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In Our View: Cheers & Jeers: Dawn Harris, fallen power lines

The Columbian
Published: April 13, 2019, 6:03am

Cheers: To Dawn Harris. The principal at York Elementary School in the Evergreen district has employed an innovative, high-tech way to highlight the joy of reading. Harris has been reading to students over Facebook Live on Tuesday nights for the past three weeks. “This is one thing that I can do,” she said. “I can connect with families and hopefully spread out more into the community.”

York is a no-homework campus, but students are embracing the weekly assignment and tuning in to hear and see the latest storybook. “Kyous loved watching this all the way from Disneyland!” one parent posted during spring break. Harris explained her educational philosophy: Show kids and families that you love teaching them, and they’ll love school in return. That sounds like a fun and infectious approach.

Jeers: To downed power lines. Officials are still trying to determine what caused 26 power lines in Tukwila, south of Seattle, to fall simultaneously last week. The calamity left a street near the Museum of Flight strewn with live wires.

One SUV was impaled by a falling pole, resulting in minor injuries for Tom and Linda Cook. “Seeing the photos of the vehicle … I would have said somebody died in the car,” Tom Cook said. The incident calls for a public service announcement: If a power line falls on or near your car, remain inside if possible and don’t touch the interior of your vehicle.

Cheers: To Ray and Cheryl Eggert. The owners of Pied Piper Pizza have been in the pie-making business for more than 50 years in Vancouver, but now they are hoping to move on. The couple are trying to sell the restaurant in Orchards but hope that new owners can keep the business running.

The Eggerts have been selling pizza at the current location since 1987, after running restaurants at two previous locations in the area. Pied Piper has been a local institution and a frequent spot for birthday parties, sports team gatherings and community events. “It’s been a real experience,” Ray Eggert said. “For the most part, it’s been a lot of fun. But I’ll be 76 in August, and we’re getting tired.”

Jeers: To state Sen. Doug Ericksen. The Republican from Ferndale has registered as a foreign agent representing Cambodia after his company signed a $500,000 contract to lobby for legislation favorable to the Southeast Asian kingdom. Ericksen has worked two jobs in the past, to the detriment of constituents; in 2017, he was part of the Trump administration’s transition team at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and simultaneously served as a senator while the Legislature was in session.

Ericksen has a right to work on behalf of Cambodia, but he should choose between being a lobbyist and representing the citizens of Washington. If he wants to begin a lobbying career, he should resign his seat as a senator from Whatcom County rather than tiptoe along ethical boundaries.

Cheers: To the Portland Trail Blazers. The Northwest’s National Basketball Association team heads into the playoffs after finishing the regular season with the third-best record in the Western Conference. Portland begins its best-of-seven series against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

There is a bit of schadenfreude involved with the matchup. The Thunder used to be the Seattle SuperSonics before unceremoniously abandoning the Northwest in 2008. The hard feelings that linger in the Puget Sound area are enough to have even Seattle residents rooting for Portland this time around.

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