I don’t know about you, dear Gazette reader, but I’m not sure I’m ready for 2015. I’m still winded from a whirlwind 2014.
Seems like, when we in the newsroom start collating the top stories from our quaint corner of the globe for our top stories of each year, we start out wondering, “Hey, did anything of any relevance happen?” and, days later, bleary-eyed and dazed from thumbing through stacks of newsprint, we realize, “My goodness. Yes, all that just happened. How did we survive the last 12 months?”
I know a lot of folks have had a tough go in 2014 — the loss of a family member or friend, a business effort that turned sour, a relationship that fell apart — so I count myself fortunate to have had a blessed 2014.
My own highlight was seeing my oldest stepdaughter Chelsea get married. While it wasn’t as involved as planning our own nuptials, my wife and I had plenty to do in the days and weeks leading up to the July 4 event in Spokane. By the time that special day arrived we were wondering if giving the prospective bride and groom a pair of airline tickets to Vegas wasn’t a better solution.
In the end, things worked out. Chelsea and her beau, Logan Bridges, said their vows, no one tripped walking down the aisle, many an embarrassing dance at the reception was performed and, as of the end of 2014, everyone in the family is still speaking to each other. I consider that a big victory.
Things calmed down here a bit at the Gazette — for the most part. We said so long to colleague Mark Couhig and welcomed new reporter Alana Linderoth early in the year, and reporter Matthew Nash and his wife welcomed baby Oliver into the world near the year’s end. In between, I hope we served you well with the stories and photos of the Sequim-Dungeness Valley. We’ll do our best to do exactly that in 2015. If not, you know where we are — up here in the Gazette tower.
On to the randomness that is the editor’s desk:
Don’t forget about PFOA
In the Dec. 17 edition, we inadvertently left out a key local, nonprofit group that cares for animals in a column by
Cheryl Smith (“Giving for animals,” page A-8). The Peninsula Friends of Animals has been a major player in thousands of pet adoptions and more services since its inception in 2000. Danette Grady, executive director at PFOA, reminds us that the group has been able to help more than 12,000 people through the combination of adoptions, spay/neuter programs, food bank distributions and trap/neuter/return situations. Check out safehavenpfoa.org, call 452-0414 or e-mail to pfoa@olypen.com.
Kilmer’s bills
On Dec. 16, U.S. Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) introduced a bill to reverse the tenfold increase in the amount of money donors can contribute to political parties. Kilmer’s legislation, the Close the Floodgates Act (HR 5887), would restore provisions that capped individual donor contributions for political parties at $97,200 per year. Over the course of a two-year election cycle, wealthy donors could send more than $1.5 million to a political party. “There is already too much money in our politics,” Kilmer says.
In addition, President Obama signed into law a bill by Kilmer and Rep. Tom Cotton (D-Ark.) called The American Savings Promotion Act, one that allows more financial institutions to offer prize-linked savings accounts. Prize-linked savings accounts are innovative savings products that offer participants the chance to win cash prizes, sometimes known as “Save to Win” plans. The more participants save, the more chances they have to win prizes. Proponents of the bill say that people depositing into the accounts are strengthening their “safety net” and preparing themselves to meet future financial needs.
Trade ‘Beast’ for ‘Bertha’
Washington state’s Department of Transportation can’t catch a break. Seattle Tunnel Partners gave an estimate last week that fixing tunnel-boring machine Bertha will take an additional nine months on top of previous estimates — putting Seattle’s Highway 99 project opening back to August 2017. Am I the only one around here who sees the obvious solution? To have Marshawn Lynch create the tunnel himself? Turn the “Bertha” project into “Beast Mode.” Problem solved.
Sick, man … just sick
The Washington State Department of Health is reminding folks that flu vaccinations can protect you during the holiday family gathering season. “Flu activity is increasing in Washington and is expected to continue to increase in the coming weeks,” state officials said last week. “Flu season typically peaks in the winter months when people spend more time indoors.”
State health officials say that H3N2 flu viruses have been the most common type of flu circulating around the country and that seasons when H3N2 viruses are most common tend to be more severe with higher numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. The flu vaccine still offers protection against the well-matched strains and may provide some protection against the drifted strain, officials said.
“We are still recommending that everyone 6 months and older get vaccinated this season,” said Washington State Health Officer Dr. Kathy Lofy. “Even if the vaccine may only provide partial protection against one flu virus, it can protect you against the other types.”
Other people at higher risk include young children, pregnant women, people 65 and older and people with certain chronic medical conditions. It takes about two weeks for the vaccine to fully protect against flu. Some children under the age of 9 may need two doses of flu vaccine.
The Department of Health’s website (www.doh.wa.gov) is a good source for a healthy dose of information. The website’s online “vaccine finder” is a good tool for finding vaccine near you or call the Family Health Hotline at 800- 322-2588.
The mess behind ‘The Interview’
I’m not sure when a movie of such dubious distinction has caused so much international intrigue, but so it is with the Seth Rogan/James Franco vehicle, “The Interview.” The film is about an assassination plot against the North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un and it is widely believed that Sony Pictures suffered a cyberattack last month partly due to North Korea’s fury regarding the movie.
Last week, Sony Pictures put out a list of about 300 theaters in nearly every state that planned to show the controversial comedy on Christmas Day and several dozen more starting Jan. 1. Further, there are talks to distribute “The Interview” for rental on YouTube and Google Play.
While it may be a victory for the First Amendment and freedom of speech, I think most folks who watch a Seth Rogan movie will tell you in the end, everybody loses; see (or, rather, don’t see) “The Green Hornet.”
What we searched for
Spiritual guidance? The meaning of life? The path of enlightenment? Nah. Instead, we used Google for more grim purposes. Among the top searches through the preeminent search engine were the death of Robin Williams (No. 1 overall), Ebola (No. 3) and missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 (No. 4).
Sure, there were plenty of more light-hearted and heartwarming top searches. In Google’s annual round-up of the year’s top global searches, they found folks were interested in the exploits of their favorite teams at the World Cup (No. 2) and the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge (No. 5). Also popular were the addictive smartphone game Flappy Bird, actress Jennifer Lawrence, athlete James Rodriguez and a YouTube video called “Mutant Giant Spider Dog” … which I am never going to watch because I detest spiders and love dogs.
See more at www.google.com/trends/2014.
And finally …
What would an Editor’s Corner be without a random and irrelevant list from an equally random and irrelevant source to pore over?
According to the Del Monte Holiday Meal Census — yes, I get these e-mails … pity me — Washington is ranked No. 16 in the U.S. for the fastest holiday meal preparation. Del Monte asked 2,500 Americans to describe how long it takes them to get ready for the typical holiday meal. Washingtonians said they spend about 4.8 hours cooking up a holiday meal. That’s well behind the cooks in Kansas (3.6 hours, No. 1) and Iowa (3.7 hours) and well ahead of the slowpokes in Mississippi (7.1 hours, the slowest), Kentucky (6.9, second-slowest) and Alabama (6.7, third).
It’s understandable that we Washingtonians get our meals done fairly quickly, of course. We’ve got Seahawks games to watch …
Reach editor Michael Dashiell at editor@sequimgazette.com.
