Hard times déjà vu versus 2008-2009

Ramon Hayes has seen it all before.

The three-term Mayor of La Conner and First Street business owner well recalls the economic pain inflicted here by the Great Recession of 2008.

But he says the novel coronavirus threat, which has led to mandated business closures and stay-at-home orders in Washington state and across the nation, is even more impactful than conditions local government officials and merchants dealt with a dozen years ago.

“At least back then,” he told the Weekly News, “you had the opportunity to open your business in hopes of making a sale.”

While those were sometimes faint ho...