Note: This column originally appeared in April 2023 but we are reposting it as a reminder as we get close to the primary election date of Aug. 1. This is shaping up to be a busy election season in Lynnwood, with four city council seats plus races for Edmonds School Board, the hospital district and…
Dear readers: In 2013, after four years spent publishing My Edmonds News, I took over publication of Lynnwood Today from founder Mike Murphy. He was moving out of the area but he wanted to make sure Lynnwood continued to have a reliable news source, especially since the city had recently lost its community newspaper, the…
Whether you are a business owner or a politician, longevity is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you gain more experience with every passing year and feel more comfortable in your role. On the other hand, as you become familiar with the ebb and flow of either your business or election cycle, you may…
Dear readers: Every two years, we have city elections and every two years, I see the following behavior as the ballots hit mailboxes: — A flurry of letters to the editor from supporters about candidates’ accomplishments or opponents of certain candidates about their wrongdoings. — Accusations of campaign signs being stolen or vandalized. — Comments…
Dear readers: While I’m happy to welcome 2021, I want to take a moment to express my gratitude for all the goodness I saw in 2020. For starters, members of our community stepped up to help others. In the midst of COVID-related layoffs and worries about how to pay the rent/mortgage/utilities and keep food on…
Eleven. It’s not a particularly magical number — unless it’s the number of years you’ve been slogging through as a community news publisher at possibly the worst time to be a news publisher in modern history. Most of you know the story: News publications going out of business or downsizing is the norm these days, both…
Dear readers: I hope you’ll join me Saturday, Aug. 29, for my TED talk through the 2020 TEDXSnoIsleLibraries program. My topic: the key role that readers will play in the survival of journalism. While the talks from a total of 15 presenters were supposed to be delivered live with an audience at the Edmonds Center for the Arts,…
For years, I have shared with readers my love-hate relationship with Facebook. Actually, let’s flip that: It’s a hate-love relationship. To explain, everything we post to our news websites is also posted to Facebook and Twitter. I used to do this posting individually, by hand, and with three community news websites it was fairly time…
Community takes on a different meaning during a pandemic. For more than a month, we’ve been telling the stories of COVID-19 and its impact on our community. They are stories of compassion. Of caring. Of survival. Of resilience. How schools are making sure kids in need don’t go hungry and how food banks are feeding families….
Dear readers: Welcome to 2020. For me, it’s more than a number. It’s a milestone. For the past decade — with the stalwart support and encouragement of readers and advertisers — we have been building a community news organization that now covers a combined population of 100,000 in Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace. Yet, many…
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In my generation of journalists, nearly everyone I know was influenced by a great high school journalism teacher. Someone who lit a fire under us. Who saw some raw talent and encouraged us to develop it. In my case, that journalism teacher was Steve Rogers. Steve started his teaching career at Ellensburg High School after…
It’s hard to believe, but we are almost at the end of 2019. And what a year it has been. Since January, we have been recognized for our work in numerous ways, including MLTnews being honored as 2019 Small Business of the Year and Publisher Teresa Wippel being named Edmonds Citizen of the Year for…
A week ago, I returned home from a whirlwind trip to Nashville, Tenn. — this year’s location for the annual gathering of Local Independent Online News publishers. I sit on the national board of this organization, which has more than 200 members in the U.S. and internationally. It’s no surprise that our acronym — and…
Dear readers: Thanks very much for your patience during the past week as we’ve been working out the glitches that occurred during our website redesign. We still have a few more wrinkles to smooth out, but I want to assure you that the reason for doing this — in the end — is to provide…
Sept. 30 2009. That was the date that I pushed the purchase button for the domain name MyEdmondsNews.com. Every year around this time, I’m asked whether I want to renew my domain name. It’s also a good time to ask myself — am I ready to renew my commitment to My Edmonds News, MLTnews and…
As the publisher of digital news outlets for three neighboring communities in south Snohomish County, I have observed first-hand the strengths, weaknesses and challenges facing all three cities –Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace. The cities are unique in terms of geography, population size (Edmonds and Lynnwood are very close, at around 40,000 while Terrace is…
On Wednesday, I attended the YWCA’s 20th anniversary Snohomish County luncheon, featuring keynote speaker Naomi Tutu. The speech was amazing on many levels, coming from a Tutu, the daugher of South African religious leader Desmond Tutu. As a black woman who grew up under apartheid rule in South Africa, Naomi Tutu spoke passionately about supporting…
Dear Readers: We are about to start 2018, and for me personally, that means five years of covering Lynnwood through Lynnwood Today. For local news organizations like ours, the week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day is often a slower time. I have had the luxury of reviewing the past year, as well as…
Much has been written about today’s young people, and a lot of it hasn’t been terribly positive. Pampered. Spoiled. Unmotivated. Self-centered. The criticism goes on and on. But if the alumni who spoke at Mountlake Terrace High School Friday morning are any indication of the next generation, we are in good hands. I was one…
It’s likely you’ve seen soundbites lately on Net Neutrality, and an upcoming FCC vote on whether to repeal it. Let me assure you that this is more than a national headline on CNN or Fox News. The threat is very local and very real. On Monday, I was proud to be included in a statement…
Many of you won’t read this. You are tired of my “sales pitch” for support. You are too busy to set up a recurring subscription. You figure — like so many of us do when it comes to financially supporting a local business — that “others” will do it and you don’t need to. But…
One of my favorite activities at the annual Edmonds Center for the Arts gala is the Heads or Tails contest. Common at many fundraising auctions, during this event participants are asked to place their hands on their heads or their behinds. The auction emcee then proceeds to flip a coin and announce whether it lands…
During a recent column regarding the ongoing challenges of local journalism, I pledged to donate 10 percent of all subscriptions through April 30 to help students at our two local high schools — Edmonds-Woodway and Mountlake Terrace — who have been selected to perform in this May’s prestigious Essentially Ellington Jazz Festival in New York…
Exactly one month ago, I wrote about the ongoing challenges of local journalism, including how easy it is for individuals and businesses to support us through a regular subscription or one-time donation of any amount. I also pledged to donate 10 percent of all subscriptions through April 30 to help students at our two local…
These topics have been on my mind for the past few days. Let me explain how they are related. I came across a rather blunt column written by Chris Faraone, a columnist for DigBoston, an alternative weekly newspaper (think Seattle’s The Stranger) in Boston. The column is peppered with expletives (I DID say it was…
