Community Voices
An unfortunate change of plans
Commentary: Jo Ann, who with her dog, Mouse, moved from her RV to a tiny-home village, suffered a massive stroke which paralyzed her entire left side.
Southeast Alaska troll fishery has deep local ties
Commentary:
Shutting down Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery will not stave off the decline of local orca and salmon populations — but it will have devastating effects on hundreds of fishing families and businesses.
Donut Hole win can guide transboundary strategy
Commentary: There are many good reasons for protecting the Skagit River headwaters; high on the list is the ongoing health of the larger Skagit watershed, a defining element of the region’s geography and cultural heritage.
Ongoing racial reckoning in the post-George Floyd era
Commentary: Three years after the Summer of Racial Reckoning, a divided populace still grapples with damaging and sometimes deadly effects of racism, and with how to talk about the issues.
Ocean-to-table journey of uniquely tasty oysters takes work
Commentary: It takes a community to raise and harvest an oyster.
Hope has arrived
Commentary: Constant worries about being attacked or robbed are in the past for a woman who has found housing — for now — in a tiny home village.
Composting as a climate solution
Commentary: Proper disposal of food waste is something every household can do to limit climate change, advise teens engaged in climate action.
Addressing priorities in public safety
Commentary: Bellingham’s challenges are in recruiting and retaining police officers, not lack of funding.
A most interesting job
Commentary: Meet Sandy Hart, who may have one of the most interesting jobs in Bellingham.
Listen, and support Indigenous voices
Commentary: Knowledge and awareness of the challenges Indigenous peoples face are good; what matters is action.
Claims about Nooksack water rights must meet fact test
Commentary: Collaboration is the only way to solve the twin problems of too little water at one time, too much at another, in the Nooksack Basin.
Council votes to create Racial Equity Commission: reflections of a post-modern revolutionary
Commentary: A Whatcom County Council vote established a racial equity commission; now, the challenge for supporters is to engage others in the conversation, an organizer writes.
Economic mobility starts at birth
Commentary: Even though everyone wants to give their children more and better opportunities than they had, the deck is stacked in favor of babies born to families steeped in “social capital.”
Understanding water rights adjudication
Commentary: Recent letters to editors and from local officials demonstrate misunderstanding of “water rights adjudication.”
‘I was one of the lucky ones’
Commentary: On the verge of homelessness at a crucial time, Jack Westford considers himself to be “one of the lucky ones.”
Vote Yes for Our Library
Commentary: With the current San Juan Island Library building bursting at the seams, some islanders are urging votes in favor of a bond to pay for an upgrade.