📰 Inside CDN 04/13/26

From the editor’s desk: At our weekly CDN staff meeting last Friday morning, I spent a few moments talking to the troops about our in-depth tribute to climber Jim Whittaker, the Northwest icon, former REI head and celebrated conservationist, who died last Tuesday at home in Port Townsend.

It’s not often we clear so much space on our website, or the front page of our print paper, for coverage of the death of a single person, even a famous one. This was, I said, a CDN coverage “statement” in my mind. So what was that statement?

That we are a publication intensely focused on representing, explaining and yes, honoring our “sense of place.” Central to that: a spirit of adventure and love of our natural habitat is a bond shared by many here; it’s one emotional touchstone to “Cascadia.”

Also, as I suggested in my Friday column, Big Jim was a larger-than-life hero who deserved it.

He lived much of his life as an influential citizen of Port Townsend, on the edge of our coverage area. But no single person I have ever known has more clearly personified the broader Northwest sense of place than Jim Whittaker.

In my view, when a rare character who personified a regional sensibility leaves the public stage, you go big.

We went big on Tuesday, announcing Whittaker’s passing to the world. We went big again on Friday, with a large print spread. I’m proud of the comprehensive obituary reported and written by my longtime friend and colleague Elliott Almond, a valued CDN contributor. Illustrations provided by Jim’s wife, Dianne Roberts, brought those stories to life in Kodachrome glory on all our publishing platforms.

By Friday afternoon, the Whittaker pieces dominated our most-read list for the week.

Big thanks for making it happen in such a timely fashion are due to the entire CDN team, but especially to the Whittaker family, including Jim’s youngest son, Leif, who has strong ties to Bellingham and considers the Mount Baker backcountry his spiritual happy place.

We were thrilled to see the large crowd at the Mount Baker Theatre Saturday for the CDN-sponsored appearance by travel guru Rick Steves. The outspoken Edmonds resident spoke about the challenges — and opportunities — presented by global travel in an age of unprecedented tensions between America and nations many Americans often visit.

Steves, as usual, was candid, introspective and steadfast in his belief that personal diplomacy between Americans and folks in other nations is a critical global survival skill — more urgently needed now than ever.

More than 900 people attended the event, which we consider a huge success. Proceeds from the talk will help fund CDN operations and a slate of additional CDN events through 2026.

Big thanks to the folks at Western Washington University’s Academy for Lifelong Learning for inviting CDN to engage in a great conversation with more than 100 group members at the Bellingham Cruise Terminal on April 9. Audience Engagement Editor Alana Marcum and I had a great time talking about the ins and outs of local news — perfectly (also coincidentally!) timed with Local News Day, drawing attention to the vital role of independent local journalism.

This was a super-smart audience with thoughtful questions about separating reputable, professionally produced news from the many sketchier alternatives, especially in platforms such as (anti)social media.

For the record, we’re open to such appearances before other groups when our schedule allows. Send any invitations to Alana at [email protected].

No surprise: Inside CDN readers are an opinionated group. That point was driven home by the results of last week’s poll, asking readers to choose, from four topics, the next subscriber newsletter they’d like to see produced by CDN. The overwhelming choice: Opinion. Other votes were tallied for education and climate change/environment. Those and others all remain on our consideration list.

Thanks to all who voted. A few sample comments from the opinion fans:

“Your editorials, news coverage and community commentary make for stellar reading! Keep it up.”

“Great community discussion platform on local and regional issues.”

“The opinions of the paper (Ron) and community members is the main reason for my subscription since it keeps me connected to the place I grew up in.”

“Give 'em hell Ron!”

Thanks for supporting your independent local free press. It matters!

The New York Times: “Artemis II’s New Views of the Moon” (gift link, photos and video). I couldn’t watch this without flashing back to conversations with the late Bill Anders, a longtime local resident, about being one of the first three humans to see these sites on his historic Apollo 8 mission. Amazing that it would take us five decades to do it again.

The Atlantic: “Caffeine’s Dirty Little Secret,” (gift link) by Tasmin Tayag. Hey, it was a long week. Tip: Don’t read while buzzed.

Compilation album: “A Tribute to the King of Zydeco, Clifton Chenier,” (vinyl, Valcour Records). This will put some jiggle in your skip. Or something. Highly recommended.