Ross Anderson

Ross Anderson is a founding member of the Rainshadow Journal collective. He retired to Port Townsend after 30 years of journalism at the Seattle Times.

An Improbable new Boat Race to Challenge Washington

Christened the WA360, or “Washington three-sixty,” the Maritime Center’s planned race will, at least for now, replace the celebrated 750-mile Race to Alaska, which seemed even less likely to succeed, but did anyway for five years from 2015 to 2019.

In Port Townsend, a Small-Town Newspaper Revives

In a small town, “It all comes down to the relationship between a newspaper and a community that values real journalism.”

I Owe My 15 Minutes of Fame to Rush Limbaugh

Limbaugh’s blast was fair comment, but it was not journalism, I argued. He made no attempt to walk through the issue, and certainly never called me. It was clear he had not read my story.

The Olympic Peninsula’s Hidden State Park Gem that’s Largely Unused

Eventually, this gem on Discovery Bay is destined to be discovered. Miller is at the top of the state’s list for development. More than a decade ago, State Parks convened public meetings to discuss longterm plans with hopes of opening as early as 2013. But those plans got pushed to a back burner with the recession, and Covid economics are likely to keep it there indefinitely.

Senior City: Port Townsend’s Boomer Invasion

For decades, Seattle boomers have been tripping off to Port Townsend for weekends of beach walks, wooden boats, gift stores and good food.  Visitors have helped sustain a small...

COVID Casualties: Another Northwest Institution Says Goodbye

Experienced woodworkers might put it all together in a couple of weeks, but amateurs spend months, working weekends and calling Pygmy now and then for advice. And no doubt many of those kits remain boxed or partially constructed, stowed in the garage rafters.

Real Police Reform? Begin With Who’s Recruited

To break through the police “blue curtain,” departments should start by raising the minimum age which, in Seattle and most departments, is just 21.

When Port Townsend Needed A General Store

Community-owned stores are more familiar in small Midwest towns, most of which sell groceries in what are sometimes called “food deserts,” rural areas that can’t support a supermarket. But mercantile stores are another matter.

Why Does The Seattle Times Win So Many Pulitzers?

Like newspapers everywhere, the Times has been decimated by plummeting circulation and ad revenue, by repeated layoffs and slashed budgets. The stately art deco office building and modern printing plant are long gone. But the paper continues to pursue gutsy journalism and national prizes.

Extreme Distancing: A One-Man Island

As the sole resident of Protection Island, the two-mile long bird refuge at the entrance to Discovery Bay, west of Port Townsend, Marty Bluewater has to be one of the best-distanced souls in Puget Sound country.

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