Our monthly “Island Links” blog post is a curated list of the recent notable Mercer Island-related links from around the web. Here’s what we’ve been reading lately:

Around Town
Notice the “tiny houses” on the lawn at the Mercer Island Presbyterian Church? They’re destined for “tiny house villages,” shelters that help people transition from homelessness into more permanent housing – ‘Mercer Island’s Tiny Houses move to Seattle’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

Business
‘Tully’s Stores Run Out of Coffee as Rebranding Looms’ – Mercer Island’s Tully’s location has been closed for weeks, despite a company memo sent to store managers on Thursday, March 8th, indicating that stores would only be closed “for a couple days.”   Customers may have noticed a sign on the door of the Mercer Island store that states, “Due to unforeseen circumstances, we are temporarily closed.” The word “temporarily” has recently been crossed out. [US News / The Seattle Times]

One of Mercer Island’s largest employers and commercial space tenants is relocating to Bellevue – ‘Farmers New World Insurance leaving Mercer Island’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

Notice anything different about your print edition of the Mercer Island Reporter? Some readers are bemoaning the recent absence of the Police Blotter column. Here’s the scoop – ‘Mercer Island Reporter joins forces with Eastside papers to serve you better’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

‘23 bookstores are participating in Seattle Independent Bookstore Day; how many can you get to?’ – even if you don’t do the “Passport Challenge,” be sure to stop by our very own local indie bookstore, Island Books! [The Seattle Times]

‘The inspiring world of Suzanne Zahr’ – a Q&A with local architect, gallery and design-build firm owner, Suzanne Zahr’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

City
Major construction work ahead on Mercer Island – ‘County planning Mercer Island sewer upgrade’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

‘Community advisory group supports placing levy on ballot’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

On Tuesday, April 3rd, The Mercer Island City Council adopted its 2018-2019 work plan and goals;’ an impressive list of the City’s goals and action items for the year ahead. [City of Mercer Island]

‘Mercer Island mayor proclaims April as Sexual Assault Awareness Month’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

Islanders (and former Islanders) in the News
Mercer Island High School alumna Caroline Fraser won a 2018 Pulitzer Prize for her biography “Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls.” Fraser is now a resident of Santa Fe, New Mexico.  [Mercer Island School District Facebook page]

Real Estate
‘Patti Payne’s Cool Pads: George and Susan Howison list Mercer Island waterfront estate for $6.5 million’ [Puget Sound Business Journal

‘Iconic NW Contemporary on Mercer Island asks $1.850M’ [SeattlePI.com]

‘A major remodel better reflects an active family’s important connections — and a whole lot of light;’ the story of a family’s move from the east side to the west side of Mercer Island [The Seattle Times]

Schools 
Lakeridge Elementary student Audrey Cui won first place in the category of Outstanding Interpretation at the state level of the National PTA Reflections Art Competition for her stop-motion animation video, “There Are Always Friends Around You.” Her entry will now advance to the national competition. [Mercer Island School District Facebook Page]

‘Four MIHS graduates to be honored with Pathfinder Awards at Breakfast of Champions’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

‘School Board reaffirms safety commitments; The resolution reaffirms commitment to preserving school safety and preventing gun violence’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

‘MIHS selects new associate principal’ [Mercer Island Reporter]

Sports
‘How a failed run to the LLWS helped Mercer Island become the state’s top-ranked baseball team’ – Eleven of the 12 seniors on the Mercer Island High School baseball team were also part of the Mercer Island Little League team that lost in the 2012 Northwest Region semifinals, a game that was aired on ESPN; now they’re the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state and aiming for a third consecutive win of the KingCo 2A/3A tournament. [The Seattle Times]

An unfortunate event for one of Mercer Island’s favorite professional athletes – ‘Seattle Sounders forward Jordan Morris ruled out for season with torn ACL’ [Seattle Sounders FC]

Have we missed your favorite Mercer Island-related news story or do you have an interesting link to share? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!