Renton, WA

As you have probably heard, Starbucks is offering a $1 short drip coffee with free refills “in some markets”.  Since my part-time day job is conveniently located next door to a Starbucks - a fact which is statistically likely anyway - I plan to test this out tomorrow. Will they continue to give me free refills all day long when I work next door? Will I be too caffeinated to work?

I don’t have much to loose anyway, but I’d love to hear from someone who has tried this offer to see if there was a choice of drip coffees, and if they minded giving the free refills.

On Wednesday, the owner of Armondo’s in Renton will donate a portion of his proceeds to the Way Back Inn and HOME/ARISE. Eat at Armondo’s, or even just get some take-out.

Renton’s Armondo Pavone, owner of Armondo’s Café Italiano, is a man known for his willingness to step up to the plate for worthy causes. He’s also done fundraisers for the Lymphoma Society, annual fundraisers for an autism group and the Muscular Dystrophy Association.

Renton’s Way Back Inn is a nonprofit based on the belief that elbow grease goes a long way toward helping homeless families. Since 1991, the Way Back Inn, which now has 10 housing units, has provided temporary transitional housing or rental assistance to more than 500 families.

To recap your orders: Eat at Armondo’s Café Italiano (or order food to go) at 310 Wells Ave. S. in Renton, from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday. Then enjoy your food, and the knowledge that a portion of the proceeds from that day will benefit the Way Back Inn and HOME/ARISE.

Good morning, snowy residents. This morning the Renton School District is closed, and the Kent School District is on time but on snow routes. If you are in the weird spot of unincorporated King County with a Renton address, east of Renton, with a Kent School District (aka Fairwood) that means you have more snow than most of Renton, which is closed, but you still take the kids to school.

Literally, you take the kids to school, because their bus is on snow route. So get going. (more…)

In the ongoing discussion of the future of Fairwood - annex or incorporate? - the latest issue is the Fairwood Library. Currently, the Fairwood Library is part of the King County Library System rather than the Renton Library System. The last I heard, this was not likely to change no matter what happened. However, The Fairwood Municipal Initiative is hosting an upcoming meeting - held at the Fairwood Library itself - with representatives from both library systems.

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See all the 2008 Best Pictures Oscar Nominees at your local AMC Theatre. On Saturday February 23rd, you can pay $30 for admission to all five Best Picture nominees and unlimited popcorn. You also get a “collectible pass”, but that’s probably not very useful to most of you. That’s about the price of a movie date anyway, and this is a much cooler version.
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On January 3rd I posted about some construction on the Hardie Ave Bridge. Two main-span girders were installed for the BNSF railroad crossing of Hardie Avenue between SW 5th and 7th Streets, with detours in place for a week. Well, it took a little longer than a week, but as of the morning of Wed., Jan. 23, the two 125 ft. long spans, and about 6 or so cross braces, are in place — all lanes were open for a.m. commute.

BNSF has every interest to move as fast as possible so that by the end of February the track can start being used — that is their target date. In the 5 or so weeks to the end of February BNSF will finish the bridges (Hardie should be permanently open in just a couple of days), install concrete panels on Houser Way (Main to Burnett), and lay track.

Thanks for Councilman Randy Corman and the Renton Reporter for the latest update in the Benson Hill annexation.

The King County Council has approved 1.7 million dollars of County funds to help the city of Renton defray the costs of annexing the Benson Hill neighborhood. The money is for new equipment, hiring, and other start-up costs related to Benson hill. It will certainly help prevent existing Rentonites from having to take a hit in service as a result of the annexation. (more…)

“Map Your Neighborhood” Facilitator Training

Map Your Neighborhood is a program designed to help neighborhoods prepare for disasters. Register for training to lead a 2-hour discussion about emergency preparedness with your neighbors Jan. 30 6:30 -8:30 p.m. Pre-register through Renton Technical College for Course 452, Item 0918. See below for a listing of what you’ll learn.

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Well, it’s official. The Benson Hill area is going to annex to the city of Renton. According to the website bensonhill.com the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of annexation. No exact date has been set, although March 1, 2008 has been mentioned a couple of times. Now Benson Hill’s government and many of its services come under the umbrella of the City of Renton.

Newly annexed areas’ police and fire service responsibility would transfer from King County and Fire Protection Districts 40 and 37 to the City of Renton. Parks and streets would become a city responsibility and, over time, Renton would bring those areas up to the City’s level of service. One so-far unmentioned benefit is Renton resident rates for the Henry Moses Aquatic Park.

School districts will remain the same. The Renton Police Department would likely re-district its patrol district boundaries to be able to serve the Benson Hill Communities area. With a smaller service area than the King County Sheriff and a focus on local patrol services, Renton should be able to respond more quickly to high-priority calls.

You should be able to find updates on the official city of Renton web page.

Pursuant to state guidelines, Renton has hired a firm to conduct a door-to-door census of the area. If residents prefer not to provide information through contact at the door, they may also provide information through the mail, by phone (425-444-4936), or by email. For questions about the annexation or the City of Renton, you may contact city staff at 425-430-6575

The sobriety checkpoint plan continues to be unveiled. The first step, in order to squeeze it into legality, is to rename it as “administrative checkpoints”.  The next problem is that the state high court in 1988 ruled that our state constitution doesn’t permit motorists to be routinely stopped without suspicion or probable cause to believe the individual is doing something wrong. So law enforcement will have to get a warrant from the local Superior Court after giving the judge a plan for a specific location and time period. Then, there will be public notice of when and where the checkpoint will be.

