FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: ‘The Legacies of Thelma and Louise.’

By Dave Markwell Last night I attended a grand event. It was a retirement party for two of Des Moines finest gals, Sue Padden and Patrice Thorell. For twenty-plus years, these two forces of nature led... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: We’ll see…

By Dave Markwell Last weekend, my daughter informed me that she was going to see a movie with her friend, “Becky”, and would need a ride Saturday evening. Now, the only surprising element of this... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD NEW YEAR: Still can…

By Dave Markwell A few weeks ago, I was at my old buddy, Scott’s, house catching up a bit following the memorial service for his dad. It was one of those simple, beautiful moments of life and friendship... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Traffic.

by Dave Markwell I hate traffic. I spend much time avoiding it. In fact, I may spend more time trying to avoid traffic than the actual delay would cost me. The other day, while heading home from a jobsite... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Sundays and Sins.

by Dave Markwell My daughter is a homebody. On another gray Sunday morning, after I fulfilled her very specific breakfast requests (demands), she crawled back into the snuggly little cave of blankets... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Of a winter and a spring…

by Dave Markwell While driving home from school the other day, my 13 year old daughter queried, “Why did the chicken cross the road?” “I don’t know. Why?” I replied. “To go to the idiot’s... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Rocket Ships.

by Dave Markwell 2016 sucked. Hard. It was without question the most challenging year of my life and maybe just simply the worst one I’ve ever had. I hope it dies in the dust of my history and not become... [Read more]

JACK MAYNE EDITORIAL: Let’s hear it for our younger, positive citizens!

Commentary by Senior Writer Jack Mayne (click “Play” button to hear audio version:) http://www.b-townblog.com/wp-content/images/JackMayneEdiorial121616.mp3 This is the time of year when we put aside... [Read more]

JACK MAYNE EDITORIAL: ‘Sanctuary City’ label will change absolutely nothing

Commentary by Senior Writer Jack Mayne (click “Play” button to hear audio version:) http://b-townblog.com/wp-content/images/Editorial%2012.9.16.mp3 The proposal to make Burien a so-called ‘sanctuary... [Read more]

JACK MAYNE EDITORIAL: Local cities need to add more cops

Commentary by Senior Writer Jack Mayne (click “Play” button to hear audio version:) http://www.b-townblog.com/wp-content/images/JackMayneEditorial-111816.mp3 With the biennial budgets of the cities... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Pretending.

by Dave Markwell I walked into my house and sensed disaster…again. Opening the front door, I was met with shredded napkins and a trail of rice leading up the stairs. At the top of the stairs, my old... [Read more]

JACK MAYNE: Interim City Managers are proving they can actually get things done

Commentary by Senior Writer Jack Mayne (click “Play” button to hear audio version:) http://www.b-townblog.com/wp-content/images/JackMayneInterimCM.mp3 The terms interim or acting city manager have... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Shotgun Riders.

by Dave Markwell Halloween each year marks an anniversary of the day my little brother died. He was 16 years old. I was 19. Though many years have passed since this event, it remains likely the single-most... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Night Dive.

by Dave Markwell Several lifetimes ago, I drove to Costa Rica with a couple of buddies. We slept in my 1986 Vanagon with each other’s feet in our faces. We ate cheap street tacos and drank cheap beer.... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Finish Lines.

by Dave Markwell Each morning I wake up and go for a walk. I contemplate my day as I take my little two-mile stroll from my house around the Marina. My little morning jaunt is more meditative than a part... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Broken bits.

by Dave Markwell I don’t work on Tuesdays. By “don’t work”, I don’t mean that I lie on the couch eating delicious grilled sandwiches all day. (Though, this, frankly, sounds like a pretty damn... [Read more]

CASSIDY’S COLUMN: Sorry I haven’t written for a long time…here’s why!

EDITOR’S NOTE: Cass Huff is a 14-year old special needs student at Mt. Rainier High School in Des Moines. In 2016 she was named “Citizen of the Year” by the City of Burien. She has also... [Read more]

JACK MAYNE: It’s time to stop requiring students to attend dangerous schools

Commentary by Senior Writer Jack Mayne (click “Play” button to hear audio version:) http://b-townblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/JackMayneonSchoolBond.mp3 It is time to stop requiring the students... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Finding words.

by Dave Markwell The other morning I woke up with an ominous sense that something was just not right. My household is one of rituals. My morning always begins with my old dog, Diego, doing his pee-pee... [Read more]

FEEL GOOD FRIDAY: Sin and Waffles.

by Dave Markwell About 1 pm on a Tuesday afternoon, I walked by my son’s bedroom and instead of being annoyed by the fact that he was still asleep, (which did not surprise me since when I woke up at... [Read more]