A move by the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague signals a landmark shift that could reshape how business is done in developing countries, says Global Witness, a nonpolitical organization that works to resolve human rights abuses in developing countries. Company executives, politicians and individuals could now [Read More...]
Whatcom County Measure Proposition No. 2016-1 Regular Property Tax Levy for Emergency Medical Services Official Ballot Title The Whatcom County Council passed Ordinance 2016-019 concerning funding for the countywide Emergency Medical Services system. Will Whatcom County be authorized to impose regular property tax levies of $0.295 or less per thousand [Read More...]
City of Bellingham Measure Proposition No. 2016-1 A Greenways Levy for Greenways, Open Space, Parks, Park Facilities and Trails. Official Ballot Title For the purpose of funding development, acquisition, and maintenance of greenways, open space, parks, park facilities, and trails, this proposition would authorize the City to increase its regular [Read More...]
Joely Big Eagle-Kequahtooway and her son at the Sacred Stone Camp in North Dakota. by Karin Kraft and Aleta DeBee Hundreds of tribes from the United States and Canada are gathered along the Cannonball River next to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota. They’ve come together [Read More...]
by Rheanna Johnston In the last year, Washington tate has been the center of many environmental efforts — from the governor’s Clean Power Plan to our county fighting to ban fossil fuel exports. Among these many battles against climate change has been a grassroots campaign to pass Initiative 732, the [Read More...]
Blanchard State Forest is an enormously popular recreation area located south of Bellingham off Chuckanut Drive that is visited by tens of thousands of people every year. Blanchard Mountain features such things as the popular Oyster Dome and bat caves; hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking trails; and scenic wildlife [Read More...]
by Michael Riordan At first, state Senator Doug Ericksen seemed happy to take credit for bringing the Trump rally to Lynden last May (see September 2016 Whatcom Watch, page 1). But that was before the mounting costs of the massive police presence at the event, which eventually ballooned to hundreds [Read More...]
Artist’s conception of Diatryma, Marlin Peterson, 2011.WWU Geology Department Display. by Ron Kleinknecht Fifty million years ago, there were giant, 7-foot-tall chickens wading around palm trees in the subtropical swamp that is now Whatcom County. And the remnants of this geology are still present. (1) Those chickens were [Read More...]
“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 Boris Scahleinkofer, poetrywatch editor Poetry has a voice in our community, [Read More...]
Lorraine Loomis Lorraine Loomis We are disappointed to learn that the state of Washington will continue its long-standing efforts to deny tribal treaty-reserved fishing rights by once again appealing a federal court ruling requiring the repair of hundreds of fish-blocking culverts under state roads. The state is appealing [Read More...]
October/November 2016