Lacey clears way for ‘downtown’ hub
YAY: LACEY REPLANTINGS
Some commercial developments are named for what used to be there. In the case of Lacey’s Woodland Square, big fir trees that characterized the office park were felled so it can be redeveloped as a mixed-use hub. The goal is offices and shops that draw visitors to a downtown-like center, which Lacey deserves and needs.
To make the area inviting, Kirkland-based MJR Development plans to spend $1 million for 14,000 trees, shrubs and other replacement greenery.
BOO: PORT SLOWDOWN
The Port of Olympia took a major financial hit from falling global oil prices, which reduced the Midwest’s need for imported proppants used in oil fracking, and a strong dollar that makes exported logs costly for foreign buyers. Reduced shipping means revenue at the marine terminal fell by about $1.8 million, or 43 percent short of target, during the first half of the year. This could be a blip or a warning shot. Opening the port’s books and assumptions for further discussion is a good idea.
YAY: DESTINI SIGLER
She’s only 15, but Destini Sigler has bravely been where most people never venture. Two months after brain surgery, the Yelm girl is recovering. Thursday night she took the stage as Dorothy in a production of “The Wizard of Oz” put on by the Creative Theater Experience in Olympia. Here’s Destini’s smart take-away: “Live every day to its full potential. Your life can be thrown into chaos in one second.” Words to live by.
BOO: LION DEATH
A Minnesota trophy hunter wounded Cecil, a beloved African lion in Zimbabwe, using a crossbow, 40 hours later; a gun was used later to complete the kill. The incident has touched off an international furor and U.S. investigation. The Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed listing the lion breed as endangered, and Cecil was the subject of scientific study by Oxford University. He was killed after leaving his park sanctuary. We can hope this leads to more effective action to halt the hunting of threatened species.
YAY: ANN RULE
Popular true-crime writer Ann Rule was described in one news obituary headline as a “queen” of the genre who showed the Northwest’s dark side. That may be understatement. Rule died at the age of 83 last week; she left a stark legacy of books that began with “The Stranger Beside Me.” That book was about serial killer Ted Bundy who admitted to killing 30 women and was executed in 1989. Rule got to know Bundy while both volunteered at a suicide hotline. Her insight into killers were later used by investigators in the Green River killings.
BOO: HEALTH SPENDING RISE
The inflation of U.S. health care costs slowed to about 4 percent a year during 2008-13, but a new report from the Office of the Actuary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that was only a respite. It predicts medical inflation will hit 6 percent annually by 2019, still lower than before 2007 but expensive.
An aging population and greater utilization of care is blamed. Our next president will find this problem waiting on the White House doorstep.
This story was originally published August 2, 2015 at 5:02 PM with the headline "Lacey clears way for ‘downtown’ hub."