Opinion

Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.

Cash for empty bottles would make sense in Washington | Brunell

When Oregon enacted the nation’s first bottle bill in 1971, it was intended to reduce litter on the state’s beaches, along roads, and in parks.… Continue reading

  • Jun 16, 2023
  • By Don C. Brunell
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.
Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Remember and honor | Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Cartoon by Frank Shiers… Continue reading

  • May 27, 2023
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.

Agriculture is the backbone of state’s economy | Brunell

Some would argue that spring is the most wonderful time of the year in Washington. Throughout our state the fruit trees blossom, vibrant tulip fields… Continue reading

  • May 10, 2023
  • By Don C. Brunell
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.

Here’s what communist and totalitarian trials really look like | Whale’s Tales

In the 1968 film “Oliver!,” the murderous Bill Sykes’ doomed lover, Nancy, leads pub revelers in a round of “Oom Pah Pah,” a rolicking repetition… Continue reading

Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.
Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Trick question from the Legislature? | Shiers

Cartoon by Frank Shiers… Continue reading

  • Apr 12, 2023
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Hayley Richbart

Washington needs a pragmatic approach for helping asylum seekers | Guest column

By Hayley Richbart, asylum case manager, Jewish Family Service of Seattle

  • Apr 11, 2023
Hayley Richbart
Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Magic at the Washington State Supreme Court | Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Cartoon by Frank Shiers: “On March 24, the state Supreme Court ruled that the capital gains tax was constitutional. They did so by defining it… Continue reading

  • Mar 27, 2023
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.

Skilled worker shortage could derail electrification goals | Brunell

In the race to “electrify everything,” there are glitches that may derail the plan over the next 20 years. One is a shortage of skilled… Continue reading

  • Mar 25, 2023
  • By Don C. Brunell
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.
Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.

Clear communication vs. sticking your head in the oven | Whale’s Tales

As I have written before in this column, I am a word person. Better to say I have been a student of language ever since… Continue reading

Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.
Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.

Victim energy is a siren song to which we must stop our ears | Whale’s Tales

We find them everywhere we turn. People who blame all that’s gone south in their lives on someone or something outside of themselves that “done… Continue reading

Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.

Pandemic made us realize the value of local pharmacists | Brunell

While the coronavirus clobbered many businesses, pharmacies were not among them. In fact, since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, local pharmacists… Continue reading

  • Mar 2, 2023
  • By Don C. Brunell
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.
Email editor@kentreporter.com

For every vote to count, Kent needs district-based elections | Guest column

By Mónica Mendoza-Castrejón Guest Column If you’re a community member here in Kent who’s thinking of running for public office, you’ll be told a variation… Continue reading

  • Feb 8, 2023
Email editor@kentreporter.com
Keith Livingston is a retired municipal management professional, lifelong artist and Federal Way resident. He can be reached at keithlivingstondesign@gmail.com.

Homeowner’s behavior toward waste worker is pure garbage | Livingston

I recently witnessed an interaction between a homeowner trying to deal with having his green bin container picked up by Waste Management. The driver of… Continue reading

Keith Livingston is a retired municipal management professional, lifelong artist and Federal Way resident. He can be reached at keithlivingstondesign@gmail.com.
Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Go Seahawks! | Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Cartoon by Frank Shiers… Continue reading

  • Jan 13, 2023
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.

America needs ‘all of the above’ energy approach | Brunell

In 2023, one of the most significant shifts America needs is to return to an “all of the above” strategy that expands our energy options… Continue reading

  • Jan 7, 2023
  • By Don C. Brunell
Don C. Brunell is a business analyst, writer and columnist. He is a former president of the Association of Washington Business, the state’s oldest and largest business organization, and lives in Vancouver. Contact thebrunells@msn.com.
Cartoon by Frank Shiers

Welcome to the big show, Dori | Shiers

From cartoonist Frank Shiers: You probably know that I worked at KIRO Radio for 17 years with Dori, among others. His conservative-leaning opinions were certainly… Continue reading

  • Jan 6, 2023
Cartoon by Frank Shiers
Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.

‘I must have driven through a barn’ and other stories of grace | Whale’s Tales

My brother, Jack, and I were jabbering on Christmas Eve about all the things we’ve done in our lives that we improbably survived. Many of… Continue reading

Robert Whale can be reached at rwhale@soundpublishing.com.