January 2016
Whatcom Watch would like to thank the Wilkerson family of Bellingham for their generous donation of 35 years of National Geographic magazines. In November, more Jon Wilkerson and Jennifer Karchmer Photo: Kate Voorhees than 400 magazines were presented in leather-bound cases. The issues run from January 1980 (Cover [Read More...]
To celebrate the 24th year of publishing Whatcom Watch, we will be printing excerpts from 20 years ago. David M. Laws has been generous enough to volunteer to review the Whatcom Watch for 20 years ago to find suitable material to reprint. The below excerpts are from the January 1996 [Read More...]
Compiled by Barry MacHale Action Taken at November 10, 2015 Meeting Shall the council: 205. Authorize the executive to sign a $53,751 contract (amendment #1) with RH2 Engineering of Bothel? (Council acting as the flood control district board of supervisors) Washington State law requires the county to update its Coordinated [Read More...]
Compiled by Andrew S. McBride Action Taken at November 3, 2015 Meeting Shall the Commission: 139. Authorize the sale of one vessel for the nonpayment of moorage fees? An auction will be held on 12/4/2015 for a 17-foot gillnetter with unpaid moorage fees of $1,215. (5513/Consent Agenda B) Approved 3-0 [Read More...]
by Jennifer Karchmer Folks in eastern Washington are trying to save the John Wayne Trail, the 300-mile rail trail that goes from the western slopes of the Cascades to the Idaho border near Tekoa, Wash. Closed to motorized vehicles, the trail follows the former Milwaukee Road railbed, and is open to walkers, joggers, [Read More...]
Compiled by Boris Schleinkofer Action Taken at November 9, 2015 Meeting Shall the council: 211. Ratify the Bellingham Police Guild collective bargaining agreement? Terms for the 2014-2016 contract: general wages will increase by two percent on 1/1/2016, the wages for the officer in charge of hazardous devices/materials will increase by [Read More...]
2015 General Election Results as reported on the Whatcom Watch in January, 2016 (pages 9 to 12) are available as a PDF: General Election Results – 2015
Boris Schleinkofer, poetrywatch editor “When power leads man toward arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the area of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” — John F. Kennedy Poetry has a voice in our community, [Read More...]
by Lorraine Loomis Billy Frank Jr., longtime chairman of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, received many awards during his life and continues to be honored since his passing in 2014. His life was celebrated last month when President Barack Obama posthumously awarded him the Medal of Freedom. It is the [Read More...]
Editor’s note: This is the first of two articles exploring Whatcom County’s agricultural past and present and current efforts to diversify and strengthen Whatcom County’s food system, from the farm to the factory to the consumer. by Jennifer Moon Whether Whatcom County’s small farms can provide the foundation for the [Read More...]