Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, October 21, 2015

VASHONS 2015

IN BUSINESS SEE PAGES 14-24

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By ANNELI FOGTEditor

Vashon Winery owner Ron Irvine is a man passion-ate about wine, but ask him about the wine he makes on Vashon from grapes grown on Vashon, and his eyes light up.

Its very special. I dont think people really understand what local wine is. A lot of people just think its wine grown kind of in the area, but to have something that is completely coming from the island is really rare, Irvine told The Beachcomber during a tour of island vineyards last week. Its about preserving and actively using local goods.

While islanders and tourists alike know that Vashon offers multiple wineries, the islands vineyards are a better kept secret. The six island vineyards that provide grapes to two of the islands wineries are run by islanders who have taken on the challenge of growing grapes in one of the most difficult climates, where rain and cold can wreak havoc on grapevines. But the story was quite dif-ferent this year, as summer was long and full of warm, dry days. As those days subsided and morning fog returned, Irvine and other Vashon wine makers and grape growers celebrated as it became clear that the vineyards had pro-duced a record amount of plump fruit.

The record harvest collected earlier this month from the six vineyards totaled more than 5,000 pounds, help-ing Irvine and Bill Riley, of Maury Island Winery, pro-duce 100 percent Vashon wines.

The highest-producing island vineyard, Monument Farm, provided 2,835 pounds of ripe, red pinot noir grapes to Irvines Vashon Winery on Oct. 6. Owned by islanders Joe Curiel and Tony Raugust, the vineyard is nestled just north of the waters of Quartermaster Harbor, off Monument Road, and is 11 years old.

2015 will go down in the record books not only for the warmest summer in the Puget Sound region, but for pro-ducing all-time record harvests for Vashon Island grape growers, Curiel told The Beachcomber. At Monument Farm Vineyard, the harvest shattered all records both in quantity and quality.

Curiel said that this years harvest was the earliest harvest to date, and 22 volunteers picked the nearly 2,900 pounds of pinot noir in one day.

Since the grapes were planted in 2004, Curiel and Raugust have worked tirelessly to perfect the grapevines. As Curiel walked through the yellowing vineyard on Friday, he explained how everything from water drainage to the amount of dirt and grass around the vines affects

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BEACHCOMBERVASHON-MAURY ISLAND

75WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015 Vol. 60, No. 42 www.vashonbeachcomber.com

LOCAL DOG WINS AWARDWashingtonian of the Day

awarded to island dog Tillie. Page 3

Island grape harvest breaks records

School board begins bond outreach events

SEE GRAPE HARVEST, 30

VHS HOMECOMING

Anneli Fogt / Staff Photo

Top: Vashon Winerys Ron Irvine (right) and Monument Farm owner Joe Curiel look over the farms grapes Friday as fall sets in and the vineyards leaves yellow. Nearly 2,900 pounds of pinot noir grapes were harvested from the vineyard on Oct. 6.Left: Irvine at work with the Monument Farm grapes at his SW 156th Street winery. The grapes are fermenting in tanks and will be pressed this week and transferred into barrels where they will age for two to three years before being sold as 100 percent Vashon-made pinot noir wine.

Seniors Chester Pruett and Delaney Anderson were crowned Vashon High School Homecoming King and Queen Friday night during the halftime festivities of the Homecoming football game. The Pirates took on the Bellevue Christian Vikings and went on to lose 23-6.

Read the game recap on page 27.See more photos on page 25.



By ANNELI FOGTEditor

Roughly a dozen island-ers showed up to the Vashon school boards first community outreach event Wednesday night aimed at educating the public about the bond for capital facili-ties improvements sched-uled to come up for elec-tion in February.

Vashon Island School District Superintendent Michael Soltman and architect Kim Goforth led the meeting by walking attendees through each of the five facility improve-ment project options that are being proposed. Soltman stressed that the board is still just at the beginning of getting these plans public, and said that the board is very inter-ested in the communitys feedback.

We invite conversation, we want you to deeply

understand this and want to hear your concerns, Soltman said.

Of the 12 attend-ees, three were staunch track and field support-ers and Vashon High School track and field champions: Foss Miller, a national high school title holder for the javelin throw; Todd Pearson, a VHS record holder in the 100-yard dash, and Mark VanDevanter, who cur-rently holds a VHS record for pole vault. Throughout the presentation in the VHS commons, the trio, especially Miller, pressed Soltman and Goforth about the importance of the scheduled main-tenance projects at the elementary and middle schools, and stressed how necessary they thought a better track at the high

SEE BOND DISCUSSION, 31

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Governor gives local dog awardBy ANNELI FOGTEditor

The governors office announced Thursday that Tillie, an island dog who made international headlines last month after standing watch over her trapped friend for a week, was awarded a Washingtonian of the Day award for her bravery and loyalty.

Tillie, her basset hound friend Phoebe and the dogs owner, islander B.J. Duft, met with Governor Jay Inslee Thursday morning to receive the award.

Duft said that Inslee proclaimed Tillie Washingtonian of the Day Thursday morning in Olympia and presented her with a small, apple-shaped pin that was hung around her neck.

Duft said that the atten-tion his dogs have received has been a bit overwhelm-ing, but that he and his pooches are taking it all in stride.

The dogs are loving it because they just have to look all cute and be pup-pies. Im the one that has to do all the interviews," he

said with a laugh.The two dogs wandered

from Dufts island home Sept. 8. Phoebe fell into an old cistern on another property and became stuck. Tillie, a setter-mix, stayed by Phoebes side for a week, leaving only briefly each day to try and find help.

The dogs were found on Sept. 14 by the Vashon Island Pet Protectors. A media circus surrounded them for days, with news

outlets as far as China pick-ing up the story up.

Governor Jay Inslees Office Photo

Washington Governor Jay Inslee (seated) pets Tillie as islander B.J. Duft stands over her and Phoebe looks on. The three were invited to Inslees office Thursday.

Correction In last weeks story, VIGA awarded grant for food hub feasibil-ity study, Emily Scott said the nonprofit will use $16,000 for plan-ning purposes and management. She later clarified and said that $9,600 will be used for that cause .

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Pool ends season slightly over budgetBy SUSAN RIEMERStaff Writer

The Vashon Pool had a strong season with several successes this summer but went over budget, according to Vashon Park District Executive Director Elaine Ott.

The park district had allocated $46,500 for the pool this summer and expected to lengthen the season to the end of September. Because of an inability to find September staff, however, the district closed the pool on Labor Day as usual, three weeks ear-lier than projected, with a total of $43,000 needed from the district.

We underestimated our labor costs, Ott said. We did not forecast it correctly.

The staffing expense and the cost of an electrical repair combined to make the pool exceed its budget by $3,700 dollars, accord-ing to Ott.

Scott Bonney, the pool manager, had been optimistic in his labor cost projec-tions, Ott said, noting that Bonney tried to use staff as efficiently as possible, but he could not always do so. The last weeks of the season, when rain returned to the region and attendance plummeted, were particu-larly challenging in that regard, she said.

Despite the overage in staff costs, the season was a success overall, Ott said, noting that during the many weeks of hot weather, the pool was packed.

