We talk about community and call fellow county residents Skagitonians, a unique name marking our territory, the place we call home. We think of ourselves as neighbors finding common cause in this place where we all live, even though from Anacortes to Marblemount our physical and social landscapes and experiences are quite diverse and even unique.

We, all Skagitonians, ought to be in pain over the suffering and death the coronavirus pandemic has brought to our neighbors. October began with grim milestones, with first the count of 100 people hospitalized in Skagit County hospitals in Septembe...