We occasionally get letters here at the Beat,curious as to our connection with Vashon Island. We do the “Underbelly of Vashon”series and some silly stuff in our “Boat Trips”column about the quirky characters that live there.
The main reason for this is our Heart of Seattle column originally started there as a sort-of Heart of Vashon 
column in their local newpaper,the Vashon Loop. The stories evolved into a more general Puget Sound column but the island connection remained because a couple of our main staff members lived on Vashon until recently.
One of these writers is doing a complete expose’on “The seedy underbelly”of the publishing world (and more) on Vashon,hence our reluctance to jump right into our upcoming series before we have all the vetting done.
HOWEVER,we cannot just sit back and NOT post our thoughts on the latest (suppressed) news from the Beachcomber on Vashon. The Vashon Loop - a publication we already find so INFURIATING,already owned by a very secretive man - is being purchased by ANOTHER bizarre character from the island. (http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/vashon/vib/news/128940113.html#disqus_thread
Our main beef with the Loop started when we discovered the editor (then owner) was a drug dealer who was a victim of a bizarre home-invasion robbery, a story that was also covered by The Beachcomber,but whose victim’s name was NEVER mentioned IN that PAPER even though the editor and Publisher of that paper KNEW full well who it was.
August,2010 home invasion robbery
How do we know this? Because we were TOLD by the editor of that paper, that Steven Allen approached her after the story broke in her paper,near tears (her words),because she had SCOOPED HIM! You can’t make this stuff up,it’s truly some ONLY ON VASHON material.
Let us clarify this because yes, it’s VERY odd.
Steven Allen,as the drug-dealing editor (and now-former owner) of the Vashon Loop,was the secret victim of the infamous home invasion robbery on Vashon Island last year. The island protects its own,even when they have disputes with each other (see our upcoming expose’) -It’s like a bizarre tribal setting over there. After his identity and drug-dealing was suppressed (hmmm …by local law enforcement? Mr. Allen is on record as saying “a cop he knew”helped him deal with the drug aspect of the robbery.), and his identity hidden,the story broke and Steven himself was upset he did not get his own scoop,meaning his paper did not break the story that he (as unidentified) had been the victim of an invasion. YIKES!
Full disclosure. Our writer is suing some of the people involved in the expose’for their insidious attempts to discredit him as this story approaches publication. This “swiftboating”has happened before to us,and we are prepared for whatever. But we stand behind everything we write about the “Underbelly”of Vashon Island. Steven Allen is also on record as warning us not to do anything “stupid” by printing this story.
