Submitted by Aaron Arkin. If you were to list out every species that has ever existed on Earth—from the tiniest mold spore to the largest mammal—biologists estimate that somewhere around 99 percent of those species would currently be extinct. They were, in effect, evolutionary dead ends. Considering the millions of creatures, insects, flora and fauna, […]
Letters
Letter: Hope In Grief
We had a spell of weather recently that was for us unusually warm for the spring of this year. I opened windows for ventilation and continued on about the sentimental task of sorting through boxes upon boxes of 50 years accumulation of memories my wife had carefully categorized into all manner of keepsakes. Baby pictures, […]
Letter: Three Diamonds
Our family celebrated my birthday just days ago, and for the first time in our 50 years of marriage, my wife was not there. But though she had lost her battle with cancer two months previous, she had a gift just the same. How do you prepare for the final goodbye? Except to stay very […]
Letter: “The Grandkids Still Need You”
The evening of the first day of spring of this year, as the flower garden announced that soon it would be resplendent with the brilliant color of blossoms in abundance as indicated by the proliferation of green sprouts everywhere, my dearest treasure on all this earth, fifty years my traveling companion, ended her battle with […]
Letter: Hearts On a String
It was the day before this last Valentine’s Day. And it was to be our last. “You’ve battled well. It’s been a long journey,” her oncologist said, “but we’ve reached the end.” I suppose we’d expected – one day – to hear those words. But not that day. And not any day, anytime soon. But now […]
Letter: Upon Returning Home
It was a generic birthday card for my wife mailed to our home. As I returned from the mailbox, sorting through the bills and advertisements, there it was. The balloons and flowers and best wishes for a “Happy Birthday!” emblazoned on the envelope brought me pause, and I stood for a moment at the gate. […]
Letter: What does it take to get parents and the public to attend CPSD budget meetings?
Submitted by John Arbeeny. Systems can only achieve what they’re designed to achieve. When it comes to Clover Park School District (CPSD), it would seem its budget planning system is not designed to gain meaningful public participation. The evidence? In the last two “community budget meetings” on 7 March and 21 March 2023 a single […]
Letter: Two School District Budget Workshops, Only One Attendee
A quarter of a billion dollars ($230,000,000+) is the proposed 2023/2024 budget of the Clover Park School District. In the first two Community Budget Workshops offered by the District, for the purpose of soliciting input from the community on the budget, a total of one community resident attended in person. Now a third workshop will be offered on May 24, […]
Letter: The Promise
Whether she brought them home herself from her visit to Holland with her sisters, or had the tulip bulbs shipped, I don’t remember. But every spring when they burst forth in their beautiful display of color and texture, the tulips are a reminder of the promise. Even the droplets left by the rain, and maybe […]