Bonney said highlights of the summer included an increase in kids participating in the water polo program; the Vashon Community Care weekly program, which brought many seniors to the pool, and swimming lessons, which had record par-ticipation and brought in about a quarter

of the pools revenue. I am particularly pleased about the

lessons because it is one of my goals to have everybody on Vashon learn to swim, Bonney added.

Next summer, he said, the pool will allo-cate more resources to lessons and expand the hours they are offered, with the intent of drawing in people who might not other-wise take them.

We are going to make a concerted effort to reach out to those kids and find an affordable way for them to learn to swim, he said.

In this off-season, Bonney said he is going to step up his efforts at increasing the pools staff, as finding enough people to work there has been an ongoing challenge.

We need to put more resources into finding people and increasing our bench strength, he said.

File Photo

Pool manager Scott Bonney considers water polo, above, a highlight of the summer.


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Nurse midwife joins Franciscan clinicBy SUSAN RIEMERStaff Writer

Womens health care at the Franciscan Medical Clinic-Vashon has expanded with the recent addition of a certified nurse midwife.

Elina Frumkin joined the clinic this month and offers gynecological care for adolescents through adults, while special-izing in care for women before, during and after pregnancy and childbirth.

Frumkin, who lives on Vashon, works primarily with Franciscan Womens Health Associates at the Pearl Place clinic in Tacoma, but as of this month, she is also working one day a week on Vashon.

Island doctors used to provide prenatal care and delivered babies, but that changed several years ago. Now, Frumkin said, she looks forward to revitalizing those ser-vices and making them available to island women again.

Hopefully that will pick up. That is one of my favorite parts of my job, she said.

Her pregnant patients will deliver at St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, a hospital with a midwife-friendly culture, she said, where low-risk women are not attached to monitors, are able to labor in water and have as many people as they wish in the room, including a doula.

St. Joseph is also launching an out-of-hospital birth center, which is expected to open in May. Women with very low-risk pregnancies will have the option of deliver-ing there, she noted.

Frumkin works in a collaborative with 14 midwives at five satellite clinics, and they share patient care.

We do try to catch the babies of women we see prenatally, but it does not always happen, she added.

Frumkin has been practicing for two years and said she most appreciates the variety of her work. In the course of a day in the clinic, she said she might tend to a woman with painful periods, listen to a babys heart beat, evaluate a breast lump

and then start someone on contraception. And catching babies never gets old, she

added. In an interview with The Beachcomber,

Frumkin stressed that she wanted to cor-rect the misconception that because the clinic is owned by a Catholic entity, provid-ers cannot provide birth control.

I offer counseling on all forms of con-traception, including all three types of IUDs and Nexplanon (birth control that is implanted in the arm) and emergency contraception as well, she said.

Kimberly Valencia, who owned the Vashon Womens Health Center for six years, will start at the clinic next month, and Frumkin says they might share some of their patient load.

Kimberly has a lot of patients who love her. I hope when they call that they might see me too, she said.

Currently, Frumkin works at the island clinic on Wednesdays. Next month, ser-vices will expand further when lactation consultant Debi Crawford will begin at the clinic and work on Thursdays. Crawfords services will be available to all women, not just those who are patients at the Franciscan clinic.

Courtesy Photo

Elina Frumkin, MSN, CNM, ARNP

Land Trust gala raises more than $100,000By ANNELI FOGTEditor

The Open Space for Arts & Community on Saturday night was filled with roughly 300 wildly-dressed islanders, who contributed $91,000 to the $106,000 total raised at the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trusts first fundraising gala.

The theme of the 25th Anniversary celebration was Backwoods Black Tie, and outfits varied from extrava-gant green and blue nature-themed gowns decked out in feathers, sea animals and reptiles to islanders dressed in true backwoods overalls and galoshes.

By raising their paddles to donate money and par-ticipating in a dessert dash event where tables donated money to get to the dessert table first, more

than $90,000 was raised in less than an hour. When combined with sponsor-ships, the number grew to $106,000.

We didnt really have a goal because weve never had an event like this before, Land Trust Executive Director Tom Dean told The Beachcomber on Monday. Were defi-

nitely very pleased with it. We never expected to top $100,000, never even dreamed of that.

Dean said that the funds will go toward multiple projects, including a new community forest initiative, shoreline preservation and restoration projects and the renovation and preservation of the Matsuda Farm.

Open Space for Arts and Community Photo

Locally made desserts, like a cake decorated with a banana slug, were up for grabs during the Saturday galas dessert dash event.

Write to us: The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber welcomes community comment. Please submit letters e-mail is preferred by noon Friday for consideration in the following weeks paper. Letters should be no longer than 300 words. Only one letter from a writer per month, please.

All letters are subject to editing for length, grammar and libel considerations. We try to print all letters but make no promises. Letters attacking individuals, as well as anonymous letters, will not be published.Our e-mail address is [email protected].

Page 6 WWW.VASHONBEACHCOMBER.COM Wednesday, October 21, 2015 The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

As a public school teacher with a 3-year-old daughter who will be starting at the big school soon enough, I find myself thinking about education a lot. Because of this, a recent Beachcomber article that referenced Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and test-ing results has kept me up at night. Yes, education really is that impor-tant me.

In an ideal world, states would adopt developmentally-appro-priate standards written by pro-fessionals in the fields of educa-tion and childhood development. Standards would be based on sound research and adequate field-testing. Then, teachers would be given the freedom to use their tal-ents and creativity to help students with varied learning styles meet the agreed upon standards.

Unfortunately, this is simply not the case for our existing learning standards. It is now well known that the authors of the CCSS had no elementary school teaching experience. It seems they ignored entire fields of study, including early childhood development and brain research while writing learning standards for grades K-3. Our youngest students, naturally existing in a pre-operational stage of development, are held to stan-dards demanding concrete rea-soning. The results include stress, disengagement from learning and school interventions when teach-ers perceive typically developing students as delayed based on unre-alistic standards. And, because we only have CCSS for mathematics and English Language Arts, other subject areas get short shrift or are left out completely.

The crucial act of unstructured play has taken a huge hit over the last few years as well. Research tells us that free play forms unique connections in the prefrontal cor-tex of the brain during childhood. This sets the stage for wiring the brains executive control center. We need this wiring to regulate emotions, make plans and solve problems. Indeed, these skills are far more important than rote memorization.

Now, what could be so important that we, as educators and adminis-

trators, would ignore our training and instincts and let this sort of thing happen? Enter high-stakes test-ing. The U.S. D e p a r t m e nt of Education

awarded $350 million to two con-sortia to develop assessments for the CCSS. While the standards have never been field-tested to see if they actually improve educa-tion, our gov-ernment has no problem penal-izing us if we do not demonstrate i m p r o v e m e n t based on this same set of stan-dards.

U n d e r President Bushs No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and President Obamas Race to the Top program, conse-quences for poor test performance cover a range from losing eligibili-ty for specific funding to receiving a label of failing, resulting in open-ing up a school to forced govern-ment interventions and possible privatization measures.

Scores of schools across the country have taken a stand and opted out of high-stakes test-ing. Locally, the school sen-ate at Nathan Hale High School in Seattle researched the issue and concluded that the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium (SBAC) tests are not valid, reliable or equitable. The group, consisting of students, parents and teachers, thoroughly noted that students time will be better spent in their classrooms learning and partici-pating in teacher-generated assess-ments that will help guide next instructional steps. Members also concluded that under the deeply f lawed NCLB policies, many good schools will be considered failing

and that there is no reason to participate in erroneous and mis-applied self-labeling. As a result of the school senates findings, 100 percent of 11th graders opted-out of SBAC testing last spring.

