Drewski2112 for this great photo!
‘Not just a farm, but a FEN’; recent college grad, Sarah Leingang, writes about the Blueberry Farm
From guest contributer Sarah Leingang:
In the hills of the Renton Highlands there is a charming little blueberry farm. This farm is located on about 3.5 acres of land, which is roughly equal to 3.5 football fields. This is quite a bit of land for a suburban neighborhood like the Highlands. Especially when considering how quickly these areas are being densely developed into much smaller lots covered for the most part with single family homes.
This farm has been Tucked away in between I-405 and Edmonds Ave, and has been enjoyed by countless families. But most visitors coming and going never realize the true value of the place they have visited.
So what’s the point of this random rambling? Well in recent years this bit of land has undergone a lot of discussion between those that want to develop and those that want to conserve. With the common residential zoning of R-4, you can build 4 homes per acres, which means that if there were no wetland issues there would be a potential for 14 homes to be built over this beautiful farm. Already the farm owner has expressed concerns about the effect neighboring developments has had on the microclimate of her farm. These effects include such items as the loss of trees as a wind buffer, and water run off from nearby land that used to water her farm but is now diverted uselessly into the city’s storm water system.
This little blueberry farm tucked into the highlands is a rare find. It has a value even greater than just a bit of green space in a ever more developed suburban neighborhood. What people most often miss when looking at this farm is that this bit of land is a truly unique and rare ecosystem known as a fen. A fen is an ecosystem similar to a bog; but what makes a fen different from a bog is that it is feed by a natural water source, not simply by rainwater. An official definition describes “The fen is a phase in the development of the natural succession from open lake, through reedbed, fen and carr, to woodland as the peat develops and its surface rises.”
A naturally occurring fen is a rare treasure to come across, and without protection this fen could soon be only a memory. If this farm were to be developed intensely, the loss of this complex and remarkable natural wonder would be truly unfathomable. And even if it is not developed, the rate of development nearby may alter the fen’s microclimate so much that is damaged and loss anyhow.
City stormwater retention laws would require that some land be set aside, to serve as a retaining pond to mimic the natural function of a wetlands ability to slowly recharge ground water sources and filter clean water back into the ground. But the small effort of a retaining pond could never truly recover the ability of a natural wetland, 1 acre of wetland 1 foot deep can hold up to 330,000 gallons of water. The complex nature of any ecosystem cannot be remade (even with the best of intentions) since there is so many layers of perfectly balanced life. From the obvious flora and fauna down to the bugs and algae and even down to the unseen but just as important bacteria within the hydrological soil all work in perfect harmony that we are simply unable to recreate just anywhere.
Any bit of green space within our ever developing Highlands is a rarity, and should be considered for conservation for us and future generations. And this small blueberry farm tucked in amongst many homes is easy to overlook, but it is not just a blueberry farm… it is a FEN that is worth saving.
Sarah Leingang grew up in Renton Highlands and graduated from Hazen in 2003. She has recently obtained her degree in Architecture.
I love the color in this picture…
My nine year old took this picture of my wife on one of the first sunny days we have had in a while…
RENTON CHAMBER OF COMMERCE; E-VENT & INFORMATION WEEKLY
Great information about events happening around town!
Renton Elections Center gets put into action
Last updated February 19, 2008 12:50 p.m. PT
KingCo counting ballots at new elections center
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENTON, Wash. — King County election workers are counting primary ballots at a new processing center in Renton.
Dozens of workers are opening absentee ballots for Tuesday’s primary, verifying signatures and tabulating results.
Ballots are stored in high-security cages that can be opened only with a fingerprint scan.
This is the first election to be handled at the Renton facility since it opened in December to consolidate other offices.
University shooter’s girlfriend: I couldn’t believe it
Reader Mark Martinez suggested I post a blog on this news item, to see if Renton readers have any reactions they wish to share.
I was at city hall visiting with Mayor Law when the news first broke on this tragedy (it was right after the transportation meeting I blogged about below), and our first shared comments were that it was another serious human tragedy, rooted in mental illness, and it seemed clear that the police could not have done anything any quicker.
As the news has unfolded over the last few days, it is clear that the shooter was a very complex young man, who was indeed struggling with emotional issues. It sounds like he had engaged and caring parents, who made their best efforts to get him treatment. And today’s story indicates he also had a loving girlfriend, who cared about him. It is incredibly sad, but very common, that even with so many people who loved him, and professional treatment providers, their efforts were not enough to save him from his demons; and far more tragic that in his psychosis he killed and injured so many innocents before he took his own life.
It sounds like the gun that did most of the damage was a shotgun, that has a legitimate use for hunting. There were no exotic automatic weapons to blame in this case. And the police were there quickly, but not before all the damage was done. The shooter had already killed 5 and injured 18, and taken his own life in mere minutes if not seconds. There was no claimed “cautious holding-back” by the police that has been the subject of debate in other school shooting situations.
So, I’m sad to say that if there is a lesson to be learned, it may be that not all human tragedies are preventable in a free nation. This one initially looks like everyone except the shooter did everything right, and the shooter himself had cooperated in steps to get treatment for his mental illness.
Perhaps the only debate that might ensue, is that there will be some that suggest that it was a mistake to allow someone with a history of mental illness to purchase guns. This argument has some merit, but it is risky to go this direction if the young man had no “criminal” history of mental illness. It may be counter-productive to penalize people who have sought counseling, anger management training, psychotherapy to help them through a crisis, etc by taking away any of their rights. In general, it is the UNTREATED mentally ill that put the population at risk, not the people who are responsible enough to seek help. And we DON’T want to stop people from seeking help. Such a change could have the unintended consequence of increasing homicide and suicide rates. Existing laws require professional therapists to let law enforcement know if a patient appears to be a risk to themselves or others… and this should be good enough.
If someone has been found “criminally” ill, where the criminal justice system has found and treated the illness, then taking their gun rights makes more sense.
My last thought on this topic is to tell people that if you feel you are likely to kill yourself, tell someone. And whatever you do, if you must take your own life, don’t take other people with you! Saint Peter will be much more sympathetic if one arrives at the pearly gates alone… even an agnostic can see that if there is any possibility of an after-life one should not drag innocent bystanders into one’s self destruction. And the public will be much more sympathetic to one’s family and loved ones if he has not killed others before killing himself; this is important, because loved ones suffer immensely from suicide anyway, and this type of tragedy could be too much for a parent to bear.
I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
Here is today’s story:
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University shooter’s girlfriend: I couldn’t believe it
WONDER LAKE, Illinois (CNN) — The girlfriend of the gunman who killed five people and then himself at Northern Illinois University last Thursday told CNN there was “no indication he was planning something.”
Jessica Baty said her boyfriend, Steve Kazmierczak, gave no warning of the terror he planned to unleash at NIU.
“He wasn’t erratic. He wasn’t delusional. He was Steve; he was normal,” Jessica Baty tearfully said in an exclusive interview Sunday.
Baty, 28, said she dated Steven Kazmierczak off and on for two years and had most recently been living with him. Continue reading