Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
Building a stronger, more just & transparent democracy
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All counties are required to install "Albert Systems," a technology that notifies counties when there is an attempted cybersecurity attack, under a bill Secretary of State Steve Hobbs endorsed. Even though ballot counting machines are not connected to the internet, election data is oftentimes circulated on internet communication channels. Technology like the Albert System can help protect the security of county records by monitoring any attempt to manipulate, intercept, or...
Hundreds of organizers sporting green, red, and keffiyeh scarves gathered on the capitol steps to read poetry, sing traditional Palestinian songs and call for a cease fire in the Israel/Palestinian conflict. The Washington Coalition for Peace and Justice was the prime organizer of the event, but 37 other organizations showed support. The groups came to ask lawmakers to call for a ceasefire, an effort that has already been pushed across the world, country and state. "We know...
Nineteenth Legislative District state Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, has prefiled legislation he says will help overhaul the state's Sunshine Committee and streamline public disclosure requests. In a news release Friday, Wilson said Senate Bill 5779 would combat the rising number of exemptions to the state's public records law, though the bill does not address longstanding questions around legislative privilege. If passed, the bill would require the Sunshine Committee to...
Using locally sourced materials, multimedia artist Connie Ford combines traditional and unusual fibers to weave unique artworks in her Battle Ground studio. Ford seeks to stretch the boundaries of fiber weaving by collaborating with other local artists and combining their artistic mediums. Ford was inspired to pursue basket weaving while viewing a Native American art exhibit showcased at Elma Elementary, where she was the principal. The beautiful woven baskets on display...
As budget negotiations begin in the state Legislature, calls for action on affordable housing and rent caps from the annual Housing and Homelessness Advocacy Day are expected to ring in the ears of lawmakers. Hundreds of unhoused individuals, members of non-profit organizations and advocacy groups gathered late last month to urge lawmakers to do something about the high cost of housing. Cheyonna Lewis, a single mother of three, sat on the steps of the Capitol with her...
Facing health and safety hazards and experiencing overcrowding, in May 2023 the original Irving R. Newhouse Building on the capitol campus in Olympia was entirely demolished and construction of a new building began. Amidst rumors of a potential renaming, Rep. Bryan Sandlin, R-Zillah, representing the 15th District just like the building's namesake, introduced HCR 4405 to preserve the original name. "We can take a page out of his career, each and every one of us to be a...
LEAVENWORTH - Visitors from around the globe converge upon Leavenworth each year to take the sights, sounds, taste and smells that the Leavenworth Reindeer Farm offers, including the unique experience of being able to get up close and personal with a herd of friendly reindeer. The farm features Belgian draft horses, chickens, turkeys, ponies and pigs as well as a gift shop in a barn built in 1907. The concession stand serves hot cocoa and cider as well as Alaskan reindeer saus...
On a postcard-perfect Saturday morning on Lake Whatcom, program director and coach Courtney Moeller is idling the Whatcom Rowing Association's launch boat as four rowing shells - two four-seats, two eights - await her instruction. The water is flat and winds calm, boats basking in rare mid-November sunshine. Through her old-school megaphone, Moeller calls out the next set, a 60-second effort. Twenty-four rowers, oar blades flat on water to balance the precariously slim...
Courthouse drama is nothing new in Skagit County. But what is new is the tact taken to disrupt the counting of 2023 general election ballots at the county auditor’s office in Mount Vernon last Wednesday, Nov. 8. Ballot counting stopped for a period upon receipt in the mail of a white powdery substance by county elections workers. It was later confirmed to contain trace amounts of fentanyl, a controlled substance that can cause respiratory distress and death. The Skagit County Sheriff’s Office was alerted just before noon and...
A place of community since 1912, the Venersborg Schoolhouse has served multiple roles throughout its existence, but, lately, community events have been what has tied the rural area east of Battle Ground together. The Venersborg Historic Preservation Society maintains the schoolhouse grounds, hosts community potlucks and more. "I think the most important thing we do here is build community," society member Jacqueline Freeman said. "I think when we have our potlucks inviting...