High-stakes testing and mis-guided standards have real con-sequences here on our island. Last June, I presented a letter to Vashon Island School Districts school board members, Superintendent Michael Soltman and Chautauqua Elementary School Principal Jody Metzger that was signed by 25 Chautauqua Elementary School educators and myself. In it, we expressed several concerns, includ-ing narrowing curriculum to focus on tested subjects, lack of time

and resources for meaningful instruction in highly engaging and important subject areas such as science and social stud-ies, and pre-school and kin-dergarten pro-grams that are

touted as academic despite some of those academics being develop-mentally inappropriate and talent-ed teachers being forced to adhere to scripted teacher manuals.

To his credit, Soltman has kicked off the new school year with some encouraging changes.

Are national standards a bad idea? No. Is testing a bad thing? Not necessarily. Of course, we must ensure that both are sound, appropriate and supportive, not punitive. I do think that the com-munity of Vashon, and its educa-tors, should remain vigilant as we navigate Common Core and high-stakes testing. My hope is that the district will return to using research to support best practices in the classroom and be willing to call foul when federal and state agencies get it wrong. The children of Vashon, including my future Orca, deserve nothing less.

Kate Davidson is an island mother and teacher taking time off

to raise her daughter.

EDITORIAL

In recent months, the school board has begun talks about the new capital facilities bond to help pay for the maintenance of the districts three schools and improve the athletic facilities at the high school. Some community members have since become skeptical and voiced opposition to another property tax increase. Critics came out of the woodwork at meetings and the open forum earlier this month and began questioning why the facilities being proposed are necessary and why the community should be asked to foot the bill.

The Vashon Island School District board is in the midst of holding a series of public forums in hopes of answering the publics questions and explaining why the district found each of the expenses necessary. Last Wednesday, the board kicked off the effort, and mem-bers were met by roughly 12 attendees, of which about half were district employees or coaches.

My question to the community is where were all the concerned citizens? With residents at the school boards candidate forum and Thursday meetings talk-ing about needing justification for the projects and the money being proposed to be spent, why were there not more islanders at the meeting?

One resident showed up at the meeting for five min-utes and asked the board to consider those on fixed incomes, those most affected by the tax increase of roughly $1 per day. Once she left, the room consisted of VHS principal Danny Rock, two teachers from the districts alternative education programs, three VHS track-and-field alumni and a smattering of citizens who remained mostly quiet throughout the hourlong presentation.

This is your chance, Vashon, your chance to ask the hard questions and listen to the boards answers about why it believes the projects you could be paying for are necessary. Open government and accountability are qualities that are sought after in our communitys leaders, but the concepts are two-way streets. The board is making its attempt to reach out and gather opinions, but unless islanders take advantage of the effort, it will be all for naught.

It is very easy to stand on the sidelines and ques-tion or criticize why a decision is being made. Its a lot more difficult to actually attend a meeting or ask questions and get the facts and opinions from those who will make the decisions. Theres still time. The outreach events will continue through November, and the board will make itself available to questions before the decision about what to put on the ballot is made on Nov. 19.

Support the effort being made to educate, and make your voice heard to those who need to hear it.

Community needs to attend bond outreach events

OPINIONVashon-Maury

STAFFPUBLISHER: Daralyn Anderson [email protected] COORDINATOR: Patricia Seaman [email protected]: Chris Austin [email protected]

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State standards developmentally inappropriate for young students

STATE TESTINGBy KATE DOVER DAVIDSON

Our youngest students, naturally existing in a pre-operational stage of development, are held to standards demanding concrete reasoning.

Park boardNew board needs to collaborate

We need new commissioners who will bring a totally dif-ferent mindset to the Vashon Park District.

Ive been to many VPD commission meetings during the past five years. In my experience, some current and recently past board members have shown little interest in, and a fair amount of disdain for, being collaborative with, or even influenced by, just about anyone including VPD staff, the public, stakeholders, the school district, state, county and other commissioners with different points of view.

All the candidates at the recent forum seemed to agree on the need for a VPD strategic plan. However, strategic planning is more than just the one survey everyone seemed to be talking about. Done well, its an ongoing collabora-tive process in which a lot of folks get to influence the final plan. This means a lot more than commissioners simply sit-ting quietly while a stakeholder speaks, although sadly even that would have been a huge leap for some. Being influen-tial means even though a suggestion may not turn out to be the final decision, or appear in a final plan, it will be clear to all how the suggestion factored into the outcome.

Over the past five years, and particularly in regard to the VES Fields project, some current and previous commission-ers have repeatedly demonstrated their total failure, and possibly even disinterest, at leading this sort of collaborative process. Anyone with the endurance to watch the meeting videos will see how even being civil seemed too much to expect at times.

We have some very good candidates for open positions.

I realize VPD commissioner is a volunteer position, and I think anyone who has held this position for a very long time should be thanked for his or her service and the opportunity given to someone else with a very different vision and style. Please vote to bring an end to business as usual.

Steve Sussman

Park districts finances cannot be ignoredFor quite awhile weve been made aware of the financial

morass that is integral to the Vashon Park District. In 2012, the King County treasurer expressed concerns about this issue, as well as the State Auditor in 2014 who took issue with the debt load, etc.

Yet, the position 5 incumbent, a former CPA, 30 years on the board, says, You cannot have accountants and lawyers and things on a park board because a park board is not a bank. Seems to me the A in CPA stands for accountant, and I well recall his buddy on the board (a lawyer no longer on the board) and their full speed ahead, damn the torpe-does approach to finances. (Budget troubles dog Vashon Park District, Sept. 19, 2012).

I intend to vote for either of the other two islanders running for position 5. Both at least seem concerned not only with fiduciary probity, but more importantly, with a reasoned request for accountability in the position.

Michael Goth

Board needs a change for the better We are fortunate to have some excellent candidates for

the Vashon Park District this election cycle, and we have an opportunity to reinvigorate the VPD board of commis-sioners by choosing smart, talented people. We have seen

what happens when we elect commissioners with a narrow focus on a particular project. We are still living with con-sequences of unfortunate financial decisions, and we will continue to do so for several years to come.

I urge my fellow islanders to vote for fiscally-responsible park management, for those who bring fresh ideas and fis-cal accountability. It is time to thank Bill Ameling for his many years of service, and give Executive Director Elaine Ott a new board of commissioners who will join forces in a collegial effort toward making Vashon Park District a reflection of all-inclusive community values and interests.

Vicki Boyd

School bondIts time to speak up about finances

It worries us when we read school board member Bob Hennesseys comments quoted in The Beachcomber, We are not deciding what we build. Were deciding what the community wants to vote for. (School board bringing bond options to public ahead of ballot, Sept. 30).

Good fiscal management suggests that the community be provided with clear explanations and priorities. This is a good time for prospective board members to weigh in as well. There are a lot of people on the island with fixed incomes. That does not mean we dont want good schools for island children. It does mean that every day we make decisions about want and need.

