There’s been a lot of back-and-forth in recent weeks about rumble strips and their potential to keep drivers safe. Some say they help. Others don’t. Many have wondered about the statistics King County engineers used to inform the Vashon project.
For the past year I have been doing research for an exhibit at the Vashon-Maury Island Heritage Museum called “Main Street Vashon: The Ever-Changing Face of Vashon Highway,” opening June 1. With more than 50 historic photos, it is a rich story of development and community, of change and consistency.
There’s a little engine that could that keeps this Island chugging merrily along: volunteers.
There’s a little engine that could that keeps this Island chugging merrily along: volunteers.
If you took the most pristine wetland in Vashon, built a coal-burning asbestos plant on it, then hired inmates from Guantanamo Bay to work there, it still wouldn’t be as controversial as rumble strips. I’ve never been one to miss out on a good maelstrom, so I thought I’d jump into the fray.
Countless communities across the country have struggled with the situation Vashon is facing with its Village Green. It’s disheartening on many levels.
The Vashon Island Public Schools Foundation’s fundraising effort is going fairly well, according to organizers. Still, we have to ask a question of the 75 percent of the parents of public school children who have yet to donate: What gives?
The recent rash of burglaries on Vashon feels harsh – in part because those institutions that got hit hold a special place for a lot of people. Small farms. A garden center. The Catholic church.
May is Hepatitis Awareness Month. I am a founder and the current president of the Hepatitis Education Project, a nonprofit patient advocacy and education organization in Seattle. We work to spread the word about hepatitis virus infections, particularly hepatitis C, and to counsel patients and families about the resources available to them.
The state Department of Health says that in 1976, the U.S. hit a national low with 1,010 pertussis cases. Since then, the numbers have climbed despite ongoing vaccination. Also, the three-to-five year pertussis outbreak cycle continues despite overall consistency of vaccination. The current epidemic was predicted and expected. So, what gives?
“Watching activists jump into action is really exciting,” my partner John Dancey said as we left the All Island Forum planning meeting. I knew John meant seeing our colleagues step up with enthusiasm to take on the tasks necessary to put on our next forum. But the question “What action?” playfully jumped into my mind.
For a moment last week, it looked like some of Vashon’s best and brightest were going to place their cars in front of a pavement grinding machine and face off against what they saw as one of the forces of evil.
Right now a longtime Vashon resident and small business owner sits in jail in Tacoma, though he is accused of no crime.
E-Wallet Purchase (Add Funds)
Term Subscription