Letters to the Editor
Published 1:30 am Saturday, April 18, 2026
PARAMEDICS
Thankful for our first responders
This past week, we experienced a medical emergency at our home, necessitating a call to 911 in the late evening. The dispatcher at the 911 Call Center was calm and excellent in her handling of our situation. When the paramedic team from Mariner Station 11 arrived, they impressed us by their re-assuring and professional approach to our problem. They went about their medical checks with efficiency, and we are thankful our community has such a capable team available when needed.
We have always supported the paramedic levies, and will, without fail, continue to do so.
We want to sincerely thank this great team who helped us through a frightening time.
Christine and Lowell Bailey
Everett
TRUTH
The contents of the Bible are not merely ‘stories’
So, the AP released Heather Holingsworth’s labeling the contents of the Bible, “stories”.
Fiction is her definition. She knows not the truth. She does not know that the truth sets one free. She therefore denies that the Bible is non-fiction. Sadly, many in so-called confessions refer to the reports in the Bible as stories, out of ignorance, promoting untruth.
Journalism 101 claims to report the truth, the facts, objectively, but, not so for the AP, and its minion Heather.
Truth is absolute. Truth is not relative. Therefore, for those who push the Truth of the Bible as stories do so not knowing the truth. Therefore, one is either supportive of the claims of the creator God, or they are in opposition to God. Know the truth, and that is, one can not know truth absolutely and claim to be set apart to serve Truth and oppose God at the same time.
Editor’s note for context: Heather Hollingsworth, who writes for the Associated Press, or AP, wrote the story, “Bible stories would be part of a new Texas public schools reading list drawing attention,” which was published on April 10. Her lede in the story was “Biblical stories like Jonah and the whale would be required reading for Texas public schools students under proposals that are putting the state at the center of another contentious wrangling over the role of religion in classrooms.”
Samuel Bess
Stanwood
STATE BUDGET
What part of this do I not understand?
The WA state legislature claimed the State has a budget crisis and a 9.9% income tax is needed.
In this year’s budget they cut $8.0M from the DNR budget, which will cause the closure of 13 campgrounds in the state. In addition, they cut $7.5M from enrichment funding for private charter schools; schools that continually produce higher achieving students.
Yet, somehow, they managed to find $45M to hire 300+ employees for the Dept of Revenue. Employees who will be responsible for the collection of an income tax that may, or may not, survive legal challenge AND won’t go in to effect until 2029.
Clark Shaefer
Mill Creek
