Welcome to the My Neighborhood News Network. Here’s what you should know about our community’s longest-running, local online news source.
Mission statement: To create a financially sustainable nonprofit news organization focused on civic education and engagement for all stakeholders — including those who have been traditionally underrepresented — and finding solutions for issues that matter to our communities.
Community owned: The My Neighborhood News Network, which includes My Edmonds News, MLTnews and Lynnwood Today, is supported by tax-deductible reader donations and corporate contributions, advertising sponsorships and grants.
History: The roots of the My Neighborhood News Network were established in May 2009, when Mountlake Terrace resident Dustin DeKoekkoek founded MLTnews. In October 2009, Edmonds resident Teresa Wippel started My Edmonds News and a year later, in 2010, Lynnwood resident Mike Murphy founded Lynnwood Today. Over the course of the next few years, Wippel acquired the Mountlake Terrace and Lynnwood websites from their respective founders, placing them under the My Neighborhood News Network (MNNN) umbrella.
In 2022, Wippel began exploring the idea of converting MNNN to a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, to ensure long-term sustainability for South Snohomish County’s longest-running online news source. MNNN received its nonprofit status from the IRS in March 2023 (federal tax ID 88-3919841).
A longtime journalist who has lived in South Snohomish County since 1986, Wippel now serves as the president and CEO of the My Neighborhood News Network, which is governed by an all-volunteer board of directors.
How to connect. You can contact Teresa by emailing myedmondsnews@gmail.com or by phone at 425-772-3056.
WATCH: Teresa Wippel’s 2020 TEDX talk on the important role readers play in the survival of journalism.
Our guidelines for submitting news and photos
If you have news of an event you would like us to publicize or if you have a story idea for us to follow up on, here’s the best way to submit:
- Send an email to myedmondsnews@gmail.com. Make sure to include all information regarding your event — consider the who, what, when, where, why and how. If there are event sponsors that you want highlighted, please list them in the email.
- An official press release is not necessary, but if you have one, either 1) copy and paste the content directly into the email or 2) send a Word document attachment. Do not send a PDF, as that format is difficult to manage and often the formatting does not transfer correctly.
- Photos or images can either be embedded into a Word document or attached separately. Low-resolution photos are fine since we are a digital publication. If you have trouble sending a photo file because it’s too large, it’s larger than we need — resize it before sending. Please send a caption describing the image that includes, if appropriate, the date and location where it was taken.
- Fliers of events are OK to send if they provide additional background information on the event.
- Do not assume that a Facebook event listing alone will suffice for getting the word out. While these are helpful for reaching Facebook followers, keep in mind that not everyone has Facebook. We don’t always see information on Facebook either, and we may miss pertinent details if the only way you announce your event is via Facebook. If you want to ensure we capture your event properly, send us an email at myedmondsnews@gmail.com with the information to be included.
Our guidelines for submitting letters to the editor
- Letters to the editor must be labeled as such and signed by an individual that includes city of residence.
- We do accept letters from organizations but they must include the signature of an individual representative or representatives, noting they are writing on behalf of the organization.
- We can’t run photos or other images with letters to the editor.
If you have questions about other types of submissions not covered here, please email Publisher Teresa Wippel at teresa@myedmondsnews.com.
Managing editor
Nick Ng
A self-described coffee addict and digital artist, Nick Ng grew up in San Diego, California and now lives in Shoreline. He earned a bachelor’s degree in graphic communications from San Diego State University in 2001 and an associate’s degree in journalism at Palomar College during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he was a writer and editor for the campus newspaper, The Telescope. He has also written for Scripps Ranch News and Massage & Fitness Magazine and enjoys salsa dancing, exploring small towns in the Puget Sound area and sketching people when they’re not looking.
Murrow News Fellow
Angelica Relente
Angelica Relente is the My Neighborhood News Network’s Murrow News Fellow. The state-funded News Fellow program, operated by the Edward R. Murrow College of Communication at Washington State University, places reporting fellows in communities for two years. Relente will cover housing and other issues in South Snohomish County. She previously worked at the Tacoma News Tribune from 2021 to 2024, covering topics that affect communities in East Pierce County. A Lynnwood resident, Relente is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association. She received her bachelor’s degree in multimedia journalism from Washington State University in 2021.
Contributors
Reporters/photographers
Misha Carter
A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Misha Carter attended the drama program at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Performing Arts and is founder of the non-profit Carter Karate Institute of Peace in memory of her parents. She has dedicated her life to obliterating human injustice with her gifts for writing, photography, martial arts, and theater. A long-time Edmonds resident, she is a published author of books that include The Criminal Color, Blood White Dream of the Buffalo, and Wisdom of the Tiger.
