GREENWOOD: A recent change in Seattle Public Utilities policy dictates that the construction of natural drainage systems along streets will no longer include sidewalks—news that infuriates pedestrians in general, and sidewalk-starved neighborhoods like Greenwood in particular. "To me, it shows a real bias toward automobiles," says Michael McGinn, president of the Greenwood Community Council. He points out that private developers are required by the city to build all affected areas up to the "modern standard," but that the city is absolving its own agency of the same responsibility. "We have this idea that we must maintain the road for automobiles because they're entitled to a smooth ride," says McGinn, "and yet we don't have enough money for sidewalks so that our children can have a safe place to walk." CENTRAL DISTRICT: Aspiring dental hygienists at Seattle Central Community College will offer cheap dental services to anyone with the courage to entrust his or her teeth to a student. The program, to launch next month, will be most heavily promoted in the Central District area surrounding the college, home to an East African immigrant population among whom dental health coverage is in short supply. Conceptually, the Dental Hygiene Project is analogous to the discount you'd get for a haircut at a beauty school—except that hair grows back. So it's up to students to assure volunteers they're in good hands. "It's quality care," says Jamie Wood, one hygienist-to-be. "We're going to be extremely thorough because we are students, and everything will be thoroughly checked by professionals in the field." -TF