Renton, WA

In Renton’s Liberty Park they will be showing free movies on Saturday nights. Seating opens at 7PM to grab your spot. Families should bring their own blankets and snacks. If you sit in the front you can bring a “low back chair” or a blanket only.

The schedule is as follows:
July 7 - Grease
July 14 - Happy Feet
July 21 - Goonies
August 4 - ET
August 11 - School of Rock
August 18 - Raiders of the Lost Ark

I was right - now the people who missed the first recalls thanks to their yuppie shopping list are being hit. The recalls of nearly every dog food ever made, ground beef, toothpaste … just the tip of the iceberg. If you are a Trader Joe’s shopper, you probably should check either your frozen chopped onions or your snack cupboard.

Robert’s American Gourmet Food, Inc.of Sea Cliff, New York is recalling Veggie Booty Snack Food all lots and sizes , because it has the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

Renton Kiwanis Club presents Picnic Pizzazz, with kids entertainment in the Kiwanis Park on Thursdays from noon to 1PM. Bring a picnic lunch.

The schedule is as follows:
July 12 - Castro the Magician
July 19 - Cap’n Arr’s Pirate Party
August 2 - Zucchini Brothers
August 9 - The Bucketman
August 16 - Linda Severt’s Juggletunes

Since 2005, there has been a complete ban on the use, sale, or possession of any fireworks in the city limit. I certainly had not noticed this, but the Fairwood area is outside of the city limits. (A fact you may find useful.)

To enjoy fireworks in a safe environment, citizens are encouraged to attend the Revo225’s Fabulous 4th of July public fireworks display held on Wednesday, July 4th, at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park in Renton, 1201 Lake Washington Blvd. The event will feature a variety of activities for the kids and exciting stage entertainment, as well as several restaurants and concession stands with food. The day will end with a 20-minute fireworks display at 10:00 p.m. Free Shuttle Express service will be provided to the park from the Boeing parking lots from 9:00 a.m. to midnight.

The 22nd Annual Summer Teen Musical will be showing at Renton’s Carco Theatre July 27 through August 12th. This musical, based on Dr. Seuss, has been showing on Broadway since 2000.

I can see that you’ve got quite a mind for your age!
Why, one Think and you dragged me right onto the stage!
Now, I’m here, there is no telling what may ensue
With a Cat such as me, and a Thinker like you!
- The Cat in the Hat

Call 425.430.6751

Colgate-Palmolive announced on June 15th additional developments and actions
by the Company to protect consumers against possible risk from recently
reported counterfeit toothpaste.

The Company warned consumers
that the counterfeit toothpaste, which has been found in some small,
independent dollar-type discount stores, may not contain fluoride and
could contain Diethylene Glycol, an ingredient not used in Colgate
toothpaste anywhere in the world.

While I don’t want to down-play the seriousness of mis-labeled ingredients, knowing the trials of food allergies, I am hardly shocked that cheap imitation, or down-right dishonest, products are sold at dollar stores.

Other clues are several
misspelled words on the product carton including: “isclinically” 
“SOUTH AFRLCA” “South African Dental Assoxiation”.

In light of our current climate of constant recalls, I have subscribed to the
RSS feed for FDA recalls. I’ll pass on those that are specifically local, or like this one, just entertaining.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Pretty much the only way you escaped the never-ending dog food recalls is by not owning a dog. Or your make your spoiled pet home-made dog food. You could have easily missed the ground beef recall by being a vegetarian or vegan. But now, you healthy people could be the users of diced onions from Traders Joes.

That’s right, in addition to making your eyes water, these onions could be contaminated with a “deadly bacteria” called Listeria
monocytogenes.

The suspicious product is in 10oz packages with the lot code 2017-R22 1956D, with a best-used-by
date of June 16th, 2007 on the back.

Technorati Tags: renton, recall

Powered by ScribeFire.

It’s hard to believe this is the last week of school. While it’s fun time with the family, I also need extra help in keeping the kids constructively occupied. Enter the King County Library System and their Summer Reading Program.

Older kids may not be as motivated, but my oldest is a soon-to-be Third Grader (who is a great reader) who likes to fill in charts and to collect prizes, so what could be better?

