Media
A Rural Town's Controversy
- A small rural town of 2,000 residents becomes the center of national debate around private prisons, sex offender rehabilitation, and community notification requirements.
- An adult group home CEO purchases local property with plans to house high-risk sexually violent predators from McNeil Island in what residents see as a profit-driven scheme worth $1 million.
- State officials back the controversial housing plan while allegedly:
- Avoiding required community notifications
- Ignoring conflicts of interest in third-party contracts
- Fabricating death threats
- Creating false court reports
- Walking out of public meetings to avoid questions
- Officials dismiss community safety concerns about the proximity to playgrounds, bus stops, and schools while attempting to place a dangerous offender with reportedly over 800 victims.
- Town residents organize a public media campaign to oppose both the CEO’s plan and state officials’ actions, motivated by concerns for community safety and potential future victims.
"The House" has been selected for inclusion in the Rutherford Film Festival, which marks the 19th film festival to feature this work.

Inside McNeil Island:
Home to Washington's most
violent sexual predators
McNeil Island, the most infamous six miles in Washington and home to the state’s most violent sexual predators. This week on The Spotlight, we take you behind the barbed wire and closed doors to get a look at what is really happening on this isolated island facility.
Books
Laura and Me
Sylvia Peterson
THE RED DOOR: Where hurt and Holiness Collide
Sylvia Peterson
“The Red Door” is one woman’s inspiring story of her struggles with childhood abuse, parental abandonment, abortion, addiction, and a lifetime of justified bitterness.
Despite years of conflict, Stephanie was with her mother when the eccentric and abusive woman claimed to travel back and forth between her hospice bed and heaven, “rewriting her scripts.” Was that even possible?
Stephanie’s own unexpected death suddenly propels her under the tutelage of an odd man who is a combination of guide, counselor, and eventual friend. Steve’s only assignment? Accompany each person on a personal journey to heal their unresolved trauma.
“Think about it,” Steve said. ”You have lived your entire life with people who have hurt you. They are here. And there are people you have hurt—I think that’s the hardest to resolve. They are here. And there are people you have blessed. They are here also. Do you really think heaven would be a swell place to hang out if you didn’t first have an opportunity to rewrite your scripts?”
Steve continued. “Let’s imagine you are hypothetically ambling down the street and bump into, let’s say… your father. Given the disappointment and bitterness you carry in your heart, would that be enjoyable? Would it be… well, heaven?
I cringed. “No. It would hurt.”
“Of course it would. Stephanie, you need a chance to do some healing here before you continue into the wonder and glory of heaven. Oh, I can guarantee that you won’t be disappointed. Your mother was right about the sound of angels singing praises to God. And the flowers! It is unimaginable!”
Had her mother reported the truth? Stephanie wouldn’t know for certain until they met again on the other side of the “Red Door – Where Hurt and Holiness Collide.”
Refilling The Chaplain’s Cup: Finding Self-Care That Works
Sylvia Peterson & John Peterson
John and Sylvia understand that chaplain self-care is much more than spending a few extra minutes in prayer. Based on their own ministries, they assist readers to find activities that are most likely to restore them when they are “running on empty”: creative expression, mental exercise, emotional health, physical health, recreation, relationships, and spiritual practice.