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Island issues roundup, May 2005

May 24th, 2005 · 2 Comments

A sad goodbye for the Gormleys

Steve Gardner, editor of the Bainbridge Islander, one of our two local papers, emailed me to let me know that Michael and Carol Gormley have been ordered to leave the United States by June 18. I first wrote about the Gormleys more than a year ago, in March 2004, when their situation was highlighted by the Bainbridge Review paper. The Gormleys work at the Safeway store on the island: Carol has often helped us get our groceries to the van while Michael stocks the produce. I knew them by sight and in the past year I have started asking them how they are doing whenever I see them. When I read their story of life in South Africa, including how Michael helped build a stage for Nelson Mandela I was amazed by the life of theirs I never had known. My eyes were opened : how many others stories are around me, how many tales untold, adventures I don’t know? Going through a day, I interact with many, but how many of those do I know?

I’m sad but not surprised to hear of the Gormleys deportation. The store, friends and community members have rallied to the couple’s defense and raised money for them. However, last I heard, while walking through the checkout and inquiring about their situation, it sounded as if at least one of them might not be allowed to stay here. Michael Gormley has a heart condition and the couple had argued that if they had to return to South Africa, he would not be able to receive the same medicines. According to sources quoted in Steve Gardner’s piece the United States researched the opportunities and concluded that help will be available for him in South Africa. The Gormleys disagree, calling the deportation a death sentence. I can only hope they are wrong.

The Islander, bloggers and tech levy opinion

I’m grateful for Steve Gardner’s email. A comment he left on Chris Holmes blog a few weeks ago made me aware that he was reading local blogs, but I didn’t know he was also reading mine. I’m grateful for the Islander’s support of bloggers, including their report last fall.

The reporter and columnist Steve Gardner wrote a piece describing his insight into the technology levy which failed to pass last Tuesday. Apparently the majority of the absentee ballots were sent in the first week, when the opposition bolted out of the gate with strength, not at the last minute, when supporters had taken time to rebut arguments. I held onto mine for a while, hoping controversy would become clearer.

The Buzz at the Buzz

I agree with Cathy Nickum’s call to staying level-headed when discussing the tech levy in : School issues: Resisting polarization.

Who is vandalizing the trees? And what does this person or group of people want, besides attention?

Bridge jumping

A brief article in Saturday’s Bainbridge Review explained why the truck driver who delivered gravel to our home Friday morning complained about the traffic: someone jumped off of Agate Pass bridge and survived, landing 120 feet from shore and rescued by a resident with a boat.

Local resources:

A friend of a friend runs Bainbridge Vacation Rentals, which looks like a great way to find a place to stay or find renters for a home.

Bainbridge bloggers new to me:

via Voice of Bainbridge:

Also through Technorati, I discovered

  • Death After Life, A work of fiction based on riding the ferry to Seattle, by Bill Branley

Tags: Uncategorized

2 responses so far ↓

  • 1 Steven Gardner // May 24, 2005 at 10:20 am

    Yep, I’m reading the blogs. It’s kind of like the online coffee shop in here and on other sites. I thought of blogging myself but feared one day I’d write something that would get me fired. I benefit from the delay between thinking and publishing.

    Keep up the good work, all of you. — Steve

  • 2 Julie // May 26, 2005 at 5:53 am

    Thanks, Steve. Thanks for taking the time to read and comment and care…

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