I wanted to share some comments I received from a person who read the story we ran about a Poulsbo man convicted of his 11th DUI.
In the note, the person says that treatment, not punishment, will ultimately solve the chronic DUI problem. That is a bit of a dichotomy to what the state legislature just watched go into law: that five DUI convictions in 10 years constitutes a felony.
Anyway, here’s her comments. Feel free to leave your personal feelings as well.
A woman is suing the Bremerton School District after she apparently slipped on a recently waxed or mopped floor at Bremerton High School on July 16, 2004. She claims there wasn’t any “warning signs” around the area, according to the lawsuit, filed July 13 in Kitsap County Superior Court.
The woman was with clients from a local hospital at the school, when one of them ran off and went into the kitchen area. The plaintiff “went into the kitchen to retrieve her client,” and fell on the floor, “finding herself covered in a thick syrupy like substance,” court documents said.
The newest trick ID thieves are using to generate quick cash?
Gift cards.
In a story by USA Today Sunday, the newspaper reported thieves that are getting hold of stolen credit cards are going online, purchasing gift cards, then selling them to buyers who in turn sell the gift cards at a discounted rate.
The biggest problem with the scheme, it seems, is that thieves can buy and charge numerous gift cards — without even getting up from a computer — before a victim can deactivate the stolen card.
I haven’t heard any local Kitsap cases as yet, but I’ll keep you posted.
Vacation afforded me the chance to catch up on some reading, and at the top of the list was “The King of Methlehem,” written by Pierce County chief drug unit prosecutor turned author Mark Lindquist.
If you a) live in the northwest and b) enjoy local crime and justice issues (judging by the fact you’re reading this blog, you’d probably answer yes to both), you’ll finish this insightful peek inside Pierce County meth culture in a day.
It’s written like a screen play for a Law and Order episode, with a protagonist detective named Wyatt James hell-bent on landing his biggest fish — a meth-cooking, ID stealing, deteriorating “tweeker” going by his current stolen moniker “Howard Schultz” (yes, the Starbucks CEO). James must go through Mike Lawson, the fictitious Pierce County drug unit chief Lindquist plays in real life, in an attempt to catch Schultz. Lawson continually reminds James he must play by the rules to catch the bad guy.
Book photo courtesy of Elliot Bay Books.
I took a few days off last week and spent a lot of time thinking about this blog – namely, how comments should be approved.
This is clearly an imperfect science. But I want to give you a chance to chime in and have your say.
Some discussions have come up on a blog about Amber Alerts as to what gets posted – and what doesn’t.
And just how do we choose what goes up – and what can’t?
Hot off the press: The City of Poulsbo just announced the candidates for its police chief position, vacated when Jeff Doran retired in March.
Here they are, with bios, courtesy of the the City of Poulsbo.
The Silverdale stretch of Highway 3 ranks no. 2 on a list of state roads in which motorists drive above the speed limit most, according to an article in today’s Seattle Times.
No wonder Troopers often line the highway there.
The story, by Susan Gilmore, says the state uses a high tech system to monitor speeds. Only milepost 111 on Interstate 5 — near Olympia — has more people who push the speed limit (and I’ve noticed many troopers there too. Anyone sensing a pattern?).
