NEW IN TOWN Vacation lodges go up quickly by Vashon Village. Page 5
NEWS | Local veteran is in the spotlight. [3] BUSINESS | VIA celebrates its fifth anniversary. [4] COMMENTARY | Retirement can take on new meaning. [6]
JUST FOR LAUGHS Comedy takes center stage at Vashon Opera. Page 11
BEACHCOMBER VASHON-MAURY ISLAND
WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015
Vol. 60, No. 18
Islanders with ties to Nepal work to bolster relief
www.vashonbeachcomber.com
INSIDE THE STUDIO
Park district levy barely passes By NATALIE MARTIN Staff Writer
By SUSAN RIEMER Staff Writer
Anu and Birbal Rana were at their Vashon home late at night, preparing baked goods to sell at the farmers market, when the bad news came. A massive earthquake had struck Nepal, their native country, where many of their family members still live. In vain, they tried to reach their loved ones, but gave up at 3 a.m. Over the course of the next days, they learned their family members in Kathmandu were not hurt, though many have damaged homes. “Until we could speak with them, it was terrible. We were just worried,” Birbal said. “Their houses were not made for earthquakes.” Indeed, as news has come out of Nepal, images show the far-reaching devastation of the April 25 quake. The death toll is expected to climb higher than 10,000; more than 15,000 people have been reported injured, and nearly 2,000 homes were completely destroyed. Some 8 million people have been affected, according to the United Nations. Though nearly 7,000 miles separate Vashon and Nepal, the small Asian country — only about the size of Arkansas — holds an SEE NEPAL, 19
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Julie Goetz Morser/Staff Photo
Michael Leavitt will show work with his mother, Mary Jo Svensen, on this weekend’s studio tour.
Duo opens its doors to eclectic art Son is known for his local paintings and edgier work By JULI GOETZ MORSER Staff Writer
The second stop on the Art Studio Tour map lists a spot where a mother-and-son duo — a retired art teacher and a provocative local artist — are showing their eclectic work together for
the first time. Inside a white-walled converted garage studio on the north end, a table displays Mary Jo Svendsen’s colorful fused glass of abstract and scenic design. Around the perimeter are groupings of other artwork, the diversity of which would suggest several artists. But the signature on each piece belongs to just one: Michael Leavitt. SEE STUDIO TOUR, 12
Island voters have apparently renewed the Vashon Park District’s levy by a narrow margin. Election results updated Monday showed the levy — which needs 60 percent approval to be renewed — was passing by just 19 votes. Park District Director Elaine Ott said that with most ballots counted, district staff were optimistic the levy would pass. “With that said, we can’t be 100 percent certain until it’s certified,” she said. She added that despite the outcome, she believes the close vote reflects the public discontent that the park district has been hearing of for some time. “I think the reasons for that have been pretty clearly stated by the public in terms of their dissatisfaction with the commissioners, their concern over VES Fields mismanagement over the years. So the message certainly has been loud and clear,” she said. SEE LEVY, 13
Sawbones stalwart calls it quits at 92 years old Longtime employee made over a million model knees By SARAH LOW Staff Writer
Last Thursday, Sawbones held a retirement party for islander Emma Kukors. But a retirement party for a 92-year-old is no ordinary celebration, just like Sawbones employees say that Kukors is no ordinary woman. “You will never see anyone else like her in your life,” Foss Miller, co-owner of Sawbones, said of the 30-year employee. “She’s old school. Her work ethic is incredible.” Kukors began her career at Sawbones in 1985, when the company — which makes model bones — was barely 7 years old and she was 62. At an age when most people are looking to retire, Kukors was intent on working.
“I love to work,” she said in a recent interview. “And (Sawbones) hired me even though I was close to the time when you’re not supposed to be hired.” After working in the Beall Greenhouses bundling roses for nearly three decades, Kukors went looking for a job at the young “Bone Factory” when the Beall family moved its business to Colombia. “When she first came in, we thought she’d work for a couple of years and then retire,” Miller recalled. “But then we saw what she was capable of. She could outwork anyone in the plant, even when she was 75.” Indeed, on her first day, Kukors was reported to have assembled twice as many parts as anyone else doing the same job. “My fingers work very fast,” she explained with a little shrug and a smile. Cheyanne Webster Photo
SEE SAWBONES, 18
Emma Kukors at her retirement party last week.