When you work and shop at a place like PCC you have higher expectations than at a national chain store. We are the Puget Consumer Cooperative – or PCC Community Markets – as we are re-branded. I have worked at Edmonds PCC since 2008. I have felt good about it as a union co-op grocery…
Commentary
A message from Acting Police Chief Jim Lawless
I wanted to take a few minutes to update you on a few topics that I know are important to our community. As you are likely aware, since December of 2018 we have tragically had three homicides committed in our city: The Senior Center shooting from December 2018. The senseless murder of the 7-11 clerk…
Thanksgiving essay: We are ‘heart-wired’ to be together
When I pause to give thanks this week, the gift of time will be at the top of my list. I can choose to rail about the events I cannot attend, people I cannot see in person, restrictions to travel. Or, I can be thankful for the blocks of unexpected leisure, granted to me by…
Commentary: Sign of times as people choose kindness
I thought I would give you an update to the response from the community about the “We Choose Kindness” signs that came about after I wrote my monthly column for the Edmonds Senior Center a few weeks ago, which was reprinted in My Edmonds News. The “choosing kindness” thought came out of conversations about the…
Commentary: Edmonds College is building for the future
We are facing hard times as a local and global community, and as a college it is important, now more than ever, to continue to innovate and provide exceptional value to our students, stakeholders, and community. At Edmonds College, this is part of our mission and a top priority. We’re building for the future by…
Commentary: Why I’m choosing kindness
This column appeared in the October 2020 issue of the Edmonds Senior Center/Waterfront Center newsletter. It is being reprinted here with permission. As I write this month’s column, Puget Sound is blanketed with thick smoke from the forest fires raging on the West Coast. My thoughts go out to those folks who have suffered great…
Commentary: The last mile
For the last six years, we have been on a marathon to build a new home for the Senior Center. It was a small handful of dedicated Board members and staff who first set off on this audacious journey. As the years passed and the project has taken shape, more people have joined the pack….
Commentary: Trees are nice, but public safety is more important
This picture at Walnut and 5th Avenue South was taken in June but in January at the same location I saw a woman in a wheelchair try three times to get over and around the danger you see in the sidewalk. Looked like a City Code violation. I reported it to Code Enforcement, and they…
Help is a phone call away: September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month
I think about suicide when I see someone crying in the park. I think about suicide when a teen tells me they are anxious because they are under too much pressure to perform and make their parents happy. I think about suicide when a father tells me he is worth more to his family dead…
Commentary: We’re committed to serving Edmonds School District students and staff safely
Dear Edmonds School District students, families, staff and community members, While I hoped to introduce myself to the community in person when I started my role as the Edmonds School District superintendent on July 1, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed my plans, as it has changed the plans for each of us, especially our students….
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Commentary: Defunding the police – what could it mean?
Brutality by some in the police force is not new, but the overwhelming demand for meaningful institutional change to overcome this gives me hope. However, calls for “defunding” the police as the answer gives me pause. So far there does not appear to be a clear roadmap to the changes that follow and how those…
Commentary: Climate Protection Committee — reducing food waste, saving planet one banana at a time
Climate change and the pressing need to reduce our global carbon emissions may feel like an overwhelming problem to us as individuals. However, we all have the power to make a difference. One important thing we can do to reduce climate-change-causing carbon in the atmosphere is reduce food waste. Food production accounts for around one-quarter – 26%…
Commentary: Join Snohomish County Parks in celebrating Park and Recreation Month
Since 1985, America has celebrated July as the nation’s official Park and Recreation Month. Created by the National Recreation and Park Association, Park and Recreation Month specifically highlights the vital and powerful role local park and recreation professionals, such as our staff at Snohomish County Parks, Recreation & Tourism play in conservation, health and well-being,…
Commentary: ‘Nothing about us without us’ — an open letter to Edmonds leadership
“Nothing about us without us“ is a mantra that has been adopted by marginalized groups (race, gender, disability, age, socio-economic), used to communicate the idea that no policy should be decided by any representative without the full and direct participation of members the group(s) affected by that policy. Lately, with the protests centered around the…
Commentary: From coronavirus restraints to climate resilience — Edmonds Climate Leadership moves forward
As Edmonds begins to loosen its coronavirus restraints, it is a good time to reflect on how to move forward with climate resilience in mind. Edmonds has been a climate leader so it is natural that the City would recognize this moment of stressful change presents an opportunity for us to collectively create a more…
Commentary: Washington cities need the other Washington to step up and partner to save lives and economy
Washington’s 281 cities and towns currently face unprecedented challenges due to COVID-19. But some federal leaders have put our plight on the back burner. That needs to change—and quickly—if we are to support our economic recovery. Federal policymakers must invest in cities to maintain essential services and help spur an economic rebound. Sixty-five percent of…
Commentary: From the Edmonds Diversity Commission chair — ‘Better times are ahead’
“There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” —C.S. Lewis The new “normal” that is our daily lives is definitely something we are all ready to leave behind; however, staying home to stay safe is our present situation, and while it is difficult, it is what we do to take care of ourselves…
Commentary: COVID-19 — the silent war for your mind, body and spirit (and what you can do about it)
Our nation has been in some form of war or conflict for decades. Most know only of the wars they see on the television or read about, but there are conflicts waged behind closed doors and in foreign countries that are off camera and do not make the headlines. And often, these silent conflicts –…
Commentary: Give me liberty or give me death — living with COVID-19
“Welcome to MY world.” When I stepped off the blue bus – more like ran because some menacing, buff, fierce-looking individual yelled “MOVE” – I suddenly knew I was not going to “summer camp” like the recruiter pitched. Humans are influenced by what we see, hear and those in positions of power. I watched Top…
Earth Day 2020: The Edmonds Senior Center shares community’s commitment to addressing climate change
Wednesday, April 22, 2020 marks the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970. While many of the festivities planned to commemorate the occasion have been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic, it still warrants a look at where we stand in Edmonds in our effort to combat climate change. The national focus…
We’re leaving the light on for you: ECA sends message of hope amid COVID-19 crisis
“In the theater, light is perhaps one of our strongest symbols. In fact, after every performance at the end of every night, a single lamp is illuminated at the center of the stage before the crew goes home. The practical purpose of the light is simple – it is for safety and security when all the theater lights…
Reader view: Silent no more — fear or faith
On one of our daily walks with the family dog, my youngest asked me if there was anything that ever scared me when I served in the military. The quick answer was yes. Even before I got to bootcamp. Even before I deployed. I remember standing in my underwear at the MEP (Military Entry Processing)…
From the state schools superintendent: Buildings closed but learning continues
In mid-March, Governor Inslee closed all public and private K–12 schools in our state through April 24. Today (April 6), he extended that directive and ordered all school buildings to close throughout the remainder of the 2019–20 school year. We have more than 1.2 million students in our state who are impacted by this. Over…
Reader view: Remembering John Reed
The COVID-19 pandemic just got personal. It took the life of John Reed, a man I worked alongside for the past year. A man I admired. A man who became a “partner in crime,” if you will, as we brainstormed and worked on a city commission. We were like “partners in crime” on the Edmonds…
Reader view: Names matter — COVID-19 vs. ‘Chinese Virus’
In wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States and around the world, an alarming phenomenon is the sharp rise of gun ownership among Asian-Americans who are panicking and feel insecure and targeted, partly due to COVID-19 being called “the Chinese Virus.” Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt…