Month: July 2008

Renton’s population is about 82,000

Written by Randy Corman 2 Comments

With our most recent annexations, we are growing pretty big. There are no prizes for being bigger, but it is not inherantly bad either…so long as we can keep the level of service up to all areas of the city. Traffic continues to get worse, of course, but this is true whether the areas grow around us in King County or whether the land is annexed onto the city. Our zoning is generally about the same as, or less dense than, King County’s in the areas adjacent to Renton (within the urban growth boundary).

Here is an email I received earlier today:
______________________________________________________

—–Original Message—–
From: Denis Law [mailto:DLaw@ci.renton.wa.us]
Sent: Thursday, July 31, 2008 9:30 AM
To: Don Persson; Greg Taylor; King Parker; Marcie Palmer; Randy Corman; Rich Zwicker; Terri Briere
Cc: Alexander Pietsch; Julia Medzegian
Subject: City population

With the recent annexation of the New Life/Aqua Barn and Liberty, our unofficial population appears to exceed 82,000 people. Alex Pietsch will provide you with more specific detail at the upcoming emerging issues at Committee of the Whole. The unofficial number provided by census takers for New Life was 2,377. Alex predicts about 1,000 more from the Liberty Annexation.

Denis

Sound Transit Phase Two

Written by Randy Corman 11 Comments

Last Friday the Seattle Times ran this story about the 17.9 billion dollar Sound Transit proposal which will be on the ballot in November.

I’m going to need A LOT of convincing to get behind such a big rail proposal, which ignores our city, in such a rough economy. This proposal effectively ensures that Renton will not see any rail service until after this next phase is complete, in about 2025. Meanwhile, we will see 17.9 billion dollars focussed on the rail extensions to Bellevue, and North and South of Seattle, leaving scant resources for any other transit. With the few bus lines Renton has operating at standing-room-only conditions, its disturbing to think of Renton voters kicking in another 300 million dollars for no extra service over the next twenty years.

As a reminder, our residents contributed about 100 million to Sound Transit Phase 1, and we are now going to be lucky to see 20 million of that spent in our city… it has been earmarked for transit improvements on Rainier Ave that are in the design stage. The other 80 million, which was targeted at some HOV direct access ramps, is now being held pending a multi-billion dollar improvement to I-405 which lacks funding…hence, we will not get our share of our own Phase I sound transit money.

Our city staff, elected officials, and other eastside elected officials have negotiated passionately to try to get Bus Rapid Transit on the 405 corridor for nearly ten years, at a cost of less than one tenth of what a rail line would cost, but Sound Transit still does not include this proposal.

Fool me once, shame on you….fool me twice, shame on me. Sound Transit has to include serious additional transit service to Renton, in line with the tax money we are paying, in order for me to get behind this newest ballot initiative.

Surfers and their SHARKS!

Written by Randy Corman 0 Comments

Ah, summer time. When the surfers and their SHARKS frolic in the waters off Florida. This photo ran on MSNBC today, with an interview by the photographer who got the lucky shot.

( It truly appears to be a lucky shot… not a hoax.)

Having grown up an hour from Santa Cruz in California, I used to enjoy everything about the beach except for the idea of the sharks which occasionally dined on surfers and their equipment (usually mistaking them for seals.) The movie “Jaws”, which came out when I was twelve, didn’t really help any of us feel more secure in Great White country.

But statistically, there is virtually no risk of being bitten by a shark compared to all the other hazards we face in life. And shark populations are diminishing so seriously, that in some areas there are only 20 percent as many sharks as there were when I was in high school…. often due to overfishing on both the sharks and their food sources.

Fun summertime picture, don’t you think?

Red Dragon Spa (On Sunset) busted for prostitution

Written by Randy Corman 10 Comments

Yesterday the Seattle PI reported on some prostitution arrests associated with a Renton business. An observer did not have to be a vice detective to see that the Red Dragon Spa in Renton looked suspicious. In addition to odd activity in the window and out front, their internet advertisements on Craigslist practically screamed “arrest us”.

Here is an excerpt:

“In November, detectives began investigating the Red Dragon Spa at 352 Sunset Blvd. N. in Renton after seeing it advertised on a Web site for erotic services. The ad offered three Asian girls and one Hispanic girl and a “great full hour massage for $100,” according to a search warrant affidavit filed in King County Superior Court.”

And the article includes this seedy detail:

“In addition, a registered sex offender is believed to have helped get a business license for the Renton parlor. In a license application, the sex offender, who was convicted of child rape in King County and now living in Kirkland, is listed as one of three contacts for the business, police and court documents say.”

