A STRONG FINISH Soccer team ends season among best in state. Page 17
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BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2012
Vol. 57, No. 21
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Vashon garners fiveyear grant to tackle teen substance abuse Island providers hope to build a ‘comprehensive’ response By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
change the meeting into a wide-open give and take — and then proceeded to get an earful. “I’m concerned we’ll have fatalities of cyclists,” Yve Susskind told Taniguchi. Noting that she’s an experienced cyclist, she said that she’s had “six incidents where I felt unsafe” since the
Vashon Island is one of three King County communities that has been selected for a program that will enable educators and social service providers to attempt a comprehensive and long-term response to teen substance abuse. Vashon Youth & Family Services (VYFS) will receive $130,000 a year for the next five years as a result of its designation, state money that is being directed to the Island via the county. The funds, which will come to VYFS beginning July 1, will pay for a number of services, including parent support groups and workshops, training for coaches and teachers, direct services and a review of the best anti-drug curricula available for schools and agencies. Coupled with another state grant and federal money Vashon is already receiving to address the environmental and cultural norms behind substance abuse, the Island is poised to have nearly $500,000 a year directed toward the issue, leading to what advocates hope will be the Island’s first comprehensive response to teen substance abuse. “It’s a big responsibility and it’s a big opportunity for us to have this kind of support over a period of time,” said Ken Maaz, VYFS’s executive director. “This is an important issue we’re dealing with,” he added. “And it’s the first time this community has had an opportunity to address it comprehensively.” Robin Blair, a parent and the chair of the Vashon Alliance to Reduce Substance Abuse (VARSA), said she believes Vashon is poised to turn a corner on the issue, one that has prompted considerable concern among parents, teachers and providers. “I believe this is going to do it. I feel real optimistic, real hopeful, that these resources, along with the
SEE RUMBLE STRIPS, 23
SEE SUBSTANCE ABUSE, 12
Leslie Brown/Staff Photo
Lu-Ann Branch describes her experience leading a group of 8th-grade cyclists on a ride along the highway as County Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi listens. Some of the kids, she said, found cycling difficult because of the rumble strips.
Islanders sound off over rumble strips By LESLIE BROWN Staff Writer
Dozens of Islanders told King County’s top transportation official Monday night that newly installed rumble strips have made Vashon’s main arterial more dangerous for cyclists. In a lively but civil meeting at Chautauqua Elementary School, one resident after
another, some clad in biking clothes, questioned the county’s rationale for the decision, challenged some of its statistics and described recent incidents where they felt vulnerable because of the miles of grooved strips meant to make the roads safer. The meeting — the county’s first public gathering since the rumble strip con-
troversy erupted a month ago — began as an “open house,” with stations where Islanders could speak individually to county officials. But after Islander Ann Leda Shapiro took to the stage yelling “mic check!,” a phrase made famous by the Occupy Movement, County Transportation Director Harold Taniguchi good-humoredly agreed to
Postal Service launches investigation into region-wide mail theft By NATALIE JOHNSON Staff Writer
A recent spate of mail thefts on Vashon has led authorities to launch an investigation into the crimes, which has also seen an uptick in other parts of King and Snohomish counties as well. Dave Schroader, a spokesman for the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), said that mail theft on Vashon hasn’t increased over the past year, but an increase in the number
of reports in the last few weeks has raised concerns. The postal service is now working with the King County Sheriff’s Office and the Vashon Post Office to investigate the crimes, he said, and officials are asking that Islanders contact the agency with any information. “We are actively investigating those mail thefts as we speak,” Schroader said. “We would absolutely love any assistance that the public can give.” According to USPIS records, from the
beginning of March through the third week of May, there were 17 mail thefts reported on Vashon. During the same time period last year there were 52 reported mail thefts. Schroader, however, said there has been a spike in the last couple of weeks. The current investigation on Vashon is not routine, he added; there hasn’t been one in at least a year. “We have not had an investigation on Vashon for some time now,” he said. “This is unique.”
Schroader was unable to give a detailed reason for the investigation or any specifics about it. He did say that over the past few weeks the postal service has seen mail theft increase in various parts of King and Snohomish counties, and it is actively investigating in those areas as well. Authorities, he added, are not sure if Vashon’s increase in mail theft is related to those off-Island or if the uptick region-wide SEE MAIL THEFT, 23