The high at SeaTac Airport today was 90 degrees, and yes, we’re very proud that it was .3 degrees warmer at our place.

We hope everyone enjoyed this brief taste of summer.  Tomorrow should be considerably cooler.

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled Spring…

And how does one judge a good judge? By the material of their cape or what?

The answers to those and other important political questions have been answered every year for the past 93 years thanks to the hard work and efforts of local citizens who participate in the Municipal League of King County’s candidate evaluation process.

Now is your chance to help your fellow citizens be well-informed before they vote.

In case you were wondering, the Municipal League of King County is a non-partisan organization dedicated to informed decision making and open government.  The Municipal League researches policy issues, evaluates candidates, communicates its findings and then mobilizes citizens to action when needed.  The group is made up of diverse citizens from throughout King County who are united by a commitment to good government.

The Municipal League is looking for volunteers to evaluate political candidates for a variety of public offices.  As a volunteer you will be asked to research work histories and references of candidates; interview candidates; and recommend candidate ratings. The final result is a Voter’s Guide designed to provide useful, nonpartisan information prior to the Aug. 21 primary.

Candidates are rated on four criteria:

• Involvement
• Character
• Effectiveness
• Knowledge

The league does not use partisan criteria and does not endorse candidates.  You will be asked to evaluate candidates only to determine their fitness for office.  This year, candidates throughout King County will be evaluated in races for the state legislature and judicial offices.

Having a group of volunteers with diverse backgrounds and views is important to ensuring high quality and unbiased candidate ratings.  Volunteers must be able to leave their political leanings  at the door.  Knowledge of or interest in local politics is a plus. Prior experience is not necessary. Volunteer work takes place throughout June.

For more information and applications contact the Municipal League at (206) 264-1070 or visit their website at www.munileague.org.

And remember… good government doesn’t just happen. Good government is the result of good people like you (the astute, intelligent reader of this here Blog) getting involved!

The three family members were accused of paying drug addicts to shoplift glass art, Armani suits and other high-end goods from local stores in Seattle.

They fenced the stolen merchandise at the well-known Liberty Jewelry and Loan pawnshop at 116 Pike Street, according to prosecutors.

Leslie Calvo, 39, who ran the shop owned by her father, pleaded guilty to six counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property, two counts of possession of stolen property and two other theft-related crimes.

She faces between 4 1/2 and nearly six years in prison at the sentencing for all three defendants June 13.

Her 71-year-old father, Martin D. Levy, pleaded guilty to four counts of first-degree trafficking in stolen property, two counts of possession of stolen property and one count of second-degree solicitation to commit theft. He faces two to 2 1/2 years in prison.

Calvo’s husband, Richard, 38, who has a Burien dental practice and pleaded guilty to one count of first-degree trafficking and one count of first-degree possession of stolen property, faces up to a year in jail.

Leslie Calvo and her father originally faced charges such as leading organized crime and money laundering, which would have carried stiffer penalties, said her attorney, Allen Ressler.

Prosecutors from the state Attorney General’s Office would only accept the deal if all three pleaded guilty, and Leslie Calvo didn’t want to expose herself or her elderly father to additional prison time, Ressler said.

“She accepted the most responsibility and to some extent what motivates her is the desire to see this whole thing resolved, and the concern about going to trial and losing on the more serious offense,” he said.

The three are accused of selling glass pieces stolen from art galleries, shoplifted Coach purses, a $500 bananawood soap dish and other luxuries from Levy’s pawnshop. They also unloaded more than $300,000 worth of goods on eBay and kept some merchandise for themselves.

Investigators said the three used a group of street drug addicts who were willing to walk into a store or gallery, shoplift the goods and deliver them to the pawnshop — often with the price tags still intact.

The thieves were often given 10 percent of the retail value for each item and used it to support their drug habits, police said.

Police began investigating in March 2004 when they were tipped about a major fencing operation involving the pawnshop. One informant later told police he had been delivering stolen items to the store since 1988.

In July 2005, police searched Levy’s Mercer Island home, his pawnshop, and the Calvos’ West Seattle home and found hundreds of stolen items, including more than 300 glass-art pieces, golf clubs and electronic devices.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: You know in the Google Map below where it says "1 Review"? We happened to follow that link, where we found the following "review":

DANGEROUS DENTIST!!  

By Anonymous

Dr. Calvo is in practice w/ his father and sister. Although the rest of the family might be on the up-and-up, he is NOT! I think he is on drugs, one time in his chair was way too many. Face it you are placing your life in his hands and there are enough honest dentists out there. Dr. Calvo is currently facing 32 Felony charges, do your homework and get a reliable dentist! I personally FIRED Dr Calvo and now go to a dentist miles away!]

SOURCE:

• The Seattle P-I

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This year the collection will take place on Saturday, May 10th, and all collections remain local:

Click here to view the embedded video.

The drive, in its 16th year, is the largest one-day food collection in the nation and the biggest community service effort by any union affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

“The food drive is the hallmark of the union’s tradition of community service,” said NALC President William H. Young, “a very rich tradition that includes numerous heroic acts by carriers as they deliver mail along their routes, the year-long campaign to collect funds for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and watching out for the elderly through the Carrier Alert program.”

More info at the NALC website.

PAST: 1940’s view of SW 152nd Street looking west from Ambaum Blvd. SW. The Tradewell Building (on the left side) once housed Burien’s first movie theatre. “They would set up wooden chairs for us to sit on,” said the late Angelo Balzarini, long-time resident. Another early pioneer recollection notes that the first talking movie was shown there. This building subsequently housed Pacific Fabrics, then an Oak Furniture store before being purchased by the Highline Historical Society:

PRESENT: Currently housing Karuna Yoga Arts (notice the recognizable facade of the building across the street, on the north side):

In 2009-10, the building will be razed and replaced with the Highline Heritage Museum:

The Highline Historical Society is seeking donations to help build the museum, and you can dontate quickly and easily online by clicking here.

If you’d like to join the Society, prices start at just $20 per year!

Do you have a historical photo or anecdote about the greater B-Town area? If so, please email us!