That has to stop. Pet owners have an obligation to clean up after their animals. Feces is a source of pollution in Puget Sound waterways, so it’s imperative that dog waste be collected and properly disposed of.
According to the Pacific Shellfish Institute, visits were made to 16 sites in the watersheds. The inspections netted more than 1,200 piles of dog waste weighing 127 pounds. Some of the waste was close to streams that flow into Puget Sound, providing a source of bacterial contamination that can lead to shellfish harvest restrictions and closures. “I was blown away,” said Aimee Christy, a research biologist who conducted the survey with help from Stream Team volunteers. “I didn’t expect to find that much.”
If dog owners don’t do a better job of waste management, they could find their ability to use public parks compromised. It’s imperative that dog owners keep their dogs on leashes and properly dispose of pet waste.
THUMBS UP: Most South Sound schools hold assemblies to honor veterans of military service. Often these are student-led programs where members of the armed forces are thanked for their unselfish service in defense of the United States.
Parents say the celebration at Bush Middle School was special this year. The student choir and band performed and other students offered patriotic readings.
A few students were selected to share how Veterans Day personally impacts them. Some talked about a parent deployed on active duty and what patriotism means to them. When the veterans arrived at the gym, there was a designated row of chairs for them to use as they would be asked to share their names, branch of service and years of service.
The surprise was, so many veterans came to the program school officials had to quickly add a row of chairs. When the veterans spoke, their years of service spanned the decades from World War II to active duty military personnel currently serving their nation.
A big thumbs up to the students at Bush Middle School and all students who made this year’s Veterans Day assemblies such a success.
THUMBS DOWN: Under a directive from the Legislature to save $33 million by limiting Medicaid patients’ repeated trips to the emergency room, Health Care Authority officials put emergency rules into place.
But Thurston County Superior Court Judge Paula Casey recently ruled that state officials failed to follow proper procedures when they implemented the list immediately through an emergency rule.
In the wake of the adverse ruling, HCA Director Doug Porter ordered a re-examination of rule-making processes. While Medicaid patients can visit the emergency room without fear of being cut off, Porter plans to proceed with the limits on visits because “We remain under a legislative mandate to implement this limit and contribute savings to help relieve the state’s extreme financial crisis.” Joined by hospitals, doctors’ groups sued the state over a new rule that cuts off Medicaid payments after a patient’s third trip to the ER for “non-emergencies.” The state and doctors bitterly disagreed on a list of more than 700 diagnoses that would count as non-emergencies, including nonspecific chest pain, shortness of breath, kidney stones and nonspecific congestive heart failure.
It’s disconcerting that the Health Care Authority did not follow proper procedures when putting the limits in place, because the on-again, off-again limitations have likely confused some Medicaid patients.
THUMBS UP: A big thumbs up to the Olympia High School girls volleyball team. They captured the state volleyball championship trophy in tournament play a week ago at Saint Martin’s University in Lacey.
The Olympia Bears defeated Kentwood, 23-25, 25-18, 14-25, 25-6, 15-13, in the Class 4A championship match in front of a hometown crowd of nearly 500 Olympia fans including its band at Marcus Pavilion.
The Bear’s only other state championship was awarded in 1998 when the squad beat Selah for the AA state title on the same floor as last week’s win. “This is a sweet victory,” Olympia coach Laurie Creighton said. “It’s an awesome way to finish off a great season. I hope they cherish this.” So do we.
Olympia this year had an impressive 32-4 record. Christie Colasurdo was named the 4A tournament most valuable player. She had a Bears-best 20 kills and finished with 74 total kills in four tournament matches, including a school-record 26 kills in Friday night’s five-set win over Mead.
Congratulations, too, to the Tumwater volleyball team. They finished second in the 2A state volleyball tournament.
The girls lost to Burlington-Edison 3-1 in the championship match at The Evergreen State College.
Well done, ladies.