This is where they loose me. I’m fairly confident that this information will be regularly broadcast on the internet, and checked by those in the habit of drinking and driving. So the plan looses much of it’s effectiveness there. Or an inebriated person could panic and decide not to stop. A person who failed to stop could be prosecuted for a gross misdemeanor. That could carry a maximum penalty of a year in jail and $5,000 fine. Which could easily beat the alternative of a repeat DUI offense.

It remains to be seen how well this will hold up in court. Washington state is one of only 11 states which does not already have this type of thing, and it has been upheld by the US Supreme Court. So the matter comes down to the Washington State constitution, which is very strong on personal privacy. One thing is certain - the paperwork involved will be extensive, so I hope it’s worth it. Within twenty days after the checkpoint program is completed, the warrant must be returned containing information on what hours the checkpoint was actually operable, the number of vehicles stopped, and, to the extent such information is available, the number of drivers investigated and arrested for DUI violations.

If you have any thoughts on the issue, for, against, or indifferent, please leave me a comment and let me know.

According to King5, Gov. Christine Gregoire is announcing legislation this afternoon allowing Washington law enforcement to set up sobriety checkpoints to crack down on drunk drivers. There is no mention of this (yet) on her official web page.

There is a question, based on previous U.S. and state Supreme Court rulings, as to whether the checkpoints are constitutional. A spokesperson for the governor says she has consulted with the attorney general’s office and she believes her plan will follow the rule of the law. I don’t see how, but I am definitely following this story.

If the outcry over traffic cameras was any indication, there is no way this could fly. I hate drunk drivers as much as anyone, but if I wanted to deal with traffic check points “ensuring my safety” I would move to Eastern Europe.

American Gladiators, a show from the mid-90’s is being resurrected and new shows in this vein are on the air again. And we have a cast member from Renton on the show. Tanji Johnson is a personal trainer, and one of the regulars who will try to hold back the contestants. I have checked out her myspace page, and while she doesn’t seem as tough as her alter ego on the show, she is certainly no tender flower.
I watched a little of American Gladiators last night, and have to admit I didn’t last long enough to see the women’s section. My impression was the American Gladiators combines the low-budget of reality tv, with the showmanship of Professional Wrestling. It did not even hold my attention in the train-wreck kinda way. I changed the channel to Desperate Housewives.

Did you know Renton had a sister city? We do, and it’s in Nishiwaki, Japan. An upcoming trip is planned for the week of April 7, 2008 (exact dates still to be confirmed), and is open to community leaders and residents interested in representing Renton to its sister city.  Past delegations have included members from the Renton School District, City of Renton, Mayor and Councilmembers, service clubs, and Renton citizens.

Delegates will meet Nishiwaki’s Mayor and Council, and tour local attractions and cities.  Delegates will be responsible for their own expenses, but home-stay accommodations will be available in Nishiwaki. However, there may be one additional expense. Miranda at World Traveler advises visitors to Japan to bring gifts, so as not to seem rude.

Renton’s sister city relationship with Nishiwaki began in 1969 when a sister city alliance with Nishiwaki was forged by the Renton Lions Club with support of other civic organizations to promote mutual understanding and goodwill between the United States and Japan, and to encourage the exchange of ideas and culture between the two cities.  In an effort to enhance a sister city relationship with Nishiwaki, the Renton City Council passed a resolution in 1994 establishing an official City of Renton Nishiwaki Sister City Advisory Committee.

This sister city relationship pairs two cities with strikingly similar characteristics.  Like Renton, Nishiwaki is located in a valley between two hills with a river running through the center of town. The climates are very similar and each city has three high schools.  Nishiwaki is located near the city of Kobe, which is one of Seattle’s sister cities.  The Washington - Hyogo, Japan, Sister State Association strengthens the relationship between Renton and Nishiwaki.

All delegate participation must be confirmed by January 31, 2008.  For questions, more information, or to become part of the delegation, please contact Sonja Mejlaender at the City of Renton at 425-430-6514 or by email at smejlaender@ci.renton.wa.us.

The BNSF Railway Company, in cooperation with the City of Renton, will be replacing railroad bridges in downtown Renton to allow for future transportation improvements and to provide reliable rail service to The Boeing Company. This week, two main-span girders will be installed for the BNSF railroad crossing of Hardie Avenue between SW 5th and 7th Streets. Detours will be in place during the construction. Alternative routes are available for residents and businesses in the area that typically use Hardie Avenue.

• Thursday, January 3, 2008, 9:00 a.m.– 5:00 p.m.: Hardie Avenue will be closed between SW 5th and 7th Streets for the delivery and installation of the two main-span girders for the BNSF railroad crossing:
• Friday, January 4, 2008, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Hardie Avenue will be closed again between SW 5th and 7th Streets for the installation of the cross-beams and deck, as requested by Scarsella Brothers, Inc., contractor for the BNSF Railroad Company.
• Monday, January 7–Thursday, January 10, 7:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.: Hardie Avenue will be closed.

This is a small thing that probably wouldn’t show up on the traffic reports, but for major traffic updates you can always call 511 on your cell phone.

Those of us who live in Renton probably own lots of IKEA furniture. It’s convenient - or at least nearby - and cheap. Two of my top priorities right now. However, a life filled with IKEA furniture leaves something to be desired. I had no idea there was an entire website dedicated to this topic, but enter … ikeahacker.

To catch up quickly, go to this post on their top 10 IKEA hacks from 2007. You can even vote for your favorite. However, I’m warning you, that browsing the pages will suck you in. And tempt you to make another trip to IKEA. I’m planning on doing one of the cat litter box hacks. But, I’ll just go to the scratch and dent section and see what is there even cheaper, like an odd kitchen cabinet.