All Stories - Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber

District finds funds to retain teachers

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Several public school teachers whose jobs were on the line have been retained in the wake of a community-wide fundraising drive and a number of budget-cutting efforts by the Vashon Island School District.

Boy molested at Vashon swimming pool

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

A 12-year-old boy was molested at the Vashon Pool on June 21 by a sex offender from Seattle, according to the King County Prosecutor’s Office.

Devastating fire destroys home, leaves Maury family with little

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

A family of four lost nearly everything they owned in a devastating fire that swept through their unoccupied home on Maury Island Thursday night.

Stormy weather hits Vashon's quiet airport

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

The Vashon Municipal Airport has a rural charm to it, with its grass runway and its rows of colorful, metal-sided hangars.

County, VMICC sued over K2 rezone

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Island activist Tom Bangasser has filed a far-reaching lawsuit against King County, charging that government officials failed to comply with several codes when they rezoned the K2 property from industrial to commercial last fall.

A girl's fall from a swing prompts questions and soul-searching

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Eva Anderson, 9, celebrated the end of school last week with what has become a summertime tradition for many on the Island: She clambered onto a swing just down the beach from Lisabeula Park and sailed over the water.

Voice of Vashon extends reach across the Island

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Voice of Vashon’s AM radio station can now be heard across both Vashon and Maury Island, after installation of the station’s third and final radio antenna was completed at the Dockton Fire Station on June 11.

Three Islanders vie for seat on Vashon's Community Council

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

The Vashon-Maury Island Community Council’s ex-ecutive board at its July 13 meeting will choose a replacement to Jolene Lamb, who resigned in May from the nine-member board.

Fire association disbands, gives building to Vashon fire department

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Vashon Firefighters’ Association will disband this year and give its association building to Vashon Island Fire & Rescue (VIFR).

State high court withdraws ruling on Yousoufian’s landmark suit

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Do the Burby and help schools, too

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

It is no secret that the school district is struggling financially.

Vashon girls hoopsters play All State in Spokane

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

The Vashon Pirates sent two of their own — Kelly Costello and Zelda Porter — to the June 2009 1A All State Game in Spokane last weekend.

Vashon teams finish in two of three top spots in Swiftsure Lightship Classic

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Three Islanders and their sailboats competed in the Pacific Northwest’s premier long-distance sailing race last month, and took two of the top three places.

Vashon's Seals Swim Team learns water polo from a pro

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Vashon’s Seals Swim Team learned about water polo to cap off a tough but successful summer swim season that ended two weeks ago. The upper-level swimmers learned water polo from Jennie Darling, a former member of the nationally ranked San Jose State University water polo team.

Gallery cruise offers gems both real and imagined

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Vashon gallery and shop owners will open their doors from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 3, to share a bounty of new work by local artists.

Young filmmakers have a screening

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Two 2004 Vashon High School graduates who have been studying film and video will show their latest films at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 5, at Vashon Theatre.

Gallery Cruise: July 3

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

A new chamber music series comes to Vashon Island

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

The first concert in Vashon Allied Arts’ new chamber music series is coming up this weekend, when renowned Island cellists Rowena Hammill and Doug Davis will be joined by Francoise Regnat, a pianist from Los Angeles.

Times are tough as Kathy’s Corner waits for spring to arrive

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Oddly enough, Kathy’s Corner is nowhere near a corner. The roadside nursery boasts more than 100,000 plants on a straightaway south of town.

Vashon Island Music to feature Seattle musician Mike Bristow, ukulele workshop

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Island photographers capture this place they call home

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Dozens of Island photographers are setting out to prove that when it comes to artistic inspiration, there’s no place like home.

Grand marshal is a man who’s given decades to the Island

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

A music fan keeps the shows rolling at Vashon's bustling bistro

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

In the past year, a soft-spoken man who says he “can’t play an instrument or sing a note” has become one of the most important figures in Vashon’s vibrant music scene.

Vashon seniors celebrate an ending — and a beginning

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

The Vashon High School Class of 2009 graduated on Saturday, June 13, to the claps and cheers of friends, family and community members on the high school football field.

Stop and smell the roses on Vashon's Garden Tour

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

A bounty of bucolic blooms, inspired artwork, live music and informative workshops will all come together later this month as part of Vashon Allied Arts’ 19th annual Garden Tour.

Islander releases picture book about Vashon

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Author, artist and acupuncturist Ann Leda Shapiro published a book last month about the Island she calls home, a publication that she hopes can become a tool for social change. She’ll read from her book on Friday.

Historic steamboat Virginia V visits Vashon Aug. 17

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Drama Dock gets set for a summer musical

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Drama Dock is putting the finishing touches on a new production — a celebrated Broadway musical with an odd and edgy title.

Editorial: A healthy dose of caution can keep the Fourth safe

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

The Fourth of July can be a tough holiday for some Island residents.

Our Puget Sound ecosystem is a special place, altered by Scotch broom

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Puget Sound is a forested place. It is a forested place because the trees and other forest plants have adapted over the ages to the unique soils and climate that make up the growing environment of this place. The wild species of Puget Sound — from soil microbes to deer, goldfinches, eagles, salmon and orca whales — have in turn grown up with the forests and other natural communities of this part of the world. Together, these plants and animals — this biological signature — say very emphatically: HERE. This place right HERE. There is no other place on Earth like it.

It’s summer — break out the white bucks and floating docks

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

You may have noticed that summer has arrived. This, of course, means three things.

It takes a village to support our elders, too

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

How many times over the past years have you heard, “It takes a village to raise a child”? And we know it’s true and it works, especially on Vashon with its caring and inclusive environment. But did you know that the same village is needed to care for our elders and that essentially the same ratio of caregivers is required for both ends of the age spectrum?

K2's history tells a rich story of our not-so-distant past

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

My sweet godmother Pat Wittman, the first proudly Irish person I ever knew, died last week after a long illness, and so I found myself making an impromptu trek to Idaho to help my cousins and the rest of our big family lay her to rest.

Budget cuts put sports teams on chopping block

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

McMurray football will likely bite the dust.

As flowers bloom, consider their benefits

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Northwest plants: Some that are ripe now are good for body and soul.

Loving family members, their quirks and all

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Life's Mysteries

Coaching makes for a lifetime of memories

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:36 PDT

Growing Up on Vashon

Letters to the Editor: July 1

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:37 PDT

Letters to the Editor: June 24

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:37 PDT

Letters to the editor

Sat, 04 Jul 2009 04:09:37 PDT