The article includes a “sound-off” section, where many PI readers are responding to the article.

Like some of the other readers point out, the biggest problem with this type of business is the way it exploits the women and girls who get caught up in it. It’s not an issue of trying to impose puritan definitions of chastity on other people. The real issue here is that far too often these businesses are engaged in human trafficking and virtual enslavement, and they put the women (and girls) in physical and emotional peril. That is the best reason for keeping this activity illegal, and breaking up prostitution rings.

Here is the link to the story

Renton Lomas eye doctor’s abrupt shop closure generated 56 complaints; now in bankruptcy

Written by Randy Corman 1 Comment

The ‘Oklahoman’ reports that 56 complaints have been filed against former Renton Lomas Eye Care doctor Christopher Phillips. The Oklahoma media have taken some interest in this story because of the doctor’s former marriage to Oklahoma hero Shannon Miller.

___________________________________________________________

Thu July 17, 2008

Gymnast’s ex-husband is in bankruptcy

Christopher Phillips, Olympics gymnast Shannon Miller’s ex-husband has filed for bankruptcy after closing his eye surgery business.

Dr. Christopher Phillips, 35, was the subject of critical news accounts in Seattle earlier this year because some patients complained they had no notice of the closure and did not know what to do next.

“We’ve driven a hundred miles for an appointment that we thought we had at 3:30. … You can’t get any answers. That’s the bad thing,” one patient said to Seattle TV station KIRO.

The Washington Health Department is investigating 56 complaints against the doctor, a spokeswoman said Tuesday. All the complaints have come in since the closure.

The investigations may result in discipline that could include loss of Phillips’ medical license in Washington, the Health Department spokeswoman said.

Phillips is from Oklahoma. He could not be reached for comment. His bankruptcy attorney, Gloria Nagler, said Tuesday, “I don’t have any comment. Sorry.”

Phillips married Miller in a fairy tale-like wedding in Oklahoma City in 1999. Their divorce became final in Massachusetts seven years later. Miller called the marriage a painful experience.

Phillips filed for bankruptcy July 2 in federal court in Seattle. He listed an address in Renton, a suburb of Seattle. Phillips reported he is unemployed.

He reported he has assets of $962,109 and liabilities of almost $4.7 million. The liabilities include a mortgage and $3.9 million that may be owed to patients.

Phillips bought the eye surgery business in Renton last fall but closed it five months later, according to his bankruptcy records.

Records show Phillips is considering suing the doctor who sold him the clinic. He is considering alleging fraud in the sale. He also is considering suing the media on libel and slander grounds.

See the original article here

Man found dead in Jones Park; appears to be natural causes

Written by Randy Corman 3 Comments

Email received from  Police Chief Kevin Milosevich:

Yesterday afternoon around 3:00 PM, a older white male was found deceased in Jones Park. No signs of trauma, it appeared that he was sleeping in the park and had a seizure.

We called the medical examiner’s office. The responding technician lives just a few doors down from the park. He and his wife were out walking on the trail Wednesday evening and observed the victim in the same location, sleeping. At that time, the victim’s position was different from when we discovered him yesterday afternoon.

The ME is in the process of locating next of kin, and it appears that the victim was homeless.

If any new information is developed, I will let you know.

 

Open letter from the King County Sheriff

Written by Randy Corman 16 Comments

 As a reminder, the city of Renton does not have policing issues…. this letter from the Sheriff affects those crimes that are under the jurisdiction of King County Sheriff –primarily in the unincorporated parts of King County–

–So don’t even THINK about committing these crimes here 🙂

 

Right-click here to download pictures. To help protect your privacy, Outlook prevented automatic download of this picture from the Internet.Public Safety
in Peril

In March of this year the King County Executive told me that the Sheriff’s Office would need to take an 8.6% budget cut, roughly equaling $7.5 million for 2009. I have been working closely with my command staff and all of our employees for several months to identify potential areas for reductions. We have carefully evaluated every possible scenario to minimize the impact to the level of service provided by the Sheriff’s Office.
Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to take such a hit without affecting the way we do business. If the budget situation is not resolved, it is clear that we will have to make drastic cuts to our existing service levels. This will significantly impact service levels in the following areas:

  • Domestic Violence
  • Narcotics & Organized Crime
  • Cold case Investigations
  • Neighborhood Storefront Centers
  • Victim Outreach

I will also have to raise the threshold for investigating property crimes. Although we will respond to the scene and take a case report, any property crime with a loss of $10,000 or less will not be investigated. I was forced to choose between investigating property crimes and investigating person-related crimes such as rape, robbery, assault and homicide.

