WATCH: Publisher Teresa Wippel’s 2020 TEDX talk on the important role readers play in the survival of journalism.

Welcome to the My Neighborhood News Network. Here’s what you should know about our community’s longest-running, Edmonds-based online news source.

Mission statement: I’m delighted that people regularly share their ideas and opinions by commenting on stories and submitting letters to the editor.

Independently owned. My Edmonds News, MLTnews and Lynnwood Today are supported by online advertising and reader donations, and the money raised stays in the community; it’s not sent to a New York- or Seattle-based corporation. My freelance writers and photographers live in our communities too.

Independently owned. We are supported by online advertising and reader donations, and the money raised stays in the community; it’s not sent to a New York- or Seattle-based corporation.

Community service. I was raised in the small town of Ellensburg, Wash. and I understand the value of being in a community where people know your name and care about your well-being. My dad was a local small business owner and served as Ellensburg’s mayor in the 1960s, and  he was always giving back to his community. He instilled in me the value of selfless community service. I am a former member of the Edmonds Historical Museum Board and the Edmonds Citizens Economic Development Commission. I also have provided reduced cost or free advertising to deserving community organizations, and I work with local high school and college journalism students.

Commitment to journalism. I was a journalism major/political science minor at Seattle University, after which I began working for community and small daily newspapers and a wire service. Journalism is an essential cornerstone to American democracy and in a small town, it connects people to their neighbors and the institutions that they value: their schools, city government and community organizations as well as activities and events.

Commitment to value for my advertisers. Our publications are an incredible value for local businesses looking to get the word out about their products and services. Our readership continues to grow month-after-month and our pricing is very affordable when compared to other advertising opportunities.

Recognition. In 2019, I was recognized by the Edmonds Kiwanis Club as the Edmonds Citizen of the Year for my community journalism work. In my nomination, I was cited for my work to: 1) Give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than the material values of life; 2) Encourage the daily living of the golden rule in all human relationships; 3) Promote the adoption and application of higher social, business and professional standards and 4) Provide a practical means to form enduring friendships, render altruistic service and build better communities.

In 2013, I received the Edmonds Daybreakers Rotary Club Business Professional of the Year in 2013, based on 1) Aspiring to high ethical standards in her occupation; 2) Recognizing the worthiness of all useful occupations and 3) Contributing her vocational talents to the problems and needs of society. We received organizational recognition through the Washington Journalism Education Association’s award in 2014 for the unique partnership between our Sound Live Sports Network  and high school students. In addition, My Edmonds News has been written up in several national publications, including the Columbia Journalism Review.

How to connect. I welcome you to connect with me and our community by commenting online. You can also send me an email at teresa@myedmondsnews.com. And of course, you are welcome to show your support by making a donation online or via U.S. mail. Information on how to do that is located here.

I look forward to your ideas and your feedback.

Sincerely,

Teresa Wippel, Founder and Publisher
My Neighborhood News Network

How to submit news, photos and letters

We accept submissions regarding news, events and issues, including letters to the editor and opinion pieces, that are related to Edmonds residents and businesses.

Our guidelines for submitting news and photos

If you have news of an event you would like us to publicize or if you have a story idea for us to follow up on, here’s the best way to submit:

• Send an email to myedmondsnews@gmail.com. Make sure to include all information regarding your event — consider the who, what, when, where, why and how. If there are event sponsors that you want highlighted, please list them in the email.
• An official press release is not necessary, but if you have one, either 1) copy and paste the content directly into the email or 2) send a Word document attachment. Do not send a PDF, as that format is difficult to manage and often the formatting does not transfer correctly.
• Photos or images can either be embedded into a Word document or attached separately. Low-resolution photos are fine since we are a digital publication. If you have trouble sending a photo file because it’s too large, it’s larger than we need — resize it before sending. Please send a caption describing the image that includes, if appropriate, the date and location where it was taken.
• Fliers of events are OK to send if they provide additional background information on the event.
• Do not assume that a Facebook event listing alone will suffice for getting the word out.  While these are helpful for reaching Facebook followers, keep in mind that not everyone has Facebook. We don’t always see information on Facebook either, and we may miss pertinent details if the only way you announce your event is via Facebook. If you want to ensure we capture your event properly, send us an email at myedmondsnews@gmail.com with the information to be included.

Our guidelines for submitting letters to the editor

• Letters to the editor must be labeled as such and signed by an individual that includes city of residence.
• There is a limit of 250 words for all letters to the editor.
• We do accept letters from organizations but they must include the signature of an individual representative or representatives, noting they are writing on behalf of the organization.
• We do not accept letters to the editor endorsing political candidates or ballot measures once ballots have been mailed for an election.
• We can’t run photos or other images with letters to the editor.
• We welcome a wide range of viewpoints to be expressed in letters to the editor. However, we reserve the right to work with the author to ensure that letters submitted contain factual information and links to legitimate websites. The publisher makes the final decision on whether to publish any submitted letter, and reserves the right to remove and/or edit letters.

If you have questions about other types of submissions not covered here, please email Publisher Teresa Wippel at teresa@myedmondsnews.com.

