Secure your trash load | Editorial
You’re driving down the road, car loaded up with recycle and garbage, on your way to the transfer station.
Along the way, you see a flattened cardboard box by the side of the road. Then you encounter a truck with loosely secured recycle items in the back. You watch as the wind works paper towels free of the load.
This may not happen every time you venture out on a dump run, but most islanders will agree that this scenario is not unfamiliar.
February 8, 2012
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What is the Time Bank? | Guest Column
It detailed some of the experiences of Diane Emerson, a global volunteer, in working with time banks, particularly in New Zealand, and her advocacy for establishing a time bank here in San Juan County. Emerson has witnessed repeatedly the capacity of time banks to increase the economic and social resiliency of the communities where she has worked. In the two months that have passed since Emerson’s visit, through considerable research, communication with Timebanks USA and the efforts of a core group of local volunteers, the task of establishing a county-wide time bank (aka, time exchange) is well underway.
February 7, 2012
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State of the ferries | Guest Column
Ferry funding has been an ongoing issue every year since the motor vehicle excise tax (MVET) disappeared 12 years ago. And each year, after threatening cuts in service, the legislature has been able to beg, borrow and steal funds from other transportation accounts to keep the ferries going.
February 7, 2012
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Local grocers support ban on plastic ‘check out’ bags | Guest Column
Evidence is mounting, showing the full extent of the plastic problem in the Salish Sea. Not only do these bags choke wildlife, but they also break into small pieces, posing an even greater threat. These small pieces of plastic concentrate deadly chemicals like PCB. This is horrible, especially since Southern Resident Orcas and Chinook Salmon have some of the highest concentration of PCBs in their bodies compared to other populations along the West Coast.
February 1, 2012
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Sheriff takes issue with spending cuts | Guest Column
Policing San Juan County is different than the mainland. Your Sheriff’s Office is the only law enforcement agency in the county. There are no city police departments. There are no state troopers here. And the Sheriff’s Office has its sworn staff, currently 19 officers, deployed on three different islands, serving a population of 16,500.
February 1, 2012
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Charter review needs you | Editorial
The county has created a webpage for the review commission. It lists all of the members and has links to the meeting schedule, the charter and meeting minutes. The commissioners for Orcas are: William Appel, Robert Gamble, Stephen Garrison, Ralph Gutschmidt, Moana Kutsche, Edwin Sutton, and Linda Tretheway. Their email addresses are: first name and first initial of last name followed by .crc@sanjuanco.com. For example: williama.crc@sanjuanco.com
January 31, 2012
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Orcas emergency responders risked their lives in midst of howling storm | Guest column
It was the beginning of a winter storm cycle when we got the call: “50-year-old male, difficulty breathing, chest pain.”
Orcas Fire and Rescue was paged out to Doe Bay on Jan. 13 around 10 p.m. Snow had already begun to mix with freezing rain. Paramedic Jeff Larsen was immediately concerned about getting this patient off the island. Larsen had no idea that an epic, six-hour journey had just begun.
January 24, 2012
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Colton had better use his jail time wisely | Editorial
We’re nearing the end of the Colton Harris-Moore saga, after his sentencing in December. Did the punishment fit the crime? Not really, but we’re hopeful this whole mess will have a somewhat happy outcome.
Harris-Moore is one very fortunate criminal. He is lucky that his antics captured a nation’s attention. He is lucky that he secured accomplished lawyers and that he’s from a small, middle-class town. He is lucky to have never hurt anyone with the guns he stole. He is lucky that when he stole planes, it was not considered a threat to homeland security.
December 30, 2011
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New Year's wishes from mayor April | Guest column
What an incredible gift, words canoooot describe my feelings of gratitude and looove for my constituents. I signed on as Mayor to dooo whatever I can tooo improve the environment of my beloooved bipeds. I never dreamed, yes quadrupeds dream, that you would be doooing that for me.
I am incredibly moooved by the love and support generated by the letter tooo the editor raising the idea of an ooold fashioned barn raising. My assistant opened a bank account for me at Key Bank and some of you have made generous depooosits.
December 30, 2011
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Sounder announces new way of delivering the news | Editorial
We are on the cusp of a new year.
It’s a time for reflecting on the past 12 months and setting goals for the days to come.
Here at the Sounder, we are thankful for our advertisers, readers and story subjects, who made it an excellent 2011.
As we prepare for another year of covering our island communities, we are also announcing a new way of delivering the news.
December 27, 2011
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Why we report on medical misconduct | Editorial
We received a slew of emails from angry readers after we wrote about a local medical professional being investigated by the state department of health last March.
So this time around, we’re being proactive: sometimes the Sounder is tasked with reporting a story that casts a community member in an unfortunate light.
December 20, 2011
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