The financial numbers that are being presented are very high for a community of approximately 11,000. We would not debate the value of the numbers of students commut-ing from West Seattle, Tacoma and the peninsula. This has clear advantages in class size and to the families that


Amiad & Associates Exclusively Representing Buyers of Vashon Island Homes

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Im happy that we can pay cash for our new house but my wife is wondering if there are any extra issues that we should know about when buying for cash. It seems like the whole transaction should be a whole lot easier and smoother.

In many ways it is easier to buy for cash and often much faster. You will be saving the closing costs of a loan, which can be considerable. You will also save the time it takes to process the loan which is getting longer due to new government regulations. However, you wont have a

lender checking the title and asking questions about the property. Plus, with most cash sales, there is no appraisal.

All of that means you should do even more due diligence before closing. You may actually want to get an appraisal or at least go over the comparable sales carefully to be sure you are paying a fair price. You should be sure to read and ask questions about the title to the property. There are often things a lender will ask about, like road maintenance agreements or condition of the well, which you should ask about when no loan offi cer is involved.

I go over all of this when I have a cash buyer but there is no requirement that Real-tors do this depth of due diligence. In fact, its often discouraged by our industry as going beyond our level of expertise. But then, I have been going where angels fear to tread for many years. I believe its important to get all the information available. Just remember that as the buyer, its ultimately up to you to be sure all of your rights are protected and, that you really know what youre getting into when buying property.

If you are buying waterfront, be sure you review and understand the requirements for FEMA insurance, the landslide and erosion maps of King County and Vashon, the fl ood areas on Vashon and the Shoreline Management Act. Also be particularly diligent about septic issues and the ramifi cations of the Marine Recovery Areas.

Q:A:

Just Ask EmmaCurrent Real Estate Issues

To view this blog & make comments,visit www.vashonislandrealestate.com/blog.html

2016 LEVY & BOND MEASURE ASK QUESTIONS | GET ANSWERS | GIVE INPUT

The Vashon Island School District invites the community to attend two open forums regarding planning for classroom, athletic facility, and service building improvement options:

See illustrated plans for facility improvement options. See plans for scheduled replacement and renovation. Engage with School Board Members and Planning Team. Learn how the Levy & Bond measures affect your tax bill.

Cant make a meeting? The school board wants to hear from you. Send an email to: [email protected]

Visit vashonsd.org for more on the proposed Bond & Levy options.

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can send their children to a good school system for the cost of ferry tickets. But this practice brings in the question of scale. Will $32 million improve the quality of education for Vashon Island students? Are we building island schools or suburban campuses?

We shouldnt postpone scheduled replacements and reno-vations. The rebuild of the high school campus was necessary, and we voted in the bond issue. Going forward, do we keep putting projects on the ballot that have been voted down in the past? Adding $32 million or $25 million on top of the existing $48 million dollar bond for the high school brings us close to the $75 million that was voted down. Can we see options that phase in less costly capital improvements?

This is an important time for island residents to learn, consider and speak up about the proposed renovation plans.

Nick & Linda Bonazza

CommunityGrannys Attic, VCC care for islanders

What a duo, the community care center and Grannys Attic. Can anything get better than having two great orga-nizations on the island working together to care for our seniors?

While our news, even on a small island, is filled with budgets, campaigns and who is running for what office, we have two organizations that continue to keep in sight what is really important to us: our residents, be they in our neighborhoods or at community care.

Vashon Community Care still needs support from all of us. They are having their annual funding cycle, and I hope every family on Vashon gives whatever they can give. Help them with your support, and thank you VCC and Grannys for all you do.

Carol Ireland McLean

King CountyCounty needs to fix permitting process

I have been a contractor on Vashon for 36 years. Due to the frustration of dealing with the permitting pro-cess, we started making owners or architects obtain any permits years ago.

This past spring I decided to put a piece of property on the market and was told I should get a Critical Areas Designation prior to selling it. On June 2, I applied for this designation and paid a $1,210 fee. On Sept. 9 (yes that is over four months later), I received a letter say-ing they were busy and that I needed to hire a wetland specialist and have him write a report to give them. Two weeks and $600 later, the specialist sent them a report saying there were no wetlands.

King County Executive Dow Constantine needs to please explain what in the hell is going on with the per-mitting agency. When we are required to get something like that designation prior to getting a building permit, they should at least be able to provide it in a reason-able time. Maybe Constantine could also explain why it would cost so much. If a private company pulled that

kind of crap, King County would be all over them. Does this make you wonder why we get so many requests from homeowners to do work without a permit?

I think King Countys permitting process is broken and needs a major overhaul. At least they removed services from the end of their name because the only service we seem to be getting from them is the same one we could get from a proctologist for a lot less money.

Ed Palmer

Gun control Liberal gun laws work in other countries

When I lived a short time in New Zealand three years ago, I was curious about how they handled guns. New Zealands gun laws are notably more liberal than other countries in the Pacific and focus mainly on vetting fire-arm owners, rather than registering firearms or banning certain types of firearms.

Furthermore, the incidence of gun violence is drasti-cally less there than in the U.S.A.

The president of the local gun club introduced me to the New Zealand gun culture, and I was surprised to see how many guns were there, even a gun like the AK-47 (brand new, unmodified, fully automatic) was proudly shown to me at a local gun range. The new owner smiled and said to me: Bet you dont see many of these in the U.S. Membership in a gun club also involves firearm training in safety and defense.

To own a gun in New Zealand, one must be part of the community of gun owners, be a member of a local gun club and attend at least 12 meetings a year. A history of domestic abuse or violence results in immediate confis-cation of all guns.

I think the critical difference between New Zealand and the U.S. is that a gun owner in New Zealand must be well-known and trusted by the community. In fact, since New Zealand police are mostly unarmed (they carry pepper spray and a baton), armed citizens may be called out when a violent situation occurs, sort of like a well-regulated militia.

Lawrence Dean

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Residents discuss future of community council, alternatives Island property assessments also discussed at meetingBy ANNELI FOGTEditor

Roughly 10 islanders met at McMurray Middle School Monday night to hear the results of the King County Assessors Offices valuation of island properties and determine what would be the future of the Vashon-Maury Islands Community Council, which has been defunct since last year.

Phillip Sit, a spokesman from the asses-sors office, presented the results of the prop-erty assessments conducted earlier this year and said the average home value on Vashon has risen from last year. The average home this year is $449,900, up $30,500 from last year. He also explained that just because a propertys value goes up, it does not mean taxes on that property will also go up. He stressed that property taxes are part of a large picture, in which the money local agen-cies are calling for in their budgest is broken up into the taxes for each home.

There is not a one-to-one ratio between property value and increased taxes on that property, Sit said. Just because your appraisal goes up does not mean you will be paying more taxes. Its all relative.

After Sits presentation, islander Jake

Jacobovitch asked attendees what the future of the years-defunct community council should be.

Should we let it wither on the vine? Or is it worthwhile? He asked.

The council was brought to an end several years ago when the entire board amid what former VMICC president Tim Johnson said was threats of lawsuits and endless pub-lic records requests stemming from drama between an islander and the board.

Island activist and real estate broker Emma Amiad was the first one to speak and talked at length about not bringing the coun-cil back, but replacing it with an unofficial organization that could organize quarterly forums to inform the public about relevant issues such as public safety or land use.

