Homeless by choice

May 26, 2023
John Dunne

Commentary: Bobby Joe, the Singing Hillbilly, has stories, songs and jewelry to share.

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Island schools avoid perfect storm menacing budgets

May 5, 2023
Nancy DeVaux

School districts in San Juan County have steered away from a perfect storm of budget cuts, while districts in Whatcom and Skagit counties are feeling the squeeze.

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Shortage of mental health care providers hits home locally

April 28, 2023
Matt Benoit

“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.

 

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Mind the gap: Whatcom providers face challenges in meeting need for childcare

April 21, 2023
Kai Uyehara

Video: A look at a day in the life of a childcare worker reveals the growing gap in meeting the needs of families, providers and employers throughout the community.

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Affordable Whatcom broadband is on the way

April 21, 2023
Jamie Douglass

Commentary: Whatcom agencies are moving forward on affordable fiber-optic broadband for all.

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Empty cupboards, new anxieties increase with rising food insecurity

April 7, 2023
Matt Benoit

Inflationary food prices and end of pandemic-era benefits bring added strain on lower-income residents facing food insecurity.

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Food banks and visitors struggle during food and funding scarcity

April 7, 2023
Kai Uyehara

Video: Food banks are traditionally food rescuers and distributors, but with stocks, funding and donations dwindling, resources are spread thin.

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Is Whatcom County ready for the next pandemic?

March 24, 2023
Matt Benoit

Three years after COVID-19 upended society, are state and local organizations ready for the possibility — however unlikely — that another pandemic could strike?

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House-building is booming in Blaine

March 16, 2023
Kai Uyehara

Who’s building, who’s buying and who’s left out as construction takes off?

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No easy answers to Whatcom fentanyl health disaster

March 8, 2023
Matt Benoit

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.

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Southeast Alaska troll fishery has deep local ties

March 7, 2023
Pete Granger and Norman Pillen

Commentary:

Shutting down Southeast Alaska’s troll fishery will not stave off the decline of local orca and salmon populations — but it will have devastating effects on hundreds of fishing families and businesses.

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Tune in! Local independent radio is alive and well

January 27, 2023
Matt Benoit

KMRE-FM and Whatcom Community College partner for new opportunities in radio resurgence.

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Rising seas, high tides, storm surges and waterfront homes: does value outweigh the risks?

January 20, 2023
Kai Uyehara

Predicted sea-level rising along with extremely high tides and storm surges pose increasing risk to coastal waterfront homes. How much are those trends affecting property values?

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Jail needs to change, community agrees; but how?

January 3, 2023
Riley Weeks

An advisory committee for the Justice Project aims to ensure that voters’ priorities are considered in the next Whatcom County Jail ballot measure.

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Why choose to remain unhoused?

December 22, 2022
Kai Uyehara

The Lighthouse Mission Ministries’ Base Camp provides shelter, services and support for the houseless yet hundreds opt to shelter on their own. Why?

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New options change choices for that final resting place

December 1, 2022
Matt Benoit

A cultural shift is underway from traditional burials and cremations to terramation, a composting process, and aquamation, a water-based process.

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