Detour? Delay? Drivers, businesses cope with summer road construction

August 18, 2023
Matt Benoit

Road construction projects throughout Whatcom County are creating challenges now — for benefits later.

read more

WTF? WSF meets community’s ire after Memorial Day weekend debacle in San Juans

June 2, 2023
Nancy DeVaux

Questions on crew shortage, breakdowns, overnight wait, emergency services, fare increases, Sidney run resumption — and more — aired at meeting on ferries.

read more

Where’s the ferry?

February 24, 2023
Nancy DeVaux

Islanders will see more crew, upgraded terminal … before new ferries.

read more

WTA diesel bus purchase prompts questions re zero-emission progress

May 19, 2022
Matt Benoit

Whatcom Transportation Authority’s decision to purchase eight diesel-powered buses has gotten pushback from some who find the move at odds with the county’s emissions goals.

read more

Floods, COVID, retirements complicated December snow removal

February 10, 2022
Chris O'Neill

Clearing roads after December’s heavy snowfall was extra-challenging for local crews in Whatcom County, with over a foot of snow reported in some of the area’s microclimate zones.

read more

Ferry delays are beyond inconvenience, islanders stress at community meeting

January 14, 2022
Heather Spaulding

Islanders gave Washington State Ferries staff an earful at a community meeting about how disruptions on the San Juan-Anacortes ferry route hamper access to healthcare, education, jobs, supplies and families. With COVID-19, freezing weather and crew shortages, ferry riders have endured a chaotic year and want to know what the state will do to improve the situation.

read more

Traveler beware: lack of food service at Lopez landing adds challenge to wait for a ferry

November 12, 2021
Gretchen K. Wing

Remember to pack those snacks: cars leaving Lopez Island by ferry load on a first come, first served basis, and the wait can be hours-long when traffic is heavy and ferries are delayed or runs cancelled. The landing features a ticket office, waiting room and portable toilets … but a lone vending machine is the only option for food.

read more

Southwest Airlines lands in Bellingham as Canadians welcomed back to the U.S.

November 5, 2021
Ralph Schwartz
Southwest Airlines, one of North America’s four major airlines, will begin offering flights to Oakland and Las Vegas from Bellingham’s airport next month, a major move in the view of the Port of Bellingham.
read more

Community Voices / Electric vehicles and the Tesla experience

November 4, 2021
William Dietrich

With the state legislature and some local governments contemplating a future without fossil fuel-powered vehicles, Northwest Washington car buyers are beginning to ponder what it’s like to drive an electric vehicle — a computer on wheels — and some already are behind the wheel.

read more

‘Where’s the ferry?’ islanders ask as crew shortages stymie scheduled sailings

October 12, 2021
Heather Spaulding

In San Juan County, where ferry service is an integral part of the state highway system, recent cancellations of ferry sailings related to crew shortages have resulted in some residents unable to get home, to work or to doctor appointments, and have delayed arrival of groceries and other vital supplies.

read more

No new reservations, for now: Living and working around ferry delays, cancellations in the San Juans

September 2, 2021
Heather Spaulding

This year’s peak-season summer Washington State Ferries sailing schedule has been plagued by delayed and canceled sailings, some due to a shortage of crew and some to mechanical problems. For the long Labor Day weekend, things are not looking much brighter for the San Juan Islands runs.

read more
photo: Kimberly Cauvel © 2021

Electric buses to debut, marking trend in Whatcom County

June 10, 2021
Kimberly Cauvel

Two new all-blue additions to Whatcom Transportation Authority’s fleet are its first electric buses — and part of a growing movement to replace fossil-fuel-powered vehicles with electric models to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change.

read more
photo: © 2006

Doing the work of the people: Nooksack adjudication, Billy Frank, Jr., statue and a wrap-up of 40th and 42nd legislator success

April 30, 2021
Salish Current Editorial Staff

How did bills introduced by 40th and 42nd District legislators fare in the session ending on April 25? See an update on the full list: planning for zero-emissions transportation, standardizing definitions around homelessness to help improve services, and more.

read more
photo: Amy Nelson © 2020

‘A very complex issue’: Ramel gives update on San Juan Islands ferry delays

August 5, 2020
Mike Sato, Managing Editor

The state-run ferry system linking Salish Sea communities has remained on a three-vessel winter schedule due to lower travel volume. As vehicle traffic has increased over the summer and loading and unloading times have taken longer, the result has been hour-long delays by the afternoon and evening.

read more
photo: Amy Nelson © 2020

Necessary travel: ferries’ winter schedule in summer brings travel delays for locals, visitors in San Juans

July 3, 2020
Genevieve Iverson

Currently, several COVID-shutdown related factors require WSF to continue running on a limited schedule even as summer travel increases, creating travel delays and raising as-yet unanswerable questions about when things may change.

read more
photo: Amy Nelson © 2020

Virus versus visitors: San Juan residents weigh health risks of tourism amid pandemic

March 26, 2020
Hayley Day

In the San Juan Islands, locals bank on a bustling tourism economy to generate business and provide wages, particularly during the sunny summer months. But with a growing pandemic, islanders, like others in small vacation destinations, are realizing fewer visitors might mean healthier locals.

read more

A STRONG COMMUNITY NEEDS A STRONG LOCAL PRESS.

Help us revive local journalism.

MORE

Member

© 2023 Salish Current | site by Shew Design