'Eschew'

Editor:

In these times of reader-insulting clickbait headlines, the NJC cover headline about Pride in Ferndale reclaims the higher ground with the use of the word “eschew” (“Unapologetically: Two months after the city council eschewed an anti-hate resolution, Pride comes to Ferndale,” June 15, 2023).

It’s not a word often seen or heard; the delight is that it is unexpected, and it is precise. The word conjures up a picture of white-gloved, nose-pinching, and grimacing Ferndale City Council members. You can almost see them biblically washing their hands as they voted for a rejection of the anti-hate resolution.

Compliments to your headline writer. One word, used well, invokes visions.

Sheila Evans, Eureka