The driver of a truck bringing a commercial load of marijuana products from Calgary, Alberta to Port Coquitlam, B.C. somehow managed to take a few wrong turns and ended up at the U.S. truck crossing at Pacific Highway. Presumably surprised CBP agents seized the shipment weighing nearly 875 pounds and released the driver and the truck. The incident took place May 16 but was not announced by CBP, which generally publicizes large seizures. A request for information was denied on...
Megan Moore, a freshman at Battle Ground High School, already has four years of driving experience with her success behind the wheel of a Junior Dragster car. In 2022, Moore earned first place in the Junior Thunder class at the Woodburn Dragstrip. In 2023 she moved up to the Junior Lightning class and raced her way to third place in the points system at Woodburn Dragstrip in Oregon. "I would love to go pro if I could," Moore said of her aspirations in drag racing. "Not a lot...
In the black bag Char Malseed carries with her at all times are yarn, knitting needles, scissors, projects in progress and a worn sheet of pink paper full of minuscule tally marks. The numbers on the note represent the 2,252 (and counting) pairs Malseed has created for the Bellingham-based Knitted Knockers, which provides free, lightweight knitted and crocheted prosthetics for breast cancer survivors around the United States - and the world. Starting a little more than a...
The Lummi Nation welcomed hundreds of community members into the Wex'liem Community Building Monday night, Oct. 9, for salmon, song, dance and speeches to mark Indigenous Peoples Day. With the Blackhawk singers opening and closing the event, the celebration featured Indigenous people from across the region. Keynote speaker and doctor Evan Adams, from the Tla'amin Nation north of Powell River, British Columbia, came to Lummi for the event to speak about Canadian Indigenous...
It is fair to say we live in an interesting time in history, where crisis has become the norm. Where information is plentiful, technology is ever consuming, and frankly, we all live with a little bit of chaos. It doesn't help that we also have to endure a pandemic that won't seem to let us go. Yet, life continues to move forward and time, unfortunately, continues to move at a rapid pace. However, within community, there has never been a better time to unite and realize we are...
Pleasant Valley School's campus sees community identity live on through a wood carving of the school mascot, Buddy the Beaver. When the campus opened in 1976, two red oak trees stood in the front lawn of the primary school. Last spring, an arborist noticed the larger of the two trees was dying, and, for the safety of students and staff, the red oak came down. Principal Craig Pearson knew the tree meant a lot to the identity of the community on the far south side of Battle...
In an 8-foot by 20-foot metal box near East Wenatchee, five men crowd inside to run electrical cables from one panel to another. They are finishing up a two-month project to electrify a small mission compound in Papua New Guinea some 6,800 miles away. After they are finished, the container will be packed with 2,500 pounds of lithium-ion batteries and 67 solar panels then sent off on a 75-day cruise across the Pacific Ocean arriving in March to Mike and Ruth Butler's Friends...
Derek Grannes and Alex Donahou were tossing back a few drinks at The Floatation Device Pub & Grill near the Purdy Spit last December. Nothing strange about friends of nearly 20 years getting together for some beer and tequila to celebrate the holidays. But then from out of nowhere, Donahou asked Grannes a pretty strange question: "Have you ever wanted to go ghost hunting?" Even stranger: Grannes was about to ask him the same thing. Earlier that month Grannes had a vivid dream...
Merle Roberts, of Grand Coulee, earned a blue ribbon in photography last week at the state fair in Puyallup. Roberts named his photo, in dramatic dark gray shades of a local tree growing right out of rock, "Its A Tough Life." It took Best of Scenic for black and white photography. To read more from this article, visit: https://www.grandcoulee.com/story/2023/09/13/news/grand-coulee-man-takes-state-photo-prize/16810.html...
When you drive around Skagit County, you see lots of animals: horses, cows, goats and more. One small farm on Best Road that immediately caught my attention has a sign stating JF Miniature Donkeys. The owners are Julie and Todd Jones and they gave me a tour of the property that enabled me to interact with many of the donkeys, who it turns out are very friendly, much more like pet dogs than horses or cows. My question as a reporter was, "What do you do with all of these...
