Local News

Spray painted dog

A Sumner resident had the back of his malamute spray painted white. The owner had no clues as to who did the tagging. Perhaps, the state confused the malamute with its re-introduction of wolves into the wild program.

Syrup on the carpet

A Lakewood couple found maple syrup poured on their carpet when they returned to their duplex recently. The International House of Pancakes did not claim responsibility.

Cyber death threat

A junior high school teacher received an email death threat which read, "You will die at 9:40, this is not a joke, this is a promise." A thirteen year-old Sumner student later confessed to the crime. One educator observed, "It's nice to see a junior high student using definite, specific, and concrete language, but perhaps three simple sentences would have been better." The student will probably receive a one or two week suspension. Does that make it a suspended sentence?

Braveheart cow breaks for her freedom

It wasn't an outbreak of mad cow disease, it was an outbreak of wild cow displeased. A one-ton cow made her break for freedom from a cattle trailer near the Washington 16 and Jackson Street interchange. She was spotted behind the Mark Twain Apartments near Sixth Avenue.

Tacoma police officers and State Patrol troopers tracked the cow from the freeway, past Highland Hill Shopping Center, across Sixth Avenue to the Mark Twain Apartments. Officers killed her with a rifle. Police spokesman Jim Mattheis said, "My understanding was that it was a wild cow and posed a threat. That's why the officers shot it." Mattheis mentioned the fact that officers don't carry tranquilizer guns, and that there was no way to control the animal. Although officers don't carry tranquilizer guns, one has to wonder if the police are now carrying rifles, however.

The cow had been on its way to slaughter, anyway, so the slain animal was allowed to be taken away by the owner. Reportedly there is no internal investigation over the shooting.

Boeing employee elected head of computer association

Washington, DC -- Leonard L. Tripp, associate technical fellow in software engineering at the Boeing Company, has been elected to the position of 1999 president of the IEEE Computer Society, the world's oldest and largest association of computing professionals.

With nearly 100,000 members in more than 140 countries, the society is the leading provider of technical information to the world's computing professionals. Tripp has been an active member and volunteer for the organization since 1986, and he has previously served as its vice president for standards, vice president for technical activities, and first vice president. He will serve on the society's Executive Committee and Board of Governors as president-elect during 1998.

In his statement to the membership, Tripp said he wants the Computer Society to become the full-service professional organization for the engineering and applied sciences disciplines. The society, he said, serves its members by defining the technical and educational substance of the profession; promoting the technical advancement of the profession through people, events, and publications; and defining the criteria and mechanisms for professional recognition.

As an industry professional, Tripp will be well equipped to continue the society's focus on practitioners and offering practical content for the world's computing professionals. At Boeing Company, Tripp is responsible for establishing standards for safety-critical airborne software. His 31 years at Boeing has provided experience in engineering analysis tools, software development tools, and embedded software systems. Tripp received a BS and an MS in mathematics from Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. He is also a member of ACM, ASTM, and the Mathematical Association of America. He has published two books and 42 technical papers.

Tripp received the Computer Society's Hans Karlsson Award in 1996 for his long-term leadership in the development of software engineering standards. Other honors accorded Tripp include the Meritorious Service Award, and Outstanding Contribution Award from the Computer Society, as well as awards from NASA and the US Federal Aviation Administration.

The IEEE Computer Society offers its members a comprehensive program of publications, meetings, and technical and educational activities, fostering an active exchange of information, ideas, and innovation. The society is the world's leading publisher of technical material in the computing field. No other professional or commercial organization comes close to matching the Computer Society in terms of the quality, quantity, or diversity of its publications. With headquarters in Washington, DC, the society also serves its members from offices in Los Alamitos, California; Tokyo, Japan; and Brussels, Belgium. As its president, Tripp will be supported by a staff of more than 100 professionals and will be responsible for an annual budget in excess of $30 million. The society is the largest technical society within the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE).

Mushroom hunters turn in sub-par performance

An 18-year-old man and a 15-year-old companion were detained by a security officer at Canterwood Golf & Country Club recently. The pair were collecting hallucinogenic (psilocybin) mushrooms. Although it was their first time hunting the mushrooms, the twosome had a skicap full of "blue rings."

