County’s sewer charges going up for next two years
A new monthly sewer rate that King County assesses for sewer service providers using the county’s treatment facilities has been approved for 2009-10, but at a lower-than-expected amount.
The County Council last week unanimously approved the two-year rate of $31.90 per month. It’s intended to offset increases in the cost of maintenance and operation of the regional wastewater system that serves customers in King County.
The new monthly rate beats earlier projections by county officials that called for a 2009 rate of $32.96 and $35.75 for 2010.
Juridsictions served by the county’s wastewater system include the citiy of Black Diamdon, Cedar River Sewer and Water District, and Soos Creek Water and Sewer District.
Attention, Tahoma High class of 1983: Reunion coming up
The 25-year reunion of the Tahoma High School class of 1983 is being planned for the weekend of Sept. 19.
A classmates-only get-together is scheduled for that Friday night at the Swinging Arm Bar and Grill in Black Diamond. The next night, classmates and their spouses will be invited to the Muckleshoot Casino in Auburn for dinner, drinks and entertainment.
A Sunday family picnic is also planned. The location hasn’t been decided, according to the reunion’s organizing committee.
More information, including searches for classmates, is available at Classmates.com and DTvedt@aol.com.
Navy recruit finishes basic training
Navy Seaman recruit Joshua Slater, a 2004 graduate of Kentlake High School, has completed basic training at Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Ill.
The training lasted eight weeks.
Covington’s downtown topic for council talk
The Covington City Council will discuss issues relating to downtown during a study session next Tuesday at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Study sessions are informal meetings in which no official action is taken. They are open to the public.
Hands-free cell phone law for drivers near
In a little more than a week, Washington law will make driving with a phone to the ear illegal.
The new law, which supporters believe will improve traffic safety by reducing cell phone-related distractions for drivers, will take effect July 1.
Another law, prohibiting sending, receiving and reading text messages on a cell phone while driving, took effect in January. Unlike the text-messaging ban, drivers still will be allowed to talk on cell phones while driving. provided they use a hands-free device, such as an earpiece, wired headset or speaker phone.
Violators will face a $124 fine if ticketed. But because the law is in the secondary enforcement category, a citation will only be issued if a driver is pulled over first for another traffic infraction, according to authorities.
