Public Health
Measuring COVID-19 infections complicated by self-testing
Hospitalization rates and wastewater testing have become disease indicators when it comes to COVID-19.
Who will solve the problems of downtown Bellingham?
Downtown businesses and civic leaders address downtown Bellingham’s problems of crime and safety.
U.S., Canada make headway on cross-border Nooksack flood strategy
As the two-year anniversary of a devastating Nooksack River flood approaches, cross-border strategy talks are beginning to take shape, taking community cooperation and climate change into consideration. Is it enough?
Noise, toxins, traffic concerns with proposed metal shredding
Residents are concerned about noise, toxic dust, fire hazards and increased truck traffic if a proposed metal shredding facility along Marine Drive is built.
Signs of a hidden threat: preparing for the really big one
New signs around the Salish Sea raise awareness in areas that might be inundated by tsunami.
How new gun laws might make a difference
A new firearms law addressing banning, waiting and training is aimed at aspects of safety and security. Will it work?
City seeks balance: housing needs and forest benefits
Bellingham faces the challenge of building homes to meet housing needs while preserving trees for public and environmental health.
Shortage of mental health care providers hits home locally
“Not a pretty picture”: Whatcom, Skagit and San Juan counties — like elsewhere across the country — are seeing a shortage of mental health care providers, and not enough are in the training queue.
Empty cupboards, new anxieties increase with rising food insecurity
Inflationary food prices and end of pandemic-era benefits bring added strain on lower-income residents facing food insecurity.
Food banks and visitors struggle during food and funding scarcity
Video: Food banks are traditionally food rescuers and distributors, but with stocks, funding and donations dwindling, resources are spread thin.
Is Whatcom County ready for the next pandemic?
Three years after COVID-19 upended society, are state and local organizations ready for the possibility — however unlikely — that another pandemic could strike?
No easy answers to Whatcom fentanyl health disaster
Fentanyl is involved in an increasing number of deadly overdoses and getting treatment for addiction to the synthetic opioid is a complex process — creating a local health disaster.
Proposed changes to state’s Death with Dignity Act spark debate
Amendments are being considered for Washington’s Death with Dignity Act, as patients continue to work through the complex process.
Ice jams, snow melt, king tide combine in Marietta flood deluge
A small community along Marine Drive living mostly in RVs has braved seasonal inundation, ready to move at a moment’s notice — until caught by surprise.
Hamlet House: keeping seniors in the community
Is nonprofit Hamlet House a model for maintaining connections and relationships through lifespans?
After the flood: still rebuilding amid uncertainty, anxiety—and community
A year after flooding devastated the Nooksack Valley, survivors continue working to recover from damages, prepare for future flooding—and wait for government funds and solutions.