Thank you for being a "news" paper. Serious news should be printed in the proper place including the front page. The paper should be primarily for adults not children.
Domestic violence is one of those uncomfortable, difficult to discuss issues.
I wanted to tell you all how upset our family was at finding such disturbing news on the front cover of our paper. I know it is news but we have reading aged children in the house and would appreciate that kind of sensationalistic journalism being buried in the paper or on the back. This goes for last issue as well as this current issue. This is not the first time we have noticed this kind of reporting being favored over more family oriented stories. Sad to say that if this is the way the paper is going to be run then we will just have to ban it from being placed in our P.O. Box. Thanks for your time.
I am delighted to announce that The Hamlet House fundraiser on Sept. 3 exceeded its goal of raising $50,000, thanks to the generosity of our amazing community and the matching offer. The good will and enthusiasm expressed by those who attended made for an evening long to be remembered. I offer my personal thanks to Becky Smith, Heather Arps, Jim Orcutt and Becky Presley who planned the Gala and to all those who contributed in so many ways to its success.
Congratulations to the primary winners
As the only licensed early learning center on Lopez Island, the Lopez Children's Center provides a vital resource for parents of young children. Without our facility providing safe, affordable care, many families would not be able to work the two (or more) jobs that enable them to stay here.
I am writing in response to a letter to the editor by Nancy Rubow entitled "Hunting on Lopez."
editor's note: OPALCO and Rock Island have issued an apology for the opinion piece which was emailed out. You can read their press release at http://www.islandsweekly.com/news/376405201.html.
Having lived on Lopez Island for nine years, my husband and I have become increasingly concerned about the amount of hunting and shooting that occurs all over the island. Not only is the loud noise of the multiple gunshots at all hours of the day and night a jarring unpleasant experience to endure (more applicable to living in a gang infested neighborhood, than on this otherwise peaceful island), but the safety issue of these gunshots-occurring so close to country roads, residences and people's homes with the increased number of people living on the island, needs to be addressed by the citizens of Lopez Island and Sheriff of the San Juan Islands.
With the important OPALCO election coming up, much is at stake. In the face of rising costs, a changing utility landscape, expensive submarine cables and fiber optic installations, we believe Brian Silverstein is the right person to help our electric coop navigate a challenging path to keep electricity bills affordable and fair, manage coop finances transparently, and encourage conservation & renewable energy. With these big issues surrounding us and on the horizon, competent, level-headed and democratic leadership is more important than ever.
There are some things worth thinking about as we cast ballots in the next few weeks for the three open positions on the OPALCO Board of Directors.
Shane Watson has joined the Journal as the lead graphic artist for all three island newspapers. Watson says of himself:
For the last two months, Catholics, Episcopals, Lutherans, and others without a church affiliation have been meeting to read and discuss Pope Francis' Encyclical on Climate Change and Inequality. Our consideration of the Pope's call to action on this subject has generated a variety of "small" (local) and "big" ideas in response to climate change.
The artists showed up at the Lopez Center, at 10:30 am, with their works to be displayed in the Lopez Island Studio Tour Preview Gallery.
I met a delightful man some years ago whose optimism in the face of adversity was inspiring. He attended a workshop on memory loss that I facilitated, then volunteered for a quick memory test afterward.
It’s one of the most dreaded pieces of mail you can get: a jury summons. With a grimace, you think of what that little postcard means – time off work, rearranging appointments and having to take the ferry to Friday Harbor.
I noticed a rash appearing on my neck on a Friday - it was itchy and I thought it was bug bites. I was on the Anacortes/Lopez ferry, and I was scratching my neck all the way home.
The Navy is being criticized for its response to citizens seeking a preliminary injunction to halt “ongoing and irreparable injury” from the “noise assault” by the jets based at Whidbey Naval Air Station. The EA-18G Growler jets are the loudest jets to fly and are the source of noise complaints.
