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.
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.
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.
As small newspapers disappear, the impacts are largely cultural and intangible. The good ones tell readers what their local town council is up to, who’s running for mayor, or what caused that car crash on the highway through town.