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Alex Bruell

Opinion

Editorial: How the sausage gets made

We produce 52 newspapers per year. It feels a bit miraculous in retrospect.

Opinion

Editorial: The best of Vashon

Last weekend brought out the best of Vashon.

The Mussel Gatherer is an example of Edward Curtis’s photographs of Native Americans included in his monumental 40 volume “The North American Indian.” Curtis’s photographs are criticized for being a romanticized, pictorialist version of Native American life. They represent a past that no longer existed in the face of the harsh realities of Native American life at the time his photographs were taken. (Edward Curtis photo, courtesy Smithsonian Libraries)

Opinion

Commentary: Lessons in history

History is often a conversation about meanings and interpretations.

Pat Call

Opinion

Commentary: Slow down this summer bicycling season

The weather is improving and the allure of the road is calling to cyclists on Vashon.

The Hon. Ketu Shah is Presiding Judge of King County Superior Court. He served on the King County District Court from 2013 to 2019.

Opinion

Without an independent judiciary, our rights are compromised | Guest column

Lately, the rule of law has been in the news and there have been calls to impeach judges.

Millie Robertson (Phil Clapham photo)

Opinion

Commentary: Remembering a Maury Island centenarian

Once in a while, surprise visitors turn out to be an unexpected delight.

The Chautauqua Elementary Green Team. (Courtesy photo)

Opinion

Commentary: Green and growing at Chautauqua Elementary

What can you do at your house to be more green?

Letters to the Editor

Letter to the Editor | June 6, 2025

A Beachcomber reader shares thoughts on the Los Angeles protests.

Opinion

Editorial: Time and trauma

Too often, we’ve see someone whose pain and confusion puts themselves and others in danger.

Michelle Lassaline cartoon 56 youth rowers from the Vashon Island Rowing Club competed at the USRowing Northwest Youth Championships in May, wrapping up the season with a weekend of fierce competition, camaraderie and bittersweet goodbyes.

Opinion

“I think we’re going to need a bigger boat.”

A cartoon by Michelle Lassaline.

Opinion

Editorial: Here comes the sun

Nothing says “Summer!” on Vashon than the manic rush of these first few truly glorious weeks of sun.

Sally Fox

Opinion

Commentary: Talent or practice? Why I keep drawing

Talent? We can just let it go.

Michelle Lassaline cartoon KVI Beach is an unusual spot on Vashon: Privately owned with allowed public access, it's also home to some of the only sandy shores on Vashon, and a variety of critical habitats, including Puget Sound salt marsh. The beauty and privilege that comes with access to such gems also brings responsibilities for humans and canines alike, who should both keep their distance from animals like elephant seals, seals and other resting marine mammals at all of Vashon's beaches. Dogs need to be restrained from interfering with those animals or with bird nesting sites. Don't collect marine mammal parts unless it's specifically legal to do so, and check with NOAA for details on those regulations, which require that any bones collected from a non-endangered marine mammal be taken only after its soft tissue has decomposed. Those parts must also be identified and registered with the local NOAA fisheries office, and can't be bought or sold. Parts from any threatened or endangered species cannot be collected without a permit from NOAA. For more information, call the marine mammal stranding hotline at 866-767-6144.

Opinion

KVI Etiquette

A cartoon by Michelle Lassaline.