A year of local news: 2025’s top stories and photos

Happy 2026, Vashon! As we look ahead and set intentions for the new year, we’re also taking a moment to look back at the stories — and the photographs — that shaped 2025.

This year brought change to The Beachcomber. Alex Bruell, editor since 2023, moved on to new endeavors, and we welcomed award-winning reporter and former intern Aspen Anderson as the newspaper’s new editor.

Thank you so much for reading The Beachcomber — the community’s newspaper of record since 1957, and a place where we remain devoted to covering important news of our island that won’t be found anywhere else.

What follows is a collection of images, hard news and beautiful moments from around the island. It’s not an exhaustive list, but it reflects a year of community, resilience and life on Vashon as we lived it and reported it.

Our stories of the year? There were two.

Island health care: Throughout the year, The Beachcomber covered the marked improvement of health care options for islanders.

Late in 2024, Vashon Pharmacy began to offer a variety of clinical services to islanders, which steadily increased throughout 2025.

Vashon Health Care District’s DispatchHealth, a seven-day-a-week mobile urgent care provider, became a much-appreciated alternative to traveling off-island for urgent care, as did Vashon Island Fire & Rescue’s Mobile Integrated Health, another innovative health care program serving islanders both in their homes and at Fire Station 55. Throughout the year, MIH steadily expanded its hours and staff in to now include include a physician assistant with the authority to prescribe medicines, and additional nurses.

While all this happened, two new health care facilities remained under construction on Vashon: Sea Mar Community Health Center’s new primary health care clinic, and Seattle Indian Health Board’s Thunderbird Treatment Center. In “After long wait, Thunderbird gets county go-ahead” (May 15), then-editor Alex Bruell’s lengthy article about the permitting of Seattle Indian Health Board’s new residential treatment facility marked full speed ahead for the new 92-bed facility, which will increase the number of inpatient beds for substance abuse recovery in King County by 62%.

Both Sea Mar’s new clinic and Thunderbird are expected to open in the spring of 2026.

Political pressure: Islanders turned out in droves to make their political and personal convictions known in the first tumultuous year of the second Trump administration. Our coverage rolled out throughout 2025, with “Islanders pack ‘Hands Off’ protests” (April 10); “Demonstrators decry deportations” (April 10); “Vashon says: ‘No Kings’” (June 19); “Islanders rally for ‘No Kings’ protest” (Oct. 20); and “Vashon’s artful activists get national attention” (Nov. 20) all making for splashy page 1 stories.

Behind the scenes, local members of groups including Indivisible Vashon, the Backbone Campaign and SURJ (Showing Up for Racial Justice) worked throughout the year to organize a progressive response to the Trump administration. But islanders on the other side of the political divide, though fewer in number, also made news in “Islanders hold vigil for Charlie Kirk” (Sept. 17), which followed Kirk’s fatal shooting while speaking on a college campus in Utah.

JANUARY

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue started the year in transition, with then-Fire Chief Matt Vinci departing to serve as chief of Spokane County Fire District No. 9. Longtime VIFR veteran and Deputy Chief Ben Davidson stepped up as interim chief while the fire board embarked on a months-long search for a new chief.

Fast forward: Davidson, assisted by consultants from Puget Sound Regional Fire Authority, ably served — notably making news during his interim leadership for bringing his own generator to give a life-saving assist to a disabled islander who needed oxygen during a power outage. “As storm raged, fire crews responded to those in need” (March 4).

Shifts in Olympia: Sen. Joe Nguyen, representing Vashon in the 34th Legislative District, was appointed as the state’s commerce director (Jan. 2 coverage), and 34th District state Rep. Emily Alvarado was appointed to step into his seat in Olympia. Brianna Thomas, former chief of staff to Seattle City Council President Lorena Gonzalez, was appointed to fill Alvarado’s seat in the House of Representatives. Fast forward: Both Alvarado and Thomas won uncontested races to be formally elected to their seats in November.

In the wake of numerous executive orders made by incoming President Donald Trump upon taking office, our story “School Board passes policy to protect undocumented students” (Jan. 30) covered Vashon’s school board’s belated passage of a lengthy policy, mandated by the state in 2019, to implement staff training and other measures to protect undocumented students from actions by immigration control and enforcement officers.

FEBRUARY

“Vashon leaders take the ferry cause to Olympia” (Feb. 13) marked the start of a year’s worth of coverage of work by Islanders for Ferry Action, a local group demanding both long-term and short-term solutions to ongoing ferry woes caused by Washington State Ferries’ operational challenges on the Triangle Route serving Vashon. Fast forward: In March, Gov. Bob Ferguson announced that full ferry service on all routes would resume, but Vashon’s three-boat service on the Triangle Route has continued to be impacted, as the route’s third vessel is frequently needed to replace boats that go out of service on other routes.

“Champion” (Feb. 27) celebrated Vashon High School student Lena Puz’s thrilling win as a state wrestling champion.

MARCH

Tim Stapleton, an experienced manager with the state Fish and Wildlife and Natural Resources departments, took over as the director of the Vashon Park District, and Amy Drayer, a leader of Islanders for Ferry Action and former Vashon Chamber of Commerce director, took the reins of Vashon HouseHold.

APRIL

Leadership transition in Vashon’s schools also unfolded over the course of the year.

“McSheehy picked for Bremerton job” (April 2) reported on the end of Slade McSheehy’s tenure since 2018 as Vashon’s superintendent of schools, following his hire in the same role at the Bremerton School District. Fast forward: “School Board names interim superintendent” (June 12) detailed Jo Moccia’s one-year hire as interim superintendent as the board conducted a search for a permanent leader.

But wait: In December, “School board poised to pause super search” (Dec. 11) detailed that the board members had changed their minds about the timeline of Moccia’s contract, voting to extend her contract as interim superintendent through the end of the 2026-27 school year.

MAY

“Legislature wraps up, with a plan for Vashon’s water taxi” (May 1) detailed a win for creative budget maneuvering by legislators, including 34th District Sen. Emily Alvarado, to ensure money would be available for midday King County water taxi service — an increasingly popular option since the midday runs were instituted in 2024.

Fast forward to September: “County expands water taxi service, adding Saturday sailings” (Sept. 24) detailed some of the best transportation news islanders had heard in years, as King County added Saturday sailings and an additional Friday evening run to Vashon’s water taxi service. The water taxi expansion was championed by County Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda and County Executive Shannon Braddock.

JUNE

“Federal funding cuts cause financial unease for island nonprofits” (June 5): A sweeping look at proposed and enacted federal budget cuts showed how uncertainty at the national level was already rippling through Vashon, from food access and housing stability to mental health care and environmental restoration. Interviews with leaders across health, housing, education, agriculture and conservation underscored widespread concern about funding volatility — and how island nonprofits were bracing for impacts still unfolding.

“Food Bank project breaks ground at new site” (June 26): After years of planning, fundraising and permitting, the Vashon Maury Community Food Bank broke ground on its future home at Vashon United Methodist Church. The project marked a major step toward expanding access to food and services, with plans for a new warehouse and grocery-style space designed to better serve islanders and anchor a growing community hub.

Fast forward to December: Construction of the new Vashon Food Bank is well underway. The roughly 3,900-square-foot grocery-style building, designed with tall ceilings, skylights and expanded warehouse space, is expected to open in early 2026. An additional 3,500-square-foot building on the property will provide office and collaborative space for the food bank and partner social-service agencies, creating a centralized hub intended to improve access, dignity and efficiency for the hundreds of island households the food bank serves each week.

JULY

“Islanders jam out at Strawberry Festival” (July 24): Perfect summer weather drew crowds back to Vashon town for a packed Strawberry Festival weekend filled with music, food and community celebration. Islanders danced at Ober Park, lined the streets for the annual parade and cheered beloved traditions — from costumed marchers to classic cars — while a full-page front-page cartoon by Michelle Lassaline and vibrant photo coverage captured the spirit of one of Vashon’s most anticipated weekends of the year.

AUGUST

In three articles that rolled out in quick succession in August, former Beachcomber editor Leslie Brown chronicled the fate of Pacific Sea Farms, an island-owned kelp farm that was the first of its kind to operate in King County.

In routine follow-up reporting to her previous articles detailing efforts by local entrepreneurs to create commercial kelp farming operations in waters off Vashon, Brown learned that Pacific Sea Farms — co-owned by Gretchen Aro and Mike Spranger — was no longer in operation after a structural failure in the farm’s equipment had taken place months earlier, in March.

In late August, state officials terminated Pacific Sea Farms’ lease, citing, among other issues, the company’s inability to retrieve portions of its large kelp-growing array and 3,000 feet of line that sank in open waters between Vashon and Tacoma.

Catch up on Brown’s reporting at tinyurl.com/2p9u2kcv, tinyurl.com/2dymbeem and tinyurl.com/5ynvzpt7.

SEPTEMBER

“High drama and a new baby with J Pod” (Sept. 25): J Pod returned to Vashon-Maury waters on Sept. 17, 19 and 20, offering rare daytime sightings and intense surface activity near Point Robinson.

Observers also reported newboard J64 traveling with the pod — a hopeful moment for the critically endangered Southern Resident killer whales amid ongoing threats to their survival.

Fast forward to November: On Nov. 2, a rare gathering of 59 Southern Resident killer whales — including all of J and K Pods and several L Pod matrilines — traveled through Vashon-Maury waters. The visit followed earlier fall sightings and came weeks after the crushing disappearance and presumed death of newborn J64, underscoring the ongoing vulnerability of the critically endangered population.

OCTOBER

“‘Move it or lose it,’ say three active elders” (Oct. 16): From cold-water plunges in Puget Sound to championship golf and national equestrian honors, older Vashon residents showed that staying active is a way of life. Islanders in their 70s, 80s and 90s continued to compete, train and move — often together — underscoring the role of community, connection and motion in healthy aging on Vashon.

“Islanders rally for ‘No Kings Day’” (Oct. 23): Hundreds of islanders filled Vashon’s main highway and joined parallel marches in Seattle and Tacoma as part of the nationwide “No Kings Day” protest. Costumes, signs and chants mixed with calls to protect democracy, highlighting Vashon’s tradition of visible, creative civic engagement during a moment of national unrest.

“Out and about on a rain-soaked Halloween” (Nov. 6): Cold rain didn’t stop costumed islanders from filling Vashon’s town center on Halloween night, as families and revelers moved between shops, pop-up haunts and community gathering spots.

NOVEMBER

“With few ballots left to count, local races are decided” (Nov. 13) confirmed victories for Rebecca Chavez and Celia Cugudda in the closely contested Health Care District races, while incumbent Amy Drayer won reelection as fire commissioner.

Strong turnout for the election reflected continued engagement in local governance during an off-year election.

“Vashon’s artful activists get national attention” (Nov. 20): On Oct. 18, identical 18-foot “We the People” banners unfurled simultaneously in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Seattle — a coordinated protest rooted on Vashon. The displays were created by the Backbone Campaign, a Vashon-based activist collective whose hand-painted protest art has appeared at demonstrations nationwide for more than two decades. The Constitution-inspired scrolls, made of muslin and starch, have been carried by crowds across the country and featured in national media, spotlighting Vashon’s outsized role in creative political activism.

DECEMBER

“WinterFest brings out the best on Vashon” (Dec. 11): WinterFest once again closed Vashon Highway and brought islanders together to turn a cold December night into a shared celebration. From the parade and marching band to the community tree lighting, the annual tradition served as a familiar pause at the end of a busy year — a reminder of the simple joy found in gathering together.

“New VIFR chief, tighter $16M budget” (Dec. 25): Bill McLaughlin, who began his tenure as Vashon Island Fire & Rescue chief in September, oversaw the passage of the agency’s $16 million 2026 budget at a Nov. 25 meeting — marking a drop from the prior year after major capital projects were completed.

The spending plan reflects a shift toward staffing stability, expanded emergency medical services and Mobile Integrated Health, while highlighting ongoing staffing challenges in one of the region’s most isolated fire districts.

Correction: In the print edition of this story, The Beachcomber misidentified one of the co-owners of Pacific Sea Farms. She is Gretchen Aro, not Gretchen Spranger.

July: Strawberry Festival 2025. (Alex Bruell Photo)

September: A J Pod orca breaches beside Notch J47 and other family members near Point Robinson. Local photographer Sherry Lee Bottoms called her experience of seeing the pod a very touching experience, especially since it was the first time she had seen them at Point Robinson. “It makes me want to do as much as I can to restore the fish runs,” she said. (Sherry Lee Bottoms Photo)