Governance
Voters asked to approve child care support as demand exceeds supply
Whatcom County voters will decide in November whether they will fund change for an overburdened child care system: Part 2.
From the Editor’s Desk: Fact-checking state Senate candidates
Fact-checked: Salish Current reviewed comments made in an online form by candidates for the 42nd District Senate seat.
Court rules: San Juan County to vote on charter amendments
San Juan County will vote on ranked choice voting and other proposals forwarded by its charter review commission, after a court ruling overturned a county council decision.
From the Editor’s Desk: Fact-checking the candidates
A 42nd District forum presented by the League of Women Voters of Bellingham-Whatcom County offered an opportunity for fact-checking candidate statements.
Women who lead: San Juans to have first all-woman county council
San Juan County is on track to have its first all-woman county council next year.
New parking rules on as Bellingham struggles with enforcement
New parking rules—and fees—take effect May 1, but enforcement resources are low.
Age scrutiny aside, state’s youngest senator looks after business in the 42nd
It was an abrupt and unplanned career start for Simon Sefzik when he was selected in January to fill the vacant state Senate position for the 42nd District. Now, at the end of the legislative session, he looks back at what made it work, and what’s next.
Broadband’s coming but cost, quality still in question
Two years of pandemic isolation not only revealed how important internet connectivity is in today’s world but also exposed the stark divide between those with service and those without. Now, the task of providing reliable, low-cost internet service continues.
Hope isn’t a strategy: Bellingham again seeks a new police chief
The City of Bellingham has renewed its search for a new police chief, and aims to choose from a short list of finalists by this summer.
Advocates for open government sue San Juan County to open public records
The public’s right to access government documents and the government’s power to keep certain information private are at loggerheads in San Juan County, with the Washington Coalition for Open Government bringing suit against San Juan County for violating the Public Records Act.
Youth has its day and its say in 42nd District Senate vacancy vote
In a special meeting Jan. 11, the Whatcom County Council appointed Simon Sefzik as the newest — and youngest on record — member to serve in the Washington State Senate, filling the vacant 42nd District seat of the late Sen. Doug Ericksen.
For the people: what local legislators plan for the 2022 session
Dealing with climate change, providing economic relief post-COVID-19 and ensuring sustainability for the Washington State Ferries system made the priority lists of elected officials returning to take care of the people’s business when the 2022 session opens Jan. 10.
Vigil calls for more urgency to save endangered salmon, orcas
A vigil in support of endangered salmon in the Pacific Northwest drew environmental advocates and members of the Lummi Nation and Nooksack Indian Tribe to the Bellingham waterfront on Nov. 20. The event commemorated the 30th anniversary of the original declaration of Snake River sockeye salmon as endangered, and was held in conjunction with several similar events around the region.
Not taking it: the hows and whys of religious exemption from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement
With some employees seeking religious or medical exemption from the state’s COVID-19 mandate, employers and workers both have continued to adapt over the past month to how that plays out in the workplace. Receiving a medical exemption is often relatively straightforward, but religious exemptions are less so, in the application and the approval processes.
Housing and growth issues surround Skagit County consideration of ‘fully contained community’ proposal
Mostly rural Skagit County — with a population density about half of Whatcom County to the north and one-sixth of Snohomish County to the south — has a big-county problem: housing. Planners are looking at solutions including a comp plan amendment to allow “fully contained communities,” or FCCs, to create urban villages in currently rural zones.
On the street and in the forum: tackling homelessness with meaningful solutions
The complex and urgent problem of homelessness has been the focus of academics and policy makers as well as people with a firsthand knowledge of the experience, in two separate gatherings recently in Bellingham — and activists say that those most affected should be involved in creating solutions.