Commerce
Quiet, once-quirky Edison emerges changed post-pandemic
Change, along with opportunities and tensions, comes with a new bookshop, a brew pub and an artists cooperative in a town of 264.
Fact-checking what’s being said around Whatcom’s Proposition 5
Whatcom voters will decide Nov. 8 on the Healthy Children’s Initiative, a property tax measure to fund child care and early-learning programs.
Can kelp farming help save our marine environment?
SEA2SEED, a Guemes Island nonprofit, sees multiple benefits from kelp, for land and sea.
Flood recovery continues in Sumas, seven months on
With both optimism and anxiety about what may lie ahead, Sumas is still in recovery from November’s devastating flooding.
San Juans adopt island-by-island vacation rental cap
How much tourism is too much? San Juan County sets a cap on vacation rental permits.
New parking rules on as Bellingham struggles with enforcement
New parking rules—and fees—take effect May 1, but enforcement resources are low.
Bellingham to be a two-newspaper town again — in a brave new information world
A new digital and print publication launching this month will make Bellingham a two-newspaper town once again. The publication launches into an information environment much different from the last time the town had two papers, and observers look forward to the prospect of seeing more local news on government, agriculture and other topics.
Ferry delays are beyond inconvenience, islanders stress at community meeting
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.
Out of the news desert: Bellingham to get a new startup
A local newspaper owner has announced he will launch a new for-profit local news site supplemented by a weekly print piece in Bellingham in January.
Years in the making, amendments ban new coal or oil industries, new shipping terminals at Cherry Point
No new oil- or coal-based industries will be allowed at Cherry Point west of Ferndale under Whatcom County’s latest — and groundbreaking — Comprehensive Plan amendments, following a unanimous vote by the county council.
San Juan council candidates outline positions on vacation rentals, COVID rules and more
With issues ranging from strengthening the county’s economic base to balancing vacation rental inventory in an area inhabited year-round by tourists and second-home owners
‘Your life can’t stop’: class of 2020 faces the ‘real world’ during COVID-19
This year’s graduates are entering a “real world” disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite challenges, they’re moving forward — even when it means changing long-held plans.
Economic recovery, shrinking local budgets, Cherry Point moratorium in the news for the week of May 29
Economic recovery, a shrinking budget and the Cherry Point fossil-fuel shipping moratorium were among topics discussed by Whatcom County and City of Bellingham councils this week.