Looking Back

Dec. 19, 1985: A meaningful apology to wronged man's son

In a thoughtfully sincere letter to 16-year-old Kenneth Titus, Port of Seattle Executive Director James Dwyer provided a meaningful touch of public atonement for a disturbing mistake made in 1980 by port police.

The apology to a wronged man's son was an important element of the final chapter in settling the tragic case of Steve Titus, who died of a heart attack in February at the age of 36. Accused by Port police of raping a 17-year-old girl, Steve Titus was convicted. But his conviction later was overturned following a Seattle Times investigation that showed he could not have committed the crime. Another man later confessed to the rape.

. . . Dwyer wrote . . . "It deeply concerns me that the agency that I now direct may have contributed to the sadness you now experience. We shall make every effort to ensure that similar events never happen again."

Dec. 22, 1985: State's needy people deserve top priority

Within days - perhaps on Christmas Eve - Gov. Booth Gardner will unveil a supplemental state budget for the Legislature to consider in January: a package that ought to avoid cuts in payments to needy families and children on welfare.

. . . Sen. Jim McDermott, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said it all:

"Feeding children and taking care of pregnant women and others who are truly needy is of highest priority."

Dec. 18, 1970: What is the Army up to, anyway?

Nearly a year ago, Army officials assured Sen. Ervin, the Bill of Rights watchdog from North Carolina, that Army agents no longer were engaged in spying on American civilians . . .

Now a former Army sergeant has told Ervin he was engaged in such a spy effort - including the filing of reports on prominent Illinois political figures - until the day of his discharge last June.

We fail to see any necessity for the armed forces to engage in such activities, which, if at all permissible or proper, are the province of police intelligence units, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

The Army's attempts at political spying are, at best, silly and wasteful. They could lead to something a good deal more sinister . . .

Nov. 18, 1945, to Jan. 13, 1946: PRINTERS ON STRIKE. NO PAPERS (AND NO EDITORIALS) WERE PUBLISHED.