We have been moving aggressively to scrub the budget and to ‘tighten our belts’. The following are some of the immediate measures we have taken to save money:

  • Reducing overtime by 15% in each Division
  • Reducing the number of pool vehicles available at each Precinct
  • Purchasing gas at pre-selected low cost stations
  • Developing a virtual block watch through the use of email groups
  • Developing online incident reporting

My commitment is to keep you informed and engaged in the budget process and any ensuing decisions. I intend to be out in the community with my criminal justice colleagues from now until November, talking to you about the budget crisis. As your elected Sheriff, it is my responsibility to protect your safety. That is my highest priority.

Your ongoing participation and communication with your elected officials is critical. To find out more about how these cuts could impact services and what you can do to help, please visit my website at:

www.kingcounty.gov/safety/sheriff

Thanks for all the recent comments!

Written by Randy Corman 6 Comments

I have appreciated all the recent comments from readers lately… there are online discussions occurring on many topics from the last few weeks.   Your comments are often more interesting than anything I have to say 🙂

Please peruse the comments on past articles to see what I mean.

Here are the most recent ones from the last few hours.

Thanks again!

Randy
_____________________________________________________

Somebody in Free speech perhaps? Second Berlin visitor to see Hitler figure decapitates it
Try nearly 73 million deaths in WWII: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_II_casualties  (Link) (Reply)

Somebody in Friends and relatives join us to help celebrate my middle-son’s eighteenth birthday
Nice pic Randy – rock on !  (Link) (Reply)

Somebody in Some candid writing about the night helicopter rides that have generated countless complaints
There is another pressure point that the City has used before. When does AirO’s lease expire? The City has refused to renew leases of problem tenants at the airport in the past, and this tenant is certainly asking for the same. They should underst (Link) (Reply)

Tragic and criminal– hit and run driver killed a beloved Renton man

Written by Randy Corman 2 Comments

The Seattle Times ran a story this morning about the death of a beloved Renton man from a hit-and-run accident last week.

We need for the driver of the SUV to turn themself in, and give his/her account of what happened. The truth will eventually emerge in situations like this, and there is no statute of limitations on the taking of a life, even accidentally, in our state anymore. Meanwhile, if anyone else has information about this accident on Talbot Road South, please contact the Police at the numbers given below.

And everyone needs to remember to slow down, and concentrate while driving. Keep an eye out for motorcycles and other two-wheelers in particular, as their numbers are growing fast due to high fuel prices.

The loss of Mr. Dougan to his family, friends and our community is immeasurable. Here is the Seattle Times story from this morning:

___________________________________________________________________________

Renton man dies from injuries suffered in hit-and-run accident

Daren Dougan, a Renton man who was critically injured in a hit-and-run accident last week, died Wednesday evening at Harborview Medical Center.

By Christine Clarridge, Seattle Times staff reporter

Daren Dougan, 40, was hit by an SUV while riding his motorcycle June 26.
A Renton man who was critically injured in a hit-and-run accident last week died Wednesday evening at Harborview Medical Center.

Renton police are asking for help from anyone who knows of a light-colored sport-utility vehicle with recent damage to the passenger side or who might have witnessed the June 26 accident that occurred about 11 p.m. on Talbot Road South near South 45th Place.

Police and family members said the driver of the SUV left the scene after turning abruptly in front of a Harley-Davidson ridden by 40-year-old Daren Dougan, of Renton. Police said Dougan was unable to stop in time to avoid the accident.

Dougan’s family members said he was taken off life support when physicians determined he was brain-dead. All of his organs, except his liver, which was catastrophically damaged in the accident, were harvested for donation, according to Dougan’s stepmother, Guen Cornutt, of Salem, Ore.

Dougan was a music lover who sang, played guitar and the harmonica and “had a wit you wouldn’t believe,” Cornutt said. He was a devoted brother of three, an uncle of four and a steady worker, managing a Renton-area furniture store for more than 15 years.

“He was the nicest guy,” she said. “He would literally give you the shirt off his back.”

“We’re just hoping that if people know what a wonderful man he was, they’ll take a little more time to look harder at the cars around them” in the search for the hit-and-run driver, Cornutt said.

Anyone with information on the accident is asked to call the Renton Police Department, 425-430-7500 .

Christine Clarridge: 206-464-8983 or cclarridge@seattletimes.com

Contributer Rose McMayhem– ‘Lance Armstrong’s got…well, he’s got quite a bit on me, to be honest.’

Written by Randy Corman 3 Comments

Contributed by Rose McMayhem–

Today, in what I would hesitate to call my brightest moment, I chose to ride my bicycle to work. Not just to the transit center, which is a mile away, but all the way to work, which is approximately 16 miles. Please keep in mind that the last time I attempted to get somewhere on a bicycle was 3 years ago and the ride was met with great misfortune, so not only am I woefully out of shape for such a trek, but I’m also a clumsy bike rider.

Today’s grand idea was inspired, in part, because I’m a fool who throws herself into things headfirst and then burns out quickly. Today was a great day to venture into the great two-wheeled unknown, though, since I normally do mentoring on Wednesdays, and so am not expected into work until 11- but school’s out now, so that’s an extra hour I can use on the road. I packed up my water bottle and Leatherman and headed out for a leisurely ride to work.

The following are excerpts from my mental journal along the ride.

10:01 am: This is nice. Good day for riding.

10:05 am: Why am I breathing so hard already?

10:12 am: Jeez, it’s taking forever just to get to the Lake Washington Trail.

10:15 am: So many damn hills. Who knew Seattle had so many hills? It’s like the damn San Francisco of the West.

10:17 am: Bottom hurts.

10:25 am: “Shift liberally,” the biking commuter’s guide said. “The gears are there for you to use.” Yeah, well, none of them are making this any easier. 18 gears and I hate them all.

10:28 am: The guide also said that half an hour each way burns roughly 500 calories, which amounts to losing 10 pounds over the next two months. At this rate, I’ll be lucky if I have 2% body fat by the end of the day.

10:35 am: What if I don’t make it? What if I end up like that pile of trash I just passed, decaying alongside the trail?

10:49 am: I see freeway- must be getting closer to Factoria. Wait, exit NINE? How the hell is it possible that I’m still in Renton? How did this city become so huge overnight?

10:53 am: I just saw Jesus. He appeared before me, reminded me to take my daily multivitamin, then turned into Whoopi Goldberg and vanished into thin air.

10:59 am: Hands hurt. Not sure where I am. Wish I’d brought signal flares.

11:12 am: Someone on a ten-speed just whizzed by me going uphill. F-you, ten-speed lady.

11:18 am: Pretty sure that dead bird alongside the trail just looked up at me and winked.

11:25 am: Creeping slowly up hills one foot at a time. Trying not to look farther ahead than 5 feet, lest my spirit be crushed more than it has been already by the sight of a never-ending incline.

11:33 am: Sign said the bike trail was this way, but now I’m parallel to 90 and heading East. I think I’m off course. Although I didn’t have much of a course to begin with.

11:34 am: Just passed a dude standing on the trail about two feet away from a retaining wall and staring at the wall. I know I didn’t imagine that.

11:36: Turned around. Headed in the right direction again, I think. Maybe I should call the Mister and have him come pick me up. NO! I will not accept defeat!

11:39 am: Bottom and hands hurt. And head. WHENCE ENDS MY JOURNEY?

11:42 am: Civilization ahoy! Oh Bellevue, my Eastside queen! Never before have I been so relieved to set eyes on you!

11:51 am: Dude just sped past with all his sinewy legs, lookin’ like it ain’t no thang to conquer these hills. I hate him.

11:58 am: Loaded the bike onto Route 565 at the Bellevue Transit Center and bussed it the rest of the way up to campus. Like hell I’m gonna ride the other, steeper half of the way there. Clipped a woman’s heel as we were getting on the bus and quickly apologized. She glared like I had no right to speak to her, let alone accidentally touch her. LADY, YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT I’VE JUST BEEN THROUGH. DO NOT TEST ME.

12:34 pm: Arrived at work…a little later than I’d planned, and only marginally defeated. The trip home will be radically different, I guarantee you that.

Cedar river logjams; input from a citizen

Written by Randy Corman 0 Comments

An interesting email council received from a citizen–
_____________________________________________________________

I have 2 concerns regarding the Cedar River.

First:

Just downstream of the Maplewood Park there is a hazard warning sign for a hazard long gone. It makes people wonder about any other warning sign. Is it current or out of date?

Please remove this sign.

Second – A real current hazard, The logjam behind the golf course.

There is a warning about this hazard. However, the other day as I was floating this area of the river, I met a couple on a canoe that put in after the warning. They were not at all aware of the logjam.

Currently, there is a portage to the right. For this one must climb over a couple of trees. The real hazard is on the left side of the stream.

While there is an assumed risk floating on any river, the main part of the logjam I believe presents an unnecessary hazard in a very populated area. While I have not done an environmental study of the logjam, my guess is that the major portion could easily be removed without any environmental degradation and at not much financial cost.

Please remove the major portion of this hazard that could trap someone. Thank you.

Have Fun!