My wife Krystal is a teacher in Everett Public Schools. Every day she helps shape the lives of other people’s children. She loves her job and she’s good at it. But we’ve had real conversations about whether it makes financial sense for her to keep working.

Last month, I wrote about a simple question I hear everywhere I go: is life here getting easier or harder? This month, I want to focus on the single issue that I think most clearly illustrates why that question feels so urgent for so many people: Housing. Especially the growing distance between the working class and homeownership. Did you know that today the median age of a first-time homebuyer is the oldest it’s been in the history of our country - 40 years old ? In 2021, an

Is the Snohomish County promise still real? Why This is Worth Your Time: Clear, local context on the decisions shaping everyday life in Snohomish County.   Nearly 40 people are moving to Snohomish County every single day. On paper, that looks like a boom. But, at the kitchen table, it feels different. Most of us don’t judge our community’s success by growth charts or economic headlines. We judge it by something simpler: is life getting easier or harder for me and for the peo