It was almost a year ago that the Vashon-Maury Island Community Council’s board resigned virtually en masse. Now, 11 months later, the whole structure of our unincorporated area council (UAC) has been called into question, its very existence no longer assured. Such is the nature, it seems, of an institution supported more by goodwill and a shared civic agreement than the rule of law.
According to the National Climatic Data Center, carbon dioxide increased by 2.6 parts per million in the atmosphere in 2010 — more than the average annual increase seen from 1980 to 2010. The global temperature has been warmer than the 20th century average every month for more than 25 years, and 2010 has tied with 2005 as the warmest year on record, according to the State of the Climate Report for 2010.
I first met Michele and Johnnie Pratt at Vashon Thriftway, when we were all volunteering for a food drive, then again at the “O” Space where they now work part-time as the Space Genies. We reconnected at the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank, where they shop to make ends meet, and again at Welcome Vashon’s We All Belong event, where Michele offered to spearhead an alternative currency exchange.
Vashon’s arts community has been clamoring for a state-of-the-art performance center for more than a decade. Now, thanks in large part to Kay White, an Island philanthropist with a deep love of choral music, Vashon Allied Arts appears poised to bring this dream to fruition.
Many of you have followed the articles I’ve written for this paper and know that I also write for the comedy group Church of Great Rain. In addition, I have written two books about Vashon, both in a humorous vein, the first of which was published last year.
Islanders should answer the survey that a small group of health care activists has created in an effort to assess the extent of Vashon’s unmet health care needs.
The only constant in life is change. The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council is no exception. Throughout its decades of existence, it has taken many forms, with many different people meeting many different challenges.
During the last week of May each year, this community encourages Vashon’s graduating seniors to continue their post-secondary education by presenting scholarships at the annual Vashon Community Scholarship Foundation’s Awards Ceremony at Vashon High School. While there is discussion in the community about who we are, what we do and how we do it, we thought we’d share with you some of our history and our process.
The lawns on Fauntleroy freak me out. It is a tweaked world of Competitive Landscaping, specifically designed to intimidate, and it frightens me.
Vashon Island School District and Vashon Allied Arts face an interesting opportunity — one that didn’t exist, quite in this form, until two weeks ago.
Like any good entrepreneur, Islander Richard Lipshay understands the necessity for seed money to fund a new business venture or bankroll an innovative idea.
As a public health professional, a Vashon resident and a volunteer with the Vashon Healthy Communities Network, I feel a need to weigh in on the discussion surrounding youth alcohol and drug use on Vashon.
Last week, one of our admirable ferry workers was photographed creatively expressing his irritation using a breakfast food. I have to say I’ve wanted to do that myself for years. Fortunately, I’ve never done it in front of a spy camera, but before I say more about spy cameras, I’d like to say that the ferry worker in question has always impressed me as being courteous and adept at his job. Because he apologized on his own, I say we rally around him and give him a second chance. Folks who admit freely their mistakes and apologize, as he reportedly did, deserve our support. He also really knows how to load a ferry boat, and I would miss his expertise.
