Commentary

A lot has changed since 2016 when the Edmonds Civic Park Master plan was approved. This is why we have a city council to represent the people and make needed adjustments to best serve the people and our community. More than 48 private residential Edmonds property owners around Civic Field, together with most businesses in…

As reported in My Edmonds News on Friday, a lively and engaged group of Edmonds’ citizens gathered in a room at the library recently to discuss and critique options for the Edmonds’ gateway sign. The designers’ introductions to the four quite different designs were terrific. I urge everyone to take a moment and weigh in…

While scrolling through Facebook this morning, I came across this photo. The caption read: “Really Edmonds Bakery? Really?! Your racism is so ‘cute’. Lost my business.” Now let me be perfectly clear, you have the right to patronize any business you choose. You also have the right to NOT patronize a business for a particular…

Tickets for the inaugural season of the NHL Seattle are sold out and Seattle is eagerly awaiting its team. What you may not know is that Edmonds is building its own fantasy ice hockey team. And they are starting by buying the center. What is Edmonds looking for in its center player? Following the NHL…

The following was submitted to the Edmonds Tree Board. It is being republished here by permission of the author. It is sad to watch the ever-increasing numbers of beautifully treed lots in Edmonds being clear-cut by developers. This is a very emotional public topic to be sure. At last year’s city council meetings, private citizens…

Coyotes become more visible in the fall and winter as young animals search for new territories and vegetative cover becomes less dense. These shy predators make excellent neighbors by keeping rodent populations like rats and mice in check, and are a valuable part of a healthy ecosystem. Coyotes are wary of people, and avoid us…

I wanted to share with My Edmonds News readers my “input” in preparation for the “Welcome” sign Nov. 29 open house meeting, given the meeting announcement was given on short notice, and during our holiday season. I feel like I have some messages to pass along to the Wayfinding Sign Committee and our leadership. I want…

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…