Community Impact

Controversial Church Shelter Tuesday evening, Highline United Methodist Church in Burien is hosting another public meeting. Starts at 7pm. Church is trying expand day shelter capabilities. But neighbors say this is a disaster in the making. #Burien. Questions from Community Meeting for Day Center How are you finding the people? They’re allusive and hard to find. Flyers are being placed at Burien’s two libraries, the L.E.A.D. office, Burien Transit Center and Share & Care. Caseworkers have been given leaflets to give to clients. We have let other human services agencies who work in Burien know. We will also let the businesses near the transit center know. What was the basis for the how the notices were distributed? What was the Read More ›

Amateur Hour Wednesday evening, Highline United Methodist Church Pastor Jenny Partch and moderator Krystal Marx (@bcckrystalmarx) told me I was not allowed to record a PUBLIC MEETING about a controversial day shelter for the homeless at the church. Neighbors say they learned about this city funded project last minute. Anyway, the pastor and Marx called Burien Police and tried to have me removed from the property. They clearly do not understand how PUBLIC MEETINGS work. In the end, common sense prevailed and I was allowed to stay and record. As for the furious neighbors, they went off on church leaders and unloaded their concerns about the potential for crime, open air drug use, and other issues following the clientele and Read More ›

System Failure All the elected officials in King County know about the Green River Rd encampment. They know about the crime, shootings, fires, drug overdose deaths, stolen vehicles, and environmental damage. Yet it’s being totally ignored. This stretch of road between Kent and Auburn has been littered with tents and RV’s for years. At the end of the day, this is on Executive Dow Constantine (@kcexec) but he’s MIA as well. The King County Sheriff’s Office is now being told to avoid this encampment unless it’s a serious emergency. After the latest incident of vandalism, Valor Soccer (@ValorSoccerUSA) is also ejecting from the area. Making matters worse, the deep woods are packed with tents and all kinds of forts. Dozens Read More ›

The youth soccer field at North Green River Park is surrounded by majestic trees and breathtaking scenery. And on weekends, it’s usually packed with kids and families who depend on this field. Many come from underserved minority communities in Kent, Auburn, and other parts of King County.  Early Wednesday morning, Dean Aldridge of Valor Soccer says someone drove onto the field and caused more than $100,000 in damage doing donuts. “These fields serve our most economically challenged kids,” Aldridge tells me. Club officials say all weekend tournaments are now canceled and their season is effectively over. “To see it like this, it hurts my heart,” says Ray Johnson, Valor Director of Development. This is just the latest troubling incident along this stretch Read More ›