In 1979, Beckwith and Associates conducted a study on siting solid waste processing on San Juan Island. Where are we 30 years down the road? Still talking about siting solid waste processing. Why has it taken so long when Orcas and Lopez have had exemplary solid
waste transfer stations sites?
John F. Kennedy was the first Catholic president. He was also the last Catholic president, if by that characterization we mean a political personality defined by his faith. So too Barack Obama will prove to be both the first black president and the last black president.
This hasn’t happened here yet. But in this new technological age, it could. And it shouldn’t. That’s the reason for the following editorial.
The plight of our resident killer whales has become simple to understand, as is the most likely means of saving them. After years of argument driven as much by money as by science, we have suddenly, unfortunately, reached a moment when the causes and remedial actions are relatively clear.
Current law contains clear language that prevents the elimination of any ferry route without Legislative approval. It also states that service on a ferry route cannot be substantially reduced without public hearings. This ensures there will be considerable discussion on this subject at both the state and local levels before any decision is made.
WSF is an iconic symbol of our home and charm to visitors. In fact, it could be one of the principal reasons to live here if it were improved and reliable. And a reason why the value of our homes would be secure, rather than shaky.
I don’t understand how you can get tired of trying to save the salmon. What those infected with salmon fatigue are really saying is, “Stop coming to me and talking about salmon.” I have news for them. We’re just getting started.
I was surprised to read Steve Ludwig’s guest column finding him still in panic over perceived health dangers from cell phone towers. I would have assumed that Ludwig, a learned man, would have made himself aware of the solid, valid, peer-reviewed and universally accepted scientific findings pertaining to cell towers.
The name of the game is “Beggar Thy Neighbor.” You sign a lucrative contract to put a cell tower on your land and let the people living around you suffer the consequences: The health effects from around-the-clock electromagnetic radiation, loss of property value, loss of the enjoyment of your land and the sight of the ugly tower itself.
We commend the county Solid Waste Advisory Committee for its work in studying the options for a solid waste transfer station site on San Juan Island. However, in its recommendation, the committee failed to provide compelling reasons why the Beaverton Valley Road site is more suitable for a solid waste transfer station. At this point, The Journal is compelled to stick to its earlier editorial arguments that the solid waste transfer station should stay on Sutton Road.
As a community member, potential neighbor to the Beaverton Valley Road site, and avid SWAC meeting attender for over three years, I am writing this in response to the latest SWAC meeting — the last meeting before the SWAC recommendation goes out to the County Council for the proposed site of the new transfer station to be built at the Beaverton Valley property. Please educate yourselves to a seldom-printed portion of the history and background of this project by reading my response below.
An arctic storm brought a big freeze to the islands. Our school district faces a $717,000 deficit. Our community and state are caught in the national recession. Businesses are struggling to hold on as islanders tighten their purse strings. It’s easy to be grumpy, what with having to navigate icy roads while worrying about the economy and that IRA and/or 401K. But a neighbor said something to me the other day that set me on a path of realizing just how fortunate we are.
Scientists call it “non-point pollution,” meaning it emanates from sources that aren’t specific or readily identifiable. Oil leaks from automobiles and chemical treatments on lawns are two good examples, swept as they are by rainwater through ditches and storm drains and into the waters of Puget Sound. Another example: the septic systems of shoreline homes, which over time send untreated waste oozing out to contaminate our waterways.
