An Expert Interview About the Thunderbird Treatment Center By Caitlin Rothermel Dr Marli Parobek is a doctorally prepared nurse practitioner, board certified in family practice and psychiatry. Starting in 2018, she developed and managed a voluntary inpatient medical rehab/detox center (American Society of Addiction Medicine [ASAM] level 4.0 and 3.5) and an involuntary inpatient psychiatric unit…
PSE’s Planned “Blackouts” in Wildfire Season Will Shut Off Our Water By Jenny Bell Have you heard? Our utility company, Puget Sound Energy, is planning community-wide “PSPS” (Public Safety Power Shutoffs) or “blackouts” that PSE will use on Island “During high-risk wildfire conditions … shutting off power lines to help prevent wildfires from starting.” These outages may…
By Katy BallardThere are many concerning zoning changes that Islanders should be paying attention to. Let’s start with the proposed zoning for drug rehab and psychiatric hospitals. Whether you’re for or against the proposed Thunderbird Drug Treatment Center at the former Vashon Community Care (VCC) building, can we all agree that the truth matters? It is…
Update 3/14/2024 5:00PM… turns out this is the creation of local artist Matt Beursken, whose previous fame was that troll costume you saw last Halloween. He doesn’t really want to sell the saucer and alien, but he has some expenses coming up. The UFO started out as a satellite dish, and had been partially converted…
A delivery truck misjudged their position while parking, went up on the curb, and did some impressive damage to the front of Standard Goods. A quick look around town didn’t discover a delivery truck with its counterpart damage, but Uptown is well-monitored by cameras, so we assume the driver’s company will be in touch concerning…
By Andy Valencia For those without the room or the budget for their own washer and dryer, it’s been tough since our laundromat in town closed. But they’ve now reopened at the same location – with a large number of very nice-looking washers and dryers. Both cash and cards are supported, with washers running $4…
By Andy Valencia The cafes of Vashon certainly provide coffee drinks, but their true value is in the surprises that often accompany your order. At Luna one morning, I was just getting my laptop ready when I heard a young woman in line mentioning that she had returned from playing semi-pro soccer in Europe. I…
By Scott Harvey Vashon Island Fire & Rescue has a tax increase on the ballot for this August. The previous VIFR levy, approved in 2017, has grown from $2.4 million in 2017 to $5.4 million in 2023. The new proposed levy continues this growth, reaching $9.2 million by 2030. Our population has grown by roughly…
Years ago, I hired a contractor to rebuild a structure for me. He named a price, I got out the checkbook and wrote him a check. Several days later I mentioned this to a friend who worked in small business law. He shook his head, laughed at me, and said I’d told the contractor two…
“Despite living on Vashon Island for close to 20 years, I find our levy system confusing,” I said. “I understand,” laughed Elaine Ott-Rocheford, Vashon Park District Executive Director. “Our property tax system is one of the most complicated in the country.” After a two-hour meeting, and some seriously mind-bending exercises, I began to understand how…