When the kids have recorded 500 minutes read, they get a coupon for a personal pizza. At the goal of 1000 minutes the prize is a notebook. There are huge prizes like a laptop, but it is really a “chance to win” the large prize after completing the 1000 minutes. Kids can start claiming their prizes on July 16th. The last day is August 31st.

Powered by ScribeFire.

The city of Renton is taking nominations for the Renton Citizen of the Year. They will pick three finalists and then one candidate to be named Citizen of the Year. Read here about the full description - basically we need Mother Theresa living in Renton - and to download an application. The nomination deadline is August 31st. Their website says 2005, but I’m pretty sure that was just a copy and paste error.  Unless the citizen of the year really does need special skills, like time travel.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Gene Coulon Park was rated one of the top five family parks by the Seattle Times. And with good reason. There is a massive play area for children, waterfront beach, and a couple of little eateries.

They are now opening up the swimming area for the summer. The Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park and Kennydale Beach park will be open noon to 8PM, with lifeguards June 23rd through Labor Day.

Also at Gene Coulon Park will be free family concerts every Wednesday at 7PM. The Family Concert Series starts June 27th and goes through August 15th.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Valley Medical Center is among several locations throughout Washington and the country which had faulty equipment from a German lab. This is equipment is supposed to “zap” the tumor, but the targeting was a little off.

“French health authorities have suspended four BrainLAB radiotherapy machines for improper targeting. A notification sent to hospitals warned of “serious injury or death to the patient.”

VMC says there were 60 patients who “may have been affected” and they have all been contacted. The hospital was notified on June 5th.

Powered by ScribeFire.

I thought that the spotted owl was by now just a punchline to a joke, but they are back in the news again, as the Bush administration proposes cutting 1.5 million acres from Northwest forests considered critical to the survival of the northern spotted owl. There is probably a better punchline to go along with this. Watch Leno for it.

“One of the most upsetting things about this proposal is that the spotted owl wars of the ’90s had simmered down quite a bit, and a kind of balance had been reached regarding logging and old growth forests,” said Kieran Suckling, policy director for the Center for Biological Diversity, a conservation group in Tucson, Ariz.

Although we only had a brief week of real summer, summer is coming and so is the opening of the Renton Pool aka Henry Moses Aquatic Center. They offer swimming lessons in addition to just plain fun swimming, at a discount to Renton residents. Some people with a Renton address actually live outside the city limits. Don’t think that you can get away with the discount - they know because of the number of digits in your street address. Yeah, I thought that was pretty clever too.

Although it’s a little pricey for a pool - Lindbergh is only a few dollars - it is far more than just a pool. They have a wave pool, slides, and an intertube ride, and are a good way to spend a sunny summer afternoon around here. If you want to visit a lot, you can buy a pass for yourself or your family.

Summertime fun begins at the Henry Moses Aquatic Center on Saturday, June 16th. The aquatic center’s fourth season will continue through Labor Day. Call 425-430-6700 for more information or visit the City’s website at rentonwa.gov.

For local residents, VMC will refund up to $2,000 of hospital bills in your lifetime. You must be a local property owner who pays property taxes - the refund is in consideration of the property taxes you have paid, which support the hospital. But, you have to ask. More importantly, you have to know you need to ask.

Hospitals have districts, much like school districts, and those who live in the Public Hospital District No.1 can get a lifetime refund of $2000 on their out of pocket (after insurance) hospital bill. This applies only to inpatient hospitalization. It can’t be applied to inpatient services, emergency care, lab work, and/or elective procedures

You can use this map to see if you are in the Public Hospital District No.1. If you are in the district, have been hospitalized at VMC, and have your final bill after insurance payments, call the Valley Dividend Hotline at 425-656-4058.

The Renton Highlands Task Force is now in the second phase of their revitalization efforts “in the mostly low-income and working-class neighborhood”.

On the positive side, they have $1.5 million dollars to update parks, sidewalks, and “safety features” in the neighborhood. For the negative, the city last month passed a zoning measure to expand density. I think I have a picture of what “revitalization” means.

Now that this decision has been passed “after a year of heated discussions” residents can join a task force to work out the details. The council is accepting applications from community members until Friday June 15th. Ten to 15 landowners, renters, business owners and churches
will be selected to represent the community. The Renton School District and the Renton Housing Authority also will participate.

For more information and an application click here.

Powered by ScribeFire.