Then it’s time to put on your gloves and fertilize your dazzling perennial shrubs. With an optimistic outlook, I’ve planted lilac colored dahlias, deep pink peonies and a fascinatingly fragrant foxtail lily (Eremurus stenophyllus).
Last month Lopez Center demonstrated its value to the island as a venue and gathering place. The Ruth Moody Band and Acrobatic Conundrum performed for sold-out audiences, community organizations and members produced Solar de Mayo, Procession of the Species, Great Pairings, and the Lamb and Wool Festival, to name just a few.
Yes we live on an island. Many of us moved here for the temperate climates. The founding American pioneers came here to escape the grueling snowstorms and freezing temperatures in the east and the extra inches of rainfall on the mainland.
The Keystone XL oil pipeline has earned much national attention recently for the damage it would do to the climate. But another potential climate disaster is playing out in our region that we must all be actively involved in stopping.
After four decades working in the aging field, I’ve discovered something interesting: we each get “old” at our own unique pace. This is different from any other time in our lives.
As the season of gift-giving descends upon us – Hanukkah, Solstice, Kwanzaa and Christmas – you might be having trouble thinking of the right present for a frail older person.
I don’t write much about telephone elder scams — it’s like warning against the ocean. Those who need to hear the message aren’t listening, and the rest seem already on top of it.
Having carefully considered the facts and differing opinions regarding the upcoming school bond, we believe that the revised bond deserves our support. The fact that we do not have a perfect school or management cannot be used as a justification for holding Lopez children hostage and voting down the revised bond. Here is why.
The Lopez Solid Waste Disposal District has had another successful year. Through July 2014, 267 tons of garbage (up 12 percent from this time last year) and over 167 tons of recyclables (up 17 percent), not counting metals, batteries, E-waste, and this year textiles, departed Lopez on local trucks – including our own truck– with local drivers.
I am 81 years old and one day I realized that I missed having a little girl in my life, with that wonderful innocent youthful energy. My grandchildren are gone and do not live on the island.
Last year the season started with a shockingly large storm event that overwhelmed our Eastsound storm sewer system. With that memory almost one year behind us, the Stormwater Utility is moving into the final phase of countywide stormwater management planning.
If you want to learn mountain climbing, you won’t start with Mount Everest. If you yearn to become a great cook, I doubt you’ll begin by hosting a huge dinner party. For all things that are complicated and worth knowing, it takes time, education, practice and patience to learn the tricks, absorb the subtleties and understand what’s really involved.
Citizens from Whidbey Island and the Puget Sound region will gather at the Navy’s Outlying Field at Coupeville, Whidbey Island, Friday May 9 at 1 p.m. to protest the Navy’s resumption of Growler EA-18G electronic attack jet operations.
Many of us support international development organizations with our donations, but rarely get to observe their work firsthand. Recently several Lopezians converged at Santa Cruz la Laguna, Guatemala, to see Amigos de Santa Cruz Foundation in action.
The level of unpredictability and lack of ferry service in recent months is unacceptable. As a frequent ferry commuter myself, I share the frustration other riders have with the inconsistent and uneven service. I also agree that the responsibility for this lies not as much with Washington State Ferries, but right here in Olympia.
Most of us in the islands are concerned about the ongoing problems with the Sealth, one of three mainland ferries, which is undergoing lengthy repairs in Anacortes.
When I was 26 I signed up for my first 10-day silent meditation retreat. My mother’s response was “Why on earth would you want to sit around and think for 10 days?” Right, why would I? The truth is, “thinking” is not what meditation teaches. I get plenty of that everywhere else!
Growing up in Arlington, a lot of my friends worked minimum-wage jobs. I worked at a bookbindery during high school, pulling in about $3.50 an hour during the summer break.
Here is a confession: I LOVE the Take-It-Or-Leave-It!
My love affair with Take-It-Or-Leave-It dates way back. But now I want to come clean because I finally have some data to retroactively justify my behavior.
Peace Island Medical Center was awarded a grant by the Washington Office of the Attorney General to provide three series of diabetes classes over the course of this next year.