The Canterwood security guard observed the pair picking their mushrooms for a while before talking to them. Pierce County Sheriff's deputies were called to the private course. The deputies relieved the trespassers of their bounty and released the gatherers without arresting them.

A local wag reportedly said, "Sure, the mushrooms probably make you feel high, but it's nothing like hitting a 300 yard drive -- in the middle of the fairway. Now, that's a rush."

Goeducks Help Pay for New Park

Phase 1 of cleanup and demolition of the former Dickman Lumber Mill began on July 16 during a community celebration to highlight turning the site into another park along Ruston Way. The addition of this park will add two different beaches of different character to the 2 miles of waterfront walkways and parks bordering Commencement Bay. The walkways provide outstanding views of Commencement Bay, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. The beaches will add a substantial uplands area between the railroad/street and the water and suitable topography for creation of a tidal estuarine wetland and abundant marine life. The park will be open for year round use.

Master of Ceremonies, Metro Parks Executive Director Jim Montgomerie welcomed Jennifer Belcher, Commissioner of Public Lands and the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Park Board President Doug Miller and Tacoma Mayor Brian Ebersole to remark on the occasion. Mayor Ebersole observed that within 8 years, following the conversion of the ASARCO site and completion of the Thea Foss Waterway, Tacoma will have more than a 10-mile stretch of waterfront park, from the Thea Foss to Point Defiance, an achievement unmatched across the US.

Funds for Phase 1 of the development of the mill site include a $1 million grant from the Washington Department of Natural Resources, Aquatic Lands Enrichment Account (ALEA) fund to match funding from $850,000 from City of Tacoma, $570,000 from 1986 Metro Parks bond issue as well as $131,000 from the Gottfried and Mary Fuchs Foundation, $1,000 from Rotary #8 and $100 from a private citizen. The grant is one of the largest made from the state’s ALEA which is funded entirely from revenue generated by DNR-managed geoduck harvesting, lease revenue on state-owned waterfront sites.

Metro Parks is applying for funds for Phase 2, the complete removal of the decking from the high-water mark out to the edge. The Metro Parks project planner is Dan Scamporlina.

The design development and construction documents are being completed by Bruce Dees and Associates. Americorps crews assigned to Metro Parks will initiate clean up through the summer. The construction bid requests will be issued in late 1997 or early 1998. The winner of the competitive bid process will do the demolition of the buildings and decking. A six months construction phase begins in early spring and completion is expected in the fall.

A decision about the name for the park has not been made yet and suggestions will be considered by the Metro Parks Naming Committee for a mid-September decision. Call 305-1000 with your suggestion.

Old Warrior Pays Dividends

Ramtha, the 35,000 year old warrior from Atlantis hasn't ever been seen in Yelm, but his presence has been felt. Ramtha's School of Enlightenment has contributed much to the local economy.

A recent survey of 495 of the school's students reveals that they spent almost a quarter of a million dollars on one three-day seminar. The money went for entertainment, food, housing and travel. More than $86,000 went into Yelm businesses.

Boathouse Grill Reopens in Spring

Early next year the Boathouse Grill in Point Defiance Park will reopen under the Anthony’s banner. The Metro Parks Tacoma facility will undergo a $775,000 renovation prior to opening under the new management. Anthony’s will provide $525,000 of the renovation funds, with $250,000 coming from Metro Parks capital improvement funds.

Anthony’s operates several waterfront restaurants in the Puget Sound area and was selected following a request for proposals advertised by the park district.

Under the terms of the agreement, Anthony’s will pay the park district a guaranteed annual rent of $115,000 for an initial 15-year contract, or five percent of the gross up to $1.5 million and six percent of any additional gross. Anthony’s were also offered the option of two 10-year extensions beyond the initial 15 years.

Anthony’s plans to operate a mid-priced family seafood restaurant offering lunch and dinner seven days a week and breakfast on weekends.

The park district board of commisioners decided to close the seven-year-old facility on September 14 after falling revenues dictated a change.