Governance
North Fork Nooksack Forest project: thinning for habitat or harvesting for profit?
Following the comment period on a draft Environmental Assessment of a proposal to cut trees and manage vegetation to improve habitat and stand conditions and to harvest timber in the North Fork Nooksack area, next steps are up to Forest Service project managers.
Skaters, business, Port collaborate for Bellingham waterfront skate park
A local business owner and rag-tag group of skaters have cleaned up an abandoned parking lot under the Chestnut Street bridge on the Bellingham waterfront with the goal of establishing a skatepark, as the City and Port of Bellingham look at expanding the area’s current agreement to include that use.
Community Voices / Clyde Ford on speaking up and raising eyebrows
Change happens when you speak up, and speak out. Drawing the attention of politicians and ordinary citizens to the need for change often helps bring it about … to shine light on the work that remains to be done in this great state, particularly with regard to racial equity and social justice.
A next step to resolve Nooksack water rights waits on legislative budget decision
The state Department of Ecology has announced its intent to resolve the contentious issues around water rights in the Nooksack Basin through the legal action of adjudication, and money to move that process forward is proposed in the budget under consideration by the Legislature.
From the Editor’s Desk / Readers respond to why the San Juans need a rescue tug
Lopez Island readers of the article “Rescue tug stationed in islands is best bet to avoid oil spills in San Juan-Gulf waters, study says” responded to the article’s posting in Lopez Rocks.
Rescue tug stationed in islands is best bet to avoid oil spills in San Juan – Gulf waters, study says
With increased vessel traffic around the San Juan Islands, some worry that the risk of oil spills may be rising as well. A new study makes the case that an emergency response tug stationed in the islands would be money well-spent.
In Whatcom’s 42nd Legislative District, a series of changes is turning election tides
Gains in voter support made by local Democrats in recent years may be due to demographic shifts caused by a wide variety of trends in who lives here, how they work and how each political party gets its messages out.
Internet connectivity has improved in Whatcom County, but many gaps remain
One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, many more students in Whatcom County are able to connect to the internet for remote learning, thanks to communitywide efforts, particularly in rural communities with limited or no internet options. Still, a clear digital divide remains.
Community Voices / Thoughts on the Puget Sound Partnership and recovering Puget Sound
An apparent focus on reducing the ongoing costs of recovery of Puget Sound rather than recovery efforts themselves worries some who are concerned about the health of the ecosystem.
Doing the work of the people: legislation introduced by 40th and 42nd District legislators
A month into the 2021 state legislative session, it’s time to review the legislation introduced by our elected representatives as of this week.
Democracy in America: Are you a citizen? Let’s test that.
Naturalized citizens of the United States share some common knowledge about our country when they discuss, argue and vote. How much of that do you, as a citizen whether naturalized or born, share?
Community Voices / Understanding the importance of the Point Elliott Treaty
An understanding of the elements of sovereignty of the Lummi Nation and the significance of the term “treaty” is integral to understanding the importance of these agreements then — and now.
The future arrives on the Bellingham Bay waterfront
After more than a decade of discussion, planning and cleanup of an industrial waste site on Bellingham Bay, the city’s partnership with the port and a contract with a Dublin-based company are putting the waterfront’s future on the ground.
Community voices / Cascadia’s media ecosystem connects our cross-border bioregion
Journalism that embraces a larger vision of the international corridor will best serve the Cascadia bioregion’s constituents by setting up the region up to tackle the big challenges of the next century.
Oil train derailment in Whatcom County drives home transport risk concerns
An oil train derailment spilling more than 29,000 gallons of Bakken crude in Whatcom County is prompting officials lobbying for state and federal oil train regulations in recent years to consider whether more can be done.
Local MLK Day events set the stage for new year of racial justice action
A combination of potent social and political turmoil made many people eager to close the book on 2020 and emerge into a fresh year.