The format (of the VMICC) didnt work, Amiad said. The job of the community council was to be a conduit between Vashon and King County, and we need to keep that conduit.

Discussion continued about how leader-ship would work without a formal board, and Amiad pointed to Vashons Social Services Network as an example. The network con-nects the islands social service organiza-tions and residents in need of the services to county resources.

Read more about the meeting and the plans to replace the community council in next weeks Beachcomber.


NOTICES

Waterline Replacement Project at Dockton Park: Periodic closures of parts of Dockton Park will be required during work to improve its fire protection and potable water systems. Oct. 19 to 23: The boat launch will be open, but the lower parking lot will remain closed; vehicles and boat trailers may use the upper parking lot or the gravel lot across the street; dock moorage will be available. Oct. 26 to 30: The parking lots and boat launch will be open, but there will be no shore access and both restrooms will be closed; dock moorage will be available. Island Center Forest Closed for Limited Deer Hunt: Island Center Forest will be closed to public recreation for two weeks in order to offer its fifth-annual limited deer hunt. The Gateway and Natural areas will remain open for public use during this time. The closure will be in effect through Saturday, Oct. 31.

WEDNESDAY 21

Head Lice Check: The Chautauqua Council PTSA will hold a free head lice check. 10 a.m. to noon in the health room at Chautauqua El-ementary School. Chris Austin Book Signing: Island humorist Chris Austin will read from and sign copies of his new book, The Mostly True His-tory of Vashon and Maury Islands: Criminal Element. 6 p.m. at the Vashon Bookshop. Carpe Diem Primary School Open House: Carpe Diem primary school, now a division of Harbor School, will hold an open house for prospective families of children entering kindergarten through 3rd grade. Attendees will be able to meet the schools teachers and chat with current families. Re-freshments will be served. 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Presbyterian church.

THURSDAY 22

Head Lice Check: The Chautauqua Council PTSA will hold a free head lice check. 2 to 4 p.m. in the health room at Chautauqua Elementary School. BCC Lecture Series: Burton Com-munity Church offers a new weekly lecture series on classic novels interested attendees do not have to have read the books ahead of time. The lectures are free and designed to stand alone. This week will offer an introduction, titled Meeting the Challenge of Great Literature, and a lecture on Daniel Defoes Moll Flanders. For more information, call Herb Reinelt at 408-7360. 4 to 6 p.m. in Lewis Hall behind Burton Community Church. Family Movie Night: Islanders are

invited to bring the kids to watch an all-ages appropriate movie (call the library for the title). 6 p.m. at the Vashon Library.

FRIDAY 23

Donations for Book Sale: Dona-tions of new and/or lightly read books are needed for the Vashon Friends of the Library booksale (no text books or encyclopedias), to support guest speakers and pro-gramming for all ages. Donations will be accepted from 1 to 3 p.m. in the meeting room at the Vashon Library. Senior Center Movies and Pop-corn: This weeks showing will be the animated film Hotel Tran-sylvania, featuring the voices of Adam Sandler and Fran Drescher. The story follows Count Dracula as an over-protective father, when a human boy falls for his daughter. Children are welcome. 1 p.m. at the Vashon Senior Center on Bank Road. Community Diversity Dinner: There will be a community-organized potluck dinner and open mic, where Vashon residents of all cultures are invited to share food and showcase talent. 5 p.m. at the Land Trust Building on Bank Road.

SATURDAY 24

Farmers Market: The market of-fers 30 to 40 vendors of food, fresh produce, arts and crafts, meat, cheese, wine and more. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Village Green. Better Book Sale: The Friends of Vashon Library will hold a book sale to raise money to support its library programs and speakers. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the meeting room at Vashon Library. Mostly True Trivia Night: This fundraiser for the DoVE Project will feature Quiz Master Chris Austin, signature cocktail, The Brainiac provided by Seattle Distilling Company and prizes from Hinge Gallery. Admission is by a $25 donation; space is limited. Tickets will be available at the door or can be reserved in advance by emailing Hedy Anderson at [email protected]. 7 p.m. at the Sugar Shack, 17636 100th Ave. RJ Ontiveros Celebration Concert and Fundraiser: All are welcome to this all-ages concert in memory of RJ Ontiveros to benefit the skate park and Burton Adventure Recreation Center (BARC). Thalia Goering will open for The Dadds. The cost is $5. Raffle prizes include a custom-built BMX bike, two Samsung smart TVs with BluRay disc players, Ninja coffee bar and more. 7 p.m. at the old VFW Hall, 22100 Vashon Hwy.

SUNDAY 25

Unitarian Service: The fellow-ships social justice committee

will host an interactive service on acting for economic justice, and donations for the food bank will be collected. Religious exploration classes are available for children ages 3 and older. 9:30 a.m. in Lewis Hall behind Burton Commu-nity Church. Zen Center Dharma Talk: Rev. Heather Christensen will discuss her spiritual journey from conser-vative Christianity to Unitarian Universalist minister. 10 a.m. at the Havurat Ee Shalom on West-side Highway. Continuing Conversations: Mike Kirk of Vashon Island Fire & Rescue will lead the discussion, and answer questions about the fire department as well as 9-1-1 calls. For more information, call Dorothy Bauer at 707-4696. 4 p.m. at 10127 Burton Dr. Ancestor Feast and Community Celebration: The Vashon Wilder-ness Program will host this event aimed at honoring ancestors and creating connections within the community. Attendees are invited to bring food from family or ances-tral heritage, as well as pictures or objects to honor those that cant be present. For more information, go to vashonwildernessprogram.org. 4 to 7 p.m. at Rounds Hall, Camp Sealth.

MONDAY 26

Senior Center Book Group: The group will discuss All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doer. The book is available at the Vashon Bookshop, Amazon.com in multiple formats or at the Vashon Library. 2 p.m. at the Vashon Se-nior Center on Bank Road.

UPCOMING

PTSA Candy Swap: The Chautau-qua Council PTSA will hold a candy swap for children with food aller-gies to the candy they receive at the Halloween festivities in town. Donations are needed for party fa-vor items to be used for swapping; email Christy Veal at [email protected] by Oct. 28 to help. 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 31, in front of the old Quilt Shop.BioBlitz Presentation: The Vashon-Maury Audubon Society will host this free public event. Vashon Nature Center director Bianca Perla will discuss the results of this years BioBlitz species count which took place over 24-hours in the parks of Maury Island. This years count came to 408 species, which is the highest ever for a Vashon BioBlitz. 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the Land Trust Building. Horse-O-Ween: The Vashon Rock Riders 4-H Club will host a Hallow-een party in support of the club, complete with games, a costume contest and more. Admission costs $20. For more information, call Marie Bradley at 463-2065. 10 a.m.

to 2 p.m. at Paradise Ridge Park.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS

Papermaking: Kristine Marvich will lead this free class; materials will be provided. 10 a.m. to noon Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Vashon Senior Center on Bank Road. Happy Hour on Tap: This weekly tap dance class is offered as a benefit to rotating nonprofits. Cost is by a $10 donation per class. To register, go to corecen-trictraining.com. 4 p.m. Fridays at CoreCentric. TRX DoVE Benefit Class: Core-Centric will hold a one-time TRX class to benefit the DoVE Project, in support of Domestic Violence Action Month. Cost is by a $20 donation. Reservations should be made at corecentrictraining.com. 8 to 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at CoreCentric. Resonance Mandala Work-shop: This workshop will be led by Lani Ladbon and Anastassia Matsievskaia, who will assist attendees to dive deep into the subconscious to align with personal truths and manifest intentions. The cost is $20. For more information, see vashon-intuitivearts.com. 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at Vashon Intui-tive Arts. Dharma Study Series at the Zen Center: Training in Compas-sion is a four-week dharma study class to be taught by Genko Kathy Blackman. The course is based on a book about the practice of Lo-jong, a Tibetan Buddhist practice

that involves working with short phrases or slogans as a way of generating bodhicitta, or the heart and mind of enlightened compassion. The cost is $70 ($60 for Zen Center members) and the class is limited to 20 participants. For more information and to register, go to pszc.org. 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays, Oct. 26 through Nov. 16, at the Havurat Ee Shalom

on Westside Highway. Yoga: This ongoing class is led by Irene Tokar. Attendees may participate on a drop-in basis or purchase a multi-class card. Reservations should be made at corecentrictraining.com. 11 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednes-days and 8 to 9 a.m. Saturdays, at CoreCentric.

Elena Fetisova Photo

The Vashon Theatre will show Giselle, the first of the Bolshoi Ballets seven filmed-live perfor-mances on Sunday at 1 p.m.The story is that of a peasant girl who dies of a broken heart after discovering that her lover is betrothed to another. When he is targeted for death by a group of supernatural beings, Giselles love frees him from their clutches. The music was composed by Adolphe Adam and the ballet was choreographed by Jean Coralli and Jules Perrot in 1841.

CALENDARVashon-Maury

BOLSHOI AT THE THEATRE

VASHON THEATRE

The Intern: Ends Oct. 22. The Martian: Opens Oct. 23.Giselle (Bolshoi Ballet): Oct. 25.

See vashontheatre.com for show times or call 463-3232.

PUBLIC MEETINGSVashon Sewer District: 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the Vashon Senior Center. Vashon School District: 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at Chautauqua Elementary School. Vashon Island Fire & Rescue: 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Station 55. Vashon Park District: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, at Ober Park.

CALENDAR SUBMISSIONS: Send items to [email protected]. Deadline is noon Thursday for Wednesday publication. The calendar is intended for community activities, cultural events and nonprofit groups; notices are free and printed as space permits. The Beachcomber also has a user-generated online calendar. To post an event there, see vashonbeachcomber.com, scroll to the bottom of the page and follow the prompts.

Monday Methodist churchTuesday Presbyterian churchWednesday Church of the Holy Spirit

Thursday Presbyterian churchFriday Lutheran churchSaturday Land Trust BuildingSunday Methodist church

FREE COMMUNITY MEALSVolunteers serve free meals seven days a week on Vashon. All people are welcome at the meals, which are served at 5:30 p.m. Monday through Satur-day and at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the following locations. For more information about the meals program, contact Harmon Arroyo at 351-1441 or at [email protected].


Supported by Island Physicians Expert Interpretation Courteous, female Technologists Accredited by FDA State of the art equipment Most insurance plans accepted Group Health patients accepted

Located at the Fire Station, 10020 Bank Road

Please have your insurance information when you call and bring a picture ID and Insurance/Medicare/Medicaid cards to the appointment.

Call 888.233.6121 for an appointment

Friday, Nov 6th, 2015

Now offi ering full eld

DIGITAL MAMMOGRAMS

This ThursdaysVashon Rotary

Joe WubboldVashon Park District

candidates Thurs, Oct 22nd, 7:00 a.m.at Vashon Senior Center

www.vashonrotary.org

Service above Self Since 1985

SCENE & HEARD: THESE PILINGS ARE FOR THE BIRDS

Ralph Moore Photo

New, untreated pilings were placed next to the Tahlequah dock last week so that cormorants and other birds could continue to perch in the area despite the loss of the dilapidated remains of the old pier. Washington State Ferries removed the old piers creosote-soaked pilings to mitigate for the increased over-water coverage at the North End dock, resulting from the ongoing seismic retrofit project.

VOTE BRIGITTE BROWN FOR VIFR FIRE COMMISSIONER SHE HAS OUR BACKS

PLEASE VOTE FOR BRIGITTE. WE ARE! Your Firefighters, EMTs and Paramedics

Endorsers: Faith Addicott Harmon Arroyo Mary Beba Monique Berger Kajira Berry Ronly Blau Marie Bradley Daniel Brown & Jean Richstad Michael Brown Craig Brown Gretchen Burk-holder and Greg Harrison Alexis Carleton Nicholas Carleton Skip & Brownie Carver Russell Carver Chris & Melissa Caviezel Michael ClarK Jim & Jeri Jo Carstair Jeff & Rachel Cowen Marcia & Kyle Crews Nora Denning Allen & Bonnie deSteigeur Larry and Christina Dubois Dr. Jeanette Dunn, Rn, EdD, CNS, Foundation for Care Management, ACCME Barbara Drinkwater John & Marita Ericksen George & Sandy Eustace Sid Farcy Lindy Fredrickson Dr. George Gey, MD Dale Greenfeld, Greensleeves Harps Penny Grist & Larry Muir Gary & Shelley Headley Claire Held Mark & Pamela Held Eileen Hoffmann Edwin Holmes Eliza & Tim (Holmes) Hansen Emiliesa Horwitz Amy Huggins Lawrence Huggins Veronica Huggins Amy Isidro & Terry VanderWaal Michael and Tasha (Lewis) James Gates Johnson Donna Kellums Art Hansen Mike & Linda Kirkish; Palouse Winery Dale & Donna Knowles Cornelius & Trish Lopez Charles & Charlotte Love-kin Susan McLain, Equestrian Lindy Mosher Sharon Munger Rik Muroya Sandra Noel Louise Olsen Irene Otis Bianca Perla Karen & Guido Perla Hartmut & Ilse Reimnitz Richard & Susan Rogers Merrilee Runyan John & Joanne Rupp Michael & Mary Sage Virginia Sager Larissa & Jason Sah Sue and Israel Shotridge, Ravens Nest Studio Rick & Jan Slater; Ricks Diagnostics & RepairsTom Smith, Wet Whiskers Pet Grooming Alice Steneker Sjors Steneker Ron & Mary Thomas Stuart and Catholine Tribble The Very Reverend Abbott Tryphon, Chaplain, VIFR Nan Van Putte Joseph and Edie Ulatoski Sam Vaughan Mike & Jenn (Carstairs) Verharen Jenny & Joel Wade Myrtle Wall Rick Wallace, President, Vashon Be Prepared, Volunteer Mgr Emergency Opera-tions Center, Vice President, Voice of Vashon Beth White Alex & Emily Wigley Neil Wiesblott & Pamela Derys Pete Welch Fire Department Members: Kayla Adams, EMT Avio Brooklyn vol. FF/EMT Rick Brown Lt. FF/EMT, Debra Brown Mark Brownell Battalion Chief and Paramedic/FF & Rebecca Brownell Tom Bruskotter FF/EMT William Buchanan, Paramedic/FF Stephen Bussell FF/EMT Ki Burton Daron Buxton FF/EMT Barbara Cooper retired administrative assistant,VIFR Ross Copland FF/EMT, Volunteer Recruitment/Retention Coordinator Ben Davidson FF/EMT & Kate Davidson - Josh Duewecke Captain, FF/EMT Jason Everett FF/EMT Mike Garvey, Paramedic/FF Steve and Linda Hamilton,retired FF/EMTs Myron Hauge, Paramedic/FF Chris Huffman, Captain, Paramedic/FF Andy Johnson, Paramedic/FF Adam Joyner, FF/EMT Mike Kirk, former Chief, EMT/FF and Patti Kirk Brett Kranjcevich, Volunteer Assistant Chief, FF Charles H. Krimmert, Lt. volunteer FF/EMT Mark & Paula Larsen, Lt,. FF/EMT Darren Lenz, FF/EMT Daniel Luechtefeld Fire Support Sean Maginnis, FF/EMT Matt McCann, FF/EMT Alanna Miller, EMT Josh Munger, Captain, FF/EMT Steve Palmer, Paramedic/FF Wes Paulsen, Resident, FF/EMT Leslie Pohl, Paramedic/FF Tony Puz, FF/EMT Lizzy Ryden, FF/EMT Brodie Smith, Captain, FF/EMT Rex Stratton, VIFR Fire Commissioner Randy Tonkin, Captain, FF/EMT JoJo Weller, VIFR administrative staff, David Weller, VIFR photographer Joseph Wolf, FF/EMT Susan Wolf, district secretary, and Peter Wolf

