I imagine that Halloween will be unlike any other this year due to the current pandemic situation that we are living through. We won’t be seeing our friends and neighbors in downtown Edmonds going from shop to shop or ringing neighborhood doorbells to get a piece of candy. (If you do decide to give out…
Columns
Military Wire: The real losers in this election — the optimists
We often hear that the optimist is the one who will succeed regardless of the circumstances. Could this in fact be wrong? The renowned researcher and bestselling author of Good to Great and Built to Last, Jim Collins, shared an interview he had with Admiral Jim Stockdale and his experience in Vietnam. Admiral Jim Stockdale…
Looking Back: A tragic accident on a summer night in 1953
Shown above are some of the volunteer firefighters from Station No. 1, Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 1, its home base located at Seattle Heights, three miles east of Edmonds. The men were standing beside one of the district’s fire trucks in front of Eisen’s Garage on the northeast corner of today’s 212th Street…
Under the Weather: First taste of winter to arrive this weekend with early-season cold snap
I don’t know about all of you, but scenes like the picture above just make me so happy to look at. I’m excited for winter. While we still have a couple months before winter officially arrives, we’re about to get the first real taste of it this weekend. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on who you…
Military Wire: How do we not repeat 2020 in 2021?
“How do we not repeat 2020 in 2021?” That was a question posed to me in an online speaking event several weeks ago (think about that for a moment – an “online speaking event”). My response was likely a bit unexpected, as I shared a very creative exchange between God and Gabriel that a friend…
Recommended Reads: A twisted murderer on the loose in Lynnwood man’s debut novel
Edge of Redfish Lake, by Conrad Jungmann, Jr. Ripples from one of the lakes hidden away in the Pacific Northwest spread a legend about the redfish that returned to the lake to spawn every year on their brutal trip upstream. Stories have been told of numbers so massive a person could walk across the lake…
Playtime: Free school district meals available to all, plus library services you can access during the pandemic
Earlier this month, Edmonds School District Food and Nutrition services, which provide seven days a week of free breakfast and lunch to kids ages 1 through 18 at local schools and community locations, said that many parents are asking if they “‘choose school meals’ will they be “taking away from someone else who needs it?”…
Under the Weather: La Nina conditions suggest it may be cooler and wetter this winter
The Climate Prediction Center, part of NOAA, released its Winter 2020 outlook Thursday morning, which shows that the Pacific Northwest has a chance to have a slightly cooler and wetter winter. This is a typical consequence of La Nina. La Nina is defined by the American Meteorological Society as “a significant decrease in sea surface…
Kids Are Bookin’ It: Just in time for Halloween, ‘The Witches of Vegas’ a magical tale for teens
The Witches of Vegas, by Mark Rosendorf Recommended especially for teens, young adults, and older The best place to hide is in plain sight. So if you’re in danger for your magical powers, where better to hide than in a place where magic illusion is rampant? The Witches of Vegas saved young Isis Rivera from…
Just Around the Corner update: Green Lake Spud building is no more
The building housing the Green Lake Spud Fish and Chips in Seattle is no more. The 1959 building designed by architect Edward L. Cushman did not qualify for landmark status, and was torn down this week to make way for a 59-unit apartment complex. Spud Fish and Chips will return at the same spot once…
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Under the Weather: Another hurricane poised to strike the Gulf Coast while the rain train returns to the Pacific Northwest
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is on pace to be a record-breaking one, with the potential of outdoing 2005, a year featuring infamous storms such as Rita, Wilma, and Katrina. We have already blown through all 21 names in the name list and had to begin using the Greek alphabet—a feat only done in 2005…
Contributor close-up: ‘Looking Back’ columnist Betty Lou Gaeng
Publisher’s note: After 11 years in business, it’s time our readers got better acquainted with the people behind the names you see in our publications. Here. learn more about columnist Betty Lou Gaeng. If you have ever read my Looking Back columns in My Edmonds News, Lynnwood Today or MLTnews, you already know a lot…
Military Wire: When our bubble-wrapped society bursts — the era of courage
Our country was not founded through the means of peaceful times and negotiations. Disease, battles, wars and fundamental disagreements are the foundation from which this nation started. Yet from it, we grew into a civil nation. As those founding years turned into more than two centuries, our nation is once again experiencing a tension…
Under the Weather: Uncertainty and weather forecasting in a chaotic system
Most of us, if not all of us, have seen a forecast graphic similar to the one pictured below. Temperatures are shown as specific numbers, such as 72° or 69°. This is called a “deterministic” forecast, which is a forecast that doesn’t show any uncertainty. While people tend to like this approach to forecasting, it…
Hands in the Dirt: MLT gardening tips for October
After the mad dash this week to soak up those last few rays of sun and 70-degree days, soon the garden will transition to mostly clean up. A few annuals can still be planted in the vegetable garden — mostly seeds for overwintering crops like garlic, onions, and peas, that you won’t be able to…
From the Publisher’s Desk: 11 years and counting
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…
Recommended Reads: ‘Debriefing The Dead’ a powerful urban fantasy
Debriefing The Dead, by Kerry Blaisdell Hyacinth Finch is having a tough day. She’s found a mysterious rock that has mystic powers. She had no idea that demons, and also the brutal Sicilian Mob, are in deadly pursuit to steal it from her. After the bad guys murder Hyacinth and her sister, they carry away…
Playtime: Monitoring screen time during remote learning, Celebrate Schools 5K goes virtual — and a scavenger hunt
Before quarantine, our management of screen time looked much different. Computers and phones were almost exclusively used and charged outside of bedrooms. It wasn’t far into our time at home that we realized we had to do something differently for all of our sakes. We ended up getting a different router and pairing it with…
Under the Weather: A few more wet days, then we’re looking dry and warm
It has been a wet couple of days across Western Washington, with the first storm of fall really packing a punch. A combination of rain and wind swept across the region, and it really felt like fall had arrived. Below is a graphic that shows the amount of rain that has fallen from 12 a.m….
Restaurant News: From sushi to gyros, new dining options in Lynnwood
Happy accident: An Amazon return meant a trip to Alderwood Mall. Sad to see former favorite food establishments shuttered, my spirits lifted as I rounded the corner. A new sushi spot — Bitty Fish Sushi — recently opened in the location formerly occupied by Blue C Sushi. I had to investigate and share with readers….
Under the Weather: Fall storms get off to an early start with an atmospheric river
Autumn has only just begun, but we’re already expecting the stormy weather that we’re accustomed to seeing this time of year. On Wednesday, an atmospheric river is expected to take aim directly at the Pacific Northwest, bringing with it some significant rainfall. What is an atmospheric river? I wrote an article about this phenomenon…
Recommended Reads: Deception, intrigue dominate this thriller by award-winning investigative reporter
The First To Lie, by Hank Phillippi Ryan Come along undercover for an exciting investigation into a pharmaceutical company’s business behind the counter, along with the actions of the owning matriarchal family, and the motives of the next generation poised to inherit. On the surface all appears as expected with a family of privilege and…
Playtime: Free library resources for families, from online tutoring to books by mail to anti-racism series
Sno-Isle Libraries is providing access to live online tutoring and homework help for free. I usually ease into the information, but in the land of a million terrifying headlines, it feels right to lead with great news. If you go to sno-isle.org/kids/homework you can access many homework-related resources including Brainfuse HelpNow, which offers “online tutors…
Under the Weather: Meet your friendly neighborhood meteorologist, Kelsie Knowles
Hello everyone! My name is Kelsie Knowles, and I recently graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in meteorology. I will be writing a new column, Under the Weather, which focuses on weather topics in the areas of Lynnwood (where I have lived all my life), Edmonds and Mountlake Terrace. I am so…
Looking Back: 1910 Snohomish County plat map inspires stories of local history
Discovering history sources Clues to historical stories can be found in records from many different, and even unusual sources. The idea for this column originated from a small portion of a 1910 Plat of Township 27 North, Range 4 East, Willamette Meridian, Snohomish County, Washington. The southwest Snohomish County landholders of 1910 shown on this…