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CRIME BLOTTER | Man calls police, asks to be arrested. Plus: Booze n’ methadone [3]
VOL. 13, NO. 404
MIRROR
F E D E R A L WAY
DIVISION OF SOUND PUBLISHING
OPINION | Bob Roegner: Top political chuckles from 2011 [4] Nandell Palmer: Good health is the ultimate holiday gift [4] COMMUNITY CALENDAR | Check out these Federal Way holiday happenings [3] SCENE AND HEARD | Readers share their photos of Federal Way faces [6-7]
SPORTS | Decatur boys basketball falls WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2011 to Foss; Gator wrestlers win [8-9]
Private lottery? Gregoire keeps on cutting
Struggles of single parents Demographic represents 1 in 3 households BY ANDY HOBBS editor@federalwaymirror.com
BY GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
With the state Legislature only shaving $480 million from an approximate $2 billion state budget shortfall, Gov. Chris Gregoire shared her office’s ideas on more areas where state government could be trimmed and money could be saved. The state has consolidated agencies and eliminated positions amid more than $10 billion in reductions to current and projected state spending. “It’s been made clear — state government can’t do it all. We can’t afford to,” Gregoire said. One of Gregoire’s continuing reforms would be to privatize the state lottery. The governor feels the private sector should see if it can operate the lotto at a lower cost than the state. According to the state, any savings achieved by this would still be funneled toward education funding through the Washington Opportunity Pathway program. That program is aimed at increasing the effectiveness of early learning programs and higher [ more CUTS, page 2 ]
LETTERS | Topics include human services and Bally tennis court closures [4 and 10]
Dumas Bay Centre displays Federal Way artist’s work Debbie Horne’s original oil paintings are on display through Jan. 4 at Dumas Bay Centre, 3200 SW Dash Point Road. Selected as part of the Federal Way Arts Commission’s Debbie Horne 2011 gallery program, the exhibit features a dozen works, including “Lilies, Lemons and Hydrangeas” (pictured left) and “The Brothers” (above). Horne lives on Lake Dolloff and works as a para-educator and ELL instructor for Federal Way schools. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays, with weekend hours depending on Centerstage shows. To learn more, call (253) 835-2000. COURTESY PHOTOS
By all accounts, it’s tougher for single-parent households to survive, especially in today’s economy. In Federal Way, almost one out of three single parents are likely to live in poverty. About 37 percent of Federal Way’s nearly 33,000 households are headed by a single parent with children under age 18, according to the city’s consolidated plan. In King County overall, that number is 27 percent, and for Washington state, it’s about 31 percent of households. “A lot of single parents, mostly women, have faced some kind of trauma,” said Pam Taylor, development director at Valley Cities, a non-profit behavioral health center that serves Federal Way and South King County. “Divorce is a trauma unto itself.”
State recycles more and wastes less BY GREG ALLMAIN gallmain@fedwaymirror.com
Washington’s recycling rate bumped up to 49 percent in 2010, just 1 percent short of a goal set by state lawmakers in 1989. That 49 percent puts Washington well above the national average of 34 percent. According to the state Department of Ecology (DOE), Washington residents are recycling more and throwing away less. In 2010, the total amount of municipal recycled waste increased 14 percent, with 540,000 tons recycled in 2010. The total amount of waste disposed by households and businesses continued a downward trend in 2010, dropping by 65,000 tons — 1 percent less than 2009, the DOE says. One number that was down in
2010 was the total amount of waste being diverted from disposal, going from 54.8 percent in 2009 to 54.3 percent in 2010. This drop comes from construction and demolition related materials being disposed instead of recycled. Laurie Davies, program manager for DOE’s Waste 2 Resources program, said this decline is attributed to a slow attrition of DOE staff. “Our program has increasingly focused on keeping these materials out of landfills by following the statewide solid and hazardous waste plan,” she said. “We continue to struggle with declining staff resources to carry out our state plan.” Recycling of organic materials, plastics and electronics increased in 2010. Increased awareness of how to recycle organic waste, such as yard
debris and food scraps, accounted for half the increase in recycling. The DOE notes that less aluminum and paper were collected for recycling in 2010 than in other years. This increase in recycling means that Washington state “avoided emitting 3.1 million tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere.” Recycling also saved the equivalent of conserving 1.3 billion gallons of gasoline. According to DOE, that amount can “power 1.5 million homes for a year.” “Reducing and recycling waste have economic, environmental, and public health benefits for our states residents,” Davies said. “It protects our water, reduces our exposure to toxic chemicals which lowers health risks, and can build a clean, green economy for Washington’s future.”
Single parents can face steeper obstacles in meeting the financial demands of a household, and often lack support for flexible child care and transportation. “If you have a sick kid, somebody’s got to watch them,” said Taylor, noting that single parents miss more days of work. “It’s a web of things that add up to make it really tough.” Higher shares of singleparent families occur in areas with large minority populations like South King County, according to a report by Dick Morrill, University of Washington professor and urban demography expert. Other areas with more single-parent families include Indian reservations and military bases. On the other end of the spectrum, affluent suburbs have the lowest share of single-parent households. [ more SINGLE, page 2 ]
RECYCLING IN FEDERAL WAY: LEARN MORE Business recycling: The Federal Way Solid Waste and Recycling Division is seeking applications for the annual Leadership in Recycling Award until Dec. 31. This award recognizes local businesses that increase recycling, reduce waste and employ other sustainable practices. Visit www.cityoffederalway.com/ recycling. Styrofoam block recycling: Free dropoff for clean white Styrofoam block recycling Dec. 26 to Jan. 13 in Federal Way City Hall parking lot, 33325 8th Ave. S. Call (253) 835-2771 or visit www. cityoffederalway.com/recycling. Child car seat recycling: Free dropoff for unusable, expired and/ or recalled child car seats from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 21 at the Federal Way Community Center Health and Safety Fair, 876 S. 333rd St. Call (253) 835-2771 or visit www. cityoffederalway.com/recycling.