Renton, WA

Meet Kevin McGinnis and learn about his diesel car that runs on heated vegetable oil.
Thursday, May 31, 7pm at the Maple Valley Library.

Who is Kevin McGinnis and why is he doing a demonstration at the library? I guess we’ll have to show up to find out.

Every summer, Regal Cinemas shows a G-rated movie on Tuesday, and a PG-rated movie on Wednesday, at 10AM. The shows are free (but they hope you’ll buy some concessions) and first-come first served.

In the past, AMC has done this also, but so far no sign that they will have it in our area again. They closest site they have listed is in Woodinville. Too far to drive for a free movie.

For a full list, see this link. We go to the Valley East 13 theater, which is new enough to be nice, and conveniently located. For example, see this list of what they are showing there:

06/26-06/27 Everyone’s Hero (G)
Barnyard (PG)
07/03-07/04 Jonah: A Veggie Tale Movie (G)
Open Season (PG)
07/10-07/11 Curious George (G)
Flushed Away (PG)
07/17-07/18 Rugrats: The Movie (G)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (PG)
07/24-07/25 Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (G)
Happy Feet (PG)
07/31-08/01 Doogal (G)
Over The Hedge (PG)
08/07-08/08 Clifford’s Really Big Movie (G)
Night At The Museum (PG)
08/14-08/15 Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit (G)
Garfield: A Tail Of Two Kitties (PG)
08/21-08/22 Charlotte’s Web (G)
Monster House (PG)

Here’s another local meeting that was scarce on the details. I guess you’ll have to show up to see the master plan revealed (bwa-ha-ha-ha).

City of Renton invites you to an open house on Renton’s trails and bicycle master plan

Join Renton area bicyclists, walkers and other trail users by participating in a public Open House. This event is a great opportunity for you to review and provide comment on Renton’s existing trails system and recognized bike routes, as well as existing policies and goals. Participants will also have the opportunity discuss existing trails or bicycle usage patterns that the city does not currently recognize and to suggest additions or modifications to the city’s current policies and goals.

WHEN & WHERE:
Wednesday, May 30, 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
Highlands Neighborhood Center,
800 Edmonds Ave NE, Renton

Here is something fun for your family to do together this summer, that will get the kids moving instead of playing computer or video games during our glorious and rare sunny months. This is not a sport camp that you can drop your child off at and go back an sit on the couch yourself. This will actually get you moving too, and require participation (and fun) on your part.

REI Passport to Adventure gives kids a passport book/journal and list of suggested family hikes and bike rides. Each time the child completes an “adventure” they bring they passport into the store to be stamped. After completing a certain number (the webpage says five, the pdf says three) the child receives a certificate, a water bottle, and an entry into a contest. They are also encouraged to write about their adventure in the journal.

While I am quite sure that REI does this as a sales opportunity, I am fairly confident I can resist impulse purchases there, unless they drastically expand their product line-up in the next few months. I’ll have to weigh the added incentive of the passport (kids love to have things stamped) with the shopping hazard of having to make at least four trips to the store. One to get the passport book, and then one for each stamp.

Each store location provides a list of the local suggested hikes, and a very helpful description of each location. “Local” is obviously a relative term, since one of them suggested for the Tukwila location is a 2 hour drive away at Mt Ranier, but the brochure assures us that it is worth it. Since my youngest has not yet even mastered the art of riding a bike in a parking lot, I think we might start with some local bike rides first.

Many thanks to Andrew from MillerPark to bringing more information on the unpleasant topic of neighborhood sex offenders to my attention, and suggesting that I share it.

The Seattle Police Department has put together a website to address some common concerns, such as the ones I voiced, regarding sex offenders in the neighborhood. I’m not completely reassured that “high probability to re offend” means anything other than “high probability to re offend”. Although it is extremely unlikely to be my child, it is still *not a good thing*.

The vast majority of cases where a child is molested (or abducted, for that matter) are committed by someone known to the child. Protecting our children should be far more focused on trusting our intuition and safety practices such as those taught by Gavin de Becker in his excellent book Protecting the Gift than on some paranoid “stranger danger” tactic.

However, the fact that it is statistically unlikely is not going to make me feel any better if it happens to my child. So I still study the faces of sex offenders registered in my area, and the current admitted pedophile running a website - with pictures - on where to observe little girls in public places. I absolutely do not expect to see one of these people, but if nothing else, getting these email reminders serves as a reminder to me that occasionally random evil does happen, and I best not be complacent about it.

The City of Renton maintains a website listing high risk sex offenders, their picture, and registered address. Parents, or just concerned citizens, should review the site periodically, and sign up for email alerts.

If you want to torment yourself, go ahead and read the descriptions. I don’t understand why people who are “likely to re offend” are out in society. I understand that the guy has served his sentence, but as far as I am concerned jail is about more than just punishment. Jail is also about keeping society safe. If a person is still a danger to society, that person still needs to be locked up.

Weedman failed his sexual deviancy treatment and is seen as a chronic predatory sexual pedophile. Weedman is classified by the Department as a Level 3 offender, which indicates a high probability to reoffend.

