August 16, 2017 Wendy Harris Action
The [Whatcom] county staff and council are not including the proper legal standard for CAO [Critical Areas Ordinance] protection. We must protect critical areas and the ecosystems in which they are located against a net loss of ecological function and value. Instead, the county limits review to critical areas to the development site, and maybe a short distance beyond (I am not sure if this has been changed.)
Tell the county to follow the law. Continue reading
Click the graphic to access the 8/14/2017 Bellingham City Council Committee of the Whole meeting. Discussion regarding the Pickett Bridge starts at about 2:02:00 on the video.
August 15, 2017 Dena Jensen
At last night’s August 14, 2017 Bellingham City Council meeting, there was a brief discussion which touched on a bit longer discussion held earlier that day at Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting regarding renaming Bellingham’s Pickett Bridge. Council Member April Barker said the issue is being raised due to constituent’s concerns that the name of the bridge “is celebrating a man who has a legacy of pro-slavery and had a strong alliance with the Confederate Army.” In the summer 2015 The Bellingham Herald ran a story saying discussion of renaming of the bridge came forward when Community to Community Development and the Racial Justice Coalition, held a protest of crime-mapping software being considered by the Bellingham Police Department. Pickett Bridge was the site of their protest.
August 13, 2017 Sandy Robson
The August 12, Seattle Times article provided a good report on the recent events surrounding Sarbanand Farms and the tragic death of H-2A farm worker Honesto Silva Ibarra. However, in the article, local public relations guru Gerald Baron took an opportunity to defend Sarbanand Farms, and to hurl accusations at two local organizations which are trying to help the fired and displaced H-2A farm workers. Continue reading
Last night I wrote a letter to the [Whatcom County] council, sheriff and executive regarding the issue of legal requirements for the sheriff’s office as follows: Continue reading
August 7, 2017 Community to Community Development
Bellingham, WA- After learning of the death of fellow worker Ernesto Silva Ibarra, who requested medical care from his employer Sarbanand Farms and not receiving it, guest workers recently fired for trying to organize, will march tomorrow [Tuesday, August 8, 2017] to the company’s management office in Sumas to demand accountability for Ernesto’s death, as well as to demand pay of their owed wages, and renewal of their expired visas for which the company is responsible. Continue reading
August 1, 2017 Sandy Robson
Whatcom County Sheriff Bill Elfo was a guest on KGMI’s “Saturday Morning Live” (SML) talk radio program, hosted by local Tea Partier, Kris Halterman. Sheriff Elfo was there to discuss the proposed new Whatcom County Jail which would be funded by a sales tax. That sales tax would last for the next thirty years. Continue reading
July 23, 2017 Sandy Robson
Please vote in this primary election, and remind your family, friends and neighbors to vote too. If you live in Bellingham, when you vote for the City Council At-Large position, please vote for either Jean Layton or Roxanne Murphy. The Republican candidate running against them is Eric Bostrom. [Eric Bostrom has been broadcasting hate speech on the streets of Bellingham for years and is now a candidate for office who is endorsed and supported financially by the Whatcom Republican Party.] Continue reading
The proposition to create an advisory ballot measure to be voted on in November to seek citizen input on eminent domain being used by oil pipeline companies did not pass at the Tuesday, July 25, County Council Meeting. Council Members Browne, Weimer, and Brenner abstained and Council Member Mann was absent, so the motion failed. Thank you to all who spoke to and wrote in to the County Council about this topic. Continue reading
Click the text graphic to read the full proposed resolution on the Whatcom County website.
PUBLIC HEARING NEXT TUESDAY BEFORE COUNTY COUNCIL ON WHETHER THIS SHOULD GO ON BALLOT.
HASN’T THE THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY ENDANGERED PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY ENOUGH ALREADY? TELL COUNCIL WE DO NOT NEED OR WANT CHERRY POINT EXPANSION, MORE PIPELINES, MORE TRAINS AND MORE SHIPS. Continue reading
noisy waters northwest 
You must be logged in to post a comment.