Brigittes concern for the safety and security of is-landers and her years of experience as a volunteer EMT eminently qualify her to be your newest Fire Commissioner. Shell be an excellent one!Vote for her! Joseph and Edie Ulatoski

I know that Brigitte cares about our community and is the best choice for commissioner because she will always have our backs! Mike Kirk, former Chief, EMT/FF

As a volunteer assistant chief and 35-year veteran of VIFR, I support and recommend Brigitte Brown for Fire Commissioner for Vashon Island Fire & Rescue !Brett Kranjcevich, Volunteer Assistant Chief, FF

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ARTS&LEISUREVashon-Maury TWO BANDS IN ONE SHOW: Home Sweet Home and Jason Sees Music will play a

show at 8:30 p.m. Friday at the Red Bike. Home Sweet Home combines ethereal vocal reflections of love and loss with music of the bayou, classic rock and soul. Jason Sees Music is a West Seattle indie band that tours regionally around the Pacific Northwest. The free show is open to all ages until 11 p.m., then only 21 and older.

WHATS HAPPENING

MUSIC OF MACEDONIA

CD release party celebrates new recordingSmithsonian Folkways Recording recent-ly published a CD of field recordings that islander, music and dance ethnographer Martin Koenig collected in Macedonia between 1968 and 1973. The CD release parties are planned from coast-to-coast, with one slated for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Land Trust Building.Koenig, who is also a photographer and community organizer, will host the party, give a slide presentation and tell the story about the long-deferred project. Macedonian delicacies, such as spinach pies, feta cheese, olives and wine will be served.

HUMOROUS HISTORY

Author reads from second book about VashonIslander Chris Austin will read from his new book in the series, The Mostly True History of Vashon and Maury Islands, at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Vashon Bookshop. Austin, who is also the circulation man-ager for The Beachcomber, compiled the second book with the subtitle, Criminal Elements from his col-umn, Its Your History, featured weekly in The Beachcomber.Austin peruses the archives of the Heritage museum to find factual but amusing stories about Vashons history. Though the articles are clearly written in a tongue-in-cheek fashion, Austin remains a committed history buff as well as a humorist. He believes history is more accessible if delivered with humor and finds value in remembering the past.Everything has a history, Austin said, and it explains a lot of what is happen-ing today how we got to where we are now.

By JULI GOETZ MORSERStaff Writer

Freelance illustrator, graphic designer, biolo-gist and Vashon resident Sandra Noel is well-known for her interpretive and educational signs posted around the island and throughout the Northwest. What many islanders do not know is that Noel is also a published poet. She will read from her new chapbook, The Gypsy in my Kitchen, at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at the Vashon Bookshop.

For an artist whose career includes a degree in marine biol-ogy and working for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, the National Park and the U.S. Forest Service, it is not surprising that Noels poetry calls forth images of the natural world.

In Orpheus is dead, Noel writes, compose your own songs ... inside you or borrow from these small birds gathering in the branches ... no sacrifice or offering ... all is given, all is received.

Originally from the East Coast, Noel moved west in 1975 to attend Western Washington University for a degree in marine biology. She moved with her son to Vashon in 1982, and with the advent of Strawberry Festival that year, hand painted printed drawings shed made of Vashons natural habitats, a tradition she kept for 20 years. Noel eventually created greeting cards from 14 of the images and sells

them at various outlets on the island. In 1987, Noel began the business

she still runs today, making signs for the national parks and forest service. On the island, her signs can be seen at Island Center Forest, marking the history of the Dockton area, at the overlook of the marine park on Maury, at Quartermaster Yacht Club and for the small stream projects.

As for her poetry, Noel said shes been writ-ing since the late 1970s, with a gap while she raised her son as a single mother, eventually returning to the poetic word through her asso-

ciation with former island poet laureate Ann Spiers.

I met Ann while working on an interpretive sign project in Yakima, Noel said. Her writ-ing is stunning. She inspired me to pick it up again.

Noel joined an island poetry group and has attended since 2008. Four years into the group, she rose to the challenge of writing a poem a day for a year. Shes been doing it ever since.

Its terrifying to sit down and come up with something every day. Some days are bet-ter than others, but we are still doing it, Noel said.

The group also encouraged Noel to submit her poems for publication, and many have been published in various literary and poetry journals. Only recently have her poems been published as a collection.

Her next chapbook, The Green, will include poems about her island home of Vashon and her volunteer work with Alliance for Tompotika a nonprofit conservation organization working to help the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia, directed by islander Marcy Summers.

Noel said the book also reflects the many ways she feels inspired by living here by the number of poets, writers and creative residents and, of course, the power of the natural envi-ronment that is so readily available on Vashon.

Indeed, as a keen observer of the natural world, Noel celebrates its unfettered powers for healing. In her poem, Sacrifice, Noel writes: Today a small rain creates concentric magic. A pair of red tails circle overhead. ... I came here closed and broken. I leave filled with light.

Island illustrator reads from new book of poems

Sandra Noel

Chris Austin

Martin Koenig Photo

Celebration in Macedonia

AROUND TOWNSerious puppet show at Open Space

Open Space for Arts & Community wel-comes Bread & Puppet Theatre to Vashon for the companys performance of Fire at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, with doors opening at 7 p.m.

Bread & Puppet is currently touring the West Coast with Fire, which is considered one of the companys most powerful works. The show requires absolute darkness, and is 60 minutes long,

Bread & Puppet Theater is based on a large farm in Vermont and was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann, a German-born artist-dancer. For the next decade, his giant puppets figured prominently in anti-Viet-nam-War demonstrations in New York City, Washington D.C. and other cities in the U.S. and abroad.

Fire is a series of tableaus about daily life in a Vietnamese town firebombed by the U.S. and is performed by life-sized puppets. A press release calls the performance, slow, quiet, disturbing, indelible.