A year ago in September, I wrote about a few books in these pages that I thought our community might read and asked for suggestions for those many titles I certainly missed. One that came in over the transom was David Buerge's "Chief Seattle," the result of 20 years of research. My first thought was, "Really? What could be left to reveal about this mythic figure?" But I was familiar with the work of the author and suspected there was more going on here than I realized. "You...
When former University of Missouri Director of Athletics Jim Sterk was hired to helm Western Washington University's athletics department, a 15-year-old question was once again revived: Will Western ever get its football program back? Sterk, 67, who has also served as the athletics director at Washington State University, San Diego State University and Portland State University over his 35 years in athletics administration, said it's not currently an option for the school....
A person and a dog were killed after being struck by a train on a span commonly known as the Ghost Bridge near Woodland on Tuesday, according to a news release from the Cowlitz County Sheriff's Office. Deputies were dispatched to a report of an Amtrak train striking a pedestrian at 1:12 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29, at 4399 Dike Road at the bridge, which crosses the Lewis River between Cowlitz and Clark counties. "Deputies responded and determined the pedestrian was struck by a...
Whatcom County officials are investigating a man's injury at Birch Bay Waterslides that forced the park to close for the season on Aug. 25. An adult male was injured on one of the park's main slides around 12:56 p.m. Friday, North Whatcom Fire and Rescue Chief Jason Van Der Veen said. After completing the slide run, the man was able to "swing himself to the edge of the pool," Van Der Veen said. Lifeguards and an off-duty nurse treated him until emergency responders arrived....
One member of Packwood's abundant elk herd, dubbed "Hammock Head" by locals, earned regional notoriety for getting himself caught in a hammock late last year and spending the winter and early spring proudly wearing his furniture crown. It seems the elk enjoyed his fame. Or he's a prodigy fashionista. Or, he's just outraged by lawn furniture. In any case, Hammock Head struck again. On July 30, he collected a lawn chair from a resident's garage. After trying to locate the elk...
Operation Doberman sounds like a military code-name, but it was a remarkable instance where the peninsula displayed its collective concern. When Arlington visitor Stacy Day's pet ran off, she was distraught for 18 days before a combination of sightings, diligent searching and patience allowed her to reunite with her Doberman. Now she wants to thank the community for helping. "It's amazing," she said. "It's hard to believe. It wasn't the way I was going to spend my August, but...
Ten years ago, then-state legislator Derek Kilmer considered running for Congress to replace the retiring Norm Dicks (D-6th), but he had some reservations. "I was conscious that if I was successful, I was signing up for a 3,000-mile commute and my kids were 3 and 6," Kilmer said. "The other con was that I was going to Congress, and I was kind of repelled by it. "Then I thought maybe that's the reason to do it. Because it's a mess and because I have kids and I don't want their...
Once you become the first person to circumnavigate the globe alone under your own power - 41,196 miles of rowing solo across the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic oceans, then pedaling a bicycle across and scaling mountains on the continents in between - what do you do for an encore? Maybe you do it again, taking a different route to summit the highest peaks you missed the first time, while visiting (or building) classrooms along the way, sharing what you've seen and learned about...
The late Billy Frank Jr, a Nisqually tribal elder and legendary Native American activist, will soon have a U.S. Navy ship named in his honor. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced on July 14 that a future Navajo-class towing, salvage and rescue ship will bear the name USNS Billy Frank Jr. The class of ships are traditionally named after prominent Native Americans or Native American tribes. "I am honored for the opportunity to name a naval ship after Billy Frank Jr.,...
Blaine's annual Drayton Harbor Maritime Festival is back Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6 for a pirate-themed weekend with events for the whole family (pets included). The Lady Washington tall ship will make its post-pandemic return to Blaine, which will be its only stop in Whatcom County for the year. The Lady Washington will arrive before the festival on Thursday, August 3 and remain docked at Blaine Harbor through Sunday, August 6. The crew aboard Lady Washington...