Ashley Nash
General assignment reporter Ashley Nash has roots in the Great Plains, attended Utah Valley University and earned a bachelor’s degree in applied communications with an emphasis in journalism. Her career began at her university’s newspaper, leading to an internship and later a full-time position at Deseret News, Utah’s oldest newspaper. Nash moved to Washington to write for The Everett Daily Herald before joining the My Neighborhood News Network.
Rick Sinnett
Rick Sinnett is an Everett Community College and Washington State University graduate. While at EvCC, Rick was an editor for the school’s paper, The Clipper and was selected for the Backpack Journalism Program to Belgrade, Serbia, while at WSU. When not working on an article with his writing partner, a brown and white tabby named Tesla, he spends time with his wife and three kids.
Larry Vogel
Larry Vogel covers a full range of community news and events for My Edmonds News, MLTnews and Lynnwood Today, and has also authored a number of in-depth investigative reports. Larry also serves on the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission, including three years as commission chair.
Julia Wiese
Columnists
Deborah Binder, Restaurant news/Healthy eating columnist
Deborah Binder is a foodie who loves to cook from scratch and share her experiments with her family and friends. She attended culinary school on the East Coast and freelances around town for local chefs. Her current interest in food is learning to eat for health and wellness, while at the same time enjoying the pleasures of the table. As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation including butter.”
Elizabeth Murray, Art Beat columnist
Elizabeth Murray is a freelance writer thankful to call Edmonds home. When she’s not busy wrangling her two kids (and husband), you can find her playing ukulele and singing with The Band LeLe.
Rachel Gardner, The Local Music Scene
Rachel Gardner can often be spotted onstage cracking jokes between sets or in the audience enjoying local live performances. She enjoys being playful with her art and finding unique ways of expression, like forming a boho-grunge-folk ukulele trio with local Edmonds moms.
Remembering two valued contributors we lost in 2023
Bob Throndsen
Betty Lou Gaeng, Looking Back columnist
Our Code of Conduct
Lynnwood Today Code of Conduct
By registering to post on Lynnwood Today, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct. While our code is in fact a set of guidelines, any deliberate violation of the following points — especially those that harm other members — will result in a loss of site privileges.
Lynnwood Today users agree to not do the following:
— plagiarize the work of others, fail to acknowledge source material, or use images that belong to others without their permission;
— abuse, threaten or verbally attack other members, individuals, or MLTnews staff. We do not tolerate bullies, and we’ll do our best to spot them and get rid of them;
— post libelous, obscene or pornographic material or content that contains racist, sexist, homophobic and other slurs;
— deliberately post stories that are untrue, false or misleading or that make false representations about the poster him/herself;
Lynnwood Today readers will:
— be accountable for stories they post and follow up by correcting known errors;
— resist attacks, insults and threats and instead remain civil and focused on the ideas being presented rather than the individuals expressing them;
— promote interactivity and dialogue that supports real community collaboration;
— avoid the use of ALL CAPS in their comments as that is seen by others as shouting. At a maximum, we request no more than three ALL CAPS word per comment.
Our anti-flaming/baiting policy:
According to Wikipedia, “Flaming is the hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users. An Internet user typically generates a flame response to other posts or users posting on a site, and is usually not constructive, does not clarify a discussion, and does not persuade others. Sometimes, flamers attempt to assert their authority, or establish a position of superiority over other users.”
Flamers tend to end conversations by entering them; they create a hostile environment in which real discourse is quashed in favor of insults and abuse. Deciding who is or isn’t a flamer, and how that contributor will be handled, is at the final and sole discretion of MLTnews staff.
Once a user has been pinpointed as a flamer, (one or more instances of obvious flaming, and/or reported flaming from other site users), the following steps will be taken:
1. Send the user a warning indicating that they’re at risk of forfeiting their membership. Sometimes we may also or instead post a comment in response to the comment in question.
2. Observe the user for signs of reform or response. Should the user reform or respond and apologize, they will be given another chance.
3. Should he or she ignore staff or continue the behavior, we will block him/her from posting to the site without further notice. All decisions will be at the sole discretion of the Editor.
The mission of Lynnwood Today is to be an online community resource. As such, there is no room for hate speech or abusive or inflammatory behavior to make your point. Remember the golden rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated.
This Code of Conduct is based on guidelines established at NowPublic.com