This is an example of someone who needs to be locked up for the safety of society. Find out who lives near you by visiting the City of Renton website. At their website, you can sign up for email alerts. Obviously, the most dangerous predators are the ones that haven’t been caught yet, but gather whatever knowledge you can.

Any holiday occasion brings out the drunk drivers, and if our weather forecasters are correct, Memorial Day should be a nice early summer day. It will a perfect afternoon and evening for family BBQs, but even more likely that guys (and gals) who have had a few too many beers will be driving home that evening.

In case a little thing like ethics isn’t enough to keep you from driving drunk, be advised your chances of getting caught are increasing. The Washington State Patrol has a new method to bust drunk drivers.

Their newest tool is aircraft equipped with Forward Looking Infrared Radar. Using this, police can see real-time live video of cars on the ground. Information received about possible drunken drivers will be relayed to troopers in a plane who will then track the driver and send live video to a command center. Troopers on the ground can then move in to make an arrest if necessary.

If you, the sober driver, see any suspicious behavior from other drivers, please call 911 immediately to report it.

My ducklings pictures were so blurry, they are extra well camouflaged. So I got these fawn pictures from someone who actually knows how to use his camera.

Silly me, I think of Memorial Day weekend as kicking off the summer season. Today at the Renton IKEA, they set me straight.

I only wanted a few things (really) one of which was the plastic gizmo for freezing juice into popsicles. I asked a clerk in the kitchen section, and was informed that they only carry that particular item “in summer”. Which sounded promising, until she informed me rather haughtily that they were probably out, since they had been selling summer since March.

I asked where they sell summer - I guess IKEA really does sell everything - but the clerk just gave me directions through the maze. Once there, I determined that they were indeed sold out. And some of their summer items are already on clearance.

I shouldn’t be surprised; retail always seem to be way too far ahead. This does not bode well for my need to buy a swimming suit for a June vacation. I probably needed to plan ahead and buy in February.

Seen this morning were at least two families of baby ducks. The baby Canadian geese were not out today, when I had my camera, of course.

ARE NOXIOUS WEEDS GROWING IN YOUR YARD?

I assume this is a rhetorical question. The city of Renton is conducting this free presentation. If you attend you get some local planting information (good) and “light refreshments” (also good).

Thursday, May 24, 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Renton Senior Center, 211 Burnett Avenue North

English Ivy and Butterfly Bush may be easy to identify but others might surprise you. Please join us for an informative presentation by Sasha Shaw, King County Noxious Weed Education Specialist, on noxious and invasive plants. Sasha will cover the threats noxious weeds pose, eradication methods and great native plant alternatives to help reduce maintenance and yard waste. This presentation will benefit professionals and beginners. All attending will receive a free colorful copy of “Non-Invasive Plants for Your Garden.” Light refreshments provided.

SEATING IS LIMITED.

For more information, please contact Spencer Orman at 425 430-7396.

This program is sponsored by the City of Renton Solid Waste Utility with funding from the King County WR/R Program.

If you’re thinking about going again, or haven’t been, don’t delay too long. The Spirit of Washington Dinner Train will only operate on it’s current route until July 31st. Widening 405 in Bellevue, which sounds like a good thing, will have some casualties. The construction will wipe out the Wilburton Tunnel currently used by the train. Since the Dinner Train is the only thing directly affected by the tunnel, the state decided to save about $30 Million by not rebuilding it. Instead plans are to run the dinner train farther north, on a new route between Woodinville and Snohomish.

The train is pricey, but fun. I’d encourage you to take one last trip before it goes away. The train goes along Lake Washington, up to the Columbia Winery in Woodinville. They of course have free wine tasting there. For a little extra, you can take the murder mystery train, which is fun with a group of friends.

Discuss services and resources offered by the library, and services for the future. The first meeting is today from 7-8:30 PM at the North Highlands Neighborhood Center. The second meeting is 7-8:30 Thursday at the Renton City Hall Council Chambers.

In keeping with the recent focus on disaster preparedness, probably prompted by our new director, Renton is today unveiling a Red Cross Disaster Relief Supply Center. This will be one of five in King County that can provide supplies for use in future disasters, or provide short term emergency shelter for 750 people.

It will be officially dedicated Wednesday with the obligatory ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ceremonious ribbon-cutting will take place at 2:00 p.m. at Renton Fire Station #16 located in 12923 156th Ave SE in Renton.

The new booster seat law goes into effect June 1st. Booster seats will be required for children until they reach either 4′9″ or age 8. My daughter turns eight in a few months but is a little on the short side; I’m going to keep her in the booster seat until she reaches the minimum height. Since booster seats work by raising a child up, so that the belts are positioned properly, it seems to me that the height of the child is crucial, regardless of weight.

Although this standard has been the recommendation for some time, current law only requires booster seats until age 6 or 60 lbs.

Remember that the law takes effect on June 1st. These are inexpensive (around $20) at places like Target and Toys ‘R Us. Got some shopping to do?