Gretchen Shepherd was getting ready to head to church camp at Camp Ghormley near Yakima. It was summer in the 1960s, and to capture the special moments between all the worship and fellowship, her grandma let the 10-year-old borrow her camera. Shepherd spent the week snapping photos of the new friends she made and all the daily festivities. The camera felt natural in her hands, so once camp was over she dreaded returning it to her grandma. "She never asked for it back,"...
ILWACO - Under a high July sun, shipwright Rachel Kuhn sanded the mahogany hull of a 1967 Chris-Craft next to Westport commercial fisherman Chris Cain, who was busy re-painting the bottom of his 46-foot Gulf Craft ahead of the albacore tuna season, now only days away. (Fishermen in Westport and Garibaldi began seeing some albacore relatively near shore last week.) Nearby, Brian Cutting worked to replace the propeller on his 50-foot vessel, the F/V Cutting Edge, a necessary...
While one of the most famous shows based in Washington state is "Fraiser" - a Seattle-based comedy about psychiatrist Fraiser Crane - perhaps it should have been the "X-Files" instead. According to Satellite Internet, Washington is the second-most active state regarding UFO sightings. There have been 90 reported UFO sightings per 100,000 residents in Washington, second only to Vermont, with 92 sightings per 100,000 people. A UFO, or unidentified flying object, refers to any...
BELLINGHAM — On July 4 at approximately 6:30 p.m., Whatcom County Corrections Deputies were alerted to an inmate out of his cell. The inmate, 23-year-old Christian Dillard, was being held in one of the highest security units in the downtown jail. “When he kicked the cell door, the door lock experienced a mechanical failure and the cell door opened into an outer security area,” said WCSO Program Specialist, Communications & Outreach Deb Slater in a July 5 press release. According to the press release, Dillard “then began kicki...
Being a firefighter was not on Sarah Pernick's childhood list of aspirations. Before becoming the first female fire captain in Bellingham, she was a self-described "ski bum." Pernick enjoyed the outdoors, worked as a river guide in her 20s and eventually opened a whitewater rafting business with her brother. Pernick initially got her EMT license to help with her rafting business. There, she was surrounded by aspiring firefighters, volunteers and career firefighters who...
Andrew C. Castrodale, M.D., is the recipient of the 2023 UW School of Medicine Alumni Service Award, the school announced last week. The award recognizes a University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) alum whose dedicated and determined efforts have benefited UWSOM and/or the Alumni Association and/or their community. Dr. Castrodale, a 1994 graduate of UWSOM, is being celebrated for his dedication and service to his community in his roles as clinician, mentor and...
For the first time since 2019, an Americorps team is at work in the Methow Valley. The AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) program offers participants a chance to get their hands dirty, and Team Gold 3 has been doing just that since they arrived nearly nine weeks ago. Both on and off the TwispWorks campus, the team is contributing to the community as well as developing skills that will support their own growth and development as human beings and members of the...
The marathon reading sessions paid off. The year was 1964, and the librarian at Quincy High School was Mary Kazda, also the teacher of Pre-College English. "She was a no-nonsense teacher who had us reading 'Anna Karenina,' 'Pride and Prejudice,' and 'Don Quixote,'" Candace Wellman wrote in an email. "She taught us to write in ways that when I got to Gonzaga for my first two years, I just breezed through composition class." And now in her seventies, Wellman – now a resident o...
It seems like a circus act, but it's in a barn. It looks like gymnastics, but there's no mat. It feels like figure skating, but it's on dirt. It's kind of like dancing, but it's on a horse. For an equestrian competition that's been going on for centuries, horse vaulting is tough to describe to those who don't know about it. But for Longbranch native Genna Downen, it was an easy sell. Genna is one of the top junior-level vaulters in the country and is one of eight finalists...
Former WWU track and field star and Nooksack Valley High School coach Cooper Cummings flew overseas to take home the big cheese: first place in the men's downhill race at the annual Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake contest May 29 in Gloucester, England. The Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake, an annual event attracting thousands of local spectators and tourists alike, involves participants racing down a 200-yard hill, chasing a 7- to 9-pound, wheel-shaped piece of...
Some among us seem hellbent on contriving the most hair-brained follies to test the outer limits of personal capabilities. It's baked into the DNA, I suppose. A decade ago, rock climbing star Alex Honnold challenged his mental and physical proficiency in adventures captured in an Amazon Prime video called "Sufferfest." The phrase gained traction among certain personality types. It surfaced when talking to paddlers Marc Fuhrmeister, Bart Maupin and Ian Sawyer, Bellingham's...
WHATCOM COUNTY - The creme-de-la-creme athletic event of Whatcom County is coming soon. Ski to Sea is a 93-mile course across snow and water and other surfaces, with biking and running along cliffs, as many as 600 volunteers, and as many as 500 teams. Ski to Sea racing is something so incredible as it involves massive volunteers available for multiple dates, public officials, closure of roadways and many emergency teams on standby. The annual race returns on Sunday, May 28 for...
MyDatingAdviser.com recently updated its ranking of the 25 best nude beaches in the world. The Washougal River was named the No. 1 spot in the United States and checked in at No. 7 on the international list, behind spots in Croatia, Italy, Australia, Germany, Portugal and Greece. "If you're in Portland and want to escape the summer heat, the Washougal River is a great place to perch and picnic on the rocks while swimming amidst fast and flowing streams," the article stated....
After five years serving as Washington state's House Republican Leader, Rep. J.T. Wilcox, R-Yelm, announced his decision to step down from his leadership role. Being the House Republican Leader is a partisan job, and in the past, Wilcox said if his leadership did not result in a more balanced Legislature, it was time for a change. The House of Representatives currently has 58 Democrats and 40 Republicans. "It's been weighing on me since the election, and I don't go back on my...
The Washington State Legislature adjourned April 23 after failing to approve a controversial bill setting drug possession penalties, raising the possibility of a special session in the coming weeks to resolve the issue. Drug possession became a misdemeanor two years ago when the Supreme Court invalidated the law that made drug possession a felony. Hurried legislation made the crime a misdemeanor, but many thought that charge was too light. The Legislature debated SB5536, which...
For the first time in history, a foreign head of state has addressed a joint session in the Washington State Legislature. President, Sauli Niinistö, of the Republic of Finland, met with Washington lawmakers March 6 to discuss climate change and their partnership in supporting Ukraine. The visit comes as Finland intends to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). "The current critical geopolitical situation has brought us closer together than ever before. We are...
Children and grandchildren sat on laps and wandered the aisles of the House of Representatives for this year's Children's Day at the state Legislature, and many young observers played with toy dinosaurs as House members voted for a bill establishing an official state dinosaur. House Bill 1020, sponsored by Rep. Melanie Morgan, D-Parkland, establishes a fossil nicknamed "Suciasaurus Rex" as Washington state's official dinosaur. The fossil was discovered in 2012 on Sucia Island...
Washington State might have an official nickname if a bill that passed a Senate committee becomes law, but it's not really “new.” You’ve seen it on everything from license plates to a state college. Senate Bill 5595, by Sen. Jeff Wilson, R-Longview, designates “The Evergreen State” as Washington’s official nickname, a moniker first employed 135 years ago. It was penned by Charles T. Conover in 1890, who became city editor of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer more than a century ago. “What it implies is something that can remain...
It's been a frustrating few days for Gloria Johnson in Cathlamet. Several mornings in a row now, she's discovered that something is turning over the newly laid sod in her back yard. It hasn't had a chance to take root, and may not if these high jinks continue. She's come to the conclusion that it's raccoons, trying to get an early breakfast of grubs. Raccoons have been seen in the neighborhood, Johnson said, walking on a nearby fence or living in a tree across the street...
LONG BEACH - A hazardous materials specialist is expected to investigate the mystery of what's going on at the Long Beach Post Office, which remained closed and taped off to the public as of noon Tuesday, Dec. 13. The Long Beach facility, which serves as a distribution point for some other peninsula-area offices, is deep into the pre-holiday rush but was locked up throughout the day Monday. "The Long Beach Post Office has been temporarily closed due to a utility leak," Lecia...
