Daily Archives: September 21, 2009

Islander wins Washington State Book Award

evisonmugIsland resident Jonathan Evison‘s novel “All About Lulu” is the 2009 Washington Book Award winner for fiction.

Not bad for a first-time novelist and former grunge rocker.

Evison, who worked as a laborer, bartender and caregiver before publishing his book, made the announcement today via Twitter.

“All About Lulu wins Washington State Book Award! Yay, diaper money!” he tweeted.

“All About Lulu” is an offbeat coming-of-age story that touches upon body building, hot dog vending, sibling obsession and self-destructive love.

I hope to post more about Evison’s win in the coming days.

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Good news, bad news for Bainbridge beaches

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The good news is that a south island beach plagued with high levels of fecal bacteria recently received a clean bill of health from state regulators.

The bad news is that two other beaches had their status downgraded, marking the south and north-end stretches of shoreline as prohibited for shellfish harvesting.

The solution for the newly-clean two-mile beach was fairly simple: a handful of waterfront residents fixed their septic systems after health and city officials notified them of the problem.

Even though the downgraded beaches are also likely suffering from bad septics, local health officials are scrounging for enough money to investigate and inform residents of the necessary fixes.

Click here for my full story.

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“Ikea meets iPod,” and then meets Bainbridge farmers

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In case you missed it, click here for my story on the donation of cutting-edge prefabs to house Bainbridge Island farmers.

Called “Ikea meets iPod” by Building Design + Construction magazine shortly after they were unveiled in 2007, the small factory-built units were aimed at creating inexpensive workforce housing in Seattle while challenging the common perceptions about manufactured homes. With vegetated roofs, computer controlled lighting and heating and a sleek, ultra-modern design, the units were created with Seattle’s young urban professionals in mind.

Instead, the project’s two prototype units are headed to an old Bainbridge farm to house the island’s young rural farmers.

The Housing Resources Board has until mid-October to move the units. Until then, you can still see them at their current location atop Rainier Square in downtown Seattle (right below the Rainier Tower).

I’ll try and cover the move, which will involve cranes, flatbeds and a ferry trip across the sound.

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