Recently, we were guests on your beautiful island. As a senior citizen and a novice photographer, we enjoyed the beauty of your island. We reside on a nearby island. However, we were also treated to some hostility by some well meaning, "locals". I would like to point out that not ALL of the photographers who visit the island violate the wildlife regulations.
From the editor: Readers are wondering what happened to Kate Small's letter/guest column. It was removed Monday after she told me it wasn't supposed to be a letter to the editor and that it contained many inaccuracies.
Small sent in the following letter explaining her first email. It speaks for itself.
On April 7th, our town was changed forever by an act of arson.
There are no words to describe how it felt to arrive on scene and see the scope and magnitude of the fire. It was devastating to watch our iconic downtown burn. The destruction was extensive and the unanswered questions of how and why weighed heavily on all of us. An immediate investigation into the cause of the fire quickly resulted in the identification and arrest of the suspect, giving some small closure to those questions, for which I am grateful, and we can now concentrate on healing and rebuilding.
It's been two weeks.
Two weeks ago, our lives were impacted by the single, criminal act of a lost soul. Millions of dollars in material damage is just a number, but the collective shock and personal suffering of everyone who worked in the buildings along with their families, friends and neighbors has a greater impact than cash ever could.
Thank you for all the messages we have received. It has been a very emotional week. Natalie and I purchased this property back in 2004. We were in our 20s and went into this purchase with a dream and not much else. We sold our home and most of our personal possessions and then moved into a small studio in the back of the building. We leveraged ourselves beyond what anyone thought we should and most people thought we would fail.
Greg and Natalie in 2004
There are thousands of mostly young Russians protesting Putin’s invasion of and war crimes in Ukraine.
The waters around the San Juan Islands are a summer home of the critically endangered Southern Resident Killer Whales.
OPALCO, the islands’ utility co-op, is owned by islanders. Islanders overwhelmingly support recovering the endangered orcas.
Recovering the orcas hinges on recovering chinook salmon populations. The Snake River historically supplied abundant salmon for the whales, as the salmon migrated south along both sides of Vancouver Island on their return trip to the Snake River.
While reading yesterday’s Fox Photographer Controversy thread that was reposted here from another FB forum; I was disturbed to learn that some fox photo-perturbare’s believe that their clapping and yelling at Eagles hunting for kit foxes has prevented a single capture of last years entire prairie brood. This is yet another example of the backwards mindset held by those trying to justify disrupting South Beach Plain Ecosystem (via inundation).
Our backyard resident Ginger… Gigi to us, morning stone warming. Kyle Kittoe photo
I was a Sergeant with your Sheriffs Department for 30 years and a volunteer EMT with the San EMS for 15 years. During that time I regularly interacted with the Fire Department, EMS and various other departments and agencies. Because of this experience people have asked me what’s going on with the current Fire and EMS issue. So, here’s my take, based on 30 plus years, dealing with these types of departments.
My name is Trish Lehman. I am one of five hospital district commissioners, having just served 2 years, and most recently re-elected for another 6 years. I moved to the island in 1971 and am a retired registered nurse. My parents donated the land, and helped build Sunset Point Fire Station on the west side of the island, where they were both volunteer firefighters.
My first job as an RN was at the Convalescent Center before we had Emergency Medical Services, when we had Dr. Heath, our one full time doctor who served our community, and when our medevac was San Juan Airlines.
Over the years, I have worked closely with San Juan EMS. I am and have always been impressed with their professionalism and dedication to the community and the people they serve. I believe in the men and women who work and volunteer with EMS and have the utmost confidence in their leadership as well as their mission and vision going forward.
Is EMS really in such bad shape?
No, but you wouldn’t know that from a few recent, misleading letters to the editor. So as someone who regularly attends SJC Pub Hospital Dist #1 meetings, and who is partial to facts, I thought I’d weigh in. Please note: if you prefer wild speculation and reckless misinformation, this is not the column for you.
EMS is in good shape. Driven by the strong management provided by our Superintendent and EMS Administrator over the past year, the PHD has:
Dr. King was murdered on April 4, 1968, on the balcony of room 306 at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. During those years of tragedy and struggle I lived in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and taught there at the University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa, where six years earlier the Tuscaloosa police department locked the congregation inside First African Baptist Church by chaining the doors shut and then lobbed tear gas through the windows. Tuscaloosa, the home of Bobby Shelton, the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and where the Klan office was on main street. The grand wizard usually had breakfast at the Tuscaloosa Grand Hotel each morning.
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. stands with other civil rights leaders on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968, a day before he was assassinated at approximately the same place. From left are Hosea Williams, Jesse Jackson, King, and Ralph Abernathy. AP photo
The COVID pandemic has forced many aspects of daily life in rural communities such as ours into crisis mode. Exacerbating this state of affairs have been various local issues that make things even more challenging. The ferry system is an embarrassment and a risk to the Island’s welfare. Housing for potential new professionals and their families has become even more unaffordable. The Department of Health has been stretched to its limits while enduring a constant stream of abuse as well as coping with the foolish and risky behavior of some of our citizens. The Mullis Senior Center Board and its good works were threatened by an extended mean spirited series of attacks which it was able to decisively thwart. Access to traditional primary care medical and dental care are at a precipice as a consequence of departures, death, retirements, and payment gimmicks. The rancor and self interest displayed over and over again is not what is needed in troubled times.