Ruth Hunt stands for a portrait before the final service of Clearbrook Lutheran Church on Jan 22, 2023. Low attendance and a lack of a consistent pastor were reasons for the closure of the church after 120 years of Christian ministry for the small farming community in northern Washington. Hunt attended Clearbrook during her childhood and is related to some of its founding members.
Janis Grellner first picked up a bow at 37 years old at an outdoor camp that taught women Dutch oven cooking, kayaking, pistol and rifle shooting and archery on Boy Scout campgrounds in Potosi, Missouri. “Because a lot of women when you learn a sport pretty much dominated by men, you want to learn from other women involved in the sport,” Grellner said. “So having an environment that had people who would be able to help teach that was very beneficial to a lot of women there.” Over the next two decades, she won dozens more state and regional competitions; achieved a United States Archery Team national ranking in recurve; and attended the Olympic Trials twice, in 2011 and 2015. Now, Grellner, 57, dominates the USA Archery Women’s master’s division for archers aged 50 and up. She has won first in five out the past six years in the division, only missing last year because of the pandemic. As she still competes, Grellner has become the mentor for the next generation of archers, training them from her range in her Linn, Missouri.
Marco Morales, a precinct committee officer for the Skagit County Democrats, pushed for Spanish language election materials in Skagit County, where 19% of the of the residents are Hispanic, at a public hearing. Among eligible voters--residents 18 and up--9% speak Spanish, according 2021 census data.
Henry Smith won the camp triathlon at the all boys summer camp, Falling Creek, in Tuxedo, North Carolina. Henry, known around camp as Poptart, received the moniker from a paddling counselor who was in disbelief that a kid did not like Poptarts. Rather, Henry would take them back to his cabin from his paddling trips and trade them for other desserts.
Troy Petz, a senior at Lynden High School, jumps for a portrait on Feb. 28, 2023 at Lynden High School. Petz is two time state champion as punter and a state champ as long jumper. Petz is working to win a second state title in the long jump this season.
Aaron Small and Jonas Ecker sprint kayakers for the USA national team. The duo placed bronze in the K2 500 m sprint at the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile as they prepare for a bid at the 2024 Paris Olympic games.