I enjoyed a lovely dinner at the home of some island friends recently and during the evening encountered two remarkable conversations about the Vashon Farmers Market (each prompted by the person’s knowledge that I manage the market).
It’s rare that The Beachcomber quotes people without using their names. A tenet of contemporary journalism is that people are expected to stand behind their comments. The citing of “unnamed sources” creates a lack of transparency, and that, in turn, can engender cynicism.
The sun was particularly fierce as I walked down the dock to a waiting ferry in Zanzibar last fall, and I was cranky from waking up at 5 that morning to get there. The boat was relatively small with the words “safety first” plastered in two different places. After what happened on this route a few months earlier, when a boat sank and hundreds of people perished, you can’t be too careful, I thought.
In the aftermath of the bloody rampage at a movie theater outside of Denver, Colo., one thing is missing: A collective sense of outrage over this country’s insane inability to regulate and limit gun ownership.
Vashon Youth & Family Services is an excellent organization — the only agency on Vashon that offers a full suite of services to those in need. Indeed, VYFS is probably doing more to keep the safety net intact on Vashon than any other single organization.
The Farm Bill is up for reauthorization again this year, and proposed cuts could hurt families on Vashon that are already struggling.
I’m going to let you in on a secret: One of the funniest places on Vashon Island is the Burton Coffee Stand.
I, like every other Islander, received a copy of VAA’s Vashon Center or the Arts introductory brochure this week. During my nearly eight years as the executive director of VAA, I worked constantly on our community’s performance space issue, and as such possess a unique perspective that I wish to share with my fellow Islanders.
To get an idea of the scope and size of Vashon Allied Arts’ proposed arts and performing complex at historic Center, imagine a building taller than Island Lumber and almost as long as a football field pushed right up against the road with an asphalt parking lot larger than Island Lumber’s.
Right now, Vashon Theatre is caught up in the biggest change in show business since talkies replaced silent pictures.
As we’ve noted before, we believe it’s unfortunate that the Vashon Island School District has to resort to a fundraising drive to keep its programs intact and its staff robust.
The debate over Vashon’s hydroplane race is a classic conflict.
Usually, a good editor takes an objective view and the knowledge they have gained while following an issue for editorials. The Beachcomber has barely covered septic problems this year. The July 1 deadline with the punitive fines made the problem critical and intensified the correspondence to county and state officials. This information was sent to The Loop, The Seattle Times and The Beachcomber. On Wednesday, the Beachcomber was critical of those trying to fix the problem and the victims of the county’s negligence.
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