Western Front - 2005 December 02

              THE WESTERN FRONT FRIDAY
DECEMBER 2,2005
WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY An independent student newspaper serving the campus community since 1970. ISSUE 21, VOLUME 135
DUI patrols
to increase
for holidays
BY KRISTA GRUNHUKD
The Western Front
Don't drink and drive is the message the
Whatcom County Traffic Safety Task Force
is trying to convey to the public by adding
280 hours of patrols for driving under the
influence on top of their normal patrols this
holiday season.
Between Nov. 21 and Jan. 2, all of the
county's police departments will add the
extra hours to ensure safer roads. The 280
hours, funded by a $2,500 grant from the
Washington Traffic Safety Commission, are
part of the statewide "Drive Hammered, Get
Nailed" campaign, which promotes sober
driving through year-round campaigns.
"I think it's great," University Police Sgt.
Connie Satter said. "Whenever we are given
extra funds it allows us to focus specifically
on keeping traffic and pedestrians safe."
UP will increase its patrol by 40 hours,
and will primarily emphasize the campus
areas and surrounding neighborhoods, Satter
said. The amount of hours, the county's
see PATROLS, page 3
VIKINGS WIN
JARED YOAKUM / THE WESTERN FRONT
Western senior Tyler MacMullen
scores two points during the rout
of Hawaii-Pacific University Tues­day,
^or story, see page 13.
Parking rates increase
JARED YOAKUM / THE WESTERN FRONT
Starting January, parking rates will increase downtown to provide more income for city transportation projects.
Parking fines, meter rates double to provide
money to alleviate parking woes around city
BY JEN WHTTFORD
The Western Front
Bellingham will increase the price of
parking downtown beginning Jan. 1.
Hourly meter rates will go from 25 cents
per hour to 50 cents per hour. Parking tickets
will also double, from $5 to $10 without the
current option residents have to pay early at
a discounted rate.
The rate increase is the first; the city
has had in 13 years, said Clark Williams,
Bellingham Department of Public Works
transportation manager.
"We haven't had an increase since '92,
and in order to keep up with inflation we
needed to raise the rates slightly," Williams
said. "No one had any great rationale to
raise the rates before, but now we are out
of parking."
Williams said the increased revenue is
needed to maintain the parking system.
With the recent development of
condominiums downtown and in other
areas of Bellingham, parking is becoming
more difficult to find, Williams said.
The rates increases will provide funds
for three electronic meters in the parking
garage on East Holly Street and six along
the 1300 block of Railroad Avenue.
Williams said the automatic meters are
designed for people to pay for specific
numbered parking stalls. If downtown
shoppers are far away from the meter but
need to put more money into it, they can do
it at any of the nine machines the city plans
see, INCREASE, page 8
Residents wait all night for Xbox 360
BY SHAWNA WALLS
The Western Front
While not as chaotic as the hyped events
in the Seattle area, Bellingham's gamers
also rushed to get the Xbox 360 game
console on its release day, Nov. 22.
In Bellingham, lines were more modest
than in Seattle. Retailers such as Fred Meyer
and Target communicated expected shortages
to customers by issuing numbered tickets
corresponding with the number of units
available or cutting off lines at the number of
consoles the store had in stock.
Most lines had fewer than 20 people, but
those who queued up were die-hards* some
braving a dense fog and temperatures that
dipped below freezing to wait overnight in
front of their chosen store.
Fred Meyer, the first store in Bellingham
to open its doors, let customers in at the
store's usual 7 a.m. opening time. At the
Lakeway location, Western senior Josh
Gray said most of the 16 people in line had
been there since 7 p.m. the previous night.
He said his experience sleeping in front of
the store was less than comfortable,
"I had an air mattress," he said. "That
didn't work out top well."
The line perked up when Fred Meyer
employees came out just before opening to
hand out tickets, which entitled each bearer
to a console.
The approximately 15 people waiting in
line for the 10 a.m. opening of Circuit City
seemed to be prepared for a siege, arriving
with furniture, sleeping bags and coolers
full of food and drinks. One weather-minded
individual brought a large outdoor heater. -
Western sophomore LeRoy Miller said
he arrived at Circut City at noon Nov.-21,
skipping classes to wait in line, but the first
person in line had been there two hours
before he arrived. LeRoy was the fourth
person in line.
Some in the Circuit City line who stayed
overnight had trouble sleeping in the cold
conditions. Western freshman Michael
Ricci did not sleep at all.
see GAMES, page 8
BACK IN BLACK
Lewis Black from "The Daily
Show With Jon Stewart" enter­tains
tonight at a benefit
ACCENT, PAGE 9
REPLACING SMITH
Western searches for a new
head football coach before
winter break
SPORTS, PAGE 14
OVERLY SENSITIVE
Americans are too caught up being
politically correct when certain
words are necessary
;'•. OPINIONS, PAGE 18
WEATHER
Saturday: Sunny
Hi: 40 Low: 33
Sunday: Sunny
Hi: 43 Low: 35
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