Tickets, available at the door, are by a sug-gested donation of $10.

Circus debuts new act on Vashon IMPulse Circus Collective will arrive on

Vashon to debut We All Fall Down at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, with doors opening at 7 p.m. at

the Open Space for Arts & Community.When the lid of an old trunk is lifted, its

contents inspire five friends to relive their formative years and the joy of play. They act these memories out with feats of strength and precision acrobatics. The show takes the audience on a journey of charm, surprise and accomplished circus acts.

The IMPulse Circus Collective is a group of young performers. Formed in Seattle in 2013 as artists-in-residence at the School of Acrobatics & New Circus Arts, the groups goal is to inspire its audience, challenge soci-etal constructs and usher in the next evolu-tion of contemporary circus.

We All Fall Down was created by circus performers Marta Brown, Arne Bystrom, Emma Curtiss, Jasmine Manuel and Jonathan Rose.

Tickets, available at the door, are by a sug-gested donation of $15 for adults and $10 for youth. The performance is appropriate for ages 10 and older.

Talk defines power of humor

Vashon Allied Arts Arts & Humanities series will present the lecture Humor as an Antidote to Conflict given by Howard Sohn at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Vashon High School theater.

Sohn will show an episode of the TV sit-com, Arab Labor, written by Israeli-Arab Sayed Kashua. The show portrays the daily struggles of an Arab-Israeli family in a Jewish-

dominated society by highlighting obstacles to mainstream acceptance with satirical humor.

Sohn facilitated the production of the show and is deeply involved in efforts to bridge the chasm between Jews and Arabs in Israel. He also currently serves as co-chairman of the board of The Abraham Fund Initiatives, an international organization that promotes coexistence and equality among Israels Jewish and Arab-Palestinian citizens.

Tickets are $18 for VAA members and students, $20 for seniors and $22 for general admission. Tickets are available at the Blue Heron and vashonalliedarts.org.

Lit Lounge supports DoVELit Lounge returns to the Open Space for

Arts & Community at 4 p.m. Sunday, with doors opening at 3:30 p.m.

The event will be produced in support of the DoVE Project, as part of the nonprofits recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness month.

Participants are invited to tell stories around the idea or theme of support.

Cara Briskman, who founded Lit Lounge, said, The DoVe Project provides so many ways for our community to find support, edu-cation, help and so much more. DoVe is an organization I truly believe in and personally support. It was an obvious partnership (with Lit Lounge.)

Tickets are $10 at the door.


mostly true trivia night

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october 24th at the sugar shack17636 100th ave sw (former little house.) Doors open at 7:00 PM

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hosted byChris

Austinsigniture drinks by:

prizes provided by:

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Fund Raising event for:

206-462-0911You are not alone.

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Please recycle your Beachcomber

Young girl with island ties appears on EllenIn remission from cancer, she spreads hope to othersBy SUSAN RIEMERStaff Writer

Last week 4-year-old Violet Brielle Spataro ful-filled one of her dreams when she appeared on the Ellen TV show.

Violet, the granddaugh-ter of islanders Yolanda and Mike Rugg, survived retinoblastoma an eye cancer as an infant, and she continues to face sub-stantial health challenges while trying to help other children facing cancer.

Sporting cat ears and a kitten sweater when she was on the show, Violet was upbeat and clearly happy to be sitting next to host Ellen Degeneres.

Its so cool, Ellen, Violet said about being there.

The 5-minute clip has been viewed nearly 10 mil-lion times since the show posted it online last week.

Violets mom, Shenay Spataro, appeared with her and shared Violets story,

as well as information about their project, deliv-ering packages they call Blessing Bundles to other children facing cancer and its aftermath. The packages are filled with toys, cray-ons, books and other kid-friendly items.

They really need some-thing to cheer them up, Violet told Degeneres.

Violet sometimes deliv-ers the packages to chil-dren in the hospital or leaves them for nurses to hand out, Spataro said in an interview following the show. The Spataros also ship them if requested to do so.

Donations are always welcome.

We would love the help

because there are so many kids that need the help, Spataro said.

Since she was 7 months old, Violet has endured 12 rounds of chemotherapy, countless injections, two long hospital stays, dozens of labs and 20 exams under anesthesia, with another scheduled for this month, her mom said. This months test will determine if she is still in remission.

You would never know she has gone through all of this, she added. She has been amazing through it all since day one.

Grandmother Yolanda Rugg said Violet is a fre-quent visitor to Vashon and is particularly fond of helping host the well-known Halloween spooky trail at the Ruggs home on Cemetery Road which will not be happening this year because the Ruggs are remodeling.

Like Spataro, Rugg com-mented on the young girls zest for life.

She continues to shine through it all, she said.

For more information about Violet, see violetbri-elle.com or her Facebook page.

Courtesy Photo

Violet Spataro shows the Blessing Bundles she will share with other young cancer patients and survivors.

Beachcomber wins 19 awards at WNPA contest First place:Best Sports News Story - Natalie MartinBest Environmental Story - Susan RiemerCommunity Service Advertising- Daralyn Anderson and Nance ScottBest Ad Promoting Sales/Event - Daralyn Anderson and Nance ScottBest Humor Column - Chris AustinComprehensive Coverage of a single issue - Natalie Martin Most Effective Use of Small Space (Ads) - Daralyn Anderson and Nance ScottBest Special Section Cover - Daralyn Anderson and Nance ScottSecond place:Best Personality Profile-

Juli Goetz MorserBest Youth-oriented contest - Daralyn Anderson and Nance ScottBest Lifestyle Feature Story - Juli Goetz MorserBest Lifestyle Special Section - Daralyn Anderson, Nance Scott, Natalie MartinBest Ad campaign - Daralyn AndersonThird Place: General Excellence - Natalie Martin, Daralyn AndersonBest Personality Profile - Natalie MartinBest Business News Story - Sarah LowBest Tourism Special Sections - Daralyn Anderson, Nance Scott, Natalie MartinBest Lifestyle Feature Story - Natalie MartinBest Lifestyle Special Section - Daralyn Anderson, Nance Scott, Natalie Martin

www.vashonbeachcomber.com


W e would like to thank Vashon for helping us to 9 Years of doing Business. We are honored to be in the sisterhood of working women around the world. Their hard work and creativity is at the core of development and positive change.Baskets from Bangladesh, Soaps from Sherri, Global and Local.Home goods with Soul and Intention to make your home and the world a better place.

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Cathie Crouse, Mollie Curran, Priscilla Schleigh

GiraffePriscilla Schleigh, OWNER

9710 SW Bank Road, VashonOpen: Mon.-Sat. | Join today, apply online!

800.426.5657 ourcu.com

Left to right: Carole Sussman, Anna Campanoli, Kirsten Bachant, and Margi Amstrup,

Community Strong Since 1941, Our Community Credit Union has grown

from PHPEHUVWRRYHUDQGKDVEHHQDYHVWDUcredit union for almost 75 years! Vashon is the newest

member and seventh branch in the OCCU family.

Currently, 80 of OCCUs 91 employees are women, holding positions from Member Service Representative to Vice President of Operations. As residents of Vashon and women in business,

Margi, Carole, Kirsten, and Anna are proud to offer their time, talents, and expertise to the credit union and to their

Documents

Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber, October 21, 2015