Rumble strips: Let’s listen and compromise

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.

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4:42 PM May 16, 2012 0

Share the park: It’s an ethic we all should embrace | Editorial

Countless communities across the country have struggled with the situation Vashon is facing with its Village Green. It’s disheartening on many levels.

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2:19 PM May 16, 2012 0

Parents: Don't delay, give to the schools | Editorial

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?

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updated 1:35 PM May 1, 2012 0

Recent spate of crime is troubling | Editorial

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.

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updated 1:33 PM May 1, 2012 0

Hepatitis: Now is the time to get screened | Commentary

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.

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updated 1:32 PM May 1, 2012 0

Forum seeks to strengthen collaborations | Commentary

“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.

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updated 1:24 PM May 1, 2012 0

Some over-simplify the Pertussis | Letter to the Editor

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?

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updated 1:23 PM May 1, 2012 0

Lost in detention: It’s happening right now | Commentary

Right now a longtime Vashon resident and small business owner sits in jail in Tacoma, though he is accused of no crime.

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updated 4:39 PM April 24, 2012 0

A rumble over rumble strips: Let’s learn from this mistake | Editorial

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.

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updated 4:31 PM April 24, 2012 0

A new approach to civic engagement is worth a try | Editorial

Every so often, county government reinvents itself, and so it has again in the way it hopes to engage those 280,000 residents who live in the unincorporated swaths of King County.

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updated 1:57 PM April 17, 2012 0

On Day of Silence student speak out in support of sexual equality | Commentary

Vashon is a pretty progressive place, which makes it a perfect place to celebrate the Day of Silence. The Vashon High School Gay-Straight Alliance celebrates the Day of Silence to educate the community about keeping homophobic comments silent.

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updated 1:55 PM April 17, 2012 0