Joel Connelly

I worked for Seattle Post-Intelligencer from 1973 until it ceased print publication in 2009, and SeattlePI.com from 2009 to 6/30/2020. During that time, I wrote about 9 presidential races, 11 Canadian and British Columbia elections‎, four doomed WPPSS nuclear plants, six Washington wilderness battles, creation of two national Monuments (Hanford Reach and San Juan Islands), a 104 million acre Alaska Lands Act, plus the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Area.

Climate Changing Like it’s 1988

In 1988 the heat from global warming was widely predicted to be a major fall campaign issue. White House hopeful Gov. Michael Dukakis made a photo-op stop at Yellowstone. But the urgency never took hold.

Remembering What it Means to be a Democrat

The Democrats must attract and harness that optimistic spirit. Justifiable fear of an unstable, out-of-control President, yes. We need to point out, too, that the country is split not so much right vs. left as top vs bottom. But there must also be an appeal to our better Angels.

Seattle Primaries: A Bad Night for Incumbents

The state has a new star in King County Executive frontrunner Girmay Zahilay, running well ahead of County Council colleague Claudia Balducci.

80 Years Ago This Weekend: Devastation of Hiroshima

A Hiroshima survivor, 83-year-old Noritmitsu Tosu and his son Fumi, will lead a Fierce Nonviolent Pilgrimage to Hanford and other Northwest nuclear sites. The first plutonium-producing reactor has become a national historical park.

The Largest Energy Project in the World: Chinese Dams Threaten Tibet’s Yarlung-Tsangpo River

The project is a giant tradeoff. It will displace villages, as was the case when a total of 1.4 million people were uprooted when the reservoir behind Three Gorges filled. It is in an earthquake zone.

Uh-Oh: Primary Poll Suggests Trouble for Bruce Harrell Re-elect and Disapproval for Gov. Bob Ferguson

Political warning signs are up for two high profile officeholders. A pair of just-released polls show Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell in a neck-and-neck race with challenger Katie Wilson, while...

Why is Dan Newhouse Voting Against the Interests of his Eastern Washington Constituents? (They Want to Know)

Newhouse “betrayed the 4th District twice, in less than six weeks,” the Herald Republic, Newhouse's hometown paper, editorialized.

Those Who Opposed Hitler

The experience and tragedy of the anti-Hitler plotters carry lessons for the 21st Century, including lessons for this Republic approaching its 250th birthday. It can happen here.

Stormy Weather: Trump’s Devastating Cuts to Public Broadcasting

You don’t need be a weather forecaster to know which way the wind is blowing, and to see the immediate peril facing public radio and public television.

When Texas-Size Weather Messes with Texas

Defending their fossil fuel economy, Texas’ Republican rulers have adopted a three-pronged response to a stream of climate disasters: Belligerent denial of anything out of the ordinary, professed ignorance, and invocation of the Almighty.

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