Commentary

Today, 20 years after his murder, Matthew Shepard’s ashes were laid to rest in the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.. This is a fitting place for several reasons: Matthew was an Episcopalian and had been an altar boy, and because his torture and death brought about a seismic change in the way our nation came…

I’m going to vote for Initiative 1639. It’s not perfect, but it addresses real concerns. That said, I would like to speak to those who don’t support the initiative: I think I fully understand your fears of being without defense, and I am deeply sorry for anyone who has suffered a serious break-in. At the…

Karl Popper fled the Nazis in his native Austria and found safety in New Zealand during the war. In 1945 he found a new home in the United Kingdom, where he became a reader at the London School of Economics and in 1949, professor of logic and scientific method at the University of London. While…

As a single mother, a veteran and a renter who uses a voucher to help pay my rent, I am no stranger to what it’s like to face discrimination in the rental market. Despite my squeaky-clean rental history and decent credit, I’ve been denied apartment after apartment, just because I pay a portion of my…

Dogs will defecate and walk away from it. It’s in their nature. It’s what doggies…doo. On Friday morning, Aug. 17, walkers on the Sunset Avenue pedestrian path were greeted with a 10-foot-long trail of turds stretching across the walkway, left behind by an irresponsible pet owner. This despite the area being posted with reminders of…

During the 1970s and ’80s I was an active pilot, often flying in and out of Paine Field, Everett. During that time there was an effort by Snohomish County to enlarge the facilities and incorporate commercial aviation at the field. As you can imagine, there were many homeowners and local businesses who were concerned about…

Single-use plastic products — such as straws, stirrers and utensils — have become virtually ubiquitous in the food service industry worldwide and are contributing to the ever-growing plastic pollution crisis in our marine environment. In fact, experts predict the level of marine plastic pollution to double by 2025 if current trends continue, and small plastic…

I am a local coordinator for an international exchange student nonprofit. Exchange students are 15 to 18 years old, and we are looking for four or five volunteer host families for our students in the Edmonds School District. The district has a deadline of June 15 for host families to choose their student. Volunteer host families…

With ballots arriving in mailboxes throughout Island and Snohomish counties, voters will have the option to ensure full funding for the Edmonds Library and the other 22 branches in the Sno-Isle System through 2025, or face reductions in operating hours, resources, and staff. For public institutions as critical as public libraries, losing services is hard…

“Hello, my name is Stephen Hawking.” Every time I hear that robotic voice tone, it puts a smile right on my face. Most people like myself — I am blind — depend on a speech program like Jaws for Windows, to help them use computers. When I turn on my computer, the first thing I…

Publisher’s note: As a service to our readers, we will occasionally present articles from The Conversation, an independent source of news and views from the academic and research community, delivered direct to the public. A train hurtled around a corner at 82 mph, eventually coming off the rails and killing four passengers. Decades earlier, faulty…

Property taxes are a tough subject, but worth talking about. Almost all of the money needed to operate the Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Brier libraries – and the other 19 community libraries in the Sno-Isle Libraries district – comes from an operations levy, which is on your annual property tax statement. Only 2 percent…

Dear Edmonds School District Families, Staff and Community Members: The safety of our students, staff and the entire Edmonds School District family is our highest priority and duty. Our hearts ache for the families and communities impacted by the recent tragic event in Florida. Sometimes words cannot adequately capture the emotions that come from such…

Some have expressed disappointment at the overall performance of Team USA. We all like medals, but I’d like to submit that medal counts are not what the Olympics are about. Let me illustrate: Many years ago at the Cross-Country World Championships, John Bauer (USA) had a very bad first day of the cross-country pursuit race….

Suppose you live in a beautiful city on the Puget Sound, which has a lovely elevated promenade along the waterfront where residents and visitors alike go for walks. The promenade is paved, wide enough, and provides benches so that everybody, including those with mobility challenges, can enjoy it. They listen to the waves, hear the…

A year ago, we ran this story about an Edmonds woman who received a tissue donation that helped stabilize her knees so she could dance at her wedding. We are running a follow-up column from Levi Anderson, general manager of tissue bank LifeNet Health, because Feb. 14 is National Donor Day. https://myedmondsnews.com/2017/02/commentary-thanks-to-tissue-donation-i-can-dance-at-my-wedding/ At just seven…

In a state so obsessed with fighting President Trump and seeming progressive, perhaps it’s time we take a look inward at ourselves, particularly at our school districts. Washington state has among the largest gaps between the number of students of color and teachers of color. Within the state, 44 percent of students are non-white, compared…

Publisher’s note: We are presenting pro and con statements from two Edmonds School District voters regarding the Proposition 1 levy appearing on the Feb. 13 special election ballot. Residents in the cities of Edmonds, Woodway, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Brier and parts of unincorporated Snohomish County will be voting on a measure, which would allow the…

The word “yes” can be a powerful word. We tend to choose no over yes out of fear and uncertainty. Often, by choosing no over yes, we miss out on unexpected joys and opportunities. While saying “yes” requires courage, commitment and even sacrifice, we may find that our yes has the potential to give hope…

Our Black Lives Matter sign has been taken out of our yard four times. The first time I found it in our recycling bin. The second time a neighbor returned it because she found it tucked behind her house. The third time it was thrown into our garden. This last time, we haven’t been able…

To my community of elders, children, educators, information professionals, business and community leaders: I care about Net Neutrality because as an educator, I am a connector of information — the flows, accesses, capacities and environments that can create a human connection of experiences we can share. Let me tell you why I do what I…