In a three-day event ahead of the November 2020 elections, the voting center at Federal Way’s Performing Arts and Event Center saw 1,433 voters, which included 466 newly registered voters. File photo

Opinion

Editorial: Baseless claims of fraud threaten voter confidence

Without evidence of fraud, it’s those alleging irregularities who are a threat to election integrity.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal told a crowd in Port Angeles he would like to see school districts have the ability to increase their local levies. (Jesse Major/Peninsula Daily News)

Opinion

Message from state superintendent regarding school employee vaccinations

After a year and a half of remote and hybrid learning, my top priorities as our school buildings…

A Sept. 10, 2020, satellite image shows smoke from U.S. wildfires blanketing the majority of the West Coast. (European Space Agency)

Opinion

Editorial: The UN climate report, ‘The Lorax’ and us

The report and the Dr. Seuss classic offer a dire warning — and hope — for responding to…

John Hamer is a retired editorial writer and columnist for The Seattle Times. He and his wife have four grandchildren.

Opinion

Getting to know your wildlife on Mercer Island | Guest column

My wife and I often visit Suncadia, on the other side of Snoqualmie Pass near Cle Elum. There…

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner is a former mayor of Auburn. Contact bjroegner@comcast.net.

Opinion

Look forward to an exciting November election | Roegner

King County Executive Dow Constantine was expected to win the August primary, and his likely goal was to…

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He recently retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at thebrunells@msn.com.

Opinion

It’s time to rethink Washington’s long-term care law | Brunell

Time is short, but action is necessary.

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner is a former mayor of Auburn. Contact bjroegner@comcast.net.

Opinion

Back to work? With new virus strain, maybe not | Roegner

COVID-19 has made the workplace more hazardous because the virus, particularly the delta variant, gets transmitted by air…

Robert Toomey, CFA/CFP, is Vice President of Research for S. R. Schill & Associates on Mercer Island.

Opinion

Financial reality about re-introducing mask mandates | Guest column

The recent flare-up the COVID delta variant is a good example of how Mother Nature works to sustain…

Dr. Bob Baugher is a professor in the Department of Psychology Highline College. Contact BBAUGHER@highline.edu. Contributed photo

Opinion

Love and death: We don’t have forever, so we better do it now

By Dr. Bob Baugher, guest columnist

Maria Gulchuk, a teacher in Federal Way, chats with her students via Zoom during online class on in 2020. File photo

Opinion

Technology and the post-pandemic restructuring of education | Guest column

As Simon Jenkins notes in an op-ed piece in The Guardian, “Great institutions traditionally need traumas — wars…

Guest columnist Greg Asimakoupoulos is chaplain at Covenant Living at the Shores in Mercer Island.

Opinion

Let’s hear it for anniversaries | Guest column

Our journey through life is marked by milestones. This year, my progress on the road that leads to…

Federal Way resident Bob Roegner is a former mayor of Auburn. Contact bjroegner@comcast.net.

Opinion

King County primary election candidates to watch | Roegner

With the Aug. 3 primary election, the public will narrow the field to the finalists as only the…

Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He recently retired as president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and now lives in Vancouver. He can be contacted at thebrunells@msn.com.

Opinion

Massive reforestation effort needed in Washington and beyond | Brunell

Massive forest fires in the western parts of our country are not only choking us with layers of…