Contributors

Reporters/photographers

Misha Carter

A native of Anchorage, Alaska, Misha Carter attended the drama program at Seattle’s Cornish College of the Performing Arts and is founder of the non-profit Carter Karate Institute of Peace in memory of her parents. She has dedicated her life to obliterating human injustice with her gifts for writing, photography, martial arts, and theater. A long-time Edmonds resident, she is a published author of books that include The Criminal Color, Blood White Dream of the Buffalo, and Wisdom of the Tiger.

Lauren Reichenbach

A Lynnwood resident, Lauren Reichenbach covers the City of Lynnwood and the Edmonds School District, and also writes news and features for Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace and Edmonds. She graduated from Eastern Washington University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, where she worked for the on-campus newspaper, The Easterner, as a co-manager and copy editor. Her dream is to become a traveling photojournalist for National Geographic, or to become a billionaire by winning the lottery.

Bob Throndsen

Edmonds resident Bob Throndsen’s journalism career has taken him from Portland, to Seattle, to Philadelphia and back to Seattle, where he worked at KOMO TV, retiring in 2012. He began writing for the My Neighborhood News Network in 2020, and has covered a range of important issues in the community, from the COVID-19 pandemic to policing. He and his wife Sonja have two grown and married daughters and five grandchildren.

Larry Vogel

Larry Vogel covers a full range of community news and events for My Edmonds News, MLTnews and Lynnwood Today, and has also authored a number of in-depth investigative reports. Larry also serves on the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission, including three years as commission chair.

Columnists

Deborah Binder, Restaurant News/Healthy Eating columnist

Deborah Binder is a foodie who loves to cook from scratch and share her experiments with her family and friends. She attended culinary school on the East Coast and freelances around town for local chefs. Her current interest in food is learning to eat for health and wellness, while at the same time enjoying the pleasures of the table. As Julia Child once said, “Everything in moderation including butter.”

Betty Lou Gaeng, Looking Back columnist

Betty Gaeng is a former long-time resident of Lynnwood and Edmonds, coming to the area in 1933. Although she now lives in Anchorage, she still writes about the history and the people of early-day Edmonds, Lynnwood and Mountlake Terrace. She is also an honorary member of the Edmonds Cemetery Board.

Elizabeth Murray, Art Beat columnist

Elizabeth Murray is a freelance writer thankful to call Edmonds home. When she’s not busy wrangling her two kids (and husband), you can find her playing ukulele and singing with The Band LeLe.

Kelsey Nelson, Under the Weather columnist

A graduate of Lynnwood High School, Kelsie Nelson is a meteorologist and University of Washington graduate who lives in Kenmore. After writing weather blogs as a KOMO News intern, she discovered a passion for writing about weather.

Jen Marx, Edmonds Kind of Play columnist

Jen Marx, an Edmonds mom of two boys, is always looking for a fun place to take the kids that makes them tired enough to go to bed on time.

Our Code of Conduct

My Neighborhood News Network Code of Conduct

By registering to post on our websites, you agree to abide by this Code of Conduct. While our code is in fact a set of guidelines, any deliberate violation of the following points – especially those that harm other members – will result in a loss of site privileges.

My Edmonds News users agree to not do the following:
– plagiarize the work of others, fail to acknowledge source material, or use images that belong to others without their permission;
– abuse, threaten or verbally attack other members, individuals or staff. We do not tolerate bullies, and we’ll do our best to spot them and get rid of them;
– post libelous, obscene or pornographic material or content that contains racist, sexist, homophobic and other slurs;
– deliberately post stories that are untrue, false or misleading or that make false representations about the poster him/herself;

Our readers will:
– be accountable for stories they post and follow up by correcting known errors;
– resist attacks, insults and threats and instead remain civil and focused on the ideas being presented rather than the individuals expressing them;
– promote interactivity and dialogue that supports real community collaboration;
– avoid the use of ALL CAPS in their comments as that is seen by others as shouting. At a maximum, we request no more than three ALL CAPS word per comment.

Our anti-flaming/baiting policy:
According to Wikipedia, “Flaming is the hostile and insulting interaction between Internet users. An Internet user typically generates a flame response to other posts or users posting on a site, and is usually not constructive, does not clarify a discussion, and does not persuade others. Sometimes, flamers attempt to assert their authority, or establish a position of superiority over other users.”

Flamers tend to end conversations by entering them; they create a hostile environment in which real discourse is quashed in favor of insults and abuse. Deciding who is or isn’t a flamer, and how that contributor will be handled, is at the final and sole discretion of My Neighborhood News Network staff.

Once a user has been pinpointed as a flamer, (one or more instances of obvious flaming, and/or reported flaming from other site users), the following steps will be taken:

1. Send the user a warning indicating that they’re at risk of forfeiting their membership. Sometimes we may also or instead post a comment in response to the comment in question.
2. Observe the user for signs of reform or response. Should the user reform or respond and apologize, they will be given another chance.
3. Should he or she ignore staff or continue the behavior, we will block him/her from posting to the site without further notice. All decisions will be at the sole discretion of the Editor.

Remember the golden rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated.

This Code of Conduct is based on guidelines established at NowPublic.com

All works on this website are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.