Opinion

Let the best two candidates compete

The election season is approaching and the state’s two major political parties are in a twitter.

  • Jun 12, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

All about dad: Snapshots offer clues

Fathers Day is coming up this week, and so is my dad’s 85th birthday. I sure wish he were going to be here to celebrate both occasions, but he’s been gone for 20 years.

Why we watch reality television

Next on Jerry Springer, teenage prostitutes and their pimps! This is a great example of schadenfreude, a malicious satisfaction obtained from the misfortunes of others.

Top Kent cop: Accreditation means higher standards, professionalism

Former Kent Police Chief Ed Crawford had the foresight in the 1990s to begin the process to make KPD an “accredited” agency. If you look at the back fenders of our patrol cars it says “Nationally Accredited.” What does that mean and what does it do for us as a city? Accreditation is a nationwide phenomenon for public agencies, including police departments, fire departments and jails. Basically it is part of an effort to increase professionalism and high standards.

  • Jun 9, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

Ron Paul campaign lends excitement to state Republican convention

The Washington State Republican convention last weekend in Spokane should have been dull and uneventful. All they had to do was approve a slate of national-convention delegates to support the obvious nominee, John McCain, vote for a short, concise party platform and leave town. Instead the tenacious Ron Paul people, who made up more than a third of the delegates, contested the McCain forces on virtually every front.

  • Jun 9, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

How does serial flyer kid do it?

Apparently I am one of the few in America who has not seen the latest Indiana Jones movie.

Columnist overcomes sinking feeling

Ever met one of those people who seemingly can do everything? I know a guy like that.

Motorists must share the road

It was a drizzly, cold evening May 21 at the James Street Park and Ride lot in Kent.

Guns, freedom and common sense

Pretty much everyone agrees that people shouldn’t have guns in planes and bars. Guns don’t mix well with alcohol. But what about other places?

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

Politics the only reason for gun vote

Me thinks there is a political ploy at play.

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

An adventure in newspapering

I’ve always liked what Mark Twain said about being a newspaper editor: “I am not an editor of a newspaper and shall always try to do right and be good, so that God will not make me one.”

Street project will have long-term benefits

The Kent City Council voted April 1 to approve a major transportation improvement along South 224th Street. When completed, the three-lane roadway will connect 84th Avenue South (East Valley Highway) and 108th Avenue

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

A plan to care for our animals A plan to care for our animals

The subject of shelter animal care is an emotional issue, and one that until just recently divided us in county government. Strong feelings expressed from people in our community and the great number of emails and calls demonstrate how much we all care about the animals in our shelters. It is emotional because those of us with pets often consider them part of the family. It is especially painful to know that we aren’t giving the best care possible to the living, vulnerable and innocent creatures that are in our shelters because they were lost, unwanted or have been abused.

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

County must do right by its shelters

Elsewhere on this page is an article by Julia Patterson and Ron Sims. It’s worth reading.

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service

Sheriff seeks greater oversight

The King County Charter is currently open for a review that occurs once every 10 years. The Charter Review Commission has been gathering information and deliberating, and will soon forward amendments they endorse to the County Council. The Council will consider those recommendations, then decide which amendments will be placed on the ballot this fall. The voters will have the final say.

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service
Start penning those memoirs now

Start penning those memoirs now

Dr. Michael DeBakey, the renowned heart surgeon, received the Congressional Medal of Honor recently. He’s going to be a hundred years old this year, so apparently somebody figured they better get to it.

Start penning those memoirs now
Pot raids and the big picture

Pot raids and the big picture

Kent P.D. is part of a multi-agency task force, including police departments all around the Puget Sound area, and the Drug Enforcement Administration, which announced a series of arrests and raids last week under the DEA moniker “Green Reaper.” The multiple arrests and the DEA press conference received quite a bit of coverage, and recounted the long-term investigation which involved the fraudulent purchase of over 400 Seattle-area homes to use as marijuana grow houses.

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service
Pot raids and the big picture

Gift took terror to new heights

After three decades of being married to the same woman, you would think a guy would have a pretty solid knowledge of that woman’s likes and dislikes. But on Mother’s Day, five years ago, I had an apparent brain cramp.

Whatever happened to customer service?

Is customer service dead as we know it? I’m not sure it’s dead, but the toe tag has been affixed and a priest has been called to administer last rites.

Whose values are adults teaching?

From steroid-using athletes to celebrities who bounce between clubs and rehab, today’s role models can leave a lot to be desired.

  • Jun 2, 2008
  • BY Wire Service