From Washington, D.C., to Washington state, it is TIME FOR CHANGE. The dismal news that all three middle schools in the Renton School District failed to meet the adequate yearly progress (AYP) standard sends a strong message that our children are in deep trouble and we ‘‘cannot afford to wait.” This is a recurring problem in the District which has not been fixed.
Dean Radford wrote an article (Editor’s Note, Aug. 16, Renton Reporter) telling Renton voters to vote for Ms. Maxwell because she is a strong candidate, has an understanding of the Renton community and is a Democrat. The only one of these that should matter in this election is whether she is a stronger candidate.
Now that school is out and the kids will be using the streets and alleys more, and throwing their cigarettes here and there, we need to be more concerned about fire hazards.
If you can stand one more letter regarding “Huckleberry Finn,” I urge everyone interested in other points of view and new insights to buy or check out the July 14, 2008, copy of Time Magazine’s annual “Making of America” Issue. It has a picture of Mark Twain on the front, and the title says “The Dangerous Mind of Mark Twain.” Subtitled articles include:
Nobody is excited about “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” in today’s new and energized culture. The Renton School District needs to move up to the new era of using culturally competent materials in the classroom due to the extreme diversity of our country. Every facet of society is trying to remove the word “nigger” from the forefront of our vocabulary due to its nasty history and purpose and the school systems should be eager to participate. Last summer the NAACP did a mock burial of the word itself, and even the hip-hoppers went under pressure to cease the use of that nasty little word.
Possibly the publication of Norm Abrahamson’s letter in Wednesday’s Renton Reporter was the result of a slow news week, but the triteness and ignorance shown by the writer needs a dose of enlightenment. Since Norm was into the “numbers,” I will start by saying, “It is better to light ‘one’ little candle than to curse the darkness.” That’s the first ray of light. Second, millions and millions of people across the nation have protested the war in Iraq, but it still continues. Still talking about numbers.
I reviewed the USFA/FEMA Web site an earlier writer referenced in support of requiring sprinklers. This and related sites indicate that eventually 2,000 lives each year could be saved by sprinklers. Truth is, as they point out, this will only happen once ALL houses, new and old, are protected.
Letters from readers of the Renton Reporter.
Thank you for the excellent article Emily Garland wrote about our club and also the pictures Matt Brashears took to illustrate it. The Renton Reporter really promoted our club in a positive manner.
Celebrate the Fourth of July and honor our country with patriotism
You chose an interesting political cartoon on June 21, implying that $4-a- gallon gas will push people toward light rail.
In bringing attention to “Huckleberry Finn,” doesn’t Calista Phair realize that she has stirred up a curiosity about what the book says? Now I’d like to read it again, and that can’t be what she would like.
This is a rebuttal to a letter to the editor in the June 21 Renton Reporter. The U.S. Fire Administration, a department of FEMA, estimates the cost of a home sprinkler system at approximately $1 to $1.50 per square foot in new construction as of April 2008. Sprinklering a 2,000-square-foot house would cost $3,000 at the high end, about 0.7 percent on a sale price of $450,000.
As a new homeowner here in Renton and as someone who voted for improving our schools both in March and in May because I know how important having great schools are for one’s city or town, I just wanted to write and say how excited I am about the outcome, how pleased I am to think about what those funds will do for our kids, teachers, schools, and for Renton, and how proud I am of all the people who got their votes in this time.
I am writing in regard to something I observed on the “HOT lanes” on State Route 167.
As a recent annexee to the city I am delighted to now be protected by Renton’s fireworks ban. Last week’s writer who called limits on fireworks “draconian” was just plain silly. The private, irresponsible and dangerous blow-outs all-to-common in neighborhoods around the 4th of July have nothing to do with real patriotism and love of freedom. They are more related, at any age, to foolish juvenile acting out drawn to loud noises and bright flashes, heedless of the danger and annoyance to their neighbors.
The County Council has stated there is a $70 million budget crisis to have cuts in courts and law enforcement.
I was surprised by the opinion of Julia Patterson (Renton Reporter, My Turn) about what caused this budget crisis.
Your article on June 14 entitled, “A reminder: Fireworks banned in the city” was terribly one-sided. You cite the reduction of property damage and fire calls since the ban was enacted in 2005, but you say nothing of the tens of thousands of people who have had their celebration of their country’s founding destroyed by this draconian ban.
As a residential designer in Renton, I feel compelled to respond to a recent letter to the editor. My goal as a designer is to produce the best home solution for my client. This may or may not include fire sprinklers but does consider their “bottom line” and safety. Fire sprinkler systems are good to have but should not always be required.
We live on 137th Place Southeast just off Southeast 156th on the Renton plateau. Saturday, June 7, my sister and I were talking and I looked out the window and saw two dogs that resemble pit bulls in our back yard, one black and the other a brownish color with a white muzzle.
