This week’s paper, like the last few editions, includes a number of important, not-so-easy to report stories — covering the Seattle Indian Health Board, conversations from the community council and our ongoing island conundrum over providing urgent care.

Writing these complicated stories requires trawling through hundreds of documents from public records requests, attending community meetings and asking specific, detailed questions to county officials.

We know many of you have been frustrated by how long it’s taken for us to get here. Please believe us when we say: We’ve been frustrated too. But more is coming. We take our responsibility to cover this community seriously. And as the old adage goes: “Better late than never.”

It’s been wonderful to report on joyous events too, like the annual Comunidad Mercado and the Engels Car show. With our new intern reporter, Aspen Anderson, on board, we hope to share many more of those stories over the next month, too.

Autumn is, in so many ways, a season of change. The trees erupt into a riot of yellow, orange and red. Children and young adults return to school after summer break. The spigot of tourists begins to sputter, replaced by the windswept, rainjacketed regulars who call Vashon home. The nights begin to linger and cool, crisp air finally returns.

Change is good, change is healthy, and most of all, change is inevitable. As we wrote in a previous editorial, the end of this year will see a number of important decisions made for Vashon and for our country as a whole. We hope you’ll continue reading and helping guide us in the right direction as we try to cover all that change.

Like trying to carry armfulls of fallen leaves, we can’t hope to keep ahold of every single story. With your help, we’ll catch the pieces that slip between our hands.

Thanks for reading The Beachcomber, and we hope you enjoy the end of the summer.