Without a single stoplight from Saddlerock to Sunrise Circle to slow me down, I could cross town fast enough to sneak in my girlfriend’s window on Springwater for a little high school hanky panky and still make it to hockey practice on time.
Then came the stoplights — Fifth Street, Springwater, Ninth, Maple — chopping up our speedway into safe, and significantly slower, little segments.
But what seemed a travesty to us lead-footed, self-interested teenagers made perfect sense to a civic planner.
At the intersection of Springwater and Western, the evening sun has a way of hitting you in the eyes just so. You might never see that Bronco doing 50 in the 35 until it comes through the driver’s side door. There had been fatalities over the years.
So Western Avenue became slower and safer … and, as the population of the Wenatchee valley grew and the orchards became housing developments, slower and slower still.
Then, about five years ago, our city leaders began delivering the next evolution in traffic technology in the form of the much-despised but eminently logical roundabout.
The idea of a roundabout itself is a laudable one. The goal is to impose a calming effect on traffic...
Roundabouts aren’t exactly new tech. The French put in their giant traffic circle around the Arc de Triomphe in 1907.
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Nita Paine
‘I love that we provide an outlet to people to express themselves, to find out who they are’
Looking at life from a different angle now
Bout with cancer, plus pandemic made couple wonder: Why wait to really live?
Keeping family ties strong
Twelve months of COVID makes for a long year away from kids and grandkids
It's a kick to be a zebra — or a canary
When making the call is your calling
Saved family letters tell of war horrors, peacetime hopes and dreams
Loving letters from long ago
Varied Thrush: Making a bold statement
Globally, the thrush family contains 169 viable species; three other thrush species are now extinct.
Clean shots
For real estate photographer, the art is in the uncluttered details
Visiting the glory years of our parents
Obituaries – They’re really NOT for the dead
Going deep with Dan Feil
Warm crystal clear water, incredible fish, spectacular scenery, why not jump off a boat in the tropics?
Bringing a glow to the night
Who says outside lights are just for Christmas time? Drivers on Maple Street in Wenatchee will now see lights year-round.
An ESPN Hat Trick
Spreading hockey games across various channels and streaming services has boosted interest in the sport
Buzz Bin
THE STRIPPED-DOWN appeal of the EVH Striped Series of guitars will most likely never lose its enduring popularity for Van Halen fans and players alike. Even the many iterations of the Wolfgang series adopted by numerous artists continues to grow by leaps and bounds. But if you ask me, I’ve been digging the EVH 5150 Series Standard guitar, which combines the very best attributes of Eddie Van Halen’s famed “5150” guitar along with the refined tones of Eddie’s innovatively designed Wolfgang guitars.
ODE TO AWKWARD
A group of us went to a lake. My crush was there and I wanted to impress him by being spontaneous, so when my BFF dared me to jump in first, I went for it. I felt something slimy and thought it was a snake, so I started screaming. Turns out it was just some algae.
CARRIE & MIKE DEFY THE ODDS!
Marriage survives shaky lockdown
THE MILLION-DOLLAR MAN
HERE’S AN INSIDE LOOK AT HOW WAYNE GRETZKY SMASHED THROUGH THE HOCKEY HOBBY’S GLASS CEILING.
Return to Toronto
International visitors will once again converge in Canada’s convention city.
THE 12TH DIMENSION
Position game
Why can't Apple make a good mouse?
The company that makes the best trackpads in the world hasn’t made a passable mouse in over 20 years.
Indian Immigrants Are Saving Canadian Hockey
How the Punjabi diaspora rescued Canada’s national sport
Of course, a compass
For centuries, mariners have depended on a compass to provide direction.