By Wren Soperanes When floods move through the mountains, they speak in an ancient language. Rivers carry memory — of renewal, balance, and movement — reminding communities that safety and ecology are inseparable. Recent flooding in Leavenworth and the Methow Valley has made this truth impossible to ignore. Water moves as kin and teacher, revealing […]
My Turn
My Turn – Moving beyond land acknowledgements
By Rob Crandall I have been a business owner in the Methow Valley for the past 30 years. I count myself as extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to live and raise a family in this magical valley that I now call home. Over this time, I have begun to learn the story of […]
My Turn – Missing the forest
By David Lukas I read Susan Prichard’s recent guest column (“Setting the record straight about forest restoration,” Nov. 12) with great interest, but came away feeling that the author is missing the forest for the trees. When people argue for thinning and fire prevention, it reminds me of DDT and that time in the 1940s, […]
My Turn – An abundance … of what?
By KC Golden The political class is buzzing about the “abundance agenda,” a strategy for economic progress from a new book by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson. The affordability crisis, they argue, is caused by constraints on the supply of necessities like housing and clean energy. By reducing regulatory barriers and increasing investment in these […]
My Turn – Help protect our Methow Valley woods
By Michael “Bird” Shaffer We live in one of the most special places on Earth, and that’s a benefit we share as Methow Valley residents. It’s what connects us, no matter where we came from or how long we’ve been here. I’m writing today because I fear for the loss of the very things that […]
My Turn – Why we’re supporting the Three Rivers bond
By Mike Pruett and Cherryl Thomas As part of your elected hospital commissioners, we’ve heard questions about the future of Three Rivers Hospital. Small towns run on word of mouth, and rumors travel fast. With so many headlines about rural hospitals shutting down, it’s natural to worry. But here’s the truth: Three Rivers isn’t giving […]
My Turn – Defending and celebrating the right to read
By Andy Lee Roth Growing up in the 1970s, raised by parents who worked as teachers and loved reading, I read whatever I wanted with little to no supervision. Looking back, some spicy scenes in the spy stories I devoured during middle school might have caused them concern. But the only time a book got […]
My Turn – There’s a better idea for hospitals in Okanogan County
Submitted by members of the Okanogan Health Care Planning Group At November’s General Election, voters in the Methow Valley will be asked to vote on a $45 million general obligation bond proposal that has been put forward by Public Hospital District 1 on behalf of Three Rivers Hospital (TRH). Although we supported the ER levy, […]
My Turn – Taking a stand against Trump’s transgressions— if not now, when?
By Gina McCoy It is time to take a stand. We are at risk of handing our country to fascists. That is no exaggeration. Here is a definition from the online Free Dictionary: “Fascism: a form of government in which a dictator rules, opposition is suppressed, the economy is centrally controlled, and extreme nationalistic policies […]
My Turn – Reflections on returning to the Methow
By Heather McLean I was born here in the valley, fourth generation. I left for 20 or so years to go have a firefighting career elsewhere in the West. I always wanted to come back, planned on it, made it happen. In light of recent articles in the paper, and many conversations I have had, […]
