Q: Mr. Federal Way, are city officials doing enough after all the murders hit us?
When Mayor Jim Ferrell announced his plan to move all the homeless out of their encampments and make sure they didn’t return, the implications were as predicable as falling dominoes.
President Herbert Hoover promised a nation “a chicken in every pot” (and a car in every garage). Hoover became president eight months before the stock market crash in 1929 marking the beginning of “The Great Depression.”
Q: Mr. Federal Way, the crime, shootings and murders are getting out of control in Federal Way. I don’t feel safe in this city and neither do my kids. What is wrong with people today? Why are there more shootings happening here?
Every now and then, explosive and unexpected events change political dynamics. We experienced those here in Washington in the last couple of weeks as indicted state auditor Troy Kelley was acquitted on one charge of lying and the jury could not reach agreement on 14 other charges.
There was a time as a young engineer intern when the pain of getting up for work super-early was overruled by the need for free parking in downtown Los Angeles.
It’s almost graduation season for area high schools. Our seniors have worked hard, studied well and prepared to take that next big step —attending college or a career school. But do they know how they are going to pay for it?
You know, I have been working on reconciliation for years. You don’t grow up in the inner city of Kansas City, Missouri, without wanting peace and justice and reconciliation to happen and feeling just a bit lost when it doesn’t.
Q: Mr. Federal Way, I’m feeling pretty down about the Seattle City Council’s decision to block the new arena. What do you think the next step is to bring back our Sonics?
There are several rules of behavior in politics, one of them being that Democrats don’t appear in Republican campaign literature and Republicans don’t appear in Democrats’ literature.
Q: Mr. Federal Way, I was surprised to see only one proposal to build a hotel by the Performing Arts and Event Center. Federal Way isn’t Seattle, but it’s not exactly Poulsbo either. Why aren’t more investors interested?
Our region is facing a quiet storm and a human crisis that challenges how we define compassion.
Are we our brother’s keeper? Do we have a responsibility to care for the weaker members of our society, the poor, the elderly and the homeless? And if so, what does that compassion look like?
April is STD Awareness Month and National Poetry Month. In honor of that, I offer the following. You’re welcome.
Last month, the Sound Transit Board released a draft plan for Sound Transit 3 that attempts to address the increasing demand we’ve heard for fast, reliable mass transit that provides more options to more destinations – and now is the time for Federal Way residents and people across the region to weigh in on that draft.
Q: Mr. Federal Way, Starbucks recently changed their rewards program so the free drink, which used to come after 12 visits, is now earned based on the dollar amount spent at the store. Valued customers like me, who only order a drip coffee each visit, will have to wait almost three times as long to get the free drink! This doesn’t seem fair. What are your thoughts?
Every year, politicians say the most incredible things. With the presidential race in full swing, “incredible” has been taken to a new level. There were also some notable local comments.
North Carolina recently enacted legislation that requires people to use public restrooms consistent with the gender on their birth certificates, and our state is considering similar bills. This both perplexes and disturbs me.
Q: Mr. Federal Way, just off of 312th is a small gray building that has been giving showers to the homeless since 2009 (over 1,200 showers were provided just last year). It’s called New Hope Christian Fellowship.
When Gov. Jay Inslee allowed a bill to become law without his signature last month, many charter school advocates breathed with relief. The bill attempts to correct problems associated with funding private charter schools, and advocates thought charter schools had been saved.