January-2021
General Election Results—2020
Compiled by Bill McCallum General Election page 11 General Election - page 12 General Election page 13 General Election page 14 General Election page 15
Providing a Safe Haven for the Homeless
Editor’s Note: There are over 100 organizations in Whatcom County working to provide supportive services to those experiencing chronic poverty and its associated effects: addiction, homelessness, incarceration, mental illness, and unemployment. Whatcom Watch believes these organizations often labor unnoticed by citizens — this column is designed to add daylight to [Read More...]
Birding in the New Year
Bald eaglephoto: Joe Meche by Joe Meche After a tumultuous 2020, things can only get better in 2021 … at least that’s the hope of everyone on planet Earth. The Covid-19 pandemic dictated that we change our habits and canceled traditional gatherings for most of the big holidays. [Read More...]
Giant Hornets Could Decimate Raspberry Pollinators
illustrator: Hilary Cole by Nate Sanford Author's Note: On December 27, 2020, funding was finally secured through the "Murder Hornet Eradication Pilot Program," which was signed into law by as part of the government's massive 2021 omnibus spending package. The program, introduced by the Secretary of the Interior, [Read More...]
Washington Reporters Get Free Legal Help
by Jennifer Karchmer Microsoft and Davis Wright Tremaine Protect Journalists Freelance journalists and small newsrooms that lack funds to hire lawyers can get pro bono legal representation from Microsoft and Seattle law firm Davis Wright Tremaine. The two companies joined forces in 2020 to launch the Protecting Journalists Pro Bono [Read More...]
poetrywatch
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 Do You Enjoy poetrywatch? Artwork by [Read More...]
Drinking Water Harmed by Invasive Species and Pollution
Zebra mussel on the left and quagga mussel on the right.courtesy: Dana Point Fish Company by Karlee Deatherage We all have a lot on our minds these days, and the quality of our water might not be at the top of the list. But Lake Whatcom, the drinking [Read More...]
How Cascadian Corporations Stack Up on Climate
by Laura Feinstein Rating the Climate Claims and Actions of Albertsons Amazon, Boeing, Costco, Intel, Microsoft, Nike, Nordstrom, PACCAR and Starbucks This article was first published at sightline.org. https://www.sightline.org/2020/09/21/how-cascadian-corporations-stack-up-on-climate/ Last month in Part I, the article gave an overview of the environmental aspirations (relating to climate) of Northwest-based Fortune 500 [Read More...]
Lummi Fishes Whatcom Creek for First Time in a Century
by Kari Neumeyer Lummi tribal fishermen harvested salmon from Whatcom Creek in August, for the first time in at least 100 years. The Chinook salmon were released as juveniles in 2017 from the Bellingham Technical College’s Fisheries and Aquaculture Science program’s hatchery, which works in partnership with tribal and state [Read More...]
Salmon Now Free to Swim Upstream
An excavator removes the Pilchuck dam piece by piece.photo: Brett Shattuck, Tulalip Tribes by Kari Neumeyer Two fish-blocking dams were torn down in the North Sound region over the summer, opening up pristine habitat for threatened salmon populations. The Tulalip Tribes worked with the city of Snohomish to [Read More...]