King County Council’s Zoning Law Changes VashMauria By Bernie O’Malley, Vashon Mayor 2016 Some people will see this page as an open letter to Teresa Mosqueda, our Elected representative at King County. Some people will listen to her luncheon-style Zoomer for answers. A few weeks ago, I wrote 2 whole pages in The Loop with…
By Andy Valencia Vashon is awake and very, very interested in what the upcoming zoning changes for our Island will mean. One of our leading citizens helped the Vashon Loop highlight some important questions in our previous issue, and follows that with more commentary in this issue. Our Community Council has also spoken clearly to…
By Michael Shook And so, here we are, barely a month away from the BIG DAY. I speak, of course, of November 5th. In a season that (so far) has seen two assassination attempts on one candidate, and the sitting President firmly, actively running, then dropping out (or being forced out) over concerns he’s dotty…
By Dr. Steven Nourse I attended the August 21 VHCD meeting and heard convincing testimony from Fire Chief Matthew Vinci; Brigitte Schran-Brown, Board of Commissioners Chair; Commissioner Jim Whitney; and other Islanders in support of utilizing the existing services of Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR) to provide urgent care on the Island. The Fire…
By Marc J. Elzenbeck Living on the Island means forgoing some healthcare options. We all knew that going in, and many older residents are so adversely impacted they have to move away. Recent surveys have listed healthcare access, particularly to urgent care, as a top concern. If you slice deep into your thumb, if your…
By Caitlin Rothermel Last month, we ran part 1 of our interview with Dr. Marli Parobek, a Vashon resident and doctorally prepared nurse practitioner who is board-certified in family practice and psychiatry. Dr. Parobek previously developed and managed a voluntary inpatient medical rehab/detox center at the Astria Toppenish Hospital in Yakima, and is currently the…
In August, our front page featured an eye-catching visual by Anne Gordon regarding undergrounding Vashon-Maury power lines for fire safety. When we pondered how we might depict Island concerns regarding the potential zoning changes, we thought immediately of Anne. As you can see on the front page, Anne has a wonderful ability to create art…
By Seán Malone and John Sweetman Seán and I had just returned from an extended trip to Hunters in Eastern Washington where his brother Mike has a large ranch that we frequently visited as “unpaid interns” to work in various neat projects, such as restoring old fish runs from Lake Roosevelt. After a long drive,…
Based at the Food Bank on Wednesdays from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., the Clothing Drive gives clothing, rain gear, jackets, bedding/sleeping bags, heaters, camping stoves and more for free to those who need them. These donations have made an impactful difference to Islanders throughout the year, and during the cold, rainy months especially. After…
By Pam (aka Gates) Johnson As I’ve said to anyone who will listen, getting old is not fun. Many of those things I used to do with ease are now next to impossible. Things not impossible are now just too darned hard. Here is an example of the unexpected